Ok! Finally back with another chapter! Got sidetracked with a few other fics and Poppy Playtime Chapter 3, so I do apologize.
Once again, this plot idea is not mine! I asked a friend on TikTok, Deckar Terdax, if I could use his plot idea for a live-action movie and write it as a fic and he graciously said yes! We've been collaborating and it's been fun!
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
God Bless and Good Day!
~The Lupine Sojourner
Ultra Magnus is starting to get frustrated, though he does his best to hide it.
It has been nearly a full 24 hours since they'd landed in Japan, but there is no sign of Deadlock to be found.
"Well, that was a bust." Brawn grouches, driving along beside the former Wrecker leader.
"Indeed. This is getting us nowhere." Magnus replies, then notices they're missing the third member of the team. "Where is Moonracer?"
Brawn slows. "She was right behind us, I thought."
Before either Bot can get too worried, the mint green sports car pulls up behind them, slowing down to match their pace. "Sorry, sir!" Moonracer says quickly, sounding rather flustered. "Every time we stop, I get swarmed by teenagers wanting to take pictures of me!"
Brawn laughs. "That's what you get for choosing a flashy vehicle mode, kid."
Moonracer groans. "Next mission we're assigned, remind me to switch vehicle modes to something that'll blend in better."
Magnus chuckles. "Noted."
Brawn, a bit surprised, but playing it up to help Moonracer relax, slows a bit. "Is it strange I find him laughing odd?" He asks.
"Maybe?" Moonracer answers, unsure. "I know he's really strict, but he does have his moments where he drops it."
Brawn hums, intrigued. "So he wasn't always like this?"
Moonracer is quiet for a moment before asking, "Does the name Windblade mean anything to you?"
Brawn's rear view mirror adjusted to reflect her. "Are you kidding?" He asked in disbelief. "Every Autobot knows her. She defeated Tidalwave on her own. And that was the largest thing the Decepticons had at their disposal."
Moonracer slowed down slightly. "Well she and Magnus worked together for years." She explains. "Back then, he said that he was a lot more lenient with protocol. That changed when he allowed Windblade to take charge of a mission into Decepticon territory."
Brawn had a bad feeling about where this was going. "Was this the same mission that she..." He drifts off.
Moonracer sighs. "Yep."
"Primus." Brawn swears under his breath. He had heard all about that mission. "I see why he's so strict." To this day, no one is sure exactly what happened to Windblade and her team. They just…disappeared.
Moonracer hums in agreement. "He's a good commander and teacher, but that mission left its mark."
Brawn would shake his head if he were in robot mode. "No kidding." He would look at Magnus with just a little more respect from now on.
The pair then focus on following Magnus before he got too far ahead.
[Tokyo, Japan]
"Otōsan, I'm ready. I'll be in the garage!" Etsuko calls, walking down the few stairs to the garage, but stopping mid-step.
There is an unusual blue and black car in their garage. She didn't remember her father discussing a new car, so where did it come from?
She hears Kenji walking over and turns to him. "Did you buy a new car?" She asks.
Kenji frowns at it. "No. I've never seen that car…"
Just as Kenji recognized the dark blue and black color scheme, a voice comes from the car's radio.
"I selected an Earth-based vehicle mode after watching the nearby roadways last night." He says, startling the Sasakis. "Apologies. I did not intend to startle you." He chuckles just a little as Kenji and Etsuko recover.
"No need for apologies, Deadlock-san." Kenji replies, clearing his throat.
"I need to adjust to this new form, so I can transport you anywhere you need to go." Deadlock explains.
The pair bow at the waist gratefully. "We appreciate it." Kenji smiles as Deadlock opens the driver-side and passenger windows.
After explaining where Etsuko's school is, and that a school is a place for education, Deadlock starts driving, and has to look up traffic laws on the Internet quickly, as he realizes what goes on Cybertron (everyone just drives around and tries not to get in each other's way) doesn't seem to apply on Earth and he didn't want to bother his hosts more than he could help.
"I'm curious, Deadlock-san," Etsuko begins, "who is it you mean to join?"
"The Autobots, under Optimus Prime, leader of our planet." Deadlock replies, sounding almost reverent.
"But you haven't found them yet?" Etsuko presses.
Deadlock sighs. "Not yet, sadly. I am hoping they received a transmission I sent while I was en route, but there has been no sign of them."
Etsuko and Kenji exchange a glance. "I'm certain you will find them, or they you." Kenji assures Deadlock, who isn't convinced.
He knows how fast the Justice Division moves. It is unlikely, given his luck so far in locating the Autobots, that they would find him, or vice versa, before the ruthless hunters arrived.
But he can act like he believes Kenji, for their sake. "I hope so." Just ahead, the traffic light turns yellow, then red, so Deadlock slows, then stops behind a car. Etsuko glances at the car pulling up next to them and seems to recognize someone inside. "Is that a friend?" He asks, curious.
"I know him, that's all." Etsuko replies hastily, but doesn't elaborate further.
Though still curious, Deadlock decides not to press, since they were close to Etsuko's school.
Deadlock joins a line of cars dropping off other students and soon Etsuko grabs her backpack and opens the door.
She gets out and bows at the waist. "Thank you, Deadlock-san and Otōsan." She says softly, then heads inside.
"Should we return to your dwelling?" Deadlock asks.
Kenji shakes his head. "I would like to go to a construction site office to pick up some documents, if you'd be so kind."
"Of course."
Kenji directs Deadlock to the office, and when they arrive, Deadlock finds himself rather impressed at the height of the structure, especially relative to average human size.
"You like it?" Kenji asks as Deadlock stops beside the temporary office.
"Most impressive." Deadlock replies. The site spanned at least two blocks, with multiple buildings, and it had most of the steel structure that would form the base of the building done, with cranes stationed around the complex to get more steel beams high enough to continue working on the structure. Only a few still held beams.
Kenji nods humbly. "Thank you. It will be an apartment complex, or housing for rent, as well as some shops to provide some jobs for the residents, but unfortunately, it will not be finished until this faulty equipment issue is resolved."
"I see."
Kenji sighs. "I wasn't always in this position. I started as an ordinary construction worker, but rose through the ranks to become the head of the company. I like to remind myself of my origins on occasion and help the workers where I can." He opens the door. "I won't be long, then we can return home." The window of the office is open to allow for ventilation, so Kenji hears Deadlock drive a little closer to the site.
But then Deadlock stops suddenly and backs up as a loud snap is heard, followed by a thunderous clanging of several steel beams.
Grabbing the documents, Kenji leans out of the window. The beams had barely missed Deadlock, who seemed unaffected by the failure of a crane hook.
"I presume that was related to the faulty equipment you had mentioned?" Deadlock asked, rather nonchalantly. From the office window, Kenji nods, relieved Deadlock wasn't hurt. "You were wise to shut the site down, my friend."
Kenji sighs. "Indeed. Your reflexes served you well."
Deadlock chuckles and backs up to let Kenji in. "Years of training, my friend."
[Two Days Later]
[Japanese countryside]
The team rests in a shaded and secluded forest off the road. It was hard to keep up morale after two days of failed searching, the team is doing it's best, taking a break to stretch and spend a little time in robot mode.
"We're running out of places to look." Moonracer sighs, stretching her arms above her head.
"Indeed, which means we ought to find Deadlock soon." Ultra Magnus replies, trying to sound optimistic. "Though I hesitate to search larger cities. Too many unknown variables."
Brawn leans against a tree, his arms crossed casually. "So, what's the plan, boss?" He asks. "I mean, when we find Deadlock? The odds of us finding him at the same time as the DJD are pretty high."
Ultra Magnus frowns, that intense hatred flashing in his eyes briefly before he gathers himself. "I instructed the ship to land not far away. If we are forced to engage the Justice Division, I will call the ship so we don't have to fight to the finish and risk losing an Autobot or the intelligence Deadlock carries." He explains, though secretly he hopes he can fight Tarn to the death. He longed to settle the score with him.
Then his prosthetic hand twinges with pain, the fingers twitching oddly, and despite efforts to hide the pain, he can't help wincing and holding the prosthetic.
Brawn walks over, concerned. "Hand giving you trouble?" He asks. "I can take a look at it."
Ultra Magnus lets Brawn look over his hand, and can't help a question. "You've had medical training?"
"Just a bit from Ratchet. Working with explosives, there's always a risk. Figured it would be smart to learn some stuff, so I asked Ratchet to train me a bit."
Ultra Magnus nods. "Sound reasoning."
Brawn opens a small cover to reveal some wiring that had snapped. "I see the problem, boss; this wiring snapped, and a few ends got disconnected." He reaches into a small compartment and pulls out a wire repair kit. "Here, Moonracer, come over here. Your hands are smaller than mine." She walks over, looking nervous. Brawn smiles as he claps a hand to her shoulder. "Nothing to it! Just gently connect the wires, then wrap this tape around it. Ratchet can swap out the wires when we return to base, but for now, this is the best we can do. Oh, and make sure to reconnect those loose ends right there." He shows her the disconnected wiring.
She swallows, but nods and takes the tape. It was a relatively quick fix, and then Moonracer eyes Brawn. "I've been meaning to ask you something, Brawn."
He tilts his head, eying her. "Yeah?"
"Not to be blunt, but why exactly were you so eager to volunteer? It doesn't seem like a Wrecker to care about an ex-Con." She asks, shrugging.
He smiles, chuckling a little. "Oh, Deadlock isn't any ex-Con. I owe him a debt."
Ultra Magnus shifts his hand, finding it a little better and settles back, intrigued by the story.
"What debt?" Moonracer presses.
"Mostly one of gratitude, really." Brawn continues. "See, after Cybertron fell and Optimus led the Exodus, he sent out a message calling all remaining Autobots near Cybertron to make a trip to retrieve any refugees we could find before making our way to wherever Prime was going. I did so without hesitation, but…well." He sighs. "We got caught by the Cons before we even left the atmosphere."
Moonracer gasps.
"What happened then?"