The jet hissed, and saw Orcas messing with the controller.
She stood still, letting Starscream pull her hands back behind her, fastening the manacles with a click.
Orcus grinned.
Alpha gasped. She panted and then watched, wishing she could help.
Jade looked around, hoping Omega and Mirage were still close by if anything happened.
Orcus leaned back. He glanced over and spotted Alpha.
The femme eeped and then hid, but saw the order in his optics. She knew what he wanted...and she had to do it. Alpha crawled away and transformd, heading back to the Ark.
Omega was indeed nearby. Even though he knew his sis was around, he wasn't going to leave Jade with Megatron and the others.
Megatron looked around, as though he expected the Autobots to come flying over the edge of the nearby ridge at any second.
"Let's go." He tucked the device under one arm, and turned away.
Soundwave grabbed one arm and Starscream the other, and took to the air.
I just hope Omega's following. Jade thought. She looked back at the ground as Mirage appeared beside Jazz and Jade smirked.
Omega followed in the air and then growled.
They got further up, and Jade spotted the blue car making a beeline for the Ark.
Alpha's okay! she thought.
She reached for the key that would unlock any sort of handcuffs of this type, and started to unlatch them.
As soon as her hands were free, she did a nosedive for the ground, yelling "Alpha's okay!"
She passed over Mirage and landed, pulling her spare blasters from subspace behind her.
Omega grinned. He became visable.
-------
Alpha transformed outside the Ark and began to beat on the door. "Prime! Someone!" She panted. Her spark still ached badly. "Prime...Prowl...someone!" She yelled again as she felt her legs wobble.
She had orders to fullfill...oh everyone was going to kill her!
Prime was the first to the door. "Alpha!" he exclaimed, helping her inside. "are you allright?"
Alpha panted and leaned against him for support.
"Prime, I..."
She winced as her spark gave off a pain. "Gah, that hurts...dammit..."
She looked up at him and then nodded. "It not as bad as it looks...okay, it is."
The femme stood up and then swallowed. "Prime...I've gotta talk to you...in private."
She looked at the others that had gathered around.
"In a moment. We have to go rescue Jade and the others." Prime said.
He called Ratchet and turned to the team they had put together. "Let's go, we have to go help Omega and Mirage rescue Jazz, and help Jade." he ordered.
He turned to Alpha. "Stay here. You'll be safe." he turned, then paused.
"We're glad you're allright, Alpha."
And with that, the Autobot leader transformed and rolled out of the ark, Wheeljack, Prowl, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker following.
Alpha panted and nodded. Primus her spark was aching! she really hoped Orcus didn't have a perminate controller for Jazz like he did her.
She shuddered a sigh. She had to kill Prime...why? And then as many other Autobots she could get her hands on while escaping...
Orcus knew how to make her life miserable...
-----------
Jade glared at the Decepticons and started firing.
Orcus glared at her.
He pressed the button.
Jazz curled up tigter, screaming. Jade looked at him then Orcas.
"BASTARD!" she flew at him, using her afterburners for added leverage to flying tackle the mech.
The controller went flying, and hit a rock. The thin casing broke apart, and the device sparked as it broke into peices.
Prime sped up. He didn't know what Megatron was up to, but he was going to find out!
Orus growled. "You fool! Now he'll be in pain until either he dies or that thing is removed from his spark!!" He roared.
Omega fired at the Decepticons.
Jade's optics widened and she stuck out her wrist spikes. She snarled and punched him in the shoulder as hard as she could, knowing her tritanium wrist spikes would at least make a nice hole.
Orcus roared with pain. He growled.
Starscream fired his null ray at her.
Jade pulled out the spike and aimed for his face... She felt something hit her in the back, and everything went dark.
Soundwave didn't dodge Omega's blast and was hit suqrely in the chestplate, knocking him back, but not out. He fired back
Omega growled and was hit in the shoulder. He fired back at the blue cassette player.
---------
Ratchet led Alpha to the repairbay, and gave her some painkillers. He didn't have to ask what was wrong. He knew (or thought he did) the damage to her chassis was causing the pain. He didn't know there was something else..
Alpha took them greatfully and then waited for the pain to calm down. All she was really feeling was the after effects, but even thatstill hurt. She sat down in her chair and sighed, closing her optics. "Primus..."
Ratchet led Alpha to a repair berth, and started to work on her damage. The medic happened to look down at her spark, where the plates of the spark chamber overlapped, and there was a small opening. He leaned over, squinting to get a better look...He thought he'd seen a small black dot... No, wait, that was impossible. He got back to work...
Alpha covered her chest when he looked at her spark. She swallowed and then sighed when he got back to work. The femme shivered a bit, knowing that something was going to go wrong. The woman in her knew it.
"What happened while you were in the Nemesis?" Ratchet asked sotly, hoping it wouldn't drudge up too many bad memories. No, if she wanted to explain, she would.
Alpha shivered. "It's not what happened while I was there, Ratchet..." She said, covering her spark. "It's what happened before that..." She shuddered again and then whimpered.
"What do you mean?" he looked at her, noticing how she covered her spark. He shook it off. Of course someone wouldn't want someone staring at their very spark. He looked her in the optics. "What happened"
He paused for a second. "Are you sure you're allright?" he asked.
Alpha whimpered and shook her head. "It's nothing, ratchet..." She swallowed, looking up at the mech. She shivered as she remembered Orcus's touch...
------
Prime pulled up just in time to see Megatron leave, Soundwave and Starscream carrying Jade between them. the Autobots fired after the leaving Decepticons.
Wheeljack hurried over to the writhing black and white. He froze, and suddenly stopped screaming. He looked up and Prowl rushed over. "He's only passed out. Anyone know what the hell that was?" he demanded. He looked up.
Omega looked at him. "I have a feeling sis does." He sighed. "And it has something to do...with this." He picked up the broken controller.
Prowl took it from him, and looked over it, then turned to Prime. "We should return to the Ark." Prime looked at the sky where the Decepticons had headed. "I hope Jade will be allright." he said, and transformed. He transformed, and Wheeljack and Prowl carried the unconcious Jazz into the trailer and shut the door. Prime started his engine, and everyone zoomed back to the Ark.
Prowl looked down at his bondmate, then at the inside of the trailer doors, thankfull no one else was riding with them, except Wheeljack, who allready knew of their bond. He settled beside the beaten black and white, carefull not to touch the exposed witring where his armor had been torn of. He took Jazz's hand in his and whispered. "It'll be allright.", hoping the black and white had heard him. He could feel the pulsating pain through their link, and when they had showed up, Prowl had frozen in place, barely able to keep his feet under him.
He could clearly feel every bit of it, now even more so, being so close to Jazz physically. He wouldn't let it show when the others were standing behind him in the valley but now.. The Datsun just bowed his head, dimming his optics, trying to force it away, for the both of them.
Prowl looked over the damage, noticing the tiny black orb floating around the bright blue spark, and the tiny arcs of electricity dancing around it, His optics brightened. That's it! that's what's causing so much pain! he thought.
He looked up at Wheeljack, who was trying to repair some of the damaged wiring and circuitry in Jazz's other side, and he noticed too.
"I know. But I'm not sure how to get it out of there without killing him." the engineer said softly.
Prowl looked back down at him. "I know how." he said...
Wheeljack's optics widened at the explanation. "But... you can't. Opening your spark chamber could..." he trailed off, but Prowl gave him a steady look in reply.
"I know what I'm doing." the Datsun undid the latches on his chestplate, and the armor slid open, revealing the wiring and circuitry underneath. He gazed at his sleeping bondmate's serene face, and leaned over so they were mere inches apart, bowing his head so their foreheads touched.
I hope this works he sent..
Wheeljack looked away to give them a little privacy. Prime pretended to ignore it, also, and slowed down a bit to give them more time.
Another plate slid aside, and a dome-shaped plate came into view. The leaves opened, like the shutters of a camera, revealing a sparkling ice-blue and grenish spark that illuminated the inside of the trailer, casting waves of shadows and light, like a mirror under water.
Jazz's optics clicked on, and he stared right at Prowl above him as the sparks connected.
The waves of pain hit them both simultaneously, and both gasped, but didn't cry out.
"Help...me.." the black and white managed to whisper.
"shh... I will." the voice was barely even a whisper, and Prowl's fingers slid coser, touching the outside of his bondmate's spark.
Jazz reached out, but Prowl caught his hand before it could reach his spark, holding it tightly.
"No, don't." He wasn't sure what would happen if Jazz's hand had connected with his spark...
Prowl paused, and his fingers connected with the tiny black orb, sending a strong electric current across his fingers and down his arm.
Both yelped, and Wheeljack glanced at them in suprise, and looked away quickly.
Prowl's doorwings twitched, and he dimmed his optics in concentration. His fingers closed around the orb, and he grimaced, trying to block the link between them so the pain wouldn't be reinforced, and pulled.
Jazz yelled and arched his back against the pain and pulling sensation.
It felt like Prowl was trying to rip out his spark!
He let out a small cry, and Prowl whimpered back, trying to draw away the pain through their link.
The black orb sparked and electricity arced blue and white down Prowl's arm as he pulled back, quickly tossing the small orb towards the back of the trailer.
All his will having been focused on the orb and their connection, Prowl collapsed on top of Jazz. Wheeljack turned around and rushed over, gently touching Prowl's shoulder.
"I'm fine." Prowl mumbled, in a voice that said "Don't touch me".
After a minute or so, Prowl had summoned enough energy to move, and started to get himself up. Jazz grabbed him, "Don't leave me." he whispered, voice still shaky. Prowl smiled back, and closed the coverplates of his own spark, settling down so he was laying next to his bondmate. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." he whispered back, giving him a soft kiss, and laying down, moving so Jazz's head was resting on his shoulder, safely wrapped in his embrace. Jazz smiled, and both drifted off into recharge.
-----------
Meanwhile, back in the repairbay, Ratchet stopped his repairs for a second, looking at Alpha with a concerned expression. "Are you sure you're allright?" he asked.
Alpha swallowed. She looked down. "...No..." She whispered softly.
Ratchet just looked at her for a second, then asked "Do you want to talk about it?"
Alpha swallowed. She closed her optics tight as she remembered the feel of the pain in her spark whenever she did anything wrong that he inflicted on her. The young medic whimpered and then looked at ratchet, a bit nervous. She squirmed. "..." She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. "I...I don't know...he...my spark...Jazz..."
Ratchet blinked. Then nodded encouragingly for her to go on.
Alpha whimpered and squirmed. "He...he put some sort of device in Jazz's spark...that's how he was able to hurt him..." She said, looking at him. She kept her hands over her spark, "And...he cut into me again...he played with my spark...it..." She trailed off and then closed her optics tightly, letting a few tears slip out.
Ratchet put a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe... we can find a way to remove it.." he knew he wasn't helping. But he never was really good at this mushy stuff...
Alpha looked at him. "Maybe...Primus I hope Jazz is okay..." She hadn't told him about hers...she probably wouldn't.
Ratchet nodded. "I should go meet them halfway." he said, shutting a panel. "Stay here, and get some rest." he said. "Okay?"
Alpha swallowed. She winced and waited for the others to get back...
---------
Jade finally woke up staring down at the ocean. She still couldn't move, and she shivered at the thought of being suspended several hundreed feet over several miles deep of water.
Omega followed them.
Jade took a deep breath, and tried to think of a way out of the situation. she'd dropped the key when Starscream shot her... She could forcibly cause a cascade failure in her systems, but Syus and the others would have an absolute fit. And she'd be sick for 2 weeks, also.
Omega followed the group. He sighed and tried to touch Alpha's mind, but couldn't. That confused him. He'd ask her about that later.
Jade hazarded a glance at Orcas as the Nemesis's boarding tower rose out of the ocean, and it's door opened like a giant maw waiting to devour them all. He noticed her glanced and chuckled darkly.
They flew closer... Wait, where had she put that spare key? and why the heck hadn't she thought of that earlier?...
The Decepticons dragged the femme into the boarding lift and waited as the door closed and it went down.
---------
Wheeljack pulled out a pair of grippers so he wouldn't get shocked by the metal orb, and put it into an insulated container. Ratchet pulled up and did a u-turn so he was going the same direction Prime and the rest of the autobots were heading.
"Where is he?" he asked.
Prime pulled over.
Wheeljack noticed the semi stopping, and unsubspaced his gun, going to the trailer door. He almost fired when it was yanked open, but it was only Ratchet.
"Alpha told me about what happened." he said.
Wheeljack nodded, and let the medic climb in and tapped the side of the trailer with his hand to tell Prime to get going. He looked over at the two sleeping black and whites, and Wheeljack started to explain...
"He did WHAT!?" came from the trailer as the semi took off down the road.
Prime mentally shook his head, and sped up slightly. He needed to talk to Alpha about what happened.
Alpha sighed and swung her legs out of boredom. She sighed and winced as her spark gave off another pain...
They reached the Ark, and Wheeljack nudged Prowl. "We're here." he said. Prowl looked up, then got up, still slightly groggy from the lack of energy.
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?" Ratchet demanded. Prowl just looked him straight in the optics.
"There was no other way to remove the shock-orb, and leaving it there would have permanently damaged his spark." he replied calmly.
Ratchet looked at Jazz, then at Prowl. his look said what he didn't say aloud.
You are crazy, and could have waited for someone trained to handle medical emergencies to handle it, instead of trying to solve the problem yourself. But I'm glad it worked.
Prime pulled up to the med-bay, and Wheeljack and Ratchet carried Jazz inside, Prowl trailing after. Prime followed, to talk to Alpha.
Alpha looked up and saw them. She gave them a slight smiled and saw Jazz was alright. "Jazz! You're okay." She smiled a bit bigger as she jumped from the berth. She swayed slightly, but then stood up strait.
Ratchet and Wheeljack carefully laid the unconcious Autobot on one of the repair berths, and Prime walked in. "Alpha." he motioned towards Ratchet's office. and Ratchet was trying to shoo Prowl.
"He said he didn't want me to leave." the tactician argued.
"And he won't be awake for a while yet to know you're not here." the medic argued.
Prowl folded his arms defiantly.
Ratchet sighed and opened his mouth to ask Prime to kick him out, but the red and blue autobot leader had noticed and hightailed it into Ratchet's office quickly, before he could be pulled into the argument.
Ratchet sighed. "Fine. Just don't get in my way."
--------
Prime sat down in one of the chairs in front of the desk, motioning alpha to the chair next to his. "You said to needed to discuss something with me?" he asked.
It was then she realized what she had been told to do. She twitched her hand.
"Prime...I..."
She trailed off and then sighed.
"Prime, he put one of those things in my spark too..."
She muttered as she sat down next to him, "And...he's using it to control me..." She looked at him,
"Prime, he wants me to backstab you an' every other Autobot I can get my hands on before..."
She trailed off again and then looked at the ground.
Prime's jaw dropped behind his facemask. "How... Would Omega be able to..." he wasn't sure what to ask first.
"Thank you for telling me, alpha. What would you suggest we do next? I know if you pose any threat to the Autobots, it would be best if you were confined to either the repairbay or the holding cells for both your protection and ours, until Ratchet and Wheeljack can find a way to neutralize the device."
He really didn't want to have to say it, or say it that way, but those were his options, it seemed.
"I don't know." Alpha managed, looking at him.
"It feels like I have no choice. I don't want to hurt anyone, but...that pain in my very spark...it's like acid..."
She swallowed and then looked at him. "I don't know what to do..."
Prime nodded. "I'll have Wheeljack set up a forcefield on one side of the repairbay. You can stay here." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find a way to remove the device."
He stood, then got an idea. "Would Omega be able to.. you two are spark-twins, correct?" he asked.
Alpha looked at him. She nodded. "Yeah...we're connected to the very spark, but...I don't...I don't know if we are anymore...I can't talk to Omega or sense him through our link...it's...disturbing..." She shuddered.
"Do you think he could remove this?" She asked, putting a hand over her chestplate, where her light pink spark lay underneath.
"I don't know, he might be able to.." Prime didn't tell her that if her spark reacted to someone touching it in too forcefull of a manner, it could extinguish, and after the trauma she'd been through...
"We should consult Ratchet about this. He would know what to do." he nodded.