Warning: Contains attempted rape.
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Chapter 7: Plans and Plots
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Barricade's POV
I listen to the song the girl was singing as I drive, making sure that she is deeply asleep before switching to something less likely to put me into recharge. I had gotten a few good hours today while she drove, except for the rude awakening. At least she had good taste in music.
Hours pass, night turning to dawn, and I activate my holoform for the day. The sun has just risen over the horizon when suddenly, I can't drive anymore. If I were in my true form I'd be shuttering my optics as I take in the huge expanse of water the just appeared at the end of the road. A quick search informs me that this obstacle is the Atlantic Ocean and too big to cross without the aid of a ship. I decide to take this opportunity to rest and shut down in a parking lot not far from the short expanse of sand that the humans call a beach. Another snippet of song drifts through my processor as the recharge sequence.
"It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems."
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Third POV
Jazz rubs his hand across his helm, a habit he had picked up from the humans, careful to avoid the protruding black sensors. The tracker in his servo confirms that, after a no-doubt exhausting 27 hour drive across the country, Barricade and the human have finally been stopped by the Atlantic Ocean. Transforming back into his Porsche form, Jazz gets on the road a drives off to the opening strains of Train Train by Blackfoot. He had some catching up to do.
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Teresa's POV
The harsh cry of a seagull is what wakes me up from more dreams of flying high and wet pavement. Staying still, I open my eyes slowly and blink. The seatbelt has adjusted during the night to hold me securely against the seat, and one of the windows is rolled down to let in a soft sea breeze. There's the same empty feeling in the car that there was when Cade was asleep yesterday.
Sitting up carefully, I undo the seatbelt and step out of the car. Looking around, a happy grin stretches across my face as I take a deep breath and lift my arms above my head. Barricade sure did choose a nice place to stop for the night. We're right up close to a beach, with Cade's tires practically on the sand. Waves crash quietly against the shore only a few feet away.
Deciding to have some fun while my huge, robotic ride is asleep, I carefully drag my book bag out from the front seat and put it on the sand, pulling a small blanket from somewhere at the bottom. I spread the blanket out and, peeling off my dirty hoody, shoes, and socks, release my hair from its scrunchie before giving a quiet whoop and running down the beach and into the water.
I go until I'm past the breakers and duck under a wave, taking the opportunity to hopefully wash at least some of gunk from my hair. I've just come up for air when I hear the clicking and whirring of Barricade transforming. Turning around, I jump up just a swell comes so that it pushes me high into the air before waving at him, a smile on my face.
"Good morning, Cade! Come on in, the water's fine," I shout as the energized water slowly drops me back to the sandy bottom of the ocean.
"Have you lost your processor," Barricade yells back from the shore. "Get back here!"
Rolling my eyes, I take a deep breath and duck under the water, swimming parallel to the ground and only breathing when I really need it. I advance on the beach until I'm on my stomach with the top half of my face sticking out of the water and the rest of my body barely under, moving slightly with the waves. I stand up, running my fingers through my hair, and crane my neck to look up at him.
"Geez, 'Cade, what crawled up your tail pipe and died? Calm down, I was just getting a swim. I probably smell a little ripe from not showering for at least two days," I explain, blinking up at his silhouette. I frown suddenly. "Aren't we supposed to be laying low or something? A giant robot on the beach isn't exactly laying low."
"There are no humans within two miles of this spot," Barricade states before sinking to sit down on the pavement. His metallic legs stretch out over the beach and about three feet into the water. Cade crosses his arms over his chest, and for a second I'm assaulted by an image of a chibi Barricade pouting in the sand because he doesn't want to go to the beach.
My large friend gives me a strange look as I roll onto my side and curl into the fetal position, having a hard time breathing because I'm laughing so hard. "What's so funny, fleshling," he asks, glaring at me.
"Just a funny mental image," I blow him off, climbing to my feet and wandering over to my blanket, which is now in Cade's massive shadow. Scowling, I drag it a few feet to the right and into the sunlight before flopping down and spreading my hair out to dry, combing it out with my fingers the best I can. That done, I lay back and drape an arm over my eyes. My peaceful rest is disturbed when a shadow blocks out the sun. Removing my arm, I glare up at Barricade.
"Not cool," I say flatly, sitting up. I swear that Cade smirks at me as he changes back into the Mustang. He pops open his driver's side door.
"Get in, human, we need to find you fuel and a place to clean up," Cade orders. Rolling my eyes, I shrug my hoody and shoes back on, pull my gross hair back up with an equally dirty hair scrunchie, roll up the blanket, and clamber into the muscle car.
"Aw, Cade, I didn't know you cared," I almost purr while I jam the blanket back into the book bag.
"I don't," he responds instantly. "I just don't want you getting disgusting organic stuff all over my interior." Wendy's is the closest fast food place, and as such ends up serving me lunch. Afterwards Barricade parks in front of a motel. I hop out and walk into the lobby, ordering a room for the night from a slightly freaked out looking desk attendant. I must look worse than I feel. It's a simple room, with two beds, a bathroom, microwave, and a TV. Retrieving my book bag and purse from Barricade, I drop them on the bed and, grabbing a change of clothes and my hairbrush, hurry into the bathroom.
Stripping, I step into the hot water and breathe a sigh of relief as I feel the heat and pressure scour the grime from my skin and hair. The water flowing down the drain is almost brown for a moment, and I make sure to scrub very well. I don't know when I'll next get a chance to take a shower. Stepping out, I wrap my wet hair in a towel and dry off quickly. Dressing in another pair of black jeans and a pink T-shirt, I draw a smiley face in the steam on the mirror before emerging into the hotel room.
I squeak and pick up one of my shoes to throw before I recognize Barricade's holoform perched on the edge of one bed, arms crossed. He glares at me when I throw the shoe anyway.
"What the Pit are you doing in here," I demand, borrowing one of the words I had heard him use when I had tugged particularly hard on a delicate piece of machinery while repairing him.
"Making sure you don't run off," he responds calmly, reaching up to rub his forehead where my shoe had struck. I roll my eyes at his foolishness before sitting cross legged on the other bed. I flick on the TV as I grab my brush and start taming the wild mess on my head I call hair. Cade is quick to swipe the remote and starts flipping through the channels as I struggle.
I've finally made some headway, having gotten almost all the hair on the left of my head into a tangle-free wad when he asks, "What the slag is this?!" Glancing at the TV, I blush and, snatching the remote, change the channel before reaching over and bopping the solid hologram over the head with it.
"Bad robot," I scold, going back to my hair. "If you want to look at porn, search the web while I'm asleep, don't do it on TV when I'm awake."
Barricade actually blushes as I go back to my hair, now keeping half an eye on the television to make sure my new friend isn't watching something he shouldn't. After a couple more minutes of now cautious searching, Cade finally settles on a new channel broadcasting the weather forecast for the next few days, which, according to the painfully enthusiastic weather lady, looks to be absolutely miserable, with rain all week. Some of it may even freeze, this being North freaking Carolina after all.
My hair finally finished, I twist it up into a firm bun and twist around to glance at the alarm clock before propping my elbows on my knees, putting my chin in my palms, and staring at him. Slowly and methodically, I start running over the events of the past few days in my head.
First I find a Mustang of all cars parked in the for sale lot at the store where I work, then I get into a minor girl-war at school with that demon-child Kristen, meet two strange people who, now that I think about it, may be alien robots, participate in a high-speed chase, and get in a car wreck. After that I find out that my new muscle car is not only sentient, but a rogue bad-guy in an interplanetary war and currently a fugitive from the good guys. On top of that, he can transform into a fifteen-foot tall war machine capable of squishing me under one foot, has instant unlimited access to the internet, and probably has a couple of kick-butt guns hidden somewhere on his person as well.
"You know, I used to have a plan," I say off handedly to Barricade, gesturing vaguely in the air as I start talking. "I was going to work through high school, go to college, become a mechanic somewhere in a small town, maybe travel a little bit before settling down to live the rest of my life in peace. Then I saw you sitting in that lot. Now, barely a week later, I've dropped out of high school, unofficially, to go on the run with a wanted criminal from a war that's been going on longer than the human race has existed, and said criminal is a gigantic-freaking-robot with who-knows-how-many weapons who can transform into a car."
Barricade is now watching me warily, caution in his red eyes. I simply smile dreamily at him. "I am completely screwed," I tell him flatly. Grabbing a pillow from the head of the bed, I shove it into my face and scream into it. By the time I've finished, Cade is looking severely creeped out.
"Don't worry," I assure him. "I don't do that often." I offer no other explanation, and eventually he shrugs and turns back to the TV. Silence falls again.
"So why are you so skinny," I ask with a smile, causing him to smile and drop his head forward.
"Do you fleshies EVER shut up," he asks, exasperated. I give him an innocent smile.
"Nope," I answer cheerfully. "Now answer the question."
"There is something on Cybertron that we call energon. It is our life blood and energy source, providing everything from fuel to ammunition. We can change other energy into a crude form of energon, like I do with sunlight and gasoline, but it's like drinking dirt compared to the real thing. Don't even get me started on high grade," Barricade responds, trailing off almost wistfully at the mention of this energon stuff.
"What's high grade," I ask anyway. "I think the closest thing I could compare it to would be alcohol," Cade responds almost guiltily, and I stare at him in shock.
"Wait, you mean you guys can get drunk?!" The thought of somebody as big as Barricade getting tipsy is both scary and hilarious. He nods abruptly and goes back to staring at the screen. Figuring out that I'm not going to get anything else from him, I sigh and scoot around to watch the news as well.
After expanding on the forecast (oh joy, rain!) the obnoxiously blonde woman goes on to talk about the war, the President, the latest celebrity make-ups and break-ups, and the plans of the local town to repaint the public bathrooms. The last one is the straw that breaks the camel's back, and I groan before flopping backward on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.
Rolling off the bed, I stand up and grab a notebook from the book bag and dig a pencil out of my purse without looking in. A piece of cold metal brushes my hand, but I disregard it as my now obsolete keys. Finding the small graphite stick, I reclaim my seat, cross-legged, on the bed, facing Barricade's holoform. Putting the tip of the pencil to the paper, I start to sketch, tracing dark lines against the stark white paper.
The turmoil in my head calms down to a steady trickle as the image starts taking shape, allowing me to see each problem clearly. As my mind wanders, my fingers move, shading here, sharpening a line there, until Cade's rough voice breaks my concentration.
"What are you doing," he asks. I ignore him, putting the last few finishing touches on both my drawing and my plans. "Answer me, fleshie," Barricade growls just as I toss the notebook at him, which he catches nimbly. Darn war-honed reflexes. He examines the pad carefully, looking at the picture.
It's his holoform, leaning back against a wall, one leg propped up against it and arms crossed, next to his real form, separated by a jagged black line. Both Barricades are staring with bright red eyes/optics and small smirks that just scream 'You gotta problem, punk?'
Cade grunts and gives the notepad back to me, his holo quirking an eyebrow when I stand and slip on my shoes and hoody. "We need to go to the local library, or somewhere with a computer," I inform him, grabbing my purse and the room key before walking outside. I hear his holoform fizzle out of existence as I approach his real form and hop in the driver's seat.
"Why," he asks as I pull out of the parking lot and start cruising around, looking for anything that might be a library.
"One, to let people know that I haven't been kidnapped, two, to print out a map, and three, to see if there's any news about those crazies who were chasing us," I explain, finally locating the large brick building. Parking quickly, I jump out. "Use your holoform and go fill up with gas," I tell Barricade. "We may need to leave quickly."
His holo nods at me and drives away as I head inside. An old woman with puffy white hair points me in the direction of the computers, and I quickly claim the one farthest away and facing a blank wall.
Pulling up Google, I log on to my email and send a message to Hannah. The message tells her that I'm fine, just wanted to travel, and that she's to go my house ,take the folder labeled 'Just in Case' from the bookshelf, and take it to my school. They'll handle it from there. After that, I go back to Google and use the map function to print out a general map of North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia, so that either direction we went I'd know where we were going.
A third trip to Google has me typing in 'driverless cars.' A bunch of conspiracy websites instantly pop up, most from Mission City (no surprise there). One catches my eye, and I click on the link. "Driverless Porsche Spotted," the headline proclaims, the location being a small town on the eastern edge of North Carolina.
"Dang," I mutter, exiting out of the link. Pushing the chair a little away from the computer desk, I brace my hands against the small of my back and lean, groaning as a series of small pops sound off from my spine. Standing, I wave good bye to the smiling librarian and head back outside. Barricade is waiting for me out in the parking lot leaning casually against…himself. That's going to take some getting used to.
"What did you find," he demands as I cross over to the passenger side and jump in.
"I'm in the clear with school, I have maps for the states north and south of us, and I found a news report of a driverless Porsche on the other side of the state. Looks like that Jazz guy is still chasing us," I report as Cade's holoform takes the wheel and starts driving back to the motel. "How did you do? Did you get any food or just gas," I ask.
"My tanks are full and yes, I did grab some human fuel," Cade responds. "We are going to the north, and we won't be stopping very often." Nodding, I get out of the car as we arrive at the room and go inside. Taking a second, I pack everything I won't need for the night back up in my book bag. That done, I stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. It's that strange time when it's too early to go to bed but too late to do anything.
Normally I'd be at work or doing my homework, but now I had no job and I was a high school dropout. Shrugging, I leave my bags in the room and walk outside, getting back inside Barricade.
"What are you doing," he asks, confused.
"I'm bored," I explain blandly. "You wanna just, drive around for a bit?"
My hopes are crushed when he snarls, "Human, I have just driven for twenty-seven Earth hours straight, only stopping when you required fuel. I am slagging tired. The only thing I 'wanna' do is get some fragging recharge, so stop bothering me." Feeling just the tiniest bit guilty, I quickly get out. Revving his engine, Barricade activates his glaring holoform as he drives away, leaving me standing there in the parking lot. Frowning slightly, I retreat back inside to stare blankly at the TV for a few hours before going to bed. My last thought before I went to sleep was, "What am I going to do if he doesn't come back?"
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Barricade's POV
What didn't that fragging human understand about being tired? UGH! My engine revs angrily in a snarl as I speed through the streets of the small town. My holoform stares blankly at the road, not displaying any emotion as I drive to edge of town. I stop on the edge of a small cliff overlooking the town below.
Where the human is.
The human who trapped me in a garage when we first met; the human who was responsible for other squishies scratching the Pit out of my paintjob; the human who took too long to refuel; the human who sleeps too much of the time; the human who can't even reproduce an image properly on the primitive tools they use; the human who is probably the only squishy on the planet that was dumb enough to not run away when confronted with a twenty-foot-tall death machine. I vent harshly. Switching into reverse, I start back down the hill towards the hotel.
When did night fall? The streetlights have come on, not that I need them, casting the streets in a yellow glow. A light rain starts to fall and I allow myself a quick shudder as I come up to the motel. The door to the hotel room is open. I activate my holoform and scowl. Stalking in, I stop short as I see what's going on.
The seedy adolescent from the front desk has Teresa pinned against the bed, a short knife against her throat, and is glaring at me with all the arrogant anger his acne-spotted face can muster.
"Turn around, and walk away," he orders. I ignore him, my gaze locked on Teresa. She's staring at me with strangely fearful wide eyes, normally neat hair thrown around in disarray. "'Cade," she breathes, panting slightly. "Go on. Me and the girl just have a few things to discuss. Walk away, and pretend that none of this ever happened," the male draws my attention, smirking arrogantly and straightening up but still keeping the blade to Teresa's throat. He makes a shooing motion at me, like I'm some kind of dog. That's when I snap.
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Teresa's POV
It's the motion that does it. That stupid boy from the desk apparently hadn't been staring because I was dirty. He had come in a few minutes after I had fallen asleep, waking me with a gleeful smirk and a knife to the throat. Then Barricade had walked in and frozen, red eyes hidden by his usual dark sunglasses, and the boy had spoken to him and made the shooing motion. It's the motion that does it.
Barricade straightens slowly, and he seems much bigger with his form silhouetted by the night sky. Slowly he reaches one hand up and takes off his shades. The boy's hand starts to shake as Barricade's red eyes shine out through the darkness. His unnaturally white teeth glint as he bares them in a demonic grin which swiftly turns to a snarl of fury.
"Nobody," he growls. "Nobody touches my squishy." Then he attacks. The boy quickly takes his knife away from my throat to try to defend himself and fails miserably. Everything is chaos in the darkness as Barricade tackles the boy away from me. Scrambling up, I crawl along the floor until I reach a wall. I stand and feel along it, running my hand up and down. Light floods the room as I hit the switch.
Barricade stands, still as a statue, above a whimpering boy. His holographic hair isn't even mussed, but the desk boy is staring up at him with black eyes the size of dinner plates, his blonde hair spiked and slightly bloody from a cut on his forehead. My stomach turns as I catch sight of one of his arms, twisted at a strange angle, probably broken. Barricade looks at me with a slightly bored expression.
"We need to leave," he points out. I roll my eyes, aware of a weird numbness spreading through my body. "Thank you Captain Obvious," I say sarcastically, moving to the bathroom. Gathering up my stuff, I turn around at when I hear a small whimper. Barricade steps away from where he was kneeling over the boy and lifts his boot off my now unconscious would-be rapist's arm. Would-be rapist. I shudder and push away the thought for a later time.
"Barricade, stop torturing the fool and help me gather my stuff," I say impatiently, cramming a random shirt into my bag. Rolling his eyes, Cade grabs my purse and presents it to me as I stuff the rest of my junk into the book bag. I'm out the door and almost inside Cade's real body when I remember something.
"Wait," I shout, throwing my things into the car. Going back inside the room, I step over the comatose teenager and grab the phone from between the beds. The phone beeps three times as I dial, and then a woman's professional voice comes from the other end.
"911, what is your emergency?"
"Yes, I would like to report an attempted rape at the motel on Hunter Street," I say, eyeing the body on the floor. The person on the floor is instantly sympathetic.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay," she gushes instantly.
"Yeah, I'm fine, but the bozo isn't. My brother went a little overboard defending me. The guy definitely has a broken arm, maybe a concussion; he's unconscious."
"Wow. Some brother you got there." I chuckle.
"Tell me about it. So anyway, you might want to send an ambulance for the sleaze ball, and a police car too. Me and my bro are going to go ahead and get out of here," I say casually as the boy on the floor starts to moan.
"Femme, is that human still unconscious," Barricade calls from outside, having deactivated his holoform. Grabbing a thick book from the bedside table, I whack the boy over the head with it. He stills.
"Yep," I shout to Cade before returning to my call.
"Sorry, my brother wanted something. What did you say?"
"You can't leave just yet, miss, the doctors are going to want to look you over, and the police will need a statement," the lady repeats, sounding surprised that I would want to leave.
"Sorry, but I'm not going to stick around. Don't worry about the boy, though; I think he'll confess easily enough. My brother and I will be gone by the time your boys get here, so good bye! Have a nice night," I finish, hanging up the phone as the woman on the other end starts to protest. I head out the door.
"Barricade, we gotta go! They're sending the police!" Hopping in the passenger seat, I smile as the buckle slides over my torso and Barricade guns it away from the motel. Police sirens sound in the distance and I can barely see the red and blue lights converging on the motel as we drive away, heading out of town. The radio stays off as we get back on the highway, and it's almost fifteen minutes before I speak.
"Cade, can you pull over for a second," I ask, my voice very quiet. Barricade pulls onto the shoulder silently, stopping beneath a street light, and I get out. Moving over to the base of the light, I sit down and lean back against it, pulling my knees up to my chest before allowing my emotions to come flooding back.
That boy had tried to rape me! He would have succeeded if not for Barricade, too. There had been nothing I could do. He was gonna… I draw deep shuddering breaths, sobbing quietly as I bury my face in my knees and fold my arms over my head. I stay that way for a while, just working through the shock, crying softly. The sound of twisting metal draws my attention, and I look up.
Barricade stands proudly in front of me, armor gleaming under the yellow glare of the streetlight, before kneeling. Metal hands reach for me, and I instinctively try to scramble away. Cade stops. "Calm down, Teresa; I am not going to hurt you," he says, normally gruff voice soft and soothing. I hesitate, and nod slowly. He reaches for me again, scooping me up gently in huge hands and cradling me to his chest as Cade steps back out of the light. Drying my eyes, I lean into the smooth warmth of Barricade's chest, trying to stop the shudders that are still wracking my body. Cade simply stands there, holding me close. The humming of the machinery in his chest slowly calms me, until I lie limp in his hands, letting go of the emotions I had allowed brief control of me. Taking a deep breath, I lean back and look up into Cade's red optics.
"I'm better now," I say. Nodding, Barricade sets me down on the ground before stepping back onto the road and transforming back down into his car form. His engine rumbles quietly as I get back into his interior, warm despite the chill outside as the temperature drops, and buckle myself in securely. As Cade starts back down the highway, heading north, I say, "Thanks, Cade, for coming back."
"As I told that slagger back at the motel, nobody touches my squishy," he replies, and I smile.
"And who said that I was your squishy," I tease, poking the dashboard in front of me.
"Femme, you've been mine ever since I agreed to your slagging deal," Barricade answers, tightening the seatbelt around me briefly in a form of a hug.
"Technically, you're my car, since I bought you first," I muse, watching the streetlights pass by. I would look at the stars, but clouds cover the sky; not even the moon is shining through.
"Please; I could have ditched you any time, femme," Cade responds. Rolling my eyes, I say,
"Okay, okay, you win this round. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep. Just pull off somewhere if you get tired." I reach down to recline the seat, but Barricade beats me to it, lowering the seat until I'm practically lying flat on the seat.
"Good night, Cade," I murmur, sleep already claiming me, but not before I hear Barricade quietly reply, "Good night, Teresa."
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No One's POV
Outside the motel, nobody notices one more car join the throng of spectators as two ambulance workers wheel a teenage boy out of one of the rooms. The new arrival, a man in his early twenties with semi-long black hair and blue sunglasses, gets out of his car just in time to hear the boy scream.
"Don't let him get me! I swear, I'll confess, I won't do anything ever again, just don't let him get me," the teenager babble loudly before the doors of the ambulance slam shut, cutting off his cries.
"What happened," the man asks another bystander as the emergency vehicle drives away, sirens blaring.
"That boy tried to rape a girl," the woman replies, eyes wide. "Apparently he would have, too, if the girl's brother hadn't stopped him." The black-haired man whistles as the crowd starts to break up. After wandering around for a few minutes, he gets back in his car and drives away, only to stop as soon as he's out of town and go into the forest. Jazz lets his holoform dissipate as he transforms, pulling the locater out of subspace as he stands.
"Dang," he curses, optics widening behind his visor as he confirms his suspicions. The small camera confirms that the girl had spent almost the whole day in this town before returning to the hotel, staying for a short time, and then leaving suddenly about an hour ago. Jazz checks the latest info from the bug and sighs with relief. The miniature camera peeks through the open zipper of the girl's purse, showing her asleep in a car, presumably the Decepticon. There are bruises forming on her throat and face, but she appears otherwise unharmed. An alert from his comm. system distracts Jazz, and he puts the locater away before answering the call.
:: Hello Prowler, I was wondering when you'd call me up. :: Jazz says teasingly. There's a short pause before the other replies.
:: My designation is Prowl, Jazz, and don't play stupid with me. I know that tone. What are you up to? :: Prowl's cool voice comes over the channel, managing to sound suspicious and monotone at the same time.
:: Me? Up to something? Why Prowler, I'm hurt. You know I wouldn't do anything I couldn't get away with. :: Jazz replies with a smile audible in his voice.
:: That's what worries me. :: Prowl deadpans. :: Prime wishes to know when you will return to base. ::
:: I'll be back as soon as I'm finished. :: Jazz deflects the question skillfully. :: I'm following up on a lead about that missing femme; the one that Barricade kidnapped. ::
:: Any updates? :: Prowl asks, sounding eager for new information.
:: Nothing concrete. It's probably going to be a while, but I'm confident it'll pan out. :: Jazz replies, pulling his locater back out and switching to the map setting. He curses mentally as he sees the dot representing his quarry cross over the state line into Virginia.
:: I'll clear it with Prime. :: Prowl confirms, before pausing. Jazz looks away from the locater, focusing on his best friend. Prowl never pauses. When the police-bot speaks again, his voice is somewhat quieter.
:: While you're in the area, can you keep an eye out for the spark container? :: He asks, voice low. Jazz softens.
:: Don't worry, Prowler, we'll find the kid. He's got enough energy to last for a human year, not that he'll need it, and there's no way the 'Cons will find him. :: Jazz reassures his friend.
:: I know that. :: Prowl responds. :: Logically, we are bound to find him, and quickly. There is no reason to worry. ::
:: But you still do. :: Jazz finishes quietly. Prowl is silent.
:: I'll keep an eye out for him, Prowler. Just wait; we'll have the kid back and talking all of our audio receptors off before you know it. :: The saboteur says.
:: Thanks, Jazz. I'll get your absence cleared with Prime; be back as soon as you can. :: Prowl says, back to being professional before he ends the call. Jazz vents harshly, rubbing a servo over his helm, before looking back at his locater. Noting the position of the blinking dot, the Porsche transforms and is soon back on the road, chasing down a pair of the most unlikely quarries he's ever come across.
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CWC: Okay, sorry for the rather dark chapter, but I have to get some things out here.
I'm going to be in Canada for the month of July, on family vacation the first week of August, and starting school on August the sixth. I will not have access to a computer. It is unlikely you will receive any chapters until mid-August, hence the two long chapters in one day. Sorry for the delay, but life is taking a front seat.
Many thanks to those who are reviewing and I look forward to seeing you again as soon as possible, despite writer's block, sporadic updates, and my many fickle muses. Yeah I'm talking about you, Ramen Knight.
I might be able to whip up another chapter before Friday, when we hit the road, but it is unlikely. So, for at least a month and a half, this is good bye.
See ya soon, readers! Good bye, and happy reading!