TITLE: Smoke and Mirrors, Secrets and Lies
SERIES: Imperfection Deviation
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money :)
FEEDBACK: Loved
WHO TO BLAME: Sapphire! It only took one weekend to work this out, two weeks later the story was written out as a rough draft. Darn bunnies!
Additional Character Note: from the day I wrote the story to the 20th of February 2010 I was convinced that Drift was a character Sapphire and I had created. She gave him his name (I had called him Static at first, she argued that Drift/Drifter sounded better), I gave him his basic personality and abilities.
Then, on 02/20/10 Sapph told me that Drift is actually a former Decepticon ninja assassin who changed sides in G1 and some comics.
I looked at my character, stared, started laughing, and decided we're really good. We created a character out of brain farts and it ended up being a canon one. Very cool.
So, no OCs in here. Raoul is the guy from the G1 episode "Making Trax", just older. I don't think he had a last name in the cartoon. Now he has one here :)
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He hadn't been born into one of the better neighborhoods of town, but it also wasn't the slums. It was a place where you still went to school and learned, but where the lure of street gangs was already extending. Still, he resisted and he didn't join like many of his class mates.
His father made money in junk, owning one of the city's largest private junk yards. His mother worked in the yard's office, helping with the paper work. They had money, but never enough for him to go to college.
So he got into cars. By the age of twelve he could hotwire a car and take apart an engine like it was a Lego set. He knew everything there was about cars.
And the street gangs extended.
His parents always warned him, but he wanted to belong to something bigger, so he went with a friend. They told him to steal a car.
On his thirteenth birthday he did it. As a rite of initiation, coming of age, belonging somewhere.
It was the day everything changed.
It was the day Raoul Vega met an alien life form.
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One way to get into a car show to find a rogue Cybertronian signal was to buy a ticket. A really simple way that involved nothing more fancy than standing in line and purchasing a moderately priced piece of electronic paper. And on you went to fawn over the new models, poke fun at the ridiculous ideas of some designers, and snap pictures with the hot hostess.
Another way was to be a fancy car and share the spotlight with all the other pimped cars, designer models or the all-out weirdoes who spent their last dollar on a custom paint job, but had no food in the fridge over night.
There was also the possibility that your name was Anthony Edward Stark, you had billions to spend, were a name in the design industry, and simply walked into the gigantic show room with not a cent paid.
Tony Stark grinned to himself as he went with the flow of people, stopping in front of displays, looking at the cars.
::Easy as pie:: he sent via Extremis.
::Right:: came the reply from his partner. ::So much for incognito::
::Hey, I got inside. And I'm not surrounded by a bulk of pretty girls and bodyguard bruisers.::
Rodimus Prime snorted, but he didn't argue any further. He knew that Tony's usual bodyguard and driver, Happy Hogan, had offered to come along and Tony had refused. He had also refused any other guards. He could protect himself because of his alterations. And Happy was needed with his family, Stark had argued. He was now a happily – no pun intended -- married man. Pepper Potts and he had tied the knot. It had pained Tony a little, though he hadn't said anything about it. He was glad his friends had found each other, but it only underlined his loneliness.
Rodimus' presence increased and he pushed him away. He was fine. He could handle this.
Tony's own cover had been easy to apply. The Audi R8 was a nice to look at car all on its own, but with a few additions he had snuck in at night and taken up an empty spot that allowed him to scan everywhere. Tony had approved of the additions and told him to keep them. Rodimus looked rather hot, Stark had told him, and the amount of people lingering around the 'exhibit' was proof enough.
::Signal?:: Tony asked, all business again.
::Still diffuse. He's hiding::
::Tried telling him we're the good guys?::
::I'm trying not to make a target out of myself, Tony. Just in case it's a Decepticon::
Stark smiled to himself and stopped next to the pimped R8. Rodimus had added a sport air filter unit, super-lightweight 19" black, magnesium wheels, a front lip spoiler, front bumper air intakes fit into the original body, an improved front radiator, as well as a new adjustable wing rear spoiler. Side sills, side blades, diffuser, and a rear grill rounded out the exterior mods.
The tuning crew had no idea that this wasn't a loan from a tuner but an undercover Autobot. The camouflage features were a small miracle in Stark's eyes. They made absolutely perfect copies of the original and even he had been fooled for a while when Hot Rod had hidden in his garage.
::Watch it or I'll buy you:: Tony teased.
It got him a snort, but also a flash of amusement. ::As if you could afford me::
"Say, how much for the car?" Tony asked one of the representatives casually.
::Tony!::
"Depending on the outfit…"
"As is."
"300.000," the man in the suit said.
Tony nodded. "Not bad."
::Stark…::
::Peanuts, Roddy. I've spent more on a car::
::I'm not a collectible::
::May I remind you how you started out?::
The Autobot huffed.
Tony exchanged a few more pleasantries with the representative, then walked on.
::300.000?:: he teased.
::Shut up and start triangulating:: Rodimus grumbled.
::Sore loser::
::Moron::
::Aw, you're just depressed they sell you cheap::
::I'm not for sale, Stark. Now would you please start triangulating?::
Tony smiled to himself.
Suddenly he froze.
::Tony?::
He ignored the worried voice, his ears ringing, his sight narrowing.
::Tony? What's wrong? Tony?::
He stood rooted to the spot, eyes tracking around the immediate area of the show room, the sense of someone being right there increasing. He had never felt something like this before. It wasn't like being aware of Roddy through Extremis. And even that had changed ever since Hot Rod had become Rodimus Prime. No, this was different.
::Anthony Edward Stark!::
He flinched a little and blinked. ::Roddy?::
::Yes! Great Cybertron, what's wrong?::
The young Prime sounded agitated, close to simply leaving the exhibit and making sure Stark was okay.
::I… I felt… It's weird…::
::Tony, explain!:: Rodimus demanded, his voice harder than before.
If the situation had been different, Tony would have smiled at the command suddenly present in his friend's voice.
::I felt something. Still do::
He kept looking around, his feet involuntarily taking him to where he sensed the tingling the most. ::Something… someone…. He's here and he's watching…::
Tony stopped near the middle of this section of the show room, eyes on a very smooth, very hot, very cool looking design car. People were crowding around it, peering inside. It was one of those visionary future cars, one of a kind, not for sale. Two girls were posing next to the open doors.
::Found him:: Tony breathed.
::Are you sure?::
Yes, he was. He could feel it in his very bones. This was him, whoever he was. This was their target. He might not be broadcasting, he might be trying to mask his signature, but Tony simply knew.
::How?:: Rodimus wanted to know.
::I… can't explain it, Roddy. I know.::
There was a moment of silence, then Rodimus gave a nod. Well, it felt like a nod to someone who was used to communicating with an alien mechanoid through the Extremis nanovirus.
::Tonight:: Rodimus decided.
tbc...