Megatron listened to Thundercracker. He had to wait over a month to get an audience with the Deception lord, a time on Cybertron that he could have done without. It wasn't that he didn't like his home planet, it was that it was now something that reminded him too deeply of who he was and what he was supposed to be.

"That's what I have always appreciated about you, Thundercracker." Megatron said, his thick vocals emanating and traveling through the expanse of his citadel. "Straight and forthright, always to the spark of the matter." He leaned forward on his throne chair, the sharp edges of his dark silver body now clearly visible, a flicker of a sneer marring the right side of his face. He made a motion with his hand. A familiar figure moved from the crowd in the room, settling near Megatron, bowed low and silent.

Megatron's optics surged, his large digits tapping soundly against the arm rest. "But I have something I want you to do for me. Do this for me, and I will forget we ever had this conversation."

Thundercracker shook his head. Not willing to accept that, no matter how severely the Decepticon Leader's attention was on him. "My lord, I..."

The Lord High Protector swiftly cut him off, "You above all others know that nobody leaves the Deception ranks, only through termination does one give up this cause. So, how far are you willing to go to demonstrate whatever you are trying to prove? How much is it worth to you? Is it worth your spark?"

Megatron waved his hand up and down, the flicker of his servo glimmering through the shadows of the room. Guards came from the darkness and surrounded the Seeker. All had their weapons aimed, each picking a lethal target along his body. The Decepticon Lord eased back on his throne chair, waiting and watching with subdued interest.

Thundercracker remained still with his optics steady and on Megatron. This was an outcome he had foreseen, an outcome he had prepared for. He sighed. Shifting back and allowing his wings to hold him, he flicked out two Nert grenades, then allowed his servos to shift and bend backwards with his weapons of choice before he rolled to the side and jumped to his pediforms. Explosions rang through, covering the throne room with thick smoke. Many fled, but TC remained. Using the smoke as cover, he took out the guards in the room with his blade, blaster or fist, they were easily taken care of. By the time the gases had cleared, he was the only one still standing.

The lights from far above gradually increased and allowed TC to see the evidence of his violence. Pieces of the soldiers littered the throne floor, spilled Energon tainted the air and lined his hands and cockpit. He saw movement out of the corner of his optic, one of the guards coming up from behind him. He turned, his blade stopping mere parnecs from the mech's spark chamber.

"That is enough," Megatron ordered. Those that could got up and left, the others were carted out and replaced.

His weapons folding away, Thundercracker got back down on his kneeplates and bowed low. Megatron got off his throne chair, walking leisurely toward the Seeker. He bent down.

"You're still mine," Megatron purred lowly, his vocals almost soothing. "And your rousing brutality only proves that you are still one of us."

"No longer," Thundercracker rasped.

The Deception Lord moved closer, his thick servos gripping along Thundercracker's cockpit and pressing hard. "You are going to do something for me, Seeker. Say no to me, and leaving me and your brothers behind will be something you will no longer have to bother yourself about, as I will take care of it myself."

"No. I..."

The motion of Megatron's fist was fluid and fast and the pain immediate. By the time he could right himself back up, the Lord High Protector had his fusion cannon pointed in his face and primed.

Megatron shook his head with discouragement, the folds of his thick layered shoulders pinching rigidly. "You really shouldn't make me treat you like this. But I will beat you, grind you in the floor and make you suffer if you continue with this willfulness. Don't disappoint me further, Thundercracker."

"I do not want to disappoint you, my lord," he said with truth. Despite everything, he still revered the Decepticon Commander. Megatron had taken him in and given him a life and direction, taught him and gave him an opportunity to improve and refine himself, gave him his Trine and gave him what he had thought was to be a clear and unwavering future.

"I thought not," Megatron agreed with imperiousness.

"But I will no longer have my hands covered in Energon for you," Thundercracker added thickly, making his resolve clearer with the dangerous tone of his defiant vocals.

Megatron lowered his weapon and then retracted it back into his servo. He laughed darkly, greatly amused. "You enjoy spilling Energon. You could have gone to the Autobots, but you came to me. Yes, Thundercracker, you are still mine."

"I will do what you want."

"Yes, you will."

"But this will be the last time."

Megatron's optics surged, but he only smiled wide before dismissing him and returning to his throne chair. He barked out, "Barricade, you may leave with Thundercracker."

The lights dimmed again and the figure that had been waiting by the throne chair got up and moved forward.

"This is where Bridgebreaker's signal was last picked up," Barricade informed Thundercracker. Stuck in a shuttle with one another for over a week, Megatron's favorite scout learned quickly enough to only talk when he had to.

Taking the time, he familiarized himself with the mission. Many Cons had gone missing, most showing up later with their bodies mutilated and their sparks ripped out with only an engraved slash on their frames or a nearby wall. Ripshot was on the list, one of those that Skywarp had been talking about.

That hardly concerned him, but what did interest him were the signs of the torture that had been used to end the targets. Even Cons didn't go to such lengths, or most didn't, but he was with one such Decepticon who would have if it did anything for him. Everyone knew the scout got off on violence and wasn't beyond using his position to get self-gratification.

"Then land."

An hour after landing and only halfway to their destination, they were captured. The attack was so well implemented that by the time TC's optics-were short circuited and his engines cut off, he could only thank Primus that he hadn't been flying high as he came crashing down.

"This is all your fault," Barricade said gruffly.

Both were in their own cells, separated and damaged and obviously being watched. The room was empty except for the various holding cells and while it was dimmer than it needed to be because his optics were in self-repair mode, the Seeker still examined everything.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of this matter on my own. And I especially don't need a..."

"Did you see our attackers?" Thundercracker interrupted.

"Slag, no. Too busy trying not to completely ruin my body work," Barricade groused. The damage was mostly on the scout's right side, evidence that he had been overturned and dragged. He was so scratched up that the letters on his door were barely legible. "I am going to kill everyone responsible and relish every moment. But not until I rip and mangle and utterly destroy their bodies," the scout said passionately, obviously getting worked up and building on excited.

Thundercracker stood, hovering in front of the cell he was in. His sensors had already picked up the repulsor field, stolen Cybertronian tech that had been adapted and reinforced.

"I see you managed to come away clean," Barricade complained, his attention moving along the Seeker's relatively unscathed form. "But didn't manage to escape," he added smugly. "I guess your superiority only gets you so far," he chuckled scornfully.

"I've been captured before," he said distractedly, his sensors trying to push past the field, but failing.

"I don't like being caged up," the scout said, his tone edgy, his servos twitching and his body moving in the cell as Barricade paced in what little room he had.

"By the rumors I've heard, you enjoy it a good deal."

Barricade paused for a moment, his gaze shifting in astonishment from TC's sudden loquaciousness. "Caging others... playing with others..." Barricade drifted, one of his digits lustfully brushing against his neckpiece. He stopped and smiled wickedly. "Whatever happened to that human female you pretended to kill? I enjoyed penetrating that frail flesh of hers. Yes, I would enjoy caging her up. What did you do with her anyway? Must have been something hot and heavy to go through such efforts. What is it like fleshing a fleshy?"

Thundercracker's scanners abruptly stopped. He knew full well of what the scout had done to Alexis. And if he hadn't been on assignment for Megatron at the time, he would have made sure it had never occurred. The only thing that had saved the scout from his retribution was Barricade being recalled by the Decepticon lord before the Seeker's return. The only thing that was protecting the scout now was the assignment they were both on and Thundercracker's questionable standing with Megatron. Remembering further how Starscream had taken ownership of Alexis, claiming her as his attendant made the Seeker's frame itch and his processor quicken with outrage.

Alexis had turned twenty-two just a few short weeks ago. She was so young, so terribly young. But she was firmly set in some of her ways, especially in regards to compassion. He knew killing Barricade would only make her doubt his sincerity for change. TC remembered how she had reacted during the encounter with Sunstreaker. He shuddered from the thought of those eyes on him that had been full of fear, shock and anger and that unexpected protectiveness that awakened unyielding covetousness in the Seeker as her body tried to shield the Autobot from whatever she thought he was going to do. He never wanted Alexis to look at him that way again.

However, TC didn't kill needlessly. He never had. But the scout was treading on dangerous territory, and if he didn't filter his mouthpiece, Thundercracker wouldn't be responsible for the outcome.

"There are two types of humans," Barricade went on, suddenly enthusiastic, even encouraged by the Seeker's return to silence. "The ones that are so terrified that they turn into a puddle and practically beg you to kill them, and then the other who terrified can still think and run and offer me some satisfaction even when the capture and punishment is inevitable."

The scout stopped speaking. From not far off, screams and wails started, the sounds of torture and the scent of spilled Energon increasing.

"I guess we've found Bridgebreaker," Barricade said dully. "They'll be coming for us next."

They never did come though. Forcing Barricade to remain silent, Thundercracker listened carefully. Hours passed. And then they were alone. Finally figuring out the security field, he adapted his right servo and stretched his arm out. The field deactivated. Releasing a blade, it cut through the bars and he was free.

Automatic weapon fire from above began immediately, but he had too long to think about how to avoid and disarm the wall weapons that destroying them was not difficult.

"Let me out!" Barricade growled.

"Free yourself."

The hunter folded his arms over his chassis, the tires above his hands spinning slowly. For once, he actually saw through Thundercracker's words, knowing exactly what he meant and what he was more than willing to happen to the scout.

"Me being taken down isn't going to solve any... immediate problems."

"Actually, it could conclude this mission quite nicely," Thundercracker said. "Not only with your end, but the revelation of who is behind these... acts."

Barricade wrestled his thoughts over those words. TC allowed himself a satisfied smile when the scout began to show signs of panic. It wasn't much, just his optics darting here and there, his digits clenching and releasing, his gaze flickering up to Seeker with disdain and uncertainty.

For now, the memory of Barricade squirming before him was enough. Thundercracker released him.

Barricade didn't leave the cell right away, merely watched the Seeker cautiously. Then the scout took off. They immediately came to a room that was a torture room of horrors. Bridgebreaker was there, what was left of him. The nearby wall was blackened from where his spark had been pulled out and eliminated, another slashed sign of a symbol painted out with smears of Energon on the far side wall.

"Messy," the scout said. "Time for me to make a mess out of them, show them what true art of violence looks like."

Thundercracker stayed behind, memorizing the room and everything inside it. There was something strange about the room, something off, from how the body was positioned and the direction of the wounds. TC hadn't noticed it in the pictures. He did now.

Having recorded enough, he exited the building, finding it to be an abandoned way station. He noticed tracks nearby that led off. Jumping into the air, his wings easily lifted him higher. He followed the tracks until he came to the bodies.

By their marks and tats along their bodies, they were mercenaries. Cut down and terminated, the Cybertronians hadn't been taken apart like the others, but there hadn't been enough time. He noticed the trajectory of the weapon fire, the angle of the wounds. Another group was doing the killings, using their own kind to help get the job done. Recreating the path that the weapon fire must have come from, he now knew why everything looked so strange and off. It was the size of the assailants. Whoever they were they were...

"I've found them," Barricade interrupted TC's thought process. "Taking the shuttle, you can meet up with me later as soon as I figure out where they are headed."

"What about Megatron?"

"I'll contact him when I have eliminated this... threat. Then I will have no more need of you."

Ignoring the dismissive, patronizing tone of Barricade's voice, he decided to let him in on what he knew, "They want you to follow them," Thundercracker told the scout. They had gotten free too easily, had tracked them too quickly and the scout's recklessness wasn't helping.

"They will regret that."