Disclaimer: Transformers © Hasbro

Units of Measure: 1 vorn = 83 stellar cycles; 1 stellar cycle = 1 year

Never Again

Cliffjumper wasn't sure just what had happened. One minute he was unwillingly with Red Alert and Prowl investigating a disturbance close to the space bridge - mentally he still thought of it as a stellar spanner, and he wanted to alternately laugh and cry at how much that world had rubbed off on him - the next he was abruptly coming out of emergency stasis lock to the sound of Red's sirens whirring in alarm.

While he didn't pretend to know how Prowl had managed to survive several brushes with deactivation, the minibot just accepted the facts as they were... even if it did feel colossally unfair that Red Alert had his bondmate while Cliffjumper was separated from his by an entire fragging reality. The only assurance he had that Sideswipe was still functioning was the other's presence in his spark, and some days that didn't feel like much.

As the minibot was trying to pull his thoughts together, Prowl was taking in the demolished landscape and attempting to calm his mate. He could understand Red's distress, though; apparently the disturbance had caused the space bridge to activate and drag the three of them through to Cybertron. He wasn't sure where they'd wound up, given that anything even remotely familiar had been leveled to the ground. The last time he'd seen their home, even the worse of the damaged cities were nearly rebuilt. This....

"What could have done this?" Red Alert hissed, optics wide in shock. "Most of the Decepticons have either long since left the planet or holed up in Darkmount indefinitely, but this level of destruction is... is..."

"Not destruction."

The two policemechs turned to stare at the third member of their group. Cliffjumper had picked himself up from the ground and was looking at the exact same thing they were... but seeing something completely different. The red mech stepped over a small pile of melted scrap and wires to take a closer look at a post sticking up from the ground, making a faint sound of affirmation.

"This isn't destruction," he repeated, sounding more like the Cliffjumper Prowl and Red Alert both remembered instead of the absent specter he'd become. "This is reconstruction that was stopped abruptly. Work crew probably had to fall back, and fast. We should head for the city, just in case who-or-whatever decides to check for stragglers."

Red Alert turned a questioning look to his bonded, but Prowl appeared to be just as confused as he was. Rather than fry the SIC's processor, the smaller of the pair looked back at Cliffjumper. "Do you know where we are, then?"

The mini nodded. "Yeah, about half a mile outside of Polyhex."

Prowl frowned. "Darkmount's in Polyhex," he pointed out.

"Exactly."

"Then shouldn't we try to get to Iacon?"

Cliffjumper turned a hard gaze to the officers. "Trust me on this: Iacon's the last place we wanna be. Come on." Without another word, the minibot began to pick his way through the rubble, intent on heading into the heart of Decepticon territory. Prowl and Red Alert exchanged concerned looks before following.

It took them nearly a quarter-joor to make it to Polyhex and into the city proper, climbing over and through rubble as they went and having to go around obstructions twice. The security officer kept a close watch on their surroundings the entire time, spotting movement off to the side only once and unable to get a lock on it. Apparently Cliffjumper had noticed it as well, because he signaled for silence and took to moving as slowly and silently as possible. Whatever was going on here, the minibot was on familiar turf even if Red and Prowl were completely lost.

The walls of Darkmount finally appeared before them, and Prowl came to a sudden stop. He'd seen the Decepticon fortress once before, but this... this was not the fortress he remembered. For starters, it wasn't black or deep violet, but instead silver and marred from battle damage. The Decepticon brand was clear as day above the door, but it was the same red as his own Autobrand. And much to the officer's confusion, rather than an aura of hatred the entire building seemed to embody elements of comfort and home.

"I get the feeling we're very far from home," Red Alert murmured next to him, optics locked on the Decepticon brand.

Prowl started to respond before realizing that something was missing. He turned and scanned the area visually then looked back at his bondmate. "Where's Cliffjumper?"

"Who wants to know?" a harsh voice growled from behind them.

As one, the policemechs turned and shutterblinked in surprise. The mech holding them at riflepoint was at once familiar and a stranger. The frame was one that they both knew, one that Red Alert shared as well, but green and grey took the place of red and black. Red optics glared at them instead of blue, and there were two brands on his chestplate: a purple Autobrand rent through with a nasty, partially-healed gash, and a smaller red Decepticon brand centered just below it.

"I'll ask you one more time," Sideswipe growled, optics narrowing. "Who the slag are you, and where is my mate?"

TBC...