Disclaimer: Transformers...yeah, not mine. Alpha, Omega, Kit and Orcus are. So is the plot! Hammertread belongs to the great Lady Starscream who continues to help me with this story! (hands cookie) Here! Thanks again!

Alpha: Onto the story!

Alpha's head shot up when she saw Hammertread. The femme instantly snatched her arm free from Omega and whimpered softly, getting out of Grimlock's grasp. She held her bleeding arms near her chest and looked like she wanted to just disappear as she looked at everyone around her. "I'm sorry..." She whispered before tears started to fall, "I just want it to end..." She kept giving Hammertread a nervous look, knowing he had found out. She didn't want him to hate her.

She didn't want him to hurt her.

Hammertread turned on his heel and walked out without saying a word to anyone.

Alpha whimpered as Grimlock half dragged-half carried the young femme to medical, keeping her gaze on the floor once Hammertread had moved out of sight. She had hurt her brother by trying to kill herself, she had hurt herself...and she had hurt Hammertread. That look in his optics when he saw what she had done...she wanted to do something, but couldn't. Orcus was inside her thoughts, prodding her, poking her. He was the one that had convinced her to take the knife and end it...

She should have known better than to listen to him...she should have, but she just...didn't think.

He didn't even look at the mechs he passed in the hall. His thoughts were still reeling over what had happened.

Alpha had been deeply hurt by what Orcus had done to her. And they didn't know if she'd ever be able to develop a bond with anyone else. Even re-develop the bond with her own brother.

It was just...wrong. He swallowed a snarl, making Swoop 'eep' and hurry past him.

He cast a half a glance behind him. Sometimes...she pretended to be so strong, yet sometimes was so fragile. He turned a corner. He didn't want her to be in pain either.

Not that what she had done was right anyway.

And he could act like he didn't care all he wanted to. But everyone knew the truth. He folded his arms as he walked.
Taking her own life would not be a solution to the problem. And neither would sitting around feeling sorry for herself. They had to find a way to sever the link the werewolf had forged. And Hammertread decided he was going to find out how.

Orcus cackled as he watched the scene through Alpha's own optics, smirking softly. He was sitting up in a tree near the Ark, straddling the branch with his legs as he dug his claws into its bark, trying not to fall off. "That's right...let them hate you...let them pity you...you aren't as strong as you think you are, huh?" He asked someone (Alpha?) quietly, voice as smooth as silk. He smirked when he got an unheard response through the link. "Oh...I didn't make you do it, did I? No. I merely suggested it...and you went along with it because you knew, now that your brother is no longer a part of your spark...he wouldn't die when you did..."

"Click."

Smirk.

"BLAM!!!"

Hammertread chuckled darkly as the rifle-blast hit the werewolf, knocking him clean off his 'perch'. He was standing over the dazed mech before Orcas had even realized what had happened. An evil grin made it's way across the tank's face, as he was just waiting for Orcus to try something.
Anything.

Once Orcus had realized what, and who, had hit him, the werewolf stiffened. He narrowed his evil red optics and snapped, but didn't bother to try anything. He simply growled, "You kill me, you touch me, and I'll make your girlfriend's last moments a living hell." He threatened, "Considering if I die, she does as well." He grinned darkly, his nearly matching Hammertread's.

"Hmm…then maybe I'll just take your disembodied spark back so they can test it to find out how the connection works." The tank put more of his weight on Orcas and a knife appeared in his hand. His voice dropped from a low growl to icy. "They have ways of keeping a spark alive without it's owner." He nodded towards the nearby Ark.

Orcus' optics widened, both in surprise and fear. "You-You can't...you wouldn't!" He growled, glaring up at Hammertread. "Our sparks are still linked! You'd still hurt her!" He struggled to get out from under the tank again, "Or maybe that's what you want, eh? Maybe the Autobots didn't get that chip out of your head after all..." Hammertread knew what that implied even if the werewolf didn't say it aloud.

Hammertread leaned in and brought the flashing blade closer to the werewolf's gray-furred chest. He could see the fear in Orcus's eyes. The hunter had become the hunted! And the revenge was so tempting, it took every bit of will Hammertread had not to slice him open.
"No, not just yet. Let him squirm." his smirk widened as the pointed tip connected with Orcus's chest armor.

Orcus snarled as he snapped and slashed at Hammertread, trying to shove him off of him. He struggled and squirmed, trying to get away. A growl made its way up the mech's throat and out of his mouth as he clawed. He knew he couldn't get away, but he do a bit of damage while he was still functioning...he could practically taste the screams forming in Alpha's throat as he shot pain through the link.

Hammertread chuckled and pushed down on the knife, sending it hilt-deep into the mech's chest. He leaned in, ignoring the rivulets of energon running across Orcas's chest onto the grass below him. "Don't even think about sending her ill thoughts." he twisted the blade to get his point across.
"Besides." He leaned in further, so his face was almost by the werewolf's ear, his voice lowered to a whisper. "She's so high on painkillers, she won't feel a thing." he twisted again, this time suddenly. "But you will." He grinned a feral grin.

Orcus howled and arched into the blade, not a smart move, when the knife was shoved into his chest. He glared up at Hammertread and snapped at his face, almost snagging his nose right off his face. His fists dug into the ground and the wolf howled again when Hammertread twisted the blade for a second time. "You..." His voice was full of hate, fear and pain, but he managed to pant out, "Slaggin' son of a glitch...you won't...break the link by simply pulling my spark out of my body..."

Hammertread pulled the blade downward, ever so slowly. "No, but maybe they can."

Orcus snarled and howled, arching up into the blade again. After a moment, he couldn't take the pain anymore and forced his body to go into early stasis lock. He wouldn't suffer the pain he forced his captives to take. He was a coward, yes, but cowards often lived.

Hammertread snorted. "Now that's no fun. Oh well." He withdrew the knife and wiped it off before subspacing it. Then picked up the unconscious werewolf and slung him over his shoulder, heading back to the Ark. He turned on his comm. "Hey, you guys might wanna get a security detail to the front doors. I found your lost puppy." he clicked his radio off.

Preceptor looked up from his computer as Wheeljack walked in. "Any ideas yet on how we can sever the link without hurting Alpha?" Wheeljack asked.

"Just one." Preceptor replied, tone somber. He took a breath, and started to explain. "If a bond is forced on someone, then theoretically, if the one the bond is forced upon were to willingly bond with another partner, being that both parties are willing, the bond created, if at all possible, might be strong enough to negate the first, forced bond.

Wheeljack blinked. "...Huh?" He asked, but then took in the information, "Okay...I think I understand..."

Preceptor just regarded him with all the patience of a college professor lecturing a grade-schooler. "If Alpha willingly bonds with someone else, it could separate her spark from Orcas." He finally sighed.

"I knew that." Wheeljack defended himself.

Perceptor just gave him a look like 'I'm sure'.

Ratchet heard the announcement and blinked. He glanced over at Alpha, who had passed out, and pretty much guessed what the tank had done. He snorted before giving Firstaid strict instructions not to let Alpha out of his sight before heading towards the entrance. On the way there, he met up with Red Alert and the twins.

Prime was waiting for them, with Ironhide half a step behind.
Red Alert didn't look too pleased at all. He frowned. "I don't like this. You know how much of a security risk it would be having that...Decepticon inside our base? What if he somehow escapes? He's dangerous!"

Ironhide glanced at him. "Oh, stuff it Red..." Before he could say anything more, or get an argument (which Red Alert had just opened his mouth to do), Hammertread walked up with the unconscious wolf, ignoring the mech fluid as it dripped across his shoulder and down the back of his shoulder.

Ratchet's optics widened; he tried to choke something out, but couldn't, but Wheeljack sure as heck said something. "What the slag did you do to him?!" His earpanels flashed a suprised blue.

"'E knocked 'im out." Ironhide grinned softly.

The twins' mouths just fell open, jaws almost hitting the floor.

Hammertread grinned. "You wanted to figure out how to break the link, so here he is." He shrugged, bouncing the unconscious mech. "He's not that badly injured." He gave Orcas a glance, then added almost darkly "Not compared to what he's done to those he tortured."
He threw the mech unceremoniously off his shoulder to the floor plating. "So now what?" he folded his arms, looking at the group.

Sunstreaker glanced at Prime, then Orcas, then Hammertread. "You don't expect us to drag him to the brig by ourselves, do you?" He motioned to Sideswipe.

"Primus only knows what that..." He pointed to the yellowish mech fluid dripping from the deep gash across Orcas's chest armor "…will do to my finish."

Hammertread snorted, almost like a half-laugh. "It would match your solar." He said under his breath.

Sunstreaker's features darkened momentarily, but let it slide. This time. He looked over at Prime.

Prime, like all the others, had been shocked for a moment, but he managed to recover before something got out of hand. He looked at the twins. "Take him." He looked at Red Alert, "Go with them. No arguing." He added after he saw Red Alert open his mouth slightly. "Go."

Once the three had grabbed the unconscious werewolf and dragged him away, the Autobot commander gave Hammertread a look that said 'we'll talk about this later'. He turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, do you-"

Wheeljack spoke up, "Preceptor has an idea about how to break the link.." He eyed Hammertread, "And it didn't involve bringing the wolf here."

Prime nodded. Ratchet mumbled something and turned swiftly, heading back to the med bay. He had some things to deal with.

Prime glanced over at Wheeljack. "What's Preceptor's idea?" He asked.

"Well..." Wheeljack took a deep breath and said exactly what the scientist had said; he even managed to somewhat do Preceptor's accent.

Prime nodded, smirking softly behind his mask at the engineer's imitation of Preceptor. "I see..." He murmured thoughtfully.

Hammertread blinked. "Uh..." He wasn't sure what to say. Just what were they implying. That he...Oh no. Hang on a minute, that was HIS choice to make, not theirs. He glanced at the med-bay doors.

Waitaminute. They weren't insisting that I do, just suggesting it. It is my choice to make, not theirs. And Alpha's. I wonder if they've told her about this discovery yet. Hmpf. probably not. He headed for the repair bay, ignoring whatever they were talking about.

Prime noticed Hammertread's retreat and glanced at Wheeljack. He hadn't been saying that to suggest it to Hammertread, that was just one of the only ways...

YP: Ya read, now review!