Officer Chase

It was hard not to reach for his son when the young mech’s voice began to shake, one servo had already lifted almost automatically, but he slowly lowered it when Flicker indicated that he wasn’t finished speaking.

Chase felt a tiny pang of disappointment upon learning that Flicker wouldn’t be joining him on the path of law enforcement, though it wasn’t directed at Flicker himself, merely at the concept.

“I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of you. Forging your own path is always challenging, but, no matter what you’ve decided, I will always be here to assist you in any capacity that you require.” He set his now empty cube aside and offered Flicker a warm hug.

Finally Flicker moved to pick up the energon cube he'd set down before, and he held it between his servos, looking thoughtful. He wished he would've been able to lay out a detailed plan already, but at the same time he knew he wasn't expected to figure this all out on his own.

"What I've decided to do is... um..."

The young mech was drumming his digits on the side of the cube nervously - whereas he'd been well prepared before, now he was clearly thinking out loud.

"It's... something that, uh... that may not have been done before. A-at least, maybe not in Cybertron, I don't know, but... but maybe it's something we should have."

"What happened yesterday... I'm glad we were able to help them. But, um... I realized that their situation probably wasn't unique. I-I don't mean just what was happening between them, but the way they were, you know... alone with their struggles. And I think... I'm sure there are a lot of people like that out there."

Flicker paused to refuel, and to collect his thoughts. Setting down the empty cube, he glanced at Chase, smiling shyly. He hoped he was making sense.

"So what I want to do is... I want to be someone they can share their struggles with."

Flicker got up and started pacing around while talking, seemingly unaware of doing so. His words became more confident as he explained how he could be there for anyone who needed someone's help - someone to help them with a burdensome task they couldn't do alone, someone to accompany them to a new activity they were too scared to try by themselves, someone to walk them to school to protect them from being stopped by bullies... Someone to help with struggles that didn't fall within any traditional rescue field, but were still struggles they needed help with.

“I think it’s an excellent space to have. It’s easy to observe the surrounding area without being spotted ourselves and there are plenty of places to take shelter if we need to.”

He’d already taken note of a few promising looking crevices that seemed to be big enough to conceal his entire frame and walked over to begin exploring.

“Hopefully we won’t have to hide for too much longer, normally groundbridge repairs don’t take this much time….” The police bot poked his helm into a cavern that seemed shallow from the outside, but proved to be carved deep into the rock once one came around a shelf of stone protruding from the wall.

“You’re more than welcome to come back with me,” he called over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you to deal with this on your own.” Activating his headlight, Chase swept the floor, walls, and ceiling to make sure nothing had already claimed the space, and was surprised to find chunks of sparkling crystals embedded in the walls.

The grey clouds in the distance were slowly drawing closer, and Katana could tell by their dark colors and heavy shapes that it would start raining again in a few hours or so. As her pale blue optics inched along the horizon, she could see large trees, a few other rocky formations and a river that ran across the forest, flooded from the previous day’s rain. Aside from a few birds, she couldn’t sight any living things.

Katana heard Chase’s offer, but didn’t respond. She hadn’t made up her mind yet. Of course, it would’ve been easier for her to contact Optimus and consult what to do next about the Decepticons if she was to go with Chase… but it was also a possibility that she wouldn’t find them again if she was to leave now.

Leaping down, she transformed back into her bot mode and looked at the crevice Chase was currently exploring. It seemed to be large enough for the two of them, even when Katana wasn’t in her beast mode.

Upon hearing the police bot’s words, Katana turned on her shoulderlights and stepped inside.

“I can’t really say I have,” she replied, unsure why Chase was so interested in these crystals. They clearly weren’t energon.

Thinking back, Katana remembered that Chase had also mentioned Heatwave. She wondered if there were any more members in his team, but she decided to not ask about it for now.

Instead, she stepped back outside and took another look at the cave.

Chase carefully broke a few shards from the wall. “I’m sure he will be pleased to receive them in any case.” Tucking the crystals into his subspace, the policebot turned his attention to the more practical matter that Katana was bringing up.

Joining the femme outside, he studied the opening with a critical optic. “A wise idea. I believe we should be able to either find or cut a slab of rock that would fit over this entrance well enough to conceal its existence from casual observation.”

“I’m going to take out my first aid kit.” The police bot’s movements were slow and deliberate as he retrieved the kit from his subspace and came closer to look over Iruru’s injury and see what he could do for her.

“Luckily, some of the more vital spaceship parts are standardized throughout the galaxy, so my team and I should be able to assist you in that aspect as well. My name is Chase, I am a rescue bot from the planet Cybertron.”

Warily, she unwrapped the blanket, revealing her left arm that was covered in bruises. She straightened it as far as she could comfortably.

"I am... relieved to hear that," she said, not sounding relieved. She was still wary of him.

The truth was, Iruru hadn't known that. Sure, she had traveled a lot, but mostly near planets that were either occupied by or cooperating with Keronians - in other words, planets where maintenance for Keronian spaceships was easily available. Now she realized it'd been an oversight not to stock up in spare parts for a situation like this.

Iruru had not heard of Cybertron, but it was possible that some other Keronians more familiar with space traveling knew about it.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my team and I have had a few rescues in the gamma system, but I do not believe we have been called out as far as Keron before…. though other teams might have.” He could check the records, of course, but the thought than there was no one left to actually ask made him almost regret bringing it up. He was glad when Iruru changed the subject.

“Earth technology has not yet reached the point where space travel is a casual undertaking, so most of the inhabitants remain ignorant to the existence of life beyond their own planet.”

He nodded solemnly. “Our existence is known only to those that inhabit this island. Should we ever have occasion to leave, we have vehicular disguises and human partners to act as our drivers.”

Iruru couldn't help her gaze flicking momentarily at her injured left arm that was held by the makeshift sling. While she didn't like the idea of being vulnerable in front of a stranger, she knew she had no choice but to trust this mech.

"Yes, although I am more concerned about my spaceship. A meteor storm forced me to make an emergency landing, and it appears the ship got damaged in the process."

“I’m going to take out my first aid kit.” The police bot’s movements were slow and deliberate as he retrieved the kit from his subspace and came closer to look over Iruru’s injury and see what he could do for her.

“Luckily, some of the more vital spaceship parts are standardized throughout the galaxy, so my team and I should be able to assist you in that aspect as well. My name is Chase, I am a rescue bot from the planet Cybertron.”

As curious as he was to hear what Flicker wanted to talk about, Chase still took the time to prepare some hot energon for Heatwave. The fire bot could be ornery after dealing with various emergencies, and Kade, all night. Fittingly enough, it had been Flicker who discovered that a hot drink did wonders for their leader’s personality after a chilly overnight shift.

When Chase emerged on the roof, he was carrying two steaming cubes with him. Settling carefully at Flicker’s side, he offered one out to the young mech.

Upon hearing the door open, Flicker stopped in his tracks. When he turned around and saw Chase step out, holding two cubes of hot energon, his plating reflecting the first rays of sunrise, the nervous knot in Flicker's tanks eased. There was nothing in this world he couldn't tell him.

Flicker sat down and thanked Chase when he offered one of the cubes. He took a long sip of the hot energon, enjoying the warmth that slowly spread in his system after the past few hours spent in cool night air. Then he looked at the police bot, his expression now intent, almost solemn.

"Dad," Flicker began, then paused. He realized the cube he was holding was shaking, and he set it down. He exhaled, then began again.

"Dad, I appreciate everything you've ever taught me. I couldn't have asked for a better father and a tutor. Sometimes I still can't believe that my dream of joining this team became true, or how far I've come from who I was when I arrived on Earth, and... a-and it's all thanks to you."

Flicker was smiling, but his voice started to quiver. He paused to collect himself, and held up his servo, as if to say, don't hug me yet - I need to say this first.

"I've been thinking what I want to specialize in, and I know I still need to train more, but I think I'm ready to choose now." Flicker looked down at his servos, hesitating. "Our missions have really helped me to learn more about different fields of rescuing. I know how important every one of them is, and I know that each of you would really appreciate another Rescue bot helping you out, but... um..."

He took a deep breath. There really wasn't an easy way to say it. He looked up at Chase again. "I've decided not to join any of the current fields in our team."

It was hard not to reach for his son when the young mech’s voice began to shake, one servo had already lifted almost automatically, but he slowly lowered it when Flicker indicated that he wasn’t finished speaking.

Chase felt a tiny pang of disappointment upon learning that Flicker wouldn’t be joining him on the path of law enforcement, though it wasn’t directed at Flicker himself, merely at the concept.

“I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of you. Forging your own path is always challenging, but, no matter what you’ve decided, I will always be here to assist you in any capacity that you require.” He set his now empty cube aside and offered Flicker a warm hug.

He passed Flicker’s room and glanced in to see if the young mech was getting his recharge. The room was empty. Perhaps he had had the same idea as Chase and was already in the galley? Flicker had gone to bed fairly early in the evening last night, and it wasn’t unusual for him to already be up and about at this time in the morning.

Chase sniffed the air critically as he approached the galley. He couldn’t smell any fresh energon brewing, nor could he see any lights on. Frowning, the police bot activated the overhead lights and activated his comm on Flicker’s frequency.

So when a familiar voice came through his comm line, Flicker's response was alert and full of anticipation.

:;I'm on the roof. Dad, I..:;

As curious as he was to hear what Flicker wanted to talk about, Chase still took the time to prepare some hot energon for Heatwave. The fire bot could be ornery after dealing with various emergencies, and Kade, all night. Fittingly enough, it had been Flicker who discovered that a hot drink did wonders for their leader’s personality after a chilly overnight shift.

When Chase emerged on the roof, he was carrying two steaming cubes with him. Settling carefully at Flicker’s side, he offered one out to the young mech.

Unfortunately all emergency calls had to be taken seriously, so Chase was headed for the forest covered foothills surrounding Mount Griffin.

As he approached, he noticed a long bare patch through the trees, as though something the size of a bot had been thrown at a high velocity and smashed against them.

Transforming into bot mode, Chase cautiously followed the line of destruction until he came upon a snow dusted ship that looked like it had seen much better days.

Suddenly she stopped still, as if having heard a sound coming from somewhere nearby. A brush of a branch, a snap of a twig? She wasn't sure what exactly had caught her attention, but she knew better than to doubt her instinct.

With a quick whisk of her scarf, she disturbed the tracks she'd left on the snow, then leaped behind a set of bushes nearby. She gritted her teeth as sharp pain ran up her left arm, but she didn't pause to wait it out. Swiftly, she hid in the foliage, her rifle aimed and ready.

Soon a tall, blue-and-white, mechanical-looking figure emerged. However, the way he moved with intention, observing his surroundings carefully, indicated that he was a sentient being and not built by Pekoponians.

At least he sounded peaceful. However, with her injury and lack of knowledge of the area, Iruru knew she was at disadvantage. After a moment of hesitation, she called out:

"Stop! I do not want to shoot you."

"Sounds perfect," he muttered, closing his optics and enjoying every second of being carried around until they got there.

The rest of the evening went by quickly and uneventfully, with the team discussing everyone's day and the recent news of Griffin Rock while refueling. Soon everyone started to wind down. Exhausted from the day, Flicker went to berth early, drifting to sleep in Chase's familiar, soothing presence.

After a few hours, Flicker woke up, his processor full of thoughts. Giving up on sleep, he got up and left his room. Usually he went to the living room to wait out the sleepless hours, but now he felt that he needed more room. Soon he found himself pacing back and forth across the firehouse's roof. Occasionally he stopped to watch over the sleeping city, thinking back to all sorts of experiences he'd had in Griffin Rock.

He passed Flicker’s room and glanced in to see if the young mech was getting his recharge. The room was empty. Perhaps he had had the same idea as Chase and was already in the galley? Flicker had gone to bed fairly early in the evening last night, and it wasn’t unusual for him to already be up and about at this time in the morning.

Chase sniffed the air critically as he approached the galley. He couldn’t smell any fresh energon brewing, nor could he see any lights on. Frowning, the police bot activated the overhead lights and activated his comm on Flicker’s frequency.

It had been a stormy night in Griffin Rock. The city had been tormented by strong gusts of wind and pelting rain that had turned into hail at some point. Roads had become slippery and trees had been torn off their roots.

In the midst of all this, a small spaceship had made an emergency landing, crashing into the forest and stopping at the foot of Mount Griffin.

As morning came, the wind finally died down and the sharp hail was replaced by a gentle snowfall. For a while, the forest was silent. Then the door of the spaceship opened with a soft hiss.

Iruru stepped outside and quickly changed her colors to match her surroundings. However, the makeshift sling she'd folded from a spare blanket to support her left arm stuck out like a sore thumb.

Feeling vulnerable, she reached out with her healthy arm. The air shimmered momentarily before a sniper rifle appeared from the subspace into her hand. Holding the weapon tightly against her body, Iruru began to walk around her spaceship.

Unfortunately all emergency calls had to be taken seriously, so Chase was headed for the forest covered foothills surrounding Mount Griffin.

As he approached, he noticed a long bare patch through the trees, as though something the size of a bot had been thrown at a high velocity and smashed against them.

Transforming into bot mode, Chase cautiously followed the line of destruction until he came upon a snow dusted ship that looked like it had seen much better days.

“I firmly believe that he has. While Lucas’s relationship with his father might have been… tenuous… he has had his mother available to keep him safe. Though the events that led them to seek refuge in Griffin Rock have clearly caused much tension and anxiety, I was able to put the mother in touch with a local program that will benefit them both. Now that she knows she doesn’t have to work through things all by herself, I believe their relationship will settle down.”

"Thank Primus..."

Then he wiped his tears away and looked at Chase, his amber optics brimming with new dedication.

"I will be there for him. I will be the kind of friend he needs, whether it's someone to walk to school with or just someone who'll always listen." His gaze softened. "I will make sure he never has to feel like he's truly alone."

“I don’t remember cleaning gutters being a part of our emergency response training... Here, this one’s full, I gotta rest for a sec.”

Hunter untied the refuse bag from his ladder and handed it down to Casey, then he peeled off his gloves, popped his sweat soaked shirt away from his body a few times and sat down on a ladder rung with a soft huff.

A loud meow sounded from the branches of a tree a few feet away and Hunter glared at it. “Oh meow yourself, we’re just taking a break.”

Mr. Pettypaws walked further out on the limb and crouched, his fluffy tail swaying back and forth as he considered the red head who so often ‘rescued’ him from this very tree. He must like heights too.

“Technically speaking, it isn’t.” He retrieved a fresh leaf bag and two bottles of water from the cab before making his way back to Hunter.

“Chief is simply seeing to it that the island’s senior citizen population gets the help that they require.”

Returning his full attention to the boy's mother, the police bot finished their conversation with a promise that made her practically glow with happiness.

Once the bus pulled up, Chase joined Flicker in waving goodbye. He was about to speak when he noticed the tears start flowing from his son's optics.

"Not yet." The young mech wiped his faceplate and glanced around. No-one was really looking at them, but still... he was cautious. Flicker had only talked about these things within the firehouse before: now he had freed them from within his spark into the world, and he felt exposed. He didn't regret it, but it had drained him of energy.

Flicker had grown so much, and yet he sounded almost like that lost helpless bot he'd been when he'd met Chase for a first time when he said quietly: "I want to go home first."

After the short walk back, once the garage doors were safely closed behind them, Flicker finally fell into his knees and began to sob.

“I firmly believe that he has. While Lucas’s relationship with his father might have been… tenuous… he has had his mother available to keep him safe. Though the events that led them to seek refuge in Griffin Rock have clearly caused much tension and anxiety, I was able to put the mother in touch with a local program that will benefit them both. Now that she knows she doesn’t have to work through things all by herself, I believe their relationship will settle down.”

“Heatwave? Are you awake?”

Heatwave had been dozing when the knock on the door woke him.

“I am now…” he stretched, wincing a little as the action tugged at sore struts and cables.

Chase set the pile down on a nearby table.