Jet Seeking

[okiefordokey]

WHO: Jetfire, Ironhide, maybe a Drift
WHAT: Ironhide and others search for Jetfire after THIS.
WHERE: Back alleys of zone 2.
WHEN: ....now? As soon as the robots are turned back to normal.
WARNINGS/NOTES: Locked to people who know they are involved; potential wibble-fest and trauma within?

Comments

[show_my_cannons]

He hadn't stopped searching.

Not once. Even when he'd been human, he'd gone looking for the alleyway. He'd watched the feed so many times, he had the transmission memorized, looking for any sign of something familiar. Nothing. No sign of the little one anywhere. They had to be alive--there had to be some sign of them. Something.

And now that he was his rightful self, it was easier to patrol. Easier to push his frame beyond its limits. He wasn't going to give up. Not until he knew for sure one way or another. He'd lost track of how many days he'd been out here--he hadn't been back to the apartment since waking up in his rightful form. He wasn't going to let this happen. He was going to find the little ones, and destroy the one responsible. They didn't deserve this... they were his to protect.

But even his huge body had limits. He had to stop, or collapse. He transformed, pausing for a moment to lean against the mouth of an alleyway, waiting for overtaxed systems to cool down.

[okiefordokey]

However long it would take for Ironhide to cool down, it would be helped by a convenient breeze blowing from the deserted market square, into the mouth of the alley and against the old bot.

Only when the wind shifted, breeze flowing back out of the alley and bringing with it the rustle of trash and the stench of stale energon, did things get interesting.

[rightedwrongs]

Drift appeared at Ironhide's side- soundlessly, wordlessly. With more stealth than a robot should possess. "There you are," he remarked mildly. He He had been searching on his own- for the big Autobot. Having located him, Drift had no further preamble.

"I spoke with Prime. Jetstorm is currently in Soundwave's possession. Jetfire is missing. We should focus our efforts on him first- retrieving his brother will be the bigger challenge."

He angled his head towards the alley, squinting into the dark. The breeze did bring some interesting things forward. "Do you smell that?"

[show_my_cannons]

He almost turned to strike the sudden voice at his side. Only thing that stopped him was the familiar voice, and the Autobot signal. Ironhide forcibly stilled himself, glancing at him. "Yeah... here I am."

Despite his tone, he was grateful for the help. Drift had been a benefit to their side. An addition to their forces was always welcome. Although his news caused the big Autobot's engine to kick on with a warning growl. "We will," he said, his voice pitched low, dangerous. "And then, danger or not, Soundwave will be made to pay."

He followed Drift's gaze, pulling air into his intakes. "Yeah..." Before he'd finished the word, he'd pushed himself forward again, into the alley.

[rightedwrongs]

All things considered, it probably wasn't wise to sneak up on anyone with the designation of 'Ironhide'- there were probably certain traits that were the same no matter the universe, but the Tyran had stilled himself, even as Drift was ready to duck out of the way.

He'd told Perceptor he had no intention of confronting Soundwave if he could help it- and he didn't. But looking for a way around a confrontation didn't seem to be an option the larger mech wanted to hear. He would keep it to himself for the time being. At least until they located the missing twin.

So, he followed Ironhide into the alley, one hand resting on the hilt of a blade. Just in case.

I feel like a GM. Heh.

[okiefordokey]

It was dim in the alley, but not too dark to see the piles of trash piled high in the corners, covering half of the ground. A broken street pole stands at a angle, bend in half from some impact, a streak of orange pant lingering on the surface.

The path further in is tacky under the rubbish; sticky in spots with drying mech fluids. It only gets worse further in.

And the trash isn't high enough to completely cover a robotic leg, which sticks out of the largest pile back against the furthest wall.

<3

[show_my_cannons]

He knew trying to fight Soundwave was foolish. If their own Soundwave was anything to judge by. He could sense Drift's presence behind him--a reassurance. Any Autobot at his back would be.

It didn't take him long to assess the scene. And when he did, every strut, joint and piston in his frame went deathly still. He knew this alley. Knew that corpse. That streak of paint...

No.

Without another word, he charged forward, snarling. Ignoring the drying fluid, the sticky bits of things attaching to his hands, he tossed trash around. Here! It had been here! "Answer me... say something... come on, little one!" Another sign, another clue. Please...!

[rightedwrongs]

For his own part, Drift hung back. He didn't know these young ones like Ironhide- he could step back and observe before diving in headlong, with his emotions running high. His optics swept over the alley- looking for something, anything. If Jetfire was not amongst the garbage and carnage that Ironhide was so fervently searching, they needed to be on the lookout for other clues.

[show_my_cannons]

It was probably for the best that he had backup for this. As tightly as he tried to control his emotions, when it came to the little ones, he was painfully unable to hold himself back. Broken pieces of the dead mech were being tossed at random about the alley, until he cleared everything away from the central part of the corpse. This, he simply hoisted up in one hand, and threw to the side.

There was nothing but more trash beneath. He had to stop, then, huge shoulders sagging, cooling fans working overtime in defeat.

"Not here..." he heard himself say.

[rightedwrongs]

"Just because he isn't right there doesn't mean he isn't nearby," came the calm reply. He had to keep Ironhide grounded and focused as best he could, if they wanted Jetfire and his brother to have a fighting chance.

"We'll check every inch of this alley if we must, but we will find him."

[show_my_cannons]

A slow hiss of air through his systems. He knew the other Autobot was right. He had to stay calm. As much as he wanted to blast that dumpster into scrap, it wouldn't help anything.

"We will. C'mon," he said, finally, straightening up with a creak of worn joints. "Lot of ground to cover."

[okiefordokey]

The alley itself branched out, leading to other areas and streets of the large city. Other then under piles of trash and behind dumpsters, there were plenty of other places to hide - door ways and cellar stoops, warehouses with back entrances facing the alley, balconies of apartments above...

Not quite a needle in a proverbial haystack, but bad enough.

But Ironhide and Drift were not the only beings in the area. Disturbed by the weapon master's mad, noisy scrambling through the trash, something squeaked in fright; a flit of blue popping out of the nearest broken nook before vanishing...and reappearing mid-air before latching on to the side of Ironhide's head with a chatter.

[rightedwrongs]

Drift was in the midst of considering their options when the blue creature- something Drift had foolishly dismissed as a rat, or the Cybertronian equivalent of one- launched itself at the Tyran weapons master.

The other Autobot had a blade half-unsheathed- he wasn't about to try to cut down something currently latched onto his comrade's face, and he didn't doubt Ironhide's ability to fend for himself anyway.

[show_my_cannons]

He had half a processor to just pick a route and go with it. They could double-back later, if necessary. Internal navigation systems could locate this spot easily enough. He glanced back at his companion, to inform him of the plan...

... And something smacked into the side of his head.

Ironhide's first instinct was to snarl and swat at it. Possibly to crush it flat with one huge hand. He didn't take kindly to assault of any kind, let alone one by an unknown organic. Snarling, he lifted a hand--only to stop short at the sound of the chattering. Somehow... it was familiar. Hadn't he heard it around Jazz's apartment after the little ones had gotten that egg...?

"What is this?" he growled, opting to shake the thing off instead. "Who are you?"

[okiefordokey]

The familiar blue firelizard - for that was what it was, all wing and tail and neck - squawked indignantly, clinging to Ironhide's pronged armor for as long as it could before being tossed off. Hovering for a moment, Jetfire's little pet fearlessly landed instead on Ironhide's nearest cannon, claws hooking on to wires and cocking it's tiny head up at him like a dog.

A dog somehow projecting a worried air about it. It, of course, could not respond otherwise.

[rightedwrongs]

Drift blinked- once, twice- and cocked his head, almost mirroring the little beast. "What a strange creature," he remarked, in the same calm, matter-of-fact tone that seemed to be his default.

He tracked the lizard's movements- from face to air to cannon- frowning slightly as it rested on its final perch. Drift was no expert on animals, organic ones at that, by any stretch of the imagination, but one would have to be completely stupid not to see that something clearly had the small creature distressed. "Do you know this animal?" The question was directed at Ironhide, though his optics never left the other Autobot's sudden passenger.