Runaway

Chapter Fourteen - Yet Life Goes On

"See you later, Jazz!"

The young investigator waved and sent Trailbreaker a grin as the bigger mech walked off.

He liked the mech and was glad he'd been accepted into the special operatives division too.

Jazz was distracted then by a comm.

"Hey," he said, after putting a hand up to his audio to answer it.

"Jazz, Ah wanted to let ya know Ah haven't found him yet."

The white and black's spark sank, though he tried to keep his tone cheerful. "That's alright. Thanks again for looking."

"Ah don't think he's in Praxus anymore, Sweetspark. Nobody's seen him since about when he disappeared."

"Anyone see him at all?" Jazz asked, hoping there was something.

Anything.

"Ah found one mech that thinks he saw the youngling. But yer not gonna like where he was from," the femme replied, warning in her tone.

"Where?"

"Near the northeastern border of the city..."

Jazz shut his optics and sighed. Things were continuing to lead to something he and Prowl had hoped wasn't true.

Steeldust had tried to follow them.

"Ah'm heading back ta Polyhex next orn, Jazz," the femme said softly. "Ah'll keep on lookin', but he's not in Praxus anymore."

Jazz flicked his doorwings and hurriedly spoke before she could continue. "Maybe ya should stay in Praxus. Or come ta Iacon. At least until things in Polyhex settle down..."

A chuckle met his audios and he could imagine the femme shaking her helm at him, a smile on her faceplate.

"Sparkling, ya know Ah ain't doin' that. Ah was born in Polyhex and if Ah die there, so be it."

The young mech sighed again, a grin of his own creeping across his faceplate. "It was worth a try?"

"Ya knew Ah'd refuse did ya, Sparkling?" the femme said with amusement.

"Yeah, Ah'd like ta think Ah know ya pretty well," Jazz said. He then grimaced a little. "And when are ya gonna quit callin' me that? Ah'm an adult now."

"Yer only twenty-four," came the lighthearted retort. "And yer still my sparkling. Ah'd better let ya go, Sweetspark."

"Okay," Jazz grinned before sobering again. "Thanks again. And please be careful, Carrier."

"Ah will. You too, Jazz," said Vibes before closing the comm.

Jazz leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling.

"Now what?" he wondered aloud.

At least his carrier had been out of Polyhex when the takeover had happened. Now, she was determined to go home and he was worried for her.

He didn't want something to happen to someone else he cared about.

Jazz was temporarily distracted as another mech walked by. "Hey, Punch."

Punch gave him a short nod but kept walking.

The former investigator shook his helm sadly once the mech was out of sight.

Punch had just had his home taken over recently too. The actor was from Harmonex, a small town that bordered the uppermost northeastern edge of the Rust Sea, close to Nova Cronum and Altihex.