SNOWBLAST POV

I was out of the Firehouse before dawn the next morning, sneaking past my slumbering parent and knowing that he'd be looking for me the second he woke up, but I needed to get out. The tension was building in my wings, and I needed to let the wind beat it out.

The remaining stars greeted me as I reached the rooftop and then lifted off, flying up higher and higher until the clouds were below me. The moon was nearing the horizon, about to dip into the churning ocean. From this height, I could feel the sharp gusts and ever-chilling air that came from the northwest... A storm was rolling in.

Not surprising, Father Winter never did like to let spring go by without one surprise storm. I had to appreciate these cold winds while I could; soon summer would be here, and I'd be spending more of my time grounded and trying not to overheat.

I shifted direction, gliding on the gusts until I'd reached the top of Mount Griffin. I folded in my wings and landed beside the giant rock for which the island got its name, taking a moment to scrub my helm clean of dirt with my hands. As the moon sunk and the horizon began to lighten just a little, I could make out the tiny outline of Wayward Island.

Ah, the elusive next save point on the way through the archipelago.

Da never let me leave the island without at least two adults with me, and even then it wasn't much further than the sandbars that rimmed the edges of the shore and that the lighthouse warned mariners about. I had brief, fleeting memories of going to Dino Island as a tiny sparkling, but not since then, and to reach Oaken Crow Island would be an adventure.

I'd begged Da to take me out to Wayward Island many a time, but he was always too busy, and Primus forbid if I decided to go by myself, he'd never let me leave the Firehouse again!

It hardly seemed fair. Downpour went off-shore with Uncle Heatwave in his boat form, Chase and the twins would groundbridge off to the Mainland on Daytona Beach at night, and I only saw Bumblebee or any of his team if they came here, I'd never been to the Mainland.

Crown City, to get that far ever... I'd be content just to see it once and never again.

My attention was caught by the town beginning to awaken, and I took off from the summit once more. I wondered if the Harrises were stirring yet...and then I remembered what I'd realized the night before. Cassie had sparked.

I returned to the Firehouse, settling down on the Helicopter Pad like I'd been there the whole time. I folded my wings together and then closed my optics, letting my conscious wander... It was time to go undercover.

My holoform was one of my few luxuries, I could walk about the town without ever actually leaving the Firehouse, which suited Da just fine. Short blond hair, a pair of jeans and a blue sweatshirt were my attire, and my vision returned as I appeared at the bottom of the Firehouse wall. Shoes were something I still struggled with, though somehow imagining myself with human toes was a piece of cake, so I ran barefoot down the cold, misty sidewalk.

I crossed the street and settled close to the bushes under the street light, facing the front of the Harris household. Plopping down on the sidewalk, I began to quickly scribble down my findings in cybertronian text into the notebook that materialized into my hand.

Day 1. Cassie Harris has caught my attention. She stands just over seven feet in height I'd guess, and yesterday during the Squilsh incident, I could have sworn I saw her spark, like faulty mechanics spark. That isn't normal for humans, at least I don't think it is. I'd need to do some research, there are so many things I don't know about human women simply because I'm too afraid to ask.

I looked up as I heard a bicycle bell, and I waved as a couple of kids rode past, their backpacks on their backs, or in the baskets of their bikes. They waved to me, and then waved up at the top window of the Harris House.

I looked up and saw her standing there at the window, watching the kids going by as well. Did she see me? Would she be suspicious? Of course not, she didn't know it was me that was watching her...

...Wow, that sounded bad once I said it.

Still, I knew her eyes had fallen on me, and as she turned to look back behind her, I disappeared into the bushes. That was too close. Still, these bushes reminded me of something... Oh, Primus. The guy running away from the lab!

I snapped back into my own body, my optics opening wide. I hurried to the elevator and hopped in it, the loud beeping of its descent echoing through the garage. Uncle Heatwave was standing in the middle of the garage, practicing his martial arts when I rushed out. "Uncle Heatwave! I have something I needed to tell you yesterday, but then the whole Squilsh thing happened and the thing with Cassie Harris and so I forgot until just now, so-"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Heatwave grabbed my shoulders, "Take a chill pill, Snowy...Now what is it?"

I was quiet for a moment, fiddling through my visual recall, trying to focus on the shape running through the trees. "There...There was a man at the lab yesterday. I saw him running away from it when I was flying over."

"Did he have anything from the lab with him?"

"I don't know... He was in the trees when I noticed him. I was gonna let someone know, but that was when the Squilsh decided to break loose!"

"Or it was set free on purpose as a diversion... They'd be long gone by now."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. The safety of the public comes first, always remember that... Now, get downstairs. Your dad's been wondering about you."

"Yes sir."

I hurried to the lift, not even waiting until it was all the way down before jumping off and landing on the floor.

"There you are!" Da exclaimed as I came around the corner, "Where'd you go? You know I don't like it when you leave without telling me!"

"I went up and glided around the cliffs for a few minutes, that's all." I argued, "Seriously Da, I'm a big bot now, I can walk around the island by myself just fine."

"I know... I've just been so frustrated and stressed ever since Madeline got out of prison...Again."

"It's weird..."

I looked over to where Jolt was situated on the couch, "I've been keeping an eye on Pynch Enterprises, and I don't know where she's coming up with the money for bail. The business is going in the tank!"

"How're you feeling, Jolt?"

"Much better, thank you. I was seriously having a breakdown in there, I'll tell you what!" Jolt grinned, "I heard you saved Officer Harris' daughter yesterday, nice job."

"Yeah well..." My fans flared as I felt myself blushing, "...It was the right thing to do."

"Oh please," Downpour muttered, "You panicked, plain and simple!"

"Oh yeah, and what were you doing in all of this, Downy?"

"Alright alright that's enough." Da interrupted, "We're all very proud of Snowy for his actions, let's move on to today... Get on your chores, the garage is a mess."

I gave a nod and snatched up a broom, but paused when I saw Downpour's scowl. "...Look, about yesterday-"

"Just forget it, Snow..." She hissed, "...It's not your fault you're right."

"Right?... Right about what?"

My cousin didn't respond and instead rushed off towards the elevator. It seemed that discovering her words' meaning would have to wait... As would uncovering the mystery of that man at the lab.

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Cassie POV

Dad told me that we didn't need to go anywhere today, and that was just fine with me. After breakfast, Rita and I retreated to her room to work on unpacking her stuff, and I couldn't help but notice just how many more boxes she had than I did.

"Did you pack the wallpaper and carpet too?" I teased, opening one box and pulling out a stack of books.

"I'm a collector, you know that." Rita defended, "So, what do you want to do today? We could check out the park."

"Frankly, I'd rather just crash here for today. Yesterday was a little too much action for me."

"You sure you're not just avoiding seeing him again?"

I barely caught myself from tossing a thick book at my sister's head. "No! I'll thank him for saving me eventually...When I know what to say."

"You say, 'Hi, I'm Cassiopeia. Thanks for saving me back there.' It's not that hard."

"You're having a much easier time talking to the giant, sentient, alien robots than I am, Ree. Their glowing eyes... It's like they're staring into my soul, and I...I don't know what they'd see."

My sister placed her hands on my shoulders as best she could with our height difference, "How about a sweet girl who has powers they might be able to help with...?"

"You want me to just announce my mechanics just like that? No way!"

I whipped around, slamming the books down on the top of the dresser. "I...I've never told anyone...! I promised never to tell anyone when I was five...!"

"Cass, I think we both know that your little spurts of energy are only getting worse. They're going to find out eventually..."

"But what if they're like Mom and Dad are always worrying about? What if they decide to do experiments on me? They don't know what it's like to be this small, organic form that can be crushed in their grip!"

Neither one of us spoke for a while, continuing to unload boxes and put up my sister's belongings. I couldn't help but wonder if maybe she was right though; I couldn't keep this under wraps for much longer. Every day it felt closer to the surface...

"Hey girls!"

I looked up from one box as Dad peeked his head into the room, "I'm headed back down to the Firehouse so Chief Burns and I can go on patrol. Apparently one of the bots saw something yesterday that might be a clue to the break-in."

"Okay Dad." I managed a smile, but from his expression it must not be very convincing. "Could you... Could you tell Snowblast 'thank you' for me if you see him?"

Dad smirked, "It would be more meaningful coming from you, Cass...But sure."

He came in and gave both of us kisses on the cheek, and then hurried back out. "See you girls later!"

"Bye, Dad!" Rita called, and then her gaze shifted to me. "He's got a point..."

"Ugh...Fine. After lunch, I'll go over there. If he's not there then, then I guess I'll just-"

"Cass."

I sighed, plopping down onto Rita's sleeping bag. This move was only becoming more and more stressful...