For a Second Chance...

[Ironhide]

((Pre-War, Brutal Streets of Kaon, 7 Ano-Cycles prior to "Falling Out"))

Ironhide stepped out of the heavy transport just off the northern outskirts of Kaon, looking out over the landscape. He had done this many times before, finding young lost street bots, mostly juveniles and Sparklings, which he took back to Iacon to offer them a better life. Most of these young bots had no one else but each other and often he'd find small groups of two to five individuals who had bound together for mutual survival. Ironhide had been in such a position, he knew what it was like, and he also knew these young Sparklings would never have a chance at anything better if he didn't at least try to intervene and help them. So every Ano-Cycle he would come down to Kaon, his home before Reunification, and find some of these lost young ones and offer them the chance he had been given, a chance for something more than to die in some dark cold street, forgotten and alone.

He shifted to his alt mode and headed out, scanners active, patiently searching, hoping to save even one young Sparkling that Cycle, if he could. He traveled the dark and scrap strewn filthy streets, scanning for young Spark signatures as he went. He was uncertain of his reputation in Kaon, only that he was known, that his heavy black form was known on those brutal streets, and that those chosen by him were often never seen again. Was he seen as a symbol of hope, or a threat, he had no idea. he prayed it was not the latter, which would make his efforts a lot harder as he traveled from street to alley, from ruined structure to back-lot in his errand of mercy for the lost and forgotten Sparklings of Cybertron.

[Barricade]

Runner dashed through the streets of Kaon, the cubes of Energon he'd just snatched from an unsuspecting bot. Well, his victim had been unsuspecting and had not noticed. The Security Force mech nearby, however, had seen him plain as day. That was who he was trying to escape from now before he could take what he'd stolen back to the rest of his gang. There was no way he'd willingly lead a bot from Security Forces back to their hideout; he'd let himself get caught before doing that. Still, he'd much prefer to get back in one piece.

A couple of turns and switchbacks later, and the mech was nowhere in sight. ~"Hehe. Loser..."~ The juvenile chuckled, slowing his pace slightly, but continuing to move. Until, that was, he spotted the alt of a mech who'd become a bit of a story told by the "urchins." Some hoped to see him, and it was them who believed that he was one who took pity on them when no one else would, and he would take those that he found to a place where Energon did not have to be stolen, and there was no of the Security Forces discovering a gang's hideout and killing them all brutally before they could fully awaken from recharge. Others feared him, claiming that he took Sparklings and Younglings away to be butchered, their frames stripped for parts to be used by the wealthy; the ones who seemed to look down their olfactory sensors on places like Kaon. There were a myriad of other stories, ranging from the mech being Primus himself to being an agent of Unicron, looking for slaves for the Unmaker.

Runner had never really believed any of the tales. He'd never seen the mech himself, nor had he known anyone who'd been taken by him. Yet here he now was; staring right down the street at the alt mode of the mech. The only things that came to Runner's processor were all the horror stories about him. His bright red optics widened in fear, and he took off as fast as he could in a direction that would lead him away from the mech.

[Ironhide]

Ironhide spotted the young mech, and seeing how ragged and dirty his armor was, and the meager ration of Energon he was carrying, the burly mech locked his sensors on the juvenile. He saw the look of terror on his face before he turned and ran for his life, and Ironhide sighed. While some seemed to welcome him, most seemed terrified of him. It bothered him immensely when the young ones feared him, he could never hurt them. But he also knew that they didn't always know that. He gave chase after the youngster, his scanners locked onto the young mech's signal and hoping he hadn't learned to mask it yet. He was patient, tracking the youngster unerringly, waiting for the right opportunity to catch him, and then Ironhide would give him the opportunity of a lifetime and hopefully he would accept. Of all the mechs in the Security and Defense forces, Ironhide was still the best, as a fighter, as a tracker, and as a trainer. His specialty was urban close quarter combat and heavy weapons, and Ironhide was a lot faster and more agile than his size or age would make him appear, his experience and skill legendary among Cybertron's Defense Forces and Security patrols. As was his temper. But when it came to Sparklings, Ironhide had a soft and gentle side in his Spark few ever saw.

[Barricade]

Runner moved as fast as he could, unwilling to lose the Energon he'd obtained in order to transform and put on more speed. Besides, remaining in robot mode, he knew there were still some advantages he could have. He turned onto a street that led into a more maze-like area, a place where he'd lost more than one pursuer in the twists and turns. The key, of course, was making sure that he didn't get turned around and blocked in as he tried to lose the black mech. ~"Scrapscrapscrap!!! That's what I'm going to fraggin' be 'f I get caught; scrap!!!"~

[Ironhide]

Ironhide inwardly shook his head as the young mech ducked into the labyrinth. He had tracked a Sparkling or two through there before and it was often difficult to navigate, the pathways changing each time he had gone through there. He knew Cybertron itself was alive and Kaon seemed at once desolate and forsaken while at the same time even more alive, almost wild by comparison to other areas of their home planet. ~"Aw, c'mon, lil one, I ain't gonna hurt ya, slaggit."~ he muttered with a snort, following the young mech in through the twists and turns, transforming to give himself more maneuverability in the tight quarters of the unpredictable Kaonian labyrinth.

[Barricade]

When Runner made a turn he'd thought would bring him around to slip past the large black mech, he found himself staring into a dead end. ~"Aww.....Slaggit all!"~ He snarled, turning back to come out the way he'd come and get out before the mech could turn the corner and trap him. The approaching footsteps and signal, however, told him that he did not have the time. ~"Scrap..."~ He growled, crouching down slightly, ready to attack once the mech turned the corner.

[Ironhide]

Ironhide came jogging through the corridor, picking up that the youngster had stopped. ~"Hmmm..."~ he muttered softly, pondering the possibility his quarry had run himself to ground and had nowhere to turn. He moved in to block off any escape before he slowed, coming around the corner cautiously and hoping the young bot was not in a fighting mood. He hated having to fight them, it frequently made a bad first impression and left Ironhide with no choice but to pin them down against their will until they stopped struggling long enough to listen. Some of them never stopped fighting. ~"I ain't gonna hurtcha, lil one."~ he offered in his deep gravelly voice, his own thick Kaonian accent ringing clear in the way he spoke.

[Barricade]

Runner scowled, recognizing the accent, but not fully registering it. ~"Yeah right! Security Forces 're all the same!"~ He snapped back at the mech, running at him, clutching the Energon tightly to his frame with one arm and trying to attack the mech's optics with his free hand. He'd learned that, although his claws had not sharpened, they could still be painful if he attacked the right areas. He'd found that optics were a prime target.

[Ironhide]

Ironhide responded quickly, lurching back and to one side as the young mech came at him and he reached out with one hand for the youngster's forearm as his other arm came out to wrap around the much smaller mot's chassis to pin his other arm against his frame. ~"Defense Forces out rank Security Forces, ya lil Scraplet, n I ain't Security!"~ he growled back, moving to pin him against the wall and close to optic level which would put the tri-colored mech's peddes nearly ten feet off the ground. The youngster was barely more than half Ironhide's height and significantly leaner built, coupled with Ironhide's much greater experience, gave him an enormous advantage over most young orphans like this one.

[Barricade]

Runner growled, kicking and thrashing for a few moments in the mech's grip before stopping, cycling air heavily. ~"I ain't no 'lil' Scraplet!"~ He snapped, glaring at Ironhide, though the glare was simply to hide just how afraid he was. ~"'N Defence Forces, Security Forces; may as well be the same slaggin' thing! Gonna punish me fer stealin' t'get som'thin t'eat? Beat 'n kick me till I ain't movin no more? Lotta stories 'n stuff 'bout you, 'n not all of 'em good."~

[Ironhide]

Ironhide held onto the young mot, but he couldn't help but chuckle in response to what he said. ~"There is a difference, believe me. N no, I ain't gonna hurtcha. I been were ya are, I know what it's like ta fight fer every scrap ya can get just ta survive. It was back 'fore Reunification, but I remember. I fought my way ta tribal leader back then, doin' everything I could ta survive n keep my tribe strong as I could."~ He glanced at the meager amount of Energon the youngster had stolen, then back to his optics. ~"Ya got a lot o' fight in ya, kinda like me at yer age. But that lil bit o' Energon ain't gonna last one mech long, n if ya got brothers yer lookin' after, it ain't gonna be enough fer any o' ya. But, I can get ya some ya dun have ta steal, only catch is ya gotta hear me out first. Aight?"~ he told the young mech. He could tell that under all that bravado was a terrified young Sparkling literally fighting for his very life, and it made the burly mech's Spark ache. How many more forgotten young bots were there lost in the streets of Kaon? How many could he save? And how many would he find he was too late to save?

[Barricade]

The glare disappeared somewhat in Runner's optics as Ironhide spoke. ~"Y'know? 'N you were 'round 'fore Reunification?"~ He let out a small chuckle and a smirk. ~"Makes you an old-aft Rust Bucket, know that?"~ When Ironhide spoke his offer, Runner concidered it for a moment. ~"You get me enough to put something in mine and my three buddies' tanks, and I'll listen good, 'n pay attention too."~

[Ironhide]

Ironhide chuckled a bit too, and nodded. ~"Yeah, n means I seen a lot too. Four o' ya, huh? I got one full Energon node on me n a full dozen more in my transport the edge o' town, north end. 'Nuff ta last the four o' ya fer a bit, 'less ya come with me."~ he offered, and to prove he was telling the truth, he stepped back from the wall and gently set the young mech back on his peddes, crouching to stay at optic level as he reached around and pulled out a full Energon node, his other hand keeping hold of the juvenile's arm until he gently pressed the node against his chest, moving the young mech's arm to wrap around it so he could hold it himself before letting both him and the node go.

~"Now, I'm sure ya heard a few stories 'bout me, some good, some not so much. Truth is, I was from here, long ago, n I come back 'bout once an Ano-Cycle tryin' ta find young Sparklin's I can take back with me. But not just any Sparklin's, though; I come lookin' fer the lost ones, the ones nobot wants, the fergotten ones, n I take em back ta Iacon with me n take care of 'em. I give 'em a warm safe place ta be, soft place ta sleep without fear, plenty o' Energon so they dun gotta worry 'bout starvin' ta death, proper trainin' ta fight better'en they could ever get here, the chance at a better life. I do it 'cause nobot else cares ta, n nobot else will. If I don't, y'all'd die here, never havin' the chance at a real life. Is better'en stealin' scraps ta survive only fer some sick mech ta come n scrap ya, er worse..."~ he said sincerely, hoping the young hot-Spark would believe him. ~"N I got room on my transport fer all four o' ya n 'bout two more o' yer friends, if ya wanna come with me. I'll take care o' all a ya, I promise."~ he added, giving him a soft smile, his blue optics gentle yet showing a bit of the pain of a weary Spark just looking to help save even one young life. ~"Yeah, I'm old n all, never bonded, never spawned a Sparklin' o' my own. But I care what happens t' ya n slaggitall if I got the means ta save any o' ya youngins, I'll give my own Spark ta try, if ya let me."~ His tone was sincere and rang of truth and hope, a hope he had given other young Sparklings before and it was a hope he would offer any young Spark who had the courage to take it and hold on tight. Long ago someone had offered him that same hope, one who was close to his own age, and now it was his turn to offer it to those who desperately needed it, like this one he had just found and his three friends.

[Barricade]

Runner listened with wide optics, clutching the Energon node Ironhide had given him tightly against his chest, taking in everything that he was saying. For all the distrust he'd learned of older bots, as well as ones in positions of authority, he knew he could believe this mech's words. It may have been a sense of desperation; it was hard to keep everyone in his gang in good repair and with full tanks. They all knew it would only be a matter of Ano-Cycles, or even less, before they couldn't go on anymore, or succumb to a disease or the disrepair. ~"Y'said ya got a shuttle on t'north edge of town? When're ya leaving?"~

[Ironhide]

Ironhide smiled at him. ~"How long ya need? I can wait a Mega-Cycle er be ready ta leave in a Micro-Cycle."~ he replied honestly with a slight tilt of his head. ~"Name's Ironhide, by the way. Whats yers?"~ he asked, figuring he may as well exchange designations while he was at it. The young ones he found often believed him, though some didn't, and he was glad this one did. There was a very bright Spark he could sense within this youngster, something that reminded the older mech of himself long ago and it made him want to help him all the more. This young mech could easily be a little brother to him.