Title: Comfort Calling Late

Chapter: Chapter One: We've Had Enough

Author: SBX

Characters: Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, First Aid, Perceptor

Pairings: Prowl/Jazz, others to come

Rating: PG (will rise later)

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: No character used in this story belongs to me. Fic title comes from the lyrics of "Every You Every Me" by Placebo.

Summary: The road to healing is long and winding, but is it traveled too late?

A/N: Know what the really great thing about the movieverse is? It's mostly separate from the rest of Transformers continuity. Meaning a writer can take certain liberties with characters. Like taking previously one-dimensional characters, such as the Twins, and giving them depth. Which is what I tried to do with this chapter, while still trying to stick with the basics of their personalities. I hope I did a good job of it.

Cybertronian specific phrases and their meanings are:

Astrosecond: 0.498 seconds

Breem: 8.3 minutes

Deca-Cycle: Equals to approx. a year

Mega-cycle: 1 hour

Orn: 13 days (as I haven't found anything that lists this as an official time unit, credit for this goes to Karategal.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask. Now on with the show!


In the shadows where the heads hang low
You hear voices as the wind blows, asking "can't you see?"
Reminding you to breathe
It's only time before it catches up to you and all your broken luck
I found a better way to get even with my memory

- "We've Had Enough," Alkaline Trio

ooooooooooooo

They were slagged. Completely and utterly slagged. That was one of the many thoughts flitting through Sunstreaker's mind as he tried to contact and locate the scattered crewmembers of Steelhaven, while at the same time trying to piece together what had went wrong.

Actually, he knew what had happened. Starscream had happened. His surprise attack during the entry into Earth's atmosphere sent the crew scattering in different directions. Reports from First Aid and Perceptor told him that they had landed the closest to their intended destination of Tranquility, Nevada and were within a Breem's distance of each other. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe hadn't been so lucky. They had landed over a hundred Earth miles away, in a large, over populated human city. A quick search of nearby human data streams told Sunstreaker that they were in 'Los Angeles.'

What was worse was that they had landed on completely opposite sides of the city from each other. Sunstreaker felt edgy and unusually bare without Sideswipe there to watch his back. He took some comfort from the emotions that he could feel pulsing through their shared spark. Emotions that told him his brother felt the same way.

The very worst part of the whole catastrophe revolved around their illustrious captain. Nobody could get in contact with Prowl. His end of the com. line was nothing but static. This left only two explanations. Either he couldn't respond, or he simply wouldn't. Sunstreaker wasn't entirely sure which option he preferred.

And to round things off, the rest of the crew was very obviously looking to Sunstreaker for guidance. And it wasn't because of any respect for his leadership abilities. It was because aside from Prowl, he had the most battle and field experience of the five of them. It was a natural reaction to look to the most experienced for leadership, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Arrogant troublemaker that he was, Sunstreaker was still a soldier. He took orders, he didn't give them. But he had to. Because Prowl wasn't there to do it.

"Okay, here is what we're going to do. First thing's first, we all have to pick new alt forms so we'll fit in better. It won't do us the least bit of good if any of us get spotted by the humans. Then First Aid and Perceptor will meet up and find a place to hide out until Sideswipe and I get there. Then we'll all continue on to Tranquility and find Prime and his team. Any questions?"

And leave it to his brother to ask the one question they were all thinking, but afraid to voice. "But what about Prowl?"

Sunstreaker hesitated only briefly before stating firmly, "We'll search for Prowl after meeting up with Prime and his team. They are at this time more familiar with this planet than we are and have access to resources that we don't. We'll have a better chance of finding him with their help than on our own."

Perceptor agreed readily that this was a logical plan of action. First Aid voiced his astonishment about Sunstreaker being capable of producing such a thing. Through their shared spark he could feel his brother's worry. The longer they waited, the more trouble Prowl could be in. He kept this to himself while vocally declaring his support for the plan.

Communications were cut as they all moved to carry out the orders given. Sunstreaker felt at a loss. He had landed on a hill baring large, white stand-up symbols in the local language. He didn't understand the meaning of 'Hollywood,' and as much as he wanted to find out, he didn't really have the time. He had to find an alt form. He had to find his brother. Then he had to lead the rest of their crew to Prime. Why him?

There were no human vehicles of proper size or mass close enough to scan, so he turned back to the planet encompassing data stream, the 'Internet.' He searched vehicle specs and images. Nothing seemed satisfying. That is until he reached one vehicle that stood out amongst the rest. His processor almost came to a complete standstill, he was so in awe of this human built vehicle. It was sleek. It was fast by human standards. It would be faster still with Cybertronian enhancements. He was absolutely in lust with this 'Lamborghini Gallardo SE.'

Through their shared spark he felt Sideswipe's amusement. And amazement. His brother had found the vehicle too and was just as awestruck, but did better at hiding it. A gentle nudge told him to go for it. He didn't have to be told twice. One transformation into a gold colored sports car later had Sunstreaker cruising along human roadways in the direction of his brother.

Unfortunately for him, he hadn't done enough research to be aware of the human concept of 'speed limits.' He did know what human law enforcement vehicles looked like, and was extremely alarmed when two started after him, lights flashing. He couldn't stop. If he stopped it would be revealed that he didn't have a driver, and he wasn't experienced enough with holograms to produce a believable fake. This left only one option. He ran.

Sunstreaker raced through the streets of downtown LA, trying desperately to shake the human law enforcement vehicles that were chasing him. Then, in the space of an Astrosecond, a red Lamborghini Gallardo that was an exact match for his own alt form in all but color was racing right beside him and he felt a moment of peace in the chaos that had become his life. Sideswipe was beside him again. Right where he belonged.

It took some fancy driving, but together they managed to shake their pursuers. Now they needed a place to hide until the heat was off. Sideswipe was a step ahead of his brother, having already done of scan of places in the city that were likely to be large and empty this time of night. The closest was a human recreation area known as 'Echo Park.' Sunstreaker followed gratefully, nerves too frazzled to do much else.

Once they were mostly hidden amongst the trees of the park, away from the roadways, Sunstreaker transformed. Sideswipe followed suit, and wasn't at all surprised when his brother threw himself into his arms. Four Deca-cycles of almost endless stress, caused mostly by their captain's declining mental state, were coming to a head; the final straw being the forced division of the crew.

The Twins held each other, trying to gather strength for the even more trying times they that were certain to come. They were so wrapped up in their own world that they didn't sense the approach of the two life forms at all until one of them let out a surprised exclamation. "What the hell?!"

The two humans stared up at Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in shock. It wouldn't be long before that shock turned into terror. They had been on this planet for only a couple Mega-cycles and they had already exposed themselves to the natives.

Primus, they were so slagged.

TBC