Alexis was filled with his energy, her small body changing and adapting to what they had just done until her entire life signature took one that was subtly similar to Thundercracker's own.

He was reclined on his side, Alexis on the floor nearest his left hand, one of his digits gently exploring the soft curve of her back. She turned around, looking at him with virtually electrified eyes that were slowly returning to a vibrant shade of green. Her body glistened with sweat, her neck shimmering under the dim lighting of the docking bay. TC had the intense inclination of leaning down and tasting the flesh of her exposed neckline with his glossa.

But there would be time for that soon enough. As soon as he regenerated and reclaimed some of his exceedingly spent energy or could move again.

"How do you feel?" he inquired.

She smiled and looked up at him, biting her lip before answering, "Is this form of lovemaking always so intense?"

Alexis had no idea how much TC had to hold back when he sparked her, how much he had kept from her. In time though, whether he wanted her to or not, she would know all of him.

He spoke, his voice languid and vocals naturally strained, after effects from their uncompromising coupling, "I was gentle with you, preoccupied with formatting and bonding to you. I cannot guarantee such laxity in the future, however." Thundercracker smirked, rewarded with a flush of her skin and a thick, enticing swallow from her throat.

The Seeker continued, his optics wandering freely along her body, "Make no mistake though. We are permanent, Alexandra. Bonded, mated, or as you humans say, married," he informed her with fervor, his words low and electrified. She shivered delightfully. "And I want all of you," he added, his voice impassioned and firm, his digit roaming possessively above her cloth-covered stomach. The fabric lifted, allowing him to drift along the naked softness of her belly. She closed her eyes tight, unconsciously holding her breath.

He was bewitched by Alexis, her voice, her flesh, the way she trembled when he touched her or spoke to her just so, the scent of her skin, her very body. Thundercracker wanted to combine his body with hers, enter her so utterly that they would never part. She had no idea how desperately he wanted her, the things he wanted to do to her, the things he wanted to show her that they were now capable of.

Alexis leaned up, her warm mouth lingering against the metallic flesh of his digit. But instead of wrapping around him, she scooted away and then stood up. She walked slowly and stopped before Thundercracker's face. His optics roamed and scanned her with an intensity that made his processor heat and burn. Alexis sat down with her legs underneath her body. She leaned her head to the side, staring at him deeply. He burned, his skin tingling with expectation as he waited for her to do something, anything, touch him, taste him, kiss him, press tight or just speak his name in the manner that only she was capable of.

"I think you actually do," Alexis said quietly, her voice changed, a hard edge warping her voice as her eyes lost their luster of affection. "But I don't want you, Thundercracker. I resent you."

Something sank inside of Thundercracker, an emptiness rapidly consuming him. She scooted closer, close enough that the beguiling scent of her consummated flesh beckoned and taunted.

"You helped kill billions of my kind, but that wasn't enough. You killed my world, sucked out its very life and made sure we could never return. What part of any this could possibly make me want you?" she asked.

He managed a small shake of his head, made an effort to touch her, but she backed away. The painful sting of rejection came, causing his words to turn desperate. "No. You don't believe that. You let me..." His spark clenched and a darkness swallowed his much too ephemeral contentment whole. He should have known it wasn't to last, should have known he didn't deserve it.

"Because you have to die, Thundercracker. They said that you were susceptible to me, and you proved it when you opened your spark chamber to me." Tears were streaming down her face, a contrast to her hard words.

He did a scan, finding the explosive device, understanding how little time there was left.

"Alexis, you need to leave. You don't have to die with me." Finding some energy, he managed to sit up and push her away.

She merely shook her head. "Yes. Yes, I do. Goodbye, Thundercracker." Her eyes narrowed and she wiped off her tears, her voice turning dark and heavy. "I hope you burn deep in the pit."

"Forg..."

His words were swallowed up as his spark chamber exploded outward, taking the ship and everything on board with it.

Jerking online, Thundercracker sat up on his berth. His entire frame was tense, his digits trembling and his optics clouded. He never meant to recharge, but he had gone without a regeneration period for far too long and his body finally won the battle.

He was really beginning to despise dreams. The more he had them, the darker they became. TC could have shut them off completely, and he would have, if not for the irregular dreams that made up for the perverted ones with astonishing emotionally driven encounters with Alexis that left him morose and intolerant with his life afterward, and usually painfully stimulated upon his coming online. But at least she was there, at least, in a way, he was with her.

Heading toward the sonic shower, he allowed the vibrations of sound wipe his frame and processor clean. By the time he left his quarters, the dream was deeply tucked away and properly cataloged inside his mind.

When he had agreed to Megatron's request, Thundercracker never expected it to turn into a long-term quest that would take him to multiple planets, bases, moons and even a recycling plant. Fortunately, Barricade and he had come to terms. The grounder would only talk to the Seeker when absolutely necessary, and definitely not disturb him unless required.

They both had their own ways of doing things. And the two would often separate when following leads and only return to the shuttle when needed. A month had passed and the only thing they knew besides that the assailants were not Cybertronians was the group's name.

The Line.

Whoever they were, they had a way of disappearing as soon as Barricade and Thundercracker came upon them, leaving behind another sparkless Decepticon shell.

This time, feeling as if they were closer than ever, the two decided to travel to the planet Rizz together, moving in opposite but merging trajectories that would line up with the Intel that Barricade had beat out of a now barely functioning informant.

That was why TC didn't like working with the scout. He was far too messy, just looking for an excuse to use violence. He did not understanding that violence was most potent when used as if a precision instrument, instead of a blunt tool.

Landing outside the coordinates, he knew immediately that the observatory was empty. Freshly spilled Energon assaulted Thundercracker's olfactory sensors. Retracting his blaster from his servo, he silently moved forward. Passing through the shattered doors, parts littered the floor, arms and even a head. It was messier than the other scenes he had witnessed, even sloppy. But the same slash of a symbol lined the far wall, the same assault used that ended with empty spark chambers. This time it wasn't just a single victim, this time there were four.

But that wasn't the only thing that was different. The casualties weren't Decepticons. They were Autobots.

The game had changed.

Exiting the observatory, Barricade came from the darkness, speeding toward the Seeker, his tires screeching when he came to a sudden halt. The vehicle shifted hard to the right as brakes were applied, and then he transformed. Thundercracker knew the hunter had found something with the sneer of a smile that he wore on his continence.

He threw something at TC's pediforms, crossed his hand over his chassis and preened with satisfaction, his doors high along his sides, his optics bright and watchful.

"I caught one of them," Barricade said with extreme satisfaction, eying the Seeker with over expressive smugness. "What did you find?" he asked, chuckling with derision.

"Autobots."

Barricade reacted immediately to that. A blade extended from his left hand. He scanned the area.

"Terminated Autobots," TC clarified, more than a little satisfied with the stupefied expression that the hunter tried to hide as he retracted his weapon.

"What are Autobots doing out here?"

"Getting their sparks carved out of their chambers."

"News that Megatron will be pleased to hear." Barricade stepped forward, kicking out his ped at the small form below that grunted in response. "Go ahead, scan the thing, you won't believe what it is!"

"I already have." Stretching down, pinching his digits, TC drew the mask off the creature and revealed what he had suspected all along.

Thundercracker had made it abundantly clear that he was the one that was to question the prisoner. He should have known that Barricade wouldn't have listened to him. But with the time it took him to report to Megatron and return to the holding cell, the captive was dead.

"Slag, I still don't understand how they contain so much bio-fluids in such a small form." Barricade said as he exited the cell, blotches of red staining his armor. "But I..."

His fist shot out and landed squarely on the hunter's face with a satisfying crunch. He didn't stop there though, a serrated blade extended from his right servo inches from Barricade's chassis.

The Seeker spoke calmly, his words finely articulated, his tone turning low and hard, "I've been wondering long and hard exactly what sort of tool was used for the sparks to be ripped so cleanly out of the victim's bodies. Perhaps, I should try experimenting?" He retracted the blade, shoved Barricade against the wall with his other hand as a blunt digging tool taking its place. "This seems a little more like it, because as you and I have observed, they enjoy taking their time. Enjoy digging and prying and pulling off parts as their victims are forced to watch their own sparks removed from their bodies."

Thundercracker carved a thick line down the front of Barricade, the hunter watching as his flesh was mutilated.

"If this is about me killing the prisoner..." the scout tried to speak.

Thundercracker cut him off, knowing in what paranoid direction he was heading, and not willing to listen further. "We may be forced to work together, but it has been clearly understood from the start that I am in charge, that I am your master."

"Megatron never..."

The Seeker brought the tool back up and followed the gouge he had already created as he extended it and made it deeper. Energon began to trickle down. Barricade only sharpened his gaze on the Seeker, but the tense manner of his body was clearly understood. Suddenly Barricade grinned, pushing his own body forcefully against the weaponized instrument as if it was nothing.

"Kill me then, Seeker. I will enjoy it, knowing what Megatron will do to you when he finds out."

"Yes, I know you would." The Seeker released the hunter, shocking Barricade as he did. "We separate here. And you can explain to Megatron your incompetence that cost us much-needed information."

Barricade opened his mouth and then swiftly shut it when he caught the signals of rigid aggression that lined TC's flesh. Shoving past the hunter, he exited the shuttle, barely ignoring the impulse to blast the space craft out of the stars.