Author's Note: Yay! 21 reviews! That's the most reviews I've ever gotten for a fic! And I'm happy to welcome a new reviewer to the fold. Welcome, Kakwat! Thank you for reading and liking this story!
Disclaimer: See previous chapters (and previous stories) for details. Thank you.
Burning Skies
Chapter 10: Confrontation
"What do you mean she's gone?!" Jazz burst out, erupting from his seat and leaning over the table to stare down at the human.
"Couldn't she have simply driven away?" Smokescreen asked reasonably.
In answer, Spike held out a battered purse and a shredded jacket, both recognizable as belonging to Carly Witwicky. Everyone stared at them.
"Her car is still in the parking lot. These were found nearby, next to a smear of blood," Spike announced, voice rough. "Tailspin told me that he heard something, but by the time he got there, everyone was gone."
Ultra Rodimus reached for his comlink and summoned Tailspin. Once the scout arrived, the interrogation began.
"What did you hear?" Magnus asked.
"I heard yelling, and then a scream," Tailspin reported. "I headed for the source of the scream, but when I was halfway there I heard tires screeching. By the time I arrived, there was no one there and no sign of who they might have been. My opinion is that Sparkplug, Carly, and Daniel have been kidnapped."
"We'll start a search for them," one of the police chiefs told Spike, snapping his notebook shut.
Another chief looked up at Ultra Rodimus. "What are the odds that this Jennifer Murdoch isn't behind this?"
"Almost zero. She hates us, and now she's furious that I escaped." Ultra Rodimus steepled his fingers, resting his fingertips against the bridge of his nose. "She'll do anything to hurt me. Including use my friends against me. Wherever Sparkplug, Carly, and Daniel are, they are in terrible danger."
"We have to find them!" Spike insisted.
"We will do everything we can. But it's likely that we may not find them until Jennifer wants to confront me. If that's the case, all we can do is wait."
Spike looked ready to explode. He knew that Ultra Rodimus was right, but he hated the thought of leaving his family in the grip of a psychopath. With a growl, he turned and left.
"We'd better get started," one of the cops said.
"If the blood smear is large enough, we should all take a sample and see what DNA can tell us," another added. "It might increase our chances of finding them."
"Then let's get to it!"
The Autobots watched the humans scatter, then exchanged glances.
"What are we going to do?" Springer asked.
"There isn't much we can do. We have no idea where they're being held, and even if we did, going after them might put them in even more danger," Scattershot pointed out. "Right now, they're relatively safe. But if this mad woman thinks we're getting to close to her, she may kill them just to spite us. We have to leave this up to the humans for now."
"And it's me she really wants," Ultra Rodimus interrupted, and startled faces turned in his direction. He leaned back in his chair, gazing at them with serious eyes. "Think about it. Her desire for vengeance covered all of us in general. Then I escaped from her. Now she's obsessed with getting her hands on me again. I'm her primary target. Once she's killed me, then she'll return her attention to everyone else. Right now, I'm in the most danger."
"Good point."
"Don't forget that there will be a press conference later to discuss what is really going on between us and the police," Jazz reminded him. "We've been putting it off for the last few days. They won't take no for an answer. It'll be today no matter what we do."
Ultra Rodimus rolled his eyes. "It had to come out sometime."
Carly awoke to darkness. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them, but it didn't help. The room was dark. She felt around, and her hands touched the blanket Daniel had been wrapped in. The baby was unconscious. Carly lifted him and cradled him in her arms.
"Sparkplug?" she called softly.
"I'm here," he answered from somewhere to her left. "How are you feeling?"
"Not so good. Where are we?"
"I don't know. I only woke up a few minutes ago. But I don't like the look of things. I think we were kidnapped by that woman who's after Ultra Rodimus."
"Very perceptive," a new voice, a woman's voice, interrupted, and both jumped. The door opened and the overhead light came on. Carly cried out in surprise and pain at the sudden brightness. When she could see again, a tall woman stood before them, watching them coldly.
"What do you want with us?" Sparkplug demanded.
"You are mere pawns. I intend to use you for a very specific purpose. If you behave, you may live. Resist and I will kill you without hesitation. Understand?"
Both glared at her.
"Your glares don't mean anything to me. Men! Tie them up and blindfold them. We have a conference to attend."
Several men entered the cell. Some were carrying ropes and blindfolds. Others aimed guns at the trio. Both held very still. Daniel was yanked out of his mother's arms, and her arms were tied behind her back. Then both of them were blindfolded and led out of the cell.
"...and it is the danger that this madwoman represents that made us decide to join forces with the local police," Ultra Rodimus concluded, looking straight at the numerous TV cameras. "We are doing everything in our power to find her and free the hostages before they get hurt. We do not want to create a panic, which is the reason we were keeping this operation low-key. But it would be easier if certain elements of the civilian population would stop sticking their noses into places they aren't welcome." The young Prime shot a significant look at the reporters.
"And how close are you to finding and capturing this woman?" one of the reporters asked.
"Not very. She is very intelligent, intelligent enough to capture me and change my physical appearance at the molecular level. We have no idea where she is at this time, but we are searching for her hideout. Which is far easier if the media would get out from underfoot and let us work," he added pointedly. "You are getting in the way."
When the conference ended, the reporters began heading for their vans, grumbling about his attitude. Ultra Rodimus watched them go.
"And how are we going to begin?" Blaster asked.
"How about by looking in your own backyard?" a cold, taunting voice called.
Ultra Rodimus's eyes blazed green, and he spun around with a roar, searching for the source of that hated voice. Within seconds he had zeroed in on Jennifer. But before he could take more than a single step toward her, she raised a gun, and a group of her henchmen surrounded her. With them were the captive Witwickys.
Jennifer pointed her gun straight at them, and then smirked up at the furious Autobot. He stopped in his tracks, snarling, his eyes blazing with rage. The reporters, smelling a story, had regrouped at a safe distance, their cameras on and their footage on national television. The entire nation, and most of the world was watching.
"Now, now, now," she taunted Ultra Rodimus. "Hold your temper. If you're not careful, you might get them killed." She removed the safety, and placed her finger on the trigger.
"What do you want?" Ultra Rodimus snarled, his hands flexing.
She sneered. "I want you. And if you want these disgusting collaborators to live, you're going to do exactly what I say."
To be continued...
Now it's starting to heat up again. The fun isn't over yet. You know what to do if you want to see more chapters, don't you? That's right! Review! And here are some reviewer responses:
Kakwat: Jennifer is fixated on getting revenge for her family. She thinks of nothing else. And Magnus has to get past Ultra Rodimus if he wants to get his hands on her. Ultra Rodimus has dibs. And, unfortunately, Falcon is a completely made up character. He's a skrill, an idea taken from Earth: Final Conflict. Sorry!
Gromia: So that's how you do it. I'd been wondering. Anyway, keep reading and keep reviewing. Within the next couple of chapters, Jennifer is gonna get what's coming to her.
Until the next chapter!