Hope everyone's ready. This is a super long chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Rescue
A silver-colored bot was cruising along in the right-hand lane, going at least five kilometers an hour slower than everyone else on the road. Ironhide angrily swung into the fast lane and zipped around him. He cut back in front of the slow-moving bot and accelerated. A horn angrily blared somewhere behind him but he ignored it. Anyone who didn't feel like keeping up with the flow of traffic had no right to be out on the road as far as Ironhide was concerned. Especially when there were other bots – like him – that had places to go.
He was at least twenty klicks late picking Starfall and Convoy up from school. General Airlock had stopped him to discuss a recent report he'd submitted just as Ironhide had been getting ready to leave the Planetary Defense Force's headquarters. Despite his best efforts to delicately excuse himself, Airlock was adamant about clearing up a some minor discrepancy in the report. By the time Ironhide finally got out of the PDF he should have already been at Starfall's school.
Ironhide maneuvered around another patch of slower-moving vehicles and veered off the freeway onto the District 11 off-ramp. His wheels made a small squeal against the pavement as he hung a sharp right at the base of the off-ramp and merged into oncoming traffic. The tower of District 11's academy rose in the distance and seemed to grow taller the closer he got. He barely slowed as he turned off the road into the academy's transformation lot.
The first thing Ironhide noticed as he slowed to scan the area was that neither Starfall or Convoy were in their usual spot near the edge of the lot. In fact, he saw no sign of them anywhere.
The second thing Ironhide noticed was the group of bots congregated around the main entrance of the school. At least ten adults stood at the bottom of the stairs. Sparklings and younglings of different ages were clustered around the center of their group. Something about the way they all stood so close together instantly made the diodes along Ironhide's back tingle. Something was wrong. He could sense it in that air. This was not a usual group of creators standing around chatting after picking their kids up from school.
Several of the adults anxiously looked over at the sound of Ironhide driving into the lot. Even from a distance of a fifty meters, Ironhide could see the spark of recognition in their optics. With a disgruntled sigh, Ironhide transformed to his root mode and began walking towards them.
"Consort Ironhide!" one of the adults called out. Ironhide thought he remembered him as some well-to-do business-mech he'd met at some party a couple of vorns before. He held the hand of a sparkling probably a vorn or two younger than Starfall. "Consort Ironhide! Thank Primus you're here. We were beginning to think something had happened to you too."
Before Ironhide could ask what the mech was talking about, a femme stepped towards him, anxiously motioning to the school behind her. "You have to hurry. The administrator's looking for you. Something happened to your son. Enforcers are coming and Catalyst asked us to stay here to give a statement. You need to go inside and talk to him."
It took a moment for the femme's words to register in his process. When they finally did Ironhide felt as though a giant invisible hand had just dealt him a vicious uppercut to the fuel tank. His spark seized with panic. "Somethin' happened ta Star? Wha? Wha happened? Tell me!"
"Some mech took him," another creator said. "Your son and his friend were waiting near the edge of the transformation lot when this strange mech came up to Starfall and grabbed him. Before any of us knew what was happening he transformed and sped off with Starfall inside his cab unit."
"He was already gone by the time we got to the street," said another.
Ironhide couldn't even think as he blindly pushed his way through the group of bots towards the school, panic coursing through his fuel lines like corrosive acid. He bounded up the steps two at a time. He'd only been in the academy once before when he'd picked Starfall up after his fight with Aftershock. He barreled through the empty hallways. Finally, he spotted the main office up ahead. The front of the office was walled in floor-to-ceiling panes of glass. Inside, Ironhide counted at least six bots crowding the reception area in front of the counter. They all looked like teachers.
There was a subdued atmosphere of panic in the office when he barreled through the door several nano-klicks later. At least two bots were on tele-video communicators speaking in frantic tones on the other side of the reception desk. The group of teachers clustered inside the office all looked up at him with startled expressions. Ironhide could only imagine what he looked like to them – an old war mech half-crazed with panic bursting into the office.
"They just told me someone took Star!" he blurted to the crowd. "Where is he? Wha happened?"
A bot separated himself from the rest of the teachers. Ironhide immediately recognized the academy's administrator, Catalyst, from the video-comm conversation he'd had with him when Starfall got suspended.
"Consort Ironhide," Catalyst said, speaking in a quick but calm tone. Ironhide recognized it from the war. Many of his fellow officers would use the same voice whenever they were in the midst of a tense situation. Over the vorns he'd come to call it the "crisis tone." For some reason that made Ironhide only want to panic more. "My staff was just trying to reach you on the vid-comm."
"Ah got caught up getting outta work. Was late gettin' here. Wha happened with Star? The bots in the lot all said someone kidnapped him."
Catalyst nodded gravely. "I am afraid that's correct, sir. One of my staff members is trying to pull up video footage of what happened on the school's surveillance system now. Unfortunately, none of the school's cameras are pointed directly at that corner of the transformation lot. So finding a clear shot of the mech who took Starfall is proving difficult. We've already called the Enforcers. They should be here any klick."
"I am sorry!" a little voice piped up from behind the wall of teachers crowding the office. They parted to the sides to reveal a little red and yellow trimmed sparkling sitting on one of the chairs lining the far wall. It was Convoy. His optics were fuzzed white with static and his shoulder rims shook violently with distress. The teachers seemed to have been trying to calm him when Ironhide arrived. "I am so sorry! I could not help! He took Star!" Convoy was so hysterical his accent was thicker than normal, making understanding him even harder.
"It wasn't your fault, Convoy," one of the teachers hushed. "You couldn't have done anything to stop him."
Convoy choked on his own sobs. "But Star yelled for me and I could not do anything to help him!"
Somewhere outside the school the warble of approaching police sirens could be heard. They grew louder with every passing second.
Ironhide hurried to Starfall's friend and bent on one knee in front of him. "It wasn't yer fault wha happened, Convoy," he said as calmly as he could despite the panic clawing at the back of his sparkchamber. "Ah ain't blamin' yeh, an' neither is anyone else. But ah need ta know wha happened so we can get Star back, okay? Do yeh remember who took Star? Wha did he look like?"
Convoy cycled several gasps of air to try and calm himself. "H-he was big."
"How big?"
"Bigger than you, but not as big as Star's other dad."
Ironhide nodded encouragingly. "Good. Good. Anything else yeh remember 'bout him? Like, do yeh remember wha color paintjob he had?"
Convoy thought for a moment. "I think he was blue… or maybe green. I do not really remember. But he changed into a four-wheeler. I remember that."
Ironhide frowned. Such a vague description could be used to describe half of Iacon's population. They were going to have to get better intel if they were going to find the kidnapper's trail while it was still warm. In the back of Ironhide's mind he couldn't shake the mental image of a digital clock slowly ticking down to zero.
Convoy seemed to sense Ironhide's disappointment and hung his head. "I am sorry," he sobbed into his chest plate. "I wish I could help more."
Despite his mounting panic, Ironhide forced a thin smile of reassurance onto his facial plates. He gave Convoy a quick pat on the side of his arm. He'd come to like his son's friend. He was a good kid. He didn't need to be blaming himself for something he had no control over. "Don't worry 'bout it, Convoy. We'll get Star back, don'tchu worry." He stood and turned back to Catalyst, his face once again a stony mask of purpose. "Get me a vid-com line ta the outside. Ah need ta call the Enforcers' headquarters."
"We've already contacted the authorities. I can hear them outside right now-"
"Catalyst, don't make me hafta ask twice," Ironide growled. "Don't make me wanna start lookin' fer ways ta blame this on you and yer school's shoddy security protocols."
Catalyst's optics widened at the threat. "I can assure you that my school is in no way responsible for what happened here today-"
"If yeh wanna keep it that way then get me a line ta the Enforcers' headquarters. Patch it through straight ta Commander Prowl. He's an old friend." Ironhide's voice was nothing more than a low rumble of warning. His patience was starting to wear thin. His son was missing no one was doing anything useful to help him find him.
With a brisk nod, Catalyst turned to the nearest secretary at a vid-comm station. "Get us a line to Enforcers' Headquarters. Now."
"Yes, sir," the mech mumbled.
Half a klick later, Ironhide was seated in the secretary's chair in front of the vid-comm. The screen was black with a white message box with the word 'connecting' blinking in the middle. The other side rang several times before Prowl's face finally appeared onscreen.
"Ironhide?" he blinked in surprise. "What can I-?"
"No time fer talk, Prowl. Star's been kidnapped. Ah need yer best team of Enforcers here at his school now."
"Are you sure this isn't another false alarm like when he ran away to Skyfire's?"
"No!" Ironhide practically shouted at the screen. He struggled to retain some control over his emotions but it was getting harder to do. He wanted his son back and he wanted him back now. Some deranged mech had taken Starfall and nobody else seemed as agitated about it as he was. "Star's friend saw a mech grab him, along with a dozen parents in the transformation lot. This is real, Prowl. Star's been taken."
Prowl's facial plates hardened at the panic in Ironhide's tone. "Jazz and I will be there immediately. Call Optimus. Get him there too. We'll set up a mobile command center at the school."
oooooooo
The mech slid to a screeching halt. Starfall was thrown into the back of the front seat by the force. He crumbled to floor of the mech's interior. His wings bent painfully against his back in the confined space. Before Starfall could try and right himself, the mech began to transform. He unceremoniously tumbled out of the mech mid-transformation and hit the ground with a choked off cry. His throat line was raw was screaming and his hands hurt from hitting against the insides of his captor's windows. No one else on the road had seemed to notice him through the window during the whirlwind drive to wherever they were now.
The mech grabbed Starfall by his upper arm and began dragging him towards a building.
"Help!" Starfall screamed as loud of as he could. "Someone, please!"
"Shut up," the mech hissed as he dragged Starfall behind him.
Starfall tried to pull away from him but he might as well have been trying to free his arm from a vice. The mech's fingers dug into armor as though he was actually trying to close his fist through Starfall's arm.
"Ow! You're hurting me! Let me go! HELP!"
Unfortunately, Starfall saw no one else on the street. He didn't know where they were; the area didn't look like anyplace Starfall had been before. The entire street looked abandoned. His captor had traveled for more than twenty klicks, taking roads Starfall had never seen before through parts of the city Starfall had never even known existed. The buildings that lined the street were all in various stages of deterioration. Rust and dirt covered the walls of many of them. Most of them looked like old domicile towers. Almost all of the windows on the lower floors were broken. Trash and broken glass littered the sidewalk.
"Help! Anyone! Please!"
"I'm not telling you again, seeker! Shut your mouth!" With a vicious yank, the mech pulled Starfall to him and clamped his free hand over Starfall's mouth. Squeezing Starfall to him, he lifted Starfall off his pedes and forcefully wrestled him towards the door of the nearest buildings. Starfall kicked and flailed in his captor's grasp but the mech was too strong.
The mech staggered into the building, cursing all the way under his breath. Expertly navigating the dark, trash-filled hallways he dragged Starfall to a door and kicked it open. A set of stairs led down into blackness. Keeping a firm grip on the struggling sparkling, the mech somehow managed to activate a switch on the side of the wall with his elbow. A light bulb flared to life at the top of the stairs. More lights came on below. Starfall could do nothing more than squirm in the mech's grasp as he was carried down the stairs. His frightened sobs were muffled against the hand clamped down over his mouth.
An empty basement opened at the bottom of the stairs. Despite several naked light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, the basement was still extremely dark. Shadows seemed to seep from the walls like black ooze. Several doors lined the basement. The mech wrestled Starfall towards one of them. A new set of lights came on inside, revealing a small room. It was just as dirty and dark as the rest of the basement and building. Starfall estimated the room to be about the same size of his berthroom at home. The thought made a pang of longing for home stab his spark. What he wouldn't give to be home right now with his fathers…
Tossing Starfall to the ground, the mech kicked the door close behind them. The clunk of a deadbolt sounded, sealing them inside. Starfall stumbled, but somehow managed not to fall. He scrambled away from the mech to the far side of the room. Mech fluid and panic pounded in his audios as he turned back to face his captor.
"Please let me go home," Starfall sobbed. His entire body was shaking. His wings trembled against his back. His arm hurt from where the mech had grabbed him. Several planetary rings on that hand were bent out of shape. Starfall was pretty sure his arm was slightly dented in the shape of the mech's fingers. "Take me back to school. Please? My daddy's waiting for me."
The mech took a slow, measured step towards him. He said nothing, but his optics burned with silent fury. Starfall didn't understand it. What had he done to make this mech look at him like that? Before today, he'd never even seen the mech.
"Please take me back. My daddy's waiting for me. He'll be upset if I'm not there when he gets there. He doesn't like waiting. Please let me go. I-"
Before Starfall even understood what was happening, the mech's hand swung out and viciously backhanded him across the face. Starfall was thrown into the wall by the force. He crumbled to the floor at the base of the wall with a choked off cry. His visual readout momentarily fuzzed black with static before recalibrating. Starfall sat against the wall, dazed from both shock and pain. The entire right side of his face stung. Starfall was stunned. No one had ever hit him before. The realization of what just happened made his body run cold.
"I'm not going to tell you again, seeker: Shut. Up," the mech growled in a voice so full of venom, Starfall wouldn't have been able to find any words to speak even if he'd wanted to. He cowered against the cold brick wall, so frightened his mind froze. His entire body began to shake. Fear unlike anything he'd felt before tore into him like physical talons of cold.
The mech towered over him. His shadow was thrown against the wall by the light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It eclipsed Starfall's huddled, trembling form in darkness.
"You disgusting little seeker," the mech spat at him. "It's your fault seekers are trying to come back. Trying to come back into our cities!" There was nothing to prepare Starfall for the foot that lashed out at him and caught him in the stomach plating.
Starfall jackknifed forward. Pain exploded across his midsection. It was so intense his visual readout once again fuzzed black. Starfall's fuel tank seized. For a split second he thought he was going to purge. Clutching his middle, Starfall scrambled backwards across the floor against the wall, desperate to get away from the raving mech. Frightened sobs clicked uncontrollably in the back of his throat. Why was this mech doing this? What did he do? No one had ever hit him before, let alone kick him! Starfall huddled in the farthest corner of the room, pulling his legs to him for protection.
The mech was coming towards him again, his body language menacing. Starfall cowered against himself, sobbing.
"You seekers start a war, kill countless bots and nearly destroy our world!" the mech bellowed at Starfall's trembling form. "And then! Just when Cybertron is starting to recover from the destruction you caused, you want to come back to do the same thing again! I won't let it happen! I won't let you seekers kill anymore good mechs. Not like you did Dropkick!"
Starfall didn't understand what the mech was saying. Nothing he said made any sense to him. All Starfall understood was that his captor was frothing with anger and that all that fury was being directed at him.
The mech reached down and grabbed Starfall by the wrist. Several of Starfall's planetary rings were crushed against his wrist under the mech's grip. Starfall cried out as he was viciously pulled forward out of the corner to his captor's feet. Starfall was sobbing so hard he could barely form words.
"Please let me go home! Please! I want my daddies! I wanna go home!"
The mech didn't even seem to hear him anymore. Growling between gritted dentas, he yanked Stafall up by the arm, almost lifting him off the floor. Starfall screamed. His arm wasn't designed to bend that way.
"I'm not going to let you seekers hurt anyone else," the mech growled over Starfall's hurt whimpers. "I'm not going to let anyone else's brother get killed by a bunch of seekers." His tone carried the promise of more pain. His optics shined with mindless hate. Starfall shivered under the mech's gaze.
Kicking his legs, Starfall tried to squirm out of the mech's hold but only managed to make the actuators in his shoulder joints flare worse with pain. Sobbing helplessly, Starfall went limp. The mech was too strong. He wished he was home right now with his fathers. If either of them were there they'd make the bad mech stop and take him somewhere safe. He would have given anything for one of them to suddenly appear and save him.
oooooooo
Optimus didn't know what to do with himself. After countless vorns of war he was used to being in the middle of frantic situations. He was used to receiving bad news and having to make split-second choices in response. All his experience should have prepared him for this very moment – to be able to keep a clear head and think. Yet the situation was very different he found when the crisis at hand involved his own son. As the parent of a kidnapped child, he found his processor suddenly unable to process any information. It was like his mind had stopped working the moment Ironhide contacted him and told him what happened. He'd sped to Starfall's academy from the Council Tower in a daze, panic clawing him apart from the inside out.
Who would have taken Starfall? What did they want? These and countless other questions made Optimus almost sick with worry. As Prime, Optimus had the authority and experience to demand to be directly involved in the investigation. No one would have faulted him for such a thing. For the moment, though, he had decided he was going to let the authorities do their job. Optimus had enough presence of mind to recognize he was too emotionally compromised right now to be of much assistance. He would only get in the way and distract the Enforcers. For his son's sake, he had to refrain from trying to help. Starfall had been missing for a little of a joor now. Time was of the essence. If they were going to figure out where Starfall was they had to move fast. If Optimus tried to help he would probably only cause delays.
District 11's main office was swarming with Enforcers. Some were taking statements from teachers and parents from the transformation lot. Others were reviewing the school's security surveillance for any image of Starfall's kidnapper. So far they hadn't been able to isolate a clear image of him. Statements from creators and Convoy were vague at best. As of right now all they could agree upon was that it was a mech of average height, heavily built - possibly a military model of some kind – with a dark paintjob. Any other details were conflicting and vague.
Jazz and Prowl were there. They had both rushed to the academy as soon as Ironhide had called them. Jazz was currently hunched over one of the school's computer terminals with a data specialist reviewing surveillance footage. Prowl was speaking into his communicator in a sharp, authoritative voice. He was in full battle mode, which Optimus took some relief in. Optimus had always been able to count on Prowl when things got bad during the war. Even when all other hope seemed lost Prowl had always seemed to come through with a last minute strategy that would save the day. If anyone could find Starfall, it was him. It sounded like Prowl was trying to coordinate a team of Enforcers to sweep the surrounding area for clues.
Standing beside Optimus in the middle of all this chaos was Ironhide. The older mech had said little since Optimus arrived at the school. Optimus could feel Ironhide's emotions across their sparkbond. Besides the same panic and fear Optimus felt Ironhide's side of the bond was a roiling storm of guilt. From what little Ironhide had said when he'd got there, Ironhide had been held up at the Planetary Defense Force and been ten or fifteen klicks late getting to Starfall's school. Despite Optimus's best attempts to calm his sparkmate and assure him Starfall's kidnapping was in no way his fault Ironhide didn't seem to want to listen. The older mech was so anxious it was a fight for him to keep still. If he had let himself Ironhide would have probably been pacing a rut into the floor. Optimus understood his sparkmate's feelings. Everything inside Optimus was practically screaming at him to snap out of his shocked stupor and do something. His son was missing. Every line of code in his body was screaming at him that he had to find Starfall.
"Fine," Prowl said into his communicator and abruptly cut the line. He turned to Optimus and Ironhide. "I'm having my men check traffic cameras at all the major intersections within a two kilometer radius of the school. If the kidnapper took any main streets, we'll catch him on CCTV footage. Once we get a good look at him I'll send out a new APB. All Enforcers in the city have been alerted to keep an optic out for any mech fitting the kidnapper's current description."
"Thank you," Optimus said. His voice sounded numb even to his own audios. It felt like he was caught in some kind of nightmare he couldn't wake up from. What he was feeling was ten times worse than when Starfall had run away to Skyfire's.
"Did any of yer officers get a better description of the mech yet?" Ironhide asked.
Prowl shook his head. "No. But I have my best mechs on this case. We will find Starfall. I promise."
"I just don't understand…" Optimus murmured. "What kind of kidnapper would take a child in broad daylight from in front of a school on a busy road with at least ten witnesses looking on?"
"Not a smart one," Prowl said. "At this point I'm inclined to say this wasn't the work of an organized team. From what I've gathered from witness testimonies, this struck me as a very spur of the moment type kidnapping. Possibly the kidnapper saw an opening and decided to take it, regardless of the tactical risks. If that's correct, then that leads me to believe the kidnapper is reckless and probably driven by emotions."
"Do yeh think this was some kinda political kidnappin'?" Ironhide said. His voice was tense, as though he was struggling to keep his temper in check. "There's been a lot a' nasty talk about seekers on the evening newsfeeds lately. Do yeh think whoever did this might be part 'a one a those groups that are tryin' ta keep Vos from openin' its borders again?"
Prowl could only shake his head. "At this point anything is possible."
"Prowl! Prowl!" Jazz suddenly shouted. "I think we got a shot of 'im!"
Prowl, Optimus and Ironhide hurried across the room to the computer terminal Jazz and the Enforcer data specialist were working at.
"Look," Jazz said, pointing to the screen. "It's from a camera mounted on east wall of the school's transformation lot. Ya can just make out Starfall and the mech in the upper left-hand corner."
Optimus's spark clenched inside his chest at the footage. The mech had Starfall by the arm and was roughly dragging him towards the street. He could make out Starfall trying to pull against the mech's hold with all of his weight. The mech transformed, and with a sharp yank pulled Starfall inside the back portion of his cab unit. Beside him he thought he heard Ironhide growl deep in the back of his throat.
Prowl leaned closer, squinting. The corners of his face were dark. "That's them. Can you zoom in?" he asked the computer tech.
"Yes, sir," the mech said. He paused the footage on a frame in which the kidnapper was turned straight towards the camera. Zooming in on the upper left quadrant of the screen, the computer tech enlarged the image. As the pixels reformed, the kidnapper's face sharpened into a clear image.
"Do you recognize him?" Prowl asked Optimus and Ironhide. Both of them shook their heads. Optimus had never seen the mech before in his life. A rush of cold ran down the length of his back. Although it was difficult to tell much of another bot from such a picture, Optimus saw nothing but hate in the mech's optics.
"Run him through the facial recognition database," Jazz told the tech.
The tech nodded. Pulling a portable computer from a subspace compartment he hooked it to school's terminal. Within a klick, the two systems were synched. "Transferring image to the Enforcer network and running facial recognition software now," the tech announced.
As Optimus looked on with bated breath, the computer system plotted flashing green dots on the mech's uploaded image, assessing the contours of his facial plates. Images of mechs' faces began to flash in the upper right corner of the screen as the computer searched the database.
"Wha' do we do if this mech ain't in the system?" Ironhide asked.
"Then we continue our investigation," Prowl said. "If nothing else we have a clear image of the mech to release to the press. He's not going to get far."
"My guess is this guy has ta be on someone's watch list," Jazz interjected. "He just looks like bad news. He also looks like a military mech, or at least a heavy-duty model of some kind. The military keeps tight records on all its soldiers. Same for most manual labor industries. He's gotta be-"
"Found him!" the computer tech announced. "Name is Crosshairs. Former mili-"
Jazz unceremoniously pulled the data tech away from the terminal and took his place in front of the computer. He immediately began reading off the information the computer had found. A formal head-on shot of the mech against a white background was displayed in the upper right corner of the screen above a lengthy bio.
"Name Crosshairs. Former military. Autobot," Jazz quickly read, scanning down the screen. "Was discharged from the army several vorns before the end of the war. He was a guard at a Decepticon POW camp on Garrus-12. Was given a dishonorable discharge after several incidents involving the mysterious deaths of several Decepticon prisoners – all of them seekers. There's a note here by a former CO that Crosshairs displayed a violent hatred for Decepticons – most notably seekers. There was never enough evidence to directly link Crosshairs to the prisoners' deaths or convict him of anything, but it enough to get him kicked him out of the military. Database says he's had a number of jobs since the end of the war – mostly hard labor. He's described as being unstable and volatile. Since the end of the war he's been arrested and had a number of other brushes with the law – lots of drunk and disorderly reports. He seems ta be having a hard time adjusting back ta civilian life…"
He turned back around to Optimus, Ironhide and Prowl, a stricken look of worry on his facial plates. Optimus was sure he had the same look on his face underneath his mask. This was not a mech he would have ever willingly let Starfall be around. They had to find his son soon before this mech did something bad to him.
"I am putting out an updated APB right now," Prowl announced, raising his hand to the side of his helm to activate his comm-link.
"Wha's this guys last known address?" Ironhide growled.
Jazz checked the computer. "Varlan Heights. District 2. Coordinates TE12-005-0245-FV. That's an extremely seedy part of the city. And wasn't Varlan Heights one of those housing complexes the Council decided to level to build newer buildings? All of Varlan Height's residents were relocated."
"I believe so," Optimus nodded. "Do you think that is where this mech might have taken Star?"
"It's possible," Jazz shrugged.
"Jazz, I want you and a team of two other Enforcers to go there and investigate," Prowl announced in a voice of unquestionable authority. "Even if Crosshairs isn't there we might be able to get some clues as to his current whereabouts."
"Will do," Jazz nodded, rising from his seat.
"Ah'm comin' with yeh." Ironhide said.
"You sure, Ironhide?" Jazz frowned. "We don't know if Star's actually there."
"This is the best lead we've got so far," Ironhide growled back at him. "Ah'm goin' with yeh. Ah ain't gonna just stand around here while other bots go out lookin' fer my son."
"I will remain here with Prowl," Optimus said. "Crosshairs might be a member of one of those groups lobbying for Vos to withdrawal back inside its borders. He or someone else might call with ransom demands."
Ironhide nodded. "If Star's out there ah'll bring him back."
"Take care," Optimus said as Ironhide and Jazz rushed for the door. He had to believe his sparkmate would do as he promised.
oooooooo
Starfall screamed as a new wave of pain sliced through his body. The sound echoed against the wet, cold walls of the room his captor had locked him inside. His entire body hurt, his wings worst of all. His captor seemed to focus on them most of all. No matter how much Starfall tried to scramble away or turn his wings away from his captor's grasp he constantly grabbed at them, tearing at their delicate panels and wiring. At some point the mech had pulled out an electro-knife from one of his subspace compartments. Starfall no longer had the strength to try and turn his head over his shoulders to see his wings but they felt like nothing but two appendages of pain hanging from his back anymore. Beyond the pain Starfall could feel was a sticky wetness coating his back.
The mech had been hurting him for what felt like forever. Starfall had lost all sense of time awhile ago. He'd given up trying to understand why the mech was doing this to him. Sometimes the mech would stop hitting him to yell at him with mindless rage as though Starfall was to blame for something terrible that had happened to him. Starfall had given up some time ago trying to understand what the mech was talking about. All he understood was that all of this had something to do with the mech's brother.
"Filthy seeker!" the mech swore. "Spawn of Unicron! You all deserve to die!" He lashed his foot at Starfall, kicking the trembling sparkling into the corner of the room.
Starfall huddled against himself on the dirty floor, trying to make himself as small of a target as he could. Sobs clicked in the back of his throat. He no longer had the strength to sit up or try to fend off the mech's attacks. All he could do was lay on his side and make himself as small as a target as he could. His insides felt loose, like something was broken inside him. He rattled now whenever the mech kicked or hit him. He tried to lift himself up to crawl farther away but his body no longer wanted to respond to him. He sobbed harder in frustration, fear, and pain.
The mech stood panting over him, his optics glassy as though he were in some kind of rage induced trance. The electro-knife in his hand was stained purple with Starfall's own mech fluid. It covered the blade and his kidnapper's hand all the way up to his wrist.
He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home right now. He wished he was with his fathers. Why hadn't he waited with Convoy inside the transformation lot for Ironhide? His father was probably wondering where he was. Would Ironhide come looking for him when he found out he wasn't waiting for him at school?
Starfall desperately hoped so. He didn't care if Ironhide yelled at him for making him wait. All he wanted was to go home where it was safe. He was so tired. If the mech would just stop hitting him for one klick Starfall was sure he'd fall asleep right there on the ground. There was a strong pressure behind his optics lens, urging him to let his visual readout cycle down and go blank.
"Murderers… All of you," the mech growled, staring at Starfall's cowering form. "You seekers kill Dropkick then expect us to let you come back into civilized society like the Great War never happened."
"Please…" Starfall weakly cried into the floor. "I just wanna go home. Please…"
"Shut UP!" the mech screamed, kicking at Starfall. Starfall screamed as he curled into a ball. A fresh wave of pain rolled through his body. Sobbing into the dirty floor, Starfall tried to crawl away from the mech.
"Get back here, seeker. I'm not done with you yet."
Starfall screamed, raising his arms to try to protect himself. Before the mech could touch him, though, there was a distance thump from somewhere above their heads. Starfall cowered against himself, trembling, as the mech looked up at the ceiling. As he listened, the distinctive sound of footsteps sounded overhead.
"What the-?" The mech cursed under his breath.
In his pained daze, an almost unbearable pang of hope stabbed Starfall's spark. It sounded like someone was coming down the stairs. Was someone coming for him? Maybe someone had finally heard his screams. He tried to find his voice to call out for help, but could not seem to muster the energy to do so. He was just so tired. Everything hurt and the mech had finally stopped hitting him. Maybe he could finally have a minute to rest. His visual readout was getting fuzzy around the edges.
"No. No! No! No! Not now!" The mech began to move towards the door. Before he could unbolt the deadbolt the door burst inwards from the outside. The sound startled Starfall. Whimpering, he curled into the corner as one figure rushed towards him. It might have been delirium but for a split moment Starfall thought he heard someone calling his name.
oooooooo
Jazz, Ironhide and two Enforcers screeched to a halt in front of a rundown series of domicile buildings. Varlan Heights was even a worse place than Jazz had been expecting. The entire section of that sector of the city looked like it hadn't seen any sort of community development since before the Great War. Rust and dirt covered everything. Broken glass and trash filled the streets. The entire area looked like something out of an apocalyptic movie. After turning off the highway, Jazz hadn't seen any sign of another living bot anywhere on the streets. Varlan Heights for all intents and purposes looked to be completely abandoned.
The four transformed to their root-modes in a whirlwind of shifting parts. The two Enforcers instantly pulled weapons and scanned the surrounding buildings for movement. Jazz did so as well. Ironhide didn't appear to be carrying a weapon, but the look on his face as he scanned the area said he was ready to inflict massive damage, unarmed or not.
"Is this it?" he asked in a low growl.
Jazz checked the address of the nearest building against the address displayed on his visor's visual display. "Yea. That building there's Crosshairs last registered address."
Ironhide headed for it. He didn't wait for Jazz or that other two Enforcers to follow him before he viciously kicked in the front door of the building.
"Hey! Ironhide, wait!" Jazz called as the old weapons specialist stormed inside. He caught up to Ironhide in the front foyer. "Hey, mech, I know you're anxious to find Star, but we gotta keep a level head. Ya hear me? Star might not even be here."
"Ah hafta find him, Jazz," Ironhide growled, looking down a hallway that branched off the foyer.
"I understand that, but going in blasters on full power isn't going to find him any faster. I need ya ta let me and my fellow officers do our job. Ya might be an old friend and the Prime's Consort, but you're still a civilian."
Ironhide cycled a deep breath of air. "Fine. But ah swear when we find that mech, if he's hurt one bolt on Star's head ah'm gonna tear him apart with meh own two hands."
Jazz nodded. "Nightbeat, Daredevil, spread out and check the first floor. Remember, we're looking for a potentially armed and dangerous suspect. He might have a small child with him, so no weapons unless absolutely necessary. Maintain constant radio contact."
Just as the small group was about to spread out through the building there came a sound from somewhere deep inside the building. It sounded like it had come from somewhere below them. Jazz felt the diodes at the base of his helm crawl. He could have been wrong but he thought he'd just heard the muffled sound of a sparkling screaming. A sinking feeling of dread clenched his fuel tank.
"Come on," Jazz motioned, charging deeper into the building. "Daredevil, radio for backup. We might have found our suspect."
Quickly navigating the dark hallways Jazz spotted a doorway that was halfway open. A light was on at the top of a set of stairs that led downwards. Another muffled cry drifted up the stairs from below. Louder now, Jazz was sure it was the sound of a sparkling screaming. He pulled his weapon as he scouted around the doorway down the stairs. He didn't see anyone below.
"Ironhide, you're not armed. Stay behind us. You're not ta move in until we have the suspect in custody. Got it?" He didn't wait for a response before he started down the steps, blaster raised. The stairs opened into a dank, open basement. Jazz immediately pinpointed the closed door on the far side of the room. He heard what sounded like a mech cursing loudly on the other side.
"Nightbeat, Daredevil, to me." Slinking towards the door, Jazz flattened himself against the wall on the door's left. Daredevil took position on the other side. At the wave of his hand, Nightbeat rushed the door and kicked it near its handle. The door's lock broke under Nightbeat's weight and crunched inwards. Nightbeat and Daredevil streamed inside the room. Jazz followed directly behind them. By the time he stormed through the door, the two already had Crosshairs subdued on the floor. His men were nothing if not efficient. Daredevil wrestled a pair of stasis cuffs on the ranting mech's wrists.
As the two Enforcers dealt with their suspect, Jazz did a quick sweep of the room with his optics. What he saw immediately made him freeze in the doorway, his mech fluid running cold. Optics widened in horror behind his visor.
oooooooo
Ironhide watched from the other side of the basement as the Enforcers rushed inside the room and tackled their suspect to ground. Crosshairs continued to scream and rant as the officers kept him pinned and slapped a pair of stasis cuffs on his wrists.
Deeming it safe to approach, Ironhide rushed the room. "Is Star in there?" he yelled at Jazz's back. The black and white Porsche stood in the doorway with his back to Ironhide. "Jazz, is Star in there?!"
"Ironhide, I-" Jazz tried to say, but Ironhide was already pushing his way past him. He paused on the other side of the door to get his bearings. The room was small. Dank, cold, and wet. It took a moment for Ironhide to take in, but when the details finally began to emerge Ironhide felt his spark sputter in his chest.
The entire far side of the room was splattered with mech fluid. The glowing purple liquid shined darkly in the dim light of the single light bulb that hung from the ceiling. Splatter marks decorated the bottom half of at least two of the walls. A smeared pool of mech fluid stained the ground. In the center of this pool lay a tiny, huddled form.
"Star?" Ironhide could barely process what he was seeing. He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that shaking bundle of purple-smeared plating was his son. "Star!" Rushing towards the shivering sparkling, Ironhide dropped to his knees. He tried to ignore the smeared mech fluid that seeped between the edges of his armor and soaked the protomatter of his knee joints. It was too horrific for him to think about right now. "Star? Star, answer me!"
"You have to let me finish!" Crosshairs screamed from the other side of the room. He was still trying to struggle in the two Enforcers' grip. "You can't let the seekers come back! We have to destroy them while we still can! Before they kill us!"
"Get him out of here!" Jazz yelled over the mech's fevered rants. "Get him out!"
The Enforcers sprang to action. Hoisting the still screaming mech to his feet they wrestled him towards the door. Crosshair's voice could be heard all the way up the stairs and across the floor as he was forced outside.
Ironhide was too focused on his son to pay attention to anything else. "Star? Kiddo, come on, answer me." Starfall's entire back was a shredded mess. The armor of his wings hung in tattered strips from his framework. Out of the corner of his optic Ironhide noticed a fluid-covered electro-knife laying on the ground several feet away. Mech fluid covered Starfall's entire body. He barely looked conscious. Ironhide wanted nothing more than to pick his son up and hold him, but he was afraid to touch him. He couldn't see anywhere that Starfall's body didn't somehow look injured. Cuts, dents, and scraps covered his entire frame.
"…daddy?" a weak voice gurgled.
"It's alright, Star. Daddy's here," Ironhide said, his processor still reeling with horror.
"I wanna go home," Starfall murmured. His voice was barely louder than a whisper. It seemed to take all of Starfall's strength just to speak. "Can we go home?"
"Yea, yea, sure we can," Ironhide numbly agreed. "Ah'm gonna take yeh home. But we hafta get yeh ta a hospital first. Yer hurt."
Starfall gave a muffled sob of pain. "…my wings hurt."
"Ah know, Star. Hold on. Ah'm gonna get yeh outta here."
Slipped his hands underneath Starfall's knees and back Ironhide lifted him off the ground as gently as he could. Starfall gave a shrill scream of pain. His body stiffened in Ironhide's arms. Sobbing, Starfall curled against Ironhide's chest, shivering violently.
For a moment Ironhide couldn't move. Cradling Starfall to him, Ironhide surveyed the damage. Starfall felt even more delicate than he usually did. As Ironhide shifted him into a more comfortable position in his arms, he thought he heard something shift inside Starfall's battered frame. Starfall weakly sobbed into his windshield. His head and legs hung limp over Ironhide's elbows. His wings were so torn they felt like they were about to tear off at any moment. The light behind Starfall's optics was dim as though he were barely holding onto consciousness. Ironhide struggled to his feet. He tried to be gentle but every movement seemed to make his son stiffen and whimper with pain. He turned to find Jazz staring at them with a shell-shocked look of horror.
"We hafta get Star ta a hospital."
This seemed to rattle Jazz out of his daze. "I'll call for a medical transport."
Ironhide shook his head. "No. Ah'll take him myself. It'll be quicker." He began to move for the door. His stride was panicked. Jazz followed close behind.
"I'll call ahead to have medics waiting for us," Jazz said as they hurried up the stairs to the first floor. "Ratchet's chief of staff at Iacon General. Iacon General's only about ten klicks away from here with a police escort."
Ironhide distractedly nodded. His entire focus was on the semi-conscious sparkling in his arms. He had to fight not to break into a full run, but he didn't want to unnecessary jostle Starfall anymore. He was already in so much pain.
"Call Optimus an' have him meet us at the hospital," Ironhide yelled over his shoulder as he navigated the building's hallways back to the front. "Tell him we found Star."
When Ironhide burst outside half a klick later he was met by a chorus of shouts and a blinding barrage of camera flashes. Several reporters were gathered on the sidewalk in front of the building behind a hastily constructed police cordon. Ironhide counted at least five different news channels. News of Starfall's abduction must have leaked to the press. At least half a squadron of Enforcers were now on the scene securing the perimeter. Off to the side idled a police transport. Through its heavy sides Ironhide heard snatches of angry, seeker-filled rants.
"Consort! Consort! Any comment?" the group of press-mech yelled as they jockeyed for attention. Camera flashes half blinded Ironhide. He tried to shield Starfall as best as he could from their hungry gaze as he pushed through them with the help of Jazz and a few other Enforcers to an open area of pavement. Holding his son's mangled body close, Ironhide transformed down around him. He managed to arrange Starfall on his back seat before his final piece of armor snapped into place. Starfall curled against the back of his seat, whimpering into the upholstery. Ironhide almost wished Starfall would fall unconscious just so he wouldn't be in as much pain.
Jazz transformed alongside him. "Nightbeat! Daredevil! To me!" his disembodied voice called over the reporters' cries for comments from the sidewalk. "Police escort formation!"
As the two other Enforcers transformed and took position behind Ironhide, Jazz pulled in front of him. Sirens came on and drowned out the calls of the reporters. With a squeal of tires, they sped away down the street.
The drive to the hospital was a complete blur to Ironhide. He didn't remember what streets Jazz took his down or what byways they took. All Ironhide could focus on was the murmured sobs of pain coming from his backseat. He kept up a steady stream of assurances to Starfall as he drove that everything was going to be alright, that Starfall was safe now. Whether they did any good Ironhide didn't know. All Starfall did was weakly sob into the seat in response.
Finally, Iacon General Hospital appeared in the distance. Peeling into the hospital's emergency driveway Ironhide saw Ratchet standing by the doors with a team of four other medics. An empty gurney accompanied them.
Ironhide didn't even come to a full stop before he threw his back door over. His police escort squealed to a stop around him. Ratchet and another medic reached inside and carefully pulled Starfall from his cab unit. The little seeker gave a shrill cry of agony as they transferred him to the gurney. Instantly, they began wheeling him towards the door. Ironhide and Jazz both transformed and hurried after them inside the hospital.
"Patient is a male sparkling, roughly five vorns old," Ratchet called out as Starfall was sped through the sterile white hallways. "Is suffering from massive external damage to both exo-armor and protoform. Dangerous loss of mech fluid possible."
"RPM is 65 over 120," one of the other medics yelled as she removed a diagnostic reader from Starfall's side.
"Daddy?" Starfall weakly called out. His optics were barely functioning at half capacity. He sounded frightened.
"Ah'm right here, Star," Ironhide called over Ratchet and the other medics' voices.
Ratchet spared Ironhide a quick glance over his shoulder. "Is Starfall allergic to any synthetic materials or additives?"
"Wha-? Uh, no. Not that ah know of."
"Good." Ratchet turned back to his team of doctors. "Redcross, get ten pints of mech fluid, stat. Take Starfall to ER room 4."
A large set of swinging doors appeared at the end of the hall. The team of medics wheeled Starfall through them. Ironhide was about to follow after them through but was stopped by Ratchet.
"Ironhide, I know you're worried about Starfall but I need room to work. Let me do my job. Go wait in the waiting room. I'll come out and get you as soon as I get Starfall stable."
Without waiting for a response, Ratchet disappeared through the door. Ironhide was left to helplessly stare after him. Standing in the middle of the hallway Ironhide felt numb after everything that just happened. It still didn't feel real. He couldn't stop staring at the doors Ratchet had disappeared through. Somewhere on the other side his son was being worked on by a team of medics and he wasn't allowed to go back and be with him. Ironhide's arms felt strangely empty now without Starfall there to fill them.
Somewhere through his daze, Ironhide felt someone step up beside him. He startled back to himself to find Jazz standing close beside him.
"Hey. Come on, mech. Let's get you cleaned up before Optimus gets here. He doesn't need ta see you like this."
"Huh? Why?"
Ironhide followed Jazz's gaze down to his chest. What he saw made his fuel lines run cold. His arms and the entire front of his chest were covered in thick smears of mech fluid. Ironhide was too horrified to immediately move at the realization that all of it was his son's.
"Come on," Jazz gently insisted. "Let's find a wash rack for you."
Ironhide numbly let Jazz lead him back down the hallway they'd just come.
oooooooo
Optimus and Prowl burst into the waiting room of Iacon General. It had been roughly twenty klicks since Jazz commed Prowl to tell them they'd found Starfall. Unfortunately, it seemed Starfall had been hurt and had to be taken to the hospital. It had taken every ouch of self-control Optimus had to remain calm as he'd followed Prowl to the hospital with several other Enforcers as a police escort.
Ironhide and Jazz looked up as they came into the room. Optimus immediately went to his sparkmate. Ironhide's side of their bond was closed off but Optimus could still feel tension wrecking havoc on his sparkmate's soul.
"'Hide, how is he? Is Star alright?"
"Ratchet has him," Ironhide numbly said. The old war mech seemed to be in a daze, as if he didn't really know where he was or what he was doing there. "He took Star back 'bout fifteen klicks ago. We've been waitin' in here fer the last five klicks or so." Ironhide paused, looking down at the ground. Stray emotions leaked across their bond. Guilt was the strongest emotion Optimus felt, but directly layering that was a sense of lingering, repressed horror. "Optimus, it's bad… The mech that had Star was torturin' him. By the time we got there Star was pretty torn up. Just his wings…"
Optimus's fuel tank clenched. He struggled to keep calm. Everything inside him was screaming at him to find his son and hold him. "How did this happen?" he numbly asked no one in particular. "There were no signs that Starfall was in any danger of being attacked." He turned to Jazz and Prowl. "Was this mech part of one of those Vosian isolation groups?"
Jazz shook his head. "He didn't strike me as having ties with any kind of group. He looked like he was working completely by himself. From what I can tell, this was just a good ol' fashioned hate crime.
"We have the mech in custody in any case," Prowl interjected. "Once Jazz and I know Starfall's condition we'll go and personally interrogate him."
Ironhide's fists clenched by his side. A new emotion leaked across his and Optimus's bond. It was anger. Red hot boiling anger. "Ah'm gonna kill that mech," he growled between his teeth. "Ah'm gonna tear him apart bolt by bolt fer wha' he's done ta Star."
Optimus put a calming hand on his sparkmate's shoulder plate, but he would have been lying if he'd said he wasn't thinking something similar himself.
The door to the waiting room suddenly swung open. The four mechs looked over to see Ratchet standing in the doorway. Optimus and Ironhide immediately rushed him. The old mech looked drained and extremely tired.
"How's Star?" Ironhide demanded.
"Can we see him?" Optimus chorused.
Ratchet didn't seem able to meet their optics. He stared at a point on the ground somewhere between Optimus and Ironhide's feet. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a pain voice. "We did everything we could…"
Ironhide and Optimus both froze at his tone.
"Wha' are yeh sayin'?" Ironhide spat. A tendril of pure fear leaked across his bond to Optimus.
Ratchet finally looked up to meet their optics. "I'm so sorry. Starfall was badly injured when he got here. He was internally leaking fluids from at least five different places. We couldn't patch all the leaks in time. He... he slipped away from us. I'm so sorry."
For a long moment of silence no one moved or said anything. Optimus felt frozen in place as if Ratchet had just stolen his ability to think or move. As the old medic's words sunk in a cold chill of dawning horror seized Optimus's spark. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't have heard what he just did. There was no way his son could be gone. It just wasn't possible.
Beside him, Ironhide violently shook his head. "No. No… that can't be right. Ah was just holdin' him." He stepped forward and angrily stared into Ratchet's face. "Ah was just holdin' him! He can't be gone!"
Ratchet dropped his gaze to the floor, unable to bear the sight of so much anger and pain in Ironhide's optics. "I'm so sorry…"
Optimus suddenly felt sick. His fuel tank churned. For a split second he thought his knee joints were going to give out from under him.
"Where is he?" Ironhide somehow managed to choke past the knot in his throat line. "Ah wanna see Star. Ah hafta see him."
Ratchet delicately shook his head. "It would be better if you and Optimus waited a little bit. It would give us time to clean him up before you saw him."
"Goddammit, Ratchet!" Ironhide snarled, his optics fuzzing white around the edges. "Take me ta my son! Ah wanna see him. Now!"
Ratchet held his hands up to Ironhide as though in surrender. "Alright." He motioned to the door behind him. "He's this way."
Optimus was still too numb with shock to do anything more than silently follow behind Ratchet and Ironhide. He moved as if in a daze, as if someone had taken control of his body and was piloting him from a remote location. Everything was a blur around him. All he could focus on was a point between his sparkmate's shoulder plates. He didn't know if Jazz or Prowl followed them. He was too busy trying to wake up from this hellish nightmare.
Leading them through a series of identical white hallways, Ratchet finally stopped in front of one room. Despite being part of the ER, that little corner of the ward was extremely quiet and still. He saw no other medics or nurses in the immediate vicinity. "He's inside," Ratchet quietly murmured. "I will wait out here to give you a few minutes of privacy. Call me if you need anything."
Ironhide hurried inside the room. Optimus followed him more slowly. He didn't know if he was ready to see this yet. It all still felt so surreal, like he was playing out a scene in some bad television show.
As Optimus went inside an anguished cry of despair came from deeper inside the room. The Matrix-bearer's spark clenched at the sound. In all their time together both as sparkmates and comrades-in-arms, Optimus had never heard Ironhide sound like that. A curtain had been pulled halfway across the room. On the other side of it Optimus found Ironhide leaning over an exam table. A small body lay on top it. Ironhide was staring at it, his optics oozing pain as though someone had just ripped his spark out of his chest.
"No…" he was softly moaning over their son. "No, no, why?"
With great hesitation, Optimus joined his sparkmate on the other side of the table. What he saw made Optimus choke back a cry of despair.
Starfall lay on his back in a web of tubes and wires. He was still hooked to no less than three different machines. Half dried mech fluid covered his entire body. If he wasn't looking closely enough Optimus might have almost said that Starfall was merely recharging. But Optimus knew better. Starfall's optics were completely devoid of light. Even when recharging Cybertronians usually retained some small glow of light in their optics. Starfall's were black. Between the patches of purple mech fluid smeared across his frame his armor was already turning a heather shade of gray.
Reaching out, Optimus shakily brushed his knuckles against the side of Starfall's cheek as though to wake him up like he'd done just that morning. Starfall's cheek was slightly dented and cold to the touch. Optimus felt something inside him break.
Across their bond Optimus felt a near crippling wave of despair from Ironhide. He could actually feel his sparkmate's spark breaking from heartache. Bowing his head over Starfall's battered frame, Ironhide's shoulders began to shake. Before Optimus could understand what was happening he heard a muffled sob escape the distraught weapons specialist's mouth. Optimus didn't know whether to be shocked or join in his sparkmate's grief. Never, never, in all their long years together had Optimus ever seen Ironhide cry before.
Optimus was too overwhelmed to know what to do. His son was gone. Taken. Stolen from him. He felt something deep inside him shatter. It was only when it was gone that Optimus suddenly realized how much hope he'd had for the future – both for Starfall, himself, and their family. It had been going so well. Just that morning he'd been thinking about how blessed he was. But now… now his son was gone. And all his hopes and dreams of the future were crushed.
Across the table Ironhide's clicks of despair had grown stronger, as if he'd given up all attempts to hide his grief or no longer cared if anyone saw his pain.
Optimus wanted to join in Ironhide's despair, to let his anguish find some kind of outlet. He felt like he was about to explode from despair the feeling inside him were roiling around so violently. He forced himself to hold it in. Because if he started crying he doubted he would ever be able to stop again.
To be continued
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