The Hunt (TFP Book 2)

Chapter 22

June finished cleaning the rest of the blood off of the Primes face. He looked at her groggily and blinked a couple times as he focused.

"How are you feeling?" She whispered. He looked around and she noticed the bruises starting to show.

"Where's...." he groaned weakly. He shook his head a little to clear it. June saw some dried blood in his hair and she worked on cleaning the cut.

"Save your strength." She said as she worked. He winced and groaned weakly. He looked around again which frustrated the nurse, because he wouldn't hold still.

"Seriously Optimus you need to sit still so I can finish." June said trying not to sound annoyed. He stared at her with a questioning look.

"Rachet....." he asked with concern. The nurse looked up at the doctor and saw that he was still working on decoding the files. Or pretending to.

"He's fine." She said as she smiled at the doctor. She looked back at the Autobot leader, he was fading in and out again. She looked around to make sure the guards weren't nearby. June crouched next to him.

"Optimus." She whispered softly. He grunted quietly in response. She made sure Silas's men weren't listening. "Bumblebee and Arcee are on their way." She said quietly so only he could hear.

He didn't respond and she checked his pulse out of instinct. She smiled slightly when she found it. The nurse sighed softly and hung her head. She gripped the mans shoulder, then finished cleaning his cut.

~~

Blades looked around nervously as they walked down a flight of stairs. He was starting to wonder if he should have stayed with the helicopter. He wanted to say something but it was so quiet he worried that he would attract too much attention. He grabbed a small pipe that lay on the floor and held it up defensively.

"I wish Heatwave was here, he'd know what to do." Blades whispered quietly. Arcee looked at him over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Bumblebee stopped suddenly and gave her a look.

"What?" She hissed. "He's slowing us down." She said quietly.

*Chief Burns was kind enough to help us get back. The least we can do is protect one of his team members.* Bee signed as he glared at her.

"Wouldn't he be safer with the chopper?" She asked quietly as she looked at him. Blades was glancing down a hallway with a look of determination. Bumblebee smiled.

*We can use all the help we can get.* He signed. Arcee rolled her eyes again but didn't say anything.

*I'll keep an eye on him.* Bee signed. Blades looked at them and the scout motioned for him to follow.

They walked down the hall towards the main room. As they got closer they could hear voices just ahead. Bumblebee stopped just before a corner and held his arm out to stop the others. He peered around the wall and saw one of Silas's men walking out of a room and stand in the hall. A girl with purple hair walked out and disappeared down the hall. A moment later he saw someone else walk out. His eyes widened as he saw Mrs Darby be led to the main room. He looked back at Arcee with concern, she had seen the nurse as well.

"That can't be good." She muttered. They looked back down the hall and saw another man just wandering around as he patrolled. He turned his back to them.

"How do we get passed him?" Blades whispered. Bee smiled as an idea came to him and he tapped the side of his head. The other two watched as he quietly snuck down the hall towards the unsuspecting guard.

"What is he doing?" Blades asked quietly.

Arcee shook her head unsure what the young man was attempting. The scout hit the man in the back of the head and caught him before he hit the ground. He then carefully drug the man into a spare room. Arcee smirked and quietly ran down the hall after him. Bee grinned when the others caught up with him, and he carefully laid the man down. Arcee peeked out of the room and saw another man further down the hall. She quietly walked over to him. Bumblebee followed but stopped when he heard a gun cock, and something cold pressed against the base of his skull.

"Put your hands up." The man hissed. The scout glared and did what he was told. Arcee had knocked the man ahead of them out, and was taking him into another room.

"Don't even think about it. Walk forward and-" Bumblebee suddenly heard a thud and he looked behind him slightly confused. The man was knocked out on the floor and Blades stood just behind him with his small pipe.

"Did I hit him too hard?" The pilot asked. Bee smiled and gently slapped his shoulder. The two young men then ran to catch up with Arcee. The woman was staring into a room. Bee followed her gaze and froze, laying on a berth was Bulkhead. He moved to go to his friend and Arcee stopped him.

"He's okay Bee......" the scout nodded and hung his head. "We need to get MECH out of the base." She said as she put a hand on his back. He nodded again and they continued to the main room.

~~

Rachet read the final message from Raf. He smiled to himself as the boy reported that Bumblebee and Arcee had successfully made it to the base. All he had to do now was wait for them to make it to the main room. He glanced over his shoulder and counted about twenty men in the room. Not including Jinx who had disappeared somewhere. He tried to remember how many had wandered off. A hand slammed on the console and he jumped slightly. He looked up and saw the man Silas had left in charge.

"Why is it taking you so long to decode one file?" He growled. The doctor just stared at him blankly.

"It's harder than it looks." He mumbled. The man glared at him and looked at the computer.

"I think you're stalling. Or calling for help." The man growled. He didn't respond. "Your usefulness has run out." He said as he glared at the doctor.