-1Sweet Child of Mine - 12

Ratchet had been found in the desert, bleeding out energon almost too fast to stem the flow, but they'd managed to get him at least stable enough to put him inside of Prime's trailer before heading back to base. Once back on base, Wheeljack worked to try and get him back online so they could find out what had happened and where Thunderstrike was or who she'd been taken by.

They didn't have to wait long for that answer. Sunstreaker came in carrying Storm who was seizing in his arms, Sideswipe walking behind him, worry written all over his face plates. Prowl came around and took the femme from Sunstreaker and put her on a berth, attaching wires and equipment to her, trying to find out what was wrong. When the monitors told him nothing he looked up at her fathers.

"Can you reach her through your bond?" he asked either one of them. Sunstreaker shook his head.

"She's blocked us," he whispered worriedly, his hand trailing over her arm. Prowl nodded and reached out, touching Storm's face, his optics dimming as he tried to break through her firewalls to find out what was wrong with her…

She could see and feel every bit of pain and hear every scream inside her very core. Thunderstrike was chained to a wall, her arms held above her head, energon tears flowing from her optics, her cries harsh and pain-filled.

She saw Soundwave coming closer, Starscream just near him, and link himself to Thunderstrike's own mind, trying to break her through emotions instead of physical abuse. Storm did what she could to bolster the femme's firewalls and Soundwave backed off.

Starscream stepped closer and Storm saw the weapon in his hand just before he ripped across Thunderstrike's chest plates, causing the child to scream yet again. This time, Storm screamed with her… Another downward motion of Starscream's hand and Storm felt pain across her abdominal area and watched, fascinated, at the energon that flowed from that wound. Thunderstrike cried out again, but it was weaker this time…

Prowl stumbled back as he pulled out of Stormfire's mind and Sideswipe caught him. Prime had entered by then and walked over to the twins, his face masked but his optics told of his anger and his concern.

"What's happened?" he asked as Sideswipe got Prowl into a nearby chair.

"The Decepticons have Thunderstrike," Prowl whispered painfully. "They're… they're torturing her and Storm can feel everything they're doing to her." Sunstreaker looked down at his daughter and reached out, resting his hand over her chest plates.

"Can we put her in stasis or something to keep her from feeling it?" he asked softly. Prime sighed heavily.

"We could," he said slowly, "but I'm not sure how much damage it would do to her or to Thunderstrike." Sideswipe left Prowl's side and moved to his twin, wrapping his arms around the yellow mech, holding him tightly, whispering to him softly in their own language. Prime let it go for now while he turned and walked over to where Ratchet was still offline.

"Wheeljack, report."

"He's lost a lot of energon, Prime," Wheeljack said, sighing heavily. "But we've kept him from a stasis lock so we should have him back online soon. He's going through his second transfusion right now and I've almost finished the repairs to his back plates."

"All right. Let me know the moment he's back online." Wheeljack nodded and turned back to the injured medic. Prime looked around the infirmary slowly. Jazz and Ironhide entered, Mirage and Smokescreen behind them.

"What's happened?" Jazz asked as Ironhide went to the twins. Mirage and Smokescreen stayed where they were.

"Ratchet and Thunderstrike were attacked," Prime told him. "Ratchet was left for dead. The Decepticons have Thunderstrike. They are apparently torturing her and Stormfire's been feeling and seeing everything that's happened to her. Prowl tapped into Stormfire's bond to find out." Jazz turned to look at his bondmate who was still shaking just a little from what he'd experienced, then looked back at Prime.

"So, what are we doing?" he asked.

"We'll wait to see if the Decepticons contact us. If they haven't done so by morning, then we'll go after them."

Mirage had walked over to where Stormfire lay and was standing next to her, his hand resting on her arm, his gaze moving back and forth between the femme and her fathers. He hated what was happening and he wished he could find some way to make it better but until the order was given, there was nothing for him to do but be here in case he was needed.

Stormfire could see Thunderstrike… could see Soundwave and Starscream and knew that between the two of them, the child would not last much longer. She would cry out if she could, take away the child's pain but she couldn't. She could be here and watch, try to give Thunderstrike the strength to endure, but there wasn't much else she could do.

"Yes, there is," came a deeper voice from within and she shuddered at the intensity behind that voice. "Give her over to me. I can save her."

"No, you can't," Storm whispered softly. "If I give her over to you, she will be lost and you will be trapped inside of her protoform."

"Then let it be as it will. They will pay for what they have done to her and through her to you."

"I can't let you do this," Storm said quietly. "She's going to die…"

"She'll die regardless, Storm. Let me do what I can to avenge her death and your pain."

"Very well…"

Starscream had left the room finally and Soundwave was left alone with the femme who was still hanging from the chains against the wall. He walked over to her and began trying to clean up the worst of her injuries, blocking himself from what she felt, knowing that what Starscream had ordered done was wrong, but he had no choice but to do as ordered.

Had Megatron still been alive… but that was a moot point, wasn't it? Megatron was dead, destroyed by a human boy… and Starscream took out his anger and his power hungry streaks on another child instead. Soundwave didn't think she would last much longer.

He was just beginning to clean up the injuries to her chest plates when she moved, groaning softly as she did so. Soundwave stood back as blue optics came online, flashed and then turned crimson. What was happening?

"Don't… call Starscream…" the hoarse voice begged quietly. Soundwave was too shocked to say anything more at that point. "You have to release me."

"Release not viable. Destruction, imminent."

"Not if you let me go, Soundwave." Soundwave's gaze narrowed, his optics darkening.

"Explanation necessary."

"She's my child, Soundwave. When Starscream destroyed my spark, Stormfire saved me, kept me from the Matrix and allowed me to heal as much as possible. Thunderstrike is dead, Soundwave. Now. Release me." Soundwave stepped closer and quickly unhooked the chains around the orange and black protoform's wrists then stepped back as the 'bot moved slowly away from the wall.

"Where's Starscream? And don't give me that crap you like to spew. Talk to me."

"Most likely in his quarters," Soundwave answered. "You have to leave before he returns. He'll make sure you stay dead this time if he finds out what's happened."

"I'll be back soon enough and I will put a stop to him. Up to you whether or not you live or die when I return." The protoform transformed into it's alt mode, the motorcycle roaring out of the Nemesis and back out into the desert night. Soundwave watched it go and slowly shook his head. Sometimes he wondered just how much longer this war had to go on before someone made the decision to stop it once and for all.

Storm's optics slowly came online and she groaned softly. Four sets of optics watched her intently as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, one hand to her head.

"He's coming back here," she whispered softly. The four Autobots looked at each other then back at Stormfire.

"Who's coming here?" Sideswipe asked worriedly. Storm looked up slowly, meeting his gaze with her own.

"Barricade…"