Transformers The Hatchling

Breaking the news

Morning sunlight filtered into the base, but the atmosphere felt unusually heavy.
The shutter doors slid open and Bulkhead raced in his vehicle mode skidding . Miko hopped down, mid-sentence about a new band she liked-but her voice trailed off when she noticed the tense silence.
"Uh... why does everyone look like someone died?" she asked.
Before anyone could answer, Bumblebee and Raph arrived, Bee giving a confused chirp as he noticed the team gathered around the main screen. Raph stopped beside him, frowning at Ratchet's expression.
Arcee came down next with Jack, both pausing when they saw the mood in the room. Optimus stood in front of them all, hands folded behind his back. His voice was calm, but the heaviness behind it made everyone straighten.

"Stormchaser has left the base." The room froze.

Miko blinked. "Left? As in flew out on her own?" Ratchet tapped a control, pulling up a quiet overnight log. "She exited through the elevator last night. She knew the code and timed everything when we were distracted." Raph moved closer to the screen. "She didn't use the groundbridge... she just walked out." A grainy outdoor security video loaded showing the short scene:
Stormchaser stepping into the night, wings stiff but opening.
A short pause. Then she leapt and disappeared into the sky.

Miko covered her mouth. Jack let out a slow breath. Bumblebee lowered his helm with a soft, sad chirp.
"We pushed her too far," Ratchet admitted. His voice lacked his usual bite. "And we didn't fix it." Bulkhead rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't think she'd actually leave."

Arcee folded her arms, guilt briefly crossing her face. Optimus looked at the frozen image on the screen Stormchaser's silhouette against the darkness.
"We need to find her before our enemies do." Optimus stated turning to the team, Jack stepped forward. "Where do we start?" Ratchet began scanning. "She couldn't have gone far. We'll search the surrounding areas."

Miko nodded firmly. "We'll find her. We're not letting her stay out there alone." Raph agreed, determination on his face. Arcee looked toward the exit.
---
A full week passed with no luck.
No sightings.
No tracks.
No signals.
Every day, the team split up to search, sweeping the desert, the canyons, even the abandoned mines. Bumblebee scanned from the air reports and local news. Arcee checked every trail. Bulkhead combed through rocky valleys looking for possible mines she could have taken up in. The kids helped monitor the signals from base, trying to catch the smallest energy flicker whilst looking at social media for any mention of mysterious flying objects/machines.

Nothing.
Stormchaser had vanished like smoke in the wind. By the seventh day, the base felt heavier than ever quiet, tense, and exhausted. Even Miko had stopped cracking jokes. Raph barely slept, always at the monitors. Jack spent hours asking Arcee to take him out on another patrol. Everyone was trying. And everyone was worried.

Optimus finally finished reviewing the week's failed search logs. The last clip blinked away on the big monitor, leaving the room in silence. Ratchet stood beside him, "She is skilled at hiding," Ratchet said quietly. "Too skilled. Her trail went cold days ago." Optimus nodded. "Stormchaser does not wish to be found."

Ratchet frowned. "That doesn't mean she shouldn't be." Optimus turned slightly, meeting his gaze. "I agree. But we cannot continue keeping her disappearance from our human allies." Ratchet stiffened. He knew what that meant.
"You believe it's time to tell Fowler." Optimus looked over the base a place that felt strangely empty without the constant sound of claws scraping the floor, or her wings brushing against metal walls.
"Yes," he said softly. "Agent Fowler must be informed."
---
When Fowler's helicopter finally appeared on the morning horizon, even the kids tensed. The landing was rougher than usual; he must've sensed something was wrong. The doors opened, and Agent Fowler stormed out blazer flapping, annoyance already loaded. "Alright, Prime, what's so urgent you dragged me out here at sunrise? If this is another civilian dragged into this....." His voice cut off when he saw the team's faces. He looked around quickly, scanning the area.
"Hold up... where's the Predacon?" No one answered at first. Ratchet exhaled, stepping forward. "Stormchaser is... not here."
"Not here?" Fowler repeated. "What does that mean? She's always..." Optimus interrupted gently.
"Stormchaser left the base one week ago." Fowler blinked.
"Left? As in...she took a stroll? Or...."
"She ran away.. well flew away," Miko said bluntly. Fowler stared at them all, waiting for someone to say it was a joke. No one did. Arcee folded her arms. "We've been looking every day. She's not responding to comms. She's hiding."
Bulkhead added, "She was hurt. Confused. We didn't handle things well." Fowler's shoulders dropped slightly, realization settling in. "And she thinks you're the enemy."
Optimus lowered his head. "Stormchaser believed she could no longer trust us." For a moment, even Fowler didn't have anything to say. His voice finally came out softer, quieter than usual.
"Prime... the beast was bound to test boundaries some time."

Optimus nodded. "We know but the timing is unfortunate." Fowler rubbed his face, thinking hard. "Alright... alright. I'll put up discreet satellite scans. No public alerts.. last thing we need is the military mistaking her for a threat." Ratchet looked relieved at that.
Fowler continued, calmer now. "I'll help however I can. Just... find her before someone else does. The world isn't exactly alien-friendly." The team nodded, each of them more determined than before.