Chapter Text
I'm coming.
Thundercracker rolled over in his sleep. The quiet hum of artificial air circulation assaulted his audials.
I'm coming.
Beside him, Starscream twitched. Air Raid let out a sleepy peep.
I'm coming—
The door slid open. Thundercracker shot to his feet as chains dragged against the ground. He flared his wings and bared his dentae. Keeping his optics focused on the opening door, he nudged Starscream with his pede until ka hissed and rose as well. Immediately, ka darted over to Silverbolt, waking vam and the seekerlings.
Autobot guards poured through the door. The first Seeker they attempted to wrangle was Starscream, who managed to get in a couple of good hits—including a bite that made one of the guards yelp indignantly. Thundercracker bared his dentae and snapped at them if they came near his face, but didn't struggle. Silverbolt and the seekerlings…
Silverbolt lowered vas helm and wings, standing perfectly still as they chained vam. Airazor squeaked and struggled, but didn't bite or claw. The rest of the seekerlings stayed still.
"Play along. Trust me."
Ironhide's quiet whisper in his audial nearly startled Thundercracker. He scowled at the guard, but quickly mellowed upon remembering that Ironhide was one of the only guards who treated them with any level of compassion. He knew Seekers could speak. If any of them would attempt to help, it would be him.
They were led—in Starscream's case, pulled—through the halls. Trepidation built in Thundercracker's spark, causing it to turn faster, as they neared their destination. The halls all looked the same, but he recognized the door. He placed a hand on his chest, steeling himself with the buzzing of his litter under his palm. Whatever happened, they would make it out of this.
"Finally," The Doctor said as they entered. He motioned toward a corner of the room. "You can put them there, then go. You're no longer needed."
The guards exchanged glances. The Doctor scowled.
"Go!" He said forcefully.
Slowly, the guards shuffled out. Ironhide lingered. The Doctor pointed.
"You!" He said. "Stay."
Ironhide nodded and shut the door. A moment passed. Then, two.
Ironhide came toward them. Starscream growled. Thundercracker closed his optics and stayed still. The chains clattered to the floor.
"What now?" Ironhide said, backing away.
"The guards are outside this door," The Doctor said, motioning toward the door. "But they're not outside the exit to the storage room. We have two breems before the appointment is over and they come looking."
Ironhide nodded. Breakdown walked ahead, opening the door to the storage room. Ironhide walked through. The Doctor moved to follow. He paused in the doorway, staring at the Seekers.
Thundercracker stepped forward. Claws wrapped around his forearm, pulling him back.
"We don't know what they want!" Starscream hissed.
[{ID:THCR} They're letting us go.]
"You can't know that!"
Thundercracker shook kan off.
[{ID:THCR} What else could they be doing?]
Thundercracker walked through the doorway. The storage room was lined with locked cabinets. Multiple large refrigerators sat at the farthest end. Ahead was a wide door. The clatter of many pedesteps assured Thundercracker that not just Starscream but Silverbolt and the other seekerlings had followed.
The Doctor paused at the door, hand hovering over the panel. He made a vague motion. Breakdown opened one of the fridges, rummaging through it.
"You don't need to keep pretending," The Doctor said. "I know you can speak. Ironhide told me."
Starscream's optics narrowed. Ka growled.
The Doctor huffed. His optics focused on Starscream. Ka flared kas wings.
"When I found those pills in your storage compartment, there was no other explanation," The Doctor said. "You were using them. You knew what they were. You knew how to break the seal. And then confirmation in the form of a bumbling guard wandered into my office, asking me if I'd ever heard of talking Seekers."
The Doctor motioned toward Thundercracker.
"It's quite easy to put two and two together. Prowl confirmed it—quite reluctantly."
Starscream rattled kas wings. "Scrapheap!"
The Doctor's optics widened. Then, he chuckled.
"That would be the first thing you say," he said. "My name is Knock Out. Care to bless me with yours?"
"Starscream," Starscream growled. "And that's Thundercracker."
Quiet and hesitant, Silverbolt introduced vaz and the seekerlings as well. Knock Out nodded. Breakdown returned to the group, carrying a container.
"Good," Knock Out said. "You found them."
"The contractors made a mess in there," Breakdown said.
Knock Out waved his hand dismissively. "Another time."
He opened the container. Inside was two shiny pieces of metal that Thundercracker quickly realized were swords as Starscream grabbed them from Breakdown with a snarl. With a quiet hiss, ka sheathed them. If they were escaping, it made sense to be armed. Though…
[{ID:THCR} What about our rays?]
"And our rays?" Starscream said. Then, ka motioned toward Silverbolt and the seekerlings. "And theirs."
None of the seekerlings had rays. Thundercracker hadn't paid enough attention to it, but now that Starscream pointed it out, Thundercracker recognized some odd indents in Silverbolt's and Air Raid's plating. Could those have held weapons like Starscream's once?
Knock Out shook his helm. "Can't. The rays were never preserved. And their weapon sheaths were welded shut."
Starscream growled.
[{ID:STSC} Sick scrapheaps! Mutilating seekerlings!]
Thundercracker couldn't disagree, but the anger emanating from Starscream was too strong. He laid a hand on kas shoulder. When ka turned toward him, he nuzzled kan. Starscream nuzzled back.
[{ID:THCR} We're getting them out of here.]
Silverbolt, Fireflight, Skydive, Air Raid, Airazor… all of them were coming with them. They'd teach them how to burrow and hunt. When Silverbolt experienced Hunger for the first time, they would be there to explain it. Thundercracker knew how alienating it was to be a Seeker who didn't know how to be one. He'd help them through it just as he had been helped.
(He shoved down the small part of himself that screamed the seekerlings were his now, the same way it screamed that Soundwave was his. His memory files recalled Megatron's voice. Something about coding…)
A chime sounded as Knock Out entered the code to open the door. Breakdown placed himself in front of the Seekers, occluding their view of the hall. Knock Out peered outside.
"Clear," he mumbled, stepping into the hall.
The others followed. They moved slowly, setting their pedes down as lightly as they could. But Autobots were not the sleekly engineered hunters that Seekers were. Regardless of how carefully the Seekers moved, the Autobots' pedesteps echoed through the halls. But it did provide an advantage: other Autobots could be heard just as easily.
This gave them enough warning to duck into another hall before a set of them passed. Thundercracker caught pieces of their conversation—Seeker, procedure, various internals—but not enough to put it together. Beside him, Starscream flexed kas claws.
[{ID:THCR} What were they talking about?]
"Taking us apart like one of their charts," Starscream whispered.
Dissection. That's what it was. Knock Out made a displeased noise. One of the seekerlings whimpered. How did Starscream not know the word? Vosian lacked an equivalent—Seekers killed only for food or defense, often times both at once—but Starscream must have run into it by now in kas studies. Or had kan? Just how many words did kas Common language packet have?
Knock Out herded them down another hall.
[{ID:THCR} How did you get your language packet?]
[{ID:STSC} My creators. They kept track of the dirtkissers' words. Practiced them. A group who kept watching the flock noticed and tried to teach them.]
They rounded another hall. Pedesteps sounded from where they just came. Thundercracker shuddered, his spark spinning faster. If they were a moment slower…
[{ID:THCR} What happened?]
The Decepticons had a deep distaste for the Autobots when Thundercracker arrived. That didn't line up with attempts to teach the Decepticons Common.
[{ID:STSC} The group disappeared one day. Others replaced them. They were not as kind. It was decided not to speak to Autobots, but my creators gave me and Sunstorm the packets in case we were ever captured.]
Had The Magnus feared the intelligence of the Seekers that far back? Starscream's creators were right—that one language packet had traveled across the flock. Megatron lacked the distinct accent, so ka may have learned on kas own, but Sunstorm and nas trinemates all carried the accent. Other Seekers in the flock had begun speaking in it. And now it was what kept them safe. If Starscream didn't have a Common language packet—as incomplete as it was—what would have happened by now? How much wouldn't they know?
In the face of that, it made sense that ka never wanted to replace it. Completing that language packet was finishing the work of kas creators. Replacing it was throwing all of that away. But Thundercracker knew that if he mentioned that, Starscream would deny it. Ka would puff up and lie, saying something about not wanting language help from Autobots. And then Thundercracker would point that he was a Seeker, and they would go quiet, and Starscream would move on.
It only made the truth more obvious.
A screech rang through the hall. The clang of metal against stone. Thundercracker shuddered. Knock Out turned them down a different hall. The sounds faded, but others greeted them: blasterfire and yelling. Thundercracker backed into Starscream. Kas wings twitched, claws at the ready.
Knock Out made a disconcerted noise. He turned toward Ironhide.
"You didn't plan this, did you?" He asked.
Ironhide shook his helm.
Knock Out searched the halls, mouth agape. He led them down another. The sounds got louder.
"We're boxed in," He mumbled. "What's going on?"
Another hall. They slid to a stop. A dead end. Knock Out turned around.
"We'll just—"
Something rumbled. On impulse, Thundercracker grabbed the two nearest Autobots—Breakdown and Ironhide—and pulled them backward. The wall exploded.
Cement cascaded, dust kicking up. Thundercracker's ventilation systems whirred, attempting to filter it out. A shocked shout assured him that Knock Out was still alive. Breakdown ran forward, pulling Knock Out from beneath the rubble.
"I just got waxed this morning!" Knock Out lamented.
Thundercracker was less focused on the sheen of Knock Out's plating and more on the mangled pede that dangled as he leaned against Breakdown, but every mech had their own priorities. Thundercracker looked past the two Autobots. Whatever had made the wall collapse was powerful. Could it pose a threat to them?
The air whooshed around him. Arms wrapped around his waist. Thundercracker turned, baring his dentae, but put them away as his optics met purple plating. Skywarp! Thundercracker returned the embrace.
"We found you," Skywarp said. "We finally found you."
Thundercracker nuzzled wan.
"Do you know how big this place is?" Wa said.
Thundercracker shook his helm.
"Because it's huge," Skywarp said. "And all of the hallways are nearly identical." Skywarp squeezed Thundercracker, burying waz helm in his chest. A purr rumbled from waz engine. "I'm so glad I was the one to find you."
"This reunion is very touching—" Skywarp startled at Knock Out's voice, releasing Thundercracker and placing waz in front of him. "But we need to get going."
"Who are you?" Skywarp hissed.
Knock Out raised his unoccupied hand in surrender. Breakdown did the same.
"We're helping," Knock Out said. "Why do you think they're out here and not in a cell?"
Skywarp growled, but relented. Wa scanned the area, freezing as waz optics fell on Silverbolt and the seekerlings. Wa turned back toward Thundercracker, optics wide.
[{ID:THCR} That's Silverbolt. Va and the seekerlings were kept where we were.]
Skywarp made a strangled noise. Waz olfactory ridge crinkled. Waz optics scrutinized Thundercracker.
[{ID:SKWP} why the trinelink message]
Thundercracker's wings lowered. Skywarp's optics widened. Belatedly, Thundercracker realized he was tracing the scar on his neck with his claws.
[{ID:THCR} It's nothing.]
"Doesn't look like nothing to me!" Skywarp hissed.
Thundercracker rattled his wings. It was exaggerated for the point he was making, but he couldn't yell.
[{ID:THCR} It's not important right now! We can deal with it later.]
"We will," Skywarp said.
A realization crept into Thundercracker's processor as he stepped back, optics scanning the group. Skywarp was here now. Wa must have brought others with wan. That explained the sounds of battle from the halls. But…
[{ID:THCR} Where are Prowl and Optimus? Have you seen them?]
Skywarp shook waz helm. Starscream relayed the question to the Autobots.
"Optimus was back in the cell last I saw," Ironhide said.
[{ID:THCR} But what about Prowl?]
Starscream relayed the message again. Ironhide shook his helm.
"His cell was empty when I arrived," he said.
Anxiety hummed beneath Thundercracker's plating. If Prowl wasn't in the cell, and he wasn't with them, where could he be? Who would want something with him? The answer came quickly—The Magnus—but Thundercracker hoped he wasn't right. There was only one good way to find out.
[{ID:THCR} We need to free Optimus.]
"We need to go," Skywarp said.
Thundercracker bared his dentae.
[{ID:THCR} It's what we came here for!]
"It's not worth it!," Skywarp said.
Thundercracker rattled his wings. Skywarp stood tall. Next to wan, Starscream stared at him, a frown on kas face. Thundercracker glared at kan.
"Skywarp is right," Starscream said. "We need to get to safety. The litter—"
Thundercracker whirled away. He didn't need to hear the rest. Whether his trinemates thought it worthwhile or not, he was going to free Prowl and Optimus. Prowl was his creator! He couldn't just abandon him.
Identical hallway after identical hallway passed by. He dodged blasterfire, a few lucky shots shearing his plating. But that didn't matter. Where was Prowl? Each door was a dead end. Each hall was the same concrete gray as the last. Had they made it so disorienting on purpose?
He stopped at the end of one of the halls, his spark spinning too quickly and his fans running. Darkness threatened to encroach on his vision. His fuel gauge was already complaining. The newsparks buzzed beneath his plating. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost think they were anxious. But they weren't far enough along for that, were they? Seekerlings didn't 'wake up' until they hatched.
Claws brushed his wing. He turned, baring his dentae. Skywarp stood before him, wings low.
[{ID:THCR} You aren't going to stop me.]
"I won't," Skywarp said. "I know I can't."
Ironhide stood behind wan. The others were behind him.
Skywarp took a step closer. "We aren't leaving you to find your creator alone."
The sheer relief flooding through Thundercracker almost made him purr. Wa understood! After all this time, wa understood! Everything was going to be okay. They would find Prowl and Optimus and get out of here. Then, they could deal with whatever came next.
Thundercracker turned toward Ironhide. The bot stared back, shuffling anxiously.
[{ID:THCR} We need to go to Optimus's cell.]
Skywarp relayed the message.
"I know where it is," Ironhide said.
He led them down the halls. A few times, they ran into Autobots, who were thoroughly distracted by attacking Seekers. Thundercracker recognized many of them as members of his own flock, and a few as members of the Reconian flock, but some were unfamiliar. No matter where they went, the sound of battle didn't cease. Just how many Seekers had come here?
An Autobot noticed them. They aimed their blaster at Thundercracker. But before they could shoot, a massive Seeker slammed into them, tearing the blaster from their grip. Wa smashed the blaster, then grinned at Thundercracker. Slow recognition dawned on Thundercracker as the Seeker dipped waz helm and Skywarp pulled Thundercracker away. It was Megatron's ex-trinemate Blitzwing.
"Good luck!" Wa shouted, cackling as wa tore into the Autobot.
Another set of endless gray halls. More fighting. Thundercracker fought not to flare his plating. This wasn't what he expected, but what had he expected, really? This was never going to resolve peacefully. The Magnus was determined to make sure it wouldn't.
He and Megatron had that in common. It would be amusing if it weren't for how much harm it caused. But while Megatron ignored the harms on kas grand quest to eliminate all Autobots, The Magnus seemed not to care. Why else would he sacrifice his own troops just to locate the Seekers? Why would he prioritize silencing Thundercracker and Prowl over resolving the war?
Finally, Ironhide stopped before a door. They passed through it. Despite the chaos outside, the room was silent. Familiar rows of cells greeted them. The cells, as they were before, carried no other prisoners. Prowl's was empty. The one just one cell away wasn't.
Optimus sat in the corner, optics staring into the wall as if it would disappear if he just tried hard enough. As the group approached, his plating twitched, but he didn't turn. Ironhide entered a code into the keypad. It beeped angrily at him.
"That was supposed to work," he said, olfactory ridge scrunching.
Skywarp stepped forward.
"No need," wa said.
With a flick of waz wings, wa disappeared. A moment later, wa rematerialized next to Optimus. With a startled shout, Optimus flung himself away. Skywarp snickered and grabbed him. Then, they were on the opposite side of the bars.
[{ID:THCR} Where's Prowl?]
Optimus winced as Skywarp repeated the message.
"I don't know," he said. "But I overheard the guards saying something about an execution. I don't know if it's his, but… I have no reason to believe it's not."
Ironhide grimaced. "If he was taken for execution, he'll be at The Arena. That's halfway across the city."
Dread invaded Thundercracker's spark. He flicked his wings, forcing the emotion down. There was still time. There had to be.
Skywarp beat him to asking.
"Where is it?" Wa asked. "I can warp us."
The moment Ironhide gave the coordinates, Skywarp's claws closed around Thundercracker's arm. The world twisted, and they were gone.
The first thing Thundercracker heard was yelling. It echoed off the walls that stretched before them. Mecha lined the area, staring down from their seats. Their faces were twisted into sneers. At the front, a mech held their sparkling's helm, forcing them to stare at the display.
Prowl was bound, his helm forced down and his neck forced forward. An axe laid on the table beside him. Both were adorned with gemstones and golden trim. Only a fraction of the space the arena offered was taken up. He didn't struggle. Still, the two guards at the edges of the platform eyed him warily. At the back sat The Magnus, reclined in a throne finished with the same time and gemstones as everything else.
The crowd hushed. Thundercracker's wings twitched. His plating burned as all optics fell on them.
"Seekers," The Magnus said. "They have invaded even here."
The crowd exploded in noise. Thundercracker bared his dentae. The Magnus rose. He spread out his arms, the crowd falling silent once again.
"I will show these mechanimals they cannot be here," The Magnus said.
He stopped before the table, running a finger down the handle of the axe. Then, he grasped it, turning it as it caught the light.
"There is no place for monsters."
The Magnus came forward, axe in hand. Thundercracker flexed his claws and rattled his wings. How dare The Magnus pretend they were monstrous mechanimals after speaking with him? After having his voice taken away?
The axe swung. Thundercracker backed away. He wished he could yell—tell everyone here who The Magnus really was. Skywarp could speak the words for him, but it wouldn't be the same. A startled yelp from waz direction drew Thundercracker's attention away. The guards had come forward as well, firing at Skywarp with their blasters. Thundercracker dodged a strike from the axe, the whoosh of it ringing on the air.
Thundercracker only had the briefest glance to check, but Prowl was still restrained. There was no escaping from the restraints on his own—they were too thick. Out of the two of them, only one Seeker had a chance at freeing him.
[{ID:THCR} Take Prowl and run.]
The Magnus swung again. Thundercracker's pedes left the stage as he dodged it, bringing him into the open arena. The crowd roared.
[{ID:SKWP} I won't leave you behind again}
Despite the peril ahead, mild irritation rose within Thundercracker. He knew wan just wanted to protect him, but it didn't make this any easier.
[{ID:THCR} You're the only one that can get Prowl out of here. You can come back after. Please just take kan.]
Thundercracker didn't see Skywarp teleport to Prowl's side. He didn't see Skywarp dismantle the restraints or teleport away. All he saw was the next swing of The Magnus's axe. But the guards' yelps clued him in.
The next time The Magnus struck, Thundercracker reached out, catching the flat part of the blade between his palms. He yanked it sideways, flinging it into the wall of the arena. It landed with a ringing clang. Then, he pounced, claws sinking deep into The Magnus's armor.
But The Magnus didn't struggle. He didn't reach for Thundercracker's claws or kick him off. Instead, as Thundercracker's fingers closed around his neck, he grinned.
"Show them what a mechanimal you are," he whispered.
Horror rose in Thundercracker's spark. This was exactly what The Magnus wanted. If he killed him, Thundercracker wouldn't be able to defend himself, because he couldn't speak. The only Seekers who could translate for him were gone.
Thundercracker's grip slackened. His head was thrown sideways from the force of a blow. His plating screeched as it ground against the sand. The Magnus rose, his shadow falling over Thundercracker. The three sparks in Thundercracker's chest pulsed in time with his own.