Chapter 7: Bubble Trouble

(Alternative Title: Where There's A Lot Of Sitting And Talking)


He had just wanted to help. He just wanted to help so badly.

Being captured and detained, feeling his bones begin to crack-this wasn't supposed to be a part of it. He just wanted to try and do whatever he could. He didn't know that this would happen, that he could be so stupid to get caught so easily.

He gritted his teeth as he felt a rib crack, and heard someone calling his name. The pain flared intensely, and even if this was his fault-he could never regret linking with High Wire. His chest tightened, a strangling hold enveloped his heart, and he felt his life slipping away.

He was…this wasn't supposed to happen. Distantly, he thought he could hear someone calling his name again.

"Rad!"

Gasping, Rachel shot upright, her brow sweaty and her eyes pricking with tears as her throat constricted. She'd had nightmares before, but nothing so strong had ever come over her-not like this. The sensations of being crushed in a giant grip, the feeling of bones breaking, and the moment the rib pierced the heart all felt distressingly real.

Was this her mind trying to tell her something? Was it guilt? Rachel saw how Rad tried to act happy since his grounding two days ago, but she'd catch him looking wistfully at his bike, or expecting someone to speak when there wouldn't be any need too. Did he and High Wire have such a bond already that Rad was suffering from the same separation anxiety he'd had when his parents left, or was this bond because of his pre-existing anxiousness? Would it even be wise to entertain the idea of letting Rad see High Wire since doing so would be so monumentally stupid?

All Rachel really knew in her terrified state of mind was that keeping Rad safe was the top responsibility she had. So grasping at her cell phone lying on the nightstand, she started to search through the caller's from Monday. Beneath the sound of the ringing, Rachel strained to hear the sound of Rad's snoring to soothe her racing heart.

Even when he drove her crazy, when he acted up or annoyed her, Rachel could sympathize with him to her very core. He was more than her cousin, he was like her little brother, and as such it was her job to make sure he remained happy and healthy. While she didn't much care for this idea, she knew it would provide both requirements.

As the other line was answered, Rachel braced herself. "Optimus, we need to talk."


Rad had tried to be his usual self, but it was hard too when all he could think about for the past two days was High Wire, Create, and the remaining unsealed cards out in the world. How was he supposed to find them? He wasn't some jet setter who could up and go at a whim, nor did he have any money to do such a thing. Kero tried to assure him that most of the cards wouldn't go very far in their anger, but he didn't put much stock into it simply because the guardian didn't seem to believe his own words either.

As he caught up with his friends in the hall of Lincoln Elementary, Rad blinked when he saw a pink bubble floating across the foyer. "Uh, do you see that bubble too or am I going crazy?"

Alexis blinked as well while she stared after the round, floating object. "No, I see it too." She replied, and as she spoke, even more bubbles began to pour into the hall from the air vents. "I wonder if something happened."

Carlos crossed his arms. "What could have happened? It's just a bunch of bubbles; nothing to get worried about."

"Actually," a young, assertive voice said from behind Rad, "a number of things could likely have made the bubbles appear. Busted water main, school prank-take your pick." The blond twisted around, and saw a brown-haired girl standing just in front of the doors with a self-assured look on her face.

Carlos scowled as he looked away, but Alexis beamed as she rushed up to the girl. "Kelly!" she called and the two girls hugged. "Why didn't you call when your plane landed? You had me so worried!"

Kelly rubbed the back of her head. "Well, to be honest we got here yesterday, but spent most of it sleeping to work off the jet lag." She pulled out an envelope from her kitty-cat head-shaped backpack. "But I brought pictures! We can look at them at recess; how does that sound?"

Alexis narrowed her eyes, but smiled and shrugged it off. "Sure, no harm done."

"What? Are you kidding me? If I said that you'd have totally railed on me!" Carlos yelled.

Alexis glowered at him. "That's because you're not my cousin. She's family, so she's allowed some slack." She ignored the scowl Carlos sent her as she put her arm around Kelly. "So, how are your parents?"

"They're good, they said we're gonna come over to your house for supper next Monday and to give you a heads up." Kelly replied. When she and Alexis walked past Rad, Kelly paused as she twisted to gaze back up at him. Rad reeled away at the intense look Kelly gave him, her brows furrowed and her mouth pulled down into a confused frown. "You seem…different. Did you cut your hair or something?"

Rad rubbed the back of his neck. "Nope, nothing's different about me. Maybe you're the one who changed." He shrugged, but Kelly's expression didn't soften.

"No, I swear there's something off about you." Kelly leaned forward, and Rad pulled back further.

Alexis looked between them both and pulled Kelly with her down the hall. "Come on, stop being so strange."

Kelly sighed as she looked away. "Yeah, it's probably nothing."

Carlos nudged Rad in the arm. "That girl is super odd, isn't she? What do you think is up with the weird attention?"

Rad shrugged. "Beats me." He replied. He glanced down at the bubbles that the vents spewed out, which all floated along the floor. "You think we'll still have class today?"

"Yeah, it's not like they're gonna let a couple of bubbles stop them from teaching us." Carlos grimaced.

Rad chuckled at his friend's sullenness, but as they reached their homeroom, the blond blinked as inside the room-there was nothing but a sea of bubbles. "Um…well, this is odd." He said and looked across the hall at the group of students that were peering inside at the mass of pink that filled their class as well. His eyes strayed around the hall, seeing another cluster of students that appeared more interested in the bulletin board asking for volunteers at the science carnival next weekend than the bubbles. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Attention students, this is your vice-principal speaking." A voice over the intercom said. "Due to an unforeseen occurrence, all classes will be suspended until the problem is fixed. For now, make your way to the football field outside."

"All right!" Carlos pumped his fist into the air. "Talk about a lucky break." He added and bumped his elbow against Rad's.

The blond tried to return the grin his friend had, but it came out more like a grimace. School had been his only distraction from not having High Wire around anymore, and now he was going to be spending a whole day of doing who-knows-what. Why couldn't a pipe have burst some other time?

Abruptly, Rad froze as he felt the sensation of soap moving along his skin, the strong scent of anti-septic filling his nose. He patted himself down, but couldn't feel any wet spots to indicate that the bubbles had popped on or near him.

It only took a second to realize just what this meant. 'Thank you distraction.' Rad thought as he felt a genuine smile curl his lips. "We'd better head out-they're probably still going to do attendance or something."

"That would so be like them." Carlos grumbled.

"Well, they're teachers-that's kinda their job." Rad replied. Both he and Carlos made their way out of the school and into the rapidly crowding yard. Grades from one to three were huddling in little groups by their teachers, while the older students were being herded into their own class circles. When Rad's homeroom teacher began gesturing for their class to get into a line, both he and Carlos rallied behind Alexis.

She waved to Kelly, who was with her fourth grade class before looking at her two friends. "You think they're going to clear out the problem so we can get back inside?"

"Are you crazy? Any time out of class is good time." Carlos retorted.

Alexis glared at him, but before she could retort, their teacher called for their attention. "Okay kids, us and the other sixth grade class are going to be having a basketball game while the administrators all try and get to the bottom of what is going on. So make your way to the basketball court in an orderly fashion."

As the group started to move, Rad noticed that one of the windows in the second level of the school had been opened, and streams of bubbles were seeping out. Just how bad was this? Did the entire school get hit with it? 'It would explain why all the students are outside instead of moving them to classrooms that don't have any of these bubbles in them.'

Even if this was the work of a Sakura Card, Rad wasn't sure which one it could be; was it aggressive, or gentle? Kero stressed how even gentle ones caused trouble, and Sweet had been proof of that. He was glad Ms. Jay decided to give the shop another try after the Sakura Card had been sealed away, and customers were slowly returning now that her 'bad batches' were all gone.

"Hey Rad!" The blond felt his temper rise as he looked over his shoulder and found Billy smirking at him. "I hope your hoop skills aren't as bad as your classroom ones-wouldn't want you to fall asleep while you're on the court."

Rad's lip curled back into a scowl. "Why you-" he was prevented from charging after the other boy when their teacher gave them both a warning glare. He reluctantly backed off as the teacher pointed at the bleacher.

"You're benched until the next round." She stared at Billy next. "I catch you trying to start something again; it'll be a call to your parents next."

Billy paled. "Uh, right, no trouble." He promised hastily, but when the teacher turned away, he shot a glare at Rad, who returned it full force.


In all honesty, the basketball game wasn't much fun because it all had been so last minute. Rad found himself irritated and annoyed when the vice-principal called for their attention on his megaphone.

"As a solution to this problem with the maintenance has yet to be found, there is no choice but to cancel the remainder of the day. Your parents have been contacted and should be arriving shortly to pick you up. Please continue on with your activities until they arrive. That is all."

Rad grimaced at spending the rest of the day stuck in his room with nothing but his homework. Kero would probably try and help, if only to entertain himself since he was disappointed that Rad didn't have a gaming console to play with. 'Maybe I could distract him by having Sweet turn an apple into a cake.' He thought, but still grumbled nondescriptly to his friends as they all grouped together on the bleachers by the court, all three of them opting out of another game while Kelly ambled over to Alexis' side and swung her legs under the seat as she kept her eyes peeled on the parking lot.

"What am I supposed to do besides my homework and sleep? And doing homework is like a living nightmare." Rad groused.

Alexis huffed as she crossed her arm, but gave her cousin a side glance before replying. "You shouldn't have tried to keep secrets from Rachel; you're lucky she didn't give you an even worse punishment."

Kelly hummed in agreement, and nudged Alexis in the side. "I gotta go, there's my mom. Remember to tell your parents we'll be over on Monday." She said and Alexis nodded.

Rad watched Kelly leave with passive interest as she rushed over to a woman that looked like a much older version of her. There was something familiar about the brown-haired woman as well, but Rad couldn't place it. The twinge of envy he had when Kelly and her mother hugged was something he was familiar with and he quickly glared at the pavement of the basketball court.

He had been real good with the separation anxiety because of all that was going on in the past few days, but now he was forced to see that there would be something he'd think about holed up in his room. 'I just hope Kero's in a more secret-sharing mood now to explain some other things to me.'

"Huh?" Carlos perked up as he caught sight of something in the parking lot. "I don't believe it, what are they doing here?"

Frowning, Rad looked up-and promptly reeled back when he saw three very familiar vehicles in the parking lot. "It's the mini-cons," he whispered, "I'm gonna go check it out."

"Not alone you're not." Alexis said firmly. "You can't be trusted to not go off with them." She added and gave Carlos the same stern glare she sent Rad. The other boy looked offended, but not a moment later did he rush with Rad over to the three mini-cons.

"Yo, buddy. I thought you weren't supposed to be here?" Carlos asked.

"Actually, Optimus sent us to get you." Grindor explained.

"No way." Carlos replied. "Do you know why?"

"Just that there needs to be an understanding of some sort."

Carlos frowned while Alexis crossed her arms as Sureshock gave her the same explanation. Rad though was more cautious about going this time around.

"I don't think I can make it, Rachel grounded me."

"Oh, I think you'll find she'll be very understanding in this case." High Wire replied coyly. Rad only frowned at him. "Seriously, just trust me on this."

"Funny how you keep saying that and we get in trouble." Rad said dryly, but still got onto the seat all the same.

"You can't really be thinking of going back to the Autobot base." Alexis said incredulously. She put her hands on her hips as Carlos jumped onto Grindor. "Am I the only one with any sense left?"

"Just the sense that you're a total drag." Carlos said snappily. "It's not like we're making you come with us or anything. Optimus says he wants to talk, then we should hear him out. He did save our lives."

Alexis crossed her arms again, but sighed as she reluctantly got onto Sureshock. "Fine, but I do this under protest."

"Noted and ignored." Rad said cheerfully. He pointedly looked away when Alexis glared at him again, but began to see the positive in all of this. Hopefully he'd be able to try his hand again at getting Create on his side; Kero's explanation of 'they're not mad at you' appeared to be on its way of falling apart, but given that it was the only card so far which rejected him, he tried to be more optimistic about the others-both in the capturing of them and accepting him parts.

Now he just needed to know if he was actually dealing with a Sakura Card or not.


If he was honest, he'd almost forgotten about the card.

Hot Shot frowned as he took the rectangular shaped-card out of his shoulder compartment. He didn't much like the trouble he was in because of this, but how was he supposed to prove that he hadn't let his grief overtake him? He knew how he'd gotten too close to his subordinate, grown too attached, but he was an Autobot; he should have been able to save Wheeljack.

In war, Hot Shot understood that losses happened all the time, but the thought that his friend had died alone and in pain- thinking that he'd been abandoned-still got to him at times. Distractions helped keep his mind off the past, but that was easier to do on Cybertron during the lull of the war with Smokescreen.

Hot Shot's optics gained a sad, far-away look in them. He could still remember the last minute call…the orange form running after them…and then nothing… The yellow bot didn't want to be all gloom and doom, but it would be a miracle if he saw his friend again.

He thought his new mini-con partner Jolt would have helped him get by, but the small bot held no interest in going along with his attempts at having light-hearted fun and actively reprimanded him, reminding him of his still healing circuits. Hot Shot scowled as he put the card away; he already had Red Alert on his case about being careful, why did his mini-con have to be the same way? He was fine now; his joints hardly ached and his back plating was straightening out-it was like he hadn't been injured at all!

Even Optimus though warned Hot Shot to take it easy, assigning him to help Red Alert with the maintenance that still needed repairs.

Yeah, the last two days hadn't been very fun at all.

"Hey, Hot Shot!"

The yellow mech looked down at the floor, spotting the three children that they'd rescued had arrived. He put on a cheerful smile, waving at them as the kids let the mini-cons with them transform into bi-pedal mode. "Hey yourself." He greeted airily as he leaned back from the cavern wall he'd used as support. "I'm supposed to show you the way in. Follow me, kids."

The yellow-haired male, Rad, hurried to catch up with Hot Shot. "How are you feeling? You look much better than when I spoke to you."

Hot Shot frowned lightly as he struggled to remember speaking with Rad in the med bay. The frown curved back into a smile as he shrugged. "Nothing can keep me down. In fact, I don't think I've ever felt better!"

Rad smiled back at him. "Well, that's good."

"Hot Shot, do you know why we had to come here?" Carlos questioned. "I mean, it's awesome I get to see Grindor again," he said and nudged the blue mini-con beside him, "but it's just real confusin' since he wouldn't say anything."

Hot Shot grinned. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough." He winked, and the two males grumbled under their breath but the female shifted away from the orange mini-con beside her.

The area where the dirt met metal set an interesting contrast as they entered the ship. Walls and floor were cleared of debris and spruced up in the intervening time between missions, though Hot Shot was having a heck of a time in getting Optimus to allow him to rig up a defense system. He led the kids down a right hall, and soon enough they were all entering the command room with Optimus, Red Alert and-

"Rachel?!" Rad shouted, his expression shocked. The blonde was situated up on a ramp which let her be in eye contact with the rest of the Autobots. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the one who called this whole thing together." Rachel said dryly. She shifted on her wooden support sticks, wincing as her injured foot jostled. Hot Shot could sympathize; healing injuries were not fun.

The brown-haired female, Alexis, ran up the steps toward Rachel, stopping just short of her. She shuffled in place, her eyes roving over the older woman in concern. "Are you sure you should be out here? How did you get here and why bring us here too?"

"Actually, I think it should be how did you know you could bring us here?" Carlos questioned as he crossed his arms.

Rachel leaned on her crutch, expression slowly relaxing. "Carlos, the school has my cell number in case of an emergency while Rad's staying with me. When they told me about the cancellation, I got in contact with both of your and Alexis' parents and told them that I was going to let Rad have you both over for a study group. We have an hour to sort of our arrangement before you two gotta go home."

Carlos raised his brows, his expression approving. "That's pretty slick there, Rachel." While he looked pleased, Alexis frowned as she looked at her shoes.

"Wait a second," Rad piped up as he put his hands on his hips with an indignant expression on his face, "how come you can get away with this and I can't?"

Rachel grinned at him. "There's no one around to punish me; I'm an adult, remember?" Rad grumbled under his breath about things not being fair.

Hot Shot caught Optimus shifting, and past him he saw Red Alert giving Rachel a disapproving frown. It was harder to tell what the red and blue bot was thinking with that mask of his, but it was so like Red Alert to be a stick in the mud. 'I think her plan's clever.'

"Then with such a short amount of time, I believe we should proceed with the meeting." Optimus said.

Rachel nodded. "I realize that perhaps I'd been a bit too hasty in leaving High Wire here." She said, her eyes lowering to the floor. "I was so overwhelmed by everything that I failed to take into account what he wanted." She paused and seemed hesitant about continuing. "I might not like it, but we got involved the moment I pulled that panel out of the ground. As such, it was irresponsible of me to just leave High Wire with you like I was returning a toy I didn't really want." She closed her eyes, expression pinching regretfully as she gazed at the blue and gray mini-con. "I'm sorry about that." She glanced up at Optimus. "To you all."

Hot Shot wasn't surprised to find Red Alert being as serious in his curt nod, so he grinned and waved it off. "It's no problem, you were just thinking of your cousin."

Rachel smiled slightly. "Yes, I am." She coughed politely and peered up at Optimus more closely. "I know perhaps this may be unreasonable, as I certainly understand how this may seem, but I would like to take High Wire back." She nodded down at the mini-con, who was practically bouncing on his pedes. "I want Rad to be safe, and right now High Wire could keep him safer than I can." She said and looked down at herself with deprecation.

"You were admirable though in protecting High Wire from the Decepticons." Optimus countered, and Rachel smiled slightly again.

"Yeah, even though you lost, it's the fact you tried that matters." Hot Shot said cheerfully, but blinked in confusion as Rachel's expression went flat. He reeled back when High Wire raised his fist and shook it at him, beeping angrily. "What I'd say?"

"Business as usual; you didn't think before you spoke." Red Alert said dryly.

Hot Shot bristled as he glared at the mech. "Listen you-"

Optimus raised a placating hand at him. "Easy now. Give our present company; please keep your temper under control." He said before looking over at the blue Autobot. "As for you, Red Alert; do not rile Hot Shot up." He admonished, and turned his attention back to Rachel, who was now looking thoughtfully from them to the human children. "I apologize for their behavior."

"Oh, believe me; I know what it's like trying to deal with people who just don't listen." She said, and Rad stiffened as he looked away.

Optimus nodded in complete seriousness, and Hot Shot wilted a little when he realized just what they were taking about. It stung that even Optimus agreed with Megatron's insult, but it was Red Alert's fault in both cases.

"While I understand your desire to keep your charges safe, I hesitate because of the Decepticons." Optimus replied.

Rachel nodded. "I know it sounds counterproductive to ask for the very thing the Decepticons are after to safeguard three human children, but hear me out." She said and took in a deep breath. "Thanks to High Wire, you can't understand the two mini-cons he brought Alexis and Carlos, nor can you understand him. They both can though, and I trust High Wire to protect Rad while I'm not around; plus, it's not like these mini-cons don't know where your base is, so you can still keep your own eye on them since given I don't know what they need to eat after all.

"And while we may not seem like much, we can also provide a home field advantage in your search for the mini-cons; the Internet's useful and all, but it can be very confusing or misleading if you don't know just what you're looking at." She smiled serenely, though there was a tightness at the corners of her mouth, and the kids were trying to appear nonchalant but failing miserably.

Optimus mulled it over thoughtfully, and he glanced at both Hot Shot and Red Alert. "Men, what do you think of Rachel's proposal?"

"There are many variables in which things could end disastrously." Red Alert said bluntly, and Rachel winced. "I am hesitant to agree, but should you allow this through, I will do what I can to make better preparations to avoid any unpleasant costs."

Hot Shot huffed as he saw the nervous expressions pass over the kids' faces. "Come on, Red Alert, don't freak them out." He admonished before grinning at the children. "I'm all for it though, I think it'd be great to have some insider knowledge."

"I am glad to see you're so enthusiastic about this, Hot Shot. You'll still be scouting until Red Alert has cleared you for missions after all." Optimus said firmly, and the yellow mech gaped at him.

"I'm fine though, I…" Hot Shot trailed off when Optimus gazed at him sternly, and he balked under the stare. "I understand, sir."

Optimus nodded. "This will be good for you, Hot Shot; you will also be charged with keeping updates about any Decepticon activity." He ordered and the yellow mech nodded.

Rad stepped forward nervously. "So does this mean we can take the mini-cons back with us?"

Optimus was silent for a long time, and Hot Shot could guess he was deciding whether or not this was a good idea. Eventually, he nodded. "Yes, that is correct." He gazed at the older blonde. "Rachel, Hot Shot will be your escort back to town."

"Got it." Rachel said and made her way carefully back down to the bottom floor.

"Is it just me, or does Hot Shot look like Rachel's car?" Rad questioned.

Carlos snorted. "Dude, we noticed that way before; get with the program, man." He said and Rad rolled his eyes.

"Settle down, kids." Rachel admonished lightly once she got to the floor. "I think it's time to go, Carlos and Alexis need to get back home before their parents decide I am really am trouble."

"But that's what makes you so cool!" Carlos said cheerfully, though Alexis did not look as enthused by all of this. Hot Shot briefly wondered if he'd just found the Red Alert of the group.

Rad was practically bouncing as he and the three mini-cons hurried off towards the exit. "This is going to be so awesome!" he shouted, his voice growing fainter as they got further ahead, but the mini-cons' indescribable reply sounded just as excited.

Rachel shook her head, Alexis keeping pace with the blonde and watching her carefully as the small group left the room. "I hope he realizes that he's still grounded." She mused and Carlos snickered.

Alexis cleared her throat as she glanced past Rachel up at Hot Shot. "So where's your mini-con? I thought there were two others?"

"He's around somewhere." Hot Shot said dismissively. "Jolt, that's my mini-con's name, and Longarm, that's Red Alert's, have been helping out. You know, getting into the small spaces we can't, telling us about the ship functions."

"From what High Wire told me I would have thought the Autobots built this ship." Rachel said mildly.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, they did, but I'm not exactly a construction or engineering bot." Hot Shot explained. "Securities more my thing, but stick in the mud Red Alert won't let me touch the systems." He huffed. "What does he think I'm gonna do?"

"It sounds like you don't exactly like him." Alexis pointed out.

Hot Shot's expression twisted. "It's not so much as I don't like him so much as he hasn't got a personality."

"I don't know; he sure seemed pretty snarky when you two were arguing back there." Carlos teased. "After all, it takes two to tango." He added, but Hot Shot only stared at him blankly, causing the boy's expression to fall. "Really, you don't know what this means but you knew what 'stick in the mud' meant?"

Hot Shot grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. "I was looking up things to call him; it just stuck."

"While you're in town, would you mind playing taxi for me?" Rachel asked cautiously. "It'd be a bit easier on my friends and my wallet not to take the bus until my ankle heals up. Plus, I can only get away with saying my car's in the shop for so long; this way when you stop scouting I can just say it got totalled or something."

Hot Shot hummed thoughtfully. The idea of driving Rachel around wasn't exactly an appealing one, as it meant it'd cut into time he would be taking to try and spot any 'Cons, but her car had been destroyed because Cyclonus thought it was him. "Yeah, I guess that would be fine."

Rachel smiled sincerely. "Thanks. I promise it'll just be until I get better." Her smile faded, and she looked down at her ankle with an expression very reminiscent of how Hot Shot looked when he'd been berth-ridden.

He'd gotten marginally well in only two days, while she was still nowhere near being able to move on her own yet. Even if he was reluctant about taking up scouting once more, he wasn't about to let his new friends' get something even worse than a sprained ankle. These organics were so fragile after all.


Rad grinned as he lied on his back, head tilted as he watched High Wire and Kero stare each other down. He wasn't quite sure what they were doing, but it seemed like establishing some form of hierarchy; Rachel was top dog, even if she didn't know about Kero or the magic, and then there was Rad. He chuckled quietly to himself as he rolled onto his stomach.

Kero hadn't wanted to go after the card until he and High Wire settled whatever rivalry they had. He hadn't seemed worried about the card at the school, but now that Rad had his fun of watching these two do their epic stare down, he knew that even if he wasn't a fan of school there were kids who bizarrely liked that place.

Rad got up from his bed and poked his head out of the room, listening intently for the gentle snores coming from Rachel's side of the apartment before switching out his over shirt with a dark hoodie, and retrieving Windy from the Sakura Book. The blond had decided not to chance sneaking out in broad daylight where he could be spotted while Rachel had been at her afternoon classes, and she'd even stayed up with him to eat dinner. Hot Shot was going to be a big help with getting Rachel around, but he was a bit disappointed that Marty wouldn't be stopping by now that his cousin didn't need the man's help with transportation.

"Okay you two," Rad said as he closed the door and crossed his arms, "I've let this go on long enough, but I really gotta know what kind of card I'm going to be dealing with."

Kero didn't even blink as he kept his gaze locked onto High Wire's. "From what you told me, you have nothing to worry about. This is Bubbles, and she isn't aggressive."

"You seem to be forgetting just what you told me." Rad said dryly. "As in, even the nice ones will be a handful? And need I remind you that even Sweet was kind of a pain to catch?" he rolled his eyes when Kero still didn't look at him. Rad chewed the inside of his cheek as he thought of how to break this little contest going on. "Well, now that High Wire's here, I guess he can come with me on these trips."

That got Kero's attention. His indignant expression snapped over to Rad. "What? You can't be serious. There's no way this tin can will be helpful!" he said furiously, but paused when High Wire began letting out triumphant beeping, though to Rad's ears it instead sounded rather maniacal. Kero slowly drooped, his body going limp as his whole form radiated sadness. "I guess I lost."

Like a light switch, Kero suddenly sprang back up, all smiles and cheer. "Ah well, can't win 'em all." He said, but turned a narrowed gaze toward High Wire, who seemed just as startled as Rad by this abrupt change in behavior. "You though; you better make sure nothing happens to Rad, or I will totally make you regret it once I get my real form back."

"Wha…huh…um…" High Wire trailed off dazedly, but snapped out of it and nodded indignantly. "Of course I'll protect Rad! Not only did Rachel say so, but I happen to like Rad!" he shot back heatedly.

Rad blinked. "He, uh, said that he'll do his best." He translated, and Kero crossed his arms.

"You better."

The blond shook his head, waving his arms to try and get attention back on him. "Back up a sec; you're okay with me taking High Wire? What was with all that staring? You two didn't even blink!"

Kero grinned at him. "I just wanted to make sure High Wire could do it, and between you and me," he put a hand up beside his mouth, lowering his voice to a stage whisper, "even this bucket is better than those big mechas getting the cards."

"Bucket? Why you little-"

Rad hurriedly grabbed a hold of one of High Wire's outstretched hands that were reaching for Kero. The guardian's grin only widened. Rad sighed as he realized that the stare down had simply been Kero's way of messing with them; it looked like he wasn't about to let his target of jokes and digs go. Smiling slyly, Rad took his own shot as he spoke to High Wire in his own stage whisper. "Personally, I think he missed you too. He's just annoying because he likes us."

Kero harrumphed as he turned up his nose and huffily floated onto the bed. "Just go, go and have your little adventure without me."

Rad rolled his eyes at the dramatics. "Just don't do anything that could wake Rachel up."

"Sure, whatever."

Rad shook his head and both he and High Wire made their way out into the hall quietly. The blonde locked the door and re-potted the apartment key before taking off his magic one. He held it out before him and High Wire stepped back as the glowing circle appeared beneath Rad. "Key of the star, with powers burning bright; reveal the staff and shine your light-release!"

"That is still so cool to watch." High Wire said appreciatively once the key was now in its staff form.

Rad grinned as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment. "Aw, thanks High Wire, but now you gotta, you know." He nodded towards the elevator, and the mini-con understood as he transformed into his bike mode. Rad kept a look out as they walked down the hall, but made sure to grab the handle bars once they entered the elevator so the camera didn't catch anything strange.

Rad had never been so glad that his cousin took her own schooling so seriously and went to bed just before the sun set. He knew with the days growing longer, that sneaking around was going to be a bit harder, especially now though since they would need to avoid Hot Shot skulking around the town. 'I hope Hot Shot sleeps during the night like we do.' He thought, and wheeled the mini-con out of the elevator once it arrived in the lobby.

The blonde took a careful look around inside the lobby, and then outside to make sure there was no one around that could recognize him. Given the moderate size of the town, it wasn't impossible that someone wouldn't know who he was, but he couldn't take a chance.

Rad got onto the bike seat, and held onto one handle bar while gripping the wand in the other. He awkwardly pulled his hood up as they neared a stoplight. He glanced down as a car pulled up to the curb to avoid letting them see his face, and High Wire turned at the corner to give the driver less of a chance. The streetlamps were helpful in that he could see in front of him, but unfortunately that meant anyone else could too.

The blond bit his lip as High Wire pulled into the Lincoln Elementary parking lot. "Oh great, I don't think even sending Windy is going to get me a spare key this time."

"If you get her to open a window, then I could drive up through it." High Wire suggested.

Rad blinked for a moment, but then slowly grinned. "That's a pretty good idea. I knew bringing you along would help." He felt High Wire waggled his handle bars, and the blond took that to mean he was happy. Rad pulled Windy out of his pocket and tossed the card into the air, where her card stayed as Rad pointed his Star Wand at her, the tiny wings glowing. "Go open a window on the second floor, Windy!"

Streams of yellow and green wind sprung forth in Windy's wake as she darted out of the card and moved around the school to the side of the building. Rad squinted at the building, the moonlight only illuminating the inside of the classrooms enough for him to see an indistinct mass of bubbles. Rad saw the glowing streams and found Windy hovering in the air as she gestured to the window on the side of the building. The blond nodded as the spirit floated back down to, returning to her card form in the process.

"You know, I feel pretty bad about using Windy to essentially do breaking and entering's." Rad said sheepishly.

"Still, better than actually breaking something, right? And it's not like you're here to steal anything." High Wire pointed out.

"I know, but it's the principle of the matter." Rad replied as he tucked Windy back into his pocket and let High Wire wheel them over to the side, where the blond could see a window had been propped open. "That's gonna be a tight fit."

"Just leave it to me!" High Wire assured him. Rad nodded as he made sure he was secured on the bike once the mini-con reached the wall and began his ascent up the side of the building. He still had no idea what High Wire planned to do, but he got his unexpected answer when at midpoint High Wire abruptly transformed.

Rad screamed in surprise as High Wire clutched at the window pane with one servo, while he grabbed the blond's arm with the other. He let out a strained beep as he hefted Rad up and tossed him into the room. The pre-teen groaned as he landed on his backside, wincing as he got back to his feet and glared down at the mini-con. "That was your brilliant idea? I really need to stop trusting you."

High Wire flailed his legs as he struggled to keep a grip on the pane. "Yes, I should have warned you, now please help me in!"

Rad sighed as he set down the Star Wand and grunted as he grabbed High Wire's arm and struggled to pull him in. He knew the mini-con would be heavier than him despite how he was shorter than Rad, but the blond hadn't expected him to weigh this much. "How much do you weigh?!"

High Wire beeps sounded huffy as he helped pull himself in. He turned his head away as he crossed his arms, appearing totally unfazed by his previous bout of panic. "That's just rude. I don't complain about how much you weigh, do I?"

Rad rolled his eyes, but his expression hardened as he grabbed his wand and turned to face the dozens of pink bubbles which were lazily mulling around the room. He narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the innocent bubbles that were aimlessly drifting by him, and he quickly shut the window, causing them to detour off to the side. "Yeah, I'm not about to let this card get loose." He reached down to help High Wire up. "Think you can find the light switch while I try and see if I can sense where Bubbles' real form might be?"

"No need, I installed a few upgrades when I scanned your bike." High Wire said, his headlight flickering on and illuminating the dark room.

"Wow, I thought those things were only decoration." Rad said impressed. His moment passed though as he kept the mini-con in front of him while they made their way out of the room, where the entire hall was overrun with bubbles. "No wonder they closed the school today if this was what it was like." He observed, with High Wire beeping in his own two-cents.

Rad was glad that the bubbles weren't attacking him-and man did that sound weird-but knew that he still had to be careful. If the disinfectant smell was accurate, he'd hate to get this stuff in his eyes. He closed his eyes and tried to feel out where Bubbles could be, but he must have been really new at this whole magic thing as he could only feel the bubbles around him. "We better keep moving; if I were a bubble, where would I originate?"

"Is…is that really something you're asking?" High Wire asked incredulously, but held up his hands in placation when Rad glared at him. "Okay, I know you're new at this. It just makes no sense though to think a magic bubble could be caused by mundane means."

"I caught Sweet in a bakery." Rad said flatly. High Wire's arms fell to his side, and he seemed to be giving the blond another disbelieving stare. "As unpredictable as magic is supposed to be, I think we should be lucky if they do what you think they'll do; so I'll say it again-where would I form?"

High Wire rubbed his chin. "Hmm, in what areas of this school could produce this?"

"Well, there's definitely no 'bubble blowing class', which would be awesome and make school more bearable," Rad quipped, "but bubbles are made from soap, and soap is usually stored in the supplies room."

"Great, where is it?"

"Er," Rad smiled sheepishly, "I don't actually know." Now it was High Wire's turn to stare at him flatly. "Hey, you can't expect me to know everything about this school; I don't even like coming here!"

"I happen to know just about everything with the mini-con ship, it's common sense." High Wire said smugly, causing Rad to roll his eyes.

"It's probably in the basement or something. Now that I do know the way to." He said, and High Wire tilted his head. "Um, I once had to go down there to get some basketballs since the other sixth grade class had taken them all. Anyway, let's get going." He said and turned around to lead High Wire to the stairwell which was-big shock-filled to the ceiling with more bubbles. Rad swatted a bubble away from the railing, and sneezed when it popped, pink sparkly residue irritating his nose. "Ugh, forget my eyes, this is gonna mess up my sinuses."

"Which is why I should go first." High Wire said as he carefully got in front of Rad and swatted the bubbles away, not caring when the pink orbs popped and splattered onto his armour. Rad still pulled the collar of his hoodie up though and hung it over his nose as he tried to keep a grip on the slippery rail.

When they reached the first floor, Rad paused as he could feel a stronger sensation of bubbles brushing against his skin even though High Wire was swatting them left and right. The blond blinked, and closed his eyes as he let the feeling wash over him. He could smell a stronger disinfectant when he turned to the right, and opened his eyes as he laughed incredulously. "I don't believe it; she's hiding in the girl's bathroom!"

"What? Is there something wrong with that?"

Rad snickered. "No, it's just I guess I finally get to see what the inside is gonna be like." He said and shuffled High Wire until he was back in front of him. "It's right there," he said pointing at the door where there was a plague on the door, and on that was a stick figure wearing a dress. "I should have asked earlier, but you got any weapons on you?"

"You're right, you should have asked before." High Wire said flatly. "I don't, but while me, Sureshock and Grindor combine together and we don't have actual weapons, we are quite strong and could certainly give either faction a hard time."

"Wow." Rad said awed, but furrowed his brow. "Wait; you never did tell me how that works."

"Again, I'll explain later; it'll take a while and now's not the time." High Wire replied, and Rad nodded as the mini-con pushed the door open.

Immediately, more pink bubbles poured out of the bathroom, and the two actually found themselves struggling against the surge to get inside. Rad winced and sneezed every time a bubble popped in his face, and he felt his clothes starting to stain and stick to his skin. High Wire was practically sparkling by the time they got inside, and Rad narrowed his stinging eyes around the room.

"Okay, Bubbles!" he called forcefully. "You've had your fun, now it's time to show yourself." He tensed up when the mass around them converged into a nondescript shape, but he could spot what looked like eyes from the bubbly image, and a head tilting, the bubbles drooping to the side with the gesture.

"Quickly, Rad, before she attacks or something!" High Wire said panicked. Apparently he hadn't put much stock into Kero's assurance of things being fine.

Rad wasn't inclined to ignore that things could go south either, so he spun his wand, splattering several bubbles in his wake as he pointed the star tip towards the spirit. "Return to your power confine," the wings glowed and a card formed at the tip of the circular ornament, "Sakura Card!"

The mass of bubbles was slowly vacuumed into the shell card, and soon the room was cleared of the pink mess. Rad caught the card as it floated over to him, and he took in the image on the face of the rectangular card. It looked like a mermaid wearing a crop top while her hands were clasped over her waist and underneath that were two fins protruding out, while even under that was a fish tail which curved slightly. She had fluffy foam on her wrists and neck, where in the center of the collar was an orange gem. On her head was a shiny string of pearls that went around her forehead and a huge mass of bubbles that extended even into the card's bottom border. Much like the other cards Rad had, Bubbles' eyes were closed as though she was only asleep.

Rad noticed High Wire trying to look over his shoulder at the card, and he held it out so the mini-con could see it more clearly. "So how do feel about your first card hunt?"

High Wire beeped excitedly. "It was amazing! I'm just glad she wasn't violent, just annoying."

Rad chuckled sheepishly, but frowned as he thought about what the mini-con said. Windy had come back, and both Sweet and Bubbles were annoying obstacles, but the only card which tried to cause actual damage had been Create. And even that was now more inclined to be passive-aggressive in staying with Hot Shot after the bot beat it.

He was really worried about how long his luck was going to last with the 'soft' cards.

"Hey, Rad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we use the front door? I don't think you'd like to use the window again."

Rad bit his lip as he realized that being 'stealthy' was going to end with him leaving behind unlocked doors after all. He slumped over. "Aw, crud."

The mini-con's beeping laughter didn't help.


This couldn't be happening.

He just wanted to help.

Pain, crushing-can't breathe, can't breathe!

None of this was supposed to happen!

Crack!

"Rad!"

Shooting up from her bed, Rachel gasped, tears streaming down her face as she held her chest. She could feel her heart practically beating out of her ribcage. She winced as her ankle jostled on the bed, but when she reached for her lamp, she stopped, remembering briefly that she didn't have one anymore.

Rachel frowned as she wiped the sweat from her brow, breathing in deeply to try and calm herself. She didn't know why this dream kept happening; she'd gotten Optimus to let the mini-cons protect the kids; to protect Rad, so why was she still having this nightmare?

'Rad's supposed to be safe now, why am I still scared? He should be safe now.'

Rachel tried to keep repeating the mantra to herself, but she couldn't quite get herself to believe it no matter how hard she tried. The feeling of foreboding wouldn't go away, and she was terrified of just what was going to happen before this continued nightmare stopped.

'It's just a dream, it doesn't mean anything. It can't mean anything; use your head.'

Rachel bit her lip; she knew one thing for certain: she definitely wouldn't be getting anymore sleep tonight.