Optimus.... break free...
Ti....
Get... us.... out of this...
Ti....
Please..... it hurts.....
Wa... ke.... up....
~~~
Smokescreen walked with Strongarm back to their headquarters after they patrolled once more, looking for their missing friends and those who had simply disappeared. The mech sighed and folded his servos as he glared at the ground. The femme was looking on her data pad and doing some more research. She knew she had to find them. She had to find her commander and save him from whatever happened.
"I bet they're on earth." Sideswipe huffed angrily. "They probably went back to 'find something'." He said in annoyance as he made air quotes with his digits. "But instead went on some kind of vacation." he huffed and rolled his optics. She stopped and looked at him.
"I thought about that. But no portals or ships went to earth according to the logs and data." she reported. He glared at her but paused as he saw a mech walking down the abandoned street with a sparkling in his arms. He was grumbling to himself about something as he walked quickly. They moved out of the way and glanced to the energon covered sparkling. She had several puncture wounds and was leaking all over. She was thin and extremely pale. Strongarm blinked and turned to go after the mech.
"Excuse me sir, do you need help?" she asked and he stopped, his back struts to them as he stood there. Sideswipe furrowed his optic ridges as he watched the mech's long pause. Something was wrong with this bot. The mech turned to look at them and stared for a moment.
"No. Everything is fine." he muttered and hurried off, the other two looked at one another before Sideswipe glared and followed the mech.
"What are you doing?" Strongarm hissed as she gripped his arm and narrowed her optics. "He just said he was fine." she growled lowly. The red bot looked at her and furrowed his optic ridges.
"Do you really believe that?" he asked seriously and shrugged her off then went to go after the other bot. He frowned as he thought about the situation. Something was just off about all this and he felt he should look into it, though Strongarm kept telling him everything was fine.
She was getting irritated and told him they needed to look for the others. He shook his helm as he continued to follow to the hospital. He glanced into the building and watched as the mech got the sparkling checked in. They left to go towards a berth room and Sideswipe took the opportunity to enter. He glanced around and tapped his com-link to call Fixit.
"I need you to access the security cameras for me." he muttered as he moved away to a corner as Strongarm decided to help, by asking the femme at the desk questions.
"And why would you want me to do that? Is this so you can follow some femme that turned you down?" he scoffed as he typed. "I'm a bit busy trying to find-"
"Just do it." He snapped back. "This is important, Fixit." he muttered and glanced around a little, he felt this was something they shouldn't ignore. But he didn't know why. The smaller mech was silent for a few minutes and furrowed his optic ridges.
"You're never serious." He muttered as he opened a new screen and typed a bit. This was actually important. "What sector or location am I trying to look?" he asked as he accessed the cameras.
"The medical center a few minutes ago. A mech carrying a bleeding sparkling." he informed and glanced to Strongarm who was still talking. "Something is off about the situation... I'm not sure what though." he admitted. Fixit frowned deeply and typed then looked over the camera feed of the said mech entering the building.
"Okay I have a visual." He muttered as he thought and watched the mech for a few minutes as he furrowed his optic ridges.
"Can you see where he is coming from? Where he got the sparkling or whatever." Sideswipe inquired as he frowned more. The small mech nodded a little then confirmed he could as he watched the cameras. After a few minutes he traced the Cybertronian back to where he came from with the sparkling.
"It appears he came from a lab in the Iacon region." Fixit reported as he furrowed his optic ridges. "One that is smaller and between two large buildings, it's hard to see unless you know where to slow- mow-go." he said as he looked at it.
"Do... you think he's experimenting on her?" Sideswipe asked and looked towards the other room as Strongarm walked over, she wasn't happy.
"I... It's possible.... but we need evidence to even attempt a... search." Fixit pointed out and Strongarm frowned as she watched the red bot, getting irritated with him.
"Okay... thanks Fixit." he muttered and thought for a few minutes as he came up with a quick and possibly stupid plan. He went to the femme at the desk and spoke to her then went off to the recovery room. "Strongarm, I need you to talk to the mech and lead him off so I can talk to the little one." he said seriously.
"What? Why would we need to do that? This isn't in-"
"For once in your life would you just do it." He hissed at her as he whipped around to face her and narrowed his optics. "Just do it without question. You can report me later." he growled and she blinked in surprise then agreed. He hid around the corner and she went to question the said mech. It took a bit but she was able to get him out and led him in the opposite direction. Sideswipe waited then went into the room when he felt it was safe. He looked at the tiny sparkling and she whimpered quietly, she recognized him from when she first came here to this ancient planet with the others.
"S-Sideswipe?" she whispered and he frowned as he sat by her berth, which made her look smaller if possible.
"Yes... how do I know you?" He asked quietly. She seemed relieved as tears filled her optics and she reached for him.
"Help me... please..." she begged as her tiny servos reached for him and he gave her his own servo to hold. His spark breaking as she pleaded for help. He couldn't place how he knew her though. He didn't know why he felt he needed to help either.
"Tell me who you are.... how do you know me?" he asked and the hope in her optics faded as her tears fell.
"I'm called Chiyu Jikan by the one they called Miko Nakadai... the earth baby..." she trailed off and his optic ridges furrowed, he honestly had no idea what she was talking about. "I-I-I came here... when the planet was restored by Optimus Prime... I-I-I came with Ratchet Doctor and the family." she whispered as tears fell down her faceplate. "Please... remember me..." she begged and his expression was sad.
"I-I-I'm sorry... I don't remember..." he whispered and felt bad that he had to say that to her. He was too busy goofing off when they arrived that he didn't care to pay attention. He enjoyed ticking Ratchet off and Ultra Magnus, but he didn't remember her. The sparkling gripped his servo and sobbed silently as she quietly asked for his help, his spark breaking for her.
"Then g-g-go save them.... please..." she begged. "He's here so he won't trap you like he trapped Daddy Optimus... please... I know where it is but I'm too little to help them... please save them.... please... he has all of them there and some others..." she sobbed. He frowned and nodded then hugged her tightly.
"I'll get you out of here when I get them freed... I promise." he whispered and she nodded as she shook. He let go and got up then peeked out of the room. He quickly left and headed out as he commed Strongarm to let her know he was leaving. The sparkling watched him go and sighed in relief as she closed her optics. They could be free.
Strongarm left the mech alone after asking questions about what happened, it was natural considering the circumstances. She was irritated with Sideswipe and went after him as Fixit led him towards the lab. She was done with his games and followed him to the location indicated. He ignored her questions and she grabbed his arm as she stopped him.
"I've had enough of this. You need to explain what's going on." she hissed, they had come to a stop in front of the hidden lab.
"I will later." he said and started to pick the lock, she pulled him away again and glared at him.
"Are you insane? We don't have a warrant or anything." she hissed and glanced around nervously.
"So... I can enter if I have permission, right?" he asked and she looked at him then nodded hesitantly. "Cool." he said and kicked down the door. She yelled in surprise and gripped her helm as her optics widened. "I have permission." he smirked and went down the stairs.
"This is breaking and entering." she hissed after him then looked around before following as she growled.
"So sue me." he muttered as they went and the stairs eventually came to a hallway. They went down the corridor to a big metal door and he frowned. "Fixit ca-"
"Already on it." he interrupted as he typed quickly and after a few minutes the door beeped then slid open for them. The red mech found the lights and turned them on. The huge room had berths in a circle, in the center was a massive computer connecting them. Strongarms optics widened as they saw the missing Cybertronians on the berths. Their helms open with wires connected to their processors and then connected to the massive computer. The room was silent except for the spark monitors beeping which connected to each one.
"See... um... sue me..." Sideswipe whispered as he stared at the scene before them. Strongarm didn't reply as she just stared, feeling sick inside.
"T-they're part of some... experiment...." Fixit whispered and stared at the cameras as he paled, unable to type at the moment.
"Or a sick game..." the red mech said and pointed to a massive screen that showed what they were currently experiencing. The screen showed a human walking around a wooded area, but everyone else was frozen. The Cybertronians looked to the computer then around to a chamber by the screen which had straps and wires. They looked at each other and then to the doorway as they heard ped steps descending the stairs.
"Scrap..." The speedster whispered.