Prisoner

oOo

Sunstorm coughed as he trekked across the vast desert wasteland, the sand scouring his paint off of his chassis. The heavy, restrictive collar around his neck didn't help with his small amount of comfort of being at least partially repaired. Shockwave had built the collar in order to absorb the radiation that his fusion core gave off (which was the source of the crippling radiation that he emitted constantly). As a result, the collar not only stopped all radiation, but it also hindered his healing capabilities. Not that he had very serious injuries currently, a cut across his shoulder and a minor puncture in his wing, but the fact that sand was constantly scratching over the wounds, clawing at them like a stubborn virus as his systems attempted to self-heal without the radiation to focus on.

Because of the unique configuration of his core, the radiation emitted had constantly eaten away at his impenetrable exo-armor, causing his self repairs to be in overdrive every second of every day. The fusion core also allowed him to have copious amounts of excess energy (more than any regular seeker anyway) which enabled him to forsake recharge or refueling except for maybe once a stellar cycle.

But with his fusion core dampened, the energy wasn't as strong or constant as it usually was.

Hence why the seeker was wearily stumbling through the vast, empty desert.

It was unlike any terrain he had ever seen. There was nothing but white, dust-like sand surrounding him, causing him to fall back two steps for every step he took forward, his legs sinking in to his knees.

Sunstorm…

That voice again. The golden seeker looked around, trying to locate the source. A flicker of a white and red form before him then it simply vanished.

"Angel! Come back!" Sunstorm desperately groped at the red hand outstretched towards him once more. "Angel! Has Primus sent thee to save me?"

Blue optics stare at him blankly before the image is gone and Sunstorm desperately wailed, clawing at the air as he trudged through the sand, sinking further and further. It was around his waist now, seeming to drag him down with sick, grainy fingers.

The angel appeared again and Sunstorm reached out, letting a sparkling-like series of clicks in distress.

"Angel!"

The sand was to his chest now, slowly pulling him into the darkness of the desert's oblivion.

Shh… Sunstorm… I won't leave you…

Then there was only darkness as Sunstorm's cries were cut off suddenly.

oOo

"Ratchet! He's crashing again!" First Aid called and the CMO jerked from his thoughts, turning away from the golden seeker to look at his assistant.

"We need to jumpstart his core again." Ratchet explained, getting two long metal sticks and tapping them together. The spikes were hooked up to a small battery and electricity crackled from the tips immediately. "Aid! Open his chest."

The protectobot did as told and immediately Ratchet plunged the sticks into the small opening in Sunstorm's spark casing where the fusion core crackled much like a regular spark.

"Clear!" Ratchet shouted and Aid pressed a button on the battery, sending a powerful jolt to the spikes and Sunstorm's core.

Ratchet had cared for Sunstorm for the past month, the immature seeker having fleeting kliks of consciousness at random intervals. He seemed to recognize Ratchet's voice and would unconsciously respond when the medic spoke to him.

"Clear!" Another jolt.

After so long, the science department was so close to creating a way to get rid of Sunstorm's radiation without killing the seeker. The theory was that they could replace the UM (Universal Model) spark-casing with one made of the same metal and wiring that Shockwave had created Sunstorm's collar (before abandoning the seeker to die in the Pacific Ocean). Once that was accomplished they could easily remove the fusion core and replace it with a normal spark from the store they had in stasis.

"Clear!" The energy readings were starting to flat-line and Ratchet felt panic swell in his spark.

The most difficult part would be transferring the fusion core to the improved casing without killing someone. Sunstorm's current spark casing was already very delicate, a single taser charge would probably melt the casing completely and expose the fusion core, not only effectively killing Sunstorm but also resulting in a radioactive nuclear explosion equivalent to a super nova. Perceptor was still working out the schematics of it, but his theory was that if they couldn't get the core out of the casing without destroying the whole planet that they would simply place the original casing inside the improved casing and work from there.

"Clear!" This jolt made the energy readings spike positively, showing a "spark beat" from the core. Ratchet paused, watching the readings for a moment before relaxing, extracting the spikes and stowing them away. "He's good."

First Aid looked up and noticed an expression on his creator's face that was unlike any expression he had ever seen Ratchet make. Face still in a tight scowl, his optics looked over Sunstorm gently, as if checking to make sure he was alright.

The moment lasted a minute before Ratchet's optics blanked and he went back to his office.