Baby Bone Lullaby: Soundwave decided to strike out at Optimus and Sentinel got in the way. He had never realized how different he was from Cybertronian mechs and decided to experiment with the extra parts. Now, Sentinel never wants Optimus, anyone, to know what happened that night the con's clutches. It is a manner of honor.

Rating: Mature though there is a MA version on A03.

Disclaimer: If only, if only, the plot bunny sings.

Image: Sentinel's Inner Pain by Paw07

…

You stole my light, my pride, my sight,

And now I want forever to hide my plight.

Yet, no matter how soft or how kind,

To IT I will always sing a sad lullaby.

…

They were supposed to be catching Wasp not a … juiced up stereo with legs. Not that it mattered now, the two of them chained to the ceiling, systems out of sync because of some sonics the visored freak had thrown their way. Sentinel Prime's internal systems still felt scrambled and his equilibrium was all but gone causing him to be as weak as a sparkling. It was a disconcerting feeling that stirred the contents of his tank, yet he wanted to keep his fear well masked and so Sentinel Prime resisted the urge to release his tanks right then and there.

He didn't want to look weak. Not in front of Optimus. He was the superior officer after all, and Elite regulations told him that panicking was the worst thing to do in a captive situation. And Sentinel had always prided himself for being a stickler for the rules. Besides, he would never let Optimus think he was stronger than him. He was stronger than that glory hound, that coward.

He wouldn't have let her die…

Dreams were rare already for a transformer, but his dreams… were always of her, reaching for him, crying out for him as she fell.

Elita…

Shaking his head, hating how being around Optimus was bring forward old agonies, Sentinel shook his head to regain some equilibrium. She was deactivated after all and so should his want for her. He needed new dreams and new wants. Like … like … He wanted to be Magnus. Yes, that was his longing now. It was his to-be lover, especially when it was something that could not die. A title cannot be lost or hurt … just tarnished and traded.

A secret part of Sentinel thought of that goal as his only purpose now. It would be his love. It would bury his old hurts as well as the thought of the bonding ring in his subspace that he could never take out. He had bought it for Elita-1 shortly before the incident, waiting to ask her to be his until after they graduated.

A day that never came.

And that thought made him sick.

"Your tank bothering you? Mine sure is after that … sound weapon," murmured Optimus, energon pooling down the side of his head from a wound as he stared at his strangely silent superior. Optimus Prime hadn't gone down as easily as Sentinel had because he had dealt with Soundwave before, so he had been beaten down for it.

Sentinel glared, recalling the battle. From what he was able to recall, Optimus knew their attacker calling him Soundwave or something. As usual, it was Optimus' fault. At least he hadn't been as cowardly as he had been with the giant spiders.

I want to hate him!

But no, that was wrong. He was a superior officer here and had an honor code. Therefore, an officer obeyed the rules and a loyal Autobot couldn't think that way. Nonetheless, those kinds of thoughts were always there, spitting out of his vocals like venom in taunting little phrases here or there.

Dimming his optics, protecting his pride because he would never just be a lowly construction-bot like his sire (like Optimus was right now), Sentinel glared for a moment and grumbled, "My tank isn't bothering me. My equilibrium systems may have been damaged otherwise I would already have us out of here!"

Optimus frowned and pulled at the chains that had him hanging off the floor by a few inches, his peds twitching as he struggled to touch the ground and get some leverage.

Glaring at the chains around his wrist for a moment, Optimus sarcastically replied, "I'm sure you would have, but since you can't… help me think of a way out of this. Soundwave was a little weird this time and I don't want to know what he has planned."

Raising a metallic brow, Sentinel was almost afraid to know what Optimus considered weird but found himself asking anyway, "What do you mean by weird?"

Tugging on his chains as he tried swinging, Optimus grunted, "Well, he said something about Soundwave will be superior and not is superior like he would usually say. He then tried plugging into my systems by bashing my head into the cement a few times and sticking a tentacle … ugh … thing under my helm. My security systems were saying he was trying to get to my schematics."

Sentinel's optics went wide and he found himself barking, "What?! Which schematics?! Those are planet secrets, Optimus! You could be labeled a traitor if you gave those away!"

Giving a pointed look, his EM field burst in irritation, the fire truck murmured, "I didn't give him anything. He took them, I think. I kind of passed out."

"You what?! You don't even know what he specifically took?!" yelled Sentinel, not wanting his name to be associated with the mech that revealed Autobot secrets, accidentally or not.

Finally looking a little bit angry at the accusations, Prime barked back, "At least I fought harder than you! You were out after the first hit!"

"Are you saying my melee skills aren't up to par!?"

"Yes! Yes, I am saying that!"

"Oh, I'll have you court martialed for insulting a superior officer!"

"The only thing superior about you is your bad attitude, Sentinel. You have always been a jerk, but you used to know when to lay off. Now lay off! Before Elita deactivated you… what's that?"

Optimus suddenly went still, his head jerking to the left and revealing the ghastly truth of what Soundwave had done. Sentinel's rage deflated for a moment at the gore as he shrank back at the sight. Something was still attached to Optimus' helm, like a radio transmitter or something. That didn't stop him from barking though, Elita's name pressing at his mind, "What were you going to say?! Out with it, Optimus! And what is that thing attached to your helm?"

Optimus turned to glare at the loud mouth Prime and murmured, "Quiet, I heard something?"

"Oh, don't try to get out of this! I was talking to you! What were you saying about Elita!"

"Loudmouth: annoying," came a static-filled robotic voice as a blue and bulky form wandered out of the shadows to look over the two Primes like they were little more than hanging meat.

Sentinel glowered at the intruder and Optimus frowned, the latter murmuring, "Soundwave, why are we here? What do you want with us? Let us go!"

The Decepticon tilted his head and came forward. Staring for a moment before he slowly reached a hand forward, running his hand over Optimus' jaw and making the mech jerk back. Soundwave merely stood there in front of the two undeterred, staring at the energon that was now on his hands. The implantation was still bleeding. The blue mech frowned behind his visor as he stared at the blue glow of Optimus' energon. He knew all too well that his fluids were not the same color and that bothered him.

Bringing his hand down, he said with the same toneless voice, "Knowledge: required. Structure is superior: rust-less and timeless."

Optimus' optics widened. Seeing the Con in the light for the first time now he noticed there were red patches on his armor, probably from hiding out in the sewers. It was rust. He must not have been made very well and though the rust was minor, it seemed far too accelerated from being down in this wet place.

In fact, it was so accelerated, it was like it was a disease or a chemical he had gotten into. Soundwave was made of soft earth materials after all. He had originally been a child's toy, so it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise.

Regardless of the initial shock from Optimus, Sentinel seemed to realize what was going on without Optimus having to clarify. "Frag, no! We are not going to give a known criminal our schematics or metal! I don't care if your offlining. It's against regulation and we won't tell you anything … though if you surrender yourself and release us, medical care is offered to all prisoners. So, release us!"

Looking at the loud mouth for only a moment, the musical menace turned his attention back to Optimus and murmured, "Initial statement: inaccurate. Not we… Optimus Prime will help me. He will help me disassemble the blue one's structure and then I will rip into you."

Optimus' EM field recoiled at the thought, barking, "What?! I'm not going to help you … even if Sentinel kind of deserves it."

Sentinel's mouth dropped open as he stared at his ex-friend. "What did you say?!"

Red visor glowing for a moment in irritation, the Decepticon reached towards Optimus and tapped the small receiver now attached to the mech's helm, "Choices: none. You will assist me."

Sentinel could only watch in helplessness as Optimus suddenly withered like a fish on a hook. The blue Prime didn't know if he should be more afraid of whatever the Con was now doing to Optimus or what the visored mech was planning for him.

Not that it mattered, because a klick later Optimus stopped withering like his motherboard was being barbecued and turned a dull almost passive gaze to Soundwave, murmuring, "What do you require of me, Master?"

With a suddenly hammering spark, Sentinel then watched as the Con walked over to a nearby wall and loosened the chain suspending Optimus off the ground. The red Prime fell to his feet with an uneasy balance, still dazed looking. He didn't even twitch or strike out when the cuffs around his wrists were removed and fell slowly to the floor noisily. Then, with calm hands, Soundwave started touching the side of Optimus' helm again, almost longingly feeling the metal of the other mech's face as the Autobot stared passively at the concrete wall. They were most likely in a room that once belonged to the subways or sewers.

Feeling a slight protectiveness, his mind telling him it was because he was a commanding officer here and not because they were old friends, Sentinel barked, "What the pit did you do to him?! You … stop touching him! Don't you dare touch a circuit in his body or you will fall under the full punishment of Autobot law!"

The petting suddenly stopped and then the visor turned to Sentinel, Soundwave booming, "Silence: It will be obtained either way, even if I have to take both of you apart."

Puffing his chest out as well as he could while hanging there like a piece of meat on a hook, Sentinel barked, "Frag you! I'm not a traitor or a weakling! Whatever you did to Optimus Prime won't work on my CPU! I have more security in mine then the glorified repair-bot!"

The sound-mech was about to retort but stalled. He didn't know that word, frag, and if he was going to successfully infiltrate the Autobot ranks in order to get ahold of that key or a shard of the Allspark in order to get his own spark, he had to know at least the basic jargon. Turning to the dead-opticed Prime, Soundwave asked, "Optimus: What is frag?"

Sentinel couldn't stop the blush on his metallic cheeks as mind-zombie Optimus, who was now sitting on the floor looking up at the blue mech with pouty lips, stated in an airy voice, "It's a way for mechs and femmes to pleasure each other and to make a carried Cybertronian, also known as sparklings. It is used as a flexible insult as well."

The earth-made mech looked confused, murmuring in a softer tone than usual, "Inquiry: How do they pleasure each other?"

Blinking his half-lit optics, the Prime continued, "Well, one uses their valves and spikes. Femmes naturally only have valves while mech's have both a spike and a valve. Said parts are then used to interlock, arose and exchange fluids. The pressing of sparks, spark rubbing, with this giving of transfluid, or nanites, into a port can then make a valve taken mech or femme spark and be with sparkling. When that happens, they are called Heavy."

Visor becoming bright, his mind wanting to know all it could about the body he would soon own if everything went right, Soundwave asked, "Sparkling?"

"The equivalent of a baby," answered the Prime as if knowing that dead tone was a question.

Still confused, the Con waved his hand over Optimus' body unsure of where the equipment was even located as he asked, "Command: Show me."

…

Sentinel was sure it was someone else this had happened to.

He was sure it was someone else that Optimus had taken over and over again, even when their two sparks melded together and for a moment made the whole horrible scenario feel like a lover's game. He had believed it was someone else that had been chained and bound and … raped.

But as he lay there on the floor, chains loosely bound for Optimus had been on top of him, his mind was vaguely aware he was covered in fluids and his equipment hurt and … and Optimus' mind control device had shorted out because of the spark overload. Soundwave was currently leaning over the other Prime trying to fix the other to continue his game… Sentinel had been forgotten.

Unfortunately for the Con, his back was now turned to Sentinel and the charge had reset some of the blue mech's systems. He was not dumb enough to waste a chance like this.

Not wasting another moment, hate and fear pulsing through his EM field, Sentinel sat up and grabbed his loose restraints throwing them around the Con's neck.

The earth model barked in surprise as they both fell backward and with quick reflexes the musician elbowed Sentinel in the chassis, aiming for the open spark chamber. He barely missed.

Grunting in surprise, struggling with slow systems, Sentinel was able to get his chassis closed, but the distraction had done it's job and suddenly Soundwave was straddling the slightly larger Prime. His hands were now reaching forward and around Sentinel's neck, cutting off the tubing that brought energon to his helm.

Sentinel sputtered, hands reaching towards those thick blue fingers around his throat, but Soundwave's grip was too sure and he couldn't rely on his training to slam his palm into the other's face because the chains were just too short. He wouldn't even be able to try and poke out the other mech's visor!

He was going to deactivate and if Optimus got out of here, everyone would know that he died weak and pathetic like a raped femme. He would be dishonored in deactivation. Would he even get an Elite Gaurd funeral?

No, that was too much to bear. He was already defiled. He would not die remembered only for that and not any great feats. He hadn't even been in a great battle yet while Optimus apparently had.

Rage suddenly bubbling forth, optics searching for anything, everything, he saw his chance. A stone. A simple stone.

He didn't waste a moment grabbing it and slamming it into the musician's neck. The other mech grunted, rolling off … and after that, Sentinel didn't recall his training, his honor and the rules of an Elite Guard. He just saw someone else slamming that stone repeatedly into the blue Con's helm. And they couldn't stop.

They just kept smashing and smashing and smashing, fluids slowly covering their hands like a grisly horror movie.

They…

No, no. This was him again. H-he couldn't stop himself from pounding Soundwave's helm into the cement even when the stone had crumbled into rubble. Even when the Con's limbs stopped twitching and there was oil splattering everywhere with each impact of the now broken-open helm. Sentinel couldn't stop. Only once he heard a moan from Optimus echo over the room did Sentinel stall, his optics going wide.

The other Prime was snapping out of it and soon he would be able to figure out what happened if he didn't remember everything already! Both of their latches were open.

Swallowing a whimper, Sentinel struggled to his feet, collapsing once before half crawling over to the other mech. Once there, he reached into a leg compartment and grabbed a rag that was meant of cleaning his weapons. He wiped Optimus' equipment off before his optics struggled to find both of their cod pieces.

Luckily, neither one was very far and he was quickly pressing Optimus' latch down onto the groggy Prime. A heavy click filled the room just as the truck-former raised an arm to rub his head.

Rushing to hide the evidence, Sentinel turned his back for a moment to wipe his thighs, more worried about the interfacing evidence then the fact that his hands were covered in oil. Then, he clicked his own codpiece shut just as the repair-bot sat up.

"Uhhh, what happened?" groaned Optimus. "My head… We-we were chained up … and how did we both get on the floor?"

Sentinel turned his head in a panic and almost wept in relief. He was so glad that his hunch was right that the zombie-state wouldn't recall raping his ex-best friend since Optimus had no control over his own actions. It had been a wild guess that Optimus wouldn't remember, but even if the other Prime did remember… Well, he would reply it was madness! Soundwave was just messing with his mind.

Nodding to himself, Sentinel looked at his hands as the other Prime slowly got to his feet, glad that the oil was covering up the stains of their joining. He was so shell shocked that he barely even noticed that Optimus was standing over Soundwave's corpse, a hand over his mouth and his optics full of horror. Optimus' voice was barely a whisper, "W-what happen here?"

Struggling to get to his own feet, though he was sure he would collapse, Sentinel stood up as proudly as he could, "Nothing, I took care of him … let's just get out of here."

XXX

Paw07: if you think this kind of reminds of Faded Blue… you are right. Both were originally started around the same time, but if I ever get around to adding additional chapters to either… well, you would see how different the two would be. Faded Blue would be a selfish smut-fest and this one would get a real plot and spark wrenching secrets for Sentinel. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Sentinel and his rule obsession. Maybe I have a thing for uniformed stoic men, but mmm … angsty. Anyway, if you are of age, there is an unedited version of this on A03. :3

Revisions April 2019.