Author's note. Sorry for the long wait, hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

I should mention, this story is going to turn out slightly different from Breaking Free, but just to make it more exciting. Hopefully, you'll all like it.

Check out my new story Sparked, it's all about the Decepticons radical plan to end the War once and for all.

Suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy and please review.

Iacon Hosipital: 3:40pm

"Skyfire, Starscream was beaten and raped, and we have no leads yet as to her attacker."

Skyfire looked utterly shocked at Chromia's words, he almost looked like he'd collapse. While he stared at her, Ironhide took the opportunity to examine him more closely. He was dressed quite causally with a sleeveless light blue shirt and some old looking jeans. Skyfire was clearly someone not bothered by his appearance although he looked very clean.

Somehow, Ironhide didn't have any trouble imaging this tall man in a lab coat, he had that look of a scientist. But even though he looked like he belonged in a lab, he was muscular and didn't have the excitably nervousness that Ironhide had sometimes observed in techs and the like.

"Have you any idea how hurt her?" Skyfire now asked, once he'd gotten over his shock though his eyes still looked worried.

"I'm afraid not," Chromia said gently and his face fell.

Ironhide caught Jazz's eye and nodded, this Skyfire didn't hide his emotions. Prowl now cleared his throat and said.

"I take it you know Starscream?"

"Yes," Skyfire said without pause.

"She is a dear friend of mine, though we haven't seen each other in quite a while."

He paused, smiling ruefully as he said.

"Well, at least it's been quite a while for her, it doesn't seem so long to me."

"You were in an accident, weren't you?" Jazz volunteered and Skyfire nodded.

"I was in a coma for almost three years, so time has gone on without me."

"Would you like us to see if Starscream will see you?" Chromia asked gently, she liked this man, he just seemed so concerned and genuine. And she didn't often see that.

"Please," Skyfire said, looking suddenly nervous but eager at the same time.

As Chromia disappeared around the screen, Ironhide asked.

"How close were ya tah Starscream?"

"Very close, I counted her as my best friend, still do as a matter of fact," Skyfire said softly.

"I'm...I'm not sure how she views me anymore, it's been so long since we've spoken."

As Ironhide nodded, there was a sudden cry from behind the screen.

"Skyfire's here? Let him in, I want to see him."

Skyfire's lit up with both joy and concern, and without waiting, charged forward. The three Detectives leapt out to avoid being bowled over by him. As Jazz and Prowl stared, Ironhide said.

"Ah'm going ta go check out Megatron, ya'll want ta come?"

"I'll come," Prowl said as Jazz nodded.

"Call me if anything goes down," Jazz said as his partner and Ironhide left.

He slipped into the closed bed to find Skyfire being hugged to death by Starscream who appeared to have launched herself at him. Chromia was standing to one side, smiling slightly at the sight of two friend reunited while Starscream's Trine gaped.

"I can't believe you're here," Starscream whispered, still clinging onto Skyfire as he now wrapped gentle arms around her.

"How did you know?"

"I didn't know you were attacked," Skyfire said softly. "I was told by my team that there'd been a call saying you were in Iacon Hospital so I came over immediately. Oh Starscream, I thought you' been in an accident."

"I wish I was," she croaked as Skyfire gently put her down on the bed.

"Come on, let's get you tucked in," he said soothingly as tears fell down her face.

Jazz noted how even more stunned the two Seekers looked, he got the impression Starscream wasn't so easy to handle. This Skyfire really was a close friend of her and he was pretty sure they could eliminate him from their enquiries. No victim even acted that way towards her attacker, not with so much affection and trust.

Starscream dumbly nodded, letting Skyfire help her back under the covers before tucking her in. He then took the chair set right beside her bed and she quickly grabbed his hand tightly. He smiled before saying.

"I...I've been meaning to get in touch."

"So have I," Starscream admitted softly befor saying quickly.

"I read your latest article, I-I enjoyed it a lot."

"Thank you," Skyfire said warmly.

"I've been hoping to see one of yours but I understand you've been very busy with your high profile job."

Eyes twinkling, he said.

"I knew you'd succeed, you were always destined for great things."

"Yeah," she said with a shaky smile.

"But I miss our expeditions, I hope sometime we can continue."

"I'd love that," Skyfire stated seriously and warmly.

"If you ever get a decent amount of time off, that's exactly what we should do."

"Now we know why she kept his photo," Jazz said very quietly to Chromia who nodded.

Skyfire now glanced around and saw the Seekers.

"Starscream, is this your Trine?"

"Yes," she said tearing her eyes away from him to smile at them.

"This is Thundercracker and Skywarp, my crazy roommates."

"Hey, we're not crazy," Skywarp said indignantly as he and Thundercracker came closer.

"Nice to meet you," Thundercracker said quietly, eying up Skyfire as he offered a hand.

"And you," Skyfire said in a friendly tone as he shook both Seekers' hands.

He smiled pleasantly as the two Seekers stood there awkwardly, not sure what to make of this newcomer. Chromia decided to break the silence by asking a question.

"Starscream, do you know if there's any cameras at the place where you were attacked?"

"I...yes," Starscream said, her smile disappearing as she remembered her situation.

"But we've had problems with all of them recently, I've no idea whether you'll find anything."

"Don't hurt to try," Jazz reasoned.

Starscream shrugged, she didn't seem at all enthusiastic. Skyfire, looking very concerned, gave her hand a squeeze before saying.

"You will do all you can to find who did this?"

"You bet we will," Chromia said quietly but fiercely.

"Even as we speak, Detectives Ironhide and Prowl are investigating a few possible leads."

D-Con Industries: 4:14pm

"This is some place they got here," Ironhide said, craning his neck as he surveyed the Head Quarters of D-Con Industries.

"It certainly is," Prowl said as he too examined the place.

"How do you want to play this?"

"We'll just go in and nicely ask ta see Megatron," Ironhide said with a tight smile.

"Just to inform him about his employee and see how he reacts."

Prowl shook his head.

"Ironhide, even if Megatron is our perp, I highly doubt he'll show anything."

"Ya never know," Ironhide said with a shrug as they headed for the entrance.

It wasn't that hard to reach the reception area which was bright and very modern. A friendly and pretty receptionist greeted them warmly and asked if they had an appointment. Ironhide smiled back at her but gravely informed her they were the police and they needed to speak urgently with Megatron.

Looking very startled, the receptionist quickly got on a phone and spoke to someone they guessed was a secretary. After a few minutes of hushed talking, she put the phone down and gave them another smile.

"You can go right up, it's the eighth floor," she said, indicating an elevator they could use.

They thanked her and headed right over there. On the way up, Ironhide said.

"Keep yer eyes peeled, ah'll handle Megatron."

"Right," Prowl said simply, there was no need for further words.

They eventually reached the eight floor and entered it, taking in their surroundings. It was modern but with old touches about it, like the rich red carpet that lined the floors. Pictures lined the walls and judging by their quality, business was good. Prowl raised an eyebrow, he was a simple man who was never impressed by shows of wealth.

Ironhide had seen worse, but it was still obvious.

They were in a single corridor and they followed it until they came to a wood panel door. Glancing at each other, Ironhide leaned forward and knocked smartly on the door before taking a step back. A deep voice bade them enter and they did so, blinking as they were hit by bright sunlight.

The office they were in was large and spacious, and three walls were just windows, letting in Iacon's daylight from three angles. Silhouetted at against the window opposite them was a tall man with his hands linked behind his back which was facing them.

From the back, Ironhide could see dark gray hair which had been combed backwards. It slightly resembled a crew-cut but longer in length. He was wearing a tailored light grey suit which hugged his body without seeming too tight. However, it was still easy to tell that he had a hard, toned body under that suit.

"Detectives," Megatron now said, his voice rich and deep.

He turned and the first thing both of them saw was his burning red optics which looked darker than Starscream's. He was clean-shaven except for a small closely trimmed goatee which was a shade darker than his swept back hair. His rather hard jaw twitched as he offered them a tight smile as he fully faced them.

"Do what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ironhide resisted glancing at Prowl, instead he got down to business.

"We've come about one of yer employees, Starscream."

Megatron's calculating red eyes widened.

"Starscream? Has something happened is she hurt?"

"She was attacked and raped," Prowl said softly, closely watching Megatron for any signs he might know already.

"What?" Megatron exclaimed, his hands appearing from behind his back as he stared at them.

"How did this happen?"

"Ah'm afraid it took place here," Ironhide stated and as Megatron's eyebrow's contracted, quickly added.

"In D-Con's shadow, she was on her way for coffee this morning when she was set upon. We'd appreciate it if you'd let us have a look around."

"Of course, anything I can do to help, Starscream is one of my most valuable workers, I shall do whatever I can," Megatron assured them as he went over to his wood carved desk and pressed a button.

"Greenlight, I'm going to be showing these Detectives around, hold all my calls."

"Yes Megatron," came the receptionist's voice before Megatorn released the button.

Megatron looked back up at them, offering a smile as he straightened.

"Shall we?" he said, gesturing at the door.

They followed him as he led the way back to the elevator and they stepped in. Megatron pressed another button and the felt themselves rising. As Ironhide and Prowl glanced at each other, Megatron explained.

"Starscream's office is located on the twelfth floor, she prefers being high up."

"Ya don't?" Ironhide couldn't help but ask.

"I have another smaller office I sometime use on the top floor," Megatron said with a shrug.

"But I'm happy with my main office, it means I have a closer view of everything."

"Very...sensible," Prowl said evenly and Megatron shot him a smile.

A few moments later, they reached the correct floor and Megatron showed them the way to Starscream's office. Like Megatron's, it was spacious with a desk that faced a window at a slight angle so she had a view of the city and her door. All her shelves were jam-packed with books which seemed to be arranged in a certain order.

There didn't seem to be anything obvious in this room that could give them a clue as to what happened to Starscream. All they could tell was it looked like Starscream hadn't been finished working but this just fit in with her story of leaving to grab a bite of breakfast before continuing her work.

Prowl noted that there weren't that many personal touches here and only a single photograph of her and her Trine. Despite her apparent fondness for Skyfire, there was no hint of it here. Was it simply because she didn't want to be distracted or perhaps she didn't see any need for personal items here. This might be something they'd need to find out about.

"Is that everything?" Megatron questioned after they'd had a quick look about the place, having found nothing of real interest.

"Ah think so," Ironhide said softly, his blue eyes sweeping around the room one last time.

"Ya think we can find where she was attacked, she described it as some old storage room on her way for breakfast."

Megatron thought for a moment before nodding.

"I think I know where that is, follow me Detectives."

They headed down in the elevator but didn't end up on the ground floor, instead Megatorn led them out of her first floor. At first, Prowl and Ironhide were a little confused until they came to the staircase that took them down and outside.

"This is the route our employees use," Megatron explained smoothly as they walked.

"It means they can head straight to their offices and not waste time going through reception."

"What about security?" Ironhide couldn't help but question, he and Prowl and spotted plenty of cameras on the way to the entrance.

"They all have keys," Megatron explained, gesturing towards a gate some feet away which led out onto a bustling street.

"But I believe Starscream headed in this direction," he now said, leading them away from the exit and towards some smaller buildings.

"Most of these aren't used at the moment," he continued as they passed between the structures.

"Their being converted at the moment, our business is expanding and we are trying to utilise everything on site."

"So why would Starscream come through here?" Prowl now asked.

"This direction leads to a street full of nice cafes and the like, it's a short cut," Megatron said, shaking his head sadly.

"Because of the construction, security is not as it should be but it will certainly be improved after today."

The expression 'closing the barn door after the horse has fled' crossed Ironhide's mind but he didn't say anything. His eyes were sweeping the place, trying to find some sort of clue. He knew they weren't near that park she'd been found in but it wasn't a huge distance away.

"Here," Megatron said as they entered what looked like an unused area, except for the path that led out onto an alleyway which led to a street. This confirmed something for Ironhide, he'd been wondering how no one on the street had heard Starscream's cries, this was why.

Nodding at Prowl, Ironhide headed for the closet storage room while Prowl took another one. The door was broken, making the Detective think it may have been used by tramps. This place could definitely do with a bit more protection if this was the case.

Inside, he found nothing or interest, it just looked abandoned. But then he heard Prowl shout.

"Hide, over here."

He made his way out and over to Prowl's building, followed by Megatron who just stood outside.

"She was attacked here," Prowl said grimly as they joined him.

"But we've got a problem."

There, against one wall of the room, was an old mattress. But it was blackened and still had a lingering smell of smoke to it. Something had torched it and in doing so, destroyed any possible DNA evidence.

To be Continued.

Author's note. The investigations continues but can the Detectives make a breakthrough? What happens when Starscrema is confronted by her boss? Find out next time, until then.