Important Information
"Blah" Speaking
::Blah:: comm. link
'Blah' bonded speech
'Blah' thinking
Astrosecond- 2.5 earth Seconds
Klik- 150 earth seconds/ 2.5 earth Minutes
Orn- 150 earth minutes/ 2.5 earth Hours
Joor- 60 earth hours/2.5 earth Days
Metacycle- 17.5 earth days/2.5 earth Weeks
Vorn- 10 earth weeks/2.5 earth months
Stellercycle-30 earth months/2.5 years
Breem-slang for a moment/minute.
Night Cycle: star down to star up
Day Cycle: Star up to star down
Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed!
To my Fan Fiction readers, please note that chapter 4 WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER I post here. I may post teasers but the other chapters will be too dark to adhere to fan fications rules. If you would like to read the rest of the story in full, please head over to Archive of Our Own under the same pen name.
If you are looking for a pass to join Archive of Our Own, send me a message and I may be able to give you one.
Thank you everyone!
Disclaimer: I own only my OC's, nothing else.
Perceptor frowned down at Aleyah as she set up her rifle. They were on the much larger out door range and Perceptor wanted to see what she could remember about shooting further away and at a much smaller target. Once he had an idea of her basic skills he could help guild her and improve those skills for battle.
Unlike yesterday, Aleyah seemed distracted as she fiddled with the rifle in her hands. Her dark eyes distant and narrowed, and she was practically gnawing on her bottom lip.
"Aleyah?" Perceptor finally asked as he sat down across from her, his own rifle safely leaning over his shoulder. Her head tipped up to him. "Are you alright?"
"What? Oh…yeah." She sounded hesitant and Perceptor was unconvinced.
Perceptor glanced down to the other end of the range and back to his new pupil. "Aleyah, if we are to be friends, you can speak to me about what is bothering you."
She paused, fingers tapping on the side of the barrel and she finally huffed a sigh. Dark eyes looked back up to Perceptor. "Liz has been upset since the whole blow out with Red Alert." She finally said. "She… Liz has a hard time making friends. She's not very…" she struggled for the right word, and Perceptor patiently waited for her to find that one she sought.
"She's a little like you actually. She has a hard time in social setting and doesn't always know what to say to people. So she has few friends and this blow out with Red has really hurt her feelings. She feels terrible for upsetting Red, but she genuinely thought she was helping."
As Aleyah huffed angrily, Perceptor nodded and something again lightened in his chest. Aleyah was actually talking to him about something that bothered her, something he had not seen from her towards anyone else, not even her sisters.
The first thread of trust unspooling from his spark and Perceptor had to fight the smile. He did not want Aleyah to misread his grin as something it was not.
Stretching out onto his belly, Aleyah following suit, Perceptor's voice was soft and confident. "You are upset that your youngest sister feels as though she has lost her friend due to a misunderstanding." He took aim and squeezed the trigger. His rifle, larger than the one he used prior to this training session, jerked against his shoulder and hit the bull's eye.
"Well, yeah. Liz has always been the smallest and well the…well the weakest of us. She doesn't have many friends and she cherishes the ones she does have." Aleyah sighed just before she took a breath and took aim. Her bullet punched a small hole in the center of her target.
"A trait that seems to have been instilled in all of you." Perceptor commented. "Wonderful shot as well. See if you can do it again."
Aleyah blushed and nodded. "Yeah, dad always said to take care of your friends. True friends are far and few between and we should always take care of them."
She took aim again and a new hole was punched just slightly to the left.
"I would not worry too much about Red Alert. Knowing him, now that he has had a moment to calm down and realize that Liz meant no harm and that her intentions were pure he will come around. He is stubborn in the extreme, but I believe that given enough time he will get over his anger. Give it a month, and I am willing to bet that he will be doing to Liz what she did to him."
Aleyah looked over at him, eye brow quirked as he took aim and squeezed the trigger. "You think so?"
"I do. Now, do you see those playing cards that I have had set up at the far end of the range?"
Aleyah looked into the scope of her rifle and nodded. "I do."
"Good, I want you to try to hit the middle of each of those cards. There are all fifty-two out there, try to hit each one as best as you can."
Aleyah nodded and took aim again. "I just don't like to see Liz so upset." She said again as her bullet punched a hole into the top of the two of hearts. Aleyah cursed as the hit was too high.
"Focus." Perceptor gentled. "If Red Alert does not come around however, I will try and speak with Inferno. If anyone can talk some sense into our Security Director, it is him."
Aleyah smiled up at him before turning her attention back to the cards. She took a breath and hit the three of hearts dead in the middle. Pride swelled in Perceptor for her accomplishment and Aleyah grinned up at him. "Well done." He praised again.
A little smug, Aleyah looked back into her scope and Perceptor quietly added. "And Blurr and Hound seem to be kind to Liz. Hound especially appears to be her friend and Blurr is working on becoming just that."
A new hole was punched, yet again, in the center of the four of hearts. "I wasn't sure about Blurr at first. He seemed like a shallow, bratty frat boy." The five of hearts quickly followed that of the four.
Perceptor chuckled. "Oh, he can be a shallow, bratty frat boy. However, Blurr has a kind spark and a resolve of steel. Once he has decided that you are his friend, he is terrifyingly protective. Liz is in good hands and I suspect that Blurr will spoil her rotten."
Aleyah laughed again, the six of hearts suffering the same fate as five and the seven not long after that. "Good, Liz needs some good friends and stability in her life. Hound and Blurr will be good for her."
The eight of hearts was a near miss, the shot going wide as the wind took it and only the corner was clipped. Aleyah cursed and resettled into the ground.
"Focus." Perceptor said again. "When the wind changes like that, don't forget to adjust."
"I'm trying." Aleyah snapped, frustration suddenly welling and catching Perceptor off guard. He studied her for a moment, helm tilting as he took in her suddenly tense frame. She was quick to frustration, especially when she did something wrong, he realized but she calmed when they were just talking. She did better when she was not focusing solely on the cards she was trying to shoot and to do so perfectly every time.
Head tilting to the side, Perceptor regarded Aleyah and her tense form, light blue optics flickering in thought as she missed the nine of hearts completely.
"You know," Perceptor started as Aleyah cursed under her breath and realigned her shot for the nine. "My mate, he ahh… was once quick to anger." Aleyah's small head swiveled in his direction, dark eyes wide at his words.
"You have a boyfriend!" she said in a rush, glancing back at the cards before looking back at him. Her frame suddenly relaxed and loose.
Perceptor nodded. "Mhmm, I do. My species calls them mates, but yes. Ah… boyfriend would be a fair term for him."
Aleyah made a high pitched noise, one that confused Perceptor but he thought it meant she was excited. "What's his name? What's he like?" she asked as she lined up for the nine again. Her shot took it through the centre.
Perceptor couldn't suppress his smirk.
"His name is Drift. He is…" Perceptor paused, thinking of all the words one could use to describe his mate. "Drift is complicated." He said as the ten of hearts was shot through.
"Oh? How so?" the eleven and twelve were taken as well, Aleyah focused on Perceptor and not the task at hand.
"Well. He was a Decepticon that, after a traumatic experience, switched sides."
Aleyah looked back up at him, eye brows high with shock. "He switched sides! Like, before Starscream?"
Perceptor nodded as the jack's top left corner disappeared. "He did. I would rather you hear about his defect from myself, and not the likes of Cliffjumper."
Aleyah snorted. "'Jumper is a jerk." She shrugged. "What about Drift? What else?"
Perceptor smiled down at her. "Drift." His name rolled off his glossa easily. "Is brave and determined. Wants to do make amends. He has calmed over the last few…years." He informed her.
Aleyah smirked as the queen was taken as well. "You love him." She said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice.
Nodding, Perceptor felt his face heat. "I do."
"Then where is he?"
The smile from Perceptor's face fell, and Aleyah felt her stomach drop.
'Idiot!' she thought to herself, realizing the harsh question was not appropriate to ask a Cybertrionion when they were in the middle of a war. "Sorry." She muttered as she ducked her head. "You…you don't need to answer that."
There was a sudden palatable awkwardness that filled the space between them, and Aleyah huffed an awkward sigh. This is why she couldn't keep friends.
"I was assigned to the Prime's mission to Earth" Perceptor said softly. "Springer, the Wreckers commander, requested to take a small group to infiltrate a Decepticon prison to search for his mentor, Kup. Due to Drift's skills, Springer requested Drift to accompany the other Wreckers in the mission."
Light blue optics glanced down sadly. "Drift and Springer were not friends, but Kup took Drift in under his wing." A wiry smile. "Kup was known to take strays, and Drift felt he owned it to Kup to at least try and find him." Perceptor sighed. "They should have been here by now." He left it at that.
He did not mention that he feared for the worse, or the recharge-less nights that he spent worrying about Drift and if he was ever coming home. He didn't tell her about the nights he worked himself to exhaustion just so he didn't think about the what if's and unknowns. He didn't tell Aleyah that he was afraid that Drift was somewhere lost and hurt, hoping that Perceptor would come and rescue him, only to never be rescued.
He pushed those depressing thoughts away and gave her a small smile. "What about you? Do you have a mate…uhh. Girlfriend?"
If at all possible, Aleyah's eyes turned sad and she looked down. "Ummm no. Not in a long while. I had a girlfriend before we moved into this state, and I thought I may have…well. Her family got wind that we were dating and did some half legal bull shit to gain control of her assets."
Rage blazed in Aleyah's eyes that caused Perceptor to frown. "Her family…they sent her away to be 'fixed'."
Perceptor's gaze narrowed. "Was she ill? What did she need fixed?"
Aleyah sneered, but still lowered her head to try to wipe away at her eyes. "I ah…I don't like to talk about it." She said roughly, gaze still averted. "I never did see her again."
The mix of anger and sadness in her voice filled Perceptor with his own mix of emotions and he suddenly felt out of depth. He had no idea what to do or say to something like that, had no idea what the right thing to say was.
Perhaps, there was no right thing.
"I'm sorry Aleyah." He said softly, and her small dark head bobbed in a nod but she still would not look at him.
He chewed on his inner cheek as his tank churned. "You know." He said suddenly, knowing this would not fix a damn thing. "I heard the kitchen just got rocky-roll, double fudge ice cream."
Aleyah, despite herself, laughed. It was shrill and watery, but at least she glanced up at him with liquid eyes. "Well, I happen to love rocky-roll, double fudge ice cream."
Perceptor nodded. "Most excellent. Let us clean up here and we can go raid the kitchen."
Her smile was a litter brighter, a little less watery.
"Hey Preceptor?" he glanced down at her, optics open as she gave him a smile. "Thanks."
Despite the pain from his injuries, the leak in his side from where his cracked tanks still oozed, Starscream managed not to stumble as he was shoved down the hall way towards Nemesis's mess hall. His shoulders were high and stiff, he managed to hike his wings up high despite his fear and he managed to smirk. He refused to let on to his pain or fear or exhaustion, all that ate away at his fragile shield of confidence.
His optics were dull and full of pain, but he still refused to falter in the face of Megatron's wrath.
He refused to allow anyone to see a moment of weakness, and refused to look back at Onslaught as he carried Mia. He had tried to comfort her during their broken sleep and rest, tried to coach her through what the next day would bring.
Even know he could hear her soft sniffling as she tried desperately to get herself under control. She must look incredibly small in Onslaught's well armored hand, curled into a tight ball with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin.
He fought the urge to look back and check on her as Ramjet shoved Starscream forward and into the mess hall that was full of refueling Decepticons, all chattering loudly. The chattered died down the moment Starscream was shoved inside, his narrowed crimson optics took in his old crew, his purple Decepticon insignia bright on his chest, defiant with it still.
Taking in the room, crimson optics scanned it, never looking at any one Decepticon for longer then a moment. He took in Acidstorm and Sunstorm with their heads together and whispering, their own optics pale with distress and lack of recharge.
Once he would have felt responsible for them. Once he would have worried over their pale optics and the distress on their faces. He now had to worry about Mia and her squishy, fragile frame and himself. There simply wasn't enough room in his spark to worry for more.
Moving on, Starscream smirked at Megatron as he sprawled out in his seat like it was his throne, Soundwave ever silent and loyal by his side. Red and blue plates shivered when Starscream saw Shockwave on his other side, and Starscream was certain that if the fragger could have smirked, Shockwave would have.
"Glad you could join us Starscream." Megatron drawled as Ramjet chuckled and shoved Starscream down into the seat across from them.
All optics remained on them, and his optics flickered to Onslaught and Mia. She was curled into a tiny ball, as he expected her to be, with her hands clamped to her mouth and her green eyes wide with panic and fear. She looked tiny sitting in Onslaught's massive hand. Smaller even then a sparkling, but no less helpless in the face of monsters.
Looking back quickly to Megatron before the warlord noticed that he was checking in on Mia, Starscream knew it would not due to be caught caring again. Megatron's wide smirk told him that he had been caught, and Starscream silently bit his glossa hard enough to taste blood energon.
"Oh. Quiet today are we? Don't worry about your pet. She's only here to..." he paused, his voice low and dangerous. "Witness."
Optics narrowed, Starscream smirked despite himself. Despite his fear, despite his instinct to run. "Witness what? Your depravity? Your weakness?"
Megatron's smirk fell, and pain erupted from the side of Starscream's face as Megatron sucker punched him in the helm. He felt the thick armour of his helm dent at the blow, and Starscream laughed despite himself. "Pathetic." He spat even as his vision swam, and panic threaten to tighten his throat.
Megatron sneered and moved to stand, his hand poised to strike again, and for a moment Starscream felt the thrill of victory. He had gotten a rise out of Megatron and that would give him one above him despite the beating.
He refused to look back at Mia again, despite the muffled shriek she let out when he was struck. From the corner of his optic he could see her being very still and her hand clamped firmly over her mouth to stop her from making a noise. She was following all of his rules; stay low and quiet, don't make a noise and don't make a target out of yourself. Starscream smirked, he counted that as a win as well.
A purple hand caught his leaders elbow, and Shockwave's helm tilted. "My Lord." His voice was even and calm. "Perhaps there is another way. We had discussed this."
Starscream frowned, optics narrowed in suspicion as Megatron slowly sat back down without lashing out at him. The hate on his former leaders face morphed into one of pure bliss. "Of course." He leaned back and made himself comfortable and Starscream did not miss the discomforted movement that Soundwave made to inch away. Trying to put distance between Megatron and himself.
Interesting.
Taking a glass of energon, Megatron nodded. "Go ahead Shockwave, I want to watch."
The purple mech nodded. "With pleasure my Lord." Gracefully Shockwave stood and disappeared from his line of sight.
"Onslaught." Megatron smirked, and the Combaticon leader felt himself tense, the armour protecting his massive frame plastering flat against his body. Mia had felt him stiffen, and knew a sign of fear in a Cybertronion when she saw it, when she felt it. She turned frightened green eyes up to the Combaticon in confusion, and they softened a little before Megatron continued and the fear returned. "Bring the human here, right here. I want her to witness everything." Those blood red optics turned to look at Mia, his smile sharp and cruel. "And know that this is all her fault."
Mia's green eyes widened as they started at him and her head shook no. No, this was not her fault. This was Megatron's.
"After all, if Starscream hadn't been protecting you, he wouldn't be here. She wouldn't be here. "
"Enough!" Starscream spat as Onslaught came to stand next to Megatron, the Combaticon stiff and still. The lines of his body screaming out his discomfort, and standing far enough away to not be an immediate target to Megatron's wrath.
The smirk played across Megatron's mouth. "Oh, don't worry Starscream. Today is your turn, tomorrow she'll visit with Vortex."
Starscream froze at that, optics paling before brightening with rage. "Don't you fracking-"Starscream was cut off when a purple hand grasped his shoulder and pulled him back hard against the chair and Shockwave shoved a hose into his pectoral vent. Another set of hands gripped Starscream on the other side and held him hard against the chair. Panic burst through him, bubbling up hot in his chest and he struggled the moment that hands held him against the chair.
The hose broke through the vent slates and into one of his main vents that fed oxygen into his engine, but Starscream didn't have the chance to feel the pain when the icy water began to be pumped into his vents. He couldn't take in the laughter by some of the others in the room, nor Mia's strangled scream. He couldn't see the way Onslaughts visor dimmed, still on but his optics likely turned away or off line as he refused to watch.
The only thing Starscream could focus on was the fact that salty, cold water was filling his vents and he could not take a vent!
Thrashing back against his chair, Starscream tried to shake Shockwave's grasp, but the scientist held him tightly, calmly as though he were not drowning Starscream. More water was pumped into his vents and his chest burned and it burned all the way down to his tanks. It was cold and wet and it sunk between his plating with a slosh. He swore he could feel his internals frying.
He coughed and water shot from his mouth and splattered across the table. Megatron laughed and Soundwave inched as far back as possible into his seat, shying away from the violence. Water began to flow as a steady trickle from the corners of his mouth.
He coughed again, and could feel the water that filled his vents, the water that seeped into places that water had no need to be. He could feel his optics flicker and internal wiring sparked as water seeped inside.
He struggled harder and kicked out, trying desperately to dislodge the hose that pumped that Primus awful, salty water into his vents. His thrusters fired in some desperate hope to push himself back and struggle out of Shockwave's hold. He became hyper aware of everything around him suddenly as he tried to gasp, to drag air into his chest and he focused on the smallest of details;
He could smell the burning of the floor as he expended his precious energy on firing hit thrusters.
He could hear Mia's muffled sobs as she cried into her hands.
He could hear the creaking of Onslaught's joints as he held himself impossibly still.
He could hear Megatron laughing at his pain and distress.
Water bubbled and spewed from his lips, it was caught in his denta like something thick and toxic.
His insides burned and his vision swam as his starved systems began to shut down and over heat. Little black dots filled his vision and he fought to stay conscious. The last thing he saw was Mia's sobbing form before everything went black and Starscream blacked out.
Onslaught carried the small human through the halls of Nemesis as quietly as he had observed Starscream's punishment. The Seeker had survived the water treatment, Megatron growing board once Starscream had slipped into stasis and had ordered Shockwave to stop. It was too early to kill Starscream, Megatron wanted him to suffer in full.
Blast Off walked silently behind his commander, dragging the Seeker behind him by one of his wings. Even now Starscream's vents crackled and wheezed, water still trickling from the corners of his mouth and Onslaught knew that it would take weeks for his systems to fully dry out completely.
His optics were dark and his jaw slack, and Mia wouldn't stop looking at his limp frame. "Why is there water still coming from his mouth?" she would whisper brokenly to herself. "There's still water coming from his mouth. When will it stop?"
Glancing behind him Onslaught saw that Starscream's jaw was still ajar and he still coughed water up. It was also leaking from the seams in his chest and from the hole in his vents.
"His systems are trying to dispel the water." He said lowly, voice gravelly.
The human turned her tiny face up to him, her wide green optics…no, humans have eyes, up to him. Her face was wet and splotchy with redness. "Will that take long?"
Her voice was still broken and soft, and Onslaught disliked her weakness immediately. So at first he refused to respond, simply kept his optics forward and stayed the course. Blast Off quietly behind him, the only sound as they made their way to the bridge was the sound of Starscream's limp frame being dragged along the ground.
The tiny face tipped down when he didn't say anything to her, her bright red hair covering her face as she curled into a tight ball. She pressed her face into her knees and quietly sobbed.
"Yes." He said eventually. "It is going to take a long time."
Her face tipped up, and wetness stained her face. She sniffed wetly, gross little thing, and wiped her face with her dirty sleeve. "Thanks." She muttered and Onslaught rolled his optics.
He said nothing more to her as they reached Starscream's cell, the Seeker was dumped inside roughly, Blast Off trying to be gentle without looking like he was.
Stepping back, the shuttle gave him an expected look. Lowering the human to the ground, Onslaught's voice was gravelly. "I have shift next. Go fuel and rest." Mia pushed herself from the Comabticon's hand and turned to look sadly up at him. As far as Decepticon's go, Onslaught wasn't a compete ass hole.
She gave him a watery look that was ignored as he stood. "I have a feeling you are going to need your rest." He muttered into their gestalt bond.
Blast Off's hand twitched, and he gave a little nod. "Be careful. We were almost caught last time."
Onslaught nodded, catching the human dropping to her knees next to Starscream, wising him to wake up from the corner of his hidden optic. The door shut them both into darkness, and he was surprised to not hear her sobs. Just…some broken, off key singing.
Weird little creature.
Shaking his helm Onslaught sighed. He felt tired and worn out. He was ready to leave Nemesis and return to base, but Megatron wanted Vortex to interrogate the human.
Like that was going to turn out well.
He turned a corner, giving a small nod to Blast Off as the shuttle returned to the mess hall for fuel. Onslaught paused to watch the massive shuttle go as they parted ways before huffing a sigh and making his way to his quarters.
Hesitating when he got there, Onslaught tried not to look suspicious when he looked around the hall. He did not live here, and he preferred it that way. Combaticon HQ was far from here, in the sun on some Northern land and not beneath the stupid ocean surrounded by mech's who hated them. The other Decepticons, they did hate them, most of them anyways. Helm shaking, Onslaught slipped inside, his quarters dark in the single berth room. He brought the lights up only slightly, and found Vortex on his side on his berth.
The copter made a small noise as he pushed himself up with one hand, rubbing his bare face. "What time is it?" he muttered thickly, optics dim with exhaustion.
"Early morning." Onslaught muttered as he eased himself down onto his berth. "How did he do?" he asked looking down at the tiny, weeks old sparkling that lay in recharge near the wall of his berth.
Vortex looked back at his sparkling and smirked. "Took it like a champ. Hook's happy with his development. Scrapper was on duty, so we didn't even have to screw with the cameras. Got him into med bay while Megatron was toying with Starscream."
Onslaught nodded, watching as the sparkling yawned and his dim red optics blinked on. He gave a little peep before slipping back into recharge. "Hook said it would be normal for sparkling's to be tired after their first upgrades." The crimson optics blinked and Vortex fought to focus on the important bits of information that Hook had given him.
Onslaught waited for him patiently to get it all, content to watch Ace recharge peacefully even when away from HQ.
"Said we should let him recharge as much as he wants to for the next two cycles."
Onslaught nodded. "Any health concerns?"
"None." Vortex smirked with a shrug. "I make healthy sparklings."
"Good. A sick sparkling is harder to hide." Onslaught huffed a sigh, his fingertips brushing at Ace's black back.
"I hate having him here." Vortex whispered, almost as though afraid to be caught, afraid someone would hear if they spoke too loud. Onslaught hummed in agreement, each time they had to bring Ace into Nemesis it was a chance at him being caught.
Vortex's smirk fell and he squirmed and looked way. Onslaught knew what came next.
"You need more rest." The Commander groused, still watching Ace rest. "Megatron wants you to interrogate the human tomorrow."
Vortex frowned and looked back up at him. "What? Why?" the loyalty program tinged uncomfortably at questioning their leader's decisions.
"Most likely, to hurt Starscream. But it's a trap." Gold optics hidden behind a visor came up to confused crimson. "If you kill her, you will be punished for failing."
The frown deepened. "But if I do nothing, I fail." Onslaught nodded, finger tips still brushing the sparkling's back. "Great." Vortex muttered.
Onslaught nodded. "Megatron knows that we…owe Starscream our freedom." Vortex snorted at that, but Onslaught ignored him. "He knows there is at least some kind of familiarity. He's using us to hurt Starscream."
Vortex looked down to his sparkling. "It always comes back to how to hurt Starscream, doesn't?" he sounded angry and bitter. Onslaught shrugged, so Vortex continued irritably. "How many missions had we lost because of his obsessiveness?"
Again Onslaught shrugged, ignoring the more persistent nudge of the loyalty programing. The chain that kept them here, kept them stuck on Earth in the middle of a war with a sparkling.
Ever calm and logical, Onslaught nodded. Then sighed. "Did Hook say when he wanted his payment?" it was the safest change of topic that would not trigger the loyalty program.
Vortex bit his glossa and nodded. Guilt was not something he usually felt, but he felt it every time Onslaught paid Hook to keep their secret. "You know, we could find something else that he wants."
Onslaught gave the sparkling one last affectionate pat and shook his helm at Vortex. "We both know what he wants."
Vortex's optics darkened and the bond rippled with anger. Ace made a small noise in his recharge at feeling his creator's distress. "Go back to recharge Vortex, and stop upsetting Ace."
Onslaught pushed himself to his pedes and gave himself a small stretch, his spinal struts popping back into place. "Ons… listen. Maybe we should just…"
"Recharge Vortex." The order was given. It was an argument they had, had before. If they left, Ace would be without a medic. If they stayed, they risked Ace's discovery each time.
Massive frame turning away, Onslaught rolled his shoulders and ignored Vortex's huff as he watched his commander go. The door to Onslaught's quarters opened and bathed the small room in light before it plunged back into dimness. He blamed the deep rolling guilt that settled in his tank on the gestalt bond, but the years of serving together had just as large of pull.
Vortex huffed a sigh and stretched out next to his sparkling and tried to recharge. He wouldn't, he knew, until Onslaught came back to his quarters. His commander would be freshly washed after his payment to Hook, and his hands would probably be shaking.
Vortex pushed away the guilt and anger, and focused on Ace's gently venting. He would use his time and figure out what the hell he was going to do with the human tomorrow without killing her.
A thought, a stupid one, popped into Vortex's helm.
The walk to Hook's med bay was both over too quickly and seemed to take forever. Onslaught knew that this was going to happen, there was no way around it. Hook provided upgrades and checkups, and Onslaught provided payment for his silence.
Ace's carrier had wanted nothing to do with him, and had only kept his carrying a secret because he feared his own gestalt leader's reaction. Once Ace had been harvested, the carrier had washed his servos of the whole thing and walked away.
Onslaught had been the one to step up and step in to help raise Ace, all the Combaticon's had despite not being what Onslaught would call ideal caregivers. They managed, somehow.
No matter how many times Onslaught made this walk to Hook's med bay, it never got easier. Having Ace imprinted on him made it bearable each time the sparkling looked up at him and smiled.
The doors to the medbay wished opened and Onslaught pushed his shoulders back, striding inside with even steps and a straight back. The medbay was bright and clean, Hook at one of his tables with a data pad.
His smirk grew without looking up, his red visor flashing as Onslaught neared.
There was only one things Hook wanted from Onslaught. There was only one form of payment that he demanded for the care of Ace and to keep their secret.
"Onslaught." Hook intoned gently as he finally looked up. He sat his data pad down on the table behind him and swiveled his stool so he looked at Onslaught full on.
"Hook." Onslaught nodded, and he quietly buried who he was under a layer of ice and forgot about anything else.
Hook hummed, and tilted his head. Leaning back against the table behind him, he spread his thighs obscenely wide.
Onslaught sighed softly, quiet enough for Hook not to hear and allowed his battle mask to split down the middle and pull into the sides of his helm.
It was an unspoken rule between them, masks were always gone but visors stayed up.
Two steps brought Onslaught to stand in front of Hook, and the Decepticon medic's spike cover slipped away. His pressurize spike pressed upwards into the cool air and Hook hissed at the sensation.
Moving slowly, Onslaught lowered himself to his knees between Hook's thighs and lowered his head. His mouth opened and his lips wrapped around Hook's thick spike.
Moaning softly, Hook reached around to grasp Onslaught's helm and pulled his head down fast and hard. Groaning, Hook aloud his helm to fall back as pleasure and bliss filled him, and Onslaught tried to force his throat to relax at the sudden intrusion.
A voice, soft and sad, and very, very human could be heard. It was horribly off key, and despite himself, Onslaught found comfort in the song not meant for him as he forced himself to move and his head reluctantly bobbed.