TF(OC): Searchin’
Rating: PG
Series: G1
Summary: This is the back-story for my OC Tracer. Surveillance is dull and lengthy and settling in can be difficult when you have a sociopathic warrior threatening you
Warnings: None this chapter either
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: Haha! We’re finally getting more canon characters in now… and it’ll continue from hereonout!
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
It had been two hours since they arrived at their location and set themselves up for the surveillance operation. It was something neither of them were used to, so they both approached it with some trepidation even though they were confident in their abilities.
Brawn shifted restlessly against the rock he was leaning against.
“I don’t know how Bumblebee does it.”
“Huh?”
“Bumblebee. I don’t know how he can stand just sitting there, watching and waiting.” Brawn clarified.
“You’d rather be out there getting some action?” Tracer smirked, shifting her attention from her sensors to Brawn.
“Damn right. Better to go out and get them than sit around waiting for them to come get you.”
“But there’s something to be said for sitting back and planning.” She countered.
“You’re beginning to sound like Prowl.”
“This is Blaster, blasting at ya.” The voice of their communications expert reverberated in her audios, making her reflexively flinch and clamp her hands over her audios.
“Reading you very loud and clear Blaster.” Brawn replied, more used to Blaster’s volume level than Tracer was.
“Skyspy’s showing you’ve got Decepticons on their way.”
“Any ideas who Blaster?”
“From here it looks like the Constructicons. Prowl says just to stay and observe, do not attack.” As Blaster signed off, Tracer stared at Brawn.
“We just wait for them to start building their base?”
“They build it, I’ll bring it down.” Brawn said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
“Let me guess… Demolitions?”
“Yup. And don’t get much of a chance here. It’s always Wheeljack that’s blowing things up. Although admittedly that’s normally himself…” Tracer felt her fuel pump stutter briefly as she realised that the engineer who had worked on her frame had a tendency to blow things up accidentally. “I normally get sent in when they need a heavy handed approach.”
“I have a tendency to get caught up in things whether I want to or not.”
“You were Search and Rescue, right?”
“Yeah. I was on Red’s team until our base got attacked and collapsed in on us.”
“If you listen to Huffer, he’ll tell you those bases were a disaster from the start.”
“Really?”
“Poor construction. He was a construction engineer back on Cybertron.” Tracer tilted her head as she concentrated on her sensors again.
“We’ve got company.”
“Finally.”
“Don’t get too excited, we’re just here to watch remember.” Quietly, Brawn commed Blaster while Tracer refocused her sensors to the area where the Constructicons had stopped.
Over the course of the next few hours, Tracer relayed everything her sensors picked up to Brawn who, in turn, relayed it to Blaster. The cycle continued until Tracer broke off from her running commentary with a whispered “Uh oh.”
“What?”
“Aerial incoming.”
“Slag.” Without Hound, they had no holographic protection and had to rely purely on the camouflage of the local area. Crouched low, they both watched as a small avian mech. flew over their position.
“Laserbeak…” Brawn muttered clenching his fists, the only movement he could make without being seen. “No comms.” He advised. “Anything he hears he’ll report right back to Soundwave.” Sheer panic flooded Tracer’s processor as Brawn said that name and it was all she could do not to make a dash for the safety of the Ark. Reminding herself that the state of the war was not what it was back then and there was safety in numbers, she slowly calmed down, focussing on listening in on the conversation between the Constructicons again.
“They don’t sound happy.” She whispered. “They’re… leaving…” As she finished her sentence, the Constructicons flew overhead, Laserbeak following behind, as though shepherding them back.
They waited until Tracer could no longer hear them or pick up their energy signatures on her sensors before making contact with the Ark.
“Blaster… Laserbeak arrived and the Constructions have just left.”
“Doubt there’s much point staying out here now. They didn’t seem happy to leave.”
“Prowl says you ought to head back, but take it careful. There’s no telling what ol’ Laserbeak’s reported back.”
“Acknowledged. See you soon Blaster.” Brawn ended the transmission and eased himself off the ground.
“I’m guessing we ought not to go back the same way we came?” Tracer asked.
“Best to take a different route. If they have reached their base by now, we don’t want them coming back out here after us.”
“Definitely.” Tracer agreed vehemently. They transformed and made their way back to the Ark, Brawn leading the way, Tracer following, her scanners set to maximum. If Soundwave realised she was here and wanted to come after her again, she wanted to know before he reached her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tracer kept her fears to herself. It didn’t seem right, in the war they were fighting that the fears of one small Minibot should be made public. Besides, she didn’t think she needed protecting in the way that the others thought she did.
The planned base never materialised and the Decepticons were staying quiet. While Prowl, Prime and the other officers worried about it, Tracer relaxed, revelling in the new location and company. Bit by bit, she began integrating herself into the team on the Ark. She was on patrol more often than not, trying to catch up with her knowledge of the area around their base. When she wasn’t on patrol, she could be found exploring with Hound, the latter taking her to all his favourite spots, or she would be sitting in the rec. room with the rest of the Minibots.
It had been on the fourth day after she arrived that Sunstreaker had cornered her in the rec. room and told her that she had better not even think of mentioning to anyone that she had beaten him in a race else he would hand her to Ratchet in so many pieces that even he wouldn’t be able to put her back together. Slightly unnerved by the imposing figure he cast as he leaned over her and the threat itself (which she knew he was fully capable of carrying out), she had just nodded and squeaked out her affirmative before scurrying out of the rec. room. She dashed past Sideswipe, barely even noticing him, just wanting to get away from the warrior. Her processor conveniently pulled up sound recordings of Rollback telling her how psychotic the Twins were and she hurried along the corridor, trying to put as much distance between her and Sunstreaker as possible.
Tracer was so concerned with getting away that she barely paid any attention to her surroundings. Her focus was brought back sharply as she rounded the corner and impacted with something very large. Another squeak and she landed on her aft, optics offlining with the shock. The litany of ‘please don’t be Prime’ echoed around her processor as she cautiously onlined her optics and stared up at the hulking black mech. in front of her.
“Er…” Trailbreaker stared down at her before offering his hand to help her up.
“What’re you running from?”
“Er…” She grasped at his hand and he pulled her to her feet easily.
“Has someone been bad-mouthing you? It ain’t Cliffjumper again?”
“No no no.” Tracer quickly shook her head, desperately wondering how she could avoid this inquisition. The last thing she needed was someone to question Sunstreaker about his involvement. That would surely result in her being delivered to the med. bay in pieces.
“Then…?” Trailbreaker questioned gently, wondering what could have upset the small femme.
“Nothing… just er… getting used to the gravity…” Cringing internally at the poor excuse, she was glad when Trailbreaker just shook his head, an amused expression on his faceplates. Tracer raced down the corridor, not daring to look behind her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
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Part Thirteen