As they got home, Skylar didn't even bother 'un-boxing' Perceptor; she just ran to her bedroom and cried, leaving the plushieformers outside the door; concerned and confused. Blaster had been fixed up and eventually joined them; said Autobot trying his best to coax their owner on the other side of the door. Prowl had been left to free the scientist, and now out of his box; with weaponry and accessories, Perceptor was beginning to feel the concern the others had for the girl.

"… I've seen humans cry before, but… not as much as this…" he spoke up, awkwardly tucking his servos behind him and resting them against his back.

"When you lose the first of anything, in a human's case, their emotions tend to change," Prowl explained, looking from Perceptor to Blaster and back. "Jazz was the first of us that Skylar ever had; she's had him for a long time…"

"Shh…" Blaster suddenly hissed in warning, stepping back from the bedroom door as it opened. Skylar was rubbing her eye as she knelt down and sat before them, not looking up to meet their optics.

"W-We gotta find him…" she said softly; the plushieformers exchanging glances between one another. Perceptor quietly wandered over and pulled himself up so he was sitting in her lap; Skylar looking down with a small sigh. "Hey Percy…"

"We can go look for Jazz, if you want us to," he suggested, tapping his digits together. "If, he really means that much to you, we'd be happy to search."

Skylar brightened up a little and gently stroke his helm; the material soft under her fingers.

"I'd… I-I'd like that. Thank you Perceptor," she insisted with a smile, guiding the scientist off her. Once down, Perceptor joined Blaster and Prowl in their 'plan of attack'; all agreeing before heading off. Skylar sat quietly on her bed as she waited for them to return home; her hands clenched together in silent prayer.

"Hopefully they'll find Jazz before it gets too late…." she whispered, looking up when her mother's voice came down the hallway.

"Skylar; tea's ready!"

"Coming!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was three sneaky Autobots who slipped out unnoticed onto the street; Blaster, Prowl and Perceptor aware of their surroundings and trying to stay as hidden as they could. Onto the footpath by the light of the setting sun, the Autobots remained close; Blaster walking between them just to be sure.

"It… It's so big out here…" Perceptor admitted nervously, stepping closer to the others as they started to walk down the street.

"Don't fret, Percy," Blaster reassured. "Just think of it as though you're looking through the window of the store."

Perceptor attempted that, but found it didn't feel the same. Instead he gripped onto his teammate's servo, muttering things to himself in hope that they didn't run into trouble. Prowl softly laughed, gently squeezing the scientist's other servo.

"Blaster's right, Perceptor; we've got nothing to worry about if we stick together," he said confidently, stopping when the footpath ended before them. The Autobot's confidence was extinguished in that time… "Uhh, which way do we go?"

Blaster stepped up beside him and looked down the current street, then looked in the other direction; reeling back and pulling the others with him as a car shot past them.

"Ahh! What was that!?" Perceptor panicked, dropping onto his knees and putting his servos over his helm. Prowl looked on at him in pity before kneeling down beside him, holding out a servo to help the scientist up.

"Perceptor, relax. If we stay together, these human vehicles will come of no harm to us."

Perceptor shuddered and nervously nodded his head, keeping a grip on their servos as the plushies continued on with their search.

"This way," Blaster then commanded, heading down the left side of the street; Prowl and Perceptor following suite.

"How can you be sure we're going the right way?" Prowl inquired with a quizzical expression, not too sure on the boom-box's choice of direction. Blaster looked back at him with blank optics.

"… I know my way 'round…" he muttered, stopping again as they finally made it into town; the three Autobots shying away when a streetlight flickered on above them.

"I-It's getting later," Perceptor spoke up, watching the sky as more streetlights switched on down the road. "We've got to find Jazz now."

"We're not even at the store yet…"

"Guys, look out!" Blaster hissed, pulling the two aside in panic; the boom-box watching in caution as a human landed in the spot they'd just been standing. Prowl peered out from behind him; optics stern.

"What are they doing? Don't they know to watch where they're going!?" he snarled. Blaster waved a servo at him.

"Shh… Let's see what they're up to…"

The plushieformers looked on in confusion as a second human dropped beside the first and started whispering things to them. They were even more surprised to see three familiar Seeker-like frames drop behind them; one quickly darting forward and gesturing down a side-street to the humans.

"The S-Seekers!?" Perceptor stammered in confusion. "W-What are they doing here?"

"Strange… Starscream should be inside with Miss Nikki about now…" Blaster pondered, watching one of the Seekers near them take something from one of the humans. "If… that even is Starscream…"

"… Who's Nikki again?"

"A friend of Sky's, but let's worry about that later. We gotta find out what's going on…" Blaster insisted, taking a small step sideways and darting out of hiding before he ducked back behind a garden-bush; peeking over the top of it to watch their 'visitors'. The others stood their ground, not wanting to risk anything. Maybe that was the bad idea…

"Hey May, look what I found!" one of the humans gladly declared, scooping them up; Perceptor by his microscope lens and Prowl by his door-wings, and holding them out to the first. "More of those little Auto-plush freaks!"

The first; May ignored the Seeker by her leg and looked up, grinning in recognition.

"Wonderful find… Maybe we can make use of them…" she grimaced, swiping Perceptor. "Jake, see what makes that one tick. RJ, Dirge; get out here!"

Prowl held back a gasp as he watched said-Seekers emerge from the building-side; Ramjet tugging Perceptor from May's grip in glee. The scientist cowered up in fright, not caring if he was giving himself away. These humans already seemed to know!

"L-Leave him alone!" Prowl spat, struggling in Jake's grip. Said-human glanced at the police-plushie in disgust, throwing him down beside his teammate after purposely cutting a slit in his door-wing. Perceptor crawled over to the Second-In-Command; Prowl shaking his helm to clear his fuzzy vision.

"Where's your faction, boys?" Dirge grinned, advancing on the Autobots.

"Looks like you got no one to back you up," Ramjet sniggered, whacking his fist into his servo. "Which is a shame, cause… we don't take too kindly to those who are far away from their factions…"

Injured as he was, Prowl swayed slightly as he got to his feet to defend Perceptor, but before destruction could happen between the two alliances, Blaster ran out and caught the two Seekers in a rope he'd found on the street; the Autobot grinning gleefully as he swung it back and dragged the Seekers away from their post.

"Jake, Autobot on your left!" May shrieked, chasing after the Seekers as they were flung away. Jake turned and faced Blaster with a growl. The plushieformer did the same; his servos on his hips.

"You don't scare me!" he teased. Jake almost laughed.

"Trying to size me up, are ya, shorty? Ha, don't make me laugh!"

Blaster growled again before he leapt at Jake and latched onto his leg; the boy panicking. The boom-box sensed this and grinned, quickly climbing up him to his shoulders before sitting on his head and putting his servos over his eyes.

"Ahh! I can't see!" Jake cried out, stumbling over his feet.

"Prowl; Percy, get outta here!" Blaster called down to the grounded Autobots. Perceptor supported the police-plushie back behind the bush they'd been hiding in at first before looking up in concern.

"Are you sure you don't need help!?" he questioned. Blaster grunted, nearly losing his grip as Jake quickly spun a 360.

"I'll… I-I'll be fine; just… get out of here before the other one comes back!"

Perceptor hastily nodded and ran back to Prowl; the Second-In-Command sitting against the bush-trunk in exhaustion. Not too much harm was done; the tear in his door-wing would stay noticeable but a few days resting on Skylar's shelf should get him back on his pedes.

"Come on, Prowl; Blaster says we've got to go," the scientist coaxed gently, slipping his teammate's arm over his helm as he helped him up. Prowl staggered to his feet, looking up just as Blaster jumped from Jake and ran in their direction.

"Go, go!"

The plushieformers took off running with Prowl between them. Despite their struggles, they just wanted to get home as soon as possible!

First complication; hope it wasn't to plot-bunny-ish for ya…
As I was typing it, it seemed a little rushed but hey… what else am I 'sposed to do?

… Anywho, looks like Plushie!Dirge and Ramjet exist, and if we ever run into them again, we know who their owners are! ;D

But um… Jazz is still stuck in the toy store, so… let's go check on him shall we?
And it's probably like, I don't know, 10 o 'clock at night or something?

Anyway, next chapter!