Universe: G1 AU
Characters: Red Alert, Inferno, Shockwave, protectorbots
Notes: set a couple of vorns after New frames, old memories

"They are gone!"

Prowl looked up from his data pad, a interesting report on the situation in Perihex, calmly.

"What is gone this time, Red Alert?" he asked with more patience than he felt having with Red's fits of paranoia. Bots said he had an endless patience and so cheerfully let him take all of it. Of course they did. The small red and white mech was all jittery after breaking in his office like that, and approached his desk in a frenzy. His horns sparking crazily.

"They are gone! My kids!" he said and looked at him with terror in those blue optics. "they aren't anywhere!"

Prowl frowned, four faces flashing from his memory files, but sighed:" Probably the spies you send after them lost them for a moment. They are in an allied city, they are safe."

He would check anyway, but the mech was always worried about even the most absurd things. He went to lower his gaze back to his work, when someone else stepped in his office.

" Prowl, listen to him, they are gone. " Inferno said, sounding as fretful as his mate. And as Prowl looked up the larger security officer was shaken.

Inferno, shaken. Prowl stiffened, knowing the issue was likely real this time. And kidnapped creations of high officers? Primus, he dreaded what was going to happen.

"Okay." he said firmly , gesturing for both to sit down "tell me everything. The more information you give me, the easier it will be."

Prowl kept calm. He had had experience in the police before entering the secret services of Praxus and anyway finding mechs was part of his job for more than a decavorn. He could do it.
The two mechs sat, obediently at least, and Red was the first to ramble. Prowl frowned, just trying to keep up.

"They haven't talked to us since two days ago! And don't look at me like that, Prowl! They call us every day! ' the smallish security head fretted, and he was continuously torturing his servos, anxiety radiating off him. Prowl could almost feel it and sucked at empathizing.

"Alright. Between my calculations, and Jazz's agents we'll find the four of them in no time. ' he said, though he felt less confident than he sounded even to himself " just send me the relevant-"

" Five. "

" Pardon?"

' They are five. Streetwise too is gone. "

- - -

Starscream walked with a small smirk on his face as he went through the maze of halls that made up Darkmount's base. He was so happy! For once, a clean, well orchestrated move. Megatron would have to recognize his skill for once! He reached the main room, trying to get the composure befitting the Second in Command of the Decepticons. His wings continued fluttering excited at times, but that idiotic grounder wouldn't understand it anyway. Megatron stood there, in front of a screen, that little spy freak by his side.

"Lord Megatron, we captured the creations of the security head of the Autobots.' he reported, not helping a pleased, proud flutter of wings." they are in the brig.'

"Excellent. Lead the way, Starscream. For once you did something. ' the warlord replied and Starscream was torn between happiness at the praise or irritation at the sneered insult. He just dipped his helm slightly to hide both and started leading the way.

"They will be excellent bargain chips." the seeker continued "if the security our agents had to bypass was anything to go by. '

It had been a nightmare, as he was told, but it worked at least. Primus bless Skywarp's gift. He'd even get him some rust sticks, if there were any in Polyhex. As they went towards the brig, Soundwave being as silent and creepy as ever, cons went back and forth but all kept away from them, trying not to show it too much but failing. Not that Starscream blamed them, they were quite dangerous. He was the most dangerous after all. His smirk already firmly on place grew.

The cells were empty.
The five, small, dark cells those prisoners were shoved in were empty. Starscream felt himself freeze up in shock, and his wings went stiff, his smirk gone. He turned to the closest guard, knowing by the roar starting to rumble in Megatron's chassis that he had almost no time to save himself.

"You! Where are the prisoners?" he snarled, claws out in menacing threat. His spark felt like exploding.

"Shockwave brought them to the lab sir." the guard said and he could feel the terror in his voice. He'd be pleased if he didn't feel the same fill his spark. Followed by dread.

"The lab? ' he almost screeched. His claws going straight for the mech's spark, just wanting that idiot to disappear. He watched him collapse

- - -

That place was silent, too silent. Hot Spot looked around, still half asleep. What happened? He was going to go for his application in the civilian fire corps! Everything was normal, then there was a... Stab of pain in his left side.
He tried to touch it, wanting to see if something hit him and hurt him. It knocked him out? Maybe he was in a hospital. Though that complete darkness was not usual for this.

He couldn't move his arm. His movements stopped by cold metal. Restrains. Frag. And he still couldn't see where he was!
Hot Spot started wriggling, trying to break whatever was holding him on what felt like a metal slab. What was going on?

"trying to free yourself is pointless and illogical."

A cold voice sounded in the darkness, followed by heavy, calm steps. Then light hit his optics. Finally. One yellow light. It almost mitigated the horror at whatever that mech said.
Then it dawned on him, the exact moment a switch was thrown, a soft click in the silence, and cold neon light hit a violet, one-eyed mech. The light he had seen before was that yellow, freakish optic.

"Shockwave? " he tried to scream out but his voice box did a horrible, grating sound, and pain shot through his whole helm and neck, burning like fire. The mech didn't seem to react to that. No face to express any feelings. He could be a statue without much effort.

"Speaking is impossible. Screaming deconcentrates me." he said and looked at his right side. Hot Shot turned his helm, the only movement he was able to do.
His voice box fritzed again as it choked the scream his spark wanted to make. And Hot Spot could only cry out in his helm seeing First Aid laying beside him. His blue optics huge and staring at him, the same horror Hot Spot wanted to express in that gaze. In the gaze of his sweet, gentle brother.

'It was a obvious chance, being able to get my servos on the perfect test subjects. A shame Lord Megatron wouldn't allow it on prisoners who are meant for bargain. It was a waste. " the cyclop said quietly, icy calmness in his tone. ' it will be interesting. '

He approached and continued talking. It didn't seem like he was talking to them, more to himself.
" natural siblings have a similar frequency to their spark, which becomes always more similar as time goes. ' he said quietly" it was believed it only involved natural siblings. But they don't. Also mechs with a certain familiarity, who get to know themselves this way, have this. "

He looked at Hot Spot, then swept his gaze right. He could only see First Aid, but he knew with horrified certainty that all his siblings were there. He wanted to cry out for them too, but couldn't. And didn't let himself tear up, he didn't want to do that. Even for anger.

Then Shockwave moved, and came over Hot Spot. He held cables in his servos, and a tube. The white mech felt his spark freeze in terror, knowing that whatever the mech was doing, he wasn't surviving it. What Red told them in his fritzes of paranoia was enough. And no one ever really told him they were exaggerated.
They probably were not.

The cables connected at the base of his helm, and it felt like claws piercing through  his very being. Then a stab, right over his spark, and Hot Spot just knew it was the tube. He didn't see it, because he had shut his optics, not daring to watch it happen, but it felt different. Large. Like a blunt, huge needle getting plugged into him. Hot Spot wished he could scream right now, he needed it!

The cyclop passed on, he felt the noise of steps, more than hear them. It was terrifying, he knew the mech was doing this to his siblings. To his family. And he could do nothing, just laying mute and motionless, too cowardly to even open his optics and see it happen.

Then the steps finished, the silence came again
And then there was darkness, only darkness.
Blessed darkness.

- - -

The beeping was insistent and painful in his audials, but wasn't what woke Streetwise up.
It was something else. Something extremely painful, way worse than his audials ringing. Deep in his chassis, burning like fire. Moving inside his spark.
There was something inside it.

-What's going on? What's going on?- he thought, as he knew from his desperate tries that he couldn't speak. He tried to turn on his optics as he said that but he could not, he felt too faint and in too much pain.

-I don't know! Wait, who is talking? - a thought hit him, but it wasn't him. There was something in his processor too!
He knew the voice of that something.

-Hot Spot? - he thought, trembling in his frame and in his processor - Hot Spot is that you? -

-Streetwise?! -

Then other... Things raised in his processor. Other thoughts, like a flood of chaos, emotions. Fear, so much fear! The pain of the pinging in his audials, multiplied four times. Echoing through his chaotic thoughts and panic.

Streetwise screamed, and if he couldn't out loud, he could in his processor, silencing the four minds invading his, almost managing to kick them out.
He could only hear himself tearing his processor apart in agony.
And it was almost a relief.

- - -

"Those were for bargaining power! Not your experiment puppets! ' Starscream almost screeched, glaring at the idiotic, logic-centered crazed scientist. His claws extending spasmodic. " you killed them, like the other dozens of bots? "

He was infuriated. And that mech just ignored him as he continued working on something on the table, back turned to the restrained frames which were Starscream's prisoners. Though he did keep a dozen of steps away from Shockwave. Those trinkets the scientist was working on, after all, had too many hooks and pointy things for him to be bold.

"They are functioning. ' the mech said after a terribly long silence, during which Starscream wished he could try all those very menacing weapons dangling from the walls on their creator. The mech had even the gall to sound annoyed. " and now they are a weapon."

Starscream had felt himself relax slightly, hearing the first part, but then frowned. He approached those still frames, cautiously because he knew how many traps that mech used around his objects.
They looked weirdly fine, not jagged pieces of metal scrap welded together like many other test subjects.

"Weapon?" he asked, and hated how dumb he sounded. He just didn't see anything out right wrong with them, but restrains and a few tubes and cables connecting them to a machine.
They also connected them to each other.

Starscream felt curiosity well up, beating even anger and fear for the very angry warlord he just escaped by swearing he'll deal with this. He was a scientist after all, though Shockwave never remembered it.

"What exactly have you done, Shockwave?"

The scientist approached then, and went to stand by his side, which had Starscream repress a shiver. He remained silent for a long moment and that poor excuse for a field the mech had flared with satisfaction.

'I created the first combiner, of a long series I hope. They will be the key for Lord Megatron's victory. '

Author's note.
And yes! This is the origin of the Protectorbots in my universe! Hope you like it!