Note: All characters are owned by Hasbro Studios. Features and mentions characters from Transformers Animated and Rescue Bots. Other materials and references are the property of Disney, DC Comics, and the like.
Hey folks, this is a rewrite of a story I had put together last October, I hit a roadblock with the original so I read through the first chapter and fixed a few things. Title is based on the song 'More than That' by The Backstreet Boys. For those who didn't grow up in the 90s or early 2000s like myself and remember hearing this sort of music back when it was new, I suggest looking up More than That on YouTube.
I'm currently in San Francisco, CA…I love this city! First trip of the year and I plan to enjoy myself and hopefully get some writing done. By the time you read this, I'll be heading down to Fisherman's wharf or some other part of the city. Anyway…read on!
Chapter 1: Small Talk
March 23rd- Jasper, NV- 7:30am.
Tuesday mornings were anything but enjoyable at least to three of Jasper's young residents and their friends. Around this time of the morning, Jack, Miko and Raf were up and about. It was the start of yet another day at school. As usual, one or all three of them was running late.
"Where's my geography book?" Miko asked.
Bulkhead yawned as he slowly woke up. Being parked on the curb overnight wasn't exactly pleasant. Despite the fact that spring had just started the temperatures were still in the 50 degree range at night.
"Another day with the busy family." He sighed as he waited for his friend.
Meanwhile a few blocks away, things were no different at the Darby residence. Jack had overslept for the second time that week and was doing the best he could not to be late again. After a quick shower and grabbing a cereal bar out of the kitchen, he was ready for the day… or so it seemed.
"Hey Mom, you seen my backpack?" Jack asked.
"On the coatrack near the front door." June answered as she filled up her coffee mug.
"Thanks… bye." Said Jack before he started to leave.
"Remember, I'll be home early tonight…" his mother reminded him.
"Noted…" Jack replied before grabbing his backpack and heading for the garage.
"Morning Arcee," he greeted her.
Jack paused when he didn't get a reply.
"Arcee?"
He carefully put his right hand near one of her mirrors and nudged her.
"Hello?"
Arcee yelped in surprised and nearly jumped up, switching from her alternate mode.
"Whoa! Where's the fire?!"
"Yikes… it's just me." Jack assured her.
"Oh, good." Arcee sighed.
"You ok?" Jack asked.
Arcee shook herself and yawned.
"Fine, just tired…"
"But…didn't you get any sleep last night?" Jack continued.
"Only three hours." Arcee replied.
"Wow, I had no idea." Said Jack.
"Don't sweat it, let's get going." Arcee told him.
"Riight…" said Jack.
A short time later the two had reached the school. Normally during the trip, Jack and Arcee usually had a short conversation of some sort but this time around she didn't seem interested in talking that much. Getting off the bike and removing his helmet, Jack then grabbed his backpack. Turning around, he smiled giving the two-wheeler a small pat just above her headlights.
"Bye, Arcee." He said before running off.
The blue female autobot chuckled as she watched her human.
"Late as always." She said to herself.
No sooner did she finish her sentence that she realized what time it was.
"Oh brother, that means I'm late too!"
She quickly drove off heading towards H.Q.
As Jack walked up the steps, he quickly spotted Raf and Miko waiting for him. As usual, Miko was drawing something on her sketch pad; Raf was sitting next to her reading a Superman comic book.
"Hey, what's up?" said Jack.
Two friends stopped what they were doing and glanced at him.
"Hi Jack," Raf greeted.
"How's it going?" Miko asked.
"Fine…" he replied.
Miko raised an eyebrow.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, something wrong? You can tell us." Said Raf.
"Well, now that you mention it, I… think there's something going on with Arcee. She hasn't been herself lately… on the way here, we didn't really talk much." Jack explained.
"Funny, Bulkhead said the same thing earlier." Said Miko.
"So did Bumblebee, he told me Ratchet's been acting strange too." Raf added.
"Really? I asked if something was bothering her but she doesn't want to talk about it." Said Jack.
"Weird…" Miko replied.
Just then, the bell rang.
"Maybe we can find out something after school." Raf suggested.
"Yeah," Jack agreed.
"Good idea." said Miko as they headed inside making sure to be seated before class started.
Meanwhile, Arcee was close to HQ or the Clubhouse as Miko often called it. Normally, she, Bulkhead and Bumblebee had got there at the same time but not today. Once indoors, Arcee stopped to catch her breath.
"Arcee, where have you been?" Ratchet asked.
"Sorry, my human was running late and I was…" she was quickly cut off.
"No time for that…you're late." Said Wheeljack.
"I said I was sorry," she apologized.
"Ya know, you've been acting kinda strange lately… something wrong?" Bulkhead asked.
"Yeah, it's like you…haven't been yourself." Said Bumblebee.
"I'm fine, guys… don't worry." Arcee assured them before she walked off.
The two bots looked at Arcee then at Ratchet.
"What do you think, Ratchet?" Bulkhead asked.
"None of my business." Was the reply he got back.
"Ratchet, if there's anything you ever want to bring up…" Optimus was cut off. Up until then, he had been quietly watching the whole scene from the other end of the room.
"I assure all of you, it's nothing…honest." Ratchet insisted.
"All right," Optimus sighed.
"Whatever you say, Doc." Said Bulkhead.
"Yeah," Bumblebee replied.
The three of them then went on about their day.
Ratchet then looked in the direction of where Arcee went and sighed. For the last week there was something on his mind that he just couldn't shake off no matter how hard he tried. Judging by Arcee's behavior he could tell she seemed to be feeling uneasy. Deciding that he couldn't hold it off any longer, Ratchet wrote a short message on a piece of paper, folded it up and walked down to Arcee's dorm room. He then slipped the paper under the door and left.
Meanwhile, Arcee was staring at the ceiling trying to think of what to do. Her dorm wasn't much to write home about. The walls were painted in light shade of cream. On the left hand side was a framed photo of Lake Tahoe. Aside from a bed, desk with a lamp and bookshelf there wasn't much else. One shelf had a peacock blue album with several photos, most of which was of family and friends back home as well as Jasper. Next to it, was a first place medal she had won in a race. Prior to being a school teacher, Arcee had been on the racing circuit for at least a year. When an accident on the track left her unable to compete in the finals, she took early retirement. The blue female thought about what Jack had asked her on the way to school. She knew he and the rest of her friends were worried. As much as she wanted to tell them what was on her mind, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Snapping out of her thought, she noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Picking it up, she unfolded it and read the note:
"Can we talk?"
It didn't take long for Arcee to recognize Ratchet's handwriting. She looked at the note once more and sighed. A short time later, Arcee stepped out of her room. So far nobody seemed to notice her. Walking into the main room, she spotted Bulkhead and Bumblebee watching TV. The two of them laughing occasionally.
"I gotta say Miko was right about America's funniest home videos. The stuff people send to this show is hilarious!" said Bulkhead.
Bumblebee nodded in agreement.
They were watching video footage of a pug singing the theme song for the 1960s Batman TV series.
"Listen guys, I'm going out for a while…" said Arcee.
"All right," Bulkhead replied.
"See ya when you get back." Bumblebee said, neither of them taking their eyes off the television screen.
"Hold up," said Smokescreen.
"Where do you think you're going?" Wheeljack asked.
Both had walked in from the storage room and were curious about why Arcee was leaving.
"Hey, how I spend my morning is my business." Arcee replied before she switched to her disguise and drove off.
The two of them stood there and watched, both knew better than to follow her. Like everyone else, Smokescreen and Wheeljack were dumbfounded about Arcee and Ratchet's odd behavior.
"Geez, did she eat nails for breakfast or what?" Wheeljack wondered.
"Beats me…" Smokescreen said as he shrugged his shoulders.
There was an awkward silence which only lasted a few seconds. Why Arcee was acting so strange was beyond them.
"Wait a minute, has anybody seen Ratchet?" Wheeljack asked.
While the rest of the team wondered what was going on, Ratchet was standing on the outskirts of Jasper. Spring had started and the desert was covered with wild flowers. Most of them were dark orange California poppies, growing alongside lavender colored lilacs with snow white colored Queen Anne's lace mixed in. Further out, a few cactus plants had yellow, fuchsia and white blooms. The hills were also green, a far cry from the dull sandy brown color it had been during the winter. With the rain that fell recently, the landscape had really changed. Ratchet waited under a California redwood, he found out from Raf about these large pine trees. Some were even taller than Bulkhead. He wondered if Arcee had read the note and if she would actually show up.
Looking over to the left he noticed a pair of tiger swallow tail butterflies. The male was bright yellow with black tiger-like stripes on his wings. The female, however was solid black with blue stripes. The two were currently sitting on a patch of lilacs, with their wings fully spread out, flapping them occasionally. Ratchet smiled at them for a brief moment. Maybe his friends had a point, he should get out more often. He then snapped out of it when a familiar voice rang out.
"Nice view."
Ratchet froze and turned around. Standing a few feet away was a familiar cobalt blue female autobot.
"About time you showed up." He said to her.
Arcee blinked and looked at him.
"I got your note, what was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked as she approached him.
"Everyone's noticed we've been acting strange all week…" Ratchet answered.
Arcee leaned against the trunk of a nearby redwood, folding her arms in front of her chest.
"So?"
"You didn't tell anyone did you? Ratchet asked.
Arcee's jaw dropped.
"No, I didn't say anything when I came here with Cliffjumper, what about you?"
"Not a word, but… I know they're concerned about us." Said Ratchet.
"You're right, Jack asked me earlier if something was bothering me and I told him I didn't want to talk about it." Arcee explained.
"I told Optimus and the others the same thing." Ratchet confessed.
"So, now what? We just face the music and tell them you and I met before?" Arcee asked.
"Well, we could… we should do that but… I don't know." Ratchet answered as he looked away from Arcee.
"Same here…" the blue femme sighed.
It didn't take long for her to come up with an idea.
"I got it, after the kids get out of school then we'll tell 'em."
"All right, fine by me." Said Ratchet.
"Ok…great." Arcee replied.
"You're nervous aren't you?" Ratchet asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"Are you kidding me? Of course I'm nervous. You don't keep a secret that big for a year and then decide to tell your friends about it." Arcee answered.
"Good point." Ratchet agreed.
"I'll admit, this is a nice spot… how'd you find this place?" Arcee asked as she looked at the meadow.
"Eh, It was by accident, I made a wrong turn and…the rest is history." Ratchet answered.
"Since then, I come out here once in a while. Sometimes just to think."
"You…uh…ever come out here to cry?" Arcee asked.
Ratchet lowered his head and sighed.
"Yes, that too."
The two of them watched a pair of turkey vultures circling overhead. The large birds were mostly black with the exception of the dark pink skin on their heads and gray feathers that outlined the tips of their wings. After a moment the pair landed near the edge of a rock formation. The rusty red rock, made of sandstone was a fossilized dune that was around 180 million years old. As they looked at the landscape, both Arcee and Ratchet were familiar with this particular season. Every spring, however neither had been successful in finding a mate. To Arcee, Tailgate and Cliffjumper were her friends and teammates. Ratchet had felt the same way about Minerva, a femme he knew from medical school and a friend of one of his students, Flashpoint. After a while, Ratchet broke the silence.
"Listen, Arcee…there's something I need to tell you."
"What's that?" she asked, looking over at him and slightly tilting her head.
"It's been almost a year since you came here with Cliffjumper and…truth is, since you've moved in…" Ratchet was cut off.
"Hold a second," Arcee said before tapping her comm device.
"Hello? Oh, hey Bulkhead…whoa, whoa slow down. Where? Ok, I'll check it out."
Arcee then hung up and turned her attention back to Ratchet.
"That was Bulkhead, said Wheeljack found Vehicon tire tracks near Jasper Canyon. I… gotta go." She explained.
"Oh, all right then." Said Ratchet.
"We'll continue this conversation later," Arcee told him.
"Uh, sure." Ratchet replied nervously.
Arcee smiled before switching to her alt-mode and driving off.
Ratchet looked in the direction she had gone, then back at the meadow.
"Oy…" he sighed.
Later that day…
The bell rang as school was let out for the day. Students rushed out the front doors, eager to get home. Jack sat on the steps waiting for his ride. Arcee was normally on time, with a few exceptions. He looked towards the curb, Arcee was nowhere in sight. Letting out a loud sigh, Jack looked away and continued to wait. Moments later, Miko and Raf came up to him.
"Hey, Jack…how's it going?" Miko asked.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Raf said, chiming in.
"Nothing much, Arcee hasn't showed up yet…so I'm kinda worried." Jack answered.
"Eh, I'm sure she'll be here, you guys ran late earlier today." Said Miko.
Raf turned around when he heard the sound of two cars approaching. Looking over his shoulder he spotted, Bulkhead and Bumblebee. The two were parked and waiting. Miko and Rafael smiled.
"Our rides are here, c'mon." said Miko.
"Maybe Arcee's with them." Raf added.
Jack sighed and got up as he followed his friends.
"Hey," Bulkhead greeted them.
"How was school?" Bumblebee asked.
"Ok, the rats in biology class escaped." Miko explained, tossing her backpack in the backseat and getting into the passenger side up front.
"Yeah, and Vince is in detention while Ms. Torres investigates who's responsible." Jack added.
"Oh brother…say, none of you have seen Arcee, have ya?" Bulkhead asked.
"I could ask you guys the same thing, we haven't seen her." Said Jack as he got in the backseat.
"We thought she was with you." Raf admitted.
"Well, she was but…" Bumblebee stopped short.
"Arcee went to check out some vehicon tracks near Jasper Canyon and never came back." Bulkhead explained.
"Wheeljack's been out lookin' for her but he hasn't called us yet…we said we'd help out just as soon as we got back from picking you three up." Bumblebee added.
"C'mon, maybe he found her by now." Said Bulkhead.
And with that, the five of them headed off towards Outpost One. All of them wondering just what happened to a certain blue motorcycle. Moments later, they arrived there and Arcee was still nowhere in sight. Ratchet was just as concerned as everyone else. At the moment, Optimus was dealing with a rather shocked and confused, William Fowler.
"So let me get this straight, you mean to say, a member of your team is missing?" he asked.
"It's possible…" Optimus answered.
"We haven't heard from her all afternoon. Arcee's not answering her comm link at all." Said Smokescreen.
"That's strange, how do you lose track of an autobot, especially one like her?" Fowler wondered.
"Well, I can think of a few ways…" Smokescreen started to say.
"Pipe down, Smokey." Said Bulkhead.
He looked towards the tunnel near the entrance but didn't see or hear anything. Jack, Miko and Raf were currently on the couch. All three seemed to be puzzled that Arcee was missing all of a sudden.
"She couldn't have gone far guys, I mean it's not like her." Jack pointed out.
"Yeah, we should form a search party and look." Raf suggested.
"Great idea, Raf…" Miko agreed.
"Yeah, let's do it." Said Jack.
"I'm with you on that but… I think we'll have to take a rain check." Bulkhead pointed out.
"Why is that?" Ratchet asked, chiming in.
"Come out here and look at the sky…" said Bulkhead.
Ratchet and the others all followed him outside and looked up.
"I saw it on the way over; clouds have been spreadin' out like an oil spill." Bulkhead continued.
The group was shocked by how dark the sky was and the cloud cover up ahead. The wind had also picked up, earlier that day the temperature had been a mild 74 degrees, now it was in the low 80s and humid.
"Would you take a gander at the size of that cumulonimbus." Said Bulkhead.
"Well, you took the words right out of my mouth," Ratchet admitted.
"Ya know what we're in for, right guys?" Bulkhead asked.
"What, lots of mini nimbuses?" Smokescreen joked.
The team was startled by the sound of thunder. Bulkhead flinched at seeing a large bolt of lightning. It wasn't long before Smokescreen had noticed the spike in the temperature.
"Gettin' kinda hot out here, isn't it?" he asked.
"And humid," Bumblebee added.
"What gives?" Smokescreen continued.
"From the looks of it, we're in for a storm." Said Bulkhead.
Just then, the group heard more thunder followed by lightning. Optimus looked at the sky then everyone else.
"I'll check the weather report." He offered.
Before anyone could say anything, a large tumble weed went by.
"Let's go back inside." Bulkhead said nervously.
"Yeah, let's…" Jack said nervously and with that, everyone went back.
Although they were reluctant to postpone searching for Arcee, the group knew that going out with a storm rolling in wasn't the best idea. Once indoors, Ratchet tried to get a radio signal but wasn't having much success, even with Bumblebee's help. Jack, Miko and Raf were back on the couch, all of them were rather uneasy about what to do. Fowler was also puzzled. From the looks of it, nobody was going home anytime soon. Jack, Miko and Raf had sent text messages, letting their parents know they were staying with friends because of the storm.
"Ok, we got the radio working but I can't seem to get a station." Said Bumblebee.
After a few attempts of trial and error with the radio dial, Ratchet managed to pick up a signal. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. What could be heard on the radio was this:
"We interrupt this program to bring you this special report. "
"Listen up!" Ratchet barked, which got the group's attention. They all looked at the radio, waiting for what the announcer said next.
"There is a flood warning in effect for the towns of Reno, Pahrump and Jasper."
"Hey, that's us!" Mike exclaimed.
"Along Highway One is reports of gray clouds have been coming in. This could be one of the biggest thunderstorms of the season."
"A thunderstorm, I knew it." said Bulkhead, as he listened to broadcast.
Bumblebee frowned, not sure how to react.
"What now?" He asked.
"We advise those in the affected areas to take adequate shelter, immediately. All schools and businesses in the flood zones are closed until further notice. This is a storm watch."
After Ratchet turned off the radio, there was an awkward silence but it only lasted a few seconds.
"All right, people; take cover." said Fowler.
"I can't believe it." Bulkhead said, feeling uneasy.
"Bulk?" Miko started to say, raising an eyebrow.
"Guys, we're talking about a thunderstorm, the real deal." Said Bulkhead who was obviously nervous.
"Jasper has had storms before." Jack pointed out.
He flinched at hearing the sound of thunder from outside.
"Not this bad though."
"Eh, Arcee's always been resourceful she'll probably find some place to dry off until this storm blows over." Said Bulkhead.
"I'm still worried about her." Jack confessed.
"Jack, Arcee's a grown woman…she can handle it." Said Miko.
"Exactly, she's practically your Mom's age in human years." Said Smokescreen.
Everyone in the room turned and stared at him as if he was crazy.
"What? I overheard she and Ratchet talking the other day." The young bot said nervously.
He was then alerted by the wind blowing outside followed by a loud thunderclap.
"Sounds like the storm's getting closer."
Bulkhead nodded.
"Course, it could be worse."
Just then, the lights in the room started flickering.
"You just had to say that." Ratchet groaned.
"Ok, we're losing power."
It was obvious he was nervous.
"Can't believe Jackie's not back yet." Said Bulkhead.
"Hey, you don't think I'm not worried? Arcee's out there for crying out loud!" Ratchet told him.
"Why are you so concerned about her, anyway? Like Miko said, Arcee can take care of herself." Smokescreen pointed out.
"I'm worried that she might be hurt and…" Ratchet stopped short and let out a sigh of frustration.
"Oh, forget it!"
"Oh, come 'on, you can tell us." Fowler insisted.
"Yeah, you can trust us." Said Raf.
"If there's something on your mind, Old friend…" Optimus started to say.
"I'm fine… really…" Ratchet assured him.
"You sure, Ratch?" Bulkhead asked, looking both confused and concerned.
"I don't want to talk about it." Said Ratchet.
He glanced at the others then towards the hallway.
"Listen, if anyone needs me I'll be checking the main power grid." The orange and white mech said before leaving the room.
There was an awkward silence but it didn't last for long. William Fowler scratched his head, while he was used to Ratchet keeping to himself, the way he was acting today seemed out-of-character for him.
"Anyone want to elaborate on why Doc-bot here is…?"
"Out to lunch?" Bulkhead finished.
"Not exactly the word I was looking for… but close enough." Said Fowler.
"That's what we're trying to figure out, Arcee's been acting strange too." Jack confessed.
"Yeah, Jack asked her what was up and…" Miko stopped short.
"She wouldn't say what was wrong." Raf finished for her.
"Hmm… that is strange, they've both been bots of few words but…I don't know what to make of this." Fowler admitted. He then looked at Optimus; maybe the blue and red mech knew something.
"Prime, you've known Ratchet and Arcee longer than the rest of us…have they mentioned anything about themselves before coming to Jasper?"
"Ratchet and I have been friends for a long time… Arcee, came here a year ago…all I know is that after her team broke up, she was on her own until she met Cliffjumper." Optimus explained.
"Right, I got that but has she mentioned anything else about herself… family? friends?" Fowler continued.
"Venomous reptiles?" Smokescreen joked.
"Never mind," he said, seeing that nobody was laughing.
"She has two sisters, Elita and Chromia but…nobody's seen or heard from them in ages." Bulkhead answered.
"Yeah, Cliffjumper and two friends of mine, Jetfire and Jetstorm tried to find them but they came up empty handed." Bumblebee explained.
"Ok, that answers my question… now about Ratchet. What's the story on him?" Fowler asked.
"He did say, that had found an injured autobot while wondering through one of the underground tunnels under Crystal City. It was much like the subways in New York. He said he treated her and after that, went their separate ways. As far as I know, they never saw each other again." Optimus answered.
"Maybe that's it." Jack concluded.
"If they never saw each other again, he might be wondering what happened to her." Rafael added.
"Well, that would explain why he's acting so weird." Said Bulkhead.
"Wait a second, the autobot he found was a female…" Miko pointed out.
"Yeah, so?" Bulkhead asked.
"You don't think that was Arcee do you?" Miko replied.
Jack, Raf, Bulkhead and Miko looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Nah!" they all said at the same time.
The group started laughing for a few minutes forgetting about the storm at least for a while.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack wasn't the only bot out in the middle of a storm.
"Someone's coming!" a vehicon shouted, hearing footsteps.
"Let's get out of here." Said another one.
Skywarp looked down at Arcee who was on laying on the ground, unconscious. He started to pick her up but stopped when one of the vehicons shouted.
"Skywarp, we gotta go!"
He looked back at Arcee for a moment before running off. Although he was Starscream's younger brother, Skywarp was the total opposite of his sibling, but kept his kind side hidden from the other Decepticons. Letting out a loud sigh, he hoped someone would find Arcee and quickly. Walking along an old hiking trail was a royal blue and gold mech. His ankles were covered in sand, he paused for a moment, checking his surroundings. Nobody around except for some black tailed jack rabbits which quickly ran by him and into a nearby burrow. The bot, Dreadwing sniffed the air and looked up at the sky. Seeing the dark clouds made him somewhat nervous. If he had hair, it'd be standing on end. He was then startled by the sound of thunder. Just then a voice ran out.
"You coming or what? We need to get out of here before it starts raining." Breakdown shouted from up ahead.
"I'm coming…relax!" Dreadwing replied.
The two were on their way back from searching for scrap metal and other spare parts that could be used for repair jobs. Although Breakdown usually stayed on the Nemesis, he decided to tag along. From what he saw, the local salvage yard was far cry from the videos he had seen on YouTube. As Dreadwing continued on his way, he picked up another scent…one that was rather familiar. Changing direction, the mech followed it until he stopped in an area with several large rocks and some cactus. His jaw dropped when he saw what was in front him. Laying there on the ground was Arcee; she was on her right side. Taking a closer look, Dreadwing saw she wasn't moving save for her breathing. On her left side was a large gash, she was also bleeding and some cuts on her shoulder.
"What happened here?" he wondered.
Just then, he heard Breakdown's footsteps.
"Hey, I thought I told you…" he froze when he saw Arcee.
"What the…? What's she doing out here?" he asked.
"I don't know, but it looks like she's hurt." Dreadwing answered.
"We should go," said Breakdown.
The royal blue and gold mech, looked over at his teammate then at Arcee.
"Are you crazy? We can't leave her here."
"Uh, yeah if we move fast enough." Said Breakdown he was about to leave but noticed Dreadwing was still standing there.
"Breakdown, seriously… look at her… and I mean really look at her." Dreadwing said, pointing at Arcee.
Breakdown didn't say anything and took a closer look at Arcee, he was shocked at how hurt she really was. Although he had seen injured Cybertronians before, Breakdown had never seen anything quite like this.
"Whoa, she's hurt pretty bad."
He put a hand on Arcee's neck, checking her pulse and let out a sigh of relief. He also noticed her side moving up and down.
"She's still breathing; I think she's out cold."
He carefully picked up Arcee, taking note of where her gash was.
"I'll try to contact Bulkhead later… but she needs help."
Dreadwing raised an eyebrow, surprised his co-worker would attempt to call the last person he'd talk to.
"I thought you two agreed to stay out of each other's way."
"Yeah, but I owe him a favor… you want to be the one to tell the other autobots what happened?"
Dreadwing swallowed hard and didn't say anything.
"Didn't think so." Said Breakdown before he went on ahead carrying Arcee. He glanced at her once in a while and knew she needed help and quickly. The two mechs found a nearby cavern, because of the storm, their comm devices didn't work. Laying Arcee on the cave floor, Breakdown was able to examine her.
"Sheesh! This is worse than I thought. But…I'll do the best I can."
Taking out the few supplies he had, Breakdown attempted to stop the bleeding, which took a minute or so. He then took a small cloth and proceeded to clean Arcee's cuts. Shortly after applying an antibiotic ointment to them, Breakdown turned to Dreadwing who had been watching.
"I can't do this by myself, if you don't mind helping…" Breakdown was interrupted.
"Not a problem," said Dreadwing.
For the next few minutes the two mechs worked wrapping up Arcee's cuts with bandage tape. The gash on her side was too deep to wrap and as a result, Breakdown had to stitch it and cover with tape to prevent it from getting infected and to keep the stitches intact while she healed.
"She was hurt pretty badly but…she'll recover." Breakdown announced, once he finished.
Dreadwing looked outside, the storm clouds had moved further inland, and it wouldn't be long before the rain fell. Breakdown packed up what was left of his first aid kit and noticed Dreadwing had been rather silent.
"You're awfully quiet over there, D." said the stonewash blue and silver mech.
Breakdown raised an eyebrow, normally Dreadwing would chew him out when called by the nickname the other Decepticons had given him.
"Keep it down." Dreadwing told Breakdown.
Sniffing the air, the royal blue and gold mech picked up a familiar scent. Breakdown smelled it too and froze.
"Humans," Dreadwing said quietly.
"Let's get out of here."
Before either of them could do anything, the two of them heard the sound of footsteps and dogs barking.
"Breakdown, go get help!" Dreadwing shouted.
"But...what about…" Breakdown was cut off.
"Just get going," Dreadwing exclaimed.
Breakdown nodded, he darted out of the cavern and switched to his alt-mode. He managed to drive off before a group of people and eight dogs hiked up towards the cave. Dreadwing looked at Arcee then left. The sound of the dogs and footsteps were getting closer; although he had been around humans before, Dreadwing wasn't sure how to react to this. Next thing he knew, a Rottweiler and black Belgian sheepdog ran up to him barking loudly.
"Back off! Both of you!" Dreadwing growled.
But the dogs just ignored him, soon six more came up: two black and tan German shepherds, another Rottweiler, a white Shepherd and a pair of Dobermans. All the dogs barked loudly and backed Dreadwing into a corner. Before he could do anything, Dreadwing felt a small red dart in his neck, the needle pierced his metallic skin. It didn't take long for him to pull the dart out; which was a mistake. Feeling drowsy, the mech tried to shake it off but wasn't successful. Moments later, Dreadwing collapsed, the last thing he saw and heard before blacking out was the white shepherd and human voices.
"We got this one in the bag!" said one of the dog handlers.
He and four other humans quickly tied up Dreadwing. It didn't take long for one of them to notice Arcee.
"What about this one?"
"Leave the female, she's not gonna make it." One of the dog handlers answered.
"Don't be too sure." Said a voice, another human walked up in dark sunglasses. He glanced at Arcee who was still out cold before pulling out an IPhone out of his jacket pocket.
"Bring the truck around," he said and hung up.
One of the dogs, the white shepherd looked at Dreadwing and Arcee feeling nervous.
'This can't be good.' He thought.
Moments later, rain started to fall; the ground was soaked within in minutes. Local wildlife had taken shelter from the storm. Many Jasper residents had done the same, some closing their businesses early in order to get home and out of the rain. June Darby had received Jack's text message and was on her way to Outpost One. She ended up taking a different route due to one of the main roads being blocked off because of flash flooding. Along the way, she ran into Wheeljack who she followed to HQ. The team tried to make the best of the situation. Jack suggested watching a movie, which none of them objected to.
The three friends sat on the couch watching Toy Story 2. It was one of Raf's favorite movies. Not having anything better to do, Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Smokescreen decided to watch as well. On the other side of the room, Optimus was talking with William Fowler. Ratchet who came back from checking the power grid decided to do some software updates on the computer. He thought about the conversation he and Arcee had earlier and although she wasn't there, he decided to get it over with and tell the group about the secret he and Arcee had kept hidden for over a year.
So far, the small band of friends were enjoying themselves. Bulkhead laughed for a moment.
"That Mr. Potato head is hilarious,"
"Oh yeah, ya know who he reminds me of? Ratchet." said Smokescreen.
Bulkhead and the others snickered.
"Don't tell him I said that," Smokescreen continued.
"We won't," Jack, Miko and Raf said in unison.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a door opening; a soaking wet sports car followed by a white sedan drove in.
Wheeljack switched from his alt mode, rain water dripped off him. June stepped out of her car, still wearing her dark gray raincoat.
"Guys, we gotta take cover," said Wheeljack.
"Yes, it's coming this way," June added.
Miko and the others nearly jumped out of their skins at hearing the thunder and seeing some lightning. Shortly after, the lights and TV went out. While it continued to rain outside, back indoors, things didn't seem to be getting any better. With the power down, the entire room was pitch black.
"Ok, who'd I step on?" June asked.
"Us!" Miko and Raf said at the same time.
"Well, that's two." June sighed.
"Jack?"
"I'm over here!" he called on the other side of the room using his cellphone as a flashlight.
"Everyone else ok?" Fowler asked.
Next thing he heard were various replies.
"Anybody seen Smokescreen?" Wheeljack asked.
"Nope." Bulkhead answered.
"Oh snap! Where is he?" Jack asked.
No sooner did he point the light from his cellphone towards the right hand corner of the room a large figure jumped out.
"Rah!"
Everyone yelled in surprise.
"That is not funny! If you were my son, you'd be grounded till graduation." Said June.
"Jack's or Miko's?" Smokescreen asked.
"Rafael's." June answered.
At that moment, Ratchet switched on a battery operated lantern. The pastel blue LED lights lit up part of the room.
"Seeing how the lights are out looks like we'll have to wait until the storm passes before they come back on." Fowler concluded.
"Not necessarily." Said Ratchet.
No sooner did he finish his sentence; a low hum from down the hallway could be heard as well as electricity crackling. The lights in the room flickered on and off, within seconds the main room was dimly lit.
"Looks like the generators have kicked in."
"Phew! Good." Jack and Miko sighed.
"You were gone a long time…" Raf pointed out, looking over at Wheeljack.
"Yeah, you find anything?" Smokescreen asked.
Wheeljack sighed and shook his head.
"No, I searched the area but the rain washed away most of Arcee's tire tracks."
"Wait, you mean Arcee's missing?" June asked.
"Yeah, she's been gone for a while now." Smokescreen replied.
"We thought something wasn't right when she didn't show up at school." Jack added.
"She hasn't called either, went to check out some vehicon tracks and never came back." Said Bulkhead.
"I combed that whole patch of dessert and… nothing. On my way back here, I almost lost control." Wheeljack explained.
"Same here, the roads are drenched." Said June.
Miko glanced at her cellphone and sighed. She had texted her host parents before the power went out but waiting for the storm to blow over was rather dull. Or so she thought.
"Well, I guess we're stuck here."
The group looked up in surprise, without saying a word, the only sound that could be heard was a cricket chirping somewhere in the room.
"O…k, let's try to make the best of it." She said.
Sometime later…
Jack sighed as he looked through some photos on his cellphone. One of them was him and Arcee, in her alt-mode parked near Jasper Canyon. In the background was a large rusty red sandstone rock formation and a few Joshua trees. June glanced at her son and sat down next to him on the couch.
"You ok?" she asked.
Jack placed his phone on the coffee table and looked up.
"Not really, what if Arcee's hurt?"
"Jack, we'll find her…she couldn't have gone too far." June replied, trying to reassure him.
Ratchet looked away from the computer, enough was enough, he had to tell them.
"That tears it!" he said to himself.
As he stepped back and walked away, Optimus and Fowler watched, both of them frowned and looked at each other.
"Where's he going?" Fowler asked.
"I have no idea," Optimus answered.
Ratchet looked at the group. He was nervous but knew he had to get this thing off his chest.
"Hey, what are you standing around for?" Raf asked.
"Yeah, c'mon, you're missin' out on marshmallows." Said Miko.
Without saying a word, Ratchet, Optimus and Fowler walked over where the rest of the group had gathered. Using an old oil barrel and some newspaper, they had a small fire going with Bumblebee and Bulkhead's help. Miko and Raf had found a bag of marshmallows and kabob sticks amongst some of the snacks they had stored in a cabinet near the TV.
"So… any good stories?" Miko asked after a moment of silence.
She looked around the room, so far nobody came forward.
"Aw, c'mon, people." She groaned.
"Yeah, there has to be one we haven't heard yet." Raf insisted.
At hearing this Ratchet got an idea, maybe this would be an easier way to tell the group after all.
"Actually…there's something I need to tell all of you." He announced.
Jack, Miko, Raf and the others quickly perked up and looked at Ratchet, giving him their undivided attention.
"This is gonna be good." Miko whispered.
Raf smiled.
"I'll say," he agreed as they listened.
From the looks of things, it was going to be a long Tuesday…
MORE TO COME…
And that's it… Quotes and such used are from the Pound Puppies episodes: Mutternal instincts and Rebel without a collar, Roseanne episode: Toto, We're not in Kansas Anymore, Krypto the Superdog, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Dinosaur. Also, Ms. Torres is a reference to Gina Torres, the actress who does Arachnid's voice, Gina's also married to Laurence Fishburne. Jasper Canyon is also located in Northern Nevada. Now, the questions! What big secret have Ratchet and Arcee kept hidden for a year? Who captured Dreadwing and Arcee? Who is that white shepherd and why does he seem worried? What happens next? Anyway, check back for an update in couple weeks, I'm working on other stories so this will take a while. Off to go enjoy the rest of my trip!
Ciao for now!