"Umm... sure..." Daze answered, glancing at the hypo and quickly subspacing it, then following.
"Hey Sunny, Sides, Blue, you guys doin' anything?" the saboteur radioed.
Daze sighed and leaned back against he wall, shutting off her optics.
"No we weren't doing anything." Sideswipe said.
There was a sound in the background, like someone trying to talk, but being muffled. then Sunstreaker yelped and Kit and Sandi's voices came on.
"Help!" Kit squeaked.
"Yeah, help." Sandi piped.
"she BIT me!" Sunstreaker yowled from the background.
"We Weren't hurting them, really. just having a little fun." Sunstreaker put in.
"Nuh uh!" Sandi yelled "You were going to paint us read and yellow and... mmph-mhm-mm-"
Jazz sighed. "Sunstreaker, that was two weeks ago. let da kids go, fer pity's sake. It was only a prank."
"Only a prank!..." Sideswipe started.
"Look, guys, if Prowl were here. I'd call him. So don't make me call Prime. okay?"
the twins mumbled something, but let the two sparklings go.
Hammertread grabbed the girl and tried to swim to shore. "curses!" he thought.
"I'm a tank. tanks can't swim, they sink" he finally got an idea. He realized he could, and started to float. He drug the couging femme on top of him, and steered for shore as best he could.
Alpha felt herself hit ground once Hammertread made it on land and rolled over onto all fours. She started coughing up a storm, trying to get the water out of her lungs. She threw up some water and then coughed even more before panting. "Thank-Thank you." She managed as she tried to see past her wet brown hair.
"Yeah...I owed you." HT mumbled and walked away.
Alpha coughed again and then stood up. She stumbled, but then hurried after HT.
"Hang on, now! Ya can't cough ya can't just leave.
Yes I can! And another thing! I Don't need you to defend me." He turned and started stalking towards the forest.
"I saved you. We're even. goodbye."
Alpha hurried over to him. "I was only doing what I would have done for any other bot. Even f Prime was turned human." She said breathlessly as she wiped her hair out of her face. She looked up at him and sighed as she stood in front of him.
"I. Don't. care. Get out of my way." HT tried to go around her.
Daze smiled slightly at the voices, but kept her optics off.
Jazz was starting to get a bit worried. Not only had Hammertread dissapeared right out of the holding cell he was in two days ago, but Alpha, Jade, and Prowl were also missing. He just hoped it wasnb't the Decepticons. He and Prime had scrutinized every nanosecond of the security footage, but still nothin. It looked like alpha doubled over, then nothing. It was like the tape had been recorded over... Jazz switched his comchannel as he and Stardazer wanlked.
"Jazz to Red Alert.
"Security office here, what seems to be the problem, Jazz?" Red Alert's paranoid-sounding voice came on.
"Have you rechecked the time references on those security tapes? It just occurred to me the tapes coulda been doctored, or recorded over."
"Yes I did." came the reply.
"Couldya slow 'em down an go nano by nano fer the two seconds b'fore they all dissapeared?"
"I'll do it as soon as my area scans are completed." came the reply.
"Thanks, man. Jazzman out." and he closed the comm.
Daze sighed and looked down.
"Jazz?" she asked quietly.
He didn't hear her.
"Jazzman to da blue streaker. Ya there?"
"Yeah? what's up?" came the reply. "Cause if you weren't doing anything I was thinking we culd get together and hang out for a while. I just got this new movie and..."
Jazz cut off the talkative young gunner. "Sure, Blue." He covered his comm and whispered to Daze "Wanna see a movie?"
Prowl and Jade sat there for a second. "Are you okay?" she looked really worried.
"I will be." Prowl bent to get up and doubled over. ((cracked ribs))
Jade sighed. "As much as I want to never see hammertread again, we have to find them."
Prowl nodded. "yes. And as safe as Alpha thinks she is with him, he's still a psychopath. He could hurt her." Jade got to her feet and held out a hand to Prowl.
"Jade?"
"hmm?"
"get away frm the edge please."
"ee!" Jade skittered around towards the level ground and held her hand back out to him. Prowl smiled and took the proffered hand.
"Just get up slow." Jade advised. Prowl did so, and the two started to walk. "Perhaps we can find a way across the river further down. It would be logical for them to return to this side of the river if they are trying to meet back up with us." Jade nodded and followed. Prowl winced and coughed, doubling over.
"Uh...maybe we should take a quick rest before we move on." the femme suggested.
Alpha moved in front of Hammertread again. "Listen to me, HT. We're stuck here together so we might as well get used to it. Or rather, you'd better get used to me 'round here 'cause I can't duplicate. If I could, I would have saved myself..." Her eye twitched. "Anyways, we're stuck here and, until we find Prowl and Jade, we'd better find some way to get along."
The big mech growled and went another direction.
Alpha growled and followed, rolling her eyes.
"Men."
"Sure," Daze sighed, nodding. "With... Blue... streak?"
Jazz nodded.
Sure, Blue, what movie ya got for us?"
"Van Hellsing," Blue chirriped
"Oh cool. I haven't seen VanHelsing yet." Jazz beamed.
"What's Van Helsing?" Daze asked.
Jazz gave his comm a look. "You still there, 'streak?"
The two had sat there for a minute, and Prowl started to get up, wincing as he did so. Jade grabbed his arm and pulled him down again. "Sit." she commanded.
"But Jade, we have to get moving."he protested, trying to get up. she tugged on his arm to keep him down.
"You don't know anything about humans, and I do. You need to rest once in a while. overstressing your body while trying to heal from all that damage is only gonna make it harder." She noticed the stab wound on his stomach had started bleeding again. She carefully took off the bandage. "damn." she took of her jacket and used her knife to cut a couple strips off the bottom. Before he could open his mouth protest , she cut him off.
"Don't. It's just a jacket." she tied it around him and looked downriver, hoping HT hadn't attacked Alpha like Prowl suggested.
HT stomped through the woods, not paying attention to the squirrel that hurried out of his way and chittered angrily to him from a nearby branch. He pushed one back, only to have another swing back and smack him in the face.
"Primus I hate nature! why can't everything just "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
a crow cawed in the distance, scared off it's perch by his shout.
"Alone..." echoed up to where Jade and Prowl were. The two looked at each other.
"What was that about, I wonder?" Prowl said.
"I don't know, but they can't be far off." Jade smiled. "See. told you they were looking for us. "That or Hammertread's attacking Alpha." Prowl quickly struggled to his feet and took off down the hill.
"I have no fraggin clue where we're supposed to be going." the ex-tank called to Alpha over his shoulder. "Do you?"
Alpha shook her head as she followed him. The girl moved ahead HT and looked around. "Nature isn't too bad, HT, you just gotta dodge the sticks." She smirked, moving out of the way of a branch. "Other than that, it's alright"
Hammertread grumbled something unpleasant and equally uncomplimentary under his breath and followed.
Prowl held one arm across his aching ribs, and Jade caught up with him.
"I thought I told you to stay!"
"And I say we have to find Alpha before Hammertread kills her! And that's an order." the tactician shot back. Jade grimaged. "Fine. You need to rest. I'll go."
"No. You're one more person. He could win a fight with you both..."
Jade cut him off by poking him in the ribcage.
"Ow!"
"You feel that!? That's cracked ribs. And that." she pointed to the red-stained blue strip around the man's waist." is blood, the equivalent of mechfluid. You lose enough, you get really dizzy. you're injured." You stay. Orders won't work now. If we make it back, then you can throw me in the brig. I don't care. But I'm planning on getting you back alive."
she accenting his point by poking him every-so-often to remind him of how badly he was hurt.
"So sit. I have a knife. I'll be back." and took off down the hillside.
Prowl waited five nanoclicks, then followed at a distance.
Alpha turned around and glared at Hammertread. "See if I shoot the fraggin' bear and treat your wounds next time!" She growled, "Because I know for a fact that you can't treat human wounds!" She turned around and continued to walk, arms folded.
HT raised his hands in a throttling motion, but just shook his head and kept going.
"Just wait... one more word...I swear..." he muttered, but kept following.
Alpha heard. "Oh bite me, Ht." She growled. "You could have just let me drown, you know." She muttered, looking up. She sighed. "Where'd my fraggin' hat go? Bet I lost it in river...frag..."
Hammertread smirked. "you're right, I should have."
Alpha turned and glared daggers back. "And I should have let that bear kill you..." She muttered as she wrung out her hair again. "How do humans live with all this hair?" She asked, growling.
"It's a movie." Jazz laughed. "Come on."
Sunny, Sides, movie party at Bluestreak's quarters." Jazz radioed.
"We'll be there." Sunstreaker replied.
"Hey Bluestreak."
"Yeah?"
"Sunny and Sides wanna come over fer the movie, whattya say?"
"Sure." came the reply. "The more the merrier, as they say. I got some other movies, and I can always whip up some energon goodies. Maybe even find a deck of cards and play some poker..."
Jazz shook his head at the mech. "We'll be there in half an hour."
Jazz sauntered down the hall, Daze trailing after. Bumblebee walked up. "hey, Jazz. What's new?"
"not much. Blue's havin' a movie night an' the twins, Daze, and m'self a goin. "Wanna come with?"
"Sure. You don't think Bluestreak'll mid, do you?" the minispy replied.
"not at all. He said the more tha merrier."
Bluestreak waved as he saw the group.
The ex-tank snarled as another treebranch whapped him. Suddenly he heard a buzzing and looked up at the swarm of timy insects flying around him.
"what the--" He swatted at them in annoyance.
Alpha turned around and sighed at the insects. She helped swat at them. "Why are they..."
She trailed off. "I have a feeling something was killed around here...and that means..." The femme swallowed as she smacked a bug.
The mountain lion stopped. It sniffed.
The ex-tank growled when Alpa smacked him. She went to smack another bug, but he caught her hand.
"I can handle it. Thank you." He walked away, hurrying more.
The large cat smelled the deer carcass and sniffed, growling softly. Then it spotted two 'animals' moving through the trees. It stopped and crouched, ready to strike.
Jade slid down a hill and her foot caught on a rock. she yelped out loud as she tripped and went rolling. One ankle caught under a treeroot as she went over it, and a 'snap' was heard.
"EAAAAAAAUUUUGH!!!!"
Prowl sped up his pace to catch up, stumbling slightly.
Jade she whimpered and pulled her foot free, and hopped a couple times, looking back towards where she left Prowl. She whimpered and felt her ankle.
"OOOOWWWW!"
"So I go back, or keep going? Prowl was right. Even if HT did attack Alpha, I can't help now."
she hopped towards where she had heard the shout, Really hoping Alpha was okay. Then she froze, seeing something very large and yellow browl colored stalking throught the trees. She suddenly got very still
"A mountain lion!" she thought.
Prowl looked down, wondering where Jade went.
"Great." he thought "now I've lost track of her. We should all stick together. There are too many threats to be out here alone." he reasoned, and started dizzily down the slippery hill.
Why was everything starting to slowly go in circles? It was like his equilibrium circuits were being effected. "wait, I don't have circuits anymore." he corrected.
"Hey, not my fault!" Alpha sighed as she walked behind him. The femme stuck close to HT's side when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "I got that "you're being watched" feelin'..." She whispered.
The mountain lion let out a cat-like screech and launched at the two.
Alpha yelled as she felt the animal's claws dig into her arms. She kicked and punched at it, trying to get it off her.
Hammertread crossed his arms and watched.
Alpha growled and kicked it off of her. She scurried over away from HT and the lion at the same time. She saw the blood running down her arms and then looked at the lion. "I hate both of you right now." She growled as she got to her feet. The femme reached for her jacket pocket, but yelled and dodged a pounce from the mountain lion. Alpha fell on her butt and then saw the angry mountain lion turn its gaze back onto her.
"Frag frag frag..."
The mountain lion let out another screech and pounced.
HT rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine." he ran up and kicked the mountain lion as hard as he could. The big cat gave an enraged screech and ran off.
"You owe me." he stated, turning away. After a second, he turned back and pulled the femme roughly to her feet.
Alpha yelled as she was pulled to her feet. "Be careful! Fragger got my arms pretty good..."
The femme reached into her boot, only to pull out soaked bandages. "Oh for the love of...their times I really wish I wasn't medic..." The femme growled as she threw it away. Alpha looked at HT.
"Thanks...again..."
Jade came crashing through the bushes, leaning on a stick she had cut off a tree with her knife, using it as a sort of makeshift crutch.
"Are you okay? I thought I heard something." she asked.
Prowl came walking up behind her, stumbling and barely staying on his feet. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.
Jade turned around and threw both hands in the air.
"Do you have a thing for not listening to me!!?" she demanded.
"I heard you yell." he replied evenly.
"We..." His eyes de-foucused for a second, and then he fainted. Jade hopped over.
"What happened to you?" HT asked.
"I fell and caught my ankle. I think it's broken." the ex-seeker knelt by Prowl with some effort, whimpering when her foot touched the ground.