CASSIE POV

My head was pounding, but I forced my eyes open as soon as I registered unfamiliar noises around me. My hair was now clumped in half-dried strands and my damp clothes stuck to my skin, but I didn't feel cold because the air around me was rather warm.

I peered through the darkness, trying to make out where I was. My hands were pulled behind me and tied to the back of a wooden chair with old rope, and about twenty feet from me was a massive cage, with Snowblast's limp form within it. In the dim light, I could see thick black straps wrapped around his beak and head, as well as several holding his wings against his sides. The projectiles that had hurt him were gone, though small holes in the metal like bullet holes still remained. His eyes were blinking open, soft moans coming from him as he too tried to clear the fog from his head.

His alertness increased rapidly as soon as he saw me, lifting his head up off of the floor.

"Please tell me that this is one of your family's random rescue training procedures...!" I whispered.

Snowblast shook his head, the straps keeping his beak tightly shut. He winced as he pulled himself up onto his feet, though still resting his head against the bars of the cage. He looked exhausted, but we didn't have time to be resting.

My head whipped around as I heard the door click, and then the lights flashed on as the door slid open. I winced at the sudden brightness, and then saw the man who'd grabbed me and a slender woman with black hair entering the room. I felt the floor vibrating under the chair as Snowblast growled, his eyes shifting colors towards a green.

"Oh come now, you and I both know it was only a matter of time..."

The cybertronian gave a grunt as the man grabbed the straps and yanked his head down, slamming his crest into the metal bars in the process with a loud clang.

"Hey!" I growled, "Leave him alone!"

"Hush!" The man growled, "You're only still alive because we need an incentive for him to cooperate...!"

Snowblast looked my way sadly. I felt the same way, he hadn't meant for me to get pulled into this, but here we were.

The woman came over to me, grabbing my chin and yanking my head forward. "Hmm... I don't believe we've met."

I glared, "Let go of me, you hag...!"

She stepped back, rage flaring in her eyes before her hand slapped my cheek hard. Tears welled in my eyes from the stinging pain, but I never dropped my glare.

"Wretched child! Do you have any idea who I am!?"

"Your face doesn't ring any bells...!"

The woman smirked as she backed away from me, "I, my dear, am Madeline Pynch, CEO of Pynch Enterprises and successful entrepreneur."

Snowblast scoffed as he rolled his eyes, this time being punished with his entire body being knocked into the bars. The loud screeching of his plating against the rusty bars echoed off the walls, but it was the crunch that worried me, along with the sudden look of anguish in his eyes as he dropped to the floor again.

"Your friend here is a member of a very rare breed...Just think of how much more I can get for him."

I felt some of my circuitry flare with energy, but I shoved it down as far as I could put it. "You're a trafficker...!"

"I prefer the term 'businesswoman.' The majority of the human race is not aware of his species' existence, which makes them the perfect bargaining chip for more... Substantial tech."

She bent down and ran a finger down Snowblast's beak, the nail screeching against his metal. "Snowy here has been on my mind since before he was born..."

"A life is less important to you than some computer...!?"
The chair creaked as I leaned forward, and it suddenly occurred to me that I might be able to bust loose. But what then? I had no idea what laid beyond those doors, and I wasn't about to just leave Snowblast here.

"Some lives just aren't worth my time caring anymore... You, for exam-"

"Mother?"

I looked up, seeing a girl that must be in her early-twenties stepping down a flight of stairs. She was almost identical to her mother, but she was much more slender in her frame. "What're you doing?"

"Priscilla?" Madeline's eyes widened, "You should be at college!"

"I graduated early, aren't you so proud of your smart, little girl...?" Priscilla paused her descent, arms crossed. "You'd know about it if you'd ever bothered to answer my calls."

"A-And I am! I am very proud of you, dear! But um...Mommy's a little busy right now."

Priscilla looked at Snowblast and me, and then her eyes narrowed slightly, "I see... Meet you in your office later, then?"

"Yes, I'll be there shortly."

Priscilla nodded slowly, and then went back up the stairs to the door, but as she left the room, I saw the briefest wink from her. What did it mean? Was she going to help us?

My attention turned back to Snowblast as he tried to lift his head from the floor again. Our captor must be abnormally strong for him to throw this twenty-foot robot around in the cage like a rag doll. That was another thing not ruling in our favor. All I had for defense was my random bursts of energy, but what good would taking out the lights do?

Madeline bent down to my level once more, "You're only here until we can get the sale completed. Once he's shipped off, you'll be free to do whatever you like."

"Does that include turning you into the authorities?" I taunted, earning another slap.

Snowblast was up again in a flash, reaching his beak out of the cage and managing to get the woman's sleeve in his beak despite the strap. Madeline shrieked as she was yanked around, and then her sleeve ripped as Snowblast lifted his head. "Augh! How dare you!?"

The man went for the straps to throw him around again, but he yanked them into the cage with him, wrapping them around his clawed feet. He wasn't letting that guy throw him around anymore unless he dared come into the center ring with him.

"Looks like we need to turn up the heat... He's still got some fight in there."

Heat? I knew it was warm in here, but it hadn't occurred to me that it was to try to keep Snowblast weakened. Though it kinda made sense, his ice powers wouldn't work as well in the heat.

I watched the two villains wander back out of the room, and then turned back to Snowblast. He was settling back down, putting himself over his feet where the ropes could not be reached and resting his head on the floor. "Are you okay...?" I whispered.

"Mmmhmm..." He mumbled though he didn't look too happy. I didn't blame him, we were both trapped here... I hoped Mom wasn't having a heart attack worrying about me.

________________________________________________________________________________

BLADES POV

"Keep it together... Keep it together...!"

I sat on the medical table, helm in my hands as I tried not to have a proper meltdown. My frame was shaking, optics shut tight.

This was exactly what I'd feared, the reason I'd been so cautious about keeping an eye on my son. I knew this might happen, and then he was out of my sight for literally five minutes...and he was gone. But so was Cassie, which was what the others were more concerned about, and rightfully so.

Officer Harris was trying to look calm and focused, but no doubt he was as worried as me. His wife and other daughter were settled with the majority of the Burns family trying to keep them calm and optimistic.

It was Blurr to finally break up the tense silence. "...You know how some humans do that eloping thing-Yowch!"

It was lucky that Heatwave got to Blurr before me, I'd have done far more than just give him a thwack on the back of the helm.

"Be serious, Blurr." Heatwave scolded, "The kids barely know each other."

"Cassie must be so scared...!" Mrs. Harris whimpered, "...What if she's hurt, or if they find out she-"

"Reagan, Reagan..." Officer Harris pulled his wife into his arms, "Nobody's going to hurt her... Snowblast won't let anything happen to her."

"Right!" Downpour announced, "He's better at keeping his cool than anybot I know!"

I lifted my helm, looking at the little Brach. Did she just compliment my son? "...I knew you cared about him." I whispered.

Downpour crossed her arms with a huff, "Just because I'm mad he's got a better relationship with you than I do with Dad, that doesn't mean I don't care. He's family, for Spark's sake!"

Heatwave raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean, 'better relationship?' What's wrong with ours?"

The femme rolled her optics, "Ugh. If you don't know, then I'm not telling you." She then marched off down the hall, and Heatwave looked at me, utterly confused.

"You'd better work that out first." Boulder suggested, "We'll keep brainstorming."

Heatwave went after his daughter, and I sat up straighter. "...Snowblast's a smart mech... He'll find a way to contact us if he can't make it home."

"Are you alright, Blades?"

I closed my optics again, taking the moment to focus my thoughts. "...Yes..." I replied, "I just... I was going to talk to him this evening, get some things cleared up...and now he and Cassie are lost somewhere."

"Let us think." Chase suggested, "Whoever is responsible must be well-versed in our movements, and have had the time to create the proper strategy to attack during the storm when our assistance to him would have been hampered."

"That could be any number of people, Chase." Kade complained, "Pynch, Evan and Miles, Chumley, Quarry-"

"I thought Quarry said he wasn't going to come after us again." Blurr inquired.

"He said he wouldn't come after us," I pointed out, "He never said anything about our kids."

Mrs. Harris gripped her husband tighter, "...What if they find out about Cassie's powers...?" She whispered.

"Powers?" Graham questioned.

Officer Harris looked around as all of us looked at them, "...Cassie has her own circuitry. We don't know why, but lately, it's been... Fritzing out."

Boulder and I locked optics, and then together we both spoke the same conclusion. "C.O.I.L."