Disclaimer: Hasbro and Takara-Tomy own Transformers. I just like hounding their giant robots.

Warnings:

Mayhem. Bad flirting. Establishing new characters dynamics.

Tired of looking at this chap so have some beast formers! Be prepared for messy wounds.


"And A Night You'll Never Forget"

"Can I sleep with you?"

Bumblebee frowned, very much half awake.

"Now? We've got a mission in like, five joors and this all sounds like a really bad ide-"

He paused when Cypress mirrored his confusion.

Bee hard reset his optics, "That didn't happen."

"Agreed." She rubbed her own optics, "RoadRage exploded my room, you can't pay me to recharge anywhere near that sword dude, my cabinet's locked, and everyone here is nuts."

Bee stared out at the yawning murder bird, then the first half of Ops organizing chemicals in the hall, and the twins fighting over who's prank set off the explosion. Trapped among them, the new lady looked as if she were seriously reconsidering living here.

"Uh huh."

"So can I crash?"

He stepped sideways letting her drag the flimsy pull-out berth in with her. Bee dropped back to his berth face-first, wings monitoring the other two in the room. Cypress immediately disappeared beneath her tarp. Terri rustled around, trying to find a comfortable spot. The bird's high frequency warbles pinged off his sensors like pebbles.

~ Bird. ~ he sent groggily.

One arm shot out, corralling Terri under the tarp as well.

All was quiet, but Bee did not, in fact, go back to recharge.

Bumblebee stared at his servo, tracing the sensation of having someone in his helm, twisting around his alt mode. It was just a slagging medical procedure. Then he'd gotten a spine in him. He wasn't quite sure what to feel about that. It felt more intimate than the restructuring. Yet he squeezed his servo as if trying to hold on to that sweet, sweet sensation—

Somewhere in his helm, he could hear one of Sideswipe's unwanted nuggets of wisdom: "That's how kinks start!"

Bee shook his helm for the millionth time. The trickling sense of urgency wasn't helped by the same frame in the portable bunk opposite him.

Something that vaguely sounded like a body hitting the wall, followed by a loud apology, made them both jump.

Cypress gave up trying to recharge. She rolled over, half shedding the tarp. "Do you guys have some law against regular sleep schedules?"

That got him to snort. To him, humans slept too much. Cy slept too much for a Transformer. It scared him.

"Someone's gotta be on watch. Especially now."

Cypress propped up, optics ringed with discolored protoform. It made them glow brighter. Cy didn't have much in the way of biolights anyway, what light she did give off accentuated the rest of her frame. Had she always had curves?

She stretched, bio lights flickering erratically, "Can't sleep either?"

"Nope. Wide awake," he choked.

Was ogling your partner weird? It probably was. Wasn't it?

Bee forced his processor to alternate routes. Things like Drift stalking into their rec room came to mind.

It worked. Instead of worrying he wanted to pin down his partner, he was worried about getting pinned down by laserfire.

The red streaked mech carried himself like he wasn't worried about being on aboard someone else's ship. The twins had a made a habit of doing stuff like that when they were in a sketchy area.

Drift walked in like he owned the place, like killing everyone there wasn't an issue.

While Drift had his blaster arm in a death grip, he'd seen the brief look on Ratchet's faceplate. If the medic had been worried before, that flash of 'we're-all-going-to-die-horribly' was enough to have Bee a nano from sending out an SOS over bond.

But Drift pulled a one-eighty and acted as if they were all friends. That wasn't what truly scared him, though. Before he'd even gotten confirmation on who this mech was or where he was from, Bee thought: "Where are his guns? **Redacted** never goes anywhere without them."

"You ever feel like you've met someone before?"

"Only once...Voltage." She drawled, winced, then quickly moved on, "Mrs. Y used to say when you get that feeling, you knew them in a different dimension. She never said who told her that… Its Drift for you, isn't it?"

Bumblebee nodded warily.

"He looked at you like he was about to cry a few times. You don't think—"

He didn't let the Preda finish.

"We're not related. I just remember him, maybe from a wanted poster."

"At least he's...eh."

"Untrustworthy."

"I was going to say nice with unreasonably uncomfortable vibes but that works too. He brought knives to a gun fight…"

"Meaning?"

"If you're crazy enough to do that, not much else is off the table." Cypress perched on the edge of her berth, optics on his repaired servo.

"I'm sorry about the spines."

"That wasn't your fault."

Her optics flashed, "I leak poison! Bee, you heard the freaky Seeker. For all we know, someone made me for killing. Things never go well for lab subjects."

"That's not a MTO's only purpose and it matters about as much as being more than one thing. What do you want to be?"

Cypress restrained herself from picking any spines loose, "Happy."

He propped up, reaching out until he snagged the edge of her berth. She obliged and shifted her weight to help scoot it over, much to Terri's displeasure.

"Words are hard, but I don't think any less of you. Power down."

"Ok, mom."

He clapped a servo over her mouth, "Shh."

Bee was surprised when her servo patted his before encircling it.

"Voltage is wrong, though about you guys. I'll make sure she's wrong."

It was the acceptance thing again and, not for the first time, he wondered what he would have done if he had to choose faction over frame.

He squeezed back. "Bet."

~o~o~o~o~o~

Ratchet watched as Optimus sat back with a heavy vent. "Everyone's fine. One wall isn't, though."

"Rager," Drift predicted.

"Yes."

"Wasn't hard to convince her colony to let her go, huh?" Ironhide joked.

"Yes. They think she's having a first quarter life crisis going bounty hunting with an ex-Decepticon."

"It is good to see a friendly face again." Optimus remarked.

It was about then, Ratchet felt like he was the outsider in this conversation. He and Sides were the only ones who joined up with the Autobots willingly and running into more faction adjacent 'formers just brought it back up.

"You've really been in a commune for six vorns?" Prime continued

Drift straightened, "I've been improving myself."

"Uh-huh." Ironhide muttered.

"I have!"

"And they convinced you not use guns anymore…" Prime ventured, "Those were your life."

"That was my choice. I'm not that 'former anymore."

Funny. Drift looked like he actually believed it. Despite their closeness, even Optimus looked unconvinced. Ironhide was the only one that said it.

"No one who might believe that is here right now. Relax."

"'Hide. Let him be."

"It doesn't have anything to you with your shipmate?"

Instead of rising to the bait, Drift's smile sobered into a restrained grimace, "Actually…yes. If it weren't for RoadRage I wouldn't be here."

Well, they were leaving that topic alone. Ratchet didn't really think the mech would have lived past the last vorn they'd seen him, given his erratic emotional state at the time. Ratchet kept that to himself.

Drift seemed to be choosing his next words very carefully. "Mechs, why do you have two 'Con younglings?"

"Who are you…you mean the kids?" Optimus frowned.

"Bee isn't." Ratchet said dully, thrust from pity back to annoyance.

Reformed or not, if were up to him, the swordsmech would be back outside on his aft. Something never sat quite right with him about Drift and that feeling was mutual in majority of the crew.

The twins were giving him a respectful berth. Spec Ops tried to get away from him whenever possible. Hide just decided to take the piss out of him. Save for Optimus and RoadRage, Drift wasn't too popular.

Drift kept a neutral, if twitchy, expression. The words: "barely restrained feral tendencies" and "desperate" came to mind.

But Drift and Optimus had some understanding, and 'Hide hadn't gotten enough of him being a tad…strange. As for Ratchet himself? He was just killing time, figuring out how best to have the MTO talk with his charge. Maybe listening to the ravings of an ex-Decepticon would help.

Ratchet had a sinking feeling he was in for a worse helmache.

Said 'Con began fiddling with his servos, "I've known him since he was a new spark and his sire, even longer than that. That is the same sparkling I looked after. Goldbug."

Ironhide humored him. "Whose was he, then?"

"Blackout's."

Optimus coughed. "What? You mean two syllable reply Blackout?"

"And a little Praxian…Lightfire. She died a while ago."

"WHAT."

But Drift had dipped into his own world, "I used to think Soundwave had something to do with it. Especially after he hurt Gidget and Bee disappeared. Now? I don't believe he did."

Prime shared a glance with 'Hide. "Is that why no one was allowed in the Ops wing?"

"Yup." Drift absently started twirling a knife around his digits. "Not really my story to tell probably the only one of two that remembers. Soundy wiped Blackout. No Fire, no Goldbug," the knife spun faster. "He just erased everything and left him and Scorpnok alone."

"Drift." Prime warned.

"Right." He laid his new tool down. "I had one last thing to do before I left the Cons for good, so I did. Never expected you all to follow so soon."

Ratchet watched Prime's optics slowly slide shut, "Megatron went ahead with terrorist actions. Or business as usual it would seem."

"Had to be done." Drift flashed an apologetic grin.

Ratchet let his glare deepen. "Yeah, thanks for that. I still wake up smelling energon."

The other red and white mech cowed into a more appropriate expression.

"I'm sorry."

"Are you, now?"

He stared down Drift to the point of it going beyond uncomfortable.

For the first time, the mech's frame didn't read as wanting to avoid a fight, now leaning toward preparations for a verbal one.

Drift never did answer. Switching gears, Drift tapped his helm, "The kid's been wiped too, hasn't he?"

"Yes." Ratchet said finally, with a glance at the other two for discretion, "It's a common thing I've seen in younglings his age, whether they know it or not patches of memory are corrupted or completely missing. His is the cleanest job I've seen."

"Poor Goldbug. It seems too good to be true he's safe. Where did you find him?"

"Sea of Rust and Wheeljack did." Optimus said.

Drift's servos curled, "The mad scientist."

"Don't get mad at us! Jack took good care of him." Ratchet argued. He left out the part where Bee had received an experimental mod.

"I should have—never mind. Anyway, where is that Preda wolf from? She gives me the creeps."

The medic snorted, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I see where she gets her evasiveness from." Drift allowed himself to prop up defensively, "I have a right to know who my charge is associating with. She holds her EM strangely. I think you are guardian to a Pretender."

"Pretender" as in mimics that weren't originally Cybertronian, taking that form. Ratchet seriously questioned his system of defining legendary phenomenon.

"The only thing unnatural about her is she's not dead yet." Hide muttered, "Kid was raised by organics. That would screw anyone up."

He pointedly ignored Ratchet's under the table kick and one of Optimus' rare 'shut up' looks.

"Who is he gonna tell? Drift KNOWS what's going to happen if he does." Hide continued, "Her guardian became our friend and she's not here anymore. Massicon attack."

Drift's face pinched in sympathy, "At least they've got each other. Choppers pair early. They and Preda-wolves share possessive qualities."

That made Ratchet pause. Oh great. He'd forgotten about that.

"We know Blackout's an exception, but aren't choppers supposed to be solitary?" Hide asked.

"Yup. They pick one 'former and annoy them until one of the two dies. Choppers are either well-adjusted or basketcases, there's no in-between. And he's a courier/speedster build—"

"Hyperactive. We've noticed." Hide deadpanned.

"I still can't believe he's Blackout's…" Optimus started, "I assumed Blackout was mission focused like Soundwave."

"He just needed a little convincing. There's a lot you don't know about Ops, Op."

"He's very short."

"Takes after his carrier; she barely cleared minibot height." Drift beamed.

"Where'd she come from?"

"Praxus…she was our insider spy."

The swordsmech seemed to do a mental assessment of how much he should let slip before speaking again.

"She was great. He really should know about her. Can't imagine he'd take it well from me. He's never pried into his history?"

Optimus added, "He's taken on calling himself full Praxian."

"Oh."

Ratchet finally recovered from playing out worst case scenarios involving their resident younglings. "If you're telling the truth about Bee, I don't want you playing matchmaker on this ship."

"I call it as I see it." Drift shrugged. "So have the other Predas attempted to punish you for your crimes?"

"What crimes?" Hide snorted.

"I keep forgetting you come from a different circle of Cons. You have a pair of caste fringe younglings, both from build subclasses that are often exploited for gross reasons. It doesn't look good to 'formers that already don't like Autobots. Her chances fitting in with those Predas are slagged."

Drift stirred his cube, "And Prowl seems different."

"You really like kids…"

"I have seen too many dead ones. Dead because no one is looking after them! Your Spec Ops heads were running around wild as deer before Cybertron fell! Do you know how many 'formers they killed? How many Jazz has alone? Kids not right… he was raised in an assassin's clan. What makes you think he wouldn't try to pass that knowledge on?"

The answer was, there wasn't a reason for him not to.

Ratchet never liked watching Jazz train Bee in espionage. It was a necessary evil. Drift's insights only confirmed what he knew. Oh, the irony, he of all 'formers was wary of a pack of new builds.

"But the Praxian feels worse."

"Drift, you haven't seen him since he was a youngling."

"But I've seen them before any of you did. Prowl's resonance is different."

"As in…"

"His core of being has changed."

Ratchet groaned, "He's lost his damn mind again."

Ironhide stood, "That's it. I'll hold 'im. Ratch, crack his helm open."

"I'm serious! And whatever happened to them, is happening to Bee and Audios. I was right last time; I don't want to be right again."

"Slow down. When you say resonance...?" Prime ventured.

"They're connected on a deeper level. How long has Audios been with you?"

"Cypress." Ratchet corrected, "A few orns."

"And she falls in just like she's known them forever, right?"

"How'd you…"

"It stands to reason." Drift leaned back in his chair, did a sweep of the room, and sent Gidget to sit at the door.

"Jazz and Lockdown were—roughly attached. Friendly enemies. They were supposed to kill Prowl but obviously that didn't pan out."

Everyone else went quiet.

"Like I said, I knew them before they joined. They had no idea what they were doing, near about died, too. I planned on keeping them close but, the little buggers hacked my comm and found out Sounders wanted them. That was the last I saw of them."

"I'm losing you again." Hide trailed.

"You grow closer to those who go through bad experiences with you. That's pretty fragging useful. There are rumors coming from Decepticons and neutrals of Autobot tests on anyone available. I don't mean the normal enhancements or MTOs and outliers."

Drift leaned closer, lowering his voice, "There were spark bond experiments conducted at some point. Did you know they have the ability to make gestalts now? Several 'formers combining into one being? When did you meet Prowl and Jazz?"

Ratchet frowned. "They came with the Wreckers right after all Autobots were recalled to Iacon. Something happened to their pack and it was never put on record. All I know is, Prowl was left screwed up inside and out."

The medic looked up to find Deadlock was back.

"Wreckers? That makes too much sense. I should have kidnapped them like Soundwave said."

"As if the same thing wouldn't have happened with the Cons." Hide scoffed.

"Not if I'd left them with you two to begin with." Drift played with his knife, "'Wave wanted them for their potential, Bee only wanted to meet another Praxian… I should have gone back."

"I'm too sober for this." Ironhide grumbled but he didn't budge.

"Was Bee happy, at least?"

"Well enough." Ratchet nodded, "Hid out in my bay to get away from bullies. Jack was in a CR chamber. Bee eased Prowl out of a nasty self-destructive spiral, been inseparable ever since. Hide's supposed to be Prowl's guardian but he watches Bee too."

Drift's optics brightened with a warmth that didn't fit his killer persona. "And how did the great Decepticon drill master put up with the little smart aft?"

"I just make sure he doesn't get himself killed. The kid's a little freaky. He's weird about his insignia and got this thing about studying organics." Hide trailed off, "The Bots really hurt him, didn't they?"

Optimus sighed, "I'd hope they'd come to us if something were wrong."

"Those two?" Ratchet snorted voice pitched to a low growl.

"Jazz's arm fell off because he was too embarrassed to admit he'd screwed it up in a prank war with Sides. Found Prowl passed out in the wash racks because he was hiding a tank virus and he nearly fell into stasis."

And those are the responsible ones! Bee tries to eat organic material and acts surprised when it shows up at a checkup. Then he runs his fuel levels into the ground using his upgrades.

I'm one hundred percent sure Cypress is blacking out at certain points in the cycle for no reason. No, Optimus, I don't think they will."

Ratchet let go of the empty cube he'd crushed to death. "Sunny and Sides at least had some normalcy but these younglings worry me. It's like something is following them. If they're the ones that survived, I'm not confident in the future of our kind."

It went quiet again until Drift cleared his vents.

"I was taught on Juros to look for the good in every situation." He lowered his helm, completely missing Ironhide's juvenile optic roll.

"But D'Con Ops taught me: a good spymaster reports to their head. The best care for their unit first. You're fortunate, Ops don't tend stay with commanders they don't trust."

Drift nodded encouragement at Prime's look of skepticism.

"Perhaps its because they're the future, they've survived. Maybe they'll be OK. Its not like they got involved with the Dread." He looked up, "Right?"

~o~o~o~o~o~

"Look alive, kiddos!"

Cypress growled, digits curling into the warmth next to her. It was still too early. And Terri was slicker than usual.

"Five minutes…"

"Nope!" the overhead lights snapped on.

She finally sat up to see Jazz leaning in the doorway and that somehow she'd managed to migrate berths to spoon Bee, defying all doorwing logistics.

The saboteur's visor brightened, "Well then…good mornin'. Time to prep."

Cypress glanced over to see Bee pulling out of recharge slowly. She glanced over to Jazz, who shrugged, shoving off his leaning spot.

"I just had to-"

Grinning, the saboteur held up servos, "Ahm not a snitch. Get your cuddle-time in when you can…But first, gifts."

He held up a small vial before tossing it to her, "Knock out toxin, a quick dry in five kliks. Paint your arm spines. Don't drink it. Yet."

Jazz leaned over Bee still trying to recharge. "Upsy daisy. Poison tipped blades."

Bee gave him a lazy thumbs up without getting up.

"And nitro in both your energon." He purposely dropped one next to the scout's helm to clatter, "Get it, got it, good; let's roll."

Bee finally sat up, one doorwing nearly clocking her in the back of the helm. ~ Already? ~

~ Yep. ~

~ I slept nice… ~ he realigned his plating, ~ Look at you being all affectionate. ~

~ I thought you were Terri. ~ She followed up with a "Thanks. You're warm."

"Anytime."

Cypress pretended she hadn't seen his optic ridge quirk.

Ratchet cornered them in the hall, dropping Terri into Bee's arms. "Put the bird back where she came from."

"Awww."

"Don't start."

"She got into the gauze and made a nest."

Terri warbled musically.

"Do we really have to—"

"Git!"

Before she could start off too, the medic held her back with a shoulder tap.

"I'm missing a datapad."

"Just figuring out if I'm terminal or not."

"Believe me, I'd have told you. We still need to discuss what Voltage said."

"I know…"

"MTO builds aren't that uncommon." Ratchet leaned back against one wall, "Where'd you think I came from?"

"But you've got a clan…"

"Medical caste." He flashed a long dull, mark beneath a shoulder panel. "They raised me so to speak."

"And the powers that be just sparked you as a full frame adult?!"

"It used to be controversial not to. Looking at you lot, I wish it was standard for everyone."

"And miss out on the constant existential crises and mood swings? No way."

"I'm gonna spoil it for you, that's just a symptom of being alive. Come back in one piece."

"No promises." She attempted grin, failed, and settled for sighing.

Ratchet nudged her forward, "Jazz hasn't lost a pack mate yet. Nothing to worry about. Now scat."

Said mech stood rigid in the hold like the commander his rank insisted he was. Next to him, Drift looked more like an executioner polishing a blade. He gestured to the vial and she started coating her spines using the brush inside.

Behind her she could hear RoadRage crowding in just before Prowl blocked the doorway.

"We're all here then," Drift holstered his weapon before folding his arms. "You two are basically live bait. It's not our trick of choice, but we'll make do. Do not hold back when you defend yourselves."

"Right." Jazz nodded, "Bee, Cy. You're gonna find them and lure your Seeker to our ambush. We'll be winging this, so stay on your peds. It gets too bad, run. We'll be waiting for you."

Before they could answer, Drift threw some sort of dust over both scouts.

Bee bristled and made a noise resembling a sneeze as it settled, "What the—"

"To neutralize your scent."

Cypress took a whiff, the normal scents fading into nothing. It was working.

She gave the swordsmech an enthusiastic nod.

Jazz palmed the bay door open, "What are ya waiting around for? Let's hunt!"

Transforming into a full sprint never got old.

Cypress tore off into the sands, Bee Right behind her in vehicle mode, headlights glowing, and Terri charging behind them.

The moon was still out and it cast long shadows over the land. Bee sped along, sticking to the shallow stretches of sand. The initial high of a run only lasted so long. She was fighting to stay on her paws five miles out.

"Tired?"

"Nope."

A space-age version of a Camaro gently swerved in front of her, "We've got a while until we make it within hearing range. You want a ride? It'll make less tracks…"

He didn't get a chance to finish before her body rebelled, twisting inward at the offer.

Bee braked hard, slinging purplish sand, "Holy scrap. I'm never getting used to that."

Cypress pulled her very human head from the sand to stare into a set of blazing headlights.

She shook the remaining fractured glow from her arms, old sensation rushing back like a good memory. It felt good to be back. "You do it all the time."

"Not like that, I don't."

The air was chilly but surprisingly damp, a nice enough temp for a walk, but they were on a time crunch.

The driver's side door swung open, "How long do you think you can stay like that?"

"Few hours, I guess." She dusted herself off, sliding into the open door.

Truthfully, her frame hadn't recovered from yesterday—or the day before. Any rest was welcome.

As she settled in a shudder rippled through his seats.

"You're good?"

"Yeah, it's just different having a passenger again."

She leaned on the steering wheel, "Scared I might stab you again?"

"No!"

"Liar."

That's all he was concerned about. She hoped.

Desperate for an out, Cypress glanced around his cab then plunged a hand in-between the passenger seat cushion.

His voice fuzzed into static. "Cut it out!"

"So, you are ticklish! How much can you feel in here?"

Seatbelts snapped around her wrists, pinning them to the steering wheel.

"We're supposed to be on a mission. Let me drive."

"Bee, you're not fooling anyone. You can't drive even when you aren't distracted."

He let her go suddenly, but a cable snaked through her hoodie sleeve and into her armpit.

Cypress' frantic attempts to flatten it only made Bee swerve and laugh harder.

"Say cede!"

"No!"

She cackled until her voice caught in a cough. A swipe near her mouth revealed venom.

"Stupid psycho wolf."

The rest of Bee's cables retracted, "You wanna do something about that?"

Her puzzled look must have prompted what came next.

"Get back at Cieve, rip her face off."

"Ooh, feisty! That's different."

"I'm dead serious."

Cypress sank into his seats and balled her right hand into a fist. Her hoodie sleeve contorted and spines rose from the fabric. This mission was a chance to prove her loyalty, to help alleged friends. Throwing revenge in couldn't hurt.

"You've got my back?"

"To the end of the line."

Ten kliks out, she climbed out, reverting to beastmode.

Cypress stretched and paced around, frame over stimulated from the nitro, "Come on."

Bee took his time slipping into a different mode, shoulders immediately trying to compensate for the absence of his wings.

She circled him, then slammed her forepaws into the sands, tail high.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll feel better if you stretch."

"That's stupid."

She nipped the metal tuft at the end of his tail before ducking out of his reach.

Bee lunged.

Cypress ducked and twisted until Bee had a mouthful of her ear.

"See! It's fun!"

He let out a beleaguered huff that cut off in a choke when she broke free to lick his cheek.

"Hey!"

"On a mission!"

A few minutes later they stood at the summit of a massive, sloping peak. Somehow the mountainous ridge provided enough shade to drench the whole area in cool shadows, even in the night.

"Race you down."

She broke into a run until they could only slide.

It felt like second nature, charging about like this. It was the first organic ground she'd seen in cycles. Natural light, sounds, and sensations poured over her senses.

Then, a familiar scent.

Cypress cast a glance to the slinky felid behind her. She lowered her head, pulling her audios back. ~ I smell them. ~

Terri paused at the edge of a marsh with a hiss. The bird wasn't going any further. They, on the other hand, didn't have a choice.

"We'll be back, T." Cypress flexed her paws and waded in to murky water rose over her neck.

Bumblebee let out a quiet whine.

She wagged her tail, motioning to the dubious looking water.

Just like a cat, he took his time creeping in.

~ I hate this. ~

~ Relax. ~ She plunged forward, paddling in a half- circle to make sure he was following.

~ Why is swimming even a thing? ~

~ I tried running with you all, now you get to go off road with me. ~

Eventually, the water became shallow enough to stand. Bumblebee sneezed, attempting to try scenting himself.

~ Much further? ~

Everything smelled like stagnant water and wet plants.

The scent had tapered off.

~ Let's keep going. ~

Her paws spread out, keeping her out of the worst of the muck.

Bumblebee didn't have that luxury.

~ Wait. ~

He yanked one paw free only to land on his chest, further coating himself in mud.

~ I'm never listening to you again. I think it's seeping into my spark chamber. ~

~ The mud is your friend. It ties you to nature. ~

~ It's trying to eat me! ~

It kinda was in a sense, sucking him down further inch by inch.

She circled back to pull on his tail, ending in her falling into a drop off with a loud splash. For a moment, they both crouched half-hidden in the muck and foliage.

Several kliks went by before they resumed.

It was only after swimming through another stretch of deep water, that she noticed the glowing yellow eyes in the trees above.

The shape dropped and the Predas bronze frame jerked with the impact. A maw of snaggled, jutting, interlocking teeth opened with a type of chirring roar that tickled audios. He looked like what would happen if someone put a gharial's head on a wyvern's body.

The flier approached with steps that sent water rolling toward them in drenching waves.

They couldn't run, much less swim.

Cypress prepared to force venom from her spines into the water around her, but the Preda acted like he hadn't seen them.

She watched as he swung his great jaws around, sifting for fish and coming up with several wriggling, tentacled ones. Then he swallowed two whole.

Bumblebee shuddered.

The Preda slowly changed his course to circle around them. "So, it's you two."

Bumblebee squared his stance with a hiss.

"Cute trick."

"Do you know where Voltage is?" Cypress ventured.

"Around."

The winged monster then ignored them in favor of plunging his maw back into the water to sift for more fish.

There was a rather loud splash to their left, made by a grey and yellow wolf. "You'll have to excuse Goonch." The newcomer sloshed up, head and tail high. "There aren't very many opportunities to hunt while traveling with vehicle modes."

He closed the distance, completely ignoring the thin sheen of venom now clinging to his armor. The mech was the inverse of yesterday's Predas. He spoke with a concise, formal tone she hadn't heard before.

"But where are my manners? Steeljaw," his head dipped a fraction.

"Bumblebee."

"Cypress."

Steeljaw gave them sidelong look.

"Out late, aren't you? And far away from your ship…"

"We're scouting."

"Trespassing," the wolf countered, toothy smile growing wider. He circled around, wordlessly ushering them onto a less soggy bank of clinging grasses. "Can't imagine your guardians will be pleased."

There was another Preda wolf waiting, this one seemingly all organic down to the short whiskers on his snout. He could have been mistaken for an artic wolf if it weren't for the massive size and red optics. This new wolf rose, stride radiating authority.

Like every other Preda, he loomed over the both of them.

"We're not in the practice of letting interlopers go unscathed, but I have questions, pup."

"I can only answer what won't—" something in her vocalizer clenched again, cutting her off.

"What was that?"

"I can only answer wha-t won't endanger my team."

"At your own risk then."

Cypress tucked her audios as she nodded, trying to ignore Bee's ruffled plating and Steeljaw lurking behind them.

"Does the name Daihatsu sound familiar? Blackarachnia?"

"No…should they?"

"Age?"

"Seventeen vorns."

"What happened on Earth?"

Cypress shrank back as the bigger wolf's snout filled her vision.

"Did anyone clear you to leave? Was anyone killed?"

Her vocalizer finally seized up and she looked down at the grass.

The following growl from the white wolf rattled her insides, trying to tear her alt-mode apart. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

Bee nudged her. ~ What's wrong? ~

~ I can't talk! ~

He edged forward in her stead, "Something's wrong with her voc—"

A shining network of white fangs greeted Bee. "I didn't ask you, vehi mode."

Before she could muster a word, another set of fangs seized the base of her tail, twisting her over to land belly up. Cypress' vision stabilized just soon enough to see Goonch's jagged maw snatch Bumblebee up by the scruff.

Again, something was pressing down on her throat, quickly switching to holding her jaws shut. The furry alpha's forepaw scraped her throat.

He snorted, "Cieve's work."

Steeljaw joined in staring down at her, snout crinkled. "Because she can't make anything easy, can she?"

Bee's claws scraped his captors plating as he fought to get loose.

"I don't much like comms, youngling." The alpha started in on Bee out of her field of vision.

No one noticed Steeljaw brandishing a scalpel-like piece of armor. He punctured her in a throat line, reopening the wound in it.

Cypress was too stunned to panic. The sensation of something oozing from and down her neck just set up a whole new round of violent hacking. Her vents seized shut.

"Venom build up. Your systems aren't regulating it and it's too concentrated."

Goonch let out a half shriek and Bee hit the ground in bipedal mode, ready to fire on the Predas.

~ Cy… ~

~ I'm fine. ~

"I'd be careful," the alpha warned, "One slip and you'll need a new partner."

Steeljaw switched modes, tinkering with something deep in her throat. The pressure evaporated and she finally wheezed.

"You're very welcome. Mind returning the favor?"

"Speak."

She wheezed, "You really know about Earth? You won't hurt anyone?"

"Youngling, there are things going on on that rock beyond our mortal comprehension. We're only concerned with Transformer kind."

"Crowbar…took Rilo's place. The other weird 'formers working with Earthlings. No non Massicon Transformers killed."

The alpha considered her briefly, then nodded.

Steeljaw released her.

Bumblebee adjusted his stance, blaster trained.

The white wolf eyed him, "Change back."

Bee didn't budge.

The same sensation from before tore through her frame when he raised his head and howled. It did worse to Bee; he got forcibly shifted back to beastmode.

Somehow even though it felt like she'd been run through a meat grinder—the sound wasn't grating. It almost felt good. She gave up trying to stand and let the grass claim her.

The furry lead frowned, inspecting her, "There's nothing I or Voltage can say that will convince you we're on the same side. I only ask you remember us when you have your reckoning. Rilo would want that."

She laughed, or croaked… Of course, arcane canines ran in the same circles.

"Everyone seems to know more about me than me."

"All the more reason to come along, but experience is a better teacher." He started off,

"I'd be more wary of Praxians from now on, pup."

Once they'd left, Bee finally regained control of his frame.

He sat, speckled ears flat on his head, glaring at where they'd vanished. Courtesy of Goonch, there was a nasty slice along his back. With each sweep of his tail, his frame crouched lower. Cypress was regretting teaching him more bestial frame language.

He strode over on unsteady paws and before yanking her was a chore her body didn't enjoy.

Bee met her optics, his narrowing.

There was a rare twinge of pure, dirty rage filtering between them. Her jaws were clenched, spinal plating raised like a jagged mountain range.

An agreement passed between them and they started off at the same time.

They were finding their target now.

Scents she'd vaguely noticed walloped her like a freight train. She snorted, picking up the one they needed.

Voltage wasn't far.

The female intercepted her just as quickly. Still Cieve hung in the background.

"You're back!"

Cypress didn't respond immediately, much less emote. She bolted, teasing her out of the immediate parts of the marsh before sliding to a halt.

Voltage's alt clambered through the trees, oddly caught between being cat-like but bird-like on leaping to the ground.

"Slow down! What's wrong with your throat?"

"Ask your friends." Cypress bit.

Her deadly serious tone made the Seeker pause. She slunk up; her EM apprehensive but open to reassurance. "Are you okay?"

Cypress kept her gait until she was snout to snout with her, forepaws resting at her shoulders. "For the last time, Seeker, I have no idea who you are."

Voltage noticed the pricks of pain at the same time Cieve rushed and was intercepted by Bee.

The brawl sent them all spilling into a sandy area of jungle.

Her opponent let loose an electric burst that fried the ozone and turned the surrounding ground into sheer glass.

The panicked flash in her HUD said it should have fried her, but it hadn't and Bee was just uninjured as she was.

Voltage transformed and took to the skies, more than ready to rain down terror.

After a brief glance, Bee attacked her with volleys from his blaster. There was a spilt second between where Barricade wasn't there, to where he was about to bring a mace down over his helm.

In the very next, Bee had planted a ped in his chest, and a blade into his shoulder. The other scout whirled back to Voltage as if nothing happened.

She slipped behind the fuming Decepticon scout with a spine. He quickly slumped forward.

Cypress leapt up and plowed into a speeding silver blur heading for the fray.

Cieve lashed out, fangs instead tearing into the cheap metal of the fake blaster clinging to her back.

The silver wolf spat metal, bulk walling her off from help. "I knew you were a traitor."

"Oh, shut up," this time Cypress' fangs snapped out several times before finding purchase on the silver wolf's snout. She jerked her left and right until they femme tore away with a squeal of metal.

She'd hit a nerve—or more like a line.

When Cieve transformed to clear the energon from her optics, Cypress took her chance and transformed. One curled fist crashed into the side of her helm—and another—and another—and another.

Cieve had enough presence of mind to grab her by one arm and, with little effort, sling her through several trees.

Cypress found herself staring up at the fading stars high above in the red streaked skies.

Someone carefully running their servos beneath her jawline shocked her back to reality.

Cieve crouched over her, one optic flickered and the same audio she'd wrenched loose hung limp. She snorted. "You don't deserve to be in a serious pack, you're going to get everyone killed. You don't deserve V."

"Lady, this is just what I do for a living."

Her snarl curled deeper, "Survive this and you might earn my respect."

"Wha—"

Cieve held claws that seemed to be dipped in liquid mercury to her throat. "You didn't think you were the only venom bearer, did you? Guess what my specialty is. Come on, guess."

Cypress could feel the weeping lines of energon pooling from between her own armor plates.

"Exsanguination." Cieve helped. "We'll see how much they like a drained Preda pet."

A reinforced servo gripped her wrists, her tail wasn't responding, and Cieve was crushing both her peds with her own.

The silver femme stared at her claws then back at Cypress before she shoved her helm back, exposing her neck.

"On second thought…I've always wanted to feel the life drain out of someone."

That needle sharp grin magnified as it drew closer to ripping her lines out. "Have a nice recharge."

"Cieve!"

The mercury dipped fangs clicked together sharply.

Voltage had Bumblebee by his battlemask, dragging him along like a resistant toy, "What are you doing?!"

"Shutting her down."

"Permanently?"

Voltage slightly wavered on her peds. Jazz's poison was taking effect.

Cieve huffed quietly in response, slamming Cypress back into the dirt. She immediately latched onto Voltage. "Something is wrong with you. Let's just go. Now."

Bee moved in a flash, twisting one of the Seeker's arms backward and using his blaster arm to blow a hole in her wing junction.

The high-pitched scream she let out had no right shredding her concentration. Voltage began to dropped to one knee, but not before using her thrusters to kick up a cloud of sand. Bee was swallowed up.

If the following lightshow was anything to go by, she wasn't going down easily.

Cieve reverted to beastmode and Cypress brought an elbow down hard at the base of her head. She had about a nano to transform as well before the femme was all over her again.

The last thing she expected to see was Gasket sinking his fangs into Cieve's back.

Cieve yelped, twisting to attack the newcomer, quickly finding Gidget on her other side.

In the dusty, glass filled confusion, Cypress saw Jazz preparing to knock out the tiring Seeker. RoadRage had her at blasterpoint.

Voltage looked absolutely crushed half-collapsed in the debris, talons clutching for purchase —and was staring directly at her.

~ Please help. ~

A snarl beside her tore her away. Cieve was fighting both Gasket and Gidget, making sure she didn't wind up closer to her downed teammate. Drift's pets knew to keep her away.

The silver wolf was determined, she was going to circle back and attempt to ambush them from behind.

Cypress had had it.

Using the pets as cover, Cypress rushed Cieve, forcing the femme down into more brush, and dug every claw into her. The only thing she had going for her was the element of surprise. Cieve stumbled but readied for another round of mauling.

Cypress instead sank her own fangs into the femme's neckcabling and twisted. She made sure to rake her poisoned forelegs against her at every opportunity. A paw rammed into her snout, but it weakened with every nano she held on. Slowly a bitter acidic tingle replaced the neutral of venom on the roof of her mouth. Blue was starting to speckle the ground next to them.

Cieve roared. "You don't have the—"

A matching ugly growl tore its way from Cypress' frame and her opponent went quiet.

Cypress locked poisonous lime optics with Cieve's suddenly unsure orange ones. "I'm the traitor, remember? What are you to me?"

The next bite filled her sensors with a temporary glee. For a spilt second, she was proud of herself.

There was a two-nano delay between that and her jaws gushing with a foul flush of processed energon and her head with sensations of things she didn't remember.

A fall from a tree. The worst day-cycle energon ever. Emergency survival lessons. The first time he'd gotten punched in the face. Her parent's last act of sacrifice, because they knew they wouldn't make it. An alien café with fresh energon sprayed up the walls and congealing on his servos...

Cypress let go and reverted back to bipedal, not caring if Cieve was unresponsive or not. The femme didn't budge when kicked, so she stumbled away a few steps.

She wanted the taste gone. She wanted out of her frame. Only one of those was possible.

There was the all too familiar sensation of her tanks reversing course and this time her frame relented. It finally seemed to agree, 'Yes. Something bad is in there, let it out.'

After emptying her tank on the nearest ferns, Cypress gave in and dropped to her knees. Fire filled the void in her tank. She hadn't been that sick in years.

Everything was too loud in her head, too quiet outside, her frame was burning, and the nitro residue in her tank was making her jittery.

Cypress spat again and knelt in a nearby pool of cleaner water.

The first cupped servo was just to rinse the taste of blood from her mouth. Every bit after that one, she swallowed.

Ratchet could get mad later. This sensation wasn't thirst but it was close Kin to it.

It may have been her imagination, but her HUD was brightening. Impatient with her slow process, her frame began intaking as much water as it could via spines.

She still felt nasty, but a small bit better. Cypress let her helm flop back and just existed for a nano.

The same haunting prickle of the unease of being watched ran down her spine, making her groan.

She jerked her rifle off her back to aim at the bushes. "Give me like, two nanos and we can kill each other with some dignity. I may purge on you."

"Not a pleasant taste, is it?"

She watched Prowl emerge from a network of brush to prod a stasis locked Cieve.

"I think that's officially the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth."

"That's very fortunate." Prowl kept a placid expression, then nodded to the downed Preda wolf. "Good job."

He offered a servo, which she took gratefully.

Her first instinct was to patch the weeping blue-green punctures ringing Cieve's neck, then Cypress thought better of it. A medic's creed was to do no harm. Cieve wasn't in any danger of dying and she'd attacked first. Let her pack come get her.

A snarl curled her derma until her HUD responded with old and new grievances. Scrap, she ached…

Cypress rotated her shoulders and started back to their team.

"Wait," Prowl called. "Do you know where you are?"

She bit back a sarcastic answer. He was trying to wind her down.

"Desert planet, in the woods, designation: Cypress, Neutral."

"Good."

Prowl tapped his back plating that was riddled with surface burns, "Put the wolf away. You'll scare the standard models."

A once over revealed her frame had spiked up to look more like Cieve's than her own.

A partial transformation later, her plating lay smooth and flat. When she looked up, Prowl was staring down Carnivac and Goonch several yards away.

The white wolf approached in beast mode, muscled Cieve onto his back, and stalked off with the scout without another word.

They did the same.

Neither of them bothered to respond to Steeljaw's quiet taunt from somewhere in the brush. "Be seeing you then, pet."

The fight had taken her further than she'd originally thought. Gasket came trotting beside her.

Without thinking, she patted him focused mainly on his ears. "Good boy. Very good."

He let out a quiet growl but didn't snap. Gidget quickly muscled in for her turn to be pet.

Prowl jumped in surprise then hissed. "A little warning, Drift?"

"One of you smells like blood." He focused in on Cypress.

She replied with a shrug, "Guilty."

"Either of you want a rust stick?"

They both declined. Prowl was apparently familiar with the label and Cypress declined from the rancid smell alone.

Having passed some test, Drift set about ignoring them.

"Am I allowed to ask you questions?"

He canted his helm with a nonchalant air. "No guarantee I'll give you correct answers."

Great, the walking knife block could be catty too.

"Sorry, but I have people back home that need protecting. I can't tell everyone and their brother where I'm from."

"Ah…I understand."

The longer they walked, the more her vison blurred at the edges. She blinked them back. "If it's not too personal to ask, what build are you?"

"A racer, or so I'm told. Is that your true form? You don't steal alt modes or eat 'formers?"

Cypress and Prowl shared a look.

~ What is he going on about? ~

~ No idea, just go along with it. ~

"Yup…and no, am I supposed to?"

"No. No, you pass."

Whatever that meant.

Before she could ask, Bumblebee snatched her forward into a crunchy hug. He had shiny, glass filled claw marks crisscrossing his frame but he was smiling, the lovable nut.

"We got her."

"Well, this sucked." RoadRage glanced between them, "How are you two not fried?"

Cypress noted everyone else's slight smoking burns.

"Providence favors the young." Drift started.

"Sometimes I don't get electrocuted." Bee beamed.

Jazz summarized, "He's like immune to shock."

"How did you find that out?" Drift asked.

Unsurprisingly, no one from Spec Ops answered.

Still trying to form a friendship that wasn't wanted, RoadRage was still trying to talk to her. "That doesn't explain why you're still up."

Cypress shrugged and guided her trembling servos to her subspace for her med kit.

"There's still Predas—" Drift's voice trailed off as she went through the motions of repair and moving out. Terri, despite everything, had managed to catch up to them and was harassing Bee. Her paws took her through the jungles and back up onto the sands. Drift had Voltage bound and thrown over his back.

~ Don't do this…please. ~

Cypress ignored her weakening pleads.

"You didn't kill her, did you?" the Seeker asked aloud.

Drift jostled her, "Quiet, or I'll get the gag."

She ignored Drift in favor of pushing herself higher, "Answer, pet, or I'll scream."

"Stop calling me tha—" Cypress went into a fit of coughs that rattled her entire frame and bent her double. Her frame started leaking again.

Someone, Jazz judging by the peds, swatted her on the back. He secured one servo at the nape of her neck, steering her towards their pickup spot beneath a rocky overhang. "We're here anyway."

She sat with a thump, more venom and energon seeping into the ground around them.

When the saboteur squatted in front of her, one of his servos was coated with blue, the other was running over his horns.

"Slag…I need you to stay awake, okay kiddo? Don't slip into recharge."

"It's Cieve's venom." Voltage supplied, "Anti-coagulant. She meant business."

"Stasis. I checked. Fluffy wolf got her."

The Seeker beamed, "I knew I liked you."

"What does it mean for her?" Prowl said curtly.

Drift dropped her onto the sand unceremoniously.

"Aft." Voltage rumbled, "Judging by the leakage rate? Death." A tendril worked its way free of her stasis cuffs and then the whole set fell away.

For the second time, Cypress found herself trapped in an embrace, this one more of a plea to hold still. The tendril wrapped around her wrist to puncture a main line before Drift could grab her.

"But like I said, we've got a common interest."

Voltage's grip was weakening and Cypress latched on to steady her. Coolant started to prickle at her optics as the void in her spark finally filled.

Talons ruffled her audios, ~ Missed you too, sissy. ~

Her HUD didn't even give her the courtesy of warning before her motor skills left her slumping onto Voltage. The last coherent thought Cypress had was how pretty the orange abomination they called home looked in the pre-dawn light.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Carnivac took a big whiff of the surrounding Decepticon ship and muffled a sigh.

It reeked of vehicle-modes here.

It was exactly this area their "gracious host" had stopped him in yesterday.

Starscream had been waiting in one of their level's darkened hallways for him. Wanting to stay in his good graces, the Prea appeared under one of the floodlights.

Long flight panels twitched as he approached, "It's been a long cycle, hasn't it, Carnivac?"

He gave the expected nod as the Seeker came to stand beside him.

"I'm surprised you're back down here in the beast's domain."

Starscream's wounds had been sealed and patched over to near invisibility rather than sport evidence he'd survived. Typical vehicle mode.

"I'd never say such when it's so…charming down here."

Carnivac allowed himself a small smile, hidden behind his mask. His pack's first act on boarding had been to cut the already meager Decepticon lighting to near darkness in their part of the ship.

It was more of an aesthetic choice than anything, little lighting also helped ward off their fellow crewmate's curiosity. Especially Skywarp. If he couldn't see, perhaps he wouldn't warp here.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Starscream jerked his helm for them to walk.

"Tic wasn't wrong, there were two ships. Two differing groups of 'formers. They didn't bridge in as you did. The first seemed to be stalking our movements. Thundercracker said they'd been there for a while."

"And?"

"I'm concerned about weak links."

Carnivac stopped, but didn't let on he knew exactly who Starscream meant.

"There's a reason you have only one Seeker. Horrendous alterations or not, a Seeker is a Seeker. Where's her trine?"

"She never had one."

"Why's that?"

"A still running experiment."

"Its cruel, that's what it is."

Carnivac frowned.

"Don't give me that. You know trines and packs run similar coding. Why is there a mirror image of her circumstance running around with Autobots?"

"The same reason."

"Drop Voltage."

"We don't abandon our own," he argued.

"And I won't have my crew become a target because of your problem. If and when she draws fire, leave her behind." The Seeker waved off his deepening glare,

"Don't look so scandalized, if Optimus has anything to with it, she'll be fine. Besides, I'm curious to see where a ship full of ghosts might go."

It came to pass faster than either of them anticipated.

Carnivac carried the limp form of his scout to lay out on Weirdwolf's operating table.

"What in the pit—" Snarl leaned over before their healer shoved him back.

The smell of spilt energon and uncertainty was drawing a crowd.

Weirdwolf had started up on his quiet, disjointed murmurings as he worked.

Cieve's throat was in a state, her main throat cables were punctured or shredded, oozing with neon venom. Again, there were dozens of thin spines in patches all over her frame.

"The Bot pet." Goonch rumbled.

Meanwhile, their healer's plating spiked with a snarl.

"I leaving, all mind you would can't focus!"

Steeljaw shook his helm, "I believe that's our cue to leave." Their comms officer took it upon himself to herd Tic and Goonch out, leaving Snarl and Carnivac to watch.

It was like Cieve to disregard orders; however, it wasn't like her to lose a fight against a weaker opponent.

Carnivac would never understand venom-bearing 'formers. All that song and dance just for the extended suffering of the target. Cieve was fortunate the pet's venom was weak, or at least it had been before.

Slowly, the IV's fresh energon flushed out her poisoned fuel into waiting disposal tanks. Portions of it were much darker, a deadly black, contrasting the green tinged portions.

"A saboteur's brew. Made for fliers." Weirdwolf commented, chopping his sentences into clusters of easier to understand words, "Doubled the poison. Induces stasis faster."

Snarl growled, "She cheated."

Cieve began to stir. The first thing she did was swipe at Weirdwolf's carefully placed IV's.

"Don't. Move."

In protest, the silver liability let out the frame deep whine of those shamed and in pain. "The pet cheated."

Snarl relaxed a bit hearing her lucid enough to whinge, "These things happen when you harass 'formers."

One of Cieve's glazed optics rolled in its socket. "Vo, you mind helping?"

Cieve lifted her head slightly, audios lowering. "Voltage?"

Carnivac caught her lowering gaze before it reached the slab. "Voltage was captured."

"So, I failed."

"You were overconfident and ambushed."

It didn't make her EM feel less cowed and it wasn't meant to. She was too old to be fooled by a blatant trap like that. The alpha wasn't in the habit of browbeating his packmates, Cieve had lost the one member present from her original pack to Autobots.

"We'll discuss this later."

Carnivac excused himself, but not before watching Starscream's massive chopper insert himself into their med bay, hauling the vehicle mode's overly aggressive youngling.

There was the barest glint of a spine jammed into the back of Barricade's neck.

Blackout didn't give off the air of superiority he should have given his size and position among Decepticons. In his actions, he was less disappointing than the other four.

The chopper laid Barricade on his front. "Medic. Can you help him?"

Weirdwolf didn't answer. He wouldn't. The healer didn't particularly trust their new 'companions'. He returned to conversing with the slouching femme as if he hadn't heard.

Snarl, ever the peacemaker, looked to Carnivac for the go ahead.

The alpha let the moment drag as if he were deciding. One had to hold onto what authority you had.

He eyed Blackout then gave a nod to Snarl.

"He's fine there. We'll get to him soon."

Pleased all was as well as it could be, Carnivac attempted to slip off. He'd didn't make it was waiting for him outside of course.

The Seeker allowed his bio-lights back up to their appropriate levels.

"What did I tell you?"

"When do we get her back?"

"All in good time." He accepted an abducted pack mate like it was nothing. "If there's one good thing about being in the middle of nowhere, away from command, its: there are no rules."

Starscream shifted, "Your type like long games, don't you? Preferably ones with vengeance involved?"

Carnivac let his helm tilt, "I'm listening."

"If I'm a bit peeved Optimus and co left us in our darkest hour, you can just imagine how Megatron feels."

"And perhaps you could explain this mysterious experiment Voltage belongs to."


An excerpt from Howl by Florence and the Machine seems appropriate for the middle part, but I use way too many music references already.

Goonch is a giant version of a Rhamphorhynchus.