TF (OC): Searchin’
Rating: PG
Series: G1
Summary: This is the back-story for my OC Tracer. Gossip continues and there’s nothing Tracer can do to stop it. And a patrol takes a deadly turn.
Warnings: None really… sorry… I’ll try harder next chapter
Disclaimer: As per usual, the good things in life are not mine to have, but belong to someone else... in this case Hasbro, Takara and IDW and anyone else I’ve forgotten… Tracer belongs to me… as do Kicker and Rollback
Feedback makes friends. Flames dealt with by the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno.
Authors Notes: Murphy’s Law as applied to Transformers… And if anyone was confused as to how they found her so quickly last time around - they're on Earth now and both factions know exactly where the other's bases are. On Cybertron, it was a lot more difficult to find.
Searchin' Part One
Searchin' Part Two
Searchin' Part Three
Searchin' Part Four
Searchin' Part Five
Searchin' Part Six
Searchin' Part Seven
Searchin' Part Eight
Searchin' Part Nine
Searchin' Part Ten
Searchin' Part Eleven
Searchin' Part Twelve
Searchin' Part Thirteen
Searchin' Part Fourteen
Searchin' Part Fifteen
Searchin' Part Sixteen
Searchin' Part Seventeen
The gossip and rumors continued unabated and Tracer found herself spending more and more of her off-duty time away from the Ark, with Hound, Beachcomber or Trailbreaker (which only fuelled the rumors further) exploring the countryside.
“What can I do about it? There’s nothing I can do Hound.”
“I’m not saying there’s an easy solution Tracer.” Tracer sighed,
“I just wish they’d shut up about it. At least Cliffjumper’s stopped going on about how I’m a Decepticon spy…”
“He still going on about it? Mirage told me he’d overheard him again, but I thought he’d stopped.”
“Well, he’s stopped now. Just keeps asking when me and Trailbreaker are going to bond properly and make it public knowledge.” Hound swerved as he laughed. “It’s not funny Hound!”
“I know, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
“It wasn’t me who said it!”
“But you like him right?”
“Hound!”
“I’m serious. He’s a good friend.”
“I know. I do like him… just not in the way that you and Mirage like each other.” She stifled a giggle as Hound made a derisive sound, swerving towards her and gently nudging her side. It was only a gentle nudge, but she stopped anyway. When her engine died moments later, Hound stopped, transforming and kneeling at her side.
“Trace?”
“Decepticons.” Transforming, she crouched next to him.
“Where?”
“Over the ridge, about a hic… a kilometer away.” Hound nodded.
“Report to the Ark, while I take a closer look.” In his element, Hound transformed and drove closer to the Decepticons’ position.
Once Tracer had contacted the Ark and informed Huffer of their location and findings and requested back up, she transformed and followed Hound. They both crouched on the ridge, optics and sensors focussed on the Decepticons in the valley below.
“What’re they doing?” She whispered.
“No idea. Looks like they’re interested in that cliff-face.” Hound pointed out the cliff-face. It did seem true, several Decepticons, Starscream included Tracer realised, were examining the rock. Sensors turned to their maximum, she scanned the rock.
“Geothermal energy…” She muttered. “There’s heat in those rocks.”
“And they mean to tap it.” Hound mused, breaking off as he registered Soundwave staring towards their location.
“Slag.” The muttered curse told Hound that Tracer also knew. Hoping that Soundwave hadn’t actually seen them, he pulled Tracer as close as he dared, quickly activating a holographic projection to hide them.
For long moments they waited, barely daring to allow air to circulate through their systems. Then they watched, seemingly in slow motion, as Soundwave raised his gun and fired twice in their direction. The first shot caught Tracer in the shoulder and she pitched forward as pain flooded her circuits. The second shot hit Hound in the grill, sending him backwards. In the time it took them to recover from the shock and the pain of Soundwave’s concussion blasts, the Decepticons were on the ridge.
Before Tracer had the opportunity to struggle to her feet, she was unmercifully hauled into the air by her back tire. Dangling six foot above the ground, logic dictated that she shouldn’t struggle. Logic be damned, she wanted to get as far away from the Decepticons as possible. Unfortunately, squirming didn’t do anything; whoever was holding onto her had a very firm (and slightly painful) grip. Hound was in much the same situation, although he was lucky enough to have both feet on the ground. Resigned to being held like a child’s toy, Tracer stopped struggling.
“What do we have here?” If there was one Decepticon Tracer hoped she would never be in close proximity to, it would have been Megatron. And she was dangling mere feet away from him.
“Guard them. They will not interfere with our plans.” Unceremoniously carried down into the valley, Tracer and Hound were herded against the rock face, laser rifles trained on them. Soundwave stared at them for long moments before turning and walking away. Subspace pockets were searched, both enduring the violation and their weapons were confiscated. Tracer slumped against the wall, wondering how they were going to get out of this situation. Luck, however, was beginning to take their side it appeared; Skywarp had been left to guard them and was already looking more than a little bored.
“You okay kid?” Hound had a slight wheeze to his vocaliser that Tracer could detect immediately, regardless of his concern for her.
“I’m in better shape than you.” She crawled over to Hound, quickly examining the damage to his grill.
“It looks worse than it is.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” Quickly, Tracer patched a few broken wires. “There’s not much more I can do. Least not until we get back to the Ark where Ratchet can patch you up properly.”
“What about you?”
“It’s just a deflated tire… again. Nothing major.”
“What now?”
“Now I guess we wait.”
“I hate waiting.”
“Shut up the pair of you!” They both quieted down as Skywarp levelled his machine guns at them. They both knew there was no sense in trying to escape; two Autobots against most of the Decepticon army were not good odds. Back up was on its way, so all they had to do was wait and hope they didn’t get caught in the crossfire.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
No one was sure later who had heard the approaching engines first; Soundwave or Tracer. Either way, the Decepticons were ready when the Autobots appeared on the ridge above them.
“Don’t come any closer Prime!” Megatron called out.
“I won’t let you do this Megatron.”
“You don’t have a choice Prime.” Megatron swept his arm backwards, indicating Hound and Tracer, held captive by Skywarp, Thundercracker and Starscream.
“Ah wingnuts.” Optimus Prime could do nothing but raise an optic ridge at Ironhide’s rather unorthodox curse.
“Prowl?” He looked towards his tactician for a new plan; the standard ‘rush the Decepticons’ wasn’t applicable here.
“Trailbreaker, keep an optic on the pair of them. If the battle gets anywhere near them, use your forcefield. I have little doubt that once the battle starts that the Seekers will release them.”
“Understood.” With that sorted, the Autobots launched themselves down the ridge to engage the Decepticons. As Prowl predicted, once the battle started getting too close for comfort, the Seekers let go of their prisoners and took to the air. Tracer lay where she had been thrown by Starscream for what seemed like an eternity before her systems stabilised themselves and she was able to move. As soon as she was upright, she scanned her surroundings; the main battle was far enough away from them that she needn’t worry about it. Hound was closer and not moving. Keeping low to the ground to avoid being seen, she made her way to Hound, placing one hand on her former mentor’s shoulder strut.
“Hound?” A quick diagnostic scan revealed he was offline and in stasis. The damage to his grill must have gone deeper and only been compounded when Skywarp and Thundercracker tossed him to the side to join in the battle.
“He can’t help you now. There’s no one to help you now.” Without even looking, she knew who the voice belonged to. There was no mistaking the tonal qualities and the sheer undisguised threats behind each word.
“Don’t you ever give up?” She questioned, finally looking up, trying hard not to reveal the tremble that ran through her chassis. He was standing too close, his gun aimed right at her spark. With a show of confidence she didn’t feel, she stood up, keenly aware of the gun that followed her as she moved.
“You’ve tried twice now and both times you’ve failed.”
“Rescue is not an option this time.” As scared as she was, Tracer managed to stand her ground against Soundwave and not back away. With no weapon, she stood no chance against the Decepticon. Although, judging from past encounters, she wouldn’t have stood a chance had she had a weapon. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her. If he was going to deactivate her like his thinly veiled threat suggested, then she’d go down with a fight.
But as he stepped towards her, gun still raised, she couldn’t help but step back despite her earlier thoughts on standing up to him. Across the battlefield, Rumble took a laser blast to the chest and Soundwave stumbled, the symbiotic relationship affecting him momentarily. Tracer took advantage of the distraction, kicking out low in a move she’d seen Beachcomber use before. Evidently she hadn’t watched carefully enough; her kick brought Soundwave to the ground, but as he fell, he swiped at her, catching her and bringing her down with him. She gave a small cry as she landed on her back. He recovered faster than she did; standing and retrieving his gun.
Time seemed to slow down as she saw his finger tighten on the trigger. There was nowhere left to run, nothing left she could do. Tracer offlined her optics, not wanting to see what seemed inevitable now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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Part Nineteen