The Holiday Killer ✔️

Ch. 24 Emergency At The Valentine's Day Dance

With Jamie’s guardians and the terror twins being with her and Lily, Mirage has focused more on trying to find the holiday killer, but as usual, he finds nothing. 
“Twenty-five people dead since the beginning of December, and I have nothing!” He rages and throws papers off his desk.
“How do you think I feel?” Prowl asks, “and the entire police force in the city? Our medics must be struggling. Three patients of theirs are dead. Several Autobots tried to help that fragger’s victims. What is the planning next? Oh, and how is your unofficial assignment?”
“I haven’t followed her as much since her guardians, and the terror twins have Jamie and Lily spending time together. I hoped that would have allowed me to find that fragger, but no!”
The two mechs and Prime grow worried about the holiday killer’s next move, considering how long he’s been inactive.

As the valentine’s day dance gets closer, Drift worries about how Jamie feels about such an event.
“I know she doesn’t care about the holiday, but with her mental state,” Drift sighs, “should I even take her?”
“If this was at another venue, then perhaps not, but it’ll be easier to get her away from the dance if you think she needs to leave,” Crosshairs replies, “I’d love it if we could help heal her. When being loved by many isn’t healing, then what is? I’m so tired of watching her hurt. I-I don’t know what’s worse; her mental and emotional struggle or mild-to-moderate flare-ups?”
Drift knows Crosshairs is talking if they had to deal with more frequent flare-ups. Would the condition still allow Jamie to fight?

As much as Crosshairs wants to see Jamie in the dress, neither he nor Drift can convince her. The best they get is a nice red blouse and black pants, and boots.
“Geez, it’s like dressing a kid — ow!” Crosshairs comments, “was that necessary?” He asks while clenching his gut. He looks at Drift, who is laughing, displeased.

Sunstreaker also has no interest in dressing nicely. Though Lily considers a yellow polo shirt with black pants an improvement. 
“Wow,” Sideswipe comments, getting a pissed look from Sunstreaker.
“I love this look,” Lily smiles and hugs Sunstreaker.
Sideswipe smiles, feeling how happy Sunstreaker is, wishing Lily could feel the same.
“No yellow dress?” Sideswipe asks.
“I like the red dress on her,” Sunstreaker replies, having seen Lily in the same dress during Christmas and New Year.

“Geez, how many soldiers are named Ethan?” Jazz comments.
“Only these two,” Lennox assures him, “just be happy they don’t look anything like each other.”
“Should have dyed your hair,” Ethan Knight jokes.
Suddenly there’s cheering. The four mechs look at the entrance to the cafeteria and see Aaron and his wife Brittany. Rather than walk in as couples would, Aaron walks in first. The cheering gets louder as Aaron walks with no assistance. The two walk to the designated area, that’s the dance floor. Blaster changed the music to what Aaron had requested a few days ago. The couple feels a little strange being watched, but they know Aaron’s recovery isn’t minor.
Soon, several soldiers and their partners join in the dancing. Jasmine convinces Ratchet to dance with her while Lily wishes she knew how to convince Sunstreaker to dance with her without pissing him off.
“Come on, let’s go join the single guys drinking club,” Ethan Knight suggests to the other Ethan and Jazz. Sideswipe joins the three of them.

Jamie watches every couple in the room. Even though she has no interest in dancing, she feels like she shouldn’t be at the party.
“What’s wrong?” She hears Lily ask.
The terror twins watch, uncertain of what to do. They didn’t think Jamie would run out of the cafeteria.
“Don’t go after her, Lily,” Sunstreaker tells Lily as Sideswipe rushes to find Crosshairs or Drift.
Wow, he was paying attention to Jamie while drinking. Sunstreaker guesses.
“That bad?” Lily asks.
Sunstreaker nods and sighs. Seconds pass before they see Crosshairs and Drift run out of the cafeteria, happy no one else noticed. Lily doesn’t think now’s a good time to ask why Jamie felt like she shouldn’t be here when Lily saw that Jamie and Drift are together. No one knows Mirage is invisible and ran after Jamie. 

Firestar watches the soldiers at the bar, wondering how long before Swerve gets a job at the local bar or insists on setting on up at the base. Frenzy watches his target unsuspectingly drink his deadly drink. 
Soon frenzy watches his unsuspecting victim talk as if he’s drunk, but the other mechs know that’s not possible after one drink. Especially when the drinker cannot stand. Firestar rushes to the scene, uncertain if the mech is drunk. The bartender tells her the guy only had one drink, which he’s yet to finish.
“Ge was fr mm,” the mech mumbles as he tries to drag himself away from Firestar, “moglur!”
“Huh?” Jazz asks, “dude, what did you put in his drink?”
“Just what he asked for,” the bartender claims.
“Newnan? Are you ok?” Ratchet asks before the four mechs and Firestar watch the guy go into a seizure, “we have a medical emergency here!”
Newman doesn’t wake up once the seizure stops. Jolt and Ratchet decide to get him on a stretcher and to the medbay before doing an assessment. Ratchet also takes Newman’s drink for analysis.
By now, everyone is watching what’s going on.
Sunstreaker fears he’ll be accused of doing something to the human’s drink. Though he has minimal knowledge of what’s poison to humans.

Jolt and Ratchet try to get Newman to wake up, eventually declaring he’s in a coma. This troubles them, along with a few other details. Even with cybertronian technology, an analysis will take a few hours. Making treatment difficult.
“You don’t think?” Prowl asks.
“Hard to know, but his name is also Ethan,” Ratchet replies.
“I’d hate to ask him, but he can help us figure out if he was the target or not,” Optimus adds.

“He’s my friend,” Ethan Knight tells the three mechs, “I know, hard to believe in the city, two guys with the same first name would be friends. Unfortunately, Austin knows Ethan, and we can’t say for sure that I was supposed to be the one getting the drink.”
“You two don’t even look like twins, so if the bartender was hired for the job, there’d be no way he’d screw up.”

“Yes, that’s him,” Austin confirms, “my brother won’t be able to reason why his friend is the target, but that scumbag volunteered at the psychiatric hospital my family dumped me at—!”
“And let me guess, you took his words as insults?” His first associate asks.
“More like threats, but no one believes the mentally ill patient reporting a volunteer.”
“Why do I feel like you targeted the wrong guy?” The second associate asks, “it seems strange a guy who enjoys abusing mentally ill patients wouldn’t quit to join the military.”
Austin is furious that his associate questions him but knows he can’t do o anything about it. 

Newman’s condition quickly deteriorates to where he’s on a ventilator and has a slow heartbeat. Firestar and Ethan try to see what’s going on but are told no one may see patients.
“That’s not good,” Firestar frets.

“I’m sorry, some Valentine’s day,” Ratchet sighs as Jasmine walks into his office.
“You can’t control medical emergencies,” Jasmine reminds him.
It’s been an hour, and Jolt finally walks in with the report from the analysis.
“GHB,” Jolt informs the two.
“Frag, that’s not good,” Ratchet frets.
The three medics prepare treatment for Newman, hating there’s no way to know if it’s enough or too late to help him.