Part 4-
Something was wrong.
Sideswipe could feel it deep down inside.
Something was wrong.
She was wrong. His everything screamed it.
He didn't know her, but he did, but he didn't!
So wrong!
Sideswipe growled, feeling a strange pressure rise as he sparred against Strongarm.
Something is wrong!
He remembered now, Strongarm had electric blue optics, not dazed amaranth. He struck fast.
Something is wrong!
Sunny's blade hit and hit and hit and hit and-
Enough! Sides', Wake-
Sideswipe blinked, dazed. He looked around and noticed that he was standing at the comm station, Jazz's voice coming through.
"Sideswipe, ya good mah mech?" The Praxian's voice held worry, and a bit of caution.
"Jazz?" Sideswipe couldn't help but ask. Why was he calling the Spec. Op.?
"Hey, there ya are. Wanna tell meh wha's happenin'?"
"I-I..." Feeling a comforting pulse from his spark, he placed a hand on his chassis. "Wha-?"
"Hey, bot. Jus' talk ta meh. Give meh a 'port."
Sideswipe could do that. Yes, that's easy.
Restarting his vocalizer, Sideswipe pushed away the uncertainty and confusion and began like the good front liner he is. He spoke in clear common Cybertex.
"Fix-it found a Decepticon signal, so we headed out to investigate. The signal wasn't clear, so we split up. Someone, uh, Strongarm I think, found a pod, and Drift found wing clamps. I was with the Mini's, and we encountered the 'Con. The 'Con had backup and I got separated from the Mini's and returned to base after losing sight of the 'Con. I guess my comm was busted, because I remember calling in, but no one responding.
We did our post-mission check-up and I remember falling into recharge. When I woke, I heard Strongarm and Fix-it talking about someone, I don't remember who, I think they were talking about Drift, but I could be wrong. I saw a femme, putter blue battle armour, grey accents and magenta optics. She had spiderbot legs, one that was broken, it looked like an old battle wound, and a scorpion-like tail. She smelled almost like Praxian rust sticks. Anyways, after I saw her, my memory banks began to become corrupt.
I remember little between some clear points. The last one before this being me and Strongarm sparring, I remember her optics being a different color and going harder. Why did I go harder in sparring?"
Sideswipes helm hurt, it hurt so bad. He heard a soft whine and brought his servo to massage between his optics.
"Okay, we are on our way."
Prowl. That was Prowl.
Panic filled Sideswipe, a brief memory flux of the femme stating that Prowl was a traitor.
"No. Prowl, you must stay away. She... she said you were an enemy. I know that's not true, but I don't know what she ordered us to do if we see you. I don't know how much control I have. Please, stay away." Sideswipe didn't care that he was begging. Prowl was one of the bots who treated him and Sunny like actual bots and not weapons. Sideswipe didn't want to hurt him. Sideswipe didn't want to see him get hurt.
Silence.
Sideswipe feared that they had hung up.
"Okay. I'll stay away."
The crimson mech sagged, and his inner alarms dulled to a peaceful purr. He didn't notice that he was whispering thanks as he sank to the ground.
"Sideswipe," his helm snapped up, the comm was still on.
"Yes, sir?"
"We will be there in approximately two weeks."
"Okay."
Two weeks.
That's how long Sideswipe had to last.
Just two weeks.
He could do it. This is nothing compared to what he has been through. Two weeks is nothing.
With this, Sideswipe sits in a corner on a container while polishing Sunny's blade.
Just two weeks.
Just one week.
He is polishing Sunny's blade, dissonant and ignoring all of his teammates when they tried to talk to him.
Just one more week.
The femme, Solifugae, a fitting name, is next to him. She is talking. She is reaching out. Her sharp servos grab Sunny's blade.
Sideswipe slaps her offending arm away, armour raised in warning as he snapped at her. "Don't touch it!"
She pulled back, startled.
"I apologize, Sweetspark. I meant no disrespect." She looked like he was supposed to reply with a quick apology, a submission and begging her to forgive his insolence. Just like them all.
Sideswipe forced what she wanted. Forced his protection over Sunny's blade away, forced his armour to become soft and subdued, forced his vocalizer to apologize, forced his helm down and meek.
She smiled, showing fangs befitting her kind.
"You can apologize by opening your pretty chamber and let me see your lovely spark."
"No." Sideswipe didn't even think before answering.
Her optics took a dangerous glow. "I see. So, you don't actually mean your apology. You meant to harm me like everyone else."
She spoke in a tone that Sideswipe recognized from the Pit Master. Manipulation. She was trying to manipulate him.
Just one week.
"I can't. Only my other can-."
"I see, you're waiting for your Amica."
Close enough.
Sideswipe nodded, keeping himself soft. Oh, how Sunny would hate to see him acting this way.
"Tell me about them," it was a command, not a suggestion.
Sideswipe swallowed.
Just one week.
She smelled sweet. Looking down, he saw her tails' stinger in the mesh of his leg.
He felt himself fade.
.
"Sunny?"
"What?"
"I can't recharge."
"Come here."
The red mech stood and walked to his brother's citron frame. Sunstreaker shifted so that he was on the outside and Sideswipe was on the inside, against the wall.
"I'm fighting Bladeshift."
"I know."
"I don't wanna fight her."
"I know."
"It's a Death Match."
"I know."
"She's only been here for two orns."
"I know."
"It's her execution."
"Yes."
"I'm gonna be her executioner."
"..."
"I'm gonna kill her, I helped her survive her first match. It's my fault."
Sideswipe ignored Sunny's comfort through the bond.
"I would throw the match, but then you would die, then I would make her a murderer."
"Sides'."
"I don't want to kill her, Sunny."
"I know."
"I can't-"
"Yes, you can. You will. You will make it quick and painless, anyone else would make it as painful and drawn out as possible. It has to be you."
"I know."
.
Sideswipe wakes and sees the femme clutching her stomach area, energon leaking out slowly and in beads. He blinked, confused until he noticed that his arms were wrapped protectively around his chest, his HUD blinking warnings that his chest area was almost breached.
"You..." she vibrated, enraged, "you monster!"
Sideswipe flinched. She lunged.
He dodged left and gets cut by one of her spider legs, her tail lashes out and he dodged right. Her anger is palpable.
How much time is left?
His instincts scream for him to duck, he does, the shot misses him and hits the toilet section. He let out his sensors, Bumblebee and Grimmlock were there too.
"Grab a hold of him!"
Drift is suddenly in his sensors, above him. Sideswipe rolls to dodge him. He runs, jumping over Drifts mentees and Fix-it when they got in his way. Pain flares down the small part of his back, where his armour is thinner.
He hissed and continued to run, ignoring the warm roll of energon dripping. Strongarm grabs him in a sneak attack, he got out of her grip before her servo is fully wrapped on his shoulder.
He feels a familiar pinch and doesn't hesitate to stab Sunny's blade into his hip-joint to drain the poison before it can take effect. His gait is off, but he doesn't slow for more than five seconds.
He leaves the junk yard.
How much longer until help arrives?
He hides.
.
"And that's the match mecha! The Crimson Racer wins again!"
Sideswipe stares at the once purple frame. They fought for less than a minute, Sideswipe made it quick and painless.
"Since the match was done so fast, let's get him another opponent!"
Roars of cheers fill the air. Sideswipe turns, optics wide.
"Let's see if Seen would give him an actual challenge?"
Seen was a silver mech with golden accents. He was fast and almost as deadly as Sunny.
Sideswipe closed his optic covering. Seen was someone Sideswipe helped too.
They fought. Sideswipe won in less than five minutes. Seen's death was swift and painless, too.
Two more matches, both mentees of Sideswipes, before he is called off, back to his and Sunny's room. Sideswipe grabs the small cube and tosses it to his twin, falling to his bed and staring at the wall, numb.
.
Warning: energon below 40%
Sideswipe dismissed the warning. He had to up his systems so that the warning only comes below 10%.
Looking around, he watches as cars pass on the lazy road until a familiar silver Pontiac Solstice hardtop comes around the corner with a green SUV and a red and blue semi.
Tension filled Sideswipe. Did they just get here? Did they go to the scrapyard first? Are they under the femme's control?
Sideswipe cautiously pushes himself up, quietly slinking deeper into the shadows as he watched the other bots slow.
Jazz transforms first, optic visor it's normal blue-grey, and looks around.
"This is where his signal leads," his Praxian accent was more thick than normal. "Sideswipe, ya here mah mech?"
Sideswipe stayed silent and unmoving. His optics keeping them all in sight.
Bulkhead transforms next, his optics were their normal cornflower blue.
"Sideswipe!" Bulkhead's call had the red mech flinching back.
Jazz immediately noticed the shift in shadows.
"Hey Sideswipe. Ya called, 'memeba?"
Sideswipe did remember, he called, and they said they would be here in two weeks and Prowl wouldn't come because he was targeted by the femme.
Jazz is closer, movements slow and body in a non-threatening position. Sideswipe still backed away from the older bot. Jazz stopped immediately.
"Okay, no need ta be nervous. We kept Prowl hidden, he's safe. I's just meh, Bulkhead, 'n Prime."
Sideswipe glanced at the still vehicle-mode of Prime.
"Ya're leakin'. Let us fix tha', yeah?"
Sideswipe raised his armour and gave a low rumble of his engines in warning when Jazz stepped closer. Jazz retreated the two steps he took and held up his servos even more.
"Okay, no closah, gotcha."
Optimus was still in vehicle mode. Sideswipe kept his scanners on the other two while keeping his optics on the Prime.
"Ah... ya're suspicious of Prime?" Jazz swayed slightly. "Optimus, transform, please."
The semi did as it was asked. The Primes optics were their normal royal blue. Sideswipe felt the tension lessen, but not completely vanish. His trailer was still on the road.
Letting out his sensors, he felt a familiar spark beat. Windblade was inside the trailer.
"Let me see Windblade," his voice trembled, optics locked on the grey container.
Windblade came out seconds later, her optics were normal, too. Sideswipe felt faint with relief. Jazz came closer with wide optics and mouth open in warning. Sideswipe felt someone land behind him and turned, blocking Drift's sword with Sunny's.
Sideswipe shoved the larger mech back.
Warning: energon levels at 20%
Sideswipe dismissed again and fell back when Bulkhead and Windblade joined in against Drift. Jazz grabbed him and pushed him behind his bulkier silver form. Optimus joins in the fighting when Strongarm and Bumblebee join in.
Warning: energon levels at 10%
"Jazz," Sideswipe grabs the closest thing he can from the other mech as dizziness overtakes his vision.
Jazz jolts as he feels servos grab his wings. He turns and catches the youngling as his legs give out. Lowering them both to the ground, he notices just how much energon Sideswipe lost and couldn't stop the shocked cry when seeing how low he was.
Warning: energon levels at 05%
Entering Stasis Mode