FicWad

Two days had passed and Quickstrike was lying on his side on the cold, hard floor of his cell. His entire body was shaking, but not because of the temperature of the room but from the pain that was coursing through his body. Because the Autobot had just gone through another torture session with Rip-Claw, the sadistic Femme that took pleasure in inflicting pain on to others. And what Quickstrike had gone through in the last twenty-four hours could only be described as hell, pure and simple.

That Predacon bitch was going through every torture method she knew which appeared to be all of them, and the Autobot was not even sure how she managed to inflict so much on him in the span of a day...but she had. The Femme would torture him for an entire hour, then leave him alone for an hour in which time Ser-Ket would tend his wounds and then Rip-Claw would return an hour later to start again. He did not know how he had taken so much pain in such a short time, but he knew that he could not give in and let that bitch win.

Now Ser-Ket on the other hand, he still did not know what to make of her, she was an enigma. On one hand she could be playing him just like her sister, offering a soft hand instead of a hardened fist or sharp blade. In an attempt to make him talk and yet he could see it in her face each time she helped his wounds heal, that all this torture was bothering her. The bot was good at reading people and this particular Femme was not doing a good job of hiding her feelings from him, which appeared to be going against what these Sisters were supposed to be doing.

'I have to hold on, be strong.' Quickstrike thought as he heard a door open, followed by footsteps as someone entered the room. So he turned his head to look out of his cell and felt his spark sink as Rip-Claw appeared and deactivated the force-field that was keeping him inside.

"Ready for some more?" she said as he noticed her holding a mallet in her hand.

"Not really, but if you insist." he replied sarcastically, which irritated the Femme.

"Well I do." she said back before smacking the mallet down on the Bot's hand, making the bot cry out in agony as his fingers were crushed from the blow. He hen instinctively held his broken hand with his other as he rolled onto his back, but Rip-Claw then smacked the mallet down on his right knee, earning another cry of pain from the Bot.

"How much longer do you think you can keep up this level of insolence? What's going to break first, your body or your spark?" she asked in an irritated tone before bringing the mallet down on his chest, earning a loud crack from under his skin which made Quickstrike almost heave and cough loudly as he tried to breath through the excruciating pain that blow caused him.

"Tell me what I want to know." the femme said to him as her tone went from irritated to angry, as the Bot rolled onto his hand and knees Whilst not saying a word. Rip-Claw gritted her teeth at this and kicked him in the stomach, earning a loud grunt from Quickstrike as he howled out in pain. But the Predacon did not stop there as she then swung the mallet down onto his back, slamming the Bot onto his stomach.

"WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" she shouted before readying The mallet again.

"Wait...!" the Bot suddenly replied, making the Femme stop in mid-swing.

"You ready to talk?" she spat back with little patience in her voice, as the Autobot slowly got back onto his knees and looked up at her.

"My name..." he said as a grin appeared on his face.

"...is Optimus Prime, you stupid bitch."

Quickstrike then started laughing, which was painful for him. But he wasn't going to let that get in the way of this, as Rip-Claw's face suddenly went almost red with fury as she swung the mallet right into the side of his face, sending him back down to the ground and into unconsciousness.

"Scrap." she muttered as she looked down at the Autobot who's face had a very red and swollen bruise on the side that she hit, so she tapped her com-link.

"Ser-Ket, you are needed down in the Brig...and bring the medical kit."

'That was way too fast for Rip-Claw.' Ser-Ket thought as she paced down the corridor towards the Brig with medical kit in hand, she knew that her sister loved to extend torturing prisoners for at least an hour. So hearing that it was already over made her spark worry for the prisoner, which in itself was a worrying notion to the Predacon.

'Why am I worrying over an Autobot?' she questioned as she arrived at the Brig and walked between the two Terracon guards and entered the room. Once inside the femme noticed that Rip-Claw was already gone, but her eyes widened at the body that was sprawled out on the floor before her. For it was Quickstrike and he was unconscious with blood dripping down his cheek from his mouth, dripping into a small puddle beside him.

"What in the Allspark!" she said as she got on her knees beside him and began to scan his injuries with her holo-tool, the data soon appeared on her holo-screen and it made her gasp as she read the information.

"Shattered hand, broken ribs, broken knee, broken back and cracked skull. What in the pit was Rip-Claw thinking?" she thought aloud, earning a chuckle from Quickstrike which surprised her.

"Your...!"

"Still alive." he replied as he slowly turned his head toward her and met her eyes with his own.
"I guess I really pissed her off."

The Femme shook her head as she took out several syringes of triple-X Medi-gel and began injecting them into points of his body where the damage had been immense, which earned a yelp from the Bot.

"God! How big is that needle?" he cried out as Ser-Ket finished the first one and pulled it out gently.

"Don't be a baby, its just a little prick." she replied gently, though with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I mean if you can take a mallet to the head and still laugh about it, then I guess you can take a little injection." she added with a slight smile as she injected some more medi-gel into his chest.

"Your funny, I'll give you that." he said while looking up to the ceiling, the bot could feel the medi-gel coursing through his body, healing him. It was a good feeling, one that brought a small smile to his face as he looked back at her.

"I still don't know what to make of you...but...thank you Ser-Ket." he added, earning a taken-back expression from the Femme before she nodded in return.

"Your welcome."

Quickstrike then looked away from the Femme with a concerned expression, which she noticed so turned to see what had gained his attention. What she saw was a camera that was fitted to the top corner of the ceiling over them, and the Predacon sighed before turning back to her patient.

"By the way, no need to worry about those cameras that are located here." she said with a confident tone.

"Why not? I mean with the footage that has been recorded over the last few days, aren't you worried how that will look to your comrades and your sister?" the bot asked with a worried tone.

"No, not at all. Since the cameras for the Brig have not been activated yet, I check the security systems each time before I arrive and they are still offline." the femme replied with a calm tone, before she took an injection and brought the needle up to the Autobot's face which was covered a massive bruise.

"Stay still, I have to inject this into your face so it will heal the damage done from that mallet." she said, earning a nod from Quickstrike who took a deep breath. Then Ser-Ket slowly slid the needle into the skin while the bot looked ahead and tried to focus on something else which was difficult as he felt the medi-gel flowing into his face from the needle which was followed by a tingly feeling. Once the needle was removed, the Femme smiled as she saw the medi-gel having an almost instantaneous effect as the damaged skin and the skull under it began to heal. The Autobot looked up at the Predacon and gave her an appreciative smile, which she returned as she prepared the next few injections.

Then for next several minutes there was a comfortable silence between the two, as Ser-Ket finished injecting the medi-gel into Quickstrike. And then once she was done, the Femme packed her equipment away and got up.

"Leaving so soon?" the Bot said with a disappointed tone.

"You need to rest, even if it is only for an hour." she replied, abet with a worried tone in the last part of her sentence.
"Well then, see you in bit then...Ser-Ket." Quickstrike said as he raised his hand an slowly waved to her, which made the Femme wave back to her surprise before she turned around and headed for the door. But then she stopped, earning a puzzled look from the Autobot.

"Ser-Ket?"

"You know, I can't help but feel bad that I don't know your name." she replied as she turned back to him with a heartfelt expression. One that made the Bot look up at the ceiling, a thoughtful look on his own that surprised the Predacon again.

"I don't know if its the high concentration of medi-gel that's in me, or if I am just warming to you but...Quickstrike." he said, earning a look of curiosity from the Femme.

"What?"
"My name is Quickstrike." he replied, earning a smile from the femme as the force-field reactivated between them and walked out of the room.

Ser-Ket did not get very far because as soon as she stepped through the door, Rip-Claw was waiting with her arms crossed.

"Well? Did he tell you anything?"

This was the same question the older sister would ask after every single time that Ser-Ket had tended to their prisoner's wounds, but after what she had seen and dealt with just now, the younger Sister felt her blood boil as she looked at the other Femme, but waited for the door to close first.

"What the hell were you thinking? You nearly killed him." Ser-Ket spat, earning a smile from Rip-Claw.

"My, that's a lot of spirit for someone who is an enemy of ours. Is there something you want to tell me?" the older Sister replied with a knowing smile.

"No, I am just concerned that you will kill him before you can find out what he knows. I mean those were your own words 'Sister', how about keeping to them." Ser-Ket answered.

"Whatever, that sarcastic little bastard pissed me off so I made him pay for it. But you did not answer my question, did he tell you anything?"

'Quickstrike, his name is Quickstrike.' she thought to herself before shaking her head in response.

"No, he didn't tell me anything."

Rip-Claw simply looked at her and sighed before mirroring her Sister.

"Well, I guess I will be back in a few minutes….." she began to say, before being cut off by Ser-Ket.

"Make it an hour.."

The Predacon looked at her younger sister with a curious expression.

"…His body needs that time for the increased medi-gel to at least… heal his wounds so that he won't die." Ser-Ket added, hoping that she could dissuade her sister from her more savage nature.

"Very well, one hour and no more." Rip-Claw replied before acknowledging the Terracons standing nearby and then walking back down the corridor, this earned a sigh of relief from Ser-Ket who then remembered where she was standing and so moved on, as both guards watched her curiously.

'I have to be careful.' she thought while she walked away, she can't be seen showing too much compassion towards Quickstrike who after all, is still an Autobot and an enemy of the Predacons. But there was something about him that she found interesting and it wasn't just his ability to annoy and frustrate her sister, though she couldn't put her finger on it at this time. In fact there were a number of issues that were plaguing her spark since her reawakening, like how out of place she felt amongst the rest of the Predacons.

She even found out from eavesdropping on other Terracons during their breaks that they could remember little moments that happened to them before the great cataclysm, and yet she could not remember anything. Actually her earliest memory that she could think of, was her battle with Grimlock back on Cybertron during the Great War. And then there were the nightmares she suffered during her sleep cycles which in themselves were confusing to say the least, because they were just an assault of images and sounds that hit her so hard and fast that she could not really make out what they were or about.

'It's funny…' she thought while she walked.

'The only time I feel at all at peace with myself was when I'm in Quickstrike's company. So yeah I am confused….welcome to my world.'

The Femme then stopped at one of the windows that showed a view of Omicron's landscape and the city that was under their control and from where she was, the Femme could see Skystalker perched on top of what was once the Autobot communication tower. Ser-Ket found that whenever she was feeling down or in need of some time alone with her thoughts, then she would always come to this spot, which the Predacon was doing a lot lately.

And usually the view had been much better than this, as rain fell down heavily from the grey cloud covered sky. The femme had been used to looking out at multi-coloured nebulas or just at the infinite looking star-field, but right now she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really notice the view. For she could not stop her thoughts going hack to their Autobot prisoner who was currently sleeping off a torture session that had become a fists all and blunt objects hit-athon.

'Why did Rip-Claw go out of control like that? Could he really have got under her sister's skin and infuriated her enough to make the Femme lose her control like that...not like she had much of it to begin with.' she thought as she blankly watched as a Predacon fighter flew past while it performed its patrol.

'If Quickstrike keeps this up, then he really would be tempting fate. Because I doubt he would survive another close call like the previous one.'

A concerned expression appeared on Ser-Ket's face as she dwelled on this.

'I should check on him again.' she thought before realising the guards would still be there.

'Wait, it would look real suspicious of me to be going back just after I already treated him.'

The Femme kept her attention on the view outside while two more Terracons walked past her and down the corridor.

'I'll head down when the guards change shifts, that should give me a ten minute window.'

And with a new sense of purpose, Ser -Ket left her favourite spot and headed back towards the ship's brig.

The wait for the guard change was a stressful one for Ser-Ket as she remained hidden in the doorway of a room just aways from the Brig's entrance, too which both Terracons were still standing there and the hour mark was only shy of ten minutes.

'Come on, you have to go at some point.' she thought with a frustrated sigh. The Femme had been lucky that the room she chose to hide in was on the other side of the brig, because Rip-Claw always approached the brig from the opposite side and Ser-Ket didn't want to have to explain why she was even there at this time. Suddenly both guards began to move as one spoke to the other.

"Lets go then, shift's over. Time for some other unlucky sod to guard this son of a glitch."

"Yeah, if it were up to me, I would let the rest of the men tear that Autobot apart." the other replied as they both walked away, their banter becoming fainter as they disappeared down the corridor. That was when Ser-Ket made her move and quickly made it through the door and into the Brig.

It was quiet inside the brig, but then that was to be expected since the prisoners that once filled each of the cells were now dead. Having been killed by her sister Rip-Claw during her torture sessions, and right now there was only one left and Ser-Ket wanted to be sure he wasn't going to end up like the others. But even she wasn't prepared for the sight that was waiting for her as she walked in front of Quickstrike's cell, her eyes widening when they fell upon him sitting against the wall in a tired and lost way. The Femme's spark sank as she saw it in his blank expression, which was in complete opposite of what the Autobot had been like only an hour earlier. With the way he was looking at the ground, the Bot had not seen the Femme who simply stared in disbelief.

'He is far worse than I thought, how did I not see this?' Ser-Ket thought as Quickstrike sighed before looking up, noticing the femme standing there on front of him. His eyes widened as they met those of the femme and for a long moment, there was only silence between the pair.

"So...I guess you now know the truth..." Quickstrike finally said as he looked away from her towards the grey wall to his left.

"How long?" was all Ser-Ket could say, her eyes never moved off the bot who looked back.

"Since the last two sessions, I've been tortured nearly none-stop for over two days now. How much more did you think I could take?" he replied as Ser-Ket dropped the force-field and entered his cell.

"But you seemed so focused and intent on holding on." She said back in a gentle tone while kneeling down in front of him.

"That was just for show..." he answered while looking at her, noticing the Femme's compassionate expression.

"...I didn't want to reveal how close I am to breaking, that 'she' would win."

"And what about me?" Ser-Ket replied with a questioning tone.

"I've only known you for the last two days Ser-Ket. And I know I shouldn't trust you, but I can also tell that you are not like the others." Quickstrike said back, earning a unsure look from the Femme as she looked away from him.

"I am still a Predacon, still an enemy."

"I don't think so, I have seen that you've strongly disagreed with how your comrades have treated me and the other Autobot prisoners." the bot replied, regaining Ser-Ket's attention.

"I also noticed earlier on, that though I told you my name, you did not tell your sister. Why was that?" He continued.

"I...I did not want her to know." the Femme said back as both their eyes remained on each other.

"Why?" the Autobot simply asked.

"Because I...am ashamed of how dishonourable my comrades have been, and I am feeling less and less like one of them as a result of it." Ser-Ket replied while wondering why she was being so open with him.

'Why am I telling him all of this?' she thought as the bot continued to look at her before sighing, regaining the Femme's complete attention.

"I appreciate that..."he replied with a smile which then disappeared and he looked ahead in a blank-like way.

"...but in the end it will not matter, because if I go through one more round of torture from your sister, then I will tell her everything she wants to know." he continued, earning a sad frown from the Predacon.
"But why? Why give in now?"
"Because I am tired and I want it to be over. I know it has only been a few days, but never before have I ever met someone who can inflict so much pain in such a short time." Quickstrike replied while Ser-Ket remains quiet and listened to him intently.

"So if I have to go through that again, then I will tell her. And she will then finally end it all for me." he added, before noticing the worried look the Femme had.

"What?"

"I don't think Rip-Claw would actually, since you've embarrassed her with your continued resistance for far longer than anyone else she's tortured. So its more likely that she will continue to keep you alive and make you suffer for longer." Ser-Ket answered in a truthful but sad tone, making the Autobot look down to the ground in defeat.

"Then...can you..."

"What?" the Predacon asked with a confused expression, as Quickstrike looked back into her eyes.

"...can you kill me?"

"What! Why?" the Femme asked back with shock evident in her voice at what the bot had just said.

"Because your the only one who can now, since you have confirmed that the rest of the Predacons will not. I mean I wish things were different and that I could see my family and friends again. But I know that will not happen, so I ask you."

'I don't want to see him suffer anymore, but killing him...I can't do that.' she thought to herself, but unfortunately Quickstrike could read as much in her face as she looked back at him.

"Please Ser-Ket..." he simply pleaded softly, but before the Predacon could answer, her com-link activated.

"Ser-Ket, its Rip-Claw." the Female voice spoke on the other end.

"Sister, what is it?" the younger sibling replied with a finger on her com-link, all the while Quickstrike looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Where are you right now?" Rip-Claw asked with a curious tone, one that did not go unnoticed by Ser-Ket who looked around at her surroundings while ignoring Quickstrike for a second or so.

"I am in my quarters, why? Is there something wrong?" she answered, earning another pause before her sister spoke up.

"Okay...well Lord Galvatron's asked for one of us to speak to him and since you have already covered for me, I thought I would return the favour and volunteer."

"Thanks for that, if you want I can head to bridge to cover for your absence.?" Ser-Ket replied.

"I appreciate that sister, Rip-Claw out." the other Predacon said back before the transmission ended, making the younger Femme smile as she looked down at the bot who had a confused expression.

"What is it?"

"I am not going to kill you to end your suffering by my Sister." she replied, making the Bot confused again. But before he could question, Ser-Ket carried on.

"I think that family reunion you wanted will happen...because I am going to help you instead."

Quickstrike's eyes widened at the Femme's comment as his expression was one of pure shock, while Ser-Ket simply smiled at him confidently.

"Your can't, I mean if they find out its you that help..." he began to argue, but the Femme countered immediately.

"Who's to say they will discover that it was I that did it, since I can just make it look like you got out by your self."

"Why would you risk so much for me?" the Autobot asked with a curious tone.

"Because I don't want to see you die at the hands of my sadistic sister, like all the prisoners we had captured here. They all... like yourself, deserved to die an honorable death. One that has them standing, and not on their knees." Ser-Ket replied as she brushed her hand through her black hair in a combing-like way.

"So what do we do, because I still feel like I have gone twelve rounds with a Krogan." the Bot said back while gesturing to himself.

"My medical kit contains not only medi-gel, but also an injection that works similar to Human adrenaline. It is injected into the spark and will give you a second wind that will make you feel completely fine, despite how your body's actual condition." she replied as she showed him the syringe, earning a nod from Quickstrike.

"Alright, so what's the plan?"

The Femme checked the time on her holo-tool before looking back at the Bot.

"Okay, I have to go now or else the new guard shift will find me here and I won't be able to help you. So I am going to leave your cell's force-field deactivated and head to the CIC. This will take me several minutes to do, so wait a minute before injecting yourself with the syringe. I will then cause a distraction in this area that will allow you to take out the guards and get their weapons."

The Autobot nodded before Ser-Ket gave him a curious look.

"How good is your memory?"

"I have a photographic memory." Quickstrike replied with a confident tone despite his current condition, which the Femme thought was cute.

"Okay, here is a layout of the ship. Use this path to get to the shuttle-bay, I will set off further distractions across the ship and then meet you at there to help you access one of the shuttles." she said while showing him the map with her holo-tool. Quickstrike examined the map carefully, taking note of certain locations along the way.

"Right, I've got it. But are you sure you can do all this without being caught yourself?" he asked with a concerned expression and tone that surprised Ser-Ket.

"I'll be fine, I just want to make sure you have a fighting chance. That's all you need isn't it?"

"Yeah, you could always...come with me." the bot replied, which made the Femme's eyes widen.

"You want me to go with you?"

"Yes I do, because you have been kind to me and I don't want to see you hurt because of your part in helping me escape. Thats what will happen when they find out and they will, because secrets will always come out in the end and when that happens...you will no longer be safe." Quickstrike said which unbeknownst to him, made Ser-Ket's spark warm as she gave him an affectionate smile.

"I appreciate your concern Quickstrike, really I do. But this is my choice and all that matters to me right now, is making sure that you escape and not suffer the same fate as the other Autobots we captured. So I will go and prepare the distractions."

The Femme handed him the syringe, then got up and began walking away, before stopping and take another look at the Bot.

"I will see you at the shuttle-bay, good luck."

"You too." Quickstrike replied before she nodded and walked out of the room, leaving him alone in the brig as he stared down at the syringe in his hands.

Ser-Ket was almost pacing down the corridor has she made her way to the nearest elevator, so she could get to the CIC. The Femme was lucky to leave when she had, because the two new Terracons assigned to guard the Brig's entrance passed her just past the first cross-junction in the corridor. And they would not have known where she had come from because of that very reason, and she was thankful because the plan was still pretty much in play. So she stopped at the elevator door and tapped the control panel on it's left, then a moment later the doors opened and she stepped inside.

Quickstrike sat up in his open cell and waited while patting the syringe's side on the palm of his free hand, this was a habit that he had developed since he was a kid. Something to help keep his mind focused when he was waiting, though back when he was a kid it used to be a pencil or pen that he tapped on the desk, book or whatever else was around him at the time. He never really was the patient type, but the wait now was nearly as much torture as what he had already gone through in the last few days.

'That's got to be long enough.' he thought before he took the lid off the syringe, exposing the needle and the sight of it gave the Autobot chills.

'I hate needles.'

But he shook his head and got his mind back on the task at hand as he steadied his hand and held the syringe just above his exposed chest, right where his spark would be.

'Allons-y.'

He then stabbed the needle into his chest and pressed down on the button on the syringe, which forced the liquid inside it to travel through the needle and into his own spark.

'God damn it, that hurts.' he thought as he felt an enormous pressure on his chest which made him fall on to his side as he held on to the syringe which was still stuck in his body. And he lied there as his body began to shake and fidget uncontrollably.

Meanwhile Ser-Ket entered the CIC and saw that her Sister was not present, so it would seem that she was still in a meeting with the Predacon Lord. Not that the young femme would know what his plans were, as it seemed she was on a 'need to know' basis. But right now, this was a blessing as there were only a few Terracons scattered about the room, so she could carry out her plan without any real interference.

"Commander Ser-Ket, may I be of service." the nearest Terracon asked as he looked over to her.

"No thank you, you may carry on with your duties." she replied as she moved to her station, earning a look of gratitude from the soldier as another joined him.

"She is so nice, isn't she." he said, earning a nod from the other.

"I know, she's not at all like her Sister."

"You know, I have a mind to ask her out."

"Yeah right, like you have a shot with the likes of the Commander." the other laughed, earning a confused look from his friend.

"What do you mean?"

"Well lets see, first she is our joint Commanding officer, and second she is intelligent, kind, courageous and beautiful. While you are just...you." the other said, earning a sigh from his friend.

"Yeah, your right. I guess a..." he was about to say before both Cons noticed that Ser-Ket was watching them from her station.

"You two do have duties to fulfil right?" she asked in a commanding, but not at all insulting tone.

"Yes sir." they both said in unison as they stood to attention.

"Then please return to them." she added before looking back to the holo-screen in front of her. Meanwhile both Cons started to head back to their separate stations.

"Much better than Rip-Claw." one of them whispered.

"Much, much better." the other replied.

Meanwhile Ser-Ket had gained access to the ship's security systems and began tampering with the fire alert protocols.

'This should keep everyone busy and allow Quickstrike the chance to escape.' she thought before pressing the button on the screen which was highlighting the area where the Brig was located.

Quickstrike opened his eyes which focused immediately as he found himself lying on his back on the floor of his cell, so he sat up and looked at his surroundings.

'Wow, this stuff really worked.' the bot thought as he felt great...better then great actually, he was suddenly so alert and full of energy compared to only a few minutes ago that it all felt really strange.

'Gonna need a moment to take this all in.'

But that moment came and left just as quickly as he thought it when suddenly the lights in the room began flickering on and off, which made the bot smile.

'Ser-Ket did it, okay...show-time.' he thought as he got to his feet and walked out of his cell and towards the Brig's exit, picking up his shirt as he did.

Meanwhile outside in the corridor, the Terracons guarding the Brig were looking around at the area's lights with dumbfounded expressions as they flickered on and off.

"What in the Allspark is up with the lights?" one asked as he stepped further into the corridor, leaving the other to stand at the door.

"Not sure, but perhaps we should call the CIC and see if they know what it is."

The first Terracon turned away from his friend and tapped his com-link.

"CIC, this is Terracon group Gamma..." he began to say before the door behind his friend opened, and Quickstrike grabbed that soldier from behind and began to strangle him with one arm around his throat. He the pulled the Terracon's pistol out of its holster with his free hand just as the other guard turned back to see what was happening, going wide-eyes at the sight.

"What in the pit?" he exclaimed before Quickstrike shot him in the chest twice, blowing him back into the wall and then onto the floor dead. His mate tried to fight back as he grunted, but the Autobot had to tight a grip around his neck and then increased the pressure until the enemy soldier lost consciousness, Quickstrike then dropped his body before firing the weapon on the knocked out soldier with a kill shot to the head. And as he stood there with two dead Terracons at his feet and a loaded gun in his hand, the bot smiled and took a breath as he looked down the corridor of the Predacon ship.

'Time to get out of here.'