An hour after the capture...

Ironhide barreled down the country roads as fast as his engine could spin his tires. Panic, an often foreign sensation to the old Autobot, asserted itself violently into his mainframe. No matter how fast he plowed down the roads he couldn't seem to get to the Lennox farm soon enough. Something terrible had transpired; he could feel it in his cannons. It had to be Decepticons. No one else could've hacked into the Autobot communication channel and falsified Prime's voice but them. Somehow, deep in his Spark, hope tried to calm panic's stranglehold on him. Perhaps he wouldn't be too late? Maybe Sara and Annabelle were alright?

At last the farm was in sight and the black Topkick barely stopped before it exploded outward into Ironhide's bipedal form. The weapons specialist ran up to the house, cannons alive with blue and orange light. A jolt of electricity surged through his processors when he saw the broken front door, the horrible crack splitting the entire frame of the house, and part of the house was starting to cave in.

"Sara! Annabelle!" he shouted, not trying to hide the alarm in his deep voice.

Ironhide desperately wanted Sara to storm out and scold him for being so loud and then yell at him for not being there. He deserved it. But she never did.

Hurriedly, he moved around to the backside of the house and peeked in Annabelle's room. The sight made his Spark fluctuate. There were several holes punched through the outer walls which appeared to have been made from the inside. Annabelle's bedroom door was broken down and her room was in shambles.

"Annabelle?" he called.

Desperate, Ironhide effortlessly pushed his hand straight through the child's window frames destroying the glass and wood to pick up her bed and see if she was hiding underneath. Nothing. He made a distressed mechanical groan and turned from the house to the garage and the other buildings on the farm. Meticulously he searched, trying to find them. His search yielded no reward.

"SARA! ANNABELLE! ANSWER ME!" he thundered before crashing to his knees in the front drive.

The old Autobot felt as if his Spark had extinguished. He'd failed them. He hadn't been there to protect them and now...

A flicker of emergency lights vaguely caught his attention as Ratchet pulled in, letting Will out. The man ran through the gate into his house, calling for his family as Ironhide had done. Ratchet transformed and approached Ironhide.

The weapons specialist shook his head, not looking at him, "I failed them Ratchet."

Ratchet knelt down, gripping his truck shoulder, "That's not true, old friend."

Suddenly, Ironhide swatted the medic's hand away, his optics slit with anger, "Of COURSE it's true! I wasn't here to protect them! How could I be so stupid, leaving them alone like that?"

Firmly, Ratchet shoved his shoulder, "Stop talking like that Ironhide! You were tricked but it's not your fault!"

At once Ironhide's spark burned like acid and he stood up. "No...not MY fault."

His optics flashed dangerously as he surveyed the farmyard and the house under his intense scanners. Ironhide immediately spotted two sets of large footprints accompanied by two smaller sets—one bipedal, the other quadrapedal. In an instant he recognized the prints. Ravage...and the other small ones were Rumble's. Which meant the largest set of prints—

"Soundwave." the weapons specialist growled, turning his cannons. "He's the one who hacked into the communication line. That slagging piece of..."

Ratchet had also begun scanning, "Looks like Barricade too. But I'm sure they're not the only ones involved."

"But why didn't our sensors detect them? We should have been able to detect the presence of Decepticons entering the atmosphere LONG before they even set foot on Earth!" Ironhide fumed.

"Well Soundwave can block his frequency and any other Decepticon near him, but he can't block that far. I just don't understand it." Ratchet agreed.

The two mech's continued their scans of the ground until Will came running out, "They...they're not here!"

"The Decepticons have them." Ironhide's voice was an octave lower than it usually registered.

Shaking his head in disbelief Will clenched his hair, "No...no."

Ratchet could sense the man's stress levels rising.

The kind medic knelt down and rested a finger on the man's shoulder to console him, "Don't fret Captain. We will find them."

"But...how did they find US?" Will asked.

Ratchet shook his head, "I don't know Captain."

Completely consumed in his search, Ironhide didn't pay attention to the other two. Then his scanners found the tire treads of the two transformed Decepticons. He briefly felt optimistic as his optics moved down the road leading away from the Lennox farm. But, much to his dismay the tracks disappeared about a half mile out.

The gears in Ironhide's head grated loudly as he fired an angry burst of blue plasma from his cannon, "SOUNDWAVE you conniving pile of scrap!"

"What is it Ironhide?" Ratchet almost shouted, holding up a guarded hand.

His plating vibrating with barely contained rage, Ironhide pointed, "They left tracks for only a half mile. Then they disappear!"

Ratchet scanned too and nodded with a heavy sigh, "Soundwave must've activated his rocket boosters and taken Barricade with him. SLAG he's smart! There won't be any tracks to follow."

Both of the black mech's cannons revved up, "I'll find them. By PRIMUS I'll find them."

"Ironhide wait..." Ratchet began but Ironhide transformed and blazed a path down the road searching aggressively for anything that could lead him to his two stolen charges.

...

Far away in the Sierra Nevada Mountains...

Ratchet's predictions were correct. Soundwave landed at the designated coordinates given by Starscream. Carefully, he set down the Saleen police cruiser he carried.

Barricade revved his engine with frustration once his tires touched earth, "Next time warn me when you decide to fly off with me!"

"Covering out tracks vital." Soundwave replied.

"Yeah, yeah. I thought these little bugs would never shut up." the hunter growled indicating the two passengers strapped in his interior.

Inside the police car, Sara held her daughter's hand from across the seat. The seatbelts strapped them in so tightly there was no other way for them to touch. Sara kept verbally comforting her terrified child. Annabelle was hiccupping from her long terrified crying bout and was only now starting to calm down. They'd both screamed when Soundwave grabbed the police car and took to the skies with them, but when they realized they weren't going to fall they minutely relaxed. Now the humans weren't sure where they were but at least they were on solid ground again.

Annabelle's wet eyes darted out the window, only seeing the tree-thick legs of Soundwave mere feet from her. She shivered, clenching her mother's fingers tightly.

"Mommy?" she whimpered.

The woman squeezed back trying to keep her voice soothing, "Yes sweetie?"

"Daddy and Ironhide save us?"

Though she wasn't sure the mother nodded with drawn lips, "Yeah. Yeah, sweetie. They'll come for us."

"Of course they will." Barricade's deep voice replied all around them.

With a sharp click of Annabelle's seatbelt, the Decepticon opened his passenger side door to let the child out. Shocked, the little girl looked to her mother for an answer, but Barricade answered for her.

"You're first fleshling. Get out."

Sara nodded to Annabelle. Cautious, the child poked her feet out and tentatively hopped down.

The police car added darkly, "Just try to run fleshling...I'd LOVE to chase you down."

That froze Annabelle in place like a statue.

Sara's seatbelt clicked and her door opened, "You too squishy. Get out."

As calmly as possible the woman slid out just as the police car rose up to reveal the red-eyed Decepticon within. Motherly instinct kicking in, Sara made a move to join her daughter but was forcefully stopped by Barricade's booted metal foot.

"Don't move unless I say you can." he snarled, eyes flashing down at her.

Sara shifted from foot to foot, trying to ease the fear rising in her throat, "May I move to hold my daughter?"

His double optic shutters flicked and he made a motion with his crested head, indicating she could move. Sara slowly did so and held her daughter close, drawing a whimper of relief from both of them. Quickly, Sara took in their surroundings. There were lots of coniferous trees and large boulders, indicating they were in the mountains. A sheer rock face loomed ahead, forming a kind of natural outcropping while a small churning river hissed off to their back. Had their situation not been so dire Sara would've appreciated the quiet, natural beauty.

"Cease bonding ritual and move." Soundwave's harmonic voice commanded as he took a step toward them.

The woman glared at the emotionless red visor above and curtly hefted up her daughter. Soundwave led the way, while Barricade followed close behind them. Sara marched briskly between them, not making any sudden moves.

All at once the roaring screech of jet engines blasted the night air and for a moment, Sara's heart felt relief. The Air Force had sent jets to find them! Will probably had called the whole US Armed forces out to save them. The three large fighter jets skirted the tree tops and arced around to face them in what looked like a strafing run. But, Sara's hopes for rescue were dashed to bits when the three jets simultaneously flipped over and transformed into huge metal brutes with metal wings spanning their shoulder-blades. Metal scraped rock with a brief rain of sparks as the trio landed on the outcropping high above, crimson optics glaring down at them. More Decepticons.

One of the jets leaned o forward, his raptor-like feet gripping the rock, "So you brought the flesh creatures?"

"Alive as you ordered." Soundwave confirmed, staring upward.

"Very good. My plan is working perfectly." the jet's screechy voice seemed pleased.

Quite abruptly the three jet Decepticons leaped from their high vantage and used their boosters to "gently" land on the ground in front of them. Sara yelped quietly as the quaking force of the massive mechs' landing threw her off her feet with Annabelle in her lap. The jet who had done all the talking strode forward, his wingtips rocking back and forth in an arrogant swagger. Sara clenched her daughter tightly, noting this Con was as big as Optimus Prime.

"Greetings flesh creatures. I am Starscream, exalted leader of the Decepticons." he said in a tone full of narcissism.

Sara didn't take it as a greeting, so much as a statement. "What do you want from us?"

"From you? What would I possibly want from a puny creature like you?" he asked, almost amused by her question.

"I don't understand. If you don't want anything from us then why did you kidnap us?"

Starscream seemed to smirk, though Sara couldn't be sure on the very alien metal face, "Oh I don't want anything from you flesh creature. But you and your spawn will be very useful to me."

The woman was about to ask how but Starscream turned to Soundwave, "Soundwave see that our prisoners are cared for."

"Ravage, Rumble, eject. Operation: Guard human prisoners."

Soundwave opened his chest compartment and out leaped Ravage and Rumble, landing gracefully. Ravage snarled at the two females while Rumble saluted his master.

"You got it Boss."
Unsure of what would happen, Sara got to her feet, keeping Annabelle as far from the little metal menaces as she possibly could. Ravage stalked at them, forcing them back under the rock outcropping. Rumble took a position on a rock. Satisfied they were in the optimal guarding spot, the two mechs sat down staring with those luminous red eyes.

....

The Lennox farm...

A few minutes after Ironhide left on his search Bumblebee and Optimus rolled onto the Lennox property and transformed.

One look at the house and at Captain Lennox's forlorn seated position on the broken porch told Optimus almost everything—not to mention Ratchet had briefed him shortly before arriving.

"How many Ratchet?" he asked seriously.

The medic pointed around the farmyard, "Four: Barricade, Soundwave, Ravage, and Rumble. The tracks stop shortly down the road."

"Soundwave?" Optimus sounded slightly perturbed, "No doubt he was sent here by Starscream. Where's Ironhide?"

"He's out searching for tracks that aren't there. I tried to..." Ratchet began.

Optimus waved a hand, "I understand. Once Ironhide sets his mind to something nothing short of a plasma blast will change it."

Will all at once seemed to snap out of his stunned stupor and approached them, "Optimus we have to notify my superiors."

"No, Captain Lennox." the leader replied sharply. "We can't. If we get a bunch of human soldiers involved..." He tried to put it delicately, "their lives and the lives of your family could be put in greater danger."

"Then...what can we do?" the man asked helplessly.

The Autobot leader moved off to the side, shaking his head, "We should regroup back at the base and wait for the Decepticons to contact us. They..."

Ratchet made a clicking noise for silence and pointedly glanced down at Will.

Over the private channel Optimus continued, "They will no doubt use Sara and Annabelle Lennox as hostages. If they'd wanted to kill them we would've found their bodies."

Optimus knelt down toward Will, resting one large finger on his shoulder, "Captain Lennox we will do everything in our power to get your family back. I swear it. In the meantime, you can accompany us back to our base."

The man nodded, wiping his eyes, "Just...just let me get some things."

Optimus felt terrible for the soldier. The uncertainty of his family's whereabouts and condition must've been devastating. He too felt worry for the females. There was no telling what those Decepticons would do to them.

"Ratchet, will you see that the Captain gets to our base safely?" The medic nodded solemnly as Prime turned to his young scout, "Come on Bumblebee. Let's find Ironhide and 'convince him' to go back to base."

...

In the Sierra Nevada Mountains near sunrise...

Somehow or another, Annabelle had managed to fall asleep in her mother's lap. Sara remained awake, ever watchful of her Decepticon guards. Ravage was sitting on his haunches less than ten feet away and Rumble was tinkering with his arm circuitry, while Soundwave had remained standing the whole night as motionless as a stone. Though she was very tired and running low on adrenaline reserves she was determined to stay awake. Her legs were numb from the small body squeezing off her circulation, but she chose to ignore it and let her daughter sleep. She smacked her mouth unpleasantly, her tongue feeling like leather in her mouth. Murmuring gently, Annabelle woke up stretching. Ravage perked his head, hissing.

Sara eyed the metal cat with venom, distinctly feeling soreness in her shoulders from the scratches and bruises he had inflicted only hours before. She sincerely hoped he felt the stings of her shotgun blasts.

"Mommy?" Annabelle croaked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Morning, Annie. Are you ok?" Sara asked, trying to make the best of their current dilemma.

She yawned, "Thirsty, mommy. Want water."

"Me too, baby." she stole a glance at Soundwave towering nearby, "You stay right behind mommy ok?"

Annabelle nodded as Sara inched her off of her lap and shook her rubbery, pained legs. Once the electrifying pain dimmed the woman staggered to her feet, making Ravage stand up too. He took a threatening step at the woman but she was focused on his master.

"Hey, you! Soundwave!" she barked.

Rumble jumped off his rock and jabbed a thumb into his chest, "Hey fleshy, if you got somethin' to say you say it to me, not the Boss!"

Sara glared at the small belligerent humanoid, "I thought Starscream was your boss."

"Ha! That noisy, flying, scrap-heap ain't nothin' compared to Soundwave!" Rumble spat.

The woman found that interesting. Dissension in the Decepticon ranks. "So then why isn't HE the boss?"

"You callin' Soundwave inferior?" Rumble made a fist.

Sara shook her head.

Nearby, Soundwave only tipped his head a bit, "Rumble. Cease fraternizing with the human."

"I wasn't fat-an-izing. I was threatening it!" the mech botched the word.

"We're thirsty." Sara directed her statement at Soundwave, now that he seemed to be paying attention.

The big mech tipped his head at her.

Frustrated, Sara tried using more "mechanical" terms, "We need hydration. H2O? Our fluids are running low. Any of that computing?"

Her harsher tone made Ravage snarl and crouch down to pounce.

Rumble took a step at her itching for a fight, "Hey no fleshy talks to Soundwave like that! I outta..."

"Ravage, Rumble, stand down." their monotone master ordered.

Complying, the mech's stepped back as Soundwave stepped closer to Sara. The woman did her best to hold her ground as he bent down closer to her and Annabelle. The distinct scanner light passed over his visor.

"Hydration levels low. Dehydration imminent." he replied. "Ravage, Rumble, take the humans to water and then bring them back."

The little drones rose and circled to the humans' right, waiting for them to move.

Sara took her daughter's hand, "Thank you."

"Gratitude not required." the huge gray-blue mech hummed.

The two girls walked slowly with Ravage and Rumble trailing them. Light was just beginning to glow over the horizon behind them, letting Sara acquire her bearings. She couldn't be sure where they were precisely but at least she had her directions. In no time they reached the small river roaring down the mountainside. Sara knelt first, showing Annabelle how to make a cup with her hands and drink from it. The water was icy cold and they gulped it down greedily.

Unbeknownst to them Rumble had reformed his hands into pile-drivers and was positioning them over the ground. He snickered lightly and suddenly struck the ground repeatedly. The sudden tremor jolted both humans violently as the earth split between them, throwing Annabelle into the river.

"Have a nice swim fleshy!" Rumble cackled derisively.

Sara desperately reached for her daughter, but the swift current easily swept the child out of her reach.

"ANNABELLE!" she screamed, scrambling to try and dive in after her.

Ravage seized the backside of her jeans and jerked her to the ground, blocking her path. Violently, Sara kicked the black beast squarely across the jaw, lunging to get past him. But, Ravage's lightening-quick paws swatted her down again.

"NO!" the strangled cry ripped from the fraught mother as her daughter's head was swallowed by the foamy, rushing water.