#WIJ24day12

[whumpsday]

Caught

Whump & Giant/tiny Oneshot - Writing masterlist

find my G/t blog here: @smallsday

content: whump, g/t, tiny whump, trapped under rubble, crushed limbs, begging, fear, broken bones

Whumpmas in July Day 12: Caught GT July Day 13: Betwixt Whumperless Whump Day 12: Trapped under rubble / I can't move my legs

combining three different creation events for this one!! since i'm posting this to both my accounts, for non-g/t people who don't know, borrowers are a species of tiny people who secretly live in humans' houses and survive by stealing bits of food and supplies.

-

It had to be someone, eventually.

Cotton just barely kept himself from crying out as the pile of books he’d been climbing toppled over. He tried to grab at his grappling hook, but it was slack. The lack of resistance sent blood rushing through his ears as he fell.

He hit the ground first, and it wasn’t a good thing. The impact was bad enough from a few feet up, but borrowers were sturdy, and he had enough reserves to make it until his family’s next visit. But he certainly wasn’t sturdy enough for what came next.

The tower fell the same way he did, burying him in literature. A hardcover landed harshly on his legs, pinning him to the floor with a crunch he could no longer keep quiet through. Cotton wailed, but more books kept falling, burying him in a dark tomb he was helpless to escape from.

When the only sound that remained was his own crying, Cotton realized that he was still alive.

He tried to wiggle out, but he was utterly caught between the books and the floor, and he couldn’t move his legs. Every time he even tried to drag himself out by the arms, it sent a new wave of agony through him so bad that he had to stop.

Cotton laid there under the rubble and wept, until the worst of the pain subsided and he couldn’t feel his legs at all.

He tried again now that he could bear to, but it was useless. He wasn’t strong enough. A single book was twice his height, and he was buried under countless.

Which meant the human would find him.

The human would get home, see their books strewn about, and find him as they cleaned up. Whether they realized he was aiming to steal away food from their desk or not, they would find him. And he’d be powerless to stop… whatever they decided to do with him. Even more powerless than usual.

He couldn’t be seen. He couldn’t. Mom and Dad and his little siblings lived in the apartment right next door, and it wouldn’t take a human long to start to question where he came from. Every borrower would be in danger if he was found. But Mom and Dad weren’t visiting until next week, and the human would be home today.

It was hours before he heard footsteps, the telltale click of the front door’s lock. Cotton’s heart hammered in his chest.

“Shit,” the human–Özdal, that was their name–muttered, increasingly-loud steps booming over. “I really need to get another bookshelf.”

This was it. He could either make himself known, or wait to be found.

“H-help.”

Özdal froze. “Who said that?”

Cotton shuddered. “Please help. Under the–the books.”

There was only a moment’s hesitation before he heard shuffling up top, books being lifted. “Yeah! Yeah. Holy shit.”

More and more were lifted, the suffocating darkness giving way to the warm light of the apartment and removing the weight on his legs. An enormous figure loomed above him: he’d never been this close to a human before. He wasn’t supposed to ever be this close to a human.

“Oh my god.” Özdal staggered back, a hand over their mouth.

Cotton whimpered. He tried dragging himself away, slow and agonized against the floor.

“No! Don’t, oh my god, don’t move.” Özdal quickly knelt down before him, blocking his path with a massive hand that just barely missed touching him.

“Sorry!” Cotton cried, squeezing his eyes shut.

Özdal seemed to realize they were scaring him, and the hand was gone when Cotton dared to open his eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry! Your legs! What happened? What are you? What were you doing here? Are you o–I mean, obviously you’re not okay.” The human had tears in their eyes.

“I was climbing, please don’t hurt me, I’m sorry.” Cotton kept his voice quiet, hoping maybe Özdal wouldn’t hear.

“I won’t hurt you!” Özdal’s hands went up again. Cotton would have flinched if he could really move at all. “You need… a doctor. Like an emergency room. I’m not, uh, I can’t help with this.”

No no no no no. This was all going so wrong. More humans, more eyes on him. He was going to be the one to expose borrowers, an entire existence of safe secrecy down the drain. Who knew how many lives would be uprooted, captured, ended, all because of him?

“No! It’s fine! I’ve been injured before, I can handle it, don’t take me to anyone!” Cotton insisted.

Özdal said nothing for a moment. They pulled a ‘phone’, a device a little taller than him out of their pocket, pointed it at him, then turned it around.

Cotton was there on the screen, like a mirror stalled in time. His top half was mostly normal, if not for some bruising, but everything after that was… wrong. His legs were hardly recognizable, smears of blood and bone that he could hardly believe were attached to him.

“I gotta take you to a doctor,” Özdal said softly.

“No, no, it’s fine, I’ll… handle it somehow.” Even if he died, he couldn’t go. It would mean the end of life as they know it for every borrower. “Remove that image. Please.”

“Okay.” They still used that gentle, soft voice, like they were talking to some kind of scared, infant animal. Cotton didn’t like it. Özdal showed him as they tapped a little icon shaped like a trash bin, and the image disappeared. “But I still have to take you to the doctor.”

“No. You don’t understand,” Cotton pleaded.

Özdal looked down at him in all-too-obvious pity, then left the room. Cotton tried to drag himself, but he could barely make it a couple inches before Özdal returned. They carried a rubber spatula in one hand, and a woven basket emblazoned with HAPPY EASTER! and lined with a washcloth in the other.

“Listen. I dunno what you are or why you’re here, but I’m not gonna just sit here and watch you die because I was too lazy to clean my room, okay? I’m sorry. I, uh, really hope this doesn’t hurt.”

“No!” Cotton protested, but he could do nothing as Özdal carefully slid the spatula under him. He screamed as it jostled the only part of his legs he could feel, his upper thighs, eliciting a frantic sorry, sorry! from Özdal.

And then he was lifted.

Cotton clung to the spatula for dear life, gasping as the floor fell out from under him and he plunged up into the open air. Just as fast, he was deposited into the basket.

“Here.” Özdal reached in and folded the washcloth over him, enveloping him in softness. “Just try and, um, rest, okay? We’ll be there soon.”

“No,” Cotton repeated, but it was hollow. He knew it was hopeless at this point. Nothing he said made any difference, and there was nothing he could do to make the human just listen to him. Not without telling them about borrowers, about his family, and that would only put everyone else in even more danger.

Özdal carried him out to their car. Cotton had only seen them from a distance before, terrifying, monstrous things. He never thought he’d end up inside one. It stank of oil and shook like thunder, but Özdal wasn’t deterred.

When the shaking finally stopped, they picked up the basket again. Cotton pulled the washcloth over his head as soon as he saw: humans were everywhere. They would all see him.

He felt the basket being placed down on something.

“Hi, I’m here with an emergency!” Özdal shouted.

They lifted the folded portion of the washcloth.

Cotton stared up, wide-eyed, at the bright-white room. There were more humans than he’d ever seen, and before he could even try to hide, several were already staring right back.

A couple of them pointed their phones at him, just like Özdal had.

Dread solidified in his gut.

“Oh no,” he whispered, finally passing out.

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[serickswrites]

I've Got You

Warnings: fire, escape, threat of danger, smoke inhalation, hurt/aftermath, hurt/comfort, caretaker and whumpee

"Jump, Whumpee! It's the only way!" Caretaker called up to Whumpee.

Whumpee stood on the window ledge one story above Caretaker. Whumper had set the building on fire in their attempts to trap Whumpee and Caretaker while they escaped. It had worked for the most part. But Caretaker had still managed to get out of the burning building.

But Whumpee hadn't.

"I'll catch you, I promise!" Caretaker called up.

"Are you sure?" Whumpee sputtered. Soot coated the left side of their face and their eyes were watery. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Trust me! Just jump. Now!" Caretaker could hear the groaning of the beams of the building as the fire raged within.

With a nod, Whumpee leapt into the air. They sailed gracefully towards Caretaker. And Caretaker caught them. "I've got you," Caretaker said as they wrapped Whumpee tightly in their arms.

"Thank," cough, "you," Whumpee said as they dissolved into a coughing fit.

"Let's get you to help. You've inhaled too much smoke." Caretaker gripped Whumpee tightly as they ran towards their car.

Whumpee nodded weakly as they continued to cough. They were safe. Caretaker had them. Whumper had gotten away, but they hadn't died. And neither had Caretaker.

[whumpinthepot]

@whumpmasinjuly-archive 2024, day 12. Caught

Oc Saunix, He/They

[newbornwhumperfly]

no one will feed you anymore...

oh, y’all know what time it is by now, don’t you? 😈🥺😈 i stretched the definition of this delightful prompt - @whumpmasinjuly day 12: caught - and it really stirred my creativity! so it's time for morja to sufferrrrrrrrrr...😭😭😭

(sidenote: this training scenario was heavily insp. by this incredible art by @elgrajaz cause it gives such whumperflies 😍)

title insp. by this concept art quote by jenny holzer - "if you're considered useless, no on will feed you anymore."

~

Your job today is to run. 

Until, anotèros?

There’s a blister on his ankle already. The friction of the shoe against skin, the rub-rub-rub, burn, burn, heat, sore, heat, foot falling flat against the ground, push off, spring forward, burn. 

Until you catch up.

Morja blinks wet into his eyes and it stings, blurs, his feet pound their rhythm still. Can’t wipe it away. Keep going. He knows where he’s going and he doesn’t need to see. Just run. 

Chase the buggy. The small white cart and the whine of the wheels as it speeds ahead, the anotèros driving, the anotèros with the stopwatch in his hand, the black glasses, don’t watch his face, just run.  

He has caught the buggy before. Dog with rabbit in his teeth. Grab the bar, swing himself into the backseat, stopwatch clicking stop. 

But it is so hot.

What is this track made of, anotèros? 

His trainer’s eyes had squinted, slitted sideways down at Morja, and the skin of his palms itched. 

The burn is all over. Heat. Heat in the legs, the thighs, the feet, the pulse of fire through each foot. 

Raw, sharp, prick of fire, as the blister peels. Heat. Blood. Blood in the sock. Bad. Wash later. Run. 

Keep going. 

Keep going.

The heat is inescapable. It’s the worst part, really, of anything. He’s lived in heat. Used to heat. Born in it, raised in it, put in it day after day and still, it is the most inescapable. 

Polyurethane, mostly. Does that answer your question, diathèsimòs?

Morja’s palms itched harder and he squeezed them into balls behind his back.  

Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. 

Good. Now get out there and run. 

Fire jars through his chest with each breath, breath dragging sharp across his lungs, filling up with knives, throat a razor trap, chest a dozen blade tips. Breathing out is an ache but better, better than swallowing the fire of air. 

Back straight. Drag air through the nose. Thick, rubber-scented, hot. It’s so hot in the building, foggy, every window had fog on it when he walked in today. 

Polly-your-a-thane. Rubber. That’s the smell. Mixed with latex. The stuff that sticks to skin. Poured over asphalt. Bouncy over solid. 

Knowing why your shoes stick to the track in the rain, in the heat, in the cold, doesn’t make you faster. It doesn’t help. 

Morja sees sweat gleam on his trainer’s head, wrist swiping it away, the stopwatch gleaming bright, pinpoint-sharp, and the lights are bright. Big bulbs in the ceiling that hum against his skin they’re so blue-bright-sharp. 

Keep up. 

His sides pulse. The pulse has started now and the stabbing will only get stronger. Stitch. A needle pulling air through his body on a barbed thread. Poke. Drag. Poke. Drag. 

They haven’t told you to stop.

Morja always has to remind himself his throat isn’t bleeding. It feels like it is. It isn’t. Not like his feet. Those are bleeding. 

He can’t even hear the clink of his cuffs, thick leather slick and sticking to his flesh in an itching snick-snick-snick at every jostle. The piston of his elbows at his sides is short and doesn’t yank the chains trailing behind the buggy. 

The slow whir of wheels-on-rubber is just a buzz now. Everything is a buzz, ears full of static, only the thudthudthud of blood rushing, water, past his ears, like his head is under the water, don’t think just run. 

He won’t catch up to the buggy if he doesn’t run.

(It will outrun him anyway. That’s the point. It has to. Of course it will. It’s a buggy and Morja is on foot. There is no point.)

No. He can catch the buggy. He was told to and he can. 

Keep the pace. This track doesn’t end. Run. 

Inescapable.

Run.

He is a diathèsimòs and he must keep running. 

The thud of his shoes against the track, the springing-then-solid, the reaching out with one hand, no, not close enough to reach and sweat blinds him again. Fuck. 

He should have caught them already. 

He must catch them. 

Every step burns. Every breath burns. The lights burn. The track is a circle and he rounds a corner into a corner into a corner in pursuit. 

The length of chain yanks, every step jolts his ribs against the inside of his skin, like every step jolts cuff against wrist, the chain growing tauter, the breaths shorter, harsher, dragging, razorwire, like the lungs being whipped. 

The shredded grunt of each breath can’t be coming from him, he doesn’t think, but it must be. It’s so loud in his ears, like his heartbeat, as knife of breathing stabs, stabs, stabs. 

The buggy is getting further away, inch by inch, and there is no way his lungs can bleed, like a horse. He is a diathèsimòs and his lungs don’t bleed. 

Breathing and seeing are fire. 

Hot rubber and hot copper and the itch of sweat is all he can think about. The sting of it in his open blisters. The crawl of it down the waistband of the pants, into the neck of the shirt, in his dry mouth like spit, in his dry eyes like tears. 

The track is designed to help you not slip. That’s how running tracks are made. That’s why the rubber smells so strong. 

But a stab, too-sharp, too-blinding, doubles him. He jerks against the cuffs and it’s done. The buggy keeps going and Morja doesn’t and his shoes fly out from under him and he hits the track. 

Rubber. Asphalt. Body. 

All the ragged breath is slammed from his lungs as his chest hits the ground, chin tucked against the fall, and the track burns across every inch, shoulders sharp and shocking at the jarring pull, pull, pull, dragged behind the buggy-

“Stop! Time.”

The burning stops and Morja lays there, heaving, light pulsing with every sharp heartbeat behind his eyelids, and he’s curled up on the ground, arms stretching out with their chains behind the buggy. 

Get up. 

He can’t.

Then kneel. 

Rolling, belly first, then dragging one leg, burning, stabbing, shaking, up beneath him. Another. He does kneel up and his lids, bleary, blink open as the shape of his anotèros floats from the buggy. The squeak of leather as the shape bends to crouch in front of him, a rolling smell as sharp and bright and cold as the overhead bulbs swallows him up, clean scent and sharp corners, holding up a gleaming pinpoint in Morja’s face. 

The stopwatch. 

The only cold Morja’s felt today stabs into the hollow of his stomach as numbers, bright electric lines, become clear. 

Slow. 

Fuck. 

I was slow.

“Gonna have to work on your speed, diathèsimòs. Guess you didn’t manage to catch up. You know the drill - don’t stop running until we’re caught.” 

Morja tastes blood in his mouth. Not from his lungs. Of course not. He takes his teeth out of his cheek and the smell of rubber fills his nose as he bows his head to the ground. 

Polyurethane, soft against his skin. 

“…Yes, anotèros.”

~ oooh, a little glimpse into morja's training regimen, which is very fair and achievable!! 🥺🥺🥺

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[justplainwhump]

Over

Dany is captured by WRU.

A part of Angel's story.

Written for Whumpmas in July @whumpmasinjuly-archive , day 12, Caught.

Content / warnings: Abduction, betrayal, character death, whumper pov, thoughts about noncon, vibes of unhealthy relationship dynamics (m/f).

Had it been up to Frankie to choose the last day of this life, it defined wouldn't have been a Monday. The Hammonds' weekly security briefing was tedious and dull. Especially today. Especially when the sun was shining, especially when his flight to the Caribbean was -

"Frankie." Peter snapped his fingers. "Focus. Look at these photos. Anyone on these shows up near her, you get her away. The Chernovs are pissed because of the boss' latest move, and they won't hold back."

Especially when Frankie knew in detail what - no, who the biggest threat to Dany was today. He had to bite back a smirk.

"The Chernovs won't get to her," Frankie assured, peeking at the clock in the corner. "I'll keep her close."

Josie leaned back and chuckled. "Yeah. We all know just how close she keeps you."

Peter clicked his tongue. "We don't talk about the junior like that, Josie. She's an adult, she's a professional, and so is Francis. When he's listening."

"Yeah. I've got her," Frankie repeated and peeked at the clock on the wall. "And she's going to insufferable when I'm late to pick her up. So. Excuse me."

"Watch out for these guys."

"I will."

He'd been even more attentive than usual, lately, Frankie thought as he jogged towards her office. He knew WRU was scouting them, and he'd clocked some of their agents. Whom he he'd been truly on the lookout for, however, was the principal. The person behind it all. Who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, to make Danielle Hammond his.

It scratched his professional honor that he couldn't tell. Sure, Stuart Hammond pissed off many powerful players, many of whom would go great length to take it out on his only daughter and designated successor. But none of them would use WRU as a middle man.

And Dany's own surroundings? She certainly came after her Dad, in both business sense and annoying attitude, but Frankie usually managed to keep up with a list of her enemies.

Nobody matched.

Frankie sighed, before he knocked at her door and entered right away.

"You're late," she said, not bothering to turn around from where she stood in front of her cabinet, changing from her elegant business suit into a white summer dress. Frankie was a pragmatic man, but he suspected there was some sort of poetry in that choice on a day like today. "Just in time to zip me up, though."

He stepped in behind her and carefully brushed her blond hair aside, before he reached down for the zipper.

She was gorgeous. Sun tanned, soft skin. The freckles over her shoulders. The fit body, with just the perfect mixture of curves and muscle. His hand rested on her ass just some moments, mapping her shape to keep her in his memories.

All of this would belong to someone else, soon.

"Frankie." She raised a brow at him through the mirror. "We're past this, remember? Focus."

His other hand searched for her hip, too, and he pulled her back against him. She didn't fight it. Fuck. She felt too good, her body pressed to his, just like the many times before. "Come on," he whispered into her hair. "One last time?"

Dany turned her head, and it made him shiver how close she was, how her soft breath caressed his skin. "You don't call the shots, babe," she whispered back, her hand on his cheek. "I do." She twisted her hip out of his grip. "Not today."

He wondered, how it would feel to just take her, right here, in her office. What would happen, if he just grabbed her, hand in that blond locks, tossed her over her own desk and fucked her. She was feisty, but he was stronger than her. Paid to be. He could easily overwhelm her. He'd thought about this, more than once. Never done it. Always let her call the shots. Always let her be in power. What a meek little power that was, though. All deduced, from family, from wealth.

And someone out there was about to do what Frankie couldn't. Strip that off her. That power. That name. That arrogance. All of it. And make her into a submissive little fucktoy.

Oh, he fucking hated them for getting what he longed for.

"Focus," Dany said sharply.

He took a deep breath and nodded. And he did focus. On the smell of her shampoo, on the way her hair tingled over his skin, on the curve of her ass under the zipper.

Focus.

Frankie would become a rich man today. Rich, satisfied, free. He'd just have to make it through this.

"Sorry, babe," he mumbled.

He wasn't.

~

"Why did you say that?" Dany asked, when they were going down in the elevator, looking at him through the huge mirror. "A last time? You usually don't give up that easily."

Frankie had to hide a flinch. "I... Did I really say that?"

She stared at him from honey eyes, eyebrow raised. Expectant. "Yeah."

He hated her. For being gorgeous, for that white dress, for being in charge, for looking right through him. Fifteen minutes. He just needed this to not blow up in his face for fifteen more minutes. Just needed her to trust him for fifteen more minutes. "I... I think we should end this," he said. Improvised. It felt hollow. It sounded real. "It's... It's sort of getting nowhere, right? And I... I think I deserve better."

She paused for a moment, searched his face, before she shrugged. "Okay. Yeah. I guess." She smirked. "It's really been a bit of a cliche, anyway."

The doors slid open towards the lobby, but he couldn't move.

"That's it?" Frankie asked in disbelief. "That's how simple you think this is?"

"Wasn't it always? Come on, Frankie. We fucked. It was fun, it was good, and not gonna lie-" She winked at him. "I did like spanking you. But I mean. It's just sex, right? When it's over, it's over. No hard feelings." She held out an arm to keep the elevator door open for them. "Now. Are we leaving or do you want Peter to cover your shift?"

He really considered it. For a second or two, Frankie imagined going home, having a beer, calling his parents, telling them he'd come back to work in their repair shop. Imagined a life without Dany Hammond.

No.

He'd close this chapter of his life in a much more rewarding way.

"I'm good." He gave her a sharp nod. "Yeah. No hard feelings."

He pushed past her into the lobby, took the room in with a sweeping glance. For a short moment, someone locked eyes with him.

Alex Nadler. That short, awkward WRU client satisfaction manager, dressed just like a businessperson passing by. They weren't awkward now. Their gaze felt like steel.

Frankie shivered.

Move, their lips formed as they tilted their head towards the street.

Focus, Frankie thought.

Focus.

He guided her to the door, just some steps after Alex.

By his side Dany, utterly unfazed by their past conversation, had pulled a stack of index cards from her white purse and skimmed through them, mumbling to herself. She was invited to give a speech at some charity's summer event, just two blocks south.

She wasn't scheduled to arrive.

He walked half a step behind her shoulder, as always, shielded her from behind and towards the street. And as always, his gaze constantly flicked from the surroundings to her. Her long legs, short white dress, perfectly curved ass, blond strands dancing in the wind. People made space for her on instinct, looked at her, jealous, admiring, greedy. And herself - she didn't even notice, deep into her notes, trusting the man behind her to keep her safe.

The man she'd let into her bed, but nowhere else. The man who'd been good enough to guard her, but not to be more than an affair out of dozens. The man she'd led him on, made feel special, and then proved over and over that to her, he was anything but.

A van closed in from behind them. In front, Alex slowed their steps to down to fall back to Dany's side.

Everything was in place.

Dany had no idea.

Frankie smiled grimly.

For someone as savvy as she was, she was pathetically naive.

Then, Alex raised their hand.

~

It happened in seconds. The van slowed by the curb, its door sliding open. Masks. Machine guns.

Dany's index cards silently drifting to the sidewalk. Her white dress still dancing around her thighs, while she stood frozen in shock.

Her first move was for him. A hand, reaching back, to where she knew her protector would be.

Frankie grabbed her waist, a move so familiar he could almost laugh. "I've got you, babe" he mumbled. He could swear that he felt her relax the tiniest bit.

Then he hefted her into the van, right between the armed men.

He jumped in, Alex followed, and the van accelerated, sped off, before Dany had even said a word.

She didn't, still, even when one of the captors took her purse and passed it on to toss it out. Even when another pulled back her wrists and fixed them with zip ties. Even when they forced her to her knees and bound her ankles as well.

Even with a stranger's hand in her hair, a gun to her head, she stayed silent, attentive, aware. Her gaze was on Frankie alone.

And oh. He could drown in those eyes.

When someone touched his wrist, disturbed the image, he angrily flinched. "Sit," a masked man next to him said. "It's getting bumpy."

"I'm -" Frankie grabbed for a hold on the side, just before the van sped around a corner.

"An asshole," Dany said flatly. "I should've known."

Somebody chuckled. But apart from that, nobody spoke.

She didn't say anything more either. Smart girl, he thought. Just as him and the security guys had talked through with her dozens of times. Don't give them anything. Stay calm. Stay alert. Don't fight. Could even have helped, had this been what she probably assumed it to be.

A kidnapping for ransom, for information, for leverage. A kidnapping that matched her worldview. Matched her self image of being the centre of the world.

He idly wondered, what they'd do with that cute white dress. Trash it, probably. Too bad. He'd have liked to fuck her in it.

The van hit a speedbump, another one, and Dany let out a short gasp when the man behind her yanked at her hair trying to keep his footing. The outside noises changed, grew dull, and the van drove into a long, spiraled curve. Parking garage, Frankie thought.

The door slid open, and without spoken commands, their captors emerged into the dark, boots echoing on concrete.

They were alone.

Frankie and Dany, his charge, his lover, his boss. He'd have given his life for her, a long time. Now, he'd sold hers.

She tried to push herself off the ground, get onto her knees again. Under the dim inside light of the van, her dress seemed to emit light. He saw her eyes skim over the inside of the car, the door, back at him, assessing the situation. It was hopeless.

She knew.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why, Frankie?"

"Money," Frankie said with a shrug and crouched down in front of her. "A new life. Seeing you on your knees. Actually, mostly the latter." He reached out and gently traced her cheek. She did flinch now. Cute. "Because you're a bitch, Dany." He grabbed her chin harder. "Because I get paid to see you destroyed."

She stared at him. He wondered if her lip was trembling, or if it was just the light. "It... You know it doesn't make sense, right?" she said.

Frankie pulled back from the kiss he'd just wanted to press on her lips, irritated. "What?"

"That story. You're a loose end. No mobster in their right mind would just let you walk. You betrayed me, you sold me out to be destroyed, but they'll kill you first." She let out a low chuckle. "Oh Frankie. You've always been a fucking idiot."

Fucking bitch tried to belittle him, even at her lowest.

"Oh no, babe." He shook his head. "You have no idea. They're not the mob. They're something else. They just planned to make it look like-"

Dany raised an eyebrow.

Fuck.

Something cold pressed into the back of his neck.

Frankie froze.

"She's right," Alex said behind him, their voice even. "We're professionals. At WRU, we don't leave loose ends."

Dany's gorgeous, brown eyes widened with sudden understanding, her mask of smug confidence finally shattered. "No," she breathed. "No, no, not WRU, not that, not -"

Dany Hammond looked lovely, he thought, when she fell apart.

He held on to that image, as he took his last breath.

---

[Next]

- --

Angel tag list (ask to be added or removed): @whumplr-reader @there-will-always-be-blood @whimpers-and-whumpers @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees @risk606

[teine-mallaichte]

@whumpmasinjuly-archive day 12 - caught

Whumpmas In July 2024 posts

[snakebites-and-ink]

Whumpmas in July Day 12: Caught

CW: Captivity, torture

What could they want?

Many thoughts and fears spun around in Civilian’s mind, but they kept circling back to that one question: What could they want?

Civilian didn’t have any sort of power, or important relations, or significant wealth. There was no reason for a villain to target them. Yet here they were, tied up in Supervillain’s lair.

They’d been captured. Caught as easily as a defenseless bug in a spider’s web.

As soon as the villain entered, the question cycling in Civilian’s mind spilled from their lips. “What do you want?”

“That you could get me? Nothing. Believe me, there is nothing you could offer me that would get you out of this.”

“Exactly I—why did you take me? I don’t have anything you could want.”

“Ah. You, I got for entertainment value.”

“Wha—?”

Supervillain made a small gesture, and their power ripped through Civilian—painfully.

It felt like being electrocuted, but there wasn’t a spark to speak of. And when the barrage stopped, their skin was without a burn, without a mark. Civilian was left gasping and panting but with no other indicator of how they’d just been hurt.

Supervillain was smiling. “Entertainment.”

Entertainment was just hurting them? They weren’t really surprised that the villain was a sadist, but Civilian had hoped they’d been taken for some other reason. Something less purely torturous.

A normal human couldn’t do much against a super, let alone the area’s top villain. Was this their new life now?

Masterlist

[whump-me]

Whumpmas in July Day 12: Caught

The pixie laughed in delight as she zoomed through the night toward the orange glow. It was so beautiful! Like a miniature sun come to earth. And soon it would be hers.

Then, searing pain. Flame spread down her wing, and she tumbled through the air.

A child’s fleshy fingers caught her by her other wing. “See? They’re so stupid they’ll fly right into the flame.” He dropped the lit match into his glass jar.

“My turn! I want to try!” his friends all clamored, as the child dropped the burning pixie in with the match and closed the lid.

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

[inkwell-and-dagger]

Day 12: Caught

He was so close. Oh, so close to escape.

Doing so much as escaping from Madir’s house had been a feat in its own. The windows and doors were routinely barricaded at night, one of the many things Madir could freely do without any pesky neighbours getting concerned. Not to mention that damned hound the guy had which never seemed to sleep, and which Rayan could've sworn wasn't actually a dog, but some sort of demonic creature disguised as a cute little Pitbull Terrier. The dishevelled house was difficult to traverse, the floorboards seeming to screech underfoot with every step the captive took.

But when he'd finally managed to rip the barricades off of the back door, he'd sprinted like he'd never before. Despite the exhaustion that plagued his body from days without basic sustenance, adrenaline forced him onwards. Surely civilization wasn't that far from the little clearing Madir's cabin was situated; it hadn't been that long of a car ride, although he'd been unconscious for the most of it. He just had to remember which direction civilization was, which was easier said that done.

Hindsight’s vision is 20/20, though. Rayan should've known it was too good to be true, that Madir would've planned ahead in case his little captive were to escape. And as a result, as Rayan sprinted on bare, bloodied feet away from that haunted house of a cabin, his foot got caught on something. Before he knew it, he was engulfed and entangled, suspended off of the ground as if he were a fish caught in a net.

Well, one part of that was true; he was trapped in a net, it seemed. He, just, wasn't quite a fish.

Morning couldn't have come any slower. At the very least, the morning sun soothed the chill in Rayan's bones from being hung outside for the majority of the night, mentally berating himself for thinking he could escape so easily. Just when he thought his Immortal body would cave before he could escape the net, he heard the cabin door open with a groan of rusted hinges, and his captor’s amused voice.

“There you are!” crooned Madir, arms opened out as if in pursuit of a hug. Rayan met his greeting with a sharp glare, but it didn't seem to make his captors’ cheery demeanour falter. “Knew these things would come in handy someday.”

“Let me down.”

“What was that, unsterblich? I can't hear you from all the way down here, y'know.”

He wasn't even that far away, Rayan wanted to sneer. But he held his tongue, lest he wanted another limb removed. Madir seemed to have no restraint when it came to inflicting pain. Instead, in a faltering voice laced with a newfound desperation, he repeated his plea. “Let me down!”

Madir hummed in thought, but by the grin on his face, Rayan already knew his decision. “I don't think I want to,” He sighed, feigning boredom as he grabbed a segment of the net, pulled it back and swung. Rayan yelped in surprise as he was swung from the net, to and fro. “Not yet, at least.

“I'll leave you here for.. another couple hours, ja? When you're done with being stubborn and say sorry for escaping, I might even consider cutting you out of it.”

“No! No, no no no, wait,” Rayan pled, grasping the rope and attempting to focus on Madir's face despite how he was swinging. “I'm sorry. I promise, I swear, I'm sorry. I- I won't try it again. Just let me down, at least.”

“But do you mean it? Are you sure you're sorry, RayRay?”

“Don't call me that.” He spat in reply.

“Hmm. Okay!” With that, shrugging nonchalantly, Madir turned on his heel. “I'm gonna go on a walk, while you sit there and think about how your actions have consequences. Oh, also: if you're gonna escape, at least be sneaky. I could hear you panting like a dog, and you could've been quieter getting the barricades off the door.”

As much as Rayan wanted to give a snarky remark in response, he held his tongue, watching with a sneer as Madir re-entered the cabin. Within a few minutes, he emerged with his dog, the little devil eager to get out of the house. As Madir passed his suspended net, he huffed in amusement and sent it swinging once more.

And so, as Rayan watched the swaying treetops while he waited to reconcile with his captor, his sneering expression couldn't help but soften. “Bastard…”

HTKAI Taglist: @kira-the-whump-enthusiast @whumpy-wyrms @creppersfunpalooza @toyybox @vidawhump

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

[vidawhump]

Day 12: Caught

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

Brilla looked on as the net hoisted further up. She stood off to the side, not actively perpetrating anything, but not doing anything to stop it. It seemed like she was doing that more and more these days. A silent enabler. Before long, Nilalang's pitch-black eyes peeked over the ship's edge. The shipmates whooped and hollered in achievement at the sight of Nilalang. It almost seemed like it was about to cry. Its eyes looked tear-stained, despite living in the ocean its whole life. Though you could never really tell where it was looking, Nilalang kept its eyes tracked on Brilla. A silent cry for help. Brilla couldn't do anything except stare back amidst the celebration on the ship. Nilalang looked dejected at Brilla's lack of reaction, but it never stopped watching her. It curled up in the net, resigning to the fact that it'd been caught, and nothing could be done to change that.

[wollemi-whump]

WIJ Day 13 - Favorite Niche Whump Tags

I don't know how many of these people actually use or, on the flip side, how niche they are, but these are some of the ones I've used personally!

I really love all things language and linguistics so I use the tag #language whump for anything fitting that category. It encompasses most often another favorite of mine, #language barriers, but also things like the use of specific phrases or manners of speech. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to find things to tag with this, but it's still one of my favorites :)

A bit more of a common one is my love #forced labor. Good stuff. I also love #spy whump and its counterpart #spy whumpee. Undercover situations my beloved <3 (If you're looking for anything with this, watch the movie The Departed. it's a good movie!)

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

[wounds-seen-and-unseen]

Yathamathi

Ekam: Pandu

My entry for @whumpmasinjuly Day 12: Caught, featuring people caught in different ways, both literal and metaphorical. @whumpmasinjuly-archive

Note on the Sanskrit:

Pitashree: Father (respectful)

And so we open, with fathers and sons in focus.

Note on the cast of characters

Devavrata “Bhishma” Kauraveya- Head of the family, also of the one-party government

Dhritarashtra Kauraveya- Devavrata’s first son

Duryodhan Kauraveya- Dhritarashtra’s eldest son.

Pandu Kauraveya- Devavrata’s second son and political heir

Pritha Kauraveya- Pandu’s wife

Yudhisthir Kauraveya- Pandu’s eldest son, his political heir

Bheem Kauraveya- Pandu’s second son, a police officer

Arjun “Parth” Kauraveya- Pandu’s youngest son, the darling baby of the family, an elite Airforce officer and doctor.

Krishn Varshenya- Arjun’s best friend and pilot, also his maternal cousin.

More characters to be added as necessary!

Tagging @themorguepoet @khudrang @dreamer-in-sleep and @hindumyththoughts for being my betas, ( @themorguepoet is basically my co-writer in this one!), @harinishivaa @blue-lotus333 and @justabitofwhump

Let me know via ask/comment/DM if you want to added to/removed from the taglist!

Story below the cut.

Ekam: Pandu

Pitashree’s hands tighten around my shoulders in the inescapable vice they were. “You will do your duty. The nation demands that of you. Even our beloved child…is secondary. The will of the people is supreme.” His eyes are starring into mine, forcing his will on me.

He pauses for a moment. “You must forswear…” Even he must pause, before taking the child’s name, my son’s name, in such a context. “…Arjun.” Arjun. Arjun, whose guileless, dimple-cheeked smile makes him look half a child. Whose hands held me in the last true embrace I remember. Arjun, whose sincerity echoes in his actions, whose very name is a testament to purity.

My father’s hands shake me back into bleak reality, away from treasured, cherished memories. “The implications of the videos, plastered across media, are too dire. We must act, and act now, lest it be a matter shaming our family more than it already has.”

Though I nod mutely, his voice echoes across time. “Pitashree,” it says, dulcet, lilting, “You will see, I’ll make you all proud!” Fatherly instinct drives me to deny any possibility of my son, Pritha’s son, ever bringing shame to us, and yet. The videos do show a different truth. The same child who wanted to serve his country turning his familiar smile onto enemies of the state, freely discussing with them, sharing bits of information to them…interspersed with my fond memories, bring to my mind an aspect of my son we had always thought of as innocent idealism, yet, with the stark picture painted by these videos…could it have been genuine sympathy for our enemies?

The interviewer’s voice breaks into my thoughts. “The nation grieved with your family, sir, when the initial news came out., especially with the reputation he had, of being devoted to his duty.” I force myself to nod as he pauses, the video montage flashing to one of the earlier videos.

“I cannot imagine your shock, sir,” he continues smoothly, “when his collusion with the enemy was revealed.” I swallow, sticking to the script, having essentially no other choice. One child, no matter how beloved, comes after the people, I repeat the refrain in my mind, but it is cold comfort. “Shocked, yes,” I go along with him, nodding.

It is not far from the truth. I had indeed been shocked.

Watching the same video again hardly reduces the emotion that rises, at the sight of Arjun and Krishn in that state. My son is on one knee, his wrists soaking the rope tying them red. He had, in spite of that, wrapped a rough bandage around them, hardly caring about the other wounds on him, before he had bandaged Krishn’s surface gashes gently. He had gone on to give the same gentle, considerate treatment to the militants that held him captive in our neighbour’s land.

The captors had quite a time with both of them, knocking them around, obviously enjoying hurting them. Krishn had at least defended himself to some extent, but Arjun had hardly raised a finger in his own defence.

Even bleeding, clearly in pain, he had prioritised treating them. In the records, even the militants seem shocked by his obvious care.

“Given the nature of what we see, I am with the people, sir,” the interviewer manages to sound regretful, a regret I doubt he is actually feeling. “You and your son are known to be quite close. How can we be certain that we are in safe hands, when your child can commit so gross a betrayal?”

“I am first and foremost a son of the nation,” I reply heavily.

“Thank you for saying that, Mr. Kauraveya. However, it recently came to light that your son had already had leanings towards the militants, and that the possibility of you intentionally keeping it from the public cannot be denied.”

The reminder of Duryodhan’s so-called ‘candid’ interview is enough to escalate the volume of my voice, though I could hardly deviate from the script. “Rest assured, sir, that both I and my father put the nation first.”

I pause, having to take a deep breath before I say what I must. Even so, I know my voice is far from calm and composed. “Father takes his responsibility as the leader of the nation very seriously. As his spokesperson here, I will do my part in condemning any action that can erode national prestige and harmony, even if, as seen here, said action is done by my son.”

I look directly into the camera, trying to convey sincerity I definitely do not feel. Even though Arjun had definitely done something he shouldn’t…the father I am shuddered to say the words I have to.

“The people of our country are my first priority. He who forsakes them will find himself forsaken in turn, my own son though he might have been.”

I manage to hold my face to impassivity as the reporter says the customary thanks. Father merely offers a nod as I rush out, unable to breathe, even, in the bright glare of the studio.

I flee.

The moment my feet cross the threshold of home, I am stopped in my tracks. “Arjun would never forgive me if I did to you what you deserve. And, that, Senator, is the only reason you stand unharmed within physical reach of me.”

I cast my eyes to the floor, unable to face my wife’s indignation. “Prithey…” I begin, my voice an entreaty. She pays it no mind. “Make no mistake. The single sole reason I do not forsake you as you have done to a far better man than yourself is because of him alone. Because I know my child. I know that he is innocent enough to love and respect men who barefacedly disown him.”

Stung, hurt, I retort “I did not have a choice!” Pritha merely raises an eyebrow. “We all make choices, Senator. You have made yours in full view of the world. And I make mine. I am my son’s mother, and that alone. I will not allow those who betray his trust to get close to me. Therefore, leave. Leave before I lose what little forbearance I am holding on to because you are my son’s beloved but entirely undeserving father.”

I hesitate for a moment. My hesitation drives her anger to the zenith. “Get out of my sight!” she commands, firm and clear.

I am lost for words. What could I even say in the face of a mother’s fury?

Her eyes speaking volumes beyond her incensed words, she turns and leaves without according me even a glance.

I stand there, alone, whatever cold comfort my duty had given long lost, an intruder in my own family, protected only by the child I had forsaken.

[alextries]

Whumpmas in July day:12

Caught

CW: small mentions of blood and cutting people

Other parts: “____” deserved it”, left behind , mind games

________________________________

Set a few days after mind games

________________________________

Trickles of blood fell onto the floor from the back of 139.20s neck and the doctor couldnt help but hum to himself as he sliced through the flesh knowing that he really should have done this to the subjects ages ago. He put the scalpel down and picked up the little tracking chip and puched it underneath the cut, listening to 139.20s muffled sobs and pleas as if its not his fault the doctor has to chip it and 125.22.

It really is an inconvenience you know, he had planned on doing a different experiment today and now he had to reschedule it to do this. 125.22 is now strapped to the chair with 139.20 now curled up in the far corner of the room. The collars were meant to do the tracking but with 139.20s stunt yesterday he now needed to chip the subjects in a more permenant way. He still remembered the absolute headache that stunt gave him and he let himself get lost in thought about it, not paying much attention to the subjects in the room.

—————

Yesterday

—————

*beep* *beep* *bee-* the doctor hit his alarm clock and the first thing he noticed was how much his back was killing him. He must have slept at his desk again and then he knew he had slept at his desk again as when he tried to get up he wound up on the floor with his desk chair underneath him. “Bloody- why does this happen every time. I have a couch in here for heavens sake. Why cant i ever wake up on the couch” he whined to himself as he got up and he headed straight for the kitchen before stopping.

“Ahh yes the subjects… I should get some food for them too, well if they’d take any food off me now” he hadn’t really thought that one all through. The subjects were yes, subjects, but he still wanted to treat them decently enough. It makes the experiments go easier when they behave and what he made 139.20 do that day will either set his behaviour a bit straighter or leave him with a fear of food and that would make keeping him alive more difficult than keeping two subjects already is.

He also had to admit he went a bit far. He didn’t have any reason to do that he just wanted to give it a little scare or make it question itself a bit. Not make it and even 125.22 who, he cant even remember the last time it cried, started crying. He knew he should stay detached from their feelings and wants for the sake of the experiments progress but sue him he felt a bit bad for doing that. Its fine when theres reason to hurt them but without reason it just feels cruel.

He quickly made his coffee and got out some bread and water for the subjects breakfast. Walking down that corridor he felt odd, not in the oh did I forget something odd but the somethings not right here odd and he knew just what it was when he reached the subjects room to find the door open and 125.22 quietly sobbing and apologising in the corner of the bed. With an open collar in the middle of the room.

“Where is 139?” He demanded but it just balled itself up further into the beds corner.

“I. Said. WHERE!”

“*hic*…he went for the *hic* door at the end of the hall…I’m so sorry *hic*” 125.22s sobbing got louder but Dr. Greniard couldn’t hear it anymore, he started running to the end of the hall “shit, shit, shit.” The lift. It was heading for the lift behind that door. He got the door open and the lift had a bright letter G over it. Ground floor to try and make a run for it, it’s okay, I can fix this. He pressed the lift button and headed for the ground floor, quickly heading to the main exit and started bolting to the trees nearby when he saw 139.20 far ahead.

Now the subjects don’t know this about him. Even his closest colleagues don’t but when he was in college he was on track. He can go fast but he can also do it for a long time, and with some added learning, quietly. He knew that he had to wait 139.20 out until it got too tired to go any further and too unsuspecting of being caught as he didn’t see anyone coming after him. So he did.

It took 2 hours before 139.20 collapsed on the road after trying to hitchhike. No car would take it and the little one just couldn’t go anymore. 139.20 never noticed him though. He followed him through the thick trees and luckily his stamina and quietness did not deteriorate after not using those skills in some time. He kept up easily, so easily he almost felt bad for the subject sprawled out on the road.

“Silly little subject. Thinking he could get away” 139.20 started struggling and tried to make a run for it but its energy was spent and he resorted to crying and pleas when it realised how much trouble it was truly in.

“Now, now 139. Be good and still while i carry you back or i can make you be good and still, ” he pulled out a syringe from his coat pocket and was glad he carries the syringe around all the time. “One little dose of this will paralyze you for hours, also you wont be able to speak or even understand whats going on so do you want this” he held the syringe up in one hand “or this” and he extended his other had to the subject.

139.20 took his hand quicker than he thought it would and the doctor felt like rewarding that a bit. He picked it up bridal style and put the syringe away, feeling the subject sigh in relief that it was out of its sight. He carried him back, and it took 4 hours of walking but they got there in the end and he even pet 139.20 on the head a bit during the journey as that is just the perfect way of rewarding the little one for behaving on the walk back.

They went in the lift and he realised that 139.20 had actually been very quiet which is unusual. Maybe it was dehydrated or just tired but he would grab some water for the subjects in a bit. “125!” 125.22 stepped out of their room quickly and looked at 139 with pity and then at the doctor with fear.

“ we are all going to experiment room one for a little work I need to do on you both. So c’mon” he felt 139.20 shudder against him and 125.22 started shuddering too but obeyed and went to the room just beside their bedroom and he followed, putting 139.20 in the chair and getting out the tracking chips he would need and then reaching for the scalpel

And muffled screams and sobs of 139.20 in the chair followed soon after.

[whumpmasinjuly]

Day 12: Caught

It's time to hurt your favorite canon characters or OC's! Caught in a lie? Caught mentally between decisions? Or physically caught, trapped and begging for release? The possibilities are in your capable hands!

You can reblog this post with your introduction, or make your own post (there’s a banner available on our blog at #wijbanner if you’d like)! Make sure to use the tags #whumpmasinjuly2024 and #wij24day1 so that others can find your post, and be sure to check out the tags to see all the awesome works this month! Make sure to tag @whumpmasinjuly-archive so your works can be featured on our official archive blog!

[viva-la-whump]

Whumpmas in July - Day 12

Okay, time to speed-run the rest of this challenge! Let's go!!!

Day 12 - Caught

Twenty feet. Ezra made it only twenty feet from that tree, limping painfully the entire way, before he landed in an animal trap.

The pit was some ten feet wide and deep and camouflage with a tarp lightly covered in dirt and twigs and leaves, and secured with rocks at each corner.

Ezra crashed to the ground in a painful heap, the tarp covering him. His leg screamed with renewed fire and he clutched at it and screamed. He didn’t have the strength to untangle himself from the tarp, let alone stand or try to climb out.

Ezra’s vision started to get darker and darker, and it wasn’t because he was covered with a tarp or that night was quickly falling. Right now he wished more than anything that he hadn’t run off and that he was still with the Ghost caravan. Even with how annoying Zeb could be most of the time, anything was better than the situation he was in now.

[autobot2001]

Under The Desert Sun

Author: Autobot2001 Genre: Fanfiction Fandom: Transformers Rating: E Warning: None Pairing: Drift X Jamie (OC) Description: Soldiers target Jamie again. This time taking her to a desert, using a groudbridge. The few Autobots that find out worry about finding Jamie in time.

@whumplovers-collaborat prompts )from the discord server); -Desert -Harassment -"If they die, you all die"

@whumpmasinjuly-archive day 12; caught

Jamie walks down the hall, minding her own business when she’s attacked from behind. “You’re no soldier,” a male voice sneers. “Too easy,” a woman says, tying Jamie’s limbs while two men restrain her. “Weak.” The soldier sneaks up on Jamie with a bat, hitting her on the head. “Seriously, this is too easy,” the female says. “Even if she frees herself, she’ll be disoriented and unable to use her powers to get back.”

Hours pass before Drift enters the shared bedroom to get Jamie for dinner. He panics, as he can’t find Jamie. He runs down the hall, running into Crosshairs and falling onto the floor.

“Drift?” He helps Drift up, noticing the panic on his face, “Drift? What’s wrong?” Drift struggles to tell Crosshairs he can’t find Jamie. They both rush down the stairs, hoping their friends are with Jamie.

The three friends are concerned about hearing Jamie is missing. All five agree they need to tell Optimus and the security officers Prowl and Red Alert. Crosshairs and Drift are struggling to stay calm.

“That brat is finally gone,” one of the male soldiers smiles, “I can’t believe no one else has thought about this.” “Autobots will learn not to be babysitters for a so-called so—.” The soldier is slammed into the wall. “Where is she?!” Sunstreaker grabs his knife. “No, Sunstreaker,” Optimus warns, “where did you take Jamie?” “Do not act like you don’t know!” Prowl warns. “The desert,” The man Sunstreaker has pinned to the wall answers, “your groundbridge technology is helpful. Good luck finding her.” The soldier’s composure astonishes the Autobots, despite being caught and about to be arrested for his actions. Sunstreaker would love to deal with the soldiers himself. “If they die, you all die!” Sunstreaker threatens all the soldiers involved. She’ll be fine, Sunstreaker. Sideswipe assures his brother through their spark bond. Not if they knocked her out to get her to the desert. Sunstreaker argues. If she has a serious concussion, she won’t be thinking about using instant transmission to return to the base or fly to find her way out. The brothers worry about Jamie and their friends. While they don’t know which desert the soldiers brought Jamie to, they are aware that the risk of dehydration is high. Add if she has a serious concussion.

Jamie wakes up, but the bright sun reflecting off the ground bothers her. Add the throbbing headache. She doesn’t remember going to the desert. The absence of Autobots makes her fear they’re lost in the desert, a hazardous place. The headache prevents Jamie from concentrating enough to detect anyone’s energy or energon signatures. She knows she can’t stay in one place, but the headache and bright sun make walking hard. Everyone worries about Jamie being in the desert. The concern is the tempeture is one-hundred-five degrees there and Jamie has no water. The desert poses no threat to the Autobots. They chose not to have any soldiers join them. Only Jasmine accompanies them, knowing Jamie will need medical care. It’s believed that Jamie isn’t near where human tourists would be. Drift hopes to find Jamie fast using his helicopter alt mode. He struggles to focus on the task rather than worrying about Jamie. Ratchet, Prowl, and the terror twins go different ways to search for Jamie.

Jamie doesn’t know how long she’s been walking in the desert, but she knows it’s not good that she doesn’t have water. Even if it’s the normal temperature for the desert, Jamie isn’t sure since she doesn’t know which desert she’s in. She knows she needs to keep going.

Twenty minutes pass until Drift sees something in the color of Jamie’s gi. He lands close to the subject and transforms. Immediately noticing Jamie. :: I found her.:: :: Forget about waiting for us like planned. Get her back to the base now!:: Ratchet orders, hearing the state Jamie is in. Relieved his servo is cool rather than burning hot from the heat, Drift picks up Jamie and opens a groundbridge.

Drift’s holoform rushes into the medbay carrying Jamie who’s trying to hide from the bright lights. Jolt sees this as a good sign but knows Jamie is still likely dehydrated. The two mechs like seeing Jamie reacting to the lights and telling them she has a throbbing headache. While Jolt is working, Jamie’s eyes are covered with a pillow. Drift gets her to drink ice water while Jolt puts an IV in for IV fluids. He lets Drift give her pain relief.

“Let me at them!” Sunstreaker argues. “No, they’ll be arrested for kidnapping. I’m hoping to add attempted murder,” Prowl adds. “I know harassment is one person targeting her often, but it’s the soldiers. They should count,” Lightning argues. “Not all soldiers are targeting her,” Crosshairs reminds her, “some have helped her.” “Come on, guys. Let’s go see how Jamie is doing,” Sideswipe suggests. The four holoforms walk out of the hangar.

Drift stands in the Hallway by an ICU room. The others notice dim lights in the room. Jasmine and Ratchet walk into the medbay. “She’s trying to sleep with a headache,” Drift tells everyone. “She’ll be fine,” Jolt adds, “moderate dehydration and a migraine of concussion. She had some ice water. I have an infusion going. After that and a nap, I think she’ll feel better.” Sunstreaker finds relief but regrets not dealing with the soldiers earlier.