Poisoned Rose (Heatwave x Quickshadow)

10. The Weak Link

"So, Thorn, what's this about Rose being yours? As far as we know, she's an orphan--we found her in the woods, surrounded by Energon. We didn't think her creators were still alive."

Thorn, who had been trying unsuccessfully to persuade Rose to let him hold her, turned to Blurr as the racer poked his head in the door. "Didn't Chief say we'd talk about this when Quickshadow cooled off?"

"I don't think she ever will. Besides, I wanted to talk to you myself. I've never seen Quickshadow snap like that before." Blurr seated himself next to the rose-colored mech.

Thorn chuckled lightly. "You've got gumption, kid; I like that. We'll make a rescuer out of you yet."

Blurr sighed a little, massaging his thighs tiredly. "Heatwave sure doesn't think so."

"Heatwave, Shpeetmave. Don't let him get to you. From what I can see you have just as much leader potential as he ever had." Thorn countered, locking eyes with the young racer. Blurr raised his chin and tried to look at defiant as possible, wanting to impress this newcomer who, despite barely knowing him, seemed to have more faith in him than anyone else.

Thorn gave a small nod of approval and turned his attention back to Rose, who was crawling as far away from the mech as she possibly could.

"So...why come here all of the sudden? I mean, if you knew about us before, why not just ask?" Blurr questioned, looking at Thorn expectantly. He shook his head, letting out an annoyed huff as Rose escaped his thin claws once again.

"I wanted to learn more about you all before I met you. After all, there are certain Cybertronians out there who can't be trusted, and I wanted to be absolutely sure that you weren't a threat before I announced my presence to you. I didn't find out you had Rose until later, and then I saw her leave the safety of the firehouse and decided to follow her to make sure she didn't get into trouble. Then you came, and one thing led to another, so now I'm here." Thorn explained, bracing himself for the upcoming queries.

"Quickshadow has a sister?"

That one caught Thorn a little off guard. "Had, but, um, yes, she did. Her name was Windstorm, and she and I were very, very close back on Cybertron."

"What happened to her?"

Thorn sighed and let his face fall into pained sadness. "She died in my arms after we escaped to Earth to hide our sparkling from the Decepticons. Such a shame that she never got to see her sister again. Quickshadow seemed fairly torn up about it. But at least our sparkling didn't fall into the wrong servos."

"The sparkling that is supposedly Rose." Blurr finished, feeling rather sorry for the mech. He still wasn't sure who he believed, but the look on Thorn's face swayed him. The racer took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and asked one last question.

"I trust Quickshadow, but honestly I think you're telling the truth. You do look a lot like Rose.....and I get you were in love with Windstorm, with the way you were talking about her. But....who were you, before all of this?" The speedster asked, studying Thorn's paint thoughtfully. He sighed and pulled Rose towards him impatiently, ignoring her protesting cries and turning to Blurr again.

"Blurr, I appreciate the dedication, but I have other matters to be bothered by at the moment. If you could please show yourself out, we can discuss this later." Thorn snapped, making it clear he wasn't answering any questions until later. Blurr sighed and stood up, glancing one last time over his shoulder.

"Alright, but just know that I'm not gonna take Quickshadow's side just because of a dream. I believe you, Thorn. Don't make me regret it."

The door creaked shut behind him. Thorn grabbed Rose and held the struggling sparkling up, smirking evilly.

"One down, six to go." He smiled, cocking his helm and staring into Rose's terrified eyes. "Actually, make that seven."

"What do you think, Rosy? I thought this team was impossible, but I think I just found the weak link. Maybe I can deliver you, just like I promised all those years ago. And anybody who tries to stop me had better be ready to meet an end quite like Windstorm's--and that's quite the way to go, if I do say so myself."