And now, we return to Rise.
Another chapter that has been rid of errors. Hopefully :P
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Twenty - Changes
"What? We're moving?" Steeldust asked, jerking his helm up.
Jazz nodded. He sat forward in his chair, putting his hands together. "Sorry, Steel, Ah hate ta take ya away from yer friends."
Twitching his doorwings, Steeldust considered what to say. He didn't want to move. His friends were here in Praxus.
But before Jazz adopted him, he'd moved around a lot. He was the kind of mecha that didn't like to stay in one place for a long time.
That must be why they were moving.
Since adopting Steeldust, Jazz had stayed. Not even moving to a different sector.
"Okay, Jazz. Where are we going?"
"Ah haven't even told him why yet..." Jazz studied Steeldust carefully, not expecting this reaction.
"Altihex."
Steeldust nodded thoughtfully. "That's not too far away, right? And we'll probably come back to visit, so we won't have to say goodbye forever to mecha."
"Yer right," replied the black and white. "An' of course we'll come back. We can't just leave Prowl an' Blue' an' Smokey."
With a grin, Steeldust continued. "I've never been to Altihex. It'll be an adventure."
Chuckling, Jazz returned the grin. "Well, Ah'm glad yer thinkin' o' it dat way."
His tone then grew serious, faceplate sobering. "Are ya sure yer okay with this, Steeldust?"
"Jazz, I understand why. I don't want to leave, but you've stayed here so long, for almost two vorns. I know you stayed here for me. It wouldn't be fair if I made you stay longer."
The investigator stared at the youngling. "How'd you get ta be so grownup?"
Steeldust shrugged. "I'm not just the little lost youngling you found anymore, Jazz. We're family, and we gotta take care of each other. It's my turn to take care of you."
"Yer something special, Steel, always have been. Thanks for understanding me."
Hopping off the couch, Steeldust walked over and hugged his guardian.
He didn't want to go, but it would be okay.
Jazz held his little charge tight for a few kliks.
Pulling away, the investigator held Steeldust at servo's length. "Ah appreciate yer lookin' out fo' me, Steel, an' Ah got ta admit, Ah am gettin' fidgety.
"But we're movin' cause someone's after ya. Ah don't know who exactly an' it's not right now it seems. Just in case, we're gonna play a game of hide an' disappear fo' a bit."
Steeldust tilted his helm, fear and concern invading his wide optics. "Does this have something to do with Barricade?"
Jazz grimaced. "Yeah. Seems he was s'posed ta track ya down fo' someone. But don't worry, we won't let no one take ya away."
Nodding the little mechling hugged Jazz again. "I know. Thanks for looking out for me too, Jazz."
"Anytime, Steel."
Bluestreak stared at his best friend in horror. "You're leaving Praxus?"
Steeldust nodded, a look of misery and guilt on his faceplate. "I'm sorry. But I'll come to visit, I promise."
"It won't be the same," wailed Bluestreak, wringing his hands. "We won't be able to go adventuring or go to the same school or anything."
Steeldust looked down at his pedes, not knowing what to say.
"When are you leaving?" asked Smokescreen sadly.
"After school ends for the vorn," Steeldust replied.
"Well," said Swerve glumly. "At least we can hang out lots until then. I mean, that's only a few decacycles away, but... You know."
"Swerve's right," affirmed Smokescreen. "And like Steel said, he'll be back."
"I guess you're right," sniffed Bluestreak. He trudged over to Steeldust and threw his servos around him.
Steeldust returned the hug. "I'm-sorry-Blue. I-really-am."
"It's okay, Steel," Bluestreak said sadly, not releasing his grip.
Steeldust looked down at Bluestreak, then at the rest of his friends. They each met his gaze, optics sad. His vents caught, but he refused to cry.
It was going to be okay. He would come back to Praxus.
Prowl and Jazz sat across the table from each other.
Finally, the heavy silence between them was broken.
"So, you decided to go through with it," Prowl asked neutrally.
Jazz nodded slowly. "Yeah. Ah did."
"Think you are doing what's best?"
"Ah honestly don't know, Prowler." Jazz leaned forwards, resting his elbow joints on the table. He put his faceplate in his hands. "Ah just hope Ah am."
"I think you are, Jazz."
The investigator glanced at his friend. "Ya do?"
Prowl nodded, placing his folded hands on the table. "Silver is right. If Barricade can't find Steeldust then neither can the mecha looking for him. You have the ability to disappear, covering your tracks extremely well. Even if you lay low just long enough for Barricade to become confused and leave, it will be worth it.
"And Jazz, I was wrong when I said you would not be able to care for Steeldust. You made the right decision in adopting him. You have done well with him.
"I apologize for doubting you."
Jazz nodded, a little blindsided by his best friend's words. He knew that Prowl hadn't approved of it in the beginning. At all. The investigator had suspected the change of spark, but it surprised him that Prowl was telling him. And he knew how hard it was for the Praxian to apologize or admit he was wrong.
"Thanks, Prowler. Dat means a lot."
They were quiet again for several kliks.
"Jazz."
"Yeah, Prowl?"
"Just- Come back and visit. Steeldust will miss his friends and they will miss him."
Prowl paused, glancing away for a moment. He then returned his gaze to Jazz, faceplate serious.
"And I will miss my friend."
Jazz smiled sadly. "Ah'll miss ya too, Prowl. Ah promise we'll come back. Ya ain't gonna get rid o' us just like dat ya know."
"I know," Prowl said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a small smile. "This time, you have my permission to up and leave without telling me."
Knowing what his friend was referencing, Jazz smirked. "Well, thanks."
Steeldust sat on the roof, watching the sunrise. As he listened to music through his headphones, he pondered what Altihex would be like.
"Will-the-younglings-at-my-new-school-like-me? What-are-the-teachers-going-to-be-like?"
Hopefully he'd do as well there as he had here in Praxus.
"But-I-don't-want-to-replace-my-friends. They're-not-replaceable.
"What's-Blue-gonna-do-now-if-Wildrider-bothers-him? I-guess-he'll-still-have-Smokey-and-the-rest... I'm-gonna-miss-them... I-think-I'll-even-miss-Drag-Strip-a-little."
Bringing his pedes close to his frame, Steeldust rested his chin on his knee joints.
"But-I'll-come-back-as-often-as-I-can. We'll-all-be-okay. And-maybe-I-can-go-and-find-Blurr. Altihex-is-the-next-city-state-to-Iacon. And-I-know-where-his-school-is. Or-at-least-I-think-I-remember.
"Maybe-then-he'll-talk-to-me. Explain-why-he-broke-our-bond. He's-never-wrote-me-back."
Steel set his mouth in a grim line, optic ridges furrowing.
"I-have-to-talk-to-him. Even-if-it-seems-like-he-doesn't-want-to-talk-to-me.
"And-I-have-to-come-back-and-see-my-adopted-brother. I'm-not-gonna-abandon-Bluestreak-like-Blurr-abandoned-me."
Looking in the direction of Bluestreak's house, the eight-and-three-quarter-vorn-old made an internal promise to himself.
"I will never leave Bluestreak on his own. Ever."
Despite how they tried to make their remaining few decacycles together last, time flew by for the group of younglings.
It wasn't just Steeldust who wouldn't be returning to this school. Swerve was graduating this vorn, so he wouldn't be back for the next term.
Knowing that two friends would be leaving didn't help.
But everyone tried their best to enjoy what time was left.
Smokescreen, Steeldust, and Bluestreak spent most of it together, only separated for classes and most offcycles. Swerve and some others joined them for some adventures, but mostly, it was just the trio.
"I don't want this to end," Bluestreak said one orn when they were at the park.
Smokescreen slowed his swing down with his pedes, kicking up small clouds of dust and metal gravel. "It won't end, Blue. It's just gonna change."
Bluestreak sat on his swing, looking at the ground. "Exactly. It won't be the same."
"Everything changes, Blue. Sometimes we don't like it, but we just have to make the best of it," replied the white and cerulean youngling. "Or at least that's what my sire says."
"I guess," Bluestreak said with a shrug. Then, his faceplate brightened, doorwings perking back up as an idea came to him. "Hey, I know. We can write letters. Then it won't seem so bad, right? I mean, we won't be able to talk like when we're together, but it's something."
Smokescreen nodded with a grin. "Yeah! Good thinking."
Still swinging back and forth, Steeldust gave his agreement.
"Come on," Smokescreen said as he got off of his swing. He gestured with a servo to his two companions as he began walking. "Let's go to the energon sweets store."
"Okay!" chorused the other two.
Steeldust leaped from his swing, which was still in motion. He landed neatly next to Smokescreen and gave him an unamused look. "Let me guess, I'm not allowed to carry them?"
"Nope."
Bluestreak laughed as Steeldust stuck his glossa out at Smokescreen and marched away with his helm held high.
"You hold a grudge way too long," Steel called back.
Smokescreen smirked and followed the speedster, Bluestreak close behind him.
Barricade stealthily let himself into the prison through the side door. A friend had already hacked the cameras remotely, setting them to a looped feed. In addition, he'd given Barricade the remaining key codes to any doors or computers that he couldn't get himself.
Making it all too easy for the crooked law enforcer to accomplish what he had come to do.
The black and white grinned maliciously as he snuck through the shadows. A guard was standing nearby, halfway into recharge as he leaned against the wall with his servos crossed.
"Well, this one won't be much trouble to deal with," thought Barricade.
He proceeded silently, and when he was close enough, he struck.
The guard slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Barricade moved on.
Reaching the first section containing the prisoners, the enforcer took care of the guard standing in front of the door in similar fashion to the first. He relieved the mech of his keys and weapons and then entered the room.
Quickly moving along the row of cells, Barricade located the mecha he was looking for.
The hulking mech glanced up when he saw the enforcer approach. A nasty grin spread across his scarred faceplate.
"So. You got in," he rumbled.
Barricade nodded, returning the grin. "Yes. The contact has prepared a transport seven blocks west of here. You know your instructions?"
"You bet. Let me out and I'll get the other mecha up and out."
Unlocking the giant brawler's cell, Barricade tossed him the key. "I'll release the rest. You won't see me again until we're in Kaon."
"Until next time then," grunted the mech, already heading to unlock the next cell. "Good hunting, Barricade."
The enforcer smirked as he left the large room. "It always is, Blackout."
"Yer kiddin' me."
Prowl shook his helm. "Haven't you seen the news, Jazz?"
The investigator twitched his doorwings. "Yeah. But Ah came down here ta see if it was true. How'd somebody get in ta three detention centres?"
"That's what we are trying to figure out," replied Nightracer, looking up from his desk. "It definitely was someone with friends in high, or perhaps, low places. The security was hacked remotely, we cannot trace it back to them though. They did a good job, very professional."
"Fantastic," muttered Prowl. He rubbed his chevron. "Now roughly three hundred prisoners are running loose across two city-states."
Nightracer winced and cleared his throat. "I hate to contradict you Prowl, but there are witnesses saying that there were groundbridges sighted."
Jazz groaned. "Great. So, we have a bunch of thugs dat escaped ta who knows where."
"Likely they'll head to the Badlands where there is less chance to be arrested again," remarked Prowl. "Have any been intercepted and returned?"
"Not many. Enforcers in Protihex caught on quite quickly, so several mecha were detained there. The two prisons in Praxus had more security systems hacked, so the response time was delayed," replied Nightracer, checking his computer. "To top it off, we lost an enforcer. He was a good mech, had a family too."
"Since we have been asked to assist, have they provided any new information? Do we have any leads on who is behind this?"
The blue and white shook his helm. "Not yet. Although, I believe all three of us have our suspicions."
"Barricade," Jazz growled.
Prowl held up a hand. "Calm down, Jazz. We need to go about this carefully- "
The other two glanced towards what had caught Prowl's attention.
Barricade was strolling through the front doors of the office. A wide grin plastered his faceplate and there was a spring in his step.
"Good orn, mechs," the enforcer said as he passed, nodding in their direction.
"Greetings," Prowl replied, barely keeping his tone neutral.
"Hey," muttered Jazz, frowning as he watched the enforcer walk down the hall.
Nightracer said nothing, forcing his doorwings to stay still, lest he betray his emotions.
After Barricade was out of hearing range, the three continued their conversation.
"Well, he sure is chipper dis orn," snarked Jazz. "Think it had somethin' ta do with last offcycle?"
"I do not know, Jazz," replied Prowl, chin in hand. He took a moment to think, forming a plan.
"I want you to head to sector thirteen and start working on their surveillance equipment to see if you can recover anything. If you finish there in time, please head to sector five's enforcement office. I will go there myself to help, but we may need your expertise there as well."
"An' what about Protihex?"
"They already have enforcement and investigation from their city-state on it," answered Nightracer. "What would you have me to do, Prowl?"
"Please keep an optic and audio out for any further information on the escapees' locations," the white and black enforcer replied. "As well as anything else that could be useful.
"Both of you let me know any findings."
Jazz and Nightracer agreed to do so, and the three mechs dispersed.
It was going to be quite the orn.
Barricade cautiously glanced around. Seeing no one watching, he ducked into the alley. After finding a place to hide in the shadows, he opened a comm.
"Yes?" a deep voice replied.
"Blackout. Did everyone report in yet?" asked the enforcer, watching the alley entrance.
"No. Most have. Some merely have not bothered to, others were arrested again."
Barricade grimaced. "Morons. Do I have to do everything for them?" He paused with a sigh. "Does the boss want me to go back and release them. Again?"
"No. If they were foolish enough to allow themselves to be rearrested, then they have no place in our movement."
"True. What are my next instructions?"
After a few kliks of considering, the 'copter replied. "Spies have observed enforcement investigating. Did you leave anything behind that might point them to you?"
"You know me, there's nothing." Barricade paused, listening for a klik.
A group of younglings was approaching. Nothing to be concerned about.
The enforcer continued, lowering his voice. "Though I have reason to think one Praxian enforcer and a Polyhexian investigator are suspicious."
"You may want to consider disappearing then, Barricade."
"Won't that raise suspicion?"
"It will if there's already suspicion there. Your choice. If you want to take the chance and stay, be my guest. Just know we won't be coming for you either," said Blackout, tone uninterested.
"Fine. I'll leave. I know what happens if I get caught," snapped Barricade. Straightening, he began walking towards the street. "I will meet you in Kaon. Regular place."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't get caught."
Barricade cut the comm, just as he was striding back onto the sidewalk.
Several younglings, familiar ones, almost ran into him.
"Watch it," snarled Barricade, glaring down at the four of them.
The smallest one, a Praxian, yelped and ducked fearfully behind the tallest one, also a Praxian. The orphan moved swiftly in between them and the enforcer, flaring his doorwings and plating aggressively. The fourth youngling, probably the oldest, just kind of stood there.
Barricade thought it was comical.
The tallest doorwinger looked up at him. "I apologize, Officer. We didn't see you there."
"Yeah," added the red and white one. "All of a sudden you were just, there, you know? Just, poof! And I was busy telling my friends this story here and I didn't even hear you coming cause- "
The youngling went on and on.
Barricade, expression bored, crossed his servos.
The white and blue clapped a hand over his friend's mouth. "I think we'd better let the enforcer go now, Swerve."
"Right. Yeah, I bet he's got lots to do. Lots of enforcer stuff-" The red and white youngling, apparently called Swerve, started talking again, shoving the hand away.
Barricade rolled his optics and walked away.
Smokescreen, Bluestreak, and Steeldust watched him warily. Swerve chattered on.
"Do you ever shut up?!" hissed Steeldust, whirling to face Swerve. "That was Barricade!"
Swerve just looked confused. "Who's Barricade?"
Steeldust facepalmed.
"Let's just go. We'll tell you later, Swerve," said Smokescreen, dragging Bluestreak in the opposite direction of the law enforcer.
"Haven't we told you already?" inquired Steeldust, quirking an optic ridge.
"No. Maybe?" Swerve said with a shrug. "I don't remember."
"You probably were too busy talking to listen," Steel grumbled.
"Hey. I know I talk a lot, but I do listen to you mechs."
"Well, we sure listen to you. A lot," Smokescreen remarked over his shoulder. "Hurry up, slowpokes."
"Hey!" protested Swerve and Steeldust.
"I'll show you slow!" Steeldust added, zipping past Smokescreen and Bluestreak.
Blue' glanced up at Smokescreen. "Really, Smokey? You knew that would happen, right? Now we've lost him!"
Smokescreen sighed, shaking his helm. "I forgot."
"He'll circle back to find us," said Swerve, waving them off with a hand. "He always does. And hey, now we can go at our own pace. If we walk with Steeldust, I usually end up jogging."
"That's cause in proportion to the rest of your frame, your pedes are shorter than his," Smokescreen said.
"Are you saying I'm short?"
Smokescreen glanced down at him, raising his optic ridges. "For a mechling who's older than all of us, four vorns older than Steeldust..."
Swerve stuck out his glossa. "Maybe you're just tall. Anyways, Steeldust just walks fast."
"Way to state the obvious, Swerve," Smokescreen smirked.
"Well, you weren't doing it. You were just making up other fancy reasons for why I can't keep up with him."
"Keep up with who?"
Swerve and Bluestreak both jumped. They glanced behind them to see Steeldust.
The speedster waved, a smirk on his faceplate. "No, I have not been here the whole time. I just circled back around the block to find you slowpokes."
"Stop sneaking up on us!" exclaimed Swerve. "Do you know how annoying it is to be minding your own business and then suddenly someone is right beside or behind you? How are you so sneaky anyways?"
Steeldust shrugged. "I can't help it. I'm just light on my pedes. Besides, it's highly entertaining."
"That's how he doesn't fall off of high stuff like the railings on the playground," Bluestreak added. Then, he frowned. "At least he doesn't sneak up on you and poke your doorwings, Swerve."
"I don't have doorwings." Swerve grimaced and stomped ahead, muttering about tall speedsters who were too sneaky.
Turning to the two Praxians, Steeldust tilted his helm. "Soooo... What'd I miss?"
Thanks for reading! As always, I'd love to read any comments you may have.
Credit Song: Those Nights - Skillet
