The Past Always Comes Back to Bite (RID2015 Fanfiction)

Chapter 3 - Investigation

"You're speeding..."

Sideswipe groaned as Strongarm pulled up next to him. "It's only five over, Strongarm. Like...Every human on the road does that."

"Still counts."

The red sports car sighed, looking around their surroundings briefly.

To their right and the east, stood the cliffs that broke off into the sea. Chilly air blew down from the north up ahead, and two their left were fields, dotted periodically with houses and less sparsely with trees. Clouds were rolling in with the wind, bringing with them the possibility of rain. He'd have to check in with Fixit for a definite forecast.

Flashing lights ahead caught his attention, and for a brief moment, he thought Strongarm had gone ahead, but found she was still driving close beside.

A blockade had formed on the road ahead, and as they reached up to it, they saw the reason... The pod. Humans had parked their cars alongside the road, standing as close as they were capable of going, trying to get a glance and photos of the find. Parents held their kids up on their shoulders, and some men had their female companions on their shoulders as well.

"Officer Rider." Strongarm greeted, recognizing the officer at the front of the blockade.

Officer Rider looked to them, and the faintest hints of a smile appeared on his lips under a bushy mustache. "Ah...Our extraterrestrial experts have finally arrived."

Strongarm and Sideswipe transformed into bot mode, the crowds all watching with amazement. The wonder and intrigue of their alien visitors was still fresh, especially in the children's eyes. Sideswipe waved at the little humans, gaining giggles and happy gasps in return.

"Did anyone witness the crash?" Strongarm inquired, passing around the blockade.

"Most of the populace were evacuated from the vicinity. So far, we don't have any witnesses to the crash itself. Those that remained here however all describe a very loud noise shortly after the pod landed. Like a scream."

Strongarm and Sideswipe stepped towards the pod, examining it's condition. If it had been in one piece when it landed, it wasn't anymore. The front had been peeled open like a banana, glass from the view port littering the field for hundreds of feet and smoke still pluming from the wreckage.

"Whoever was in this pod, they're gone now..." Strongarm murmured. "...But this was definitely an escape pod from a Cybertronian ship."

"This looks like a single-bot pod, so we should be looking for one bot." Sideswipe expressed. "Unless we're talking about a bot and minicon."

Strongarm nodded, and then scanned the area for any more clues. She did find grass crushed down by large feet, but they only went a few hundred yards before disappearing. "Scrap...Looks like our mystery-bot can go airborne."

"Well that's not helpful." Sideswipe muttered, running his fingers over the metal of the pod. He paused as his fingers ran over an anomaly. "...Hey, take a look at these marks on the floor."

Strongarm returned to his side. "...What about them?"

"Two long, deep pairs of gouges in the metal... Looks like claw marks to me. And groups of three more on the walls. Whoever was in here has some decent hardware on their hands and feet."

Strongarm nodded. "We can see if Fixit can use that to identify them."

"And this."

Sideswipe pointed to the top, where several minor scratches were worn. "...How big was this bot...?"