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Finding the Good Within	By : Scienceteacher Category: Transformers > G1 > Crossovers Views: 3108 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story

Chapter List
- 7
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To Betray Your Own

Mirage laid his head against the gentle swell behind her canopy. Tightening his feet against her tailfins and wiggling his fingers even more securely around her wings’ leading edges, he sought to drive away the terrifying feeling that he’d get lost in this strange warp phase. Its cool plasma reality licked at his chassis, sucking away his heat. Biting down on his lip, he wondered just how long they’d be in this teleport. It seemed to be going on for far too long. For didn’t Seekers have a limited distance of three clicks per teleport?

Suddenly, the plasma tendrils released their grip on him as Hunter brought them back into primary phase. Gravity suddenly pulled at them, trying to bring them plummeting down to the planet’s surface. Calmly, Hunter flamed her afterburners briefly, her engines not even straining in the least. Even with the weight of the mech on top of her.

Mirage looked around them in amazement. Since he’d been manning the navigation console, he knew they hadn’t been anywhere near a planet when they’d launched from the ship. Yet here they were, coming out of teleport in the atmosphere of one. “Hunter ma-am? How’d you do that? No one can teleport that far!” he stammered to her.

Hunter snorted, “The pathetic Seekers of your dimension cannot. But I am not so limited.” The tone of her voice was filled with her normal arrogance.

His blue optics opened wide in shock. “What are your limits?” he asked. He hoped she wouldn’t get irritated at his questions. Perhaps she’d continue to brag about her superiority, let him really understand her capabilities.

She gave an arrogant laugh. “With full cores, I can teleport from Cybertron to any planet within two million light years in a single jump,” she bragged. Granted, she’d be totally depleted, but just an hour or so basking her solar cells would fix that.

Mirage’s jaw fell open. To teleport that distance was unbelievable! This single Seeker could hit every major Autobot base back-to-back, and they’d never expect it. They’d think it was the entire Decepticon fleet that had split up to attack. No wonder she was such an effective bounty hunter! He wished the Autobots had convinced her to join their side. But at least she hadn’t joined the cons. Silently, he thanked Primus for that..

“Engage cloak,” she ordered.

Mirage engaged his, even as the Seeker under him seemed to disappear into thin air. Silently, the two flew towards their objective. There would now be no more discussion.

Hunter scanned the Autobot installation with her long range radar. They were circling it at a radius of 75 nautical Earth miles. Too far away from the base for Mirage to realize what she was scoping out. Along with the radar scans, she opened her communications link and began to scan the Autobot frequencies. Satisfied, she teleported in and silently landed vertically.

Mirage jumped off her as she transformed. Looking around him, he realized they were at one of the top secret Autobot research facilities. His core plummeted as he realized that his mission was most likely to infiltrate the Autobots. How could he? They had been his friends! But if he didn’t complete the mission…. Those two barely functioning slaves would continue to live in torment until they finally off lined..

Keeping her invisible hand on his invisible shoulder plate, she whispered in his audio, “Infiltrate Perceptor’s lab. Bring me a sample of his newest explosive charge mix. Be careful not to mix the two halves together. I will be back for pick up in three astrohours.”

Unseen tears rolled down his cheeks as he listened to her orders. He had to do this.. Had to steal from his former comrades.. His oath to her.. Those two slaves.. Biting down hard on his lip he tasted the metallic flavor of his own energon. Thankful that she couldn’t detect his tears, he mumbled his acknowledgement and moved away.. He was nothing but a thief now.. Nothing but a mech without a faction.. Without a home..

Sliding through the facility, Mirage’s silent tears flowed freely as he passed old friends in the corridors. Guilt weighed heavily on him, making every footstep harder than the last as he slowly approached Perceptor’s lab. Seeing Ratchet walking down the hall towards him, he waited silently next to the door.

Ratchet rapped on the door as he grumbled to himself about his tight schedule and trying to get some regular maintenance done on old Ironhide. Who was being a pain as normal. Avoiding him like the plague. Mumbling to himself about having to get either Prime or Ultra Magnus to corner and drag his reluctant patient to him, Ratchet forced a smile on his face as the door slid open.

“Oh, it’s you. Glad you could come by so quickly,” Perceptor said as he opened the door.

“Well, this better be good. I’ve got a long list of things I’ve got to do before this shift ends,” Ratchet grumbled as he wandered in.

Perceptor led Ratchet over to a table where he had a multitude of circuits and diodes all connected together. They conversed about numerous problems and solutions for a long period of time. Neither one noticing that on the far side of the lab, a cabinet was silently slid open and one of the canisters containing the newest explosive charge mix was removed.

Mirage sighed silently as he slid the cabinet door closed. Stuffing the canister into his cab, he slid unseen along the wall and waited patiently by the door. He had slid in behind Ratchet, and planned to slide back out behind the same mech. He wished he could yell his apologies to his old comrades.. Beg for their forgiveness right then and there.. But he couldn’t.. He was trapped.. He had to do this..

“Thank’s for your input Ratchet, it’s brought quite a few new ideas to light,” Perceptor said as he shook Ratchet’s hand and walked him towards the door.

“Glad to help,” Ratchet replied.

Right before he opened the door, Perceptor laid a hand on Ratchet’s shoulder. “If you ever need to talk about what happened…” he said softly..

His hurried expression changed to a downcast one in the blink of an optic at the scientist’s words. The tough medic’s optics welled up with unshed tears, “No, I’ll be fine Perceptor, but thanks for thinking about me,” he replied. His voice broke slightly.

“It’s hard when you lose your mate, I’ve been there,” Perceptor’s blue optics filled with empathy for his friend. “Just know, I’m here if you need me,” he re-iterated.

A single energon tear dripped down the tough medic’s cheek, his shoulders trembling with the silent sobs he was holding back. As the red scientist pulled him into his arms, the white mech broke down and wept. “It’s been so long Perceptor. I’ve tried to keep hoping.. But.. But .. He’s got to be off lined by now..” he sobbed.

Gently wiping the tear from his old friend’s cheek, the thin red mech put his arms around the medic and pulled him into a comforting embrace. Perceptor rubbed his back armor with an expression of pained understanding, holding the grief-stricken mech as he wept.

Mirage wanted to scream at Ratchet. Tell him not to write Wheeljack off like that. For he was functioning! He was a battered wreck – but he was still functioning! But he couldn’t.. Silently, he stood there with tears of sorrow and rage flowing down his face. Just as he had once written off so many POWs when he had been a free mech, now he himself and all the other POWs were written off as off lined. It wasn’t right. They needed to be searched for, to be rescued from the slavery. But they were just callously written off by their former friends. If they couldn’t escape on their own, they were doomed.

It was sheer tragic irony that the very faction that prided themselves on being the champions of freedom in the Galaxy, simply turned their backs on the soldiers that were lost. He was guilty of being like this once. Just assuming that his lost comrades were off lined after a certain length of time had passed since their capture, granted, none had ever returned after several orbit cycles. So it did make logical sense to think this way. But the truth was even more horrific. The truth that some POWs lived for dozens of orbit cycles as slave whores, their identities gone, their hope dead… Raped and used by con after con until they were finally tortured off-line. Their final screams only picked up by the audios of the grinning Decepticons who had their bonding circuits thrust into them.

But now they did have hope. That bitter and cold Guardian who walked openly amongst both factions because she was aligned with neither.. She knew the slaves, since she used them just as the Decepticons did. She could choose to rescue them one-by-one. If Mirage could keep pleasing her.. If he could keep convincing her to use the slaves as sires.. In fact, he was the slaves’ only champion now.. He was their only hope now.. Their former faction just wrote them off and no longer even searched for them.. Mirage looked silently up at the ceiling. Perhaps this was Primus’s mission for him? Perhaps by becoming nothing more than a factionless, worthless thief, he would save some of the POWs from their continual torture?

Biting back his tears, Mirage felt his spark shatter. He was no longer the Autobot Mirage, he was the thief Mirage. With no loyalties other than his cold-sparked bond mate and the slaves that had no other hope than him…

Ratchet gulped back his sorrow and nodded. Pulling away from Perceptor, he wiped his tears from his face. “Thanks Perceptor, I needed that,” he said sadly, “It’s just so lonely in the med bay…I’m just not used to being – alone.”

Perceptor nodded his understanding. “If you want me to come by and assist…” he offered.

Slowly, a smile lit up Ratchet’s face. “I’d really appreciate that,” he said with relief.

Moving closer to the white medic, Perceptor gently squeezed his shoulder armor. “You don’t have to be alone Ratchet. I’m always here – when you’re ready,” he told him. His optics shined with more than just friendly concern.

Ratchet studied his friend’s face. They’d been through a lot together. And both had lost their bond mates to the war. Perhaps… Perhaps they could learn to love again in each other’s arms? He was tired of being alone. Tired of staring up at the ceiling in his empty quarters as he dreamed of having the comfort of a bond mate next to him… True, he’d never love a mech as strongly as he had loved Wheeljack, but Perceptor would understand that – wouldn’t he? “You know I’ll always love Wheeljack, Perceptor,” he said in a low voice.

The red mech nodded, “and I’ll always love Beltside,” he replied. It was the first time in eons that he’d uttered his off-lined bond mate’s name. But Ratchet had known that mech, just as Perceptor had known Wheeljack. “But that doesn’t mean there’s not room in my spark to love another,” he promised. His optics showed that he meant Ratchet with that statement.

The medic scanned his friend’s face. Perceptor was a level-headed, highly intelligent and logical mech. So different from the creative, passionate Wheeljack he had loved. But the red mech would stand by him just as loyally. Love him just as intensely. Deciding that he could learn to love Perceptor as he had Wheeljack, Ratchet tentatively took his lips.

Mirage watched the two embrace. His spark ripping in half as he knew with certainty that Ratchet had ‘moved on’ from Wheeljack. Had completely written him off as off-lined… He wanted to rip the two mechs apart. Beat some sense into Ratchet. Scream at him to keep searching. That now Wheeljack needed him more than ever! But he couldn’t… He was nothing more than a factionless thief.. Just as Wheeljack was considered dead by the Autobots, he was as well.. Only Hunter found any measure of value in them anymore.. Only Hunter gave them a chance at a brighter future as servants to Primus..

Letting Perceptor’s lips go, Ratchet smiled. “Do you want to meet after shift?” he asked hopefully.

Perceptor beamed in happiness at the invite. “Just send me an email and tell me where, I’ll make sure to arrive promptly!” he promised.

With a happy nod and a smile, Ratchet turned and strolled out of the lab; An unseen mech sliding out after him.

-----

Mirage made it back to the pick up spot right on time. He felt the breeze of her muffled engines as she landed. Without a word, he felt along her fuselage and then climbed on top of her, settling himself for the long teleport back to their ship. Holding back his tears, he willed himself to maintain his composure until he got back to the peace of his quarters.

-----

Throwing himself on his berth, Mirage sobbed his spark out. He had done it.. Stolen from the very mechs he had once called friends.. Friends that had now abandoned him.. Left him to a fate of being a slave-whore until he was finally, truly off-lined.. He was totally worthless now.. Totally without a home, without a faction.. This was worse than being a slave-whore. For he’d done it willingly… Followed her orders even as he realized that it was a con contract he was working on. He could no longer ever go back.. He was just a thief in the night..

Slamming his fist down against the berth again and again, Mirage berated himself for what he was. He hated himself.. The Autobots would hate him now.. Everything he had once stood for was gone.. Was dead.. He just prayed that no Autobots would die because of what he’d done.. What he’d gotten for the cons.. For astrohours he sobbed his despair.. His despair at being abandoned.. His despair at what he had now become.. His despair that only a cold harsh alien Transformer found any measure of worth in the worthless slaves.. Then finally, in total exhaustion, he went limp in defrag.

----

Hunter had watched it all. Standing silently in the corner of his quarters, the cloaked Seeker smirked as he bawled his spark out. The cons had only thought they had broken these slaves’ spirit. They didn’t know what true ‘breaking’ really was. For when Hunter broke a mech’s spark, she did it completely and fully. Making the mech believe it was his own free will to make the decisions for his actions. Actions that would force him into the very life that Hunter wanted him in.

Yes, now Mirage was truly broken. After this first ‘test’, future missions would come easier and easier to him. He would become numb of the emotion of guilt. Would begin to see that the factions and theologies didn’t matter, for a bounty hunter looked at each mission individually. Not caring if it was right or wrong, just that it was completed and the credits were placed in her hand.

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Finding the Good Within