Omega swallowed.

Sandi blinked and followed, occasionally sniffing.

They reached the rec. room, and Jazz waved as they walked in. "Hey guys, guess who I found!" he grinned.

Sandi blinked at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

"She's not here, Jazz," she whispered, hiding behind his leg.

Alpha walked over to Hammertread and kicked the boulder, smashing it. "Find something else to destroy." She duplicated and wapped her copy.

The tank blinked.

He picked up a basketball-sized rock, and threw it at the mountainside as hard as he could. It shattered against a wall of sheer rock.

"Clang!"

"What was that?" one bot asked. She was black, with bright teal sidestripes, and seemed to have an altmode of some sort of offroad vehicle. A chevy Blazer, maybe?

DriveBy quickly brought up one of the external cameras... "Oh, no."

"What is it, boss?" a small tank-bot piped up from the back.

"I never thought I'd see him again. At least I hoped so." DriveBy said quietly. A small grey 'bot with wings came rushing into the room. "CAP YOU IDIOT!YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MONITORS!" he yelled. "Calm down, Beacon. There's no need to yell. geez." the tank, cap, looked a little embarrassed.

Beacon, the grey-colored jet just scowled.

Alpha blinked. She picked up one and threw it, enjoying herself.

Omega looked at the screen. "Sis?"

Six sets of guns suddenly were charged and aimed at the trio.

"Okay, so she doesn't know who he is." Jade reasoned, motioning to the tank and femme on the screen

Omega swallowed. "Hang on, let me talk to her." he concentrated on the link between himself and his twin.

"SIS!"

Alpha heard. "What?"

"Who's he?"

"Hammetread."

"She says his name's hammertread" he said out loud

"D'ya know WHO he is, though?"

"Not really."

"hhm that's funny. I coulda sworn she'd still be here." Jazz looked around. "Hey, any 'a you guys see which way Kit went?"

Sunstreaker frowned. "How should we know?"

Sandi whimpered quietly and peeked out from behind Jazz's leg.

"Well, looks like we're gonna have ta go lookin' for yer friend.

Unless..." Jazz got a grin and turned on his comm. radio.

"Jazz to snowfeather. Ya there?"

the guns didn't move.

"We know who he is, and what his name is. But why is your sister with him?" DriveBy asked.

Omega swallowed. "Hang on."

"Sis."

"Yo."

"Why ya with him?"

"He attacked Jazz, so I followed him. He told me he was a friend of Prowl's. I followed him to make sure nothing happened."

"Great..." Omega sighed, then told the mechs what Al had told him.

Prowl looked a little more than suprised. "I don't know him." he said simply.

"Gunlock, Beacon, take the other route out of the base and circle around. We have to lead him away from here..." She stopped mid-sentence. Wait a minute You gave him the co-ordiantes of our base!?" she demanded. "You are his allies!"

Jade glared back.

"Be carefull, DriveBy. I have higher rank than you. It wouldn't be wise to accuse me of betraying you." she growled.

Driveby glanced at the screen.

"...sorry." the white femme motioned for them to put their guns away, not just down. Then turned to Omega. " I apologize. Perhaps you can get your sister to lead him away from our base?"

Omega smirked. "Course I can!"

Yo Al!

What?

Get him away from here!

I knew I didn't like him...ya got it!

"She's going." he said aloud

Sure enough, on the screen, the jet said something to the tank, then fleew away, the tank transforming to follow.

Alpha took Hammertread's's arm. "Come on, bro gave me more correct cooredinates."

"Oh, great." HT gave the femme a grin and let himself be led away.

Snowfeather answered the comm.

"I think she's with Compass...she..."

Sandi ran away from Jazz and over to Sunstreaker.

"Snowfeather, do ya read me?" Jazz tapped his comm. "hmm.. that's wierd. We got cut off. Ya think Kit has a com radio?" Jazz asked. Sandi squeeked as the yellow mech glared at her and ran over to Sideswipe.

"Bro." she sent

"Yo."

"He's takin' the bait."

"Good."

DriveBy nodded. "We will consider your offer. But in the meantime, I think we'll be safe here."

Prowl glanced at the screen, then said. "Perhaps you should meet with out leader. I believe we have some things to discuss."

The white femmecar turned and looked at her group. They nodded. She glanced back at the screen.

"Very well, then. Ty, Gunlock, stay here. Call me if he even comes close to our base again." She headed for the door. "Beacon, surveilance. I want to make sure our route is far away from that psychopath." The grey mech nodded, and transformed into a small jetlike vehicle with tailfins in the underside instead of the top. He took off. "let's go." Driveby transformed and headed out of the base, the tank (cap)and Ford Festiva car (Cable) following.

"Wait." Omega sighed, "I gotta get out there an' help my sis incase he realizes it's a trick!"

"I'll be fine." Alpha sent

"But sis-"

"I can handle m'self."

HT (hammertread) followed Alpha, growing impatient. Why did he get the feeling she was trying to lead him away from something?

"Please let me help my sis!" Omega begged.

Alpha swallowed. She duplicated and one of her copies ran away. "Almost there..."

"Hi." Sideswipe looked down at her.

Sandi giggled and looked up at him

"Have we met?" Sideswipe asked.

HT noticed the copy and knew something was going on. "If she's leading me into a trap, she's got a big suprise coming. I can take on four mechs and win." he snickered.

Driveby finally nodded. "Cap, go with him." She sped up a little, hoping to get to the Autobot base before they could be seen.

"aAll right! about time I got some action!" Cap hooted, taking off over a ridge and up and over a heap of rocks, through some trees and out of sight.

"Cap." driveby radioed.

"Yeah, boss"

"it's the other direction."

"Oh, sorry." The tank came careening out of the bushes, and zoomed past. Driveby mentally shook her head at him.

Omega transformed and followed.

Alpha suddenly realized she didn't have her armor on and that that tatoos and markings that covered her back, chest and arms were revealed to the world. They didn't have much meaning until they glowed, but it was still embaressing to walk around with these black lines all over you and weird writing etched into your very skin.

Sandi shook her head.

"I'm Sandi."

Sideswipe looked at Sandi, not sure what to say.

"You wanna play?" she asked

"Sure. Whattya want to play?" Sideswipe asked. Sunstreaker rolled his optics.

Sandi thought for a minute. "uh..I dunno." she said.

"How about hide and go seek? You go hide, and I'll come find you." sideswipe gave her a reassuring smile.

"Okay."

Sandi hopped down and ran off to find someplace to hide. Sideswipe leaned back and took a sip of his energon. "That gives me about ooh, I dunno... fifteen minutes?" Sunstreaker grinned. smooth, bro."

Hammertread followed, keeping a close eyes on the femme. He didn't even notice the small recon plane flying overhead.

"It's only a couple more miles." Prowl informed Driveby and Cable. "Good. The faster we get there, the better." Cable said. The yellow and blue hatchback accelerated, swerving over so he was on the side of Driveby towards where Omega and cap had gone.

Omega followed overhead next to the grey spyplane and bit his lip.

"Careful, Alpha..."

Beacon flew a little higher, but a gust of wind caught him, throwing him sideways. "wo-ooaah." He swooped back down. "You okay up there?" Omega asked.

"Fine, I just can't go too high up." the MQ-1 Predator sounded a little shaken.

"Do you see them?"

"not yet."

Alpha then ducked away and bolted for it. Unfortunatly, she hadn't gotten far when she tripped and fell flat on her face.

HT caught up with her in a few steps and grabbed her by the arms. "Be carefull, missy. It wouldn't be nice to lie to me." he grinned "Now would it?" He turned her around and backhanded her, sending her sprawling. Her head connected with a rock, knocking her out with a loud "Clang!".

"Hmpf. too bad." He looked around. "But I can still use some company." He grinned and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder as he transformed and drove away, the femme bouncing atop his tank alt. mode...

Driveby and company arrived at the base, and transformed. Driveby looked up at the ark's huge boosters, buried in the mountainside. Cable whistled. "That's a big ship." he noted. Jade smiled and led them in.

Prime and Ironhide were at Teletraan-1 when they came in, and Prime turned.

"Hello." He greeted, nodding.

Driveby bowed. "Your representative said you wanted to speak to me."

"Who?" Ironhide piped. But Prime gave him a look to be quiet.

"Yes, I did. Welcome to the Ark."

Cable wandered around, looking at all the different monitors and various equipment.

"Boy, I could get signals all the way from Cleveland with this stuff." he thought, chuckling.

Alpha groaned as she woke up, her head in a world of hurt. She tried to use her psychic powers, but couldn't. "Slag my head's hurt too bad..." She muttered, looking around. "Where-Where am I?"

"Ah, I see you're awake." HT stomped over, and tossed an energon cube at her. "Here." he grunted. "Make it last. It's all you're getting." He stomped over to a console and pressed a button. The viewscreen flipped on, revealing a dense forest outside.

"Welcome to my ship. It's how I reached this miserable mudball. And you, my dear, are going to help me get revenge on a certain Autobot." his grin widened.

"No, I'm not." Alpha groaned, sitting up. She looked at the cube and tossed it aside.

"Like you have a choice." HT pressed a button on his console, and a forcefield appeared, barricading her in the back of the small ship.

Alpha got to her feet. She walked over to the force field and hit it.

"LET ME OUT!!"

"BRO!!"

"SIS!"

"WHERE ARE YOU?"

WHERE ARE YOU?"

"HAMMERTREAD'S SHIP."

Sandi ran back to the rec room after what SHE thought was an hour. She saw Sideswipe still sitting there, stuck her tongue out at him, transformed and scampered off.

Alpha fell to her butt and folded her arms. "Frag I wish I had my armor on right now...my markings are starting to hurt again..." The femme reached back and touched her shoulder. She pulled her hand back in front of her face and frowned at the energon. "Great. The wounds Lee gave me have reopened. Fraggit...I really gotta pick men better...or at least pick the ones that won't kill me when they get bored..." She whimperd as she felt her markings give off pain.

"Ya okay, sis?"

"Somewhat, Bro. My injuries have reopened." Alpha shrugged, then winced as she watched HT.

"Has he tried to hurt you yet?"

"Not yet, Bro...not yet...it's my markings...they're giving off pains..." Alpha said, trying not to show the pain on her face, but she was sure HT could notice it.

"They hurt...bad..."

"Hang on, sis..."

"I'm trying, Omega, but I need my armor...they...they make me forget about these horrible things...and the pain they give off..."

Alpha said, trying to stop her shoulder bleeding by covering it with her hand. "Frag it hurts..."

Alpha felt her brother leave her mind and whimperd, bringing her knees to her chin. She leaned against a wall, the energon leaving marks on it, and looked at HT. "I wasn't leading you into a trap, you know..." She whispered softly, "I was jus' doing what my bro told me to do...I don't want to fight...I don't want to trap...I just want to be left alone..."

The femme leaned back against the wall and looked at HT with tired optics and muttered: "I'm tired of this...I don't want to be who I am...I don't want any of the responcibility i have..." She appeared to be talking to herself, but then looked at HT again and looked him in the optics, "I'm sorry about lying to you, but...I was only doing what my brother said to do and I trust him...I wasn't going to let you hurt my friends...any of them..."

The femme let out a ragged breath and then sighed. "You can lower that force field. What's the worst I can do while I'm in pain?" She asked, hugging her knees. "I can't do anything..." Tears came to the femme's optics as she looked away from HT.

Kit smirked as she hurried towards the rec room. She ran into something and rubbed her head. "Ow."

Sandi fell over and looked up at Kit.

"Sorry Kit!" she squeeked.

Kit muttered something as she stood up. The sparkling smiled at her friend. "It's okay, Sandi!" She said, grinning.

Sandi transformed and swished her tail.

"Sideswipe won't play hide and seek with me!" she complained.

Kit's ears drooped. She got an idea. "Wanna play with me?"

Sandi nodded enthusiastically.

"Can we do sumfin to Sideswipe?" she asked.

"Sure!"

Sandi grinned.

"But what...?"

"Um...maybe we could pull a prank? I've got some pink paint in my room!"

Sandi brightened up.

"I think I've got some glitter!"

"Awesome! I'm gonna go get the paint!" Kit grinned.

"And I'll go get the glitter!" Sandi laughed, running off.

Kit returned a minute later, cans of pink paint in her arms and three stencils and a can of spray paint under one arm. "Got 'em!"

Sandi returned too, with a large bucket filled with glitter. Kit laughed at the glitter. "Alright, let's get to work. I think he's rechargin' right now in his room. He said sumtin about he drank too much. and now he's tired."

Sandi grinned and followed Kit to the twin's room. Kit jumped up and hit the doorswitch, but nothing happened.

"It's locked." Kit said, dissapointed.

"Hand on." Sandi got an idea. "Help me get up there."

Kit transformed into her tiger mode and Sandi climbed up on her back.

She typed in the code she saw Jazz use earlier.

"Now don't tell anyone I used the code Jazz used earlier to get in mommy's quarters, kay?" Sandi grinned.

"Kay." Kit grinned. The two picked up their art supplies and crept into the darkened room.

Kit put her stuff down and then smirked at Sides. She saw both of the twins asleep and then looked at Sandi. "Can we prank both of them?" Kit grinned and pulled out a CabbagePatch doll stencil and a care bare one. She painted them onto sunny's earfins with pink paint and then sprinkled glitter over them. On his stomach, she painted on a barbie doll stencil that under it read "Barbie for President!"

Sandi laughed quietly, handing whatever materials Kit asked for to the other sparkling.

Kit snickered at her handiwork and then scurried over to Sides. She painted on a pink pony on his back and then "This Space For Rent" on his forehead with a pain brush. One his stomach, she painted "My Little Pony For President" in pink paint and put a Dora The Exploarer pic on his stomach jus' over the wiritng. She jumped down.

"Done."

Sandi giggled quietly and started packing everything away.

Kit tucked her stuff under her arm and then painted something on both of their arms then covered it with glitter. "Let's go."

Sandi grinned and nodded.

"Nice job," she commented when they got outside.

Kit smirked and then pulled Sandi to the rec room to wait for the twins to wake up.

Sandi giggled again, then sat down with some energon.

About ten cycles later, both ran in. They looked around.

Everyone busted out laughing.

Even Prime chuckled and shook his head when he passed..

Sandi laughed as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker came in.

Sideswipe looked MAD. "Who. Did. This?" he snarled.

Sunstreaker didn't even seem to notice his decoration.

yet.

Kit fell out of her chair.

"If your friends co-operate, you'll be back safely with them in no time." HT said, lowering the field. He walked over and handed her a small vial. "Here. It'll help with the pain." He walked back to the console and pressed a button.

DriveBy turned at the sound of Omega's shout.

"Beacon, Cap, Omega, what's wrong?" she asked.

As if on cue, Teletraan blinked "incoming message" The screen came on to show a bulky camoflauge-colored mech. "Hello. I believe I have something of yours and..." he spotted DriveBy.

"Dri?"

"Don't call me that." Driveby growled.

HT seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, but quickly got over it. "I have your female friend, Alpha. I'm willing to trade her for..."

He grinned at the whiter tactician standing by Prime. "I want the one you call Prowl. And, since she's allready there, Dri can join him too. Otherwise..." the camera panned over to show Alpha huddled in a corner behind a forcewall, shaking and dripping energon from her shoulder.

"Well, you get the idea." he chuckled darkly. "You have one earth-hour to decide. You have my comm-frequency." and the screen went black. Alpha whimpered and drank the vial. She looked at Ht and managed to stand up. "Would you...really kill me?" She asked, looking at him as she wrapped her arms around herself. "What did I do to you?"

Omega growled and started to kick at anything and everything when Prime placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get her back, Omega."

Sandi looked down at Kit and laughed harder. Sideswipe growled.

"WHO DID THIS?!"

Kit started to cry as she laughed.

Sandi almost choked and had to concentrate hard to breathe.

Optimus turned to Driveby. "You know him?" he asked. Driveby sighed.

"yes, unfortunately I do. He was my boyfriend. But he became erratic, moody, even pychopathic at times." she shook her head. "I hoped he would never come back into my life."

"Um, excuse me? If I may?" Jade piped.

"Yes?" Prime turned to the jet.

"What if we meet him out in the open, and just have a bunch of people hide around the area and ambush him? He'd be so busy trying to fight everyone, he won't care about Alpha."

Prime thought for a second. "Hmm. If Prowl is there, and this mech, whoever he is..."

"Hammertread." Driveby put in. Prime nodded.

"If Hammer-Tread has a vendetta with Prowl, he may still find the chance to exact his revenge."

The two Lamborginis growled threateningly.

"Now, it was just a-"

"I'M PINK!!" Sideswipe howled

Sandi swallowed again and started laughing yet again.

she giggled again and glanced at them, trying to hold back sniggers.

Hammertread ignored the femme. "Are you going to keep crying like that, or do I have to knock you unconcious to make you shut up." Alpha swallowed. She glared at him. "Let's see you be stable after you've been attacked by your ex-lover and he cuts into your skin, trying to kill you, like he did the last time only to be kidnapped and then have your wounds reopen!" She growled, then leaned against the wall. "D'ya have anything I could use to stop the bleeding?"

HT folded his arms across his chest. "You certainly have a big mouth for such a small femme. There's a rag in the cabinet next to your head." he wondered why he hadn't spiked the painkiller with something...stronger. Like a tranquilizer or something.

Alpha pulled out the rag and placed it on her wounds. She looked at Ht, a little calmer now. "Hey, growing up with a twin bro, you gotta have a big mouth." She smiled a bit, then sighed. "Frag I wish I had my armor."

HT sighed, and glanced at the clock

Driveby watched them discuss things, not sure she wanted to even risk getting close to the tank.

"I know someone who can make himself look like Prowl, though." Jade grinned, hoping Hound was feeling better. Prime replied with: "Hound is not fully recovered yet. "It would be an unnacceptable risk. We will have to find another way."

"How about we borrow Hound's holographic emitter, then?" Jade asked.

"Hey, I'll volunteer." Cap shrugged. Driveby looked over at the small tank. "No, Cap, it's too dangerous. Hammertread can fight three mechs at once and win." she looked down at the floor. "We'll think of something." she looked at Omega. "Do you have any ideas?"

--------------------------------------

Next Chapter: The Autobots make their plan to meet Hammertread, and trick him into meeting them exactly where they want. And Alpha tried to reason with the tank. But is Alpha the only one the psychopathic ex-Decepticon tank has prisoner? And will their plan work, or will Hammertread arrive early and discover their plan?

Stay tuned, and find out!