Where's Sunny?! was Sideswipes first coherent thought. He couldn't feel him through their bond, there was just an empty space where Sunstreaker was supposed to be. That would mean…
Sideswipe opened his optics and tried to sit up. His back protested all the way and his vision blurred a bit with it. He felt, weird. :Sunny? Sunny where are you!: he tried through his comlink. It wasn't working, there wasn't even static.
Sideswipe tried standing, and with some difficulty he did so. His vision blurred again before automatically focusing on a black and yellow frame some 50 away from him. Sunny.
Sideswipe started in his direction, running as best he could with his vision spinning. He was halfway there when he almost fell into...a giant footprint? It was almost as long as he was tall. He would've thought about it longer but Sunny lay just a few paces away.
He ran up to him but, Sunny looked… different. His face was a light tan color instead of the usual metallic one. All of the bright colored metal looked more like the human armour than exoskeleton armour, attached with buckles and ties. Sunny's helm looked the same though but, he looked human.
"Sunny?" Sideswipe asked a bit disbelievingly. "Sunny!" He yelled louder when he didn't move.
Sunstreaker's beige blond eyebrows knit together and he groaned. "Sunny?" Sideswipe asked again.
Sunstreaker groaned again and opened his eyes. "What happened?" He tried to sit up and Sideswipe helped him. "I don't…" Sideswipe looked around. Near them was a small crater with smoke swirling out of it. As he continued to look around he noticed the forms of other autobots lying about, some of them beginning to stir, "I think there might've been an explosion."
Sunstreaker ran a hand down his face then looked at his brother, very obviously doing a double take. "What?" Sideswipe asked, noticing his brother looking at him like he'd grown a second head.
"You look, different." He said plainly, looking up at him from where he still sat on the ground.
"You look pretty special yourself Sunny." He laughed lightly but Sunstreaker's stare didn't waver.
"The name's Sunstreaker." He glared at his brother. "And no you… look human." Sideswipe looked like one of the human knights that he read about, except the armour looked like Sideswipe's normal battle armour.
"Mah mechs?" The twins both turned their heads when they heard Jazz's unmistakable voice. What they saw was not what they had expected. The person who spoke had the same helm and visor as jazz, but his plating… skin was a warm chestnut brown with white teeth that flashed when he grinned. He had on black and white special ops body armour with a blue stripe going down the middle of the chest piece.
"Jazz? That you?" Sideswipe asked, grinning.
"Yeah, 'ts me." He looked between the two twins, then did it again. "Well you two look different." He laughed sharply, a tinge of worry was behind it.
"Could say the same to you." They said in unison.
"Where's Prowl?" Sideswipe asked curiously, he didn't see him nearby.
Jazz instantly darted his head around. The twins looked at each other. Basically everyone knew that Jazz and Prowl were a thing, except of course, Jazz and Prowl.
"You look for Prowl, Sunny and I will go and look for Ratch and Red Alert." Sideswipe clapped a hand on the back of Jazz's shoulder as he already started walking away. Jazz started off in the opposite direction.
Siideswipe got a few paces away when he realized his brother wasn't following him. He turned around. Sunstreaker was still on the ground, but his face was contorted in pain and he was holding his leg. "Don't try to get up Sunny," he said taking a step towards his brother.
"Don't, call me, Sunny." He ground out, trying to get up again.
"Ok...Sunshine. Just stay here until I find Ratchet ok?" Sunstreaker slumped back down and huffed, before nodding.
Sideswipe went back to looking for Ratchet and Red Alert. He found them easily with both of their bright reds and oranges. Ratchet, oddly enough had loose braid of red and white hair that stuck out from under his helm. He had a red and white paramedic's jumpsuit with red crosses on both shoulders. Over that he had a black bullet-proof vest. Red Alert was probably the least armoured out of all of us. His helm was similar, and he had a red jacket with the word, "SECURITY" stamped in all caps on the back, with black pants to top it off.
"We should call for pick up." Red Alert paced back and forth once they got back to Sunstreaker.
"We can't yet," Ratchet told him while he looked over Sunstreaker's leg, "Jazz hasn't found Prowl yet."
"He needs to hurry, it isn't safe." Red Alert continued to pace.
"What's bugging you Red, I mean, besides the usual." Sideswipe asked with a bit of a smirk, which Ratchet glared at him for.
"I can't access any of it."
"Any of what?"
"Codes, security feeds, arrival times and depart times, none of it! I can't comm anyone, I don't know the exact coordinates of where we are, when we'll be back, who's coming to pick us up…" Red Alert trailed off, a shaking hand pinching the bridge of his nose. From where the others were sitting they could see a sheen of sweat over Red Alert's now pale face. He was probably about to go into a full blown episode.
"Red Alert," Ratchet said quietly but firmly, "Sit down." Red Alert paced a few more steps before sitting down on a large rock that was conveniently nearby. There were no electricity sparks between his horns but his breathing got faster. "Red Alert," Ratchet walked over and crouched so that he was eye level with him, "Go like this," He cupped his hands over his nose and mouth, and after a few moments Red Alert mirrored his actions, his hands shaking slightly as he did so. "Just breathe slowly," Ratchet told him, "In…. and out." He directed Red Alert until his breathing slowed back to it's normal rate.
"Sorry." Red alert mumbled, running a hand over his face. "No need to be sorry." Ratchet patted him on the shoulder before returning to Sunstreaker.
oOo
Jazz looked for Prowl, somewhat frantically at this point. They were in the middle of a forest when the explosion went off, and the blast radius was a good hundred feet before it reached the treeline, and Prowl was nowhere to be seen. Jazz started at the edge of the circle and began to walk around it, looking into the trees for anything that looked like Prowl. He'd been walking for a good 15 minutes when Sideswipe ran up to him.
"Hey Jazz, need any help?"
"Yeah Sides, how's the otha mechs doin?" He asked, genuinely interested in how the team was faring, but did not actually look at Sideswipe when he asked.
"Well, Red's just had another one of his glitches, so he's staying by Hatchet, who's trying to figure out what's wrong with Sunny."
"What's wrong with Sunny?" Jazz glanced at Sideswipe, then back into the trees.
"Well something's wrong with his leg. I think it's bad. He can't stand on it and usually Sunny just toughs it out but…" Sideswipe trailed off when something caught his attention. "Prowl!"
Jazz spun and followed Sideswipe who darted into the brush. A few paces in, behind some brush a white gloved hand stuck out. Jazz ran over to it and just around the bend lay Prowl.
His frame was lying awkwardly against a tree, his head slumped forward. Jazz noticed immediately that his helm looked different. He walked over and gently tilted his head up. "Prowl, hey its Jazz. Wake up buddy." Prowl's face had the same features but had a very fair complexion instead of the light silver he was used to. Jazz brushed some ash blond, almost white hair off of his forehead.
Prowl opened his eyes slowly before quickly shutting them. The light made his head hurt, more than it already was. He groaned and brought his hands up to his head to hold it. He was immediately confused when he felt hair instead of his helm. He tried to open his eyes again and he found someone who looked a lot like Jazz standing in front of him. "Hey Prowler, you're aight. Don't try 'ta move just yet." He sounded like Jazz too.
"Look what I found," Sideswipe appeared from behind Jazz, waving something in the air, too fast for Prowl to focus on.
Jazz turned to see what Sideswipe was holding. It was Prowl's helm… no, helmet. Prowl's helmet. "Just hang on 'ta that, Ah don't think he should put it back on just yet." :Ratchet, we found Prowl, Ah think he hit his head pretty good.: Jazz paused and waited for a response, a frown settling on his face when he didn't get one.
"If you're trying to use the comm, they're not working." Sideswipe told him. He had the same realization earlier.
"What happened?" Prowl's words were slow and slurred. Jazz's brow furrowed, trying to remember himself.
"We went out on a mission because we thought that we picked up a deception pod signal, but when we got here there was no pod, an explosion happened and now…" He glanced back at Sideswipe, "we're human." Prowl nodded slowly.
"Explains this," he rubbed hand through his hair, some of it just long enough to get in his eyes. Jazz smirked, glad that Prowl was ok.
"Can ya walk Prowler?" Jazz rested a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his thumb in small circles.
"I think so." Jazz backed up and offered Prowl a hand. Once he stood up Prowl swayed in place. Jazz wrapped an arm around Prowl's waist to steady him. Prowl's waist was really the only place you could hold onto him when he had his door wings, so this was a habit.
"Ya good?" Prowl just stared ahead. "Prowl?"
"Huh?" He looked at Jazz, who shared a worried look with Sideswipe.
"You good now?" He tried again. Prowl nodded slowly and Jazz let go of him.
oOo
"Where are they?" Sunstreaker asked suddenly, twisting as far as he could in his sitting position, absently clutching a hand to his chest.
"Something wrong?" Red Alert gestured to the arm Sunstreaker didn't know he'd been holding against him, and let it drop. This drew Ratchet's attention from his leg and up to him.
"Ts nothin." He avoided Ratchet's gaze and tried to clamp down on his growing paranoia Ratchet kept staring.
"Sunstreaker," Ratchet's voice became a bit harder, "If there's something you're not telling me,"
"Ts nothin, just-" he took a deep breath and looked Ratchet in the eyes.
"I used to be able to always feel him there…" he tapped his chest.
"Your and Sideswipes bond." Ratchet clarified.
"Yeah, but since I woke up…" he trailed off again.
"You haven't been able to, sense him?" Ratchet asked. He knew the two rascals were split spark twins, rarest as they come but, he didn't have the first idea of how that worked.
Sunstreaker nodded. "It's probably because we are currently human." Ratchet explained, but Sunstreaker gave him a blank look which hinted at him to go on. "Human twins don't usually have the same connections that cybertronians have." Sunstreaker looked a bit surprised by this.
"They don't?" He blinked. He couldn't imagine never having a spark bond with his brother. It would just be, lonely."
oOo
"Look what we found." Jazz called over to the other mechs.
Three heads popped up to see Jazz, Sunstreaker, and trailing a bit behind them was what they could gather as Prowl. He looked like a riot cop. He had black armour covering his shins and forearms, and white armour covering his thighs and upper arms, along with a black riot vest, buckles galore.
Red Alert grinned and a touch of a smile met Sunstreaker's lips, but Ratchet was up and walking in Prowl's direction.
Prowl stopped when he noticed a frame in front of him. Ratchet, judging by the colors.
"Prowl?" Prowl swayed in place and didn't acknowledge that Ratchet had said anything. "Prowl?" He waved a hand in front of his face. Prowl's eyes fluttered slightly before eventually squinting at Ratchet.
"Ratchet?" He asked, as Ratchet took one of his arms and draped it over his shoulders. He was honestly glad that he did, he felt he might fall over any second.
"He hit his head Doc." Ratchet walked Prowl over and set him down across from Red Alert and Sunstreaker, his back to the sun.
"I noticed that Sideswipe." He waved a hand in front of Prowl's face, then did it again. Prowl looked dazed. "What's your designation?" Ratchet asked him.
"C'mon Ratch he knows his own na-" Ratchet glared at Sideswipe until his mouth snapped shut.
"If I had a wrench i'd throw it at you." And he wasn't kidding. He turned back to Prowl, Jazz coming over and standing next to him. "What's your designation?"
"Prowl." He answered tiredly, bringing one knee up he rested an arm on it and rubbed his eyes.
"What is your rank?"
"Autobot second in command." he didn't open his eyes again, his head hurt less without the light.
"Ok good." Ratchet nodded, thinking of more questions. "What is your best friends designation?"
"Its," he paused a moment, ran a hand through his hair but flinched when he hit a sore spot, a whole new wave of pain going through his head at the movement.
"What is your best friends designation?" Ratchet asked again.
"You just asked that." Prowl said slowly.
"You forgot to answer." Ratchet said, a small smile flashed on his face, but was gone as quickly as it appeared.
"His name's… his name's Jazz. Jazz. His name, is Jazz." He repeated slowly. Jazz smiled a bit and rubbed Prowl's shoulder.
"Where are you right now Prowl?" Ratchet nodded to Jazz.
"I don't… Earth. I am on Earth." Ratchet frowned.
"Do you know where on Earth?"
" I… no, I don't know." Prowl's head was beginning to hurt worse now.
"Prowl how did you get injured?" Ratchet looked him over, ignoring the worried look he was getting from Jazz.
"I crashed." Prowl tried opening his eyes again but instantly regretted it when the light seemed to ignite the pain everywhere in his head. Ratchet looked up to Jazz who shook his head. "I told him earlier."
"Prowl, how did you get injured?" Ratchet tried again.
"I dont...I crashed." Prowl repeated. "No… no I didn't…" Prowl's eye brows knit together in either concentration or pain, Jazz couldn't tell. "We drove here, then… I don't know."
"Ok." Ratchet nodded. "Where did Jazz find you?"
"I, I don't know."
"What was the first thing you did when you woke up?"
"Walked." Prowl's head really hurt now. Every little movement seemed to shake everything up. The light made all of the aches turn into stabbing pains that didn't mellow out until about 5 minutes after he closed his eyes. "Mhm tired…" Prowl let his head lay against his arm.
"No you need do stay awake. Jazz keep talking to him and asking him questions. Nothing too difficult." Jazz sat down next to Prowl, and looked up at Ratchet questioningly.
"I think he has a concussion." He gestured to Prowl, " I don't know how bad it is so I don't want him to go to sleep."
"Why?" Came Sideswipes flat question. "Because if he goes to sleep and the damage is as severe as it could be, he could go into stasislock. Or..." he paused, trying to find the right word. "Coma. A coma is similar to stasis except humans cannot be woken from it, they have to wake up themselves."
"How long does it usually last? A coma I mean." Red Alert questioned.
"I'm not sure. My knowledge on human function I admit is… lacking. But from what I've heard they can last up to a couple of years at most."
All of their faces went blank, before turning to Prowl who had his head against his arm and groaned here and there quietly.
"Red Alert, do you remember the location of the strike team that was supposed to wait for us?" Red Alert nodded.
"I believe they're just a few clicks in that direction." He pointed behind Ratchet.
"Ok, Sideswipe you help Sunstreaker, Jazz you help Prowl. We need to start heading in that direction now, unless someone's comm is working?" All except Prowl shook their heads. "Let's get a move on then."
