Author Notes: I've gone back and forth about posting this. It's very violent and dark and almost bordering on the NC-17 rating just for violence alone. But then I think, it's the movie 'cons, they're really that violent and bastards. So...here I go posting this. Please note the warnings.

Dedication: Oogles of thanks for yankeesailor and myrrhibis for beta'ing this monster.
Disclaimer: It's all Bay's fault. He gave me a character like Barricade but did not fulfill my Prowl quota so of course I had to find a way to fit them both into a fic. XP That being said, none of the characters in this fic belong to me, they belong to their respective owners who are a lot richer and more creative than myself.

Warnings: This fic is not for the weak of heart or easily squicked. Lots of torture, mind-fuckery, evil, sadistic movie!cons and dismemberment goes on here. The movie Decepticons are not nice mechs and this is Barricade at his most evil. You've been warned.

Is this real enough for you?
You were so confused.
Now that you've decided to stay
We'll remain together.

You can't abandon me.
You belong to me.

- Surrender

Then:

He'd lost track of time what felt like an eternity ago. After that first beating, his internal chronometer ceased to function and now the Autobot known as Prowl did not even know if it was night or day. He, the anal-retentive enforcer of the time clock and all things prompt, did not even know what cycle it was. It was dark in his cell. Dank and jagged rust-covered objects created a dangerous obstacle course and Prowl had given up trying to navigate his cell a long time ago. Even if he'd been able to walk straight, he'd have run into sharp edges and collapsed rusted girders. Without the ability to see where he was going, his own prison was one dangerous death-trap.

The inability to tell the time was driving him slowly insane. After everything that had been done to him--the beatings, the humiliation--it was the simple task of keeping time that was going to break the stubborn Autobot. Prowl could not help but laugh hollowly at the thought. This grim line of thought had been plaguing him for seemingly endless vorns. Yet still the madness would not sweep in and rob him of his consciousness of this place. Why hadn't the 'cons terminated him? Why was he still alive? Was it just for their sick pleasure and sadistic tendencies? Where were his friends? His bondmate? Did Jazz still live? Would he still want him even after all this time?

Such a useless cycle of cold reason and unflappable logic that tortured him every waking moment.

His bitter thoughts were interrupted by the screech of metal on metal. The door to his dark cell opened and Prowl's tired mind could only see a murderous crimson glow of Decepticon optics and the occasional flash of paleness in the darkness.

His captor had returned.

Barricade grinned nastily when he caught sight of his prone prisoner. The once proud Autobot didn't even have the strength left to crawl to his feet and he could tell by the dimness of blue optics that Prowl was near depletion. The interceptor would not let that happen of course. Prowl was his toy and the dark mech didn't intend on letting his toy break any time soon. With a raspy chuckle, the Decepticon walked over and kicked the pile of living scrap. "Wake up."

Apathetic features tilted up to look at him. "Come to finally finish it?" Prowl asked dully. His spark sputtered in his chest but he was too tired to even feel shame at his pathetic state. By now, Prowl would welcome death and Primus's judgement eagerly. When he'd first been captured, he had fought claw for claw with Barricade but his spirit had been broken. Now, he merely waited for termination.

"Pathetic, Autobot. What would your friends think if they saw you like this?" Barricade was deliberately goading a reaction out of Prowl. The brief flash of anger on the Autobot's face was a start. Vicious anticipation shot through the Decepticon as he wrapped a clawed hand around Prowl's neck and pulled him to his feet. "You're not going to die that easily, Autobot."

With his perfectly functioning optics, Barricade saw the despair and disappointment on the scrapped mech's face. Barricade still had his night vision and was not held back by Prowl's crippled optic range. The Decepticon knew how much the darkness and broken chronometer bothered Prowl. Not being able to keep track of something as simple as the breems and cycles was maddening to a control-freak like the Autobot tactician. That was why Barricade had broken those parts of Prowl first. And why he'd mangled the mech's self-repair protocols so that Prowl could not repair them on his own.

"I'm not going to tell you anything. You might as well stop wasting your time and just kill me now."

Barricade gave another raspy chuckle. "How many times do I have to tell you, Autobot. I'm not doing this for the information." Fangs glinted in the murky darkness. "I'm doing this because it gives me pleasure. Your screams are music to my audio sensors."

He watched as slow dawning realization crawled across the horrified Autobot's face. Barricade smiled in an almost genteel manner and turned glowing red optics to the razor-sharp claws built into the metal of his hands. He liked working with his hands. "Shall we begin?"

Now:

Prowl onlined screaming. Confused and terrified, the Autobot wailed and flailed at the tightness of restraints holding him to the berth he was on. Warnings flashed urgently in front of his optics but the panicked tactician paid them no mind.

"Prowl! Prowl!" A frantic voice broke through the terror and Prowl became aware of strong hands trying to hold him down. " Calm down! " It felt as though he were being crushed beneath the weight of hundreds of hands.

Crushing, choking him, killing him!

"Calm down, man. It's okay, jus' calm down."

That voice… recognition shot through overwhelmed logic circuits and Prowl went limp. Vulnerable blue optics sought out the visored face hovering over his and a rough sound ground out of his vocal processors along with a burst of static. It made his reply unintelligible and contorted.

"Shh, I know man, I know." Jazz managed a crooked grin. His silver head bent down and Prowl could see the worried faces of Ratchet and Optimus over him. Prowl realized they'd been the ones holding him down lest he rip himself limb from limb while fighting the restraints. "Sorry about the rude awakening, man. But Ratchet thought you might come outta recharge swinging." Jazz gave him a weak smile and rubbed at his jaw where the paint was scuffed.

"I'm sorry." Open pain and sorrow filled Prowl's face and he tore his optics away from the familiarity of Jazz's. "I'm so sorry, all of you." The tactician knew he was going a little overboard on the gratitude but these mechs had saved him from the Pit itself. Prowl couldn't figure out why his cerebral cortex felt half-melted and sluggish but he assumed it was from whatever tranquilizers Ratchet had injected into his system. His internal chronometer was working thankfully but he could not for the spark of him remember how long it had been since he'd been able to access that part of his software.

Prowl didn't let on how he continually checked it every few nano-clicks with a paranoia that would have made Red Alert proud.

"It's okay, Prowl. We're just glad to have you back with us." There was a lingering sadness in his leader's optics that worried Prowl. Optimus looked like he had the weight of Cybertron itself resting on his shoulders.

"I'm just glad to be out of there." Jazz was unchaining Prowl from the berth despite the wary and sharp look he received from Ratchet.

"We'll get you outta here soon, Prowl. I promise ya," He'd finished with the bindings holding Prowl's torso down. When he moved to get Prowl's legs, Jazz found himself yanked into a desperate hug. Pain filled his spark and Jazz clung back just as frantically as his bondmate held onto him desperately. "Shh… shhh…"

Prowl trembled like a live wire as his face buried into the crook of Jazz's neck. Such a private and demonstrative display was totally uncharacteristic of the stoic tactician but no one offered protest. It wasn't like their relationship was a guarded secret. Prime and Ratchet turned away, unable to watch such a private embrace. The two mechs excused themselves from the room though neither Prowl nor Jazz seemed to notice.

It had been vorns since the two bondmates had seen each other. Prime just didn't have it in his spark to interfere or bring the bitter sorrow of reality to the lovers. He and Ratchet exchanged a worried and heavy look before going about their business. There would be time enough for the bad later. Right now, they owed it to the two mechs to let them have their happy reunion.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, I should have retreated when the pass started to fall." Prowl whispered.

"Shh…none of tha'. Time for regrets later. Right now, I'm just happy to have you back. I missed you more than my very spark." Their faces pressed against one another as cold metal warmed the other with mutual heat. Not in passion, but out of shared pain and sorrow. Words did not pass between the two of them; there was nothing that needed to be said. The pulsing of their sparks in time with one another and the closeness of the other sufficed them.

It was enough for now.

Then:

After beating him around the room for a bit, Barricade had forced a cube of stale-tasting energon down Prowl's throat. The Decepticon would not allow the Autobot to feed himself and instead preferred to humiliate him more by prying his jaws open and pouring the vile energy mercilessly into his struggling prisoner. Energon choked and clogged Prowl's intakes and half the cube was spilled uselessly in his struggles, leaving the Autobot even weaker than before.

"You foolish insect." Barricade snarled and viciously kicked the fallen mech in his already crumpled and worn torso. A pitiful moan was wrest from Prowl, who could not even curl to avoid the next cruel kick. Barricade's optics glowed brightly with rage as he took out his frustration and need for destruction on his scrapped prisoner.

By the time his anger had run its course, Prowl was offline, his battered form having slipped into statis lock. "I don't think so. You're not going to escape me that easily," the Decepticon snarled and dragged Prowl from the cell. Coolant and energon trailed behind the limp body, leaving faintly iridescent smears in their wake.

Now:

"You've got to do something." Prowl could hear the furious whisper just outside the weak circle of light surrounding his berth.

"I'm doing everything I can, dammit! But you're going to have to face the idea that I might not be able to save him."

Metal screeched and crumpled beneath what sounded like a furious fist hitting a cabinet. "NO! I refuse to!" That was definitely Jazz, though the helpless anger and fear in his shout sounded totally alien to Prowl's audio. "I refuse to, dammit! Find something. Anything, Ratch. I won't lose him again."

Blearily, Prowl checked his internal chronometer and discovered he'd been out for almost three cycles. Confusion filled his already muzzy thought processes and choked up his logic processors. 'Lose me? What are you talking about? Jazz! Answer me!' Prowl screamed mentally but could not seem to get the words out of his vocalizer.

The tiredness had returned and Prowl sank back onto the berth with shaking limbs. The darkness was beginning to creep back on him and with a soundless whimper, Prowl slipped back into his living nightmare.

Then:

Prowl woke up chained to a recharge berth. Wires hung from various recharge ports while chains held down his arms and legs. Panicked blue optics shot around but saw only murky darkness. Apparently, Barricade had not bothered to fix his optics or chronometer because Prowl still did not know what the time or date was.

"Ah, ah, ah." Hellish bright optics gleamed at him from the shadows and Barricade stepped forward with the prowling grace of a predator. "Awake I see, pet." One sharply clawed hand came to rest on Prowl's ruined shoulder armor. At one time, they had been the same make and model as one another. Prowl and Barricade once could have passed off as twins, but now Prowl was little more than a twisted heap of scrap and shredded armor.

And Barricade's razor-sharp claws were well aquainted with Prowl's now ripped and ruined body. "Get your stinking claw off of me, you sparkless bastard." With his power reserves at almost fifty percent, Prowl was feeling more… spunky than he had in forever.

Barricade just grinned a fanged and evil grin. Oh goodie. He loved it when his toy fought back. Breaking someone's spirit was just no fun when the other party refused to put up a fight. "No, I don't think I will. I like my 'stinking claw' exactly where it is." His knife-like fingers dug into already ruined metal and started to dig fresh gouges out of Prowl's body.

All Barricade got for his troubles was a suppressed grimace and a hateful glare. Not one to be daunted easily, the Decepticon continued to grin his evil smirk. He found the creases between protective plating and the delicate circuitry beneath the armor. He'd leave the nerve and fuel lines for last.

Barricade's talented claws scratched, frayed and sliced through the circuitry of Prowl's arm from shoulder to wrist until the limb was laid open to the endoskeleton. With the grace of a surgeon, he used those living scalpels to carefully dissect Prowl's right arm. Whole circuit-boards and chunks of metal were meticulously ripped away and the bare chassis was opened to the unforgiving dirty air. Prowl's hoarse screams echoed in Barricade's lair as wave after wave of pain assaulted his cerebral cortex.

Early on, the evil 'con had disabled Prowl's systems so that he could not turn off his pain receptors and thus could not ignore the agonizing feedback coming from his now dissected limb. A few minor coolant lines had been severed along with motor cables and just about everything but the most vital of parts.

"Ahhh… that's it. Scream for me, pet." Barricade purred with a rapturous expression on his harsh face. Crimson optics burned with the savage satisfaction that radiated from the Decepticon shock trooper in palpable waves. In the endless time since this torture started, Barricade had proven himself to be far more than a stupid shock trooper like Bonecrusher. He'd shown the dark savagery and sadistic glee that made him one of the most favored trooper in all of the Decepticon army.

Prowl tried to curse at him but only garbled static spat out of his vocalizer. A Transformer could not cry, could not find release from pain in such an organic manner. So the pain continued to bottle up and build within his circuits until Prowl was certain his pump would explode and his spark would gutter out. It was said that a mech could be hardwired to find overload in pain but no Autobot would ever think of making such a modification. That was a Decepticon trait and one Prowl had never understood until now.

"Give me your pain," Barricade whispered and trailed coolant-smeared claws down Prowl's cheek. The false mockery of tenderness caused his prey to flinch. "It's so sweet, I could drink it up like the sweetest energon." As if to demonstrate, Barricade's head dipped down and he licked at the splatter of coolant and energon smeared across Prowl's shoulder. "Ahhh, so sweet,"

"You'r… 'gusting." Prowl ground out. Gears whined and strained in a grotesque display of open machinery when Prowl tried to shift away from the leering 'con.

"Oh, pet. Flattery will get you everywhere." An evil chuckle resounded through the dimness of the lab. The sharp angles of Barricade's crest scraped along Prowl's face and nearly took out an optic with his crest while the Decepticon amused himself with exploring and sucking every drop of coolant and energon he could find. His meandering finally brought him to his captive's face and red optics bore maliciously down into blue. "You're mine. My toy to mend or break as I see fit."

"'m no' a toy!" Prowl's features twisted up into a rebellious scowl.

"Heh. For such an intelligent mech, you sure are dense." Barricade sneered and grabbed Prowl's chin in one clawed hand. The vicious kiss that followed was half-expected. Not that such a tainted mockery could be called a kiss of course. More like a ravaging of Prowl's mouth with fanged teeth and yet more ripped metal. The dark mech pulled back and sneered down at Prowl. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Now:

Prowl onlined once more to find the familiar form of Jazz sitting beside him. A quick check of his chronometer told him he'd lost almost eight cycles this time around. His bondmate had large chunks of his outer armor either shredded or ripped off completely. Alarms shot through Prowl and he hastily sat up only to have his head swim dizzily. "Jazz!"

The frantic shout snapped Jazz out of his half-hearted recharge. His dimmed visor lit up as a relieved smile curved the silver mech's lips. "You're awake." The saboteur immediately reached for Prowl's hand and grasped it in his own. "You had me worried there for a bit."

"W-What happened?" Prowl reached out to touch one particularly nasty gouge and was taken aback when he got a good look at his hand. For the first time, the tactician noticed the length of claws that had been joined to his very fingers. "What…"

Wariness flashed across Jazz's face as he brought that clawed hand to his cheek. "Shhh… don' worry. Just get better, please?" Fearlessly, he nuzzled his cheek against the back of Prowl's hand.

"What's going on, Jazz? What aren't you telling me?" Prowl grimaced at how raspy and rough his voice sounded. As if he'd not used his vocal processor for vorns. "You're hiding something from me. What happened to you ?"

"Easy, Prowl." Prime's deep voice came from the doorway, drawing the attention of the two mechs. "A lot has happened since you were captured. The most important thing right now is getting you stabilized. Just be patient with us as we do that, please?" Optimus entreated with a somber look. "We're doing everything in our power to help you, just be patient a little while longer.

"What's wrong with me?" Prowl demanded.

"The Decepticons, they… altered you."

"They fragging tortured me. But I didn't give them anything, I swear to you, Prime." He was shocked to hear his voice tremble with emotion. Why did it feel like he was being overwhelmed by emotion all at once? As if all his carefully planned and constructed emotional barriers had been ripped down and he could now feel everything unfiltered.

It was disconcerting.

"I know you didn't, old friend. I know." Prime laid one massive hand on Prowl's shoulder and eased him back onto the bunk. "I trust you." His smile was soulful and tinged with sadness. "Just rest for now, let me go roust Ratchet so he can get a reading." With one last pat, Optimus turned and left.

It was the first time Prowl registered the fact that he was in a room rather than the general med-bay. While it had been vorns since he'd been on an Autobot ship, this room looked more like the triage ward attached to the brig than the actual medbay. Just one more thing to ask Jazz about. "What's the matter with me, Jazz?"

His lover looked so despondent at that moment. "The 'cons. They really did a number on ya. We're gonna find the Allspark then I promise you… we'll fix you. I don't care if I haveta go from one end o' the galaxy to the other. I'll find the All Spark."

"But what…I don't…"

Jazz leaned over to press his forehead against Prowl's. "We need it to fix yer circuits. Prime thinks we have a lead on it though. Somewhere in the Tikai system," He shrugged helplessly. "I dun know the specifics. All I care about is that we find the All Spark so you an' me can go racing like we used to."

Prowl laughed weakly. "You and your need for dangerous speed."

"Well you know me." The sleek mech grinned unrepentantly as he shifted to kiss Prowl. "Now, I'd best settle down. Ratch'll have my head for a trophy if I get you riled up."

"You still haven't told me what happened to you." Prowl could feel the sluggishness pulling at him though. He fought valiantly but the berth suddenly felt sinfully comfortable and he found his thoughts drifting. Voices registered in the distance but he could not make out the words. Just like that, Prowl's optics offlined themselves of their own volition and he slipped back into the darkness of recharge.

Then:

Pain was the first thing Prowl became aware of. His arm was still unresponsive at his side but he was free and sagging against the rusted wall of his cell. When he onlined his optics, Prowl found himself nearly face to face with Barricade. Evil triumph glowed in red optics and a terrible grin curved the Decepticon's fanged maw.

"Welcome back, pet." Clawed fingers caught Prowl's face and held it still when the Autobot tried to jerk away. All Prowl could see were hellish red optics and gleaming teeth. "We're going to find the All Spark soon. Very soon." The 'con rasped with a malicious look. "Once this war is over and we Deceptions rule the universe, I'm going to take especial pleasure in tracking down every single mech you've ever cared for, especially Jazz. And I'm going to slowly rip him to shreds right in front of your optics."

Prowl made an inarticulate noise and tried to fight against that crushing grip. He could feel the claws dig deeply into the metal of his cheeks but was too upset to care at the moment. "You sick bastard."

"Ha! You have no idea. We'll both bathe in the energon of that trespasser Jazz. He'll be the first to taste my claws but he'll be the last to die, I promise you."

The Autobot spat energon in his captor's face. "You'll get taken down like a rabid turbowolf before you get anywhere near him! Face it, Barricade, you're outclassed."

His brave words earned him a vicious backhand and an unhinged jaw. A low rumbling growl built in Barricade's throat. "Obviously I didn't beat all the attitude out of you. I'll have to rectify that." An evil promise gleamed in the shock trooper's optics.

It was a long night for Prowl. By the time Barricade was done, his other arm had been dissected messily and parts lay strewn about the cell. When Barricade forced another two cubes of energon down his throat, the barely conscious Autobot didn't even put up a fight. The black Decepticon pulled back and smirked with satisfaction down at the limp 'bot. "There we go, was that so hard?" Another mocking kiss was pressed to Prowl's lips. Obsession gleamed in Barricade's optics when he stroked Prowl's now ruined shoulders and laid-open arms. "You're mine now."

'No, I'm not.' Prowl thought rebelliously. He could not manage to force the words out of the haze of pain and just floated in the sea of wakeful unconsciousness. 'I'll never be yours. Never.'

Barricade snarled as if he could hear Prowl's thoughts and pinned him to the rusted wall by his laid-open shoulder plating. "You're mine!! Do you hear me, Autobot?! MINE!" When he received no reply, the dark Decepticon wrapped his hands around Prowl's throat and began to squeeze. Metal and wiring crumpled but it was a useless effort. The Autobot's labored ventilation continued to rattle through his intakes so he shook Prowl viciously. His prisoner's head just flopped about weakly and blue optics dimmed until they were dead and flat. Prowl was accompanied into stasis lock by Barricade's vengeful curses and hateful words.

Now:

"You're going to have to tell him."

"It's not going to do any good, he's done for. You're just going to have to get used to the idea. We should just end it now and put him out of our misery."

The sound of scuffling from the doorway drew Prowl's muzzy attention. He was not surprised that he'd lost four cycles, this was beginning to get rather worrisome. "Shut up, Ironhide! Jus' shut yer trap before I weld it shut."

"You and what army?" That mocking, gruff voice was unmistakable.

"Enough, Ironhide." Prime ordered firmly. "You're not talking about some faceless Decepticon, this is Prowl and you're being too hasty to pass judgement."

"I just call it like I see it." The gruff weapons specialist looked in the door and granted the now onlined tactician a hard look. Something akin to accusation and even hatred burned in the 'bot's optics.

It scared and unnerved Prowl. What was going on?

"Looks like your boyfriend's awake. Why don't you go give him a nice good-morning kiss."

Jazz shoved the sarcastic bot out of the way and looked at his bondmate with desperation on his face. "Prowl."

"What happened to you!?" Prowl demanded in horror. The wounds and gouges in Jazz's armor had grown and he walked with a pronounced limp into the room. "And don't try and feed me another lie. Tell me, Jazz!"

"Prowl…"

Optimus stepped into the room behind Jazz and studied the shivering Autobot. "Calm down, Prowl."

"I will not!" Without his ability to filter through his emotions, Prowl felt overwhelmed with the depth of his anger and outrage. "Someone's hurting my blasted bondmate and you're telling me to calm down!? Stop treating me as if I'm going to shatter into a million pieces and tell me what's going on!"

The normally stoic mech's vehement outburst had Prime and Jazz pausing. "Tell me." Prowl ordered much more softly. He raised trembling arms to stare down at the dark metal without any real comprehension. The melded claws gleamed in the light as the tremors exploded into outright shaking. "What's wrong with me?" So vulnerable, so scared.

Jazz's spark broke and he stumbled the distance between them to pull Prowl into a crushing hug. "I'm sorry, Prowly. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect ya."

"J-Jazz." As uncertain arm closed about his bondmate, Prowl was terrified to feel how Jazz shook in his embrace. Confused optics rose to meet Prime's dark ones. "What happened, Optimus?"

"The Decepticons…" Optimus began heavily. Pain and regret flowed across his facial features before settling into a grim sort of determination. "They captured you and reprogrammed your cerebral cortex." Primus, how could he find the words? "They inserted an advanced programming shell into your cortex and that artificial personality has been growing. Taking over your processes and primary functions much like some kind of advanced virus."

Optimus finally stated simply. It was best to tell the bad news as flatly and with as little embellish as possible. "For the past hundred vorns or so you've been known as a reprogrammed Decepticon by the designation of Barricade." It pained him down to the spark to tell his once-loyal friend just where he'd been and what he'd been doing throughout the near entirety of the war.

"NO!" Prowl cried and shoved violently away from Jazz. His unpredicted movement sent him crashing from the berth with the scream of monitors and ripped wires. "No. Not him."

Prime clenched his jaw grimly and continued. "We recaptured you and have been trying to undo Barricade's core programming. But it's become nearly impossible to separate your cerebral data from his. This entity has spent all these vorns rewriting and assimilating your cortex into his own and now I fear the damage is irreversible."

Jazz limped around and fell beside Prowl. "Shh… shhh." He tried to calm the terrified-looking mech even though it made his spark feel as though it was being ripped in half. "Don't give up on me, Prowly. Don't give up."

"He… No." Prowl's voice trembled and clawed hands dug furrows into the metal plating he was sitting on. "He was right."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been torturing me. He… he didn't want any information, he just wanted to… to… possess me!" Prowl spat that last part out in disgust. Horrified optics turned up to Prime. "Kill me. Deactivate me before he gets another chance to take over."

"NO!" Jazz shook him sharply. "I'm not going to give up on you! Dammit, Prowl! I've spent too long trying to get you back. You know we can get through this." Jazz had always been like that, he did not like to leave any mech behind and this was his bondmate they were talking about! If he could have, Jazz would have ripped his own spark out for the chance to make Prowl well and whole once more.

The dark mech paused and things began to click in his confused and muzzy cerebral cortex. He raked narrowed optics up and down Jazz's battered form and started to squirm away. "I'm the one who's been doing this, aren't I? When Barricade had been overwhelming me, he's been ripping you to shreds! He's been luring you close enough to hurt you, hasn't he?"

Jazz dropped his hands and let Prowl scurry away from him. "You're worth the risk, Prowl. I don't care what he does so long as we can get you back."

"We've been trying to untangle you two for a few deca-cycles. Sometimes the bastard son of a smelter breaks free. He's one sneaky mech." Ratchet intoned quietly. He'd entered the room--the cell--unnoticed. "I'm not willing to give up all hope yet, Prowl. So long as you have lucid moments like this, I'm not ready to let the fragger win."

"But I'm a danger to all of you! Can't you see that!? Take out the danger before I hurt anyone else."

"You have too many people that care about you to give up on you just yet, Prowl."

"But Prime…"

"We got bigger 'cons to fry!" Ironhide peeked his head through the door. "We need you up on the bridge, Optimus. Looks like they found us again." Mistrustful optics bore into Prowl's. "Seems like they're tracking us some way. I wonder how." Derision dripped from his voice, causing a frown to carve bleak lines into his leader's faceplates.

"Enough of that, Ironhide." Optimus rumble. He shot one last look at Prowl and nodded sharply. "Don't give up hope just yet, old friend." And with that, he strode from the room, Ironhide dogging his footsteps unerringly.

"Stupid slag-eating son of a glitch." Jazz snarled angrily.

"He's programmed like that, you know it, Jazz." Ratchet reprimanded quietly.

"I'll still cave in his skidplate if he gets too close to Prowl." Jazz's angry words surprised the confused mech. Prowl had rarely seen this side of Jazz. Outright violence and hate were not Jazz's style. It unnerved the tactician. What other things had come to pass while he'd… he'd been…

Dear Primus, he could not even bear to think about it.

In his core processor, Prowl swore he could hear mocking laughter. His thoughts were interrupted as the ship rocked violently, throwing Jazz and Ratchet unsteadily into the recharge berth.

"Sons of glitching 'cons!" Ratchet snarled. "Stay here, don't get any stupid ideas or I'll hand you yer skidplate myself." He pointed directly at Prowl.

The intercom system crackled to life. "All hands to battle stations. Repeat, all hands to battle stations." Optimus sounded so calm and unshakable. Even when the ship rocked again from another enemy volley, their leader seemed incapable of being rattled.

"Go, I'll stay with him." Jazz prompted urgently.

Ratchet looked between the two of them, visibly torn for a moment. But the medic's need to protect all won out and Ratchet raced from the room at a speed one would think impossible with his bulky form.

Jazz pulled Prowl to his feet and tried to maneuver him closer to the wall. "Don' strain yerself. Just keep calm and this'll be over quickly. The 'cons have been chewing on our afterburners for deca-cycles now."

"It's because of me." Prowl whispered softly. His head bowed and blue optics dimmed until they were offline. "I'm broadcasting some kind of homing beacon. It's the only way they're able to track us so easily."

"Don't say things like that, Prowl. It's not you. They're just tenacious slaggers is all." Jazz stroked a silver hand tenderly down Prowl's sharp-lined face. It had been difficult at first to stare at that modified form and face. But Jazz had felt himself react to the form just as he'd reacted to the Prowl of old. The Decepticons could change Prowl's body all they wanted but Jazz's love for the other mech was unshakable. The one thing they could not change, the one chain they could not break, were the ties that existed between their sparks.

"No, it's me." Prowl rasped out.

"Prowl…" Unease shot through Jazz and he pulled back enough to stare up at his bondmate.

"Prowl's not in at the moment." The transformation was horrific. Sadistic glee overtook vulnerable features. That fanged maw opened as a malicious laugh filled the air and mad crimson optics that surely belonged to some Pit monster glared down at Jazz. "If you'd like to leave a message, I'll be sure to save enough body parts to spell it out." And clawed fingers flashed down to bury themselves into Jazz's torso. They ripped through the transformation cogs before twisting to rend the circuitry of the silver mech's shoulders.

A pained cry was wrest from the saboteur as Prime's voice crackled over the overhead systems again. "Parameter has been breached in lower aft decks. Prepare to repel invaders. Repeat, prepare to repel invaders. CQC protocols are in affect."

Barricade sneered down at Jazz's surprised face. "Looks like my ride is here. Sounds like I have just enough time to snack on your spark."

He was interrupted by a spastic silver blurr. "Barrbarribarricade!!" Frenzy yelped and scuttled into the room like an overgrown silver spider. "F-f-ffound! Barrbarri-cade!" The tiny hacker had little trouble tracking his partner down with the homing beacon Barricade was broadcasting.

"Shut up, Frenzy!" The large black mech snarled. He hauled Jazz up to his level. Energon and coolant flowed around his claws and the Autobot fought him off as best he could but the Decepticon's attack had severed the magnetic coils he used as his primary weaponry. That was the bitch about having a lover attack you. He always knew your weak-spots.

"Frag you." Jazz snarled and kicked at Barricade's chest plate hard enough to wrench himself off the Decepticon's claws. The drop to the plating jarred his gyros but he was free; the silver mech scrambled to his feet.

"Gogogogo! Go now!" Frenzy snapped. "G-Get caughtcaught for REAL th-thisis time!"

"This time?" Jazz demanded sharply and realization dawned on his face.

Oh sweet Primus… surely not.

"You don't you get it, do you, Autobot? This was all a plan to get the location of the All Spark from you." Barricade sneered unpleasantly at Jazz. "Information that you oh-so-helpfully handed over." The Decepticon pretended to simper and put on a false expression of innocence. "Oh, Jazz, I'm so scared. Save me from myself, don't you love me? Feh. Disgusting."

The silver mech just glared hatefully up at Barricade and tried to swing wildly for the towering mech's mid-section. With half his transformation and servo cables severed, the punch went wide and was weak to begin with. Barricade had little trouble dodging and grabbed Jazz by one arm. He swung the Autobot in a tight arc and smacked him into the wall hard enough to leave a massive dent both in the bulkhead and in Jazz.

Sparks fitfully spat from nearly every joint in Jazz's arm as a low groan of pain was heard. His gyros were scrambled and his visor cracked. Inner navigation could not even get up enough power to balance out his equilibrium. "Still not down? Let me fix that." Barricade yanked Jazz around and slammed him into the opposite bulkhead. Already strained cables ripped free with a scream of metal as Jazz's arm detached from the already weakened shoulder joint and severed raggedly.

The smaller saboteur cried out as energon sprayed unchecked from the main fuel-line.

"GO! Go nownownow!" Frenzy demanded and leapt up at his partner. Silver claws skittered on Barricade's chest as Frenzy forced his way into the compartment in Barricade's chest cavity. "No t-t-time! Play lalatlater!"

"Shut up, runt!" The larger Decepticon slammed a fist down on his hood hard enough to rattle Frenzy in his niche. "This one's mine." He turned hateful optics on the now-limp Autobot. Jazz had gone into stasis lock as his body strove to stop the critical flow of energon pouring from the severed limb. Anticipation shone maliciously on Barricade's hellish features as he wrapped both razored hands around Jazz's neck. He started to slice at the wires and circuitry there so he could get a good hold on the struts and rip the smooth head off.

A sinister chuckle rumbled deep in his chest and just as he gained a good hold on the metal, Barricade found himself frozen and unable to move. His limbs became unresponsive and would not move no matter how hard he tried to command them.

'NO!' A voice echoed sharply through his cerebral cortex. 'I won't let you!'

"Autobot!" Barricade snarled. "Stop fighting me. You're beaten, just give up to the inevitable."

"Barbarbaririricade?" Frenzy asked in confusion.

'Won't… let… you…' The echoing voice was distorted and sounded strained. It was obvious the last vestiges of Prowl's core programming were trying to put up just one last fight.

"He's mine!" The dark mech was growing more furious with each passing second. How dare this weaker program interfere with his revenge!?

'No. He's mine.' Unbeknownst to Barricade, his optics flickered erratically from red to blue until the constantly bleeding colors grew dizzy and hard to follow.

"I. Won't. Let. You." Fighting the control away from Barricade enough to bite those few words out was the hardest thing Prowl had ever done.

The 'con could only utter an inarticulate sound of rage.

Prowl fought him for every inch of control and pulled Barricade's clawed hands out of the delicate and mangled circuitry of Jazz's neck. The Autobot fell like a stone and sprawled limply at the shock trooper's feet.

'ARGGGH! Autobot! I'm going to rip your cortex out and feed it to you code by code!' Barricade screamed silently once he found himself taking a backseat in his commandeered body.

"Barbarbaricadecadecade! Whatswrongwronwithwi-withy-y-y-y-ou!?" Frenzy yelped as he felt his partner shudder and spasm around him. The little 'con seemed to realize how precarious a place he might be in and tried to trigger the emergency release and found it unresponsive. "H-hey! Openopen!"

"Ragh!" Metal screeched on metal as Barricade fell backwards into the wall. The commotion from the cell finally drew the wrong kind of attention as Ironhide dispatched a middle-sized 'con that had tried to sneak onboard. Hearing the scream from the brig, Ironhide took off down the hallway. When the large weapons specialist reached the cell, he was greeted with the horrific sight of the energon besmeared Decepticon and Jazz's limp body seemingly deactivated at his feet.

"Son of a glitch! You unholy slagger, I'll send you to the Pit myself!" Ironhide snarled as he leveled his already charged cannon at the Barricade/Prowl entity. The black mech just twitched uselessly before desperately flickering optics tilted upwards to meet Ironhide's.

"Do… it…" Blue seemed to hold reign for a moment and for a fleeting second, Ironhide thought he saw Prowl's stubborn bearing staring back at him from the Decepticon's cruel features. It rattled the normally stoic weapons specialist. But then sapphire blue was gone, replaced by crimson.

Finding himself cornered, Barricade bared his fangs in a snarl. The standoff lasted briefly but then the 'con buried both clawed hands into the strained metal of the bulkhead and ripped. Under normal circumstances, the metal should have been able to withstand even a direct cannon blast. But as Ironhide raised his weapon and fired, Barricade leapt to the side and the concussive blast hit already weakened metal.

It punctured a hole right through the hull and directly into the vacuum of space. Like fabric unweaving, the metal frayed and sucked whatever was in its path directly out of the suddenly gaping hole. Atmospheric pressure plummeted but Ironhide had his hands full lunging forward to grab the off-lined Jazz. The enraged weapons specialist thought he caught a razor-sharp grin on Barricade's face as he let himself be sucked out of the make-shift airlock, but Ironhide could not be certain. The sergeant grabbed onto whatever he could to keep from following the slagger out into space and cursed the air until it was blue.

Only when the emergency decompression plates fell down to cover the rupture did Ironhide release his hold on the bulkhead he'd grabbed.

"What's going on down there!?" Prime's voice snapped through the comlink.

"It's Ironhide. Prisoner escaped. Get Ratchet down here immediately, the slagger near ripped Jazz in half." Ironhide snarled into the communicator.

There was a barely imperceptible pause. "Understood, will dispatch medical attention immediately, Prime out."

Ironhide looked down at his comrade and grimaced at the extent of damage. "Primus, if you didn't have bad luck, I don't think you'd have any luck at all, Jazz."

Barricade rendezvoused with his fellow Decepticons and stood stock still before the towering form of their usurper ruler. Starscream eyed the storm trooper with open disgust. The Air Commander had little regard for terran-bound vehicles, especially the likes of Barricade who was so hard to predict or read. "Did you get the information?" Starscream asked quietly, his voice a sibilant menace no doubt learned at Megatron's right hand.

"Of course… sir." Barricade kept his optics lowered and presented the datapad with shining claws. "The All Spark and Lord Megatron should be on the third planet of the Tikai system."

"Good," Starscream smiled sharply. "I want you and Frenzy to lead our forward guard. Assimilate yourself into the local culture, assess and report their defensive capabilities. With luck, there will not be much in the way of sentient life. But if they managed to… subdue Lord Megatron, we must be on our guard."

"Of course, sir." He could feel Frenzy twittering with excitement inside his chest. Ever since the incident on board the Autobot ship, the hacker had studiously been going through the remnants of the Autobot Prowl's code and effectively deleting anything that could possibly cause a repeat episode. The spastic hacker had wanted to completely eradicate any traces of the Autobot but Barricade had firmly put his foot down.

They all had to have their hobbies; Barricade's simply consisted of taunting the former owner of his frame. He'd grow tired of the game eventually and find something else to wile the time away.

For now, it was amusing enough. And it would be a long trip to this system. Barricade had all the time in the world.

Later:

Prowl found himself back, locked in the dark and rusting cell. But this time, he remembered. Remembered everything. His screams of anger and denial echoed in the darkness. Barricade did not come to taunt him, however, and he was left to scream into uncaring silence.

This time, the Decepticon left him alone and the darkness seemed to close in on Prowl until all he could hear, see or feel was the air in his intakes, the panic clenching his spark and his screams turning to static in his vocalizer.

This time, he was truly alone and the light had gone out.

He was alone.

Alone.