Crack in the Pavement
Chapter 24
And now we have Ark 3
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers; I'm just prostituting it for my amusement.
Summary: Megatron uses Ironhide to get his revenge on Prime. Multiple minor side pairings, see list in fic.
Warning: Graphic rape. Torture. M/M robot slash consensual as well as NON-CON
Pairings: Non-con Megatron/ Ironhide, Con Optimus/ Ironhide. Established Jazz/ Prowl, Twins/ Ratchet, Mirage/ Cliffjumper
Jazz crouched in the woods within sight of the dam. Bumblebee's information had been accurate, only Soundwave and his Casseticons were at work here. Soundwave expected an attack, that was obvious. He was packing the subspaces of his Casseticons, Buzzsaw and Laserbeak with the energon cubes he was creating and then sending them off. Presumably, back to the Decepticon fortress. According to Bumblebee's intel, he'd been doing the same thing when Bumblebee had been spying. So the Decepticon third in command knew what was coming. They way Jazz saw it, there was no point in keeping him waiting any longer. At this range, he'd probably pick up their comm frequencies but Jazz wasn't concerned.
"Attack," Jazz ordered over the comm. The plan was set, and so was the trap, Bumblebee launched the first assault, not on Soundwave but on the Casseticons he had just sent off.
Laserbeak shrieked as laser fire scrapped his belly. He and Buzzsaw turned quickly to spot their attacker. At the same time, Soundwave launched himself from the dam. The instant he was safely away from the structure, Jazz and Blaster attacked from opposite sides of the dam. Soundwave lurched as Blaster's shot hit him, piercing the armour over his left hip. His hip sparked and Jazz fired another shot as the Cassette carrier struggled to find his balance in the air. Angry curses came from the dam, followed by laser fire. None of the three Casseticons, Frenzy, Rumble or Ravage knew exactly where the shots came from, only that they came from the trees, so that's where they fired. Jazz smiled mirthlessly as his shot connected with the side of Soundwave's chassis. The Decepticon twisted around in the air, showing Jazz his back. He couldn't have known it but he lined himself up perfectly for a killing blow from Blaster.
Blaster aimed, just as his finger was about to squeeze the trigger he saw Soundwave's cassette deck open and the Decepticon call for his Casseticons to return. He could see Soundwave's spark casing immediately next to the slots for his cassettes. And Blaster wavered. In quick succession the Decepticon's Casseticons returned to their slots; Blaster had an unobstructed view of it all. Soundwave's deck latched shut, and still Blaster had the perfect shot. He didn't take it; Soundwave bolted over the tree line, and Blaster watched him go.
The three Autobots met on the dam and gathered up the energon cubes Soundwave had left behind, and removed any trace of the Decepticons from the structure. Jazz pulled Blaster aside as Bumblebee gathered up the last of the cubes. He needed to know why Blaster hadn't taken the shot.
"I was about to when he opened his tape deck," Blaster explained. "I saw his spark casing and his cassette slots and his Casseticons returning to them. I am, what I am, Jazz. I wanted to but I couldn't shoot another cassette carrier when his Casseticons were returning. There's no greater sin I could commit. Even if the carrier is Soundwave and his Casseticons are 'Cons."
"I understand," Jazz said. He didn't, not really. He didn't understand what it was like to be a cassette carrier, a self sparker whose spark formed smaller sparks from time to time to create symbiotes. These symbiotes were a part of their creator/ carrier and would never leave them. Unlike a sparkling, they never grew up and left home. Blaster had told him once that he felt his Casseticons' pain, their emotions, and he could speak to them over a relay even if they were far away. But Jazz did understand that Blaster was a good mech, and killing helpless Casseticons as they returned to their carrier did sound like some seriously horrible crime.
"We'll just keep this between us," Jazz added, patting Blaster on the back. "I don't want you getting any grief."
"Thanks," Blaster replied. "How are the others doing?"
"Prowl says the battle just started," Jazz replied. His mate was hundreds of kilometres away, going into a battle with Decepticons. Now that his battle was over, Jazz agonized that he was there to watch Prowl's back.
"What should we do?" Bumblebee asked, the last of the cubes were stored safely away in his subspace,
"We're going back to the airport," Jazz said. "I need to debrief the humans and then we head to Nevada."
'Stay safe, Sweetspark,' Jazz thought and he send a wave of love to Prowl through their relay. Even hours, kilometres away, Prowl felt it and sent his own love back.
"Do not launch that weapon," Optimus ordered the major who was in charge of the weapons research and development branch of the military base Area 51 in Nevada. The Decepticons weren't after aliens, if there even were aliens and their technology stored on the base, they were after a missile system that had been designed and programmed to target Cybertronians. They were like heat seeking missiles except that they weren't attracted to heat but to sparks.
"Those slagging things can't tell the difference between an Autobot spark or a Decepticon spark," Ratchet added, angry that the humans would build something like this without even thinking of their allies, the Autobots. "You shoot those off and they will hit the closest mech to them. And that could be an Autobot. And I can't repair an obliterated spark. You launch that and you will kill some of us."
"The scientists developing the weapon were hoping to calibrate the targeting system specifically for Decepticons," the major explained, a little put off by Ratchet's tone.
"There's no difference between a Decepticon spark or an Autobot spark," Ratchet informed the major. "Only the Seekers' sparks pulse at an obviously different rate and our Aerialbots are only minutely different so missiles calibrated to Seeker sparks would still target those Autobots."
The Aerialbots were in audio range of the conversation. They were hovering over the weapon, prepared to defend it from the Decepticons. All of the Aerialbots idolized the Seekers and they preened a little at having their sparks described as so similar to the Seekers. Had the Seekers heard the comment, they probably would have been disgusted.
"Just don't touch the slagging thing," Ratchet ordered the major, not at all concerned about metaphorically stepping on anyone's toes. "Those Autobot soldiers that are about to defend this base for you can't do that while trying to dodge that thing."
Optimus didn't scold Ratchet or attempt to silence him. It would be Ratchet who would have to deal with the aftermath of that weapon. He would be the one who would plunge his hands into pulverized armour and try and save a ruined spark. These humans feared the all Cybertronians, even their Autobot allies. They didn't want to have depend upon them for help. So they were full hardy, and made dangerous, disastrous weapons that tempted the Decepticons into attacks.
"Incoming," Silverbolt called as he spotted the first wave of Decepticons. The Conehead Trinee launched themselves at the Aerialbots and the weapon; the Command Trine launched themselves at Optimus. Ratchet fell back, steering the humans back into the nearest bunker, and waiting to dive into the battlefield should one of the Autobots fall. Ironhide stepped in front of Optimus and fired at the banking Seekers.
Starscream flew over Optimus and Ironhide as Skywarp and Thundercracker flew to the left and right. The Autobots had no way of knowing that this was Starscream's way of preventing his Trinemates from pulling that Seeker stunt of theirs again, in front of everyone. He felt it too though, as much as Starscream denied his Seeker programming he felt the sparkling and his own spark contracted painfully.
"Out of my way, Starscream," Megatron growled as Starscream flew around for another pass. "Skywarp, go help the Coneheads deal with the Aerialbots. When you reach the weapon, warp it back to the base. Thundercracker, Astrotrain spotted the Towers spy behind the buildings over there, go and finish him."
"But TC and I always work together," Skywarp said in a squeaky voice. He flew quickly to his left as Megatron fired a shot just inches from his head.
"Do not question me, you insignificant flea!" Megatron roared. For just a second Skywarp wavered.
"Go," Thundercracker ordered over their relay. "I'll join you as soon as I deal with Mirage."
Skywarp shot his mate a look of frustration and reluctance but obeyed Megatron but there simply was no other choice. Starscream flew over Megatron's head and dove into the melee of Autobots and Decepticons several metres away from the weapon. Megatron hovered several metres above and in front of Ironhide and Optimus. Optimus grabbed Ironhide's arm and pulled him behind him.
"I'm not disrespecting you 'Hide," Optimus said in a low voice. "But there's no way in the Pit I will let you face him without me between you."
Ironhide placed one servo flat on the middle of Optimus's shoulders and pressed himself against Optimus's back. He held his gun in his other servo and stared down Megatron's cruel smirk; Ironhide raised his gun over Optimus's shoulder and fired three quick bursts of laser fire at Megatron.
Megatron fell back slightly, a little surprised that Ironhide hadn't cowered. That wouldn't do. He hadn't crushed the miserable old scrap's spirit. There was time enough to mend that error. Optimus fired up at Megatron with his own weapon, keeping one hand back, touching Ironhide's side. The gesture enraged Megatron and he roared and swooped down to attack. A burst of pain erupted from his back. Error messages told Megatron that his right shoulder joint had received damage. The Tyrant spun around to see a little red minibot jumping off the building immediately behind him. Optimus had no qualms about shooting at Megatron's exposed back. Megatron howled as Optimus's shot bore a hole through his back and out his abdomen, rupturing several fuel lines. Energon spurted from the wound. Alarms and warnings flashed through is processor and warned Megatron that he was losing too much energon and coolant.
"Retreat," Megatron roared. The Coneheads and Skywarp looked up from their position, battling their way through the Aerialbots to reach the humans' weapon. Skywarp body slammed the Aerialbot, Fireflight, into the weapon. The structure of the missile launcher buckled and collapsed under the two fliers' combined weight. The Autobots froze, waiting to see if the missiles would explode, they didn't. Thankfully, they hadn't been armed, or maybe they were just defective. Optimus breathed a sigh of relief. Skywarp disentangled himself from Fireflight and shot up in the air. Alarm, and fear shot through his and Thundercracker's relay. His mate was in trouble, Skywarp prepared to warp to him.
"Get back to base for punishment, Skywarp," Megatron snarled and halted Skywarp before he could warp away. "Don't even think of using your warping ability unless you want me to tear it from your protoform."
"Thundercracker," Skywarp argued. Megatron backhanded him with the hand not covering his horrible wound.
"Will return on his own or be slagged," Megatron hissed. "Do not make me tell you again."
Megatron flew off for the Decepticon base as the rest of the Decepticons followed. Skywarp hung back even as he followed Megatron. For a second, he turned back. Starscream caught his shoulders and shook him.
"They'll take him to the Ark," Starscream said as he shook Skywarp. "Go back to base, take your beating and then warp to the Ark. They aren't Decepticons, Skywarp. They won't torture him."
"TC," Skywarp moaned, his optics were large, and pained.
"Will be fine," Starscream assured him. "Come on. What good will you do Thundercracker if Megatron slags you?"
Where was the spy? Astrotrain probably hadn't even seen him. Glitch-headed triple changer. Thundercracker landed behind a building just out of view of the battle and looked around. Mirage would have no reason to be hiding here. There was nothing to spy on here, no one to sneak up on. The building Thundercracker landed behind said hangar two; its door was shut.
Thundercracker knelt down and looked at the ground. The ground cover was just loose dirt. Scanning the ground with his optics, Thundercracker looked for ped prints. He wasn't a tracker but mechs, all mechs were heavy and he could see distinct impressions from someone's peds and he followed them. Looking back at his own ped prints, Thundercracker chuckled softly. His thrusters did make interesting impressions. Humans on the television compared Seekers peds to high heels, strange covers some female humans wore to look taller. The comparison was ridiculous. Seekers didn't have their thrusters in their legs to look taller; they had them there so they would be more manoeuvrable. And they were, Seekers could out fly any other flier types. Maybe not for distance, but definitely for speed and agility.
Mirage appeared immediately in front of Thundercracker as he stepped around the building. Thundercracker jumped back and raised his gun, and even as he did Thundercracker knew it was a trap. He fired his gun; Mirage dove to the side and the very second later Thundercracker was surrounded by a dome of flickering light. His spark sank and Thundercracker poked the dome with his nose of his gun and the dome pulsed in response. Thundercracker frowned and hit the dome with the back of his arm; the pulse and flash of light Thundercracker received in response, made him jump back. He tensed his jaw and touched the tips of his claws to the dome. It felt like a warm force field; Thundercracker's digits didn't hurt from touching it as they had on the on occasion he had made the mistake of touching the force shield of the cell in the brig where Megatron had imprisoned him for sneaking a cube of energon to Skywarp when Megatron had ordered Skywarp to do without as punishment for failing in some mission. Thundercracker flattened his servos against the shield, hung his head and vented. Hound stepped from the shadows and and held out stasis cuffs.
"You have a choice," Hound said. "You can come quietly and let me cuff you and Trailbreaker will take down his force shield until Skyfire arrives to take us back to the Ark. Or you can try and fight and you can stay in that shield all the way back to the Ark and into your interrogation."
Thundercracker held out his wrists, and let his guns sink back down in his arms. He looked down at Hound and said: "I have to say this isn't something out of my fantasies."
Hound shrunk back and looked up at Thundercracker with surprise and alarm. Mirage took the cuffs from Hound and stepped in front of Hound and scowled at him.
"If I was Cliffjumper, I'd be growling," Mirage said in a low, angry voice. Thundercracker sniffed derisively. Mirage closed the cuffs over Thundercracker's wrists just as Trailbreaker lowered his force shield. "Prime wants a quick word with you."
"Lead on," Thundercracker replied nodding his head slightly to the side.
Mirage took one of Thundercracker's arms and followed Hound who led them around the hangar as Trailbreaker followed behind. Skywarp's fear for him pulsed through their relay, as did his promise that he would come back for him. Thundercracker offlined his optics and concentrated on calming his too fast spark and reassuring Skywarp through their relay. He could feel through their relay that Skywarp was not being reassured. That wouldn't do, Skywarp could do stupid things when he was afraid for Thundercracker, and he did stupid enough things on a normal day.
Thundercracker settled his optics on Hound's aft and smiled slightly. His optics brightened and he shared a lecherous thought of Hound with Skywarp. Hound had a certain sway to his walk that made his aft look that much more enticing. Even as he felt Skywarp's mood improve, Thundercracker had to admit this was making him feel much better himself. Mirage glanced over at Thundercracker and realized where his optics were focused. He made a yelp of disgust.
"Hound, get behind," Mirage said. Hound outranked Mirage normally but Jazz had made a special exception with this plan. Both Mirage and Jazz had known that Hound would have ordered Mirage to let him act as the bait, knowing after all that the Decepticons were out to terminate Mirage. But Mirage and Jazz had both refused the idea. They didn't want to let the lecherous Seeker have any openings with Hound, and Mirage was safe enough against one Seeker when Trailbreaker and Hound were both right there in the shadows.
"What, why?" Hound asked and he turned to look at Mirage. He saw the leer Thundercracker gave him and jumped back.
"He's ogling your aft!" Mirage exclaimed. "Trailbreaker take the lead."
Hound darted quickly past Mirage, and avoided looking at Thundercracker. Thundercracker scowled at Mirage and said: "Thank you for ruining my fun."
Walking behind Mirage and Thundercracker now, Hound rubbed his burning faceplates. Why oh why did Thundercracker insist on doing that? Hound caught himself glancing down at Thundercracker's aft. It wasn't a bad sight. Oh Primus, the licentious Seeker was rubbing off on him!
Mirage led Thundercracker over to Optimus and Hound hung back. Hound didn't think he'd be able to make optic contact with anyone for at least a few minutes. Thundercracker ignored Ironhide, standing no more than a few feet from Optimus. Mirage released his arm, and Thundercracker stood at his full height, and looked directly into Optimus's optics. Considering he had to look up, the posture made him look defiant. He was copying it from Starscream.
"I have a few questions for you, Thundercracker," Optimus said in an even voice. There was, surprisingly no hostility in it. "I won't risk Skywarp returning here and attacking the humans. We'll be taking you back to the Ark. For the flight you will be contained in Trailbreaker's force shield. I won't risk you getting loose and causing havoc in Skyfire's cargo hold. Once you've answered my questions, back on the Ark, you will be released. Understand?"
"I understand," Thundercracker replied, then asked: "What if I don't choose to answer your questions?"
"You'll remain on the Ark until you do," Optimus replied. "I don't believe you can afford to be out of contact with Decepticon command for that long."
End Chapter 24
A/N I promise I have not abandoned any of my fics. Just... Writer's block. My writing mojo, really my plotting mojo has just disappeared. It'll come back. I'll drag it back. Just... Maybe it's the summer. Heat drains the life from me.