Raissa: Thank you SO much for pointing the mistake in Chapter 18 out to me, total fail on my part. :) Should be fixed up and all now though.

...

CHAPTER 49

The fact he was applying for a job at Custom Cycles was already strange. But it was even stranger that Mikaela Banes had told Robbie to come in so late. Then again, Custom Cycles closed at a late hour so in a way, it made sense. He guessed he should been thankful that she was offering him a job at all. But then again, he had Bumblebee to thank, he had put in a good word for him. It wasn't that he needed money for a lot, but now that he was dating Dana, he had to make money for dates somehow. On top of this, it was a way to get out of the chaos surrounding Aaron's situation, not that he wasn't concerned, he really was. He just needed to escape the chaos for a few hours.

"So you're Bee's adopted cousin, right?" Mikaela questioned as she led Robbie into the main room "Funny, kinda expected you to be an Autobot. Almost forgot the whole big deal everyone seemed to make over the human kid situation a few months back." She commented, and stared at Robbie "Well at least we won't have to worry about your holoform suddenly acting up or whatever." She joked, Robbie chuckled a bit "So how good are you with bikes, exactly? Any experience?" She questioned.

"My first adopted Dad was big on them. He taught me the basics of working on them while I was growing up." Robbie answered honestly, he shrugged his shoulders a bit, and made note of how, less-then-impressed she looked "And by basics, I mean I can repair these things. But I don't know how to customize them. But I'm definitely willing to learn." He smiled, trying to make the best first impression he could.

Mikaela pursed her lips, deep in thought. The boy was young and inexperienced, but at the same time she did like that he hadn't given up. They had been talking for a little over two hours and he seemed to be willing to learn most things. Considering they did need the extra help, she was thankful Bumblebee had sent someone like that. "Well, you're definitely better then ninety percent of the other applicants I've seen this week." She admitted, sitting on a stool "You've got the job, you'll work Saturday and Sunday, nine to five, no questions asked though. Those are the slots we need the most help with." She noted.

"Thanks so much Mikaela." Robbie took a deep breath "I swear, you won't regret this!" He commented as she nodded a bit.

Robbie quickly waved goodbye, Mikaela smiled a bit at this. If he had reminded her any more of Sam, she would swear fifteen years had passed and he had had a kid. It made her chuckle a bit, the actual thought of that, but she let the thought go.

...

Robbie headed out the door, and made his way calmly towards the waiting forms of Mirage and Dana. He grinned widely with a fist pump in the air that caused Dana to smile widely. "Well, well, I take it somebody got the job?" Dana questioned, they kissed briefly and Robbie grinned "Well then, I guess we can finally go on that proper date you've been promising." She noted with a grin.

"Hey lovebirds." The Italian accented sports car stated, noting them moving towards his hood "Not on top of me, capiche?"

Robbie rolled his eyes a bit at his guardian, he loved Mirage like an older brother but he could be such a buzzkill. Robbie sighed inwardly as his phone almost on cue rang. He stared down and answered. "Ironhide? Whoa, stop yelling, what's going on? No I haven't seen either of them. I was at a job interview, remember?" Robbie commented, Dana stared at him, concern filled her features "No neither were with me, I've been with Dana and Mirage all day." He added, his eyes widened "Relax, okay Ironhide? We'll look for him, we know where he'd hang out and I'm sure he dragged Bee somewhere." He noted.

"What's going on?"

Robbie hung up the phone, and turned towards Dana, and Mirage who had transformed by that point. "Ben and Bee are missing. Ironhide says he's been trying to get a hold of them for hours but isn't getting anything." He took a deep breath, and looked at Dana "You knew him before I met him. Do you have any idea where he would hang out or go if he was upset? Anything?" He questioned.

"We're only lab partners Robbie, it's not like we're best friends." Dana noted, setting her hands in her pockets, she shook her head "But don't you find it odd? Ben's gone right after Aaron got kidnapped, WITH Bumblebee. He obviously led Bumblebee where he thinks Aaron might be, and unless Barricade..." Her eyes widened, and turned to Robbie "Unless Barricade made him go somewhere he knew he'd find. And it was a trap to get him back." She noted.

Robbie stared at Dana with wide eyes, he shook his head a bit. He knew Dana was right, it made sense, grab Aaron, get revenge on Bumblebee, use it to lure Ben to wherever it was, and take him. He shook his head slightly. "Alright, that explains this whole fragging situation. But the question is why they want him, and where the slag they lured them." He commented, he shook his head a bit, then turned to Mirage "You can scan for abnormal areas, right? It's as easy as THAT?" He questioned.

"Not exactly easy, but I can try." Mirage stood still for a few moments "UFO spotted about four miles west of here." He morphed down into Ferrari form quickly, opening both doors "Get in, and call Ironhide immediately." He noted.

...

The hallways were as dark and twisted as Ben remembered them to be. Even if his memories of it were vague at best. Bumblebee had ceased driving, and they both walked side-by-side, keeping to the shadows of the hallway. Every door looked almost the exact same, much to Bumblebee's dismay, which seemed to make this whole thing a whole lot less easy. Ben kept his breathing as quiet as he could, feeling a sense of dread within him that he couldn't explain. A part of him, however small, knew that there was something very wrong about all of this, and normally, when Ben had a hunch, he wasn't normally too far off. "Ben, relax." Bumblebee noted quietly "I need you to concentrate."

"I'm trying Bee, but something about this doesn't feel right." Ben admitted, he stared up at the yellow mech with a slight frown "I don't like the fact that this whole things seems too easy. We both know him, Bee, when has Barricade ever made finding ANYTHING valuable to him this easy?" Bumblebee's optic ridge furrowed, clearly he saw Ben's point "We could be walking into a trap, think about it. He knows I know where he lives, he hopes I'll tell you. He gets to try and destroy you and take me to my Dad..." He shook his head a bit "Two birds, one stone." He added.

Bumblebee froze dead in his tracks, Ben was right, this was too easy. Barricade was crafty and smart, and what Ben had just said Bumblebee could easily see Barricade planning out. Perhaps from the very beginning, perhaps not, but the point was that as of now, it was likely exactly what he had planned. "You always were a smart one Ben." Bumblebee spun around as Barricade stood near the end of the hallway, fangs bared in a grin "I was so hoping that for once, you'd be too scared to figure it out." He watched as Bumblebee put a foot in front of Ben protectively "Please? You think you're going to protect him? The boy is all I want Bumblebee, all I needed was a way for you to deliver him to me." He grinned wickedly.

"I'm leaving here with both children Barricade." Bumblebee noted coldly, he activated his hand cannon with a whir "Where the slag is my son!"

Barricade grinned, activating his own weapon and swinging it like a whip at Bumblebee who barely managed to dodge. Barricade lunged forward at Bumblebee in a tackle, Ben quickly spun around and bolted away. Knowing that if he hadn't Bumblebee would have made him do so. The hallways seemed endless, but Ben didn't look back, even as he could hear the struggle taking place behind him. He skidded to a stop at the end of the longer hallway. But not by his own choice, a tail lashed out, smacking into his back and knocking him down. "Helllloooo Benjamin." He turned his head to the bird like creature by him.

Lazerbeak stood with his back arched, much bigger then the young teenager. Normally an assassin, this time, the Decepticon knew he needed him alive, he had only one objective, to snatch the brat and return him to the Decepticons. As Ben attempted to get up and run for it, Lazerbeak knocked him violently back against the wall, pinning him by the arms with his claws. "You're not going anywherrreee Benjamin." Lazerbeak hissed, gripping harder around his wrists "Except for a little RIDE." He added coldly.

Ben screamed as he was lifted from the wall, and Lazerbeak shot out of the celling, taking a chunk of the roof with him. They hadn't even gotten a foot off the roof when a blast clipped Lazerbeak's wing, it let out a fierce croak, in the shock, he dropped the prisoner. Ben landed hard against the roof, attempting to back up slowly. "Get away from my son!" He heard a rough familiar voice snarl as Lazerbeak slowly stalked forward.

Ironhide with grace Ben didn't even know he had lept from the ground below and right in front of him. The Autobot looked to be sheathing with rage, his cannons out and pointed for Lazerbeak. Ben could clearly see the rage in his optics, and it was such an unusual sight for him that it actually scared him. "That is Decepticon PROPERTY." Lazerbeak barked back, Ben's eyes widened, almost expecting something more shocking then what came "We own his Father, and we own HIM. He is our spy, stayyyyy out of my way!" He noted.

Ironhide fired one of his cannons straight at Lazerbeak, who barely managed to dodge it. He jettisoned into the air, considering trying yet again. Lazerbeak watched carefully, and took off between Ironhide's legs activating razor wings, he sliced the sides of Ironhide's legs before gripping Ben, hard, and taking off faster then Ironhide could blink. "DAD!" Ben shrieked, he struggled.

"Ben, no!"

Ironhide turned, aiming with his cannons, but it was no use. Lazerbeak was too far off, and any shot he dared to fire could have easily hit Ben if he was off even by a centimeter. Quickly, panicked, Ironhide got on the comm. "We have a situation! Lazerbeak has taken BEN! I've taken damage to my legs, and the fragging buzzard took off with him!" He shouted, anger rising in him.

"Noted Ironhide, I have a visual. Beginning pursuit." Optimus replied.

Ironhide could feel his spark beating uncontrollably, he had lost Chromia, but Primus forbid, he was not loosing Ben too. Leaping off the roof with all of his might, and transforming, Ironhide quickly began a quick pursuit of Lazerbeak as he mentally cursed himself for even letting it happen.