Chapter 15: Dash Away Part 3
"If you don't mind…can I ask what happened?"
There was a lengthy pause, before a sigh rang out. "It was supposed to be a simply escort mission. I…I didn't expect things to go so wrong." A pause, then, "It was just a small squadron, not enough to be noticed-or so we thought…
"We were transporting Emirate Xaaron from the Autobot military base in Praxus to Iacon. We disguised ourselves as neutrals, to throw off both Autobots and Decepticons alike-we couldn't let anyone know just what our mission was…" Red Alert clenched his fist. "When we reached our checkpoint, that's when we knew something was wrong-there-there were signs of a struggle at the outpost, and…and that's when he showed up."
Hot Shot stared at Red Alert with wide optics, and not even Jolt made a sound. Xaaron…he'd heard that name mentioned before in the academy. He died in a Decepticon attack at Outpost Theta, and to know that Red Alert was there…had been a part of that disastrous mission… Hot Shot pulled his knees up to his chest and kept quiet.
"No one can say for sure even now if the Decepticons just got lucky that day," Red Alert smiled at that, but it was a bitter, angry smile that Hot Shot found rather unsettling, "or if the rumors circulating about a traitor were true. Starscream didn't say a thing, just swooped in like a ghost and shot at us." The medic's optic band dimmed, his shoulders hunching. "Most of the shots missed, but one got our rookie through the windshield-right into his spark.
"I ordered Brawn-the one pulling Xaaron's transport-to get going, but that stubborn bot wouldn't budge." Red Alert chuckled humorlessly. "He wanted us to run, to get the 'old cyber-buzzard' out of there while he dealt with Starscream. He…he lasted the longest, I'll admit." He frowned and vented deeply, his servo clutching his knee tightly.
"We should have ran." Red Alert said, his tone full of self-loathing. "But we didn't. Fastlane and I thought with our mini-cons we could have taken Starscream on together, avenge our fallen comrades and be hailed off heroes." He smiled again, his optic band completely dark. "We were so stupid."
Hot Shot knew where this was going, but he was on the edge of his proverbial seat anyway. All this time he'd thought Red Alert was just awful because, not that there was a reason for it. How selfish was he not to notice? To not see beyond his own pain that the others were suffering personal issues too? Optimus kept his emotions tightly reined in, and Smokescreen was acting like nothing was wrong.
He'd been wrong about both of them, and now he was seeing how wrong he had been about Red Alert.
"Fastlane charged first, he was so reckless," Red Alert recalled with a sad kind of fondness, but it was gone as he continued, "but Starscream had been quicker; he managed to avoid being shot, and stabbed Fastlane through the spark. And…then there was only me; an arrogant combat medic who thought he actually had a chance."
Hot Shot's reflex kicked in, but just as he opened his mouth, he immediately closed it. Now was not the time, really not the time, but Red Alert saw his reaction anyway, optic band sparking just a little back to life.
"Go ahead, I know you want too."
Hot Shot cringed, and kept his voice low. "But you didn't."
The medic nodded. "That's right. It was laughably pathetic; despite having just seen Fastlane try to shoot Starscream, I thought I could hit him this time. He…he was barely even trying-didn't even looked tired-when…" he glanced down at the nozzle, and Hot Shot didn't ask him to elaborate. "My mini-con partner was lying somewhere next to me, but I'm ashamed to admit I didn't care if it-he-was hurt. My mind was on the mission- that as Starscream walked into the trailer all I could think of was how I was nothing but a failure. It was my mission, and I had done everything wrong…"
Hot Shot cycled his vents slowly, realizing deeper that not only did Red Alert have his own problems, but that they were more alike than they thought. "I…I'm a failure too," he started, and Red Alert glanced at him, "since you probably knew it when I got transferred to the team, but…but I need to say this." He paused, yet the medic didn't try to interrupt.
"Maybe it wasn't good to get so close to my subordinate-Wheeljack was his name-but I'd been so excited, so eager to be taken seriously. In the end though, I didn't save him, didn't try hard enough to protect him-he…he was my responsibility, my friend and I…he died alone and in pain because of me." Hot Shot felt Jolt gently pat his leg, and he managed a weak smile. "Things began to get better when I met Smokescreen. What about you, does Optimus make you feel better?"
Red Alert jerked back, but the yellow bot refused to believe what Megatron implied. It didn't matter to him if it was true, and this was one area he wouldn't pry into. It took a while though for Red Alert to say anything. "…he does." He answered, reserved once more, but he tensed as though he was bracing for something.
"What Megatron said-it doesn't matter if it's true or not, it's no one business but your own." Hot Shot said cavalierly. "And that fragger didn't have any right to bring it up."
His casual tone seemed to thaw the medic out somewhat, as he at least stopped looking so tense. "Thank you," the words were almost reluctant, but still sincere, "for not asking."
Hot Shot shrugged, grinning at him, but it faded as he glanced outside the cave. It was starting to get cloudy, and that was only going to make it colder. "Think we should risk it?"
"So long as we work together." Red Alert said sternly.
Hot Shot wanted to grimace, but so far disobeying orders brought nothing but bad luck. "Yeah, I got it." He glanced down at Jolt, who gazed back up at him. "What do you say? Still wanna work with a blockhead like me?"
Jolt huffed, but his tone was fond. "Don't run off again and we'll get somewhere."
Hot Shot snorted, and the three of them started to make a plan.
Rad stared down at his key, frowning as he tried to ignore the way Kero and High Wire were staring at him. He could hear the faint scraping of pencil on paper and pages turning from Rachel's room, to prepare for her exam, and he just felt his heart beat faster at that thought too. There was so much on his mind lately, but he knew Dash had to come first.
He just couldn't get over how heartbroken Carlos was going to be. Dash can't be allowed to roam free though, not when it's so full of anger and there's no telling what kind of havoc it could bring.
"Doing the right thing doesn't feel right." Rad muttered.
Kero sighed. "Sometimes it doesn't, but doing the right thing and feeling good about it all the time isn't possible." He looked away. "Believe me, you're not the first one who thought that."
Rad remembered Kero saying the same thing earlier, and this time he doesn't want to ask about this previous Cardcaptor. Knowing they both struggled over someone's happiness and their mission was enough for now. "I-I guess it's time to go."
"What about Rachel? She's not asleep yet." High Wire said, his tone confused as in the time he'd lived here Rachel would often be gone to bed by now.
"She's staying up late for her final exam-you know, it has to do with her leaving town?" Rad grimaced. How was he supposed to push that thought away when he had to keep talking about it?
High Wire beeped, understanding washing over the link. "I see, but you didn't tell me what you're going to do." Indignation followed, and Rad sighed.
"She's so wrapped up in her studying that she's not gonna leave her room, let alone check in on me." Rad hoped that was the case, since if not- "Though if I'm wrong then I can pretty much guarantee I'll be sent to live with my aunt and uncle."
High Wire nodded, and Rad knew from the understanding passing through him that his friend got it. "We should do this quickly then, just in case."
Rad sighed, but couldn't argue with the logic even if he still didn't like it. "Yeah, we'd better get going." He said and told Kero somewhat jokingly, "hold down the fort."
Kero snorted, and Rad found himself snickering quietly, though Kero was not so subtle about his laughter before he and the mini-con made their way out of the apartment.
They both made their way back to Carlos' house, being sure to keep an eye out for anyone that could recognize them. The streetlamps were on, but the sky still had some light left, leaving Rad feeling more cautious since his usual cover of darkness wasn't there and someone could see his face under his hoodie more easily.
He looked down when a car passed by, and only peeked up when he saw Carlos' house. Rad breathed in deeply, and when they reached the garage, Rad tapped it gently. There was some shuffling inside, and a moment later Grindor lifted up the door. Rad got off High Wire's seat and kept a look-out as the mini-con slide under the door first. Rad followed suit when he was sure the coast was clear.
"You can't go back out that way, it'll be too suspicious." Grindor said.
Rad nodded. "Lock the screen door behind us, and we'll go through the gate outside. Leaving it slightly open will let Carlos think that Dash just ran away." He winced as soon as he said it, and Grindor slumped, his despair and guilt flowing through Rad.
"I want Carlos to be safe, but I also want him to be happy. And…and Dash makes him happy." Grindor said, confused and worried.
"Trust me, I feel the same way." Rad replied. "But Kero says it's not a good idea."
Grindor nodded, and led them through the house, but Rad was confused by how empty it was. Rad glanced up at the ceiling where the rooms were.
"You know, I thought you'd be telling us to wait it out for a bit longer." He said honestly.
Grindor shrugged. "Carlos and his parental units went out to see a movie, said they wouldn't be back until ten."
"Yay," Rad said weakly, "we have a whole half-hour to ourselves." It didn't lighten the mood, but he had to try something given what he was about to do. He saw the cage through the screen door, and that Dash noticed him as well, its fur straightening up and he could hear the hissing even if there was no sound coming through.
"That thing looks mad." High Wire remarked. "I knew these cards were angry, but I didn't think it was this bad that just the sight of you set them off."
Rad grimaced. "That's nothing compared to how Sword reacted to hearing Rachel's name." he wasn't sure about that; was Sword just violent all the time, or did Alexis not like Rachel and Sword reacted to it? It would explain why Alexis acted so funny around his cousin. 'I can think about that later, right now focus on Dash.'
Rad glanced around outside, but the fence around the small backyard gave them privacy and the blond slid the door opened. "Hi, Dash, I take it you remember me?" Dash only snarled at him, ears pulled back. Rad grimaced. "I'll take that as a yes." He muttered, and took the key off from around his neck. "Release!" Dash got even more worked up as the staff appeared in Rad's hand.
"It's okay, I won't hurt you." Rad said in placation. He knelt down in front of the cage. "Look, I don't know why you're so mad, but I don't want to do this either." Dash growled, but its ears twitched like it was reluctantly curious. Rad knew it wasn't anywhere near close to trusting him, but he took what he got. "You like Carlos, he told me he saved you, and I know he likes you too." Dash chirred, glancing away.
Rad sighed deeply, and he could feel High Wire and Grindor staring at him. They were nervous, and he could guess they were wondering why he didn't just seal Dash. He could, but that wouldn't solve anything-it wouldn't make Dash come to him, he hadn't been the one who 'caught' him after all. He wanted Dash to come with him because it wanted too-just he was trying to get Create to trust him.
"I don't understand your situation, or what happened, but Kero said this has happened before, hasn't it?" Rad questioned. Dash stiffened up, crouching down and its ears flattened and it whined. "Please, help me understand." The blond said quietly, hoping his sincerity seeped in.
Dash shifted, and locked eyes with Rad. The pre-teen stiffened, his eyes widening as he felt Dash's magical signature flare, and he slumped forward, and-
-he saw Dash, cradled in on the lap of a girl with short wavy hair, it's leg bandaged. He saw Dash being petted, being called 'Peewee', and seeing how it repaid the girl's kindness with helping her win her races, and-
Rad flinched when he found himself lying on the ground, wet grass brushing against his cheek and High Wire shaking his shoulder. "Huh, wha?"
"Thank Primus you're okay!" High Wire said relieved, but then his tone turned demanding. "What just happened? You were fine one second and the next you just fell over!"
Rad sat up, and saw Grindor nodding along with High Wire's assessment. "I…I think I get it now." he said, confusion from both mini-cons overwhelming him. "Dash's current situation is the same as its previous one." He then looked at Dash, his eyes softening. "Carlos is my friend; you'll never have to wonder what happened. He'll always be around," he pointed at Grindor, "and he'll make sure of it."
Grindor stiffened, but nodded seriously. "That's right; I won't let anything happen to Carlos."
Dash stared at them, tail twitching. Rad held his breath as the card seemed to be scrutinizing them, and he'd felt the same judging gaze that Create 'gave' him. Only…only this time Rad was left immensely relieved as Dash judged them worthy and nodded, albeit still seeming reluctant.
But it was going to try, and that mattered a lot.
Rad pointed the tip of the staff at Dash, who didn't hiss this time, even when the glowing circled appeared under them, or the shell formed at the tip of the staff. "Return to your power confine- Sakura Card!" Dash's form slowly began dissolving, wisps of blue sucked into the card that floated over to Rad. He found that Dash looked just like it had in real life as it did on the card, but its eyes were closed and the diamond on its forehead was dark purple.
Grindor beeped in relief. "That was nerve-wracking!" he then looked at High Wire. "When you said he could use magic I didn't think it'd be so intense!"
High Wire laughed shakily. "This is nothing compared to some, right, Rad?"
Rad blinked, and with another glance down at Dash, he nodded. "Got that right." He shrank his wand back into its key form, and put Dash into his pocket. His eyes roamed over to the cage lock, and he grimaced. 'Still, we can't let this be anything other than just an 'escaped pet'.' He reached over and pulled the lock up, letting the imagination fill the rest as the cage door fell open. "Alright, we'd better go."
High Wire nodded, and Grindor hurried back inside, locking the screen door and waved to them. High Wire waved back enthusiastically, but Rad could only manage a half-hearted one, especially as he could still picture Carlos' reaction to finding an empty cage.
Rad left the fence ajar, and both he and the mini-con made themselves scarce as a car pulled into the driveway of the Lopez home.
The warmth of his engine helped keep the cold at bay-for his interior circuits at least. His outer chassis still felt the biting wind nip at his plates though. Still, Hot Shot griped that it wasn't enough to thaw out the communication links. Jolt was flying high above them, and Hot Shot saw the mini-con begin his descent quite rapidly.
"I-I see it!" he beeped, voice shaking from the cold.
"Jolt's got optics on the mini-con." Hot Shot relayed.
"What's its condition?" Red Alert questioned.
Jolt swivelled around and ducked down lower. "Trapped in an ice wall; that's why the signal's so weak."
"Ice wall, stuck inside." Hot Shot said shortly. "Lead the way, Jolt." His partner beeped and Jolt began to fly ahead.
"You two are getting along rather well." Red Alert said mildly.
"Well, I wouldn't say well, just…" Hot Shot paused. "Hey, where's Longarm?"
"I left him with Optimus and Smokescreen." Red Alert replied, his tone even but Hot Shot felt like scrap anyway. "And no, it's not because of you." Hot Shot would have blinked if capable of it. "Longarm told me that he wanted to stay with Sparkplug for now-he also wasn't happy about me going with you."
Hot Shot grumbled. "Do all mini-cons talk about me behind my back?"
Red Alert's engine gave an odd start, like he was huffing. "Soon enough they'll be comfortable to say this to your face."
Hot Shot would have grimaced if able to as well. "Joy." He muttered. That's just what he needed, someone else to nag him with Jolt-like precision. Speaking of which, he saw his partner circle just up ahead, but when they got closer, the yellow bot groaned. "You didn't mention the mini-con was inside a wall-going down."
Jolt didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "You didn't ask."
"It's no trouble." Red Alert said. "I'll grapple down and blast it out."
"That's going to make a lot of noise, and if somebot comes looking there's be no guarantee I'll be one of ours." Hot Shot said, his earlier capture by the Decepticons fresh on his mind.
"Which is why you'll have to be my cover." Red Alert replied. Hot Shot swerved in surprise. "Don't be so surprised; you're still a part of this team and I trust you-I'm going to have to trust you."
Hot Shot snorted. "Yeah, could've done without that last part-but that's just you, really blunt." He teased.
They both drove to a halt near the ledge of the ice cliff, transforming in the process. Red Alert nodded to his tease before shooting a cable from the nozzle, the end splintering and dug into the icy ground. He tugged the cable taut, and carefully began to descend down the wall. Hot Shot watched him from his perch, and looked over at Jolt.
"Well, think we should link-up now?" he questioned. Jolt nodded, and Hot Shot knelt down to let his partner jump onto his back, and Hot Shot's visor came down as his cannon activated. The yellow bot began to look around, trying to keep as vigilant as possible.
It was difficult though, because as much as Red Alert was counting on him, there were still so many things running through his processor; their talk, the Wisp, that pink card…
Engines roared and Hot Shot ducked out of the way instinctively, laser fire hitting the spot he'd been in seconds later. The yellow bot gritted his denta and looked up to see Starscream circling overhead, a newfound sense of anger directed at the seeker for what he'd done.
"Why don't you come down here and face me!" Hot Shot shouted, knowing just how close that blast came to the grapple base. "You're always going on about it enough!"
"Do you really think you're worth the effort?" Starscream retorted. His cannons heated up, and Hot Shot quickly fired back before he could. The seeker rolled out of the way. "Not even a scratch on me, what poor aim you have."
"Shut up!" Hot Shot snarled.
"Hot Shot, calm down!" Red Alert called from the wall, his voice strained as he tried to remain calm as well. "Don't let your anger get the better of you."
'Funny,' Hot Shot thought humorlessly, 'it sounds like you're trying to take your own advice.' He made himself calm down though, to keep Starscream's attention on him, not give him a reason to see what Red Alert was doing. "You think you're so tough up there? I didn't see you with the other Decepticons; did Megatron finally get sick of seeing your face all the time?"
Starscream's engine screamed, his voice rising to an ear-splitting shriek. "You know nothing!" He dive-bombed at Hot Shot, who transformed and Hot Shot crouched down to avoid having a sword taking his head off.
The yellow mech propelled himself forward, catching Starscream around the waist and tackling him, using his weight to knock him over. He knocked the seeker's wing sword away, and straddled his waist, pinning his wrists down. Hot Shot scowled at him, the cannon over his shoulder powering up. "This is the end of the road, Decepticon-you're gonna pay for what you did to Red Alert."
Starscream stared up at him, blank incomprehension on his faceplate. "Who?"
Hot Shot glared at him, leaning in closer. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talk-ah!" he reeled back when Starscream slammed his head into his face, and Hot Shot felt his grip slacken before talons wrapped around his throat and he was shoved into the snow, grunting when a knee jammed into his stomach. Through his hazy optics, he could see Starscream scowling down at him, optics narrowed.
The seeker didn't seem bothered by Hot Shot pathetically trying to pull his servo away, or Jolt letting out whines of pain from being pinned under the weight. "I believe, Autobot, that you've got your wires crossed." The knee dug in deeper, and Hot Shot couldn't keep the painful screech in as Starscream knelt down close to his audio. "And while I don't know who this 'Red Alert' is, I'll be sure your comrade down there's last sight will be your greyed corpse."
Hot Shot gritted his denta as the seeker's other servo rested over his chest, digit tips digging into his plating-right over his spark. "Get-get off of me!" he couldn't get his cannon to fire, the seeker was too close!
"I'll make it quick," Starscream muttered, plating starting to shriek under the pressure as his knee thrust in deeper, stomach plates beginning to dent, "which is more than any of you Autobots ever deserved."
Hot Shot's back arched, just to give Jolt some relief even if the knee dug deeper in. His optics began to fritz, sparks flying from his chest where the talons were peeling the plating. It hurt so much-he couldn't believe this was how it ended, even when he tried not to he still ended up making a mess and-
A shot rang out, and the weight on top of him disappeared.
Hot Shot vented in deeply, the cold chilling him but even that was welcoming. His optics cleared, and he saw Starscream holding his side, optics glowing malevolently as coolant began to stream out from under his digits. The yellow bot winced as he rolled onto his side, Jolt beeping in relief. Hot Shot saw to his amazement that Red Alert was aiming his blaster at Starscream, the mini-con panel under his other arm. "R-Red?"
"Can you move, Hot Shot?" The medic asked, his optic band never leaving Starscream. The yellow bot winced again, though he managed to sit up to show he could. "Now then," he continued and the blaster barrel began to glow, "I couldn't hit you before since you had Hot Shot, Starscream, but the next shot is going right between your optics," Red Alert's optic band darkened, "think you'll be quicker than me this time?"
Starscream's optics narrowed further, darkening in anger and confusion. He let out a scoff, turning up his olfactory at them as his frame dissipated by teleportation.
Hot Shot stared at the empty space, trying to wrap his head about what just happened. "Why…did he run away?"
"He was injured." Red Alert said simply. He knelt down next to Hot Shot and handed the mini-con panel to Jolt, who had detached from the yellow mech and clutched the panel to his chest. "Though personally I doubt it was anything we did, and he just decided we weren't worth the effort." His words were tinged with bitterness, but also seemed to just as much mock Starscream's earlier words, but it didn't keep Hot Shot from venting deeply.
"Sorry," he said awkwardly, "you said not to give in and that's exactly what I did. I just…I just got so mad-what you said got to me, and-" he stopped, frowning. "I guess I haven't changed much."
"I didn't expect you to do a complete turn-around in a few hours." Red Alert said bluntly, but it wasn't harsh. "And I said cover me, and you did-even if it didn't turn out so well." He glanced at Hot Shot's chest, and the yellow bot winced when he saw it too-the plating had been partially ripped open, revealing just the bare minimum of his spark, while his stomach plate was dented more deeply than he thought. It hurt to move, and he could feel the metal pressing up against his chamber inside.
Red Alert saw it too, and stopped him from trying to get up more. "We have the mini-con panel, and I can do an emergency teleportation back in the base to bring Optimus and Smokescreen in. Are you going to fight me on this?"
Hot Shot frowned at him, but vented again. "No." he said heavily. He reminded himself even if he didn't like any kind of retreating, this was necessary. "I…" he grimaced, but forced the words out-he wanted things to be okay between him and Red, and this needed to be the start, "I understand."
Minutely, Red Alert relaxed. He gathered Jolt and the mini-con panel in one arm, and Hot Shot in the other before the yellow mech felt them being transported back to the base.
It had been a long day.
Heavy footsteps clanged down the hallway, and both Cyclonus and Demolishor made sure to keep a healthy distance from Megatron. Their leader had been in a foul mood since the Autobot escaped, and it got even worse when Starscream reported that the Autobots now had the mini-con panel. Starscream was looking for his mini-con, which perhaps at one time would be mock-worthy for its persistence in trying to continually escape, but the seeker's own mood had been just as foul as Megatron's-though the wound he'd done a rough patch job on might have had something to do with it too.
As it was, neither Cyclonus nor Demolishor were exactly sure what to do, not until Demolishor saw the feed on the computer. "Sir!" he risked calling out to his leader, who stopped mid-step, and Demolishor received a glare for his trouble, but the Decepticon pointed to the console. "You said to monitor those strange signals we'd been picking up, and there have been even more detected."
Megatron scowled fiercely as he walked over to the console, glaring down at the computer as several blinking reports seemed to mock him. He glanced over his shoulder at the two Decepticons. "Get out." He said sternly, and both didn't waste time in hastily departing.
The Decepticon leader narrowed his optics at the console. Perhaps now that there were more signals appearing, it just wasn't some glitch or fluke, but could be of use to him. Perhaps even give him an edge over the Autobots-pit, he'd need it with the buffoons he'd chosen. Hindsight was twenty-twenty they said…
Megatron scowled, his pride telling him that this wasn't necessary, but the cold, hard truth said otherwise. They were starting to lose, their victory streak waning. He needed someone to give the Autobots real trouble, to even the odds-and he had just the bot in mind.
Reluctantly, the mech put in the calling signal and waited for the connection to take. The screen was static, and slowly it came into focus with a visibly aged mech that had a predominantly green paintjob accented with purple and gray appeared on the screen.
The bot didn't show any surprise, or if he did, he hid his reaction well. "Well lo and behold, it's you. Why are you calling me?"
Megatron narrowed his optics, the lack of respect chaffing him. "It's Lord Megatron to you." He retorted. "And believe me, I would not be calling if this were not serious, Scavenger."
The mech looked vaguely interested now. "Oh, and what would be giving you-oh great and mighty leader-" he didn't roll his optics, but he might as well have, "trouble?"
"The mini-cons have activated on this dirtball world, and Optimus with his little band of Autobots are here." Megatron couldn't stop himself from remembering his own words when he mentioned the other Autobots-of his anger at the medic for-he gritted his denta and shoved the thought aside, instead being satisfied by the fact the mech on the screen no longer appeared bored and now seemed genuinely intrigued.
"Is that so? And you're calling us to be your back-up?"
"That-us?" Megatron stopped short, frowning over the word and wondered if he'd heard that right.
Scavenger only nodded. "That's right. We're-Skywarp get away from that!" he shouted, and a moment later there was a loud crash. The mech rubbed his brow plate, and narrowed his optics at Megatron. "I'll think on it." He said shortly, and without so much as a by-your-leave, the connection was cut off.
Megatron stared at the blank screen, and for the first time, wasn't quite sure what to think. Though if he remembered correctly, Skywarp was Starscream's cousin, one who didn't particularly like him, and that at least would be good for a laugh.
Would serve him right for his defiance as of late.
All throughout the morning period, Rad saw how sad Carlos looked under his good cheer, and it made his stomach churn. He didn't try to talk to him until recess though, and even Alexis looked thrown off by how un-Carlos-like he was behaving.
"Is…is there something wrong?" Rad winced at his own question. "It's just…you know, you don't look so good."
Carlos sighed heavily, looking across the soccer field as he, Rad and Alexis sat under the tree by the fence surrounding the school. "Nah, man, it's just…Blue got out."
"Blue?" Alexis repeated, though Rad looked down at the grass.
"This fox I found. Last night after we got home from the movies…Blue's cage was open and the fence wasn't shut." Carlos explained. "I…I know that we had to give Blue up, but I just didn't think he'd run away."
"Well, obviously it meant a lot to you." Alexis said, and Rad winced again-thankfully neither of his friends noticed it. "And just think, it's probably happily eating mice or berries-or whatever foxes eat."
Carlos stared at her in surprise. "Huh. Maybe I was wrong about you, Alexis-you don't know everything."
Alexis glowered at him. "I was trying to make you feel better, you jerk!" she huffed and crossed her arms.
Carlos laughed, and Rad was relieved by the fact it was genuine. "Thanks, really-I needed that." He leaned against the tree, staring up into the canopy. "I know Blue's probably fine." He frowned slowly. "It just sucks-I didn't even get to say goodbye."
Rad sighed. "Maybe…maybe someday you'll see it again, and finally get that closure."
Carlos glanced at him, and his smile was sad. "Nice thought, but ain't never gonna happen. Meeting Blue was one in a million."
Rad had no reply to that. It just made him wish though that he could tell them the truth again.
