Sirens all around the island go off at the same time. Chase and Chief immediately blare their sirens and zoom down the streets with a rubber-burning screech. Mr. Bunty watches them drive off. "God be with them," he murmurs, with a sad face.
Boulder transforms into bot mode and grabs onto Blades's winch. As the two medics of the team, they were needed the most. The rest of the team immediately head off road, scaring any humans they pass by.
"Do you think they found her?" Huxley Prescott asks Hayley as Salvage drives through the town square and into the trees.
"I think so," Hayley says, running to her car and heading back to the Firehouse.
"Cody!" Frankie exclaims, coming up behind him in the command center. "I heard that Quickshadow was found."
"Yeah, they're heading for her now," Cody says, standing up. The scientist's daughter could see the tears trickling down his cheeks. "I just hope they can get there in time to save her." Frankie gives him a wordless hug, and the two comfortingly embrace each other for a minute before watching the monitors.
The rescue team arrives at the base of the mountain, and begins to fan out in search of Quickshadow's cave. Heatwave is in a panic, and Chase has to grab his shoulder for him to realize that he was stepping on Cybertronian tracks. "There was most certainly a fight here," Chase says. "A lively one at that. There is no way any Earth mammalian could make such disturbances in the ground."
"What's this?" Graham asks, picking up a device.
"That's Uncia's holographic shield," Onca says, taking it from him. "Damaged in the field of battle."
"Looks like the fight moved down here," Blurr says, jumping down onto smooth stone. "Somebody hit this rock." He gestures to the impact made from Fracture's fist. "I'mma guess Fracture's handy work."
"Knife marks," Tigris follows the line on the side of the mountain with her digit.
"There's traces of Energon leading into the trees," Boulder says, pointing. The bots follow the trail to a small ravine. Energon was spilled everywhere, making Heatwave's spark beat faster. Blades does a quick scan. "It's Quickshadow's," he whispers.
"Where is she, then?" Galaxy asks, looking around the ravine.
"I think Fracture dragged her this way," Salvage says, pointing to the smeared Energon leading into a cave. The bots and humans look into the cave. Illuminated by the glowing Energon, was Quickshadow. Her white armor was barely visible underneath the spilt Energon, and she laid in a scary pool of her lifeblood.
"Quickshadow!" Heatwave exclaims, and kneels down next to her. The hope that had momentarily fluttered in his chassis when he saw her died when he felt her pulse. "She's still online, barely."
"We need to get her to the medical bay," Blades says. "Now, now! Let's move!"
"Draw a groundbridge to us," Chase orders, and Onca does as she is told. Heatwave picks up his sparkmate gently and carries her out of the cave.
Above the Rescue Bots on top of the cave, Fracture is hidden in the shadows. His red optics glow as he narrows them menacingly and he snickers. "They fell right into my trap." He activates his long wrist spike with a metallic screech.
Dani hears Fracture's spike activated, and looks up to see him preparing to attack the Rescue Bots. "Look out!"
Chase has just enough time to intercede Fracture's attack on Heatwave. "Take her back to base!" he shouts at his leader, tazing Fracture in the face.
"Blurr, Onca, Tigris, help Chase!" Heatwave orders. "Boulder, Blades, Salvage, Galaxy, to the medical bay!"
The bots follow orders while the humans follow Heatwave through the groundbridge back to the medical bay. He places Quickshadow on the operating table, and the medics get to work patching her up and saving her life. It is a difficult task, as she had already lost so much Energon.
"Don't close your eyes," Heatwave whispers as he watches. "Don't you give up on me."
"Her spark-beat's slowing down!" Blades exclaims.
"I won't give up on her, I refuse!" Heatwave says.
"Neither will we," Boulder says as he begins CPR.
As the medics work on her, Quickshadow barely opens her optics. Dazed and not really conscious, she can just make out Heatwave. "Good…bye…" she whispers, before the monitor flatlines.
"No!" Heatwave shouts, collapsing on the floor. The firebot clutches his chassis, feeling excruciating pain as he feels his sparkmate slowly slipping away.
"Clear!" Blades shouts, shocking her. Nothing happens.
"Cody, please head out of the medbay," Chief whispers to his youngest.
"Why?" Cody asks. The look on his father's face says it all. Cody and Frankie leave the medical bay crying.
"You're not gonna die tonight, Quickshadow," Salvage says determinedly.
"Clear!" Blades says, shocking her again. This time, her spark began to beat. "Yes!"
Heatwave gasps, overjoyed to feel her spark beat again. But the battle wasn't over. The medics finally patched her up well enough that they could transfer her to a stasis cell. Boulder helps Heatwave stand up. "She's going to be alright."
Back in the woods, the Rescue Bots were having quite the battle with Fracture. The Decepticon punches Blurr in the faceplates before blocking Tigris's sword with his spike. The two engage in a heated fencing match. "Ah, you are much more of a worthy opponent than Drift," Fracture grins.
"Don't talk to me about worthiness, you scrapbag," the tiger femme growls.
Onca draws her bow and fires at him. Fracture ducks, leaving Tigris to avoid the arrow. Onca twirls her bow around and uses it to block Fracture's incoming attack. Tigris counters with her sword.
Chase comes in with his taser and the three succeed in forcing Fracture to kneel down. "When you mess with family, you mess with all of us," the policebot growls.
Fracture laughs. "So corny."
"Why do you have to come after us?" Tigris asks. "After all these years, you undignified piece of sl*g has to show his faceplates for what? A bounty? The thrill of the hunt?"
"Revenge," Fracture grunts as Chase tases him again.
"Revenge for what?!" Onca shouts. "You were the one who betrayed us!"
"This is what I do when my dignity's stolen," Fracture growls. He attempts to stab Chase. The policebot moves back to avoid it, and Fracture takes his chance. He runs away from the fight in a very undignifying way, but he felt it was better to live to fight another day.
The bots chase after him, but lose him in the woods. "I would like to know how he became so fast," Blurr says with jealousy.
"Upgrades," Tigris mutters, sticking her sword into the ground angrily.
"Let's see how Quickshadow's doing," Onca says.
The four take a groundbridge back to the medical bay and almost run into Heatwave. "Where is that…" he looks around and doesn't see Cody. "That sl*ging fr*gger!"
"Quickshadow is fine, she's in stasis now, and Heatwave's done panicking and ready to fight Fracture," Boulder translates.
"Tough luck, Captain," Blurr says. "He slithered away in the woods and we can't find him."
Heatwave growls, punching his fist.
"So now we're back where we started," Dani says. "Fracture's somewhere in the woods and we can't find him. Only now we have a member incapacitated."
"Let's arm ourselves and head back out," Tigris says, taking charge. "By ourselves, Fracture would be able to give us a hard fight. Together, we could match him."
"I will come, too," Heatwave says.
"Please stay," Onca pleads. "I know you want revenge, but Quickshadow couldn't match him, and she's sparred against him for years. We'll have a hard time taking him down together, since he trained so hard."
Heatwave growls, but Onca does not back down.
"We'll find him, cuff him, and bring him back here so that you can punch him," she negotiates.
"Fine," Heatwave growls, seeing her sense but not liking it. The two femmes head off to prepare for battle.
"Heatwave," Blades says timidly.
"What?" the firebot snaps, whirling around.
Blades flinches. "Umm… I, uh, found something… interesting when I scanned Quickshadow…"
"What now?" Heatwave asks, panic swelling inside him.
"She's… she's carrying," Blades announces.
Shock registers on Heatwave's face and his jaw drops. Boulder holds onto him as he sits down on a bench. "She's… carrying…" he says numbly. "Oh my Primus."
The Rescue team is silent, realizing just how much was really at stake if Quickshadow had offlined that night.
Next chapter: Yours To Hold