It was Rainshower's habit, when he picked his son up from school, to discover how Prowl's day had been. He enjoyed hearing about life from the perspective of a youngling instead of from the construction team he worked with. Prowl was waiting for him just on the other side of the school gates.

"You're looking a little glum today." Rainshower noted the slightly dimmed optics. "Something bad happen?" His son had gone through some bullying when they first arrived, though once Red Alert stood up for him things seemed to have gotten better. He probably should ask Prowl's teacher about it.

"No daddy, it's just I didn't see Red Alert today. I guess he just had a lot of stuff to get done and couldn't hang around or anything." Prowl sighed.

Rainshower faltered in his stride. The mechling had come over to their house yesterday after school, and although he had left with time to get home before it grew too dark, it had been fairly foggy. Was it possible something untoward could have happened?

"I'm going to make quick comm, okay Prowl?" He stopped his son, queueing up his list of contacts.

"You're going to make sure everything is alright?" The youngling looked up with worried optics.

"Yeah." He selected the number listed for Red Alert's father.

⃠⃠⃠⃠

"You've got a call on line three." Morning Glory's called surprised Firestorm, his head jerked up, a thick line appearing across the notepad he was working in. The purple femme was serving as the firm's unofficial clerk/receptionist for now.

"I'll get it." With a scowl, he wiped away the stray make and opened the business line. "This is Firestorm. How may I be of assistance?"

"I'm glad I reached you." The voice was that of a mech, though the Praxian didn't know who. "Did Red Alert make it home safe and sound last night."

Firestorm's plating tightened. "Who is this?" He demanded.

"Oh, right. I'm Rainshower: Prowl's sire. I don't think we've met yet."

"No, we haven't." The red and yellow mech wasn't very pleased about being interrupted during work because of some noisy parent. "Now, what is it you want? We are quite busy at this time, so please be quick."

Rainshower cleared his voice. "I just want to be sure that Red Alert made it home safely. It was rather foggy last night."

Firestorm rolled his optics. "I am certain that my creation made it home just fine. Now if that is all-"

"Prowl says he wasn't at school today." It was rude to interrupt and it just added another mark on the growing list of how disappointing that youngling's family was.

"Then your creation in mistaken: Red Alert knows the rules about school. Good day sir." Before the Iaconian could get another word out, the comm ended.

For a moment, Firestorm stretched back in his chair, popping a few struts into proper alignment, before once again hunching over his desk. He was positive that this Rainshower was over reacting. Well, almost positive. If his child were a true Praxian he would have no doubts, but then Red Alert had been raised by his carrier for a while. This was most likely nothing to worry about, if the mechling had neglected to attend to his duties, at home or school, then there would be a problem. He'd know once he got home, probably sometime after dark.

⃠⃠⃠⃠

"And he just brushed you off?" Rainbow asked in slight agitation after her bondmate of almost twenty years told her of comming Firestorm.

"Like it was nothing." Rainshower'd optics shown with annoyance as he assisted his wife in cleaning the cubes used for dinner. These weren't the safest of times, and for anyone to be so unconcerned about the whereabouts of their creation was very disturbing. "Perhaps I should go over to their home and make sure Red Alert's there." He'd already commed the school, and after some prying, Periwinkle finally admitted that the mechling never checked in or out.

Rainbow set aside the cube she just renced. "Give me two minutes check on the children, then I come with you." The golden-green femme hurried off to check on her five children.

"Where are you going moma?" Prowl asked as he was tucked sniggly under his heating blankets.

"Daddy and I are just going out for a little walk: we'll be back before you know it." Placing a gentle kiss on his chevron, Rainbow headed out of the room.

⃠⃠⃠⃠

The moderately sized home sat behind a white fence, on a well groomed loan, in a quiet part of the city. The house was very Praxian: plain grey walls, darkly tinted windows, an ancient glyph of order inscribed over the black door. It all made Rainshower very uncomfortable while climbing the steps to the porch.

Rainbow took the lead, rapping firmly on the hard door-there was no ringer. Everything was still after the vibrations faded, leaving a heavy feeling in it's wake. She raised her fist again, knocking much louder this time. Again there was no answer, and as Rainshower moved to try, she quickly stopped his hand.

"If Firestorm is in there, knocking again would only be a sign of disrespect." At her mate's odd look she continued. "Praxian culture."

"Oh. Well then what do we do now?" The couple turned from the door.

"I suppose that we could go to Firestorm's place of work-if we knew where it was. He may take our words more seriously then. But other than that I'm just not sure." Rainbow glanced worriedly back at the dark house. "Perhaps we should comm the enforcers."

"What are you doing here?" A hard voice called out. Firestorm stood at the gate to enter his yard, door wings flared out, optics narrowed. "This is private property." he snapped. "Get out."

Rainbow hiked her own door wings up to mach the other Praxian's. "We're concerned about your son." She had no intention of backing down.

"My creation is none of your business, femme." He growled, stepping forward.

Rainshower wasn't a Praxian, he was just a plain bot born and raised in Iacon, but that didn't mean he hadn't paid attention to what Rainbow told him about the distant city's culture, he just wasn't inclined to care about it all right now. They lived in Iacon for a reason. "Look here," he said, stepping forward, almost nose-to-nose with the red and yellow mech. "No one has seen your son today, and the fact that you aren't worried at all is terrible. I can't believe you could care so little about Red Alert's safety as to all but say you're too busy at work to be bothered with him!"

"My creation knows better than to disobey rules." Firestorm snapped, sholdering his way past Prowl's parents and marching through the front door. Moments later, the door opened again. Firestorm stood there, optics flicking around the yard before landing on the mech and femme still standing near the gate.

"My son does not seem to be here." He paused, lowering his door wings. " Because it is already late, your assistance would be much appreciated in finding him."

Rainbow walked forward, laying a golden hand on a red shoulder. "I think we should call the enforcers."