Reaching Out
			Transformers Armada Fanfic

					By Charity Haney

Notes:  n/a


***********************************************************************
*Timeline - One day's time after the events in "New Recruit"          *
***********************************************************************

***

	-Sideways, reporting in.  As requested I've been gathering what 
information I can on the various strengths, weaknesses, and abilities 
of both the Autobots and the Decepticons.  This latest Data-transfer 
contains information on the Autobot second-in-command, Jetfire; the 
Autobot soldier, Sideswipe; and from the Decepticons, the Autobot 
former/defector, Wheeljack; none of which have any potential to pose 
problems.
	-Things though have been complicated further with the 
introduction of another Transformer to the Autobot's side by the name 
of Aero Blade.  I have yet to see the transformer myself, but he's 
reported by the Decepticons to be a technician.  Further studies will 
resume and information on this transformer will be supplied when it 
becomes available, but it seems Megatron may have met acquaintances 
with this Autobot at a much earlier date.  To what degree of contact 
they made and on what terms is still unknown, and Megatron has made 
no other mentions of the Autobot since he was first informed of his 
presences. I will continue to observe and see what information I can 
gather on this subject.
	-In other matters, the Decepticon Tactician Thrust has been 
behaving rather strangely as of late, ever since the detection of 
the latest minicon.  Since to date, he has been disappearing 
periodically from the base and not returning for long periods of 
time.  He seems to be searching for something, but has refrained 
from revealing what that it may be to us.  I am already suspicious 
of Thrust possibly having a small horde of minicons hidden somewhere.  
I can't be sure whether he does, or where he may be keeping them, 
but my best instincts tell me he may have them in a small bunker 
somewhere on the moon.  I'm currently investigating this matter 
in-depth.
	-This concludes my current report.  Sideways out...-

***




*	*	*	*
*  Ch.1 - Settling In	*
*	*	*	*


- {Location: Autobot Base} -


	Aero Blade poked around the circuitry of the computer consol, 
examining the inner workings and wiring.  Behind him, the other 
Autobots (minus Optimus, Scavanger, and Jetfire) and the Earth kids 
watched intently from a distance, waiting to hear his opinion on 
the mystery problem.  Red Alert was very close by with a datapad 
containing a schematic and other info on this particular consol, 
droning on about something he was reading.  Normally it probably 
would have been unnerving to any other technician, but Aero Blade 
hardly noticed anything around him.  He was absorbed with the 
innards of the consol, his senses focused on it and not the other 
distractions...
	"So based on the particular model and the pre..." Red Alert 
stopped himself, looking up from the datapad.  He had been giving 
the information read-outs to Aero Blade so that he would know what 
the consol was like and what problems they were experiencing before 
he started, but now he saw the technician already exploring the 
consol.  Red Alert grimaced a little, hoping he wasn't hurting the 
computer, doubting Aero Blade had ever seen a model as unique as this 
one before.
	"Here, maybe this will help," Red Alert said, handing Aero 
Blade the datapad.  Aero Blade promptly passed it back to him, not 
even glancing at it.  He pulled removed the damaged circuit board, 
holding it up to the light to examine it, then started repairing the 
burnt out circuitry.
	"So, you've worked on this model before?" Red Alert asked, 
trying to relieve some of his worry.  He certainly wouldn't need the 
schematic if he'd seen one of these consoles before...
	"Nope."  Aero Blade answered, plugging the circuit board back 
in place.  Red Alert looked as though he might faint.
	From over on the other side of the room, Hotshot chuckled 
slightly.  He'd seen that expression on Red Alert's face before, when 
they were both working with the main generator.  Hotshot had plugged 
in a major power relay backwards and was about to turn on the power 
when Red Alert noticed the mix-up and nearly freaked.  Red Alert 
claimed the generator would have overloaded in a matter of seconds.  
Red Alert never did let him near the generator after that.  Hotshot 
watched, shaking his head in amusement.
	"Aw, come on Red Alert!  Let the guy do his job!  He seems to 
know what he's doing," Hotshot called over to him.  Red Alert frowned 
back at him.  Be that as it may, Aero Blade was still young, just 
like Hotshot, and that made Red Alert apprehensive.
	Red Alert turned his head as he heard a soft, metal clunk as 
Aero Blade shut the panel on the consol, not have done any work on 
it.  "Did you fix the problem?" Smokescreen asked, unable to see from 
his watching place.
	"He didn't do anything," Red Alert told him.
	"No.  There's nothing wrong with this consol," Aero Blade 
responded.
	Red Alert gave him a funny look. "That circuit board you fixed 
a moment ago has been burnt out six times.  There has to be something 
wrong with-"
	"There's nothing wrong with this consol," Aero Blade repeated, 
standing up.  "You've got a bad distributor."
	Red Alert blinked as Aero Blade started walking along the wall 
examining panels, utterly confused by all of this young Autobot's 
actions up to this point.  After a moment he snapped to his senses.  
"Wait, let me locate the right..." As Red Alert started to bring up 
the information on the location and layouts of the distributors in 
the base, Aero Blade was already removing a panel out the way. 
	"...distributor..." Red Alert finished.  He watched with 
bewilderment as Aero Blade finished removing the panel.
	"Did he find the right one?" Sideswipe asked, looking over Red 
Alert's shoulder at the Datapad.
	"I don't know, I haven't had time to look," Red Alert answered, 
returning to the info on the datapad. "There's hundreds of major and 
minor distributors around the base.  It could take a very long time 
to find the right one..."
	"This is the right one," Aero Blade told them, examining the 
protective plating on the distributor.
	"How can you be sure?" Red Alert countered.  He had done the 
majority of work on the base's electronics before and knew a great 
deal about them.  Aero Blade had only been in here a day.
	"As I know you know, distributors main purpose is to distribute 
how much and where energy goes," Aero Blade started.  He pulled out a 
screwdriver and started removing the plating.  "While you can put a 
distributor anywhere so long as you wire it properly, if you put it 
closer than a few tryctometers away you usually can't rewire it 
properly later, and any more than twenty and it's a waste of wire to 
hook one up so far from where your electronics are.  This spot is 
about the best distance away for a distributor to be connected to 
those computers."  Aero Blade finished removing the metal plating.  
	"Just what I thought, a slipped wire."
	Aero Blade set down the plating and started looking through his 
tools for the proper one.  Sideswipe came over to have a look.  He'd 
never seen the inside of a distributor before.  It was mostly a metal 
box with various small circuits and several wire sockets around the 
outer edges.  In the middle was a sort of circular hub with several 
wires coming out from the sides, which connected to the wire sockets.  
There was various letters and numbers written in several places, used 
for references.  One of the wires on the top part of the hub wasn't 
attached to the socket where it was supposed to be; it had broken out 
of the socket and bent over from weight, and was now touching one of 
the other sockets.  Very small sparks of an energy current could be 
seen passing from the fallen wire to the socket.
	"You mean to tell me that little bundle of wires controls where 
all the energy goes in this area?" Alexis asked.
	"No, not at all.  This is more or less a control panel for the 
actual distributor beneath.  The computer reads the energy getting 
output to each socket, and sends the same ratio of energy to that 
spot," Aero Blade pulled out a pair of wire clamps and a small welder.  
"That computer kept burning out because it's being given too much 
energy.  A small, slow overload."
	Aero Blade started to reposition the wire while Red Alert was 
looking at the datapad. "Yes, that socket it was touching was for the 
computer," He confirmed.
	"Where's that wire connect to?" Sideswipe asked.  Red Alert 
glanced at the datapad again.
	"Sector G."
	"That explains the problems with the blast door," Blur noted, 
remembering the hard time he recently had trying to get it open.  
	Aero Blade finished soldering the wire back into its place and 
reattached the protective plating to the distributor.  "That about 
does it," He said, replacing the panel back on the wall.
	"That was cool!" Carlos called. "You solved two problems at 
once without even needing any help from Red Alert."
	"Yeah, you really know your electronics," Rad added.
	"It's nothing really," Aero Blade started, just before the 
base's warning alert when off.
	-Attention all personnel!  Please report to the command center 
immediately!- Optimus's voice echoed over the com.  As everyone began 
to pick up and head off, Smokescreen noticed Red Alert hanging behind.
	"What's the matter?" Smokescreen asked him, slowing down. "The 
new guy bug you?"
	"No, it's not him, really.  It's just," Red Alert sighed.  "I 
know I'm a medic, but I'm not always needed for that, and our own 
bodies and the electronics around the base have similarities, so I've 
been doing maintenance around the base for a long time now.  I 
realize he's a Technician and supposed to know a lot about all of 
this stuff, but to have that much knowledge and be so young; it makes 
me feel useless..." Red Alert finished.  Smokescreen clasped him on 
the shoulder.
	"Hey, don't worry about it.  I'm sure there's lots of equipment 
around the base that you know more about that he does!  We'll find 
something he can't do on his own.  Besides, he may be young, but he 
probably just as a knack for this sort of thing.  Probably why he 
became a Tech in the first place," Smokescreen told him cheerfully.
	Red Alert couldn't help but smile.  "Yes, I suppose you're 
right."
	"That's better!  Now come on, the others are waiting for us.  
Maybe Optimus has more information on that minicon we've been unable 
to get a fix on."


***


	A loud banging of metal against metal echoed eerily through the 
silence and darkness.  Thrust pulled his hand out of the dent he'd made 
in the wall, his anger not cooled in the slightest.  He continued down 
the corridor, examining every niche and crevice.  There were not many 
places it could be, if it was still here, that was.  The area he walked 
through was a small bit of wreckage he'd found long before; a piece of 
a ship, almost completely buried in the surface of the moon.  Very 
little of it still remained intact, but a small power generator still 
worked, enough to control a few of the doors, but not enough to supply 
lighting.  The wreckage was of little use, but it made for a good 
hiding and storage place, a sort of modified bunker.
	Thrust stalked past one corridor, down which where he kept his 
collection of minicons.  He had already checked there, not finding what 
he was looking for, but he already knew it wouldn't be there - the 
minicons were too frightened of him to try hiding it from him.  He 
instead approached an even darker corridor, moving down it to the room 
it hid in its shadows behind a locked door.  
	The door opened with a heavy, weary moaning and creaking of old 
metal, slowly sliding out of the way.  Thrust stepped through into the 
room, the darkest place in the bunker, despite the soft glow of light 
emanating from the center of the room.  Thrust stepped up to it, once 
again examining the faint glow of the small spherical energy cage.  One 
small portion of it flickered even fainter than the rest, almost clear, 
some sparks coming off of a diode in that spot.  Thrust knew from the 
first time he came to check what had happened here - the chunk of 
ceiling laying on the floor told him everything - this was the most 
damaged and decrepit part of the bunker.  A bit of the ceiling had 
finally come off, damaging the cage and allowing his prize to escape...
	"There will be retribution for this," Thrust growled quietly to 
himself.  "Where ever you have run to this time, you'd better pray to 
Primus that I don't find you again...You won't be able to run away a 
third time..."




*	*	*	*
*  Ch.2 - Anxieties	*
*	*	*	*


	Rad thought deeply as the scenery passed by in the canyon.  
They were back once again, but they weren't seeking the hidden 
minicon again.  No, the computer had detected a very weak and unusual 
signal.  Optimus had almost overlooked it as radar static, it 
periodically appearing and then fading out, but the signal had -moved-.  
Rad, however, wasn't thinking on this.  His mind was distracted back
to several minutes ago.
	"Is there something wrong Rad?" Blur asked the human riding 
inside of him.  Rad blinked, becoming aware of things again.
	"Hm?  Oh, no.  I'm just thinking..."
	"About what?"
	"About Aero Blade," Rad answered.  "I know Optimus asked us 
all to help with searching again because of how weak the signal is 
and how large an area we have to search, but when Optimus addressed 
him, Aero Blade looked so uncomfortable.  It was like he didn't 
want to go, but didn't have the will to say it..."
	"It's to be expected," Blur replied.  "He still hasn't had 
adequate time to adjust yet, and especially after yesterday.  
Smokescreen told me about the near accident."
	"Yeah.  The Decepticons nearly got him.  I don't know what 
Cyclonis was going to do to him, but it wasn't going to be good at 
all..." Rad frowned remembering the incident.
	"Aero Blade's a Tech, he's not meant to fight.  Considering 
what's happened, if I were him I'd be worried about coming out here 
again as well.  Anyways, we need to get back to the matter at hand.  
How close are we?" Blur asked him.  Rad nodded, pulling out his 
tracking device.
	"We should almost be at the spot where the signal was last 
detected," Rad told him, looking at the tracker.  Blur slowed down, 
pulling to a stop and allowing Rad to exit.  "Unless it moved again, 
it should be right near here..."  Rad looked around, slowly taking 
in every detail of the scenery.  Just as he was about stop and 
return to Blur to move to another area, but something caught his eye.  
"Look there!" He called to Blur, pointed towards his finding.
	Perched sitting up onto of a high ledge, a minicon cocked 
its head at the human when he called out.  The majority of its body 
was red and white, but it had orange on it in a few small places.  
It's shoulders and the back of its hands looked to be formed out of a 
green, jewelish material.  It had a set of wings on its back, so it 
appeared to transform into a flying vehicle of some kind, perhaps a 
plane or jet.  Rad laughed a bit with relief, looking at the distant 
minicon.  He had been worried that they might find something nasty- 
a minicon was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.
	"Which one do you think it is?" Rad asked Blur.
	"The first minicon signal we detected days ago was 
definitely stationary, so this guy has to be the mobile signal we 
just detected.  He must have revived on his own a while ago.  I wonder 
why we didn't detect him earlier," Blur answered, transforming into 
robot mode so he'd be able to reach to where the minicon was resting.
	"If we hadn't been already scanning for the other minicon, we 
wouldn't have even known about it.  Already active minicons have such 
a weak signal.  It's probably a good thing, though.  Makes it that 
much harder for the Decepticons to come after the ones we already 
have," Rad responded, watching the minicon.
	While the minicon had been sitting still earlier, curiously 
watching Rad, things immediately changed once Blur transformed.  
Seeing Blur in his robot mode, the minicon froze.  He seemed entranced 
watching the giant robot, but it wasn't with curiosity...
	"Alright, come here fella," Blur called calmly, reaching for 
the minicon.  The minicon however instantly squeaked in alarm and 
bolted.  "Huh? Hey, wait!" Blur tried to grab the minicon, but it was 
too late.  It was already long gone.  "Well how do you like that..."
	Rad looked worriedly in the direction the minicon had taken off 
in.  The second it had seen Blur, it became terrified for no reason at 
all.  Why would be like that?
	"We better call Optimus..." Rad decided.



	Optimus looked around with a bit of a sigh.  Not too 
unsurprisingly, they weren't getting anywhere again with their search.  
"Getting anything yet, Alexis?" Optimus called to the young human 
girl.  Alexis shook her head.
	"Sorry Optimus, no more signals yet.  Either we're out of 
range or it might have moved again," Alexis answered. "You haven't 
gotten anything, have you Grindor?"
	The minicon shook his head. "I'm not even sure what 'it' is," 
Grindor answered.
	"I just hope this isn't some Decepticon trap," Hotshot called.  
He was up on a higher ledge, scoping things out unsuccessfully.  There 
was nothing to find.
	"Aw well, let's move along.  We've still got a lot of ground to 
cover," Optimus addressed the whole group.  Grindor transformed into his 
scooter mode to let Alexis on.  Hotshot slid down a slope, returning 
back to ground level when the com unit beeped.  Optimus opened up a 
channel.
	"This is Optimus.  Have you found anything?"
	-Optimus, we've located the source of the weaker signal.  It's 
an already revived minicon.- Rad's voice came over the com.  Everyone 
in Optimus's group gave a slight cheer of excitement.  It seemed like 
they were finally getting somewhere.
	"Good job Rad, Blur.  Once you have the minicon, report back 
to the meeting place," Optimus answered.
	-No can do, sir- Blur's voice responded.
	-The minicon took off.  We're going to go look for it now.  
Optimus...- There was a lot of anxiety in Rad's voice.  -...the minicon 
looked really scared.  I think it's terrified of Transformers...-
	-He's right, sir.  We didn't have a problem until I went into 
robot mode, then it bolted.- Blur added.
	Optimus didn't answer immediately.  Minicons were usually very 
curious when they first woke up and would almost always be willing to 
check out the much larger Transformers.  They'd had minicons run before, 
but there were usually reasons for that.  Sometimes minicons ran into a 
Decepticon first and was scared by their attempts to capture it, or a 
minicon getting spooked by weapons firing off at close range, but for a 
minicon to run without reason?  Something very unusual was going on.
	"Optimus, maybe it ran into the Decepticons while we were here 
before.  Got scared by them..." Hotshot asked, trying to formulate a 
reason for the odd behavior.
	"I don't think so.  If the Decepticons had seen a minicon 
already, they wouldn't have retreated unless we had gotten it," Optimus 
returned his attention to the com.  "Rad, Blur, go ahead and resume 
searching for the minicon.  I'll relay the information to the others.  
Good luck."
	-Thank you, sir.  Over and out.- Blur answered, closing the com 
link.
	"Well, we best get moving again," Optimus told the group, 
opening his comlink to the frequency of the others.



- {Location: Decepticon Base} -


	Megatron studied the surveillance screen, watching as it 
monitored several blips in the canyon area.  "What are those Autobots 
up to?" He wondered out loud.
	"Maybe they're looking for that minicon again?" Cyclonis 
suggested, sounding unsure.
	"No.  We may not know where that minicon is, but from their 
movements they're definitely not searching for it.  They're looking 
for something else," Megatron told him.
	"What else is there to find?" Cyclonis asked.
	"Well if we knew that then we wouldn't be monitoring them 
for the answer, now would we!?!" Megatron snapped irritably.  
Cyclonis cringed, hoping Megatron would calm down quickly.  He'd been 
in this constant state of irritability ever since they'd failed to 
find the minicon.  He didn't show any signs of calming down until 
they found it.
	Megatron watched the screen a little while longer.  The groups 
were on the move again, but instead of wandering, the seemed as 
though they might be converging onto one spot this time.  "Summon 
the others," Megatron told Cyclonis.  "We're moving out."
	Having said that, Megatron left, going off to another section 
of the base, probably to prepare to leave. "Oh, just great.  Now I 
get all the footwork at this time of the day," Cyclonis complained to 
himself.  Everyone was bound to be scattered around the base doing 
various things.  It could take him forever to find everyone, 
especially considering that he couldn't use the base's intercom.  
They had limited power in their base made from a crashed ship, and 
that meant the intercom was saved for emergencies.  Cyclonis sighed.  
"Might as well get started," he muttered to himself, heading down a 
corridor.
	"Time to play 'find the bots.'  Grand prize: Megatron doesn't 
chew me out for taking too long..."
	Cyclonis looked in all the rooms down the corridor.  
		First room- storage ...
		Second room- empty ...
		Third room- various scraps and junk ...
		Fourth room- empty ...

	He turned down another corridor, arriving at the more 
specific rooms.
		Medical room- Empty ...
		Energon Storage- Empty ...
		Training room- Empty ...
		Armory- Starscream

	"Finally.  About time I found someone," Cyclonis said out loud 
to himself.
	"What are you blabbering about?" Starscream scoffed, looking up.  
He was in the middle of checking his sword, tightening some loose 
joints.
	"We're moving out.  Megatron's orders," Cyclonis told him 
flatly.
	"Oh joy, we get to start the invisible minicon hunt again?" 
Starscream asked sarcastically.
	"Nah, the Autobots are up to something weird.  Megatron wants 
to go hassle them," Cyclonis answered, starting down the corridor 
again, followed shortly by Starscream.  "Any idea where everyone 
else is?"
	"How should I know?  I'm not a nanny."
	"Sheesh.  Just asking," Cyclonis started down another corridor.  
"Maybe Sideways's is in his quarters."
	"He's -never- in his quarters," Starscream piped.
	"Does he even have quarters?" Wheeljack asked, coming up 
behind the two.
	"Don't do that!" Cyclonis snapped in agitation.  It wasn't the 
first time Wheeljack had startled him.  Seemed he had a habit of doing 
it, whether he meant to or not.
	"What are you two doing?" Wheeljack questioned, catching up 
to them.
	"We're going to Earth," Cyclonis responded.
	"To search for that minicon again?" Wheeljack asked exasperated.
	"Megatron wants to bother the Autobots," Starscream told him 
pointedly.
	"Would you two quit your yapping and help me look?  If we're 
late, I'm telling Megatron it was your faults," Cyclonis growled.  
	"Sure."
	"Whatever."
	Arriving at the branch with everyone's quarters, Cyclonis 
started checking the rooms.  The first was Wheeljack's, but why bother?  
It was skipped over as he proceeded to Starscream's room and opened 
the door.  "What are you doing?" Starscream snapped.  There was no 
reason for him to look in there with Starscream standing right beside 
him.
	"Just checking to make sure you didn't leave your brain in 
there," Cyclonis piped, moving on to the next room.  
	Starscream shut the door with a loud growl.  "If we weren't 
already summoned for a mission, I'd do something about you."
	"What's stopping ya'?" Cyclonis opened Sideways's quarters.  
"Ya' in here Sideways?"  
	Sure enough, it was empty - and devoid of anything else for 
that matter - not even a scrap of trash or a trinket anywhere.  Just 
four bare metal walls and a sleep-cycle platform.  They stared into 
the room for a moment, all three silently slightly creeped out before 
Wheeljack hastily reached over and pressed the button to close the 
door.  They all started to walk down the hall again.  How could 
someone stay in a place that was so...sterile...lifeless....
	"That's not normal..." Cyclonis said after a moment.
	"How do you know anything about normal?" Wheeljack asked.
	"What's that supposed to mean?" Cyclonis turned to Wheeljack 
agitated, who only smiled back at him.  Starscream chuckled from 
Cyclonis's other side.  "Aw, forget it," he growled, going up to 
Demolisher's quarters.  Upon opening the door, the group was assaulted 
by some of the loudest snoring they'd ever heard.  Demolisher was 
curled up on his sleep-cycle platform, making enough noise to drown out 
one of their battles with the Autobots.
	"This is something I'd expect from YOU!" Starscream told 
Cyclonis, covering his auditory receptors along with the others.
	"Hey Demolisher!  Wake up! Come on, WAKE UP ALREADY!" Cyclonis 
yelled unsuccessfully.  Demolisher rolled over and started snoring 
again, not waking up once.  Wheeljack looked around the corridor.  
Nearby on the floor he found a chunk of metal laying around.  He hurled 
it into Demolisher's room, hitting the tank on the forehead.
	"AHHHH!  AMBUSH! TAKE COVER FROM THE-..huh?" After taking a 
moment to realize there were in fact no Autobots, and- why did his head 
hurt?- Demolisher looked around while rubbing his head, spotting the 
others.  "Oh, hey guys. . . . What are you doing here?"
	"Megatron's taking us on another fieldtrip to Earth," Wheeljack 
informed him, the group moving on again.  Demolisher got off his bed 
and caught up to the group as they stopped outside of Cyclonis's room.
	"What are we doing -now-?" Wheeljack asked as Cyclonis 
disappeared into his own room.
	"I'm, uh...just checking on something..." Cyclonis said 
cautiously.
	"Do you mean those cheep femmebot magazines you hide that 
everyone knows about except Megatron?" Starscream asked blatantly.
	"They're not cheep, and now I think I know who's been 
stealing them!" Cyclonis accused, coming out of his quarters.
	"Why would I want yours?  I have my own, and they're a lot 
better," Starscream countered.
	"How come I've never found them?" Cyclonis asked, 
confused.  He'd been through Starscream's stuff dozens of times.
	"Because I don't hide them in an obvious spot like you do!"
	"Cyclonis has femmebot magazines?" Wheeljack asked, 
sounding as though it was a revelation.  Starscream and Cyclonis 
glanced at Wheeljack, then looked away.
	"Congratulations Demolisher, you're not the dumbest one in 
the group."
	"Thanks Starscream....I think..." Demolisher said, not 
sure he processed the full meaning of the phrase.  Wheeljack 
glared at Starscream, but he and Cyclonis were already moving on.  
Next stop- Thrust's room.  Opening the door, they were once again 
rewarded to find absolutely nothing.
	"Big surprise." Starscream muttered.  He looked around the 
room.  It was pretty dull, but still no comparison to Sideways's 
creepily empty lair.  The only thing decorating the wall was 
various maps, technical data, and old battle plans.  Starscream 
noticed a corner of something hanging out of a drawer in Thrust's 
desk.
	"My magazine!!" Cyclonis exclaimed, rushing in their and 
snatching it up. "Ooooh!  Just wait until I get my hands on 
Thrust..." Cyclonis growled.
	"What are you DOING?"
	The whole group turned around, startled.  They were 
expecting to see Thrust, but instead found Sideways.
	"Where've you been?" Cyclonis asked.
	"What ARE you holding?" Sideways asked, his optics falling 
to the magazine Cyclonis was clutching.  Immediately remembering his 
'literature', Cyclonis hid it behind his back.
	"Uh, nothing, nothing..."
	"Oh, one of your magazines," Sideways realized.  Cyclonis's 
expression turned to that of annoyance.  "Starscream's are better," 
Sideways added.
	"WHAT?!" Starscream exclaimed, realizing his secret stash 
had been compromised.
	"Aren't we supposed to be doing something?" Demolisher 
asked to the entire group.
	"Oh yeah!  We've got to hurry.  Megatron's having us get on 
the move again!" Cyclonis remembered.  He bolted back to his room, 
depositing his magazine, then hurrying up the corridor towards the 
throne room, followed by the others at a slower pace.  Just as he 
almost reached it, though, Thrust came out.
	"What has been taking you so long?  Lord Megatron and I 
have been waiting a -very- long time," Thrust said to them.  
Cyclonis silently glared at the jet.  "Well? What are you waiting 
for? Hurry it up!" Thrust snapped, reentering the throne room."
	"I'll get you Thrust..." Cyclonis growled quietly in 
agitation, heading forward along with the others.



- {Location: Canyon area} -


	Optimus walked along with Hotshot and Alexis, heading towards the 
meeting point.  Blur and Rad had reported in a while ago, unable to 
locate the minicon again.  The current plan now was to regroup and 
start searching again.  As they continued on their route, Optimus 
looked up, spotting a red and white object.
	"What do you think that is?" Hotshot asked, also having seen it.  
When he spoke up, though, the object squeaked and moved away quickly. 
Optimus tried to dash over towards it, but it slipped into a crevice in 
the rocks, evading him.
	"Was that the minicon?" Alexis asked with urgency.
	"Aw man, did you see how fast it bolted?" Hotshot said in 
disbelief.
	"It really IS afraid of us," Optimus said with a worried wonder.  
If they couldn't get close to it, they wouldn't be able to protect it 
from the Decepticons...
	While Optimus pondered what to do, the other Autobots began to 
filter into the area.  "Any luck with the minicon yet?" Smokescreen 
called to Blur as they arrived.
	"No, we still haven't found it again yet."
	"We just saw it, but it bolted on us too," Hotshot informed the 
rest of the group.
	"We'll never get it at this rate!" Jetfire complained aloud.
	"Maybe we shouldn't be going after it," Aero Blade said, stepping 
up.  He was uneasy, swaying back and forth on his feet a bit.  He wasn't 
sure if it was his place to speak up.  "What I mean is... well... if we 
can't catch it, maybe the Decepticons won't be able to either..."
	Jetfire turned to Aero Blade.  "That is the most -ridiculous- 
thing I've ever heard!" he exclaimed.  Aero Blade visibly flinched, 
meekly stepping back.
	"JETFIRE!" Hotshot snapped.  He'd seen Aero Blade's expression - 
it was almost like Jetfire had slapped him in the face.
	"Everyone calm down!" Optimus announced firmly, immediately 
taking control of the situation.  He sighed slightly, calming himself 
down as well.  Jetfire had a tendency to overreact, and most everyone 
ignored it, but Aero Blade hadn't been around long enough to know this.  
"Everyone calm down," Optimus repeated at a much lower tone, making sure 
he had everyone's attention.  "As much as I'd like to let the minicon go 
and do whatever it wants, it won't be safe for the minicon.  If the 
Decepticons discover it, they won't stop until they get it, and they 
will be far less caring in their attempts.  We need to capture that 
minicon for it's own safety..."
	Aero Blade, now hidden at the back of the group, sighed silently.  
Optimus talked as though he was addressing the whole group, but Aero 
Blade realized he was actually talking to him personally.  'I just don't 
understand this...' He thought silently to himself.  He looked up as 
Optimus continued to talk to the group, as a whole this time.  He seemed 
to be laying out a new strategy for locating the minicon.  'There must 
be another way to help these minicons.  We don't have the right to force 
them to come against their wills.  I know Optimus wants to help them, 
but what about what they want?'  Aero Blade listened as Optimus further 
explain the plan.  Seemed he wanted them to find the minicon, then 
corner it.  
	Aero Blade looked up to the sky.  He could understand about 
gathering the minicons while they were still hibernating, but once they 
had already awaken it seemed to be a completely different matter to him.  
'We can protect them, but which is more important?  Their safety...or 
their freedom...?'


	From the cover of a high plateau, Megatron silently observed the 
Autobots.  They were planning something, that was obvious.  The problem 
was figuring out what...
	"Aw, what are we waiting around for? Let's ambush them while 
they're not looking!" Cyclonis called, eager for action.
	"Shut your trap," Thrust snapped, turning back towards observing 
the Autobots as well.  "We have to learn what the Autobots are up to, 
then we'll be able to decide what to do next," he explained with a 
growl.  Sideways moved to another higher spot, seeming more interested 
in each individual Autobot than what they were doing.
	"What are you up to Sideways?" Starscream asked, coming part of 
the distance over to his new position.
	"Where's that new Autobot?" Sideways called, still looking around 
the group.  "I can't see him."
	"They might not have brought him..." Starscream thought aloud, 
looking over the Autobots himself.  "There, near the back of the group," 
Starscream said while pointed.  Sideways looked in that direction.
	"Ah, I see him now.." Sideways responded, watching just Aero 
Blade now.  Megatron turned his own attention to that spot as well, also 
observing the technician.
	For a long time the silent observations pursued, up to the point 
that Cyclonis started fidgeting.  He wasn't exactly one to just sit 
still and plan log-drawn our strategies like the others.
	"Starscream..."  The group was slightly startled back from 
observation at Megatron's voice. "..Go around their west flank.  
Cyclonis, northeast; Thrust, southeast.  Sideways, Wheeljack, go around 
to the northern canyon pass entrance; Demolisher, you're at the 
southwestern pass.  I'll be at the east.  Flyers keep to ledges, 
grounders guard the passes.  No one escapes once we close the circle.  
The attack begins when I give the signal," Megatron uttered quietly, 
making absolutely sure that no-one aside from his troops heard the 
battle plan.
	"We're ambushing the Autobots?" Cyclonis asked excitedly.
	"No two ways about it..." Megatron answered, a sinister smile on 
his face.





*	*	*	*
*  Ch.3 - Complications	*
*	*	*	*



	Peeking very carefully around the corner, Wheeljack had an almost 
irresistibly clear shot at Optimus, but he held off at firing.  Megatron 
had given very clear orders that they weren't supposed to start until 
given signal to, and he wasn't about to disobey orders.  Wheeljack 
glanced once at Sideways who had chosen a spot up on top of a large 
boulder.  Natural erosion had made a perfect spot for the smaller 
Decepticon to have a good vantage point for shooting and still 
remaining hidden while lying down.  Sideways seemed to be studying the 
Autobot's movements, so Wheeljack decided to do so as well.  They 
couldn't do much at the moment anyways...
	Sideways was indeed studying the enemy, but also thinking at the 
same time about everyone's placements.  Sideways wondered why Megatron 
hadn't put himself at this spot, so that he himself could open fire on 
Optimus.  Instead, the Decepticon Leader had put himself nearest to 
where the Autobot Tech was.  'What are you up to Megatron...' Sideways 
thought to himself.  'Will we finally find out about your little 
acquaintance with that Autobot?'
	The most plausible explanation to Sideways seemed to be that 
perhaps this 'Aero Blade' had crossed Megatron at one point.  Megatron 
was very vengeful, but something still didn't seem to add up.  Megatron 
didn't behave as though he hated the Autobot.  Sideways shook his head, 
dragging his attention away from the distracting thoughts.  He needed to 
concentrate on the battle for the moment.  Megatron behaving unusually 
didn't mean a thing, the guy was nuts, or nearly so.  Sideways chuckled 
to himself.  He'd be worried if Megatron did anything -normal-.
	'Back to the battle...' Sideways thought silently, taking aim at 
Optimus.



	"So does everyone understand the plan?" Optimus asked, receiving 
various yes's.  "Remember, stay in vehicle mode and try not to vocalize 
unless to call for backup once you've located it.  This minicon is 
very skittish and easily frightened.  We don't want to do anything to 
scare it until we're sure it won't escape on us," Optimus answered, 
giving a final summary of the plan to be sure.
	"Optimus, what will we do if we don't find the minicon?" Rad 
asked.  Chances were, by now it could have been long gone.
	"I'm pretty sure it's still hanging around here," Optimus told 
the human boy. "There's lots of available places for it to hide as 
it's been doing already.  It's only a matter of finding those spots."
	"Well I can't wait to get on the move again!  Can't stand 
standing still," Jetfire said, dignifying his remark by stretching his 
joints.
	"Yeah, we need to hurry up.  No telling how much more time we got 
before any unwanted guests arrive," Hotshot said, looking around warily.  
He hadn't detected any Decepticons yet, but sensors weren't foolproof.
	"Alright then, let's move out," Optimus called to the group.  As 
he did so, though, something caught his eye.  He turned in time to see 
a flare launched off into the air and ignite with a bright light, 
followed by the sound of laser fire.  Pure high-strung reflexes 
developed from paranoia of constantly being in battle lately was the 
only thing that just barely got Optimus out of the way of the shots.  
He immediately took cover, along with everyone else.  Optimus returned 
fire, but it was hard to see where the shots were coming from.  It 
seemed to be coming from all sides, and his area of rocks were only 
giving so much cover.
	After a few intense moments of firing at the invisible opponents 
all alone, Smokescreen stumbled towards Optimus's location.  Optimus 
reached out a hand, pulling him into the hiding spot as well.  "Slag it!  
How did they get so close?  They're ambushing us from all sides!  I try 
to see where I can fire at one guy, I get shot in the back by another!" 
Smokescreen exclaimed.
	"Did you see where the others went?" Optimus asked, ducking a 
laser shot as it flew by.  Smokescreen ducked as well.
	"Everyone ducked for cover the second the flare went off.  
Couldn't see where everyone went because of that thing either," 
Smokescreen responded in agitation at the Decepticons.  "Optimus, what 
are we going to do?"
	"Sit tight and save our energy.  We can't do much if we don't have 
a target..." Optimus answered over the din of the lasers.  "If we could 
just find one of them..." Optimus thought out loud.
	Up on his ledge, Cyclonis watched eagerly as the Autobots tried 
to evade the rain of lasers.  Cyclonis laughed out loud.  "No use trying 
to hide!  We have ya all surrounded!" the copter taunted, firing in the 
direction where he last saw Blur.
	Blur, ducked behind his rocks, had one of the most agitated look 
that a transformer could have on his face.  "If I had just one clear 
shot..." He growled to himself, holding his riffle ready.  He was 
beginning to loose his temper with Cyclonis's voice.
	"Come on out and play, you stupid little Autobots!  Come out so I 
can blast you all into tiny little...-AHHH!"
	Blur blinked in confusion as he heard a scream, then a loud thud.  
After a moment he turned and looked over the rocks.  Cyclonis was laying 
on the ground, dazed and with a smoking shoulder.  Optimus and 
Smokescreen were looking out from behind their own rocks at Cyclonis as 
well.
	"Nice shot, sir..." Smokescreen said, sounding in disbelief.
	"I wasn't sure what I was aiming at..." Optimus admitted.
	"Incompetent idiot," Thrust muttered.  "He should have kept his 
voice down!"  As he said that, though, he had to duck as a laser shot 
past his head.  Hotshot and Sideswipe had spotted him, and now were 
opening fire for all they're worth.  Thrust sat back down behind his 
rock with a growl, waiting for the laser fire to stop.  As he waited, 
though, something caught his attention.  Quite a distance away, a small 
red and white minicon watched the battle, trembling.
	"There you are..." Thrust breathed quietly, focusing in on the 
minicon, forgetting about the Autobots.  They didn't matter in the 
slightest, not any more...  Staying low and ducked under the view of 
the Autobots, Thrust slowly crept towards the minicon.  As he drew 
close, though a stray laser bolt crashed into the rocks near by to the 
minicon.  Spooked by the flying debris, the minicon took off, leaving 
Thrust alone in a shower of rocks and sand.  Thrust growled with 
frustration, unable to see what direction the minicon had gone.  It did 
seem to have seen him, but it didn't matter any more now that it was 
gone.  Thrust's anger growing, he turned his attention back to the 
Autobots, opening fire.

	Aero Blade tried to look out from his shelter, trying to spot 
his allies, the enemy shooting at him, anything.  So many lasers were 
bouncing around and kicking up so much dust nearby that he could hardly 
see.  He didn't dare shoot, not without a clear target, not that he 
even -wanted- to shoot.  He silently wished he was back at the base 
doing maintenance work.
	Aero Blade ducked back behind the rocks as a couple of lasers 
passed too closely to him from unknown sources.  He backed up, trying 
to think of something he could do.  He only got a few seconds of 
thought before an extra sound disturbed him.  Aero Blade had heard some 
rocks crumbling.  With all the other noise of the battle going on, 
others wouldn't have paid much attention, but the sound had been 
close by.
	"Who- who's there?" Aero Blade called.  No other sounds persisted, 
but his anxiety was still growing.  Aero Blade slowly got up from his 
hiding place, creeping away from the battle and closer to where the 
sound originated.  As he drew closer, he heard the sound again, 
guiding him towards it's location.  He agonizingly slowly turned a 
corner around some boulders, finally locating the source of the sound.  
There was a slope covered with sand and rocks, rather unstably piled 
on top of each other.  The laser fire was vibrating the boulders, 
knocking the smaller rocks loose.
	Aero Blade sighed, chiding himself for overacting.  He was 
letting himself get spooked by a bunch of rocks, of all things.  As he 
prepared to head back to look for his allies, another sound reached 
him.  A chill went down Aero Blade's spinal relays as he slowly began 
to turn around.  The new sound hadn't been the rocks, it had been 
metallic.  Fully turned around, the Tech now saw the source of the 
newest sound.  "Megatron..." Aero Blade whispered quietly to himself, 
standing absolutely still.
	Megatron's gaze was firmly focused on the transformer before 
him.  Yes, it was Aero Blade - he hadn't changed in the slightest - not 
physically, anyways.  He watched the Tech's movements, or lack there 
of, simply studying him.  After what seemed like a long time, Megatron 
took a step forward, slowly approaching the Tech.  Aero Blade slowly 
started backing away in response, then after a few steps, turned and 
bolted, running from the Decepticon Lord.  Megatron was immediately 
after him, not allowing  the young transformer to evade him.
	Aero Blade didn't get too far before he found himself tumbling 
to the ground after tripping over a small boulder.  As he slowly began 
to try to get to his feet, Megatron continued to approach him, back to 
a walking pace again.  Megatron stopped beside the fallen transformer, 
looking down on him as Aero Blade looked back up, sitting up on his 
elbows.  Megatron studied him for a moment longer, then reached for 
the smaller transformer.

	Hotshot exchanged fire with Demolisher, attempting to nail the 
Decepticon without getting himself fried in the process, but it 
unfortunately wasn't working.  He'd wait for Demolisher to stop firing 
so he could lean out from behind the rocks and fire back at him, 
letting off several quick shots before ducking back again to dodge 
Demolisher's return fire.  He could probably take him out using a 
shot from his axle cannon, with assistance from Jolt, but he never had 
enough time to aim properly before having to get out of the way.
	"Man, there's gotta be something we can do to get this guy!" 
Hotshot told Jolt.
	"Well at least no-one else's firing at us any more," Jolt 
noted.
	"Yeah, but we lost Sideswipe somewhere..." Hotshot added.  
Some time ago they'd had at least two Decepticons firing at them, and 
it at one point separated Hotshot and Sideswipe from each other.  
Demolisher had kept targeting Hotshot, but the other guy/s seemed to 
have gone after Sideswipe.  "Hope Wheeljack wasn't one of them..." 
Hotshot said to himself.
	"Hotshot, look!" Jolt exclaimed.  Hotshot looked in the 
direction the minicon indicated, recognizing what Jolt meant 
instantly- Aero Blade on the ground with Megatron approaching.  
Without even having to talk to each other, Jolt power-linked with 
Hotshot.  Nothing obstructing his view, Hotshot had a clear shot at 
Megatron.  He fired off his Axle cannon, nailing Megatron right 
before he could take hold of Aero Blade.
	Aero Blade scrambled to his feet, getting away from Megatron 
before he lost the opportunity to do so, but Demolisher also spotted 
the commotion.  While he tried to fire on Aero Blade, Hotshot began 
to take shots at Demolisher again, giving Aero Blade enough time to 
take cover with him behind the rocks.
	"Man!  You're really popular on the Decepticon hit list!" 
Hotshot exclaimed as he peeked out behind the rocks.  Demolisher was 
helping Megatron to his feet, and Megatron did not look happy...
	"They...always go for the weakest target, I guess..."  Aero 
Blade answered, trying to catch his breath.  
	"You're not a weak target," Hotshot told him, watching the 
Decepticons a moment longer.  "I don't think they saw where we 
went," Hotshot said quietly.  He ducked back behind the rocks, 
making sure he wouldn't give away their position.  Sitting down 
beside him, Hotshot could tell that Aero Blade was shaking from 
what had just happened.  Hotshot knew what it was like to go 
through that - Megatron had caught him more than once before - but the 
incident in the Artic stood out most in his memory.  Megatron had 
gotten a hold of him, then used him to try to bait Red Alert.  
Luckily things had turned out alright, but they could have been much 
worse.
	After a while, they heard heavy metal footsteps slowly 
getting quieter, as though leaving the area.  They sat there quietly, 
listening the sounds of the not too distant battle.  A few moments 
longer and Hotshot got up, looking over the rocks.  Megatron and 
Demolisher were gone.  "Okay, let's go before they come back," 
Hotshot told the others.  Aero Blade got to his feet and Jolt took 
up a position on Hotshot's shoulder before they took off, back 
towards the battle.

	".....Time to move again..."
	Sideswipe very slowly crept back behind the boulder he was 
looking out from.  Wheeljack was slowly prowling towards the location, 
examining all the possible hiding spots in this area.  Sideswipe knelt 
down, holding out his hands so the kids and their minicons could climb 
on.  Some time ago when he'd gotten separated from Hotshot, Sideswipe 
had managed to come across them along with Red Alert who was watching 
them, but then he'd gotten lost somewhere and now Sideswipe was 
guarding them.
	"Oh what could make this day any worse.  I can't find anyone 
for long..." Sideswipe muttered, peeking around to check Wheeljack's 
position.
	"Don't say that, dude.  You'll jinx it," Carlos told him.
	"Carlos, get real.  You can't 'jinx' anything," Alexis 
scolded.
	"Uh, Alexis..." Rad called anxiously as the minicons started 
making a commotion.  Sideswipe turned around to the kids and minicons 
in his arms to see what was upsetting them, then found himself 
looking down the barrel of one of Sideway's weapons.  
	Sideways chuckled sinisterly.  "Well now, what do you say 
you hand over those minicons?" the Decepticon ordered, very slowly 
charging up his weapon.
	"How about not?" A voice called.  Sideways froze, unsure of 
where the voice came from.  It was near by, but not extremely close.  
Out of the corner of his optics he caught a movement and a glimpse 
of blue.  Judging from the position and distance, it had to be 
Blur.  And knowing the power of that rifle and Blur's skills as a 
excellent marksman, he also realize that at this distance, that made 
him as good as a heap of shrapnel...
	"Slag..." Sideways muttered, his optics narrowing in 
annoyance.  Sideswipe sighed with relief.
	"Turn around nice and easy," Blur called, keeping his riffle 
trained on the Decepticon.  Sideways did so, his agitated look still 
remaining.  "Now get your hands up," Blur growled.  "And no funny 
stuff," he warned.  About halfway through Sideways doing this, 
though, Blur noticed the light glow coming from one of his weapons.  
"Huh?" was all he had time to mutter before Sideways took the 
opportunity and fired off his weapon.  The shot missed, but it was 
all the distraction Sideways needed to get away.
	"BLUR!  Are you alright?!" Sideswipe exclaimed, running over 
to him while being careful not to drop the kids.  Blur straightened 
up with a growl, looking around for any sign of Sideways.
	"I'm alright," Blur muttered. "We'd better find the others," 
he added, becoming aware of a change in the sound of laser fire.  It 
was all concentrating into one area now, and it began to worry him.
"This battle's not over yet..."





*	*	*	*
*  Ch.4 - Loose Ends	*
*	*	*	*



	"HURRY UP AND DESTROY THOSE ANNOYING AUTOBOTS!!" Megatron 
roared.  He'd been unable to discover what the Autobots were up 
to, and now he was loosing his temper.  On a stroke of luck, 
though, they'd managed to hem in some of the Autobots, including 
Optimus.  "Just keep firing, men.  It's only a matter of time 
before their little shelter is nothing but a pile of pebbles!" 
Megatron added somewhat more cheerfully.
	"I can't take this any more!!  We gotta attack!  Let's 
go out there and get them!!" Jetfire snarled.
	"Ungh...trust me Jetfire...ya' don't want to do that...
unless you'e planning on joining me down here..." Smokescreen 
groaned.
	"Please don't move," Red Alert told Smokescreen, continuing 
to patch up the damage in the warrior's midsection.  Smokescreen 
had tried charging out there earlier and received a blast from 
Megatron's laser cannon as a reward for his courage.
	"Stay down Jetfire.  There's too many of them and too few 
of us.  All we can do is wait for reinforcements," Optimus 
ordered.
	"I'm not sure how much longer our shelter can hold out, 
sir..." Scavanger reported.
	"If it doesn't then we're in for some major trouble," 
Optimus responded.
	Sideways headed towards the sound of the laser fire, 
knowing the other Decepticons would be near by.  Once he spotted 
them, Sideways bee-lined straight for Megatron.  "Megatron, Sir!  
Autobots from the rear!  They could be here any moment!" Sideways 
reported.
	Megatron turned towards the direction Sideways had come 
from.  Away in the distance he could make out the forms of Blur 
and Sideswipe coming.  "Blast," Megatron growled, turning back 
towards the location where Optimus was trapped, considering 
options.  If they stayed put, then the Autobots were going to 
surround them.  He looked once more in the other direction, 
spotting two more Autobots on the way.  Megatron gave an 
agitated but helpless growl.  "All Decepticons retreat," Megatron 
announced.
	Blur rushed towards the battle field, hoping he wasn't 
too late to help.  Just as he arrived, though, the Decepticons 
began to pull out.  Ignoring the Decepticons, Blur kept going 
rushing over to the other Autobots.  "Is everyone alright?" 
Blur asked urgently.
	"Nothing that can't be fixed," Red Alert responded, 
helping Scavanger to support Smokescreen. "What about you guys?  
Are all of you intact?" he asked as Hotshot and Aero Blade 
arrived on the spot.
	Hotshot nodded.  "We're alright.  A little shaken, maybe.."
	"Optimus!  Over there!" Sideswipe called all of the 
sudden, followed by a feeble attempt to indicate a direction.  
Still holding onto the kids and the minicons, the gesture was 
hardly noticed, but Optimus spotted what Sideswipe meant.
	"The minicon!" Optimus exclaimed, spotting it over at 
one of the branches of the canyon.  Having been seen, the 
minicon squeaked in terror and bolted.  There was a bit of 
commotion as the Autobots hurriedly attempted to get organized, 
but Aero Blade was closest to the canyon and hanging back 
somewhat from the group, and was already over there before 
anyone else began to move.
	"Hold off!!  Hold off!  It's not going to do much better 
for us all to go chasing after it," Optimus ordered.  "Several 
of us going after it will just make it even more scared than it 
already is," he told them.
	Aero Blade continued down the rock passage, barely 
aware of Optimus's distant voice.  He walked along the side, 
running his hand along the rock surface, looking down at the 
ground.  Why was he going after the minicon?  Isn't this what 
he'd been in protest to?  Catching an unwilling minicon?  
Aero Blade looked up, hearing a quiet, scared chirp.  
	Scrunched into a corner, the minicon whimpered 
pathetically, trembling.  Another big guy was getting close, and 
he was out of places to run.  The little red minicon closed his 
eyes, waiting for what was to come... but when nothing happened, 
he slowly opened his eyes again.
	Aero Blade sat down keeping his distance from the 
minicon.  He watched the little guy, feeling sorry for it, for 
all the minicons.
	"I know you must be so scared, so many of us crude, ugly 
giants coming after you.  All you really want to do is be left 
alone..." Aero Blade spoke quietly.  "This place is so big.. 
so different... no-one around you know, who you can talk to..."
	The minicon watched the big guy, somewhat confused.  
It was odd... the big guy seemed like he was talking to him, 
but also to himself as well, and his eyes... they were sad...
	Aero Blade looked up, hearing some sounds.  The Autobots 
were coming; they were probably wondering if something had 
happened to him.  Aero Blade stood up, looking in that direction.  
He looked one more time at the minicon, then turned back, 
walking back down the canyon passage.

	Optimus lead the Autobots up the canyon, looking for 
signs of Aero Blade.  It had been quite a while with no sounds; 
he worried that the Decepticons might have circled back for 
another try.  After a moment though, Aero Blade appeared around 
the corner, walking towards them.  He seemed rather down-trodden.
	"Aero Blade, is anything wrong?" Optimus asked.
	"No, no, nothing's the matter," Aero Blade answered.
	"Did you get the minicon?!" Jetfire asked, somewhat more 
forcefully than necessary.  Optimus thought he caught a quick 
glare of annoyance from Aero Blade, but it disappeared too 
quickly to be sure.
	"No, the minicon got away.  It slipped through a crack 
in the wall," he answered, looking away from the group.
	"Aw no.  We'll be at this forever!" Hotshot cried.
	"Come on, I think we've had enough for today.  Let's 
head back to base," Optimus instructed.
	"Yes, I think we could all use some rest," Red Alert 
added.
	That matter settled, the Autobots started to warp out.  
Once everyone else disappeared, Aero Blade pause without 
continuing on immediately.  Aero Blade looked around the empty 
canyon, listening to the sound of the wind blowing through.  
Aero Blade slowly turned around, pausing a moment longer, then 
warped out as well.




~End-------------

      E-mail me at Fox1098216@aol.com
      http://www.angelfire.com/ab/FountainIsland/