It was a rainy day in Griffin Rock and by the sounds of it was going to upgrade into a thunderstorm. That and clouds were darkening as well. The Rescue Bots were continuing their patrol. Despite the fact that it was raining and probably going to become a full fledged storm soon, oddly enough there weren't any emergencies which for Griffin Rock it was uncanny. Maybe that's why there was this ominous feeling and not just because of the incoming storm.
"So I think we all agree that this is pretty weird," Kade said summarizing the entire above paragraph into a sentence.
"Yeah, you would think there would be plenty of last minute emergencies right now," Dani agreed,"but other than the weather it seems weirdly calm."
"Even the safety seminar we had earlier went off without a hitch," Cody added.
"Especially since none of us have hitches," responded Chase. Chief Burns chuckled at that. Good old Chase.
"At least that means we can relax a little right," Blade asked nervously.
Chief Burns did not like the feeling he was getting. It felt like something big was about to happen. A Dr. Morocco type of big and that so far was the worst type of big. However, you can't just go by feelings alone.
"Kade, Heatwave, Graham and Boulder, I want you to go back to the firehouse since there are no emergencies right now. Dani, Blades I want you to do one last circle around Griffin Rock. Chase and I will do the same."
Meanwhile some where on Griffin Rock...
A young man started running through the trees. He would not stop. He could not stop. He had to get to the dead zone he heard the Rescue Bots talk about. He could hear those tiny orbs now. Yeah he was outrunning them but for how long. The dead zone will kill the tracker and everything will be fine. Or at least it would be if those flying orbs hadn't already got Knockout and Starscream, the two mechs/men that could at least remove the tracker. That doesn't matter now.
Heatwave knew something was up when he saw the Cybertronian sized muddy footprints in their HQ. It was hard not too after all.
"Wow, guess someone decided to give us a visit," Boulder stated. Kade was glaring at the mud. As much as Heatwave wanted to mess with Kade, he couldn't blame him since Chief Burns made him mop this area this morning.
"And they couldn't be bothered to wipe their feet outside either."
Heatwave just sighed. He heard that humans sometimes feel ill effects from the weather, he's wondering if that extends to Cybertronians or just him. He sighed
"Let's just follow the trail and see who it is, but no one leave your guard down."
"Or we can just ask Cody, since he's been here the whole time."
Primus, the weather effecting Cybertronian theory is looking pretty plausible right now.
"Cody, do you know anything about these footprints downstairs?"
"Yeah, Salvage is here. He wants to talk to you he says it's urgent."
"Why didn't you mention this before we got here?"
"Well Salvage got here a little bit before you guys did."
"Guess that explains why the mud is still fresh," Boulder deduced. Heatwave just narrowed his eyes at the offending masses of wet dirt.
Cody sent out a comm to Dani, his dad, Blades and Chase and let them know that Salvage was at HQ. He noticed that Salvage looked nervous when he arrived. He noticed another thing too.
When Heatwave, Kade, Graham and Boulder arrived at the command center, Salvage looked almost hopeful. Cody set up the comms so that everyone still out on patrol could hear what was being said. Judging by the look on Heatwave 's face he was the one that was going to start the meeting.
"Alright Salvage. What is it that was so important that you couldn't give us a heads up and throw what the humans call it a 'surprise party'?"
Salvage again seemed anxious.
"Also where's Blurr," Boulder asked.
"Thought it was quiet around here."
"That's the thing. I've been trying to comm Blurr for a while now, but he hasn't answered. In fact, he hasn't been seen by High Tide, Quickshadow or me for a week now."
There was a bit of silence that followed that information. No one really knew what to say. They haven't really seen Blurr either.
"Hmmm," Chase's voice rang through the room over the comm,"it seems Salvage is correct. Blurr is not answering the comm I just sent. In fact, I couldn't get his frequency at all."
"We haven't seen him around here either, Salvage," Chief Burns answered somberly,"but we'll keep our eyes peeled for anything that could help find him."
Salvage looked disappointed but not surprised.
He looked like he wanted to say more, but he seemed more weary like he hadn't recharged properly.
"I made a report to Optimus about Blurr's disappearance," Salvage stated as if sensing their questions before they even asked,"and he commed me a couple days ago."
Salvage was about to say more when Heatwave cut in.
"Wait you made a report and Optimus just answered in a couple days?!"
"Well given what was happenin' over where Prime is it's pretty understandable. You see a month ago, the Decepticon CMO disappeared then a week later the Decepticon Second in Command also disappeared. After a month went by they found their frames dumped off in a forest somewhere, their chest plates had been forced open and their sparks were removed. Completely offlined."
Another silence fell over the room. Kade and Graham looked up at Heatwave and Boulder. They can see the horror written on their partners' faces. Chief Burns also noticed Chase's unease. Blades looked like he wanted crash or purge his internals.
"Prime is looking over his Autobots and he's planning on reaching out to all of the Rescue Bots soon. He'll fill you in more."
"Thank you for telling us some of this in advance," Heatwave stated," and don't worry we'll be on the lookout for Blurr. He may be a pain in all of our afts but he doesn't deserve what happened with the Decepticons."
Salvage gave him a small smile.
"And besides," Cody added," it might not even be that big of trouble. Maybe he's off racing in a spotty area or something."
While it was not the most convincing, Cody was trying to be optimistic. Salvage gave him another small smile and a nod in appreciation for the gesture even if he wasn't convinced by it. With that Salvage took his leave.
Blades and Dani were finishing up their patrol. The rain was starting to come down harder but they still had some time before the storm really got going. However their minds were more preoccupied with the news they just gotten. Dani was uneasy but she could see that Blades was dealing with it worse than she was. Made sense though if whoever was responsible was targeting Cybertronians.
"Don't worry Blades," she tried soothingly,"whoever they are they're probably not even on Griffin Rock and it might be like Cody said Blurr might just be in a dead zone."
Blades didn't seem too convinced and if Dani was being honest she didn't feel all that convinced herself. It also seemed to make Blades more anxious which was bordering on fear.
"But what if they are?! What if they did take Blurr?! That means they know about Rescue Bots! What if Heatwave goes missing?! Or Chase?! Or Boulder?! OH PRIMUS WHAT IF IT'S ME?!"
Blades started hyperventilating and Dani did her best to calm her partner down. Once his vents started to slow down, his avatar on his comm link looked more dispondent.
" It's fine, Blades. It's understandable why you're freaking out right now. I would be too."
"A dead zone really isn't all that much better."
Dani let out a humorless chuckle at that. When she thought about it, it really wasn't. She looked over Blades' avatar. He looked a little better than before but she can still tell he was in a panicked spiral even if it wasn't as bad.
His optics flicked up to her.
" I'll make sure nothing happens to you. You have my word."
After a while, they decided to fly back to HQ. However Blades noticed something.
" Hey I think I see something."
"I don't know let's go in for a closer look."
The man kept running. He couldn't even use his speed because of all the Primus forsaken trees. Speak of Unicron a tree root tripped him up. Pain shot up his ankle.
He learned enough human swears from the guards that the doctor employed and this one felt appropriate. The orbs will find him for sure now. Maybe if he crawled or limped it would by him some time. He looked at his now rapidly swelling ankle. He sat himself up with the treacherous tree for support. The ankle made complaints as he did so. He looked at it to assess the damage more clearly. He didn't know much about human first aid but if he had to hazard a guess it was sprained. Then he heard it and he almost cried.
Please let it not be the doc. Please let it not be the doc.
Then he saw it and this time he did cry with relief. Blurr learned that humans cry for many things. Pain, fear, sadness obviously and now relief. Blades landed a couple feet away in a clearing with Dani getting out of the cockpit. Blades transformed into root mode and followed after her and seeing Blurr put on his robot act.
Blurr laughed and cried practically crawling to them. He was so relieved and happy to see them after this week of pit.
"BLADES!! DANI!! It's so good to see you have no idea!"
Dani stopped and stared at him and Blades seemed to break character for a bit.
"Um do we know you," Blades asked confused. Oh yeah Blurr didn't look like Blurr anymore. That in itself hurt. No one can recognize him. However he is not going to let this opportunity to finally get away from this nightmare slip by.
"It's me, don't you recognize my voice," Blurr cried out desperately smile going manic. He was practically going hysterical.
"Uuuuh," Dani responded. She wasn't sure what to say. The man in front of her looked like he was close to her age. His hair was dark and it almost looked like a bluish purple. His eyes were interesting. They looked almost orange and they seemed to glow. His ankle was definitely sprained. He wore what looked like a hospital garb. An escaped patient from the hospital maybe? However she didn't recognize him. He didn't look like he was from town and Griffin Rock was small enough where everyone knew everybody and their good old reporter pest Huxley Prescott would have reported about a hospital patient before she even found him.
The man tried getting up and before she could stop him, the man screamed desperation etched into his face.
"IT'S ME!!! IT'S MEE!!! IT'S ME BL-mmmph!?"
A metal band came out of nowhere silencing the man who now struggled trying to get it off making muffled shouts, whimpers and whines. Dani ran over to help him get it off. When she touched the metal band however a shock coursed through her body. The last things she heard were Blades calling out her name and the man's muffled shouting.
Blades hurried over to his partner. The man caught her before she collapsed. Blades held out his servo of which the man laid her gently on. Blades put her in an area that was more protected from the storm. Speaking of which it was now starting to get into full swing. The wind started to howl, thunder was sounding off and lighting cracked in the distance. The rain that was only large drops was now a constant downpour like an eternal bucket of water being thrown at the island. Blades needed to comm the Chief and Heatwave. Dani's unconscious, the man was muzzled and Blades wouldn't be able to see where he was going in this hazard of a storm. Just as he was about to do that however the man started to scream. He looked over to the man. The man was looking at him pleadingly pointing over into more of the forest. That's when he heard it.
The storm did a good job of covering it up but he can faintly hear engines.
And they were coming closer.
The man then started to desperately wave him away. His muffled screams, frantic eyes, and hand gestures screamed: "Get out of here!! NOW!!" He couldn't just leave the man behind either and he also still had Dani to consider as well. His panic was now at full level. What does he do? What can he do?
Wait wait call Chief Burns. Yes. Yes. Let's do that.
Before he could do that however the danger that the man was trying to warn him away from arrived. There were military grade trucks and even a semi with a trailer. Armed guards seemed to spill out of the vehicles and they were aiming their weapons at him. Two of them went over to the man who was now letting out muffled sobs behind the band. Then a voice seemed to break through all of the commotion.
"Now now Blurr what have we discussed about following Knockout and Starscream's bad habits?"
The sobbing became more pronounced as Dr. Poseidon stepped into view with a group of armed guards carrying an umbrella to keep him dry. The doctor looked at Blurr's(BLURR?!) ankle making a tsk tsk sound.
"And now look you sprained your ankle. This what we get for escaping."
Blades felt like his someone slapped him and crushed his spark. That man was Blurr?! Not only that but the doctor who was Optimus Prime's ally the one who he trusted with the knowledge of their existence did this?!? The doctor turned to him his smile now wide and filled with a glee that he would see in Dr. Morocco.
"Then again. You at least led us straight into one of the bots I was wanting to join us."
Blurr frantically shook his struggling weakly in the guards' hold as they carried of his muffled frantic shouts in the distance.
Blades felt nothing but fear.
The first thing Dani heard was a muffled voice. It sounded like it was calling her name. Light was following it and when she blinked her eyes open she saw it was her dad.
"Dani! Dani! Are you alright?"
"Yeah dad. I'm fine," Dani responded despite the headache she was feeling. Her brothers also shared their worries along with the other Rescue Bots. Suddenly she jumped to her feet and looked around.
The others looked at her with same growing feelings of confusion, dread, and concern.
It was Chase who answered.
"We only found you here."
That seemed to snap something in Dani, the other Burnses and the bots.
They called out his name. Each one going out to a different area of the forest to search. Calling out over the comms. There was no response.
He has to be here. He has to be here. Has to be near by. Has to be. Has to be. Has to be. Has to be. I promised. I promised. I promised. She didn't realize it but tears fell from her cheeks.
Hours went by. No sign of him.
Dani fell to her knees. A cold feeling of dread hit her. She heard a loud think on the ground and saw that Heatwave was doing the same venting in and out.
Blades was not here. He was gone like Blurr.
