Back To You

Chapter 1: Sickness and Stalkers

In the few weeks since she left, Quickshadow was slowly readjusting to her old routines. The first few days were the hardest, and readjusting to her old schedule was particularly difficult as she had to get used to running on less than 4 hours of recharge a night again.

And on top of not getting enough recharge, she trained extensively to sharpen her skill set. Training was mandatory, and she'd forgotten just how rigorous the exercises were.

She wasn't all too happy to discover she'd gotten a little rusty, but who could blame her? As chaotic as life on Griffin Rock could get, she didn't have to use her entire plethora of weaponry or energy to aid in most rescues.

After strenuous hours of training, she'd collapse on her berth and hope 4 hours of recharge would be enough to replenish her energy.

Still, she managed and gradually got used to her old way of life, but now it felt strange, almost foreign. Like she was missing something or didn't belong there anymore.

She assumed that's what working with others did to you.

As she carried out her new assignments, she found herself thinking about the family she'd left behind.

Although she didn't fit in initially, she learned what it meant to be a part of something, what it felt to belong.

She learned so much from them, possibly more than they learned from her. And she wouldn't admit it aloud, but she found her views on teamwork had also changed; not to say she was comfortable depending on others entirely, but she didn't disregard the idea anymore.

She never imagined she'd grow attached to everyone on that island, and yet here she was, missing the semi-peaceful life she left behind.

She remembered how Cody and Frankie hugged her when she told the team she'd be leaving, saddened that she wouldn't be there for their freshman year of high school. How Dani and Hayley teared up because they'd unexpectedly grown close to her and would miss her. How glum the others were when they realized it'd be long before she returned.

And then there was Heatwave. He took it the hardest but maintained a stoic expression all throughout the little farewell party Blades threw in her honor. But once they said their goodbyes and left, he dropped the facade, and she saw how distressed he really was.

Quickshadow promised to keep in touch, and so far, she kept her word.

They communicated through calls or audio messages whenever the other wasn't available to call. And despite their busy agendas, they scheduled video calls at least once a week.

An average call would consist of Heatwave telling her about some bizarre experiment Doc was conducting and how it turned into a full-scale emergency or ranting about Blurr's endless recklessness and wishing she was there to knock some sense into him.

Then, Quickshadow would give him some advice for dealing with the speedster and share her progress on whatever she was working on.

They updated each other on whatever was going on in their lives and had the peace of mind that the other was okay. They could pretend everything was how it used to be. Playful banter and teasing, followed by a quick sparring match that Quickshadow would usually win unless Heatwave played dirty or caught her off guard with a sudden kiss. They could pretend until the emergency alarm went off on Heatwave's end or Quickshadow was given a new task.

Their calls were random at best. But they made for good distractions from their responsibilities. And with the assignments she's been getting lately, she was really looking forward to their upcoming call later that week.

At the moment, she was watching a few guards from the side of a hidden building. At first glance, anyone would believe the facility to be abandoned and lost to the war's rage as it was left in ruins. But a few agents were sent to survey the area and reported finding energon signals inside.