Swoop's entire chassis ached when it came out of stasis, more than he figured it should. But he'd felt this kind of pain before, and he had a feeling it was because of the same reason.

He gave a moan as he tried to move, his chassis creaking as he moved an arm, then a leg. His optics opened to find the light of morning filtering into the space, and Transmutate looking down at him. "...'Tate'..."

"You had a nightmare..."

Swoop moaned as he sat up. "Yeah...I kinda figured... Feels like I threw out every joint in my body...!"

"They know."

"What?"

Transmutate took his hand. "...They know you are Swoop."

"...Do they believe it?"

The femme nodded. "...I was scared...!"

Swoop pulled her tightly against him. "I'm sorry...You know I don't have much control over these things..."

"That should be fixed."

The pair looked up as Ratchet came over to them, expression stern. "You shouldn't be hurting yourself like this."

Swoop looked away from the medic. "I...I've had a hard time since I climbed back up that hole..."

The rest of the bots came around, some sitting and others just getting down to optic-level. Bumblebee's expression was soft as he placed a hand on the dinobot's knee.

"Tell us what happened..." He requested softly.

"...Every other bot I've encountered, other Resparks...They don't remember who they are, or...were, I guess..." Swoop closed his optics. "...It's a curse, being reborn with all that trauma... I've tried to move on, but...Most days I find myself screaming to the Guides to take me back, because I didn't ask to come back... I didn't want to come back."

"You regret being reborn...?" Sideswipe murmured.

Swoop opened his optics again to look at the red sports car. "You shouldn't regret, Sideswipe. You were a hero, you are a hero... I was a twisted, broken shell after what Shockwave did to me... And now I'm just...Broken."

"What did Shockwave do to you...?" Strongarm inquired.

"...I was normal once... It was just a routine mission, it wasn't supposed to go that way... Shockwave took me by surprise, used me as bait to lure the rest of my team in to rescue me...and then-"

"He took us apart."

The bots all looked at Grimlock, whose hands had moved over his chestplate, to where his spark was. Fear was in his optics, staring at the floor. "...We almost died."

"Yes... When we came online...We weren't the same. You tried to call Optimus for help, but it was too late..."

Transmutate placed her arm around her friend. "It was not your fault, Swoop...You were ambushed."

"Perhaps...But it doesn't change the fact that if I hadn't been captured, the others wouldn't have had to come for me..."

Ratchet placed a hand on the dinobot's shoulder. "That's all over now... You're free."

"No, I'm not... That's why Shockwave had me taken from the mental facility... He wants to use me again..." He looked up at Grimlock. "...Any of us he can get."

"He's not getting me!" Grimlock informed. "No way, no way...!"

"No he's not." Bumblebee agreed, and then turned back to Transmutate. "What about you, Transmutate? What's your connection to all of this?"

Transmutate sighed. "...I am not quite sure... My earliest memories...They are of being broken at the top of the Well... I don't remember climbing...Or being carried... Just...Being there."

She took a moment to collect herself and then continued, speaking quickly to get as much out between glitches. "...I met Swoop in the medical bay... He was being checked out after being resparked...I was there for therapy... I had no armor...Just a skeleton... I was wearing random pieces that didn't fit... It hurt... To walk, to talk...I felt trapped in my own body...He was my first friend...Then they took him away to the mental facility... I wanted to see him, but they wouldn't let me!"

"I was put there after a...scuffle, with some jerks." Swoop admitted, "I wasn't used to the new rules, so I got a little more violent than was allowed... They decided I was insane and dangerous...and so I was locked up."

"I tried to get there on my own once... I fell and hit my helm on something... I saw something...Walls in my processor...I heard voices on the other side asking for help. I tried to get through and the walls began to crack... I made a hole in one of them and...and then I was able to cry...I couldn't cry before..."

"Walls..." Ratchet looked into her optics. "...Walls blocking you from feeling?"

"From reacting to my feelings...I made another hole in another wall...and I was able to speak better... That's when I knew why I was broken..."

"Someone blocked you."

Transmutate nodded. "...Somebody didn't want me to feel or fight back..."

"What's blocking?" Russell asked.

"It's like the cybertronian version of lobotomy..." Ratchet informed, "They place mental barriers in criminals' processors that prevent them from being able to coordinate themselves enough to fight back and try to escape detention camps."

Swoop's eyebrows furrowed as he took her hand, "We think it was Shockwave, but what his initial plan for her was, we don't know...Or how she escaped and wound up at the Well."

"So in other words, Shockwave is out to finish some old projects and is rounding up his old guinea pigs at the same time." Bumblebee concluded.

"What's a...Guinea pig?" Transmutate asked.

"They're little rodents that are...I'll explain later."

Optimus bent down to the bots' optic level. "Do either of you know why Shockwave was coming here?"

Swoop nodded, finally standing to his feet. "Yes... He said he needs some device he stashed here, something that in his words 'will ensure none of his projects backfire again'..."

"Then we'd better figure out what that device is and where it is before he can get his hands- err, hand...- On it." Bumblebee stood up completely and turned to his team. "Looks like we've got ourselves another relic hunt, Team."

"Joy..." Sideswipe muttered.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The rays of early morning were peeking out over the edges of the canyon, casting the stone walls in a golden glow. The chilly desert night was burned away by the warmth of the sun, creatures big and small peeking out of their holes to soak in the warmth.

One inhabitant towered over the rest, but had been awake for hours. Night was when he did his best thinking, and he simply watched from the clifftop as the canyon began to wake. This world was not his home...But perhaps one day it would, when he ruled over it.

"I always knew you belonged with the animals, Steeljaw..."

Steeljaw's eyebrows furrowed as the familiar voice spoke from behind him. It was one he knew well, but had fully intended on never hearing again. "...That's a terrible way to greet your former commanding officer, Fracture..." His tone was smooth, despite his irritation.

"You may have given me orders before, but not anymore!"

Steeljaw turned to face the bounty hunter, tail bristling. "Then why are you here? What do I have that you want...?"

Fracture smirked. "Actually, I'm here on the behalf of my employer... He has an offer for you."

Steeljaw looked the other Decepticon in the optic for a moment, and then turned away. "Pass. I've had enough of working for other Decepticons."

"He doesn't intend on letting you pass..."

Steeljaw ducked to avoid Fracture's slash, whipping back around and getting some distance between them. "A warning, I presume...!"

"Sorry, but Shockwave won't be pleased if I return empty-handed..."

"Shockwave..."
A growl escaped the wolf-bot's throat. "...I'd rather be sealed inside stasis for eternity before I even lift a digit for that bot."

"Ooh... Strikes a nerve, does he?"

Steeljaw didn't want to think about it. He did strike a nerve, but that was a long time ago...He was a stronger bot now. To be honest, every alliance with others had gone terribly wrong for him, even from the very beginning.
He dodged Fracture's next swing, throwing his own with his tail and knocking Fracture back several feet.

The wolf-bot took a brief moment to evaluate the playing field. The plateau they stood on was long and narrow, not much room for movement.

Fracture didn't give him much time to prepare a plan. The next thing Steeljaw registered was the bount hunter's minicons barreling towards him. He managed to knock one aside, but the other slammed into his shoulder, transforming into bot mode and digging his claws into Steeljaw's metal. Steeljaw growled as he ripped Airazor from his chassis, the minicon's claws causing more damage as they were torn free.

This minor distraction is all Fracture needed, and Steeljaw yelped as multiple shots hit him, knocking him backwards a few steps. He gasped as the edge of the plateau vanished out from under him and he teetered, trying to regain his balance.

Fracture grabbed him and held him out over the edge, a sneer on his faceplate. "Last chance, Animech...!"

Steeljaw's optics narrowed, and then Fracture yelped as the wolf-bot's own claws dug into his faceplate. He dropped the animech, the scratches stinging as he looked over the edge.

Despite his face now bleeding, he smirked as he watched his former boss tumble down the cliffside, slamming through multiple outcroppings before hitting the ground below.

"Did you get him, Boss?" Airazor inquired.

Fracture searched for movement, giving a chuckle as he found none. "...Good enough. Let's get back to our previous job, shall we?"

The bounty hunter transformed and took off into the desert, not much caring if Steeljaw was still online. After that fall, he wouldn't be for long if he was.

The wolf-bot's chassis was still as it laid in the settling dust, but then gave a shudder as he gave a wheezy cough. His jarred systems slowly came back online, alerting him to multiple injuries. He didn't need the alerts to know he was hurt, the pain kept him on his back.

"...Ow...!" He rasped, his optics looking up at the brightening sky. Pain or not, he couldn't leave himself exposed like this.

Damage alerts screamed in his processor to stay still as he rolled over onto his stomach, forcing his arms and legs underneath him and getting onto his feet. "C-Can't stay here...!" He hissed through gritted teeth. His limbs sparked with electricity with each step, and energon dripped from several cuts and dents he'd sustained on the way down. His vision was flickering in and out, but he kept walking. He needed to reach the cave he used as a home... He needed to be out of sight before he could rest.

"One day...One day I will be safe... We all will be safe...!"