CHAPTER FOUR
--Toronto--
--Toronto--
"I'm getting antsy."
"You're always antsy," answered the white sports car, parked besides its red companion in an abandoned car lot.
"Moreso this time," growled Cliffjumper. "How long has he been gone now?"
"We're clocking in at an hour twenty," Jazz replied.
"You think he's in trouble?"
"If he was, he'd have let us know or I wouldn't still be getting his code signal."
"Still too long for my liking," Cliffjumper muttered. "How hard is it to find a good rendezvous point?"
"Very hard when the whole world's after you," Jazz said. "But I'm getting the inkling that you're not worried for his safety."
"I don't trust him."
"I know you don't."
"He always keeps to himself," Cliffjumper went on. "Always sneaking, always hiding...."
"Isn't that what we're doing?" Jazz remarked wryly. "Besides, it is his job."
"Yeah, but he's almost too good at it."
"Better to have a good spy than a bad one."
Cliffjumper grunted in disapproval. "See if you're still saying that when he shows his true colors."
Jazz sighed. "I swear, you're worse than Red Alert sometimes...."
* * *
"Hit him again!"
Mirage cried out as a second explosion sent him careening off the Scarborough Bluffs, plunging towards the lake below. He quickly transformed and deployed a grappling hook; by digging it into the side of the escarpment, he was able to slow his descent and safely land on the beach.
Looking up, he could see the Sector Seven jeeps rolling along the bluffs, flanked by one of their helicopters. He attempted to activated his cloaking shield, but their earlier assault had already busted it.
So much for a simple scouting mission....
"Don't move, Autobot!" the lead S7 field agent shouted from his loudspeaker. "We have you cornered!"
"You don't think I can swim?" Mirage dryly retorted.
"I don't see you turning into a boat," the agent shot back. "Now cut the attitude and surrender yourself!"
"What if I do one but not the other?"
"You're trying my patience, robot. You have five seconds before we shoot you."
"I'll give you one."
Mirage then pointed his gun at the helicopter and fired. As the chopper plummeted towards the ocean, Mirage transformed to his race car form and sped down the beach. He could practically hear Elita or Jazz berating him for bringing harm to humans, but he was in no mood to have a moral argument with his inner thoughts. He just needed to escape these guys, find Jazz and the others, and--
The sound of shifting metal caused him to pause as the helicopter he had just downed suddenly emerged from the ocean and reshaped itself into the form of a muscle car. The driver-less vehicle sped up towards Mirage and rammed itself into his side, sending him spinning out of control. Before he could orient himself, Mirage was hit by a blast of electricity, scrambling his systems.
A heavy foot slammed down on the nose of his alt mode to stop him from moving any further. Through his visual sensors, Mirage could make out a tall, blue mechanical figure looming over him, red optics gleaming with contempt.
Decepticons, Mirage thought bitterly to himself. Of course it had to be Decepticons.
He was hit with another blast and all went dark.
* * *
"I've lost his signal."
Cliffjumper loudly revved his engine. "What are we waiting for then? Let's--"
"Hold onto your diodes, cool cat," Jazz said. "This probably means someone's found him. They're sure to be on the hunt for us now."
"So what are we s'posed to do? Just sit around and do nothing?"
Before Jazz could reply, the roar of a jet engine heralded the appearance of a red jet streaking across the sky. When it began to circle over the lot the two Autobots were in, Jazz kicked on his own engine; Cliffjumper quickly followed suit.
"Perish the thought," the latter muttered.
As soon as the two cars had peeled out of the lot, the jet shot down towards them and began firing its guns. The duo swerved to avoid the attacks, honking their horns to scare away human pedestrians. After a few of blocks, they made a sharp turn down an alleyway and the jet zipped past them.
"Prima's motherboard," Cliffjumper swore as he and Jazz continued driving. "I didn't think Sector Seven were that daring to put other humans' lives at risk like that."
"I'm not sure that was Sector Seven," Jazz murmured.
"Why do you say that?"
"C'mon, Cliff'; you more than anyone should know what that thing was."
"...A Decepticon?" Cliffjumper asked. "But what would a 'Con be doing here on Earth?"
"Tell you what, Cliff'..."
At the end of the alleyway, a red muscle car rolled into view, flashing its lights at the Autobots.
"...why don't we ask 'em?"
Smoke exhumed from the car's exposed engine as it accelerated towards them. With nowhere left to turn, the two Autobots advanced to meet the Decepticon halfway. Their bumpers collided with full force and the impact sent all three cars flying.
The red muscle car changed shape again, this time assuming the form of a lithe warrior. A gun unfurled from one of her arms which she then aimed at the Autobots, who had transformed as well. Before the Decepticon could fire, Jazz deployed a pair of speakers from his shoulders and unleashed a blast of pure sound. The sonic attack sent the Decepticon tumbling back, as well as destroyed anything made of glass that was within its range.
As car alarms blared from all around them, Cliffjumper glanced at Jazz. "I think you just blew our cover."
"That ship's already sailed, bro." Jazz then transformed back to his car mode and drove out of the alleyway, with Cliffjumper close behind.
* * *
Shatter cursed to herself as she got back to her feet, watching as the two Autobots sped away. Shifting to her jet mode, she took to the sky once more and began following the pair. Normally she would have found a chase like this to be entertaining, but already her patience was wearing thin.
As she continued to tail her targets, Shatter said into her comm, "Dropkick, I'm going to need assistance in dealing with these two."
"You can't handle them yourself?" her partner replied.
"Oh, I can handle them. I just need someone to help... expedite this game to its end."
"You in some kind of hurry?"
"We didn't come back to this dirtball to help the humans play cleanup, comrade. We have bigger and better things awaiting us."
"I'm on my way."
No sooner had Dropkick ended the call that Shatter heard the sound of his rotor blades coming from the distance. Deciding it would be best to prevent the Autobots from getting any further, Shatter fired a rocket in their direction. The resulting blast sent both cars spinning. The red one quickly reoriented itself and transformed, pointing a gun at Shatter. She allowed him to pull off a few shots before sending another rocket his way.
By this time, Dropkick had joined her and the two Decepticons transformed to land in front of the Autobots. The white one -- Jazz, Shatter believed, was his name -- took up a defensive position in front of the defeated Cliffjumper.
"What do you gearsticks want?" Jazz demanded.
"Your heads," Dropkick growled.
"Not for any personal reasons," Shatter was quick to add. "We're simply helping our human allies in their cleanup to fulfill our end of the bargain."
"Since when did Sector Seven start working with Decepticons?" Jazz asked.
"Since they decided to cut ties with you," Dropkick snarled as he primed his gun. "Now, hold still so that we can--"
"Wait." Shatter stalled her comrade with a hand to his arm. Dropkick glanced at her with a perplexed expression.
"Wait for what?"
Shatter said nothing as she raised an arm at a confused Jazz and fired an energy net at him, ensnaring both him and Cliffjumper.
Dropkick made an annoyed grunt. "You know I hate it when you do that."
"I know," Shatter said as she strode over to the enmeshed Autobots. "That's why I do it."
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