Author's Note: Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers for sending me your responses. And thank some of you for your concern about Roddy. And on that note, here is the next chapter!
Disclaimer: You get the idea.
Burning Skies
Chapter 6: Discovery
"Let me get this straight," Jesse Maxwell said, looking up at Springer. "That man I brought in is your leader, Ultra Rodimus. He was somehow captured, turned human, tortured, managed to escape, and ran into me."
Springer nodded. "That's right."
"But how could a bot his size and strength be captured by a human?"
"Sandstorm says it was probably a stun blast through his eye that brought him down. As to how he was turned human, we don't have a clue."
The three humans and nearly a dozen Autobots were waiting outside the emergency room, waiting for a doctor to come out and tell them the status of their Prime. The waiting area wasn't large enough for all of Metroplex's population to fit in, but everyone who couldn't enter was listening over their internal comlinks for any news. But, from the severity of Ultra Rodimus's injuries, they would be there for a while.
"Where did you find him?" Jazz asked.
"Since we won't be hearing anything for a while yet, why don't I show you?"
Nearly three dozen Autobots followed Jesse out to where he'd found the humanized Autobot leader. A swarm of police cars, the ones that had persued Jesse and his family into Metroplex, tagged along. They might be needed.
Finally, Jesse stopped his car and climbed out. "I found him here. He ran out onto the road, and I just missed hitting him. He was coming from there." Jesse pointed toward the hills. "Just behind those hills is a research complex. Ultra Rodimus was coming this way, away from the complex."
"He was running?" Sideswipe repeated. "On two broken legs?"
"People who have been tortured will accept any pain to escape their tormentors," Jesse explained, an old pain in his voice. The Autobots knew that he had undergone something horrible in the past, but none of them dared ask about it.
"You're sure he was coming from that complex?" Smokescreen asked instead.
"He was coming from it, all right. He was running in a straight line, this way." Jesse pointed with one hand, tracing Ultra Rodimus's path. He'd been moving in a straight line from the complex toward Metroplex.
"Then we'd better start there," Topspin decided.
The Autobots left Jesse with his car and swarmed toward the complex, escorted by the police. Jesse leaned on his car and watched them, knowing that all he could do was keep out of their way, no matter how much he wanted to help. He'd gotten their leader to safety, and for that they were eternally grateful.
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"Lady Jennifer!"
Jennifer turned to glare at the trembling man. "What do you want? You'd better have a good reason for disturbing me. My prisoner escaped!"
"And a swarm of Autobots just rounded the hills, heading right for us!"
She froze, staring at him. Then she swore and rounded on her other employees.
"Get out of here! We can't let them find us!"
There was an immediate scramble for the hidden escape tunnels. She was the first one through. One of her thugs waited until everyone had made it into the tunnel, then closed the hatch.
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"There's the complex!" Tailgate yelled.
"Shall we knock?" Camshaft whooped.
"Cool your circuits, Camshaft," Hot Spot cut in. "This is a human installation. We have to let the cops go in first."
"We can take some of the smaller Autobots in with us," one of the cops offered.
"I'll go!" Goldbug volunteered immediately.
"Me too!" Cliffjumper added.
Blaster's cassettes also wanted in on it. Hot Spot gave them the go-ahead. The six of them sped up to ran alongside the police cars.
When the police burst into the complex, they met with no resistance. One of them opened the huge cargo doors so the other Autobots could enter.
"I hate this place already," Backstreet muttered.
"I found something!" Silverbolt yelled from outside. Jazz went out to see what he'd found.
Silverbolt was kneeling next to c hole in the complex's outside wall when Jazz found him. The Aerialbot leader looked up, waving for Jazz to join him.
"This edge looks familiar," Silverbolt commented, pointing at it.
Jazz grunted. "That's 'cause it's blast damage from Ultra Rodimus's skrill. You know what Falcon can do when someone hurts his host. I'd say that this is how Ultra Rodimus got out, and it's proof that he was here."
Springer poked his head outside to judge the location of the burned hole. Then he walked over to the inside was, produced his huge broadsword, and proceeded to cut the wall apart. The other Autobots watched. When he finished, they helped haul out the wall, then looked inside the next room.
"Sweet Primus!"
"This must be where they tortured him," Springer noted, his voice cold with rage.
In the middle of the room was a table, tilted back from the vertical, with heavy steel restraints at arm and leg level. Another one, at chest-height, lay half broken. Bluish blood stained the restraints, the table, and the floor under it. Wheeled table held a large array of surgical tools, mostly scalpels, also covered with bluish blood. Broken electrical wires lay on the floor. Clear glass jars held pieces of bone and tissue. One held one of Falcon's tentacles.
"I'd say this is definitely where they tortured him," Jazz agreed.
"What's this?" Lightspeed pointed at a neat pile of machinery and a small device.
"I don't know. Package it and take it to Perceptor."
The Technobot nodded and carefully packed the machinery into a crate. He put it in subspace for transport back to Metroplex.
Finally, they'd collected everything. The cops had collected evidence, and were taking it back to their headquarters to be turned over to their crime scene investigators. The Autobots met up with Jesse and returned to Metroplex.
Perceptor took charge of the equipment they'd brought back, glad to finally have something to do. The rest headed for Medbay.
"Any news?" Jesse asked his wife.
Linda shook her head. "Not a word. But it looked bad."
"Then we'll wait until we hear something," Jesse decided, sitting down beside her.
Almost an hour and a half later, they heard a grunt and looked up as the door to one of Medbay's other sections opened. Magnus, trailing monitor cables and sensors, staggering on wobbly legs, blinking like someone who's just woken up, staggered out. He blundered into the wall. Hot Spot reached out to grab his arm and hold him up.
"Magnus! Are you all right?"
"Where is he...?" Magnus looked around, blinking to clear his eyes.
"You shouldn't be out," First Aid scolded. "You just woke out of a coma. You should be resting."
"Have to see him..."
"He's in surgery right now, Magnus. You can't see him now."
"Surgery?" Magnus looked at the Protectobot medic, his gaze asking why First Aid wasn't with Ultra Rodimus if he was in surgery.
"I'm not in with him because something turned him human. I won't fit in the operating room. They've been working on him for four hours straight, and I suspect they'll be operating on him for a long while yet. So you get some rest."
The confused, exhausted robot allowed First Aid to lead him back into the other section and settle him back onto his bed. Once Magnus had fallen into an exhausted sleep, First Aid rejoined the group.
Three hours later, Spike Witwicky and his father, Sparkplug, arrived. Spike carried some blankets. He draped one over Jesse's daughter Terri, who'd fallen asleep on one of the couched provided for them to sit on. Linda nodded her thanks. Spike smiled at her.
An hour later, another team of surgeons arrived. They were rested and fresh. A few minutes after they entered the operating room, the first group emerged, almost dead on their feet. Most of them left quickly, eager to get some rest, but one doctor paused and looked up at the waiting Autobots. Their optics begged for any news.
"It's not good," he told them. "I'm surprised he's lasted this long. His condition is extremely critical."
There was a wave of soft muttering. It died as quickly as it had started.
"Both legs are broken, the bones crushed, he's showing signs of repeated exposure to a powerful electric current, his skull has been cut open, his brain has been damaged. He's lost a hell of a lot of blood, and one of his lungs was cut out. He's on full life support right now." The surgeon shook his head. "It's a miracle that he's still alive. By all rights he should be dead, but he's clinging to life with a strength I've never seen before."
"Is there any chance he might recover?" Chief O'Connor asked.
"If he survives the night, it's possible."
"Then we will pray that he does."
To be continued...
Whew! Six chapters down, and not even I know how many are left. This story has taken on a life of its own. Here are my reviewer responses for the last chapter:
Rose: Thank you for your compliments. I always did write fics my own way, even when other people tried to tell me not to.
Gromia: Okay, okay! I'm updating already! Hold your horses! Did this chapter answer your question?
LoneGenesis: Yes, she has serious issues. Her family died quickly, but her boyfriend lingered for three days in the hospital, dying in incredible pain. That's the main reason why she's the way she is.
There is chapter six for you. Send me reviews, and chapter seven will be out ASAP!