His vision was a swirling mass of black and blue, with a hint of green due to the small amount of Tox-En that was injected into him during interrogation. Not that Steeljaw bothered giving his tormentors any answers, because he had no such thing to give. The information they wanted was something he either wasn't privy to, or he just never bothered with.

"I should've expected as much from a Decepticon," Thundertron rumbled.

"Not my fault you asked the wrong questions," Steeljaw huffed, amused. The Captain stopped in front of the Lupicon and grabbed his helm, forcing him to look up.

"And what questions should those have been?"

"Why ask me?" Steeljaw asked, grinning. He received a slash to the side of his faceplate, adding to the bevy of many other wounds littering his frame. "Don't have a sense of humor, huh?"

"I don't see what's so funny, Cybertronian," Thundertron hissed.

"Not expecting you to."

Thundertron growled, but walked away before he could strike Steeljaw, again. He paced the room, seemingly deep in-thought. Steeljaw took the moment of silence while he had it.

I'll give these pirates one thing, they sure are ruthless. Too bad they hate us. I could've used them a few years ago.

A knock at the door caught their attentions.

"What is it?" Thundertron snapped.

"Sandstorm, sir, open the door," the voice demanded. Thundertron growled, again, but adhered to the request regardless.

"Thank you," Sandstorm said, pushing past the much larger mech to get to Steeljaw. Dust Devil followed him in.

"What's he doing here?" Thundertron asked, pointing to Dust Devil.

"Starquest dropped him off."

Thundertron looked like he wanted to argue further, but his mouth remained closed. Taking the silence as his answer, Sandstorm let a small smile briefly cross his faceplate as he settled down around Steeljaw. The Lupicon flinched away from the touch of servos on his plating. He knew Sandstorm wasn't here to harm him, but after what happened with Thundertron, Brimstone, and Cannonball, he didn't feel comfortable having another one of the pirates anywhere near him.

"What exactly did you do to him?"

"As if that isn't obvious," Thundertron replied, crossing his arms. "Just make sure he's ready for another round tomorrow."

Sandstorm stopped working. He sat back and vented.

"Normally, I would argue against this, but since I know you won't budge, I'm just going to forgo the usual argument and cut right to the chase."

"Which would be?"

"How much Tox-En did you inject into him?"

An audible gasp and the clanking of metal-on-metal forced the pirates to look at the source. It was Dust Devil, whose optics were wide and full of fear.

"Tox-En? Are you insane? That could kill him! It could kill us!" Dust Devil screeched.

"There's no need to panic. Yes, we keep a stash of Tox-En on board, but none of us would be stupid or reckless enough to overdo it with the stuff," Sandstorm explained.

"Well said, my Pilot."

"Shove it up your aft, Thundertron. I still need that answer, if you want him to live."

Again, Thundertron looked like he would blow a gasket, but kept the lid on. He resorted to grinding his jaw and clenching his fists.

"One small cylinder."

Without waiting for a rebuke, the Captain turned around and left. Once he was gone, the three remaining mechs vented their relief.

"Bless the stars, I thought he'd never leave!" Dust Devil exclaimed. He then focused his worried gaze on Steeljaw. "So… how're you doing?"

"Just fine, thanks for asking," Steeljaw chuckled, shaking his helm. He flinched from the sharp pain that shot through a part of his helm. "Ow! Okay, not doing that again."

"Lighting in here sucks," Sandstorm muttered as he rose to his pedes. "Let's get you to the brig. At least I can see down there. Plus, being around those other bots might calm you down a bit."

"I am calm."

Steeljaw stifled a cry of pain when the arm-length clamps that were digging into his lower arms from the elbow joint-down were unlatched and pulled out.

"Are those spikes?" Dust Devil asked, his vocalizer raising a pitch.

"More like built-in needles for multiple, immediate injections," Sandstorm corrected. "In this case, liquified Tox-En. I don't believe I need to or will explain further."

"Of course not."

"Less attitude, more leverage. Come on, I can't carry him to the brig all by myself."

Steeljaw neither saw nor heard what happened next as he blacked out.

The Lupicon awoke some time later, slowly coming-to as his entire frame pulsed in pain.

"Steeljaw?"

That voice… sounds familiar.

"Bee, are you sure he's waking up?"

"Yes, I'm sure! I saw him move!"

"For all we know, he could be twitching in his sleep!"

Oh… right… them.

Steeljaw forced his optics to open, but he could only manage halfway into slits. From his vantage point, he could see the floor, dashes of yellow, black, and red, and staticky pillars of blue.

Cell. Great.

"Steeljaw!"

"Mmm… hey, Lieutenant," the Lupicon greeted.

"Thank Primus you're alright!" The yellow and black mech exclaimed, then turned to the one sitting next to him. "See, I told you he was awake!"

"Okay, okay, I got it, Bee," Knockout vented. He leaned forward to get a better look at Steeljaw. "So, how are you doing?"

"Funny you should ask that," Steeljaw mused. "Dust Devil asked the same thing."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

The three mechs shared a laugh.

"Seriously, though, Steeljaw, are you alright?" Bumblebee repeated. "We were worried about you after what happened."

"You really need to stop worrying so much, Lieutenant, I'm fine" Steeljaw reassured, his confidence returning with his energy. "You know me. Nothing keeps me down."

"Oh, I know. Just don't jinx yourself, because I do mean what I said earlier. You're part of the team now, and I protect my team-mates, no matter what."

Steeljaw smiled.

"Greatly appreciated, Lieutenant. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some rest."

Later the next day, Steeljaw is once again in the Chamber, his arms clasped behind his back in the same manner they were before. Starquest had brought him and his cell mates a small ration of Energon, and even allowed them to take their time drinking before escorting him back to the dark room. It's been hours since then, and someone has yet to show up. Steeljaw was growing anxious for what Thundertron or Brimstone and Cannonball had in store for today.

He nearly jumped out of his plating when the door finally opened and his torturers from yesterday entered. Thundertron's right arm lay limp against his side, while the left appeared to be holding something behind his back. He wore a wicked grin, and both Brimstone and Cannonball couldn't hold back their excited, indecipherable chattering.

Steeljaw did not like the implications the pirates' behavior had. Still, he forced himself to remain steadfast. Which, under normal circumstances, is easy, but not when two of the three mechs draw the chain taught to restrict as much movement as possible.

"I'm guessing you have something a little different planned for today," Steeljaw said, attempting to keep his vocalizer steady. The Captain's grin widened.

"Indeed," Thundertron rumbled. He pulled out whatever he was hiding to show Steeljaw: another small cylinder, holding spirals of pink and purple, reminiscent of plumes of smoke or steam.

"I was in the middle of trying to figure out what to do when we got the results. You see, when we captured you and your ship mates, one of our scanners alerted us to a potentially dangerous substance on board. What intrigued me even more was how much of it stuck to you. So, I had a sample taken to be tested, and lo and behold our good fortune! As soon as I heard what it was, I knew we had you."

"Care to get to the point already?" Steeljaw interrupted. He had a bad feeling that he knew what Thundertron was talking about, but he can't bring himself to admit it.

"Aw, what's the matter, little Lupicon? Scared? Considering how much of Phoria was left on your frame, I'm guessing it wasn't a very pleasant experience, especially for you."

Now, Steeljaw was afraid. His plating shook as Energon ran cold. He would've curled into a protective ball if it wasn't for the chains and cuffs.

No no no… not again! Please not again!

"Oh, and don't you worry, if this isn't enough, we have plenty more in storage."

Suddenly, Steeljaw started pulling against his restraints with as much force as possible, beyond determined to get away from the vile substance that had both mentally and emotionally scarred him. He knew his efforts were in vain, but he still refused to give in.

Not when Brimstone and Cannonball were forced to hold him still.

Not when Thundertron walked over and injected him.

Not again. I don't want to… go through this… again.

.

. .

. . .

Whoa! You're a pretty good fighter!

Yeah, I knew that already. Who are you, anyway?

You can call me Steeljaw, brother.

I ain't your brother.

But wouldn't you like someone by your side? You seem awfully lonely out here.

What's it to you?

Nothing much. Just looking for something interesting, and from what I've seen, I'd like to get to know you better.

You're annoyingly persistent.

I try.

Ha! The name's…

.

. .

. . .

Ey, Steeljaw, got a moment?

What are you doing here, brother? Is something wrong?

You could say that. Listen, I don't normally do this, but I need some advice.

And you came to me?

Considering you're the only one I don't want to immediately shoot to smithereens, yeah.

Good to know. What do you need?

.

. .

. . .

I can't believe you're listening to a bot like him.

I can't believe you let me! Why did I even agree to this?

Because I asked, and for some reason you decided to go along with it.

Add that to my hopefully short list of bolt-brained decisions.

Ey, at least you got the Pack.

True, and I have you as my second-in-command. Still can't believe you're alright with me being the leader.

Why wouldn't I? If I were in-charge, I'd just do everything by myself and kill anyone who gets in my way. At least we'll have some semi-decent direction with you.

Semi-decent?

Ey, you said it yourself, you can be a bolt-brain at times. You need a second-in-command to second guess your decisions and whatnot.

Uh-huh. Sure.

.

. .

. . .

I can't believe this! Is he trying to get us all killed?

Sounds like another eventful meeting with Lio Convoy.

That fraggin' scrapheap…

Ey, how about you save that aggression for the battle tomorrow and join me for some biofuel now?

Please don't tell me…

I prepared a special batch for tonight.

Great.

Ey, no complaining! You ain't allowed to grieve tonight! Just drink like there ain't no tomorrow!

Alright. A toast, then, to the rest of our lives!

Pits yeah!

.

. .

. . .

Steel? Steeljaw, can you hear me?

I'm getting you out of here! Just hold on!

No, I didn't tell them where you are. As far as Leo Convoy and the rest are concerned, you were blown to bits.

How did I know? C'mon, Steel, this is us we're talking about. We know each other better than anyone else. Better than even ourselves, honestly.

I have to go, before they come looking for me and find you.

Goodbye, Steel.

I love you.

.

. .

. . .

I love you, too.

.

. .

. . .

"I love you, too."

After those four words, Steeljaw fell silent. He was still alive, but the effects of the toxin were wearing off. Thundertron hated how much of the stuff they had to use on the Lupicon.

"Quite resilient, isn't he?" Brimstone had admitted after their fourth injection.

It took almost 15 cylinders of the toxin to get anything worth their time and resources out of Steeljaw. Now, all three pirates were shocked yet pleased by what they learned.

"Sounds like he really cares about someone," Cannonball said.

"We don't have a name, though," Brimstone muttered. "Not for his mystery lover, anyway."

"Do you think the others know?"

"Highly doubt it. If it took us this long to get a hint of something out of him unwillingly, then there's no way he willingly told any of the others."

Down in the brig, neither Bumblebee nor Knockout were expecting what's to come.

"You think he's alright?" Bumblebee asked as he paced the cell. All day, he's had this bad feeling that won't go away, and there's no doubt within his processor that it has to do with Steeljaw.

"I'm sure he's fine," Knockout replied. "He survived yesterday, and that was after being beaten and injected with Tox-En. Still can't believe they keep that scrap around."

Bumblebee hummed in response. He was too busy indulging the pit in his spark. Nearly so, that he almost missed the sound of someone entering the brig. Multiple someones, in fact, as it sounded like a struggle taking place. Bumblebee and Knockout were shocked when Brimstone and Cannonball dragged a writhing Steeljaw over to the cell door. Brimstone couldn't get the door unlocked fast enough before it opened, allowing Cannonball to release Steeljaw. The Lupicon didn't hesitate to put as much distance between him and the others as possible. He chose the furthest corner and curled into a protective ball.

Steeljaw's uncharacteristic actions caused quite the concern for his cell mates.

Bumblebee especially.

"Steeljaw?" Bumblebee tried to get through to the Lupicon, but he didn't respond. At the sound of the cell door closing and locking, Bumblebee rounded on the pirates. "What did you do to him?"

"Torture, what else?" Brimstone snapped.

"Well, we did pump him full of that stuff from Phoria," Cannonball admitted.

"WHAT?" Knockout yelled. He jumped to his pedes and ran over to stand side-by-side with Bumblebee. "Phoria? Are you crazy? Do you have any idea the long-term effect of being exposed to that planet's atmosphere will have on his processor?"

The pirates ignored the red medic as they left the brig.

"Fraggers," Knockout cursed. He vented and turned his attention to the Lupicon huddled in the corner. "So, how do we handle this?"

No response.

"Hey, Bee. Did you hear what I said?"

"Huh? Oh… uh… yeah," Bumblebee stammered, shaking his helm. "Let's just be there for him."

"Understood."

The mechs slowly approached Steeljaw, careful not to startle him. Once they were close enough to reach out and touch him, they settled down on the floor of their cell. Bumblebee inched a little closer than Knockout, stopping when Steeljaw's ears twitched.

"Hey, Steeljaw, it's just us," Bumblebee started in a calm, comforting tone. "The Lieutenant and Knockout."

A muffled whine emanated from beneath folded arms, followed by Steeljaw raising his helm to look at who addressed him.

"Lieutenant?" Steeljaw whispered. "Are… you real?"

"Uh…"

"Are you really here?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Skeptical, Steeljaw reached out, the tips of his claws barely touching Bumblebee's plating. The claws kept moving closer until the whole servo rested against living metal.

"You… are real."

"Yeah, I know, but I guess you needed… WHOA!"

Bumblebee was caught completely off guard when Steeljaw suddenly embraced him. He flinched when he felt sharp claws digging into his backplate, but soon, his pain didn't matter. All that did matter, right then and there, was the extremely vulnerable mech whimpering against his chassis.

"It's alright, Steeljaw, it's all going to be okay," Bumblebee hushed, tightening his hold on the traumatized Lupicon. He tried to soothe the other to recharge by rubbing his backplate. "You're safe now. Remember what I said before, twice now? I swear on my spark that I'll protect you from them. No matter what, they won't harm you ever again."

"Not… not again," Steeljaw vented, his frame convulsing from the effort of trying to regain control. "I don't want to go through that again. Please… please don't let me go through that again. I can't. Please."

"I promise, Steeljaw. I promise."

"We promise," Knockout corrected, joining the comfort huddle.

"Yes. We promise, Steeljaw, that they won't get their servos back on you."

It broke the mechs' sparks, seeing the strong and cunning renegade, mentally and emotionally broken, but it did provide them a little relief when the trembling and crying stalled.

"Thank you," Steeljaw whispered. Bumblebee smiled and nodded his helm.

The mechs remained where they were for the rest of the day: Knockout and Bumblebee watching over Steeljaw as he recharged, still clinging to the yellow and black mech. While his grip has slackened in his unconscious and weakened state, the Lieutenant's remains firm yet delicate.

Protective.

If anyone – not just the pirates; literally anyone – wants to get to Steeljaw, they'll have to go through a beyond pissed-off Bumblebee first. To which, the chances of success are slim-to-none.