Who remembers Ruthlock from my first fanfiction, New Life? (The baby Cybertronian T-Rex) If you do, props to you! There are baby Dinobots (cough a baby Grimlock) in TF5, how cool is that?

Another fun fact! Kardiness Prime was originally going to be a voice/spirit in Kadence's head, but I had since discarded that idea. Then... I recycled it and came up with Castle of Shards.

And sorry if you couldn't review last chapter... heh, that was my fault (and so so so sorry it took me six months to update... AGAIN) but worry not, I've been feeling motivated as of late, and I finally gathered up the plot again. TLK still has me stumped but I'm getting there. But again, I will not be doing the fifth movie.

AND celebrating THREE YEARS OF WRITING!

Chapter 35

"Hail the Creators"

It was dark, Kardiness could see the glow of her optics on the cold metal floor. The silence that adorned her audios was deafening. Her whole frame was stiff and cold, lying on the floor wasn't the most comfortable place to recharge. How had she ended up here? Why wasn't she back home with everyone else? In her berth gossiping about the latest development between her and Onyx with Prima?

What had happened?

The Quintessons and Primon did somet... Kardiness bolted upright, what had they done!

There were dim biolights that lowly lit the outline of the walls, nothing more.

Where was Prima? The femme Prime felt through the bond, he was alive, but no presence was granted.

Those - "You fraggers better not have hurt my brother! I see one scratch on Onyx or Prima, I swear to Primus I will tear you apart!" She sprung from the floor, screaming up to the ceiling. Kardiness was hysterical, she had no clue where she was or what happened to the others, herself. She was confused. Her fist loudly hit the wall, the harsh noise resounding through the chamber she was locked in, "Agh!"

It was quiet for a long while, Kardiness left to her thoughts that were far too loud for her comfort. Were the others okay? What about Vector and Megatronus?

The femme knew it was beyond dangerous to pull Vector Prime out of the dimensional drift he monitors. It could either tear a hole in space, stop time, or most certainly kill Vector. Kardiness looked up from the floor, she had to get out of this room and find the other Primes.

What did Primon and the Quintessons want from them?

Was it... Kardiness gasped, straightening, was it the Allspark?

Problems hadn't arisen until the Cube came along. Was that it?

She vented, offlining and recalibrating her optics before onlining them again. With her sight now enhanced, the femme began exploring her bare room.

"What's going on here?" Kardiness muttered to herself, walking forward with her arms limp at her sides. Just observing, getting to know her surroundings.

Had the Quintessons and Primon planned this whole thing? Were they ready since the beginning? It was just the start of their race, and it was already being demolished. Or was it? The femme overworked her processor over trying to figure out what they want. It was impossible to answer at this stage, she pursed her lipplates, looking up at the seams that split the ceiling from the wall. There were no ventilation shafts or an opening of any kind.

But there was one thing; a large door that was sealed shut.

Walking over to it, she reached out and placed a servo over the access panel. It didn't even power on for her. Alright, she huffed, turning to the door itself, manually it is. Kardiness placed a servo on the jagged seam where the two parts of the door split open. They looked like they were shut real tight. Nimble digits slid in the minuscule crack, trying to wedge themselves in between. She had even come close to pulling it apart, for her digits couldn't get a solid grip, before a timbre voice boomed from above.

"Do not attempt to get out. Your efforts are in vain."

Kardiness jumped back, crouching into a defense stance.

"You work for us now. Kardiness Prime."

A shiver was sent up her spinal strut at the deepening of his voice when her name was said. Was this Primon speaking? She could never mistake a voice.

"You can't keep me here forever!" She snarled, throwing her fist and leave a dent in the door, "I work for no one!"

A chuckle stopped her movements, but no time was spent on registering it fully - a small, quick whine being her only warning - before hidden blue biolights lit up on the floor with a cackle of energy with a sharp, sudden shock sent into Kardiness' pedes and up her struts.

"Agh!" Her frame collapsed on the floor, the electrical shock paralyzing all her motor functions temporarily. It sent fire through her energon lines. The tingle of electricity still going through her frame left her groaning, all her joints becoming stiff from being coiled tight.

Something felt to have poked her in the back of her processor. Another presence was sensed, entering her spark. The bond! It became active! A ping was sent over by Prima... he wasn't far.

She had to get to him!

Primon's voice returned, "It's no use. You will do as we say."

"Never..." she vented out, grimacing at the high voltage of the shock.

She knew what was coming, if the whine of charging was anything to go by. Everything had lit up in the room when she was first electrocuted, even the control pad sitting mounted on the wall next to the automated door.

Bowing her helm again, she waited.

Kardiness shuttered her optics, counting to three before jumping up from the lit biolights. Leaping towards the access panel and jamming her servo onto it, the large green button on the screen, ignoring the shock running up her pedes as they landed. The door slid open, and she stumbled out, wasting no time before sprinting down the unfamiliar corridor. Primon's voice called out through the chambers as red lights turned on.

But she kept going.

"Stop her!"

"Prima! Onyx! I'm here! Where are you?" She desperately called out, scrambling through the bond with her twin. He was near... left! Her helm snapped to that direction, optics landing on a steel door just like the one she had to pass through.

Kardiness aggressively palmed open the offending barrier charging inside and ignoring the zap of energy hitting her pedes and traveling up to her sensitive wings. Prima cried out in a growl, having been previously brought to his knees, now onto all fours with his palms lied flat on the electrofying floor.

She grabbed her twin under the shoulders and hefted him up, dragging him out of his little prison and into the corridor.

"We have to find Onyx and Micronus," she vented, trying to rid herself of the lasting effects of shocking.

Prima nodded, choking on his vents, "Yeah. Any clue?"

"Nope, but probably in this area," she looked around warily. Their attackers must be farther if they hadn't come barging into the corridor yet.

There were more doors in this hall, there was only two that could have the other Primes. Primon is probably still torturing them, trying to put them in their place.

What an odd tactic, to not recapture the loose twins. Wouldn't they be a danger, a breach in their plans? Maybe they had backups, and knew this might happen and know how to act accordin-

Kardiness collapsed onto her side after feeling a sharp prick to her neck.

What? Was this a... tranquilizer?

Her vision blurred and doubled, her optics blearily catching onto the odd shape of the Quintesson with all its many tentacles that only multiplied with her hazy processor.

In nanokliks, she was offline, along with her twin, who had fallen right next to her.