"Okay, I think the coast is clear…"
A shadowy figure hunched over and attempted to huddle within a flimsy raincoat, fighting a valiant but rapidly losing struggle to keep dry in a fierce downpour. The freak storm had appeared out of nowhere, leaving little choice but to seek refuge in a slightly run-down inn with the ironic name of End of the Road Motel.
Nervously looking around one final time, the figure firmly took the handlebars of a familiar sapphire motorcycle and pushed the bike through a nearby open door and eased it to a stop onto a pile of hastily-placed towels. The instant the door was closed and locked, the motorcycle underwent a miraculous transformation. Wearing her relatively new human-sized third body, Arcee pulled Jack Darby into a fervent embrace as her metallic lips covered his in a scorching kiss.
Jack murmured breathlessly between desperate kisses, "I-I thought…I'd go crazy…if I had to spend…another moment…away from you…Arcee…!"
Arcee nodded feverishly, her body trembling as they pressed their bodies firmly together and held on for dear life. Burning with an overwhelming need for him, she arched her head back as her Sparkmate instinctively found a particularly sensitive spot that set all her senses ablaze and caused her to gasp, "Ohh! I…I love you, Jack! D-dear Primus, I love you so much…!"
She pulled back for a moment and suddenly began to giggle in spite of herself, "Oh, look at you! You poor thing, Jack…you're absolutely drenched! And I'm only making things worse!"
Jack shook his head like a wet dog and chuckled, "Don't worry about me, Arcee. The only thing that matters is that you're here in my arms! Besides, we can't do anything about it now. I had to put all the towels in the room onto the floor so the carpet didn't get soaked when I rolled you in here!"
Arcee smiled as she brushed wet strands of Jack's hair out of his bright eyes, "Still, we've got to get you out of those wet clothes before you catch cold!"
Jack laughed, "Whoa…slow down a minute, Arcee! I'm not that easy, y'know! You'll have to at least buy me dinner first!"
She playfully smacked his arm, "Oh, you!"
As Arcee helped Jack peel off his wet shirt, her expression became serious and she asked, "Listen, are you sure you didn't run into any problems out there…?"
"Nah, piece o'cake, Arcee!"
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. A gruff voice from the other side of the door rumbled, "This is the motel manager. Sorry, but there've been a bunch of complaints. Open the door, please."
Jack and Arcee's wide eyes met.
"Uh, oh…"
"You were saying…?"
In a panicked frenzy, Arcee looked around the room as she desperately searched for a place to hide. Briefly she considered hiding under the bed but after taking a glance she quickly changed her mind. She shuddered involuntarily, realizing she would much rather stand alone against a platoon of heavily-armed Decepticons than face the nameless horrors hidden underneath that bed again.
The pounding at the door became louder and more insistent.
"C'mon, I KNOW you're in there! Open up!"
Jack silently motioned for Arcee to hide in the bathroom. As soon as she stepped inside Jack picked up the bundle of soaked towels and hurled them into the small room alongside his Sparkmate. The towels hit the bathroom tile with a wet splat, thoroughly dousing her in the process. Arcee scowled menacingly at him before finally closing the door.
The motel manager was shouting now, "If you don't open this door in five seconds, I'm using the master key and opening it myself! One…two…"
The bathroom door suddenly flew open and Arcee whispered worriedly, "Jack…your EYES…!"
"…three…"
Understanding instantly flooded Jack's wide glowing eyes. He nodded to Arcee as she closed and locked the bathroom door.
"…four…"
Jack grabbed his duffel bag and reached inside.
"…FI-!"
Lightning flashed and thunder boomed overhead as Jack opened the door and smiled calmly at the motel manager, "Hi. What seems to be the problem, sir?"
A rather rotund fellow with a bad complexion and even worse teeth slowly sized Jack up.
"What's with the shades…?"
Jack shrugged, "I have a rare eye condition. You said there were a bunch of complaints…?"
The manager narrowed his beady eyes, "Yeah…from me, myself and I! Don't gimme any lip, smart guy. I been watching the security monitors all night, and right after you checked in I saw you wheel your motorcycle into this room!"
Jack blinked nervously, mentally kicking himself for missing the camera outside.
The manager continued, "We got a strict motel policy against bringing vehicles into the building, and I don't even wanna think about what kind of weird junk you might be into. This is a respectable joint so I want you and your pretty little bike outta here!"
Jack cocked an eyebrow, "I'm sorry but I think there's been some mistake. There isn't a motorcycle in this room. See for yourself."
"Look, I know what I saw." The manager pushed his way past Jack and entered the room. His eyes widened in disbelief as they darted around, finding no motorcycle and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.
""B-but…I coulda sworn…"
Just then a concerned voice called from behind the closed bathroom door.
"Jack…? What's wrong, baby? Is everything all right?"
Thinking fast, Jack answered, "Everything's fine, babe...just a bit of a misunderstanding with the motel manager. He thinks he saw me bringing our motorcycle into the room."
Arcee forced a nervous laugh, "What?! Oh, that's crazy! Who'd try to bring a motorcycle into a nice place like this?"
Jack faced the manager and suggested reasonably, "Are you sure you didn't just see me help my - uh, my girlfriend - into the room…? That downpour outside is pretty harsh and might play tricks on your eyes…"
The manager huffed defensively, "I know what I saw! 'Sides, your motorcycle's not in the parking lot anymore! Got an answer to that, Criss Angel?"
Jack was at a loss and began to sweat.
Listening from her side of the locked bathroom door, Arcee frantically tried to think of a way out of the tense situation. Looking out the small window, she saw several other vehicles in the parking lot surrounding the motel and did some lightning-fast calculations.
Jack was on the verge of cracking when suddenly he began to smile.
"What are you talking about? My motorcycle is right where I parked it. Look behind you."
The manager smirked confidently, "Nice try, kid. But I saw what I saw. Your bike is - "
He turned and grew pale.
A sleek motorcycle was parked precisely where Jack had indicated. Gleaming like brand new, it shimmered in the heavy downpour.
"…is…is right where you said it was. H-how…?"
Jack grinned, "Will there be anything else…?"
"Umm, no…no, th-that'll be all, sir. Sorry for disturbing you, sir. Enjoy your stay, sir." The manager slowly turned and walked back towards his office, shaking his head as he muttered, "…that's it. No more late night pizza for me…"
Jack couldn't resist as he called out, "Oh, and could you bring us some more towels? Thanks!"
Closing the door, Jack secured the deadbolt lock and finally let out the breath that he had been holding.
"Whew! That was way too close!"
The bathroom door slowly opened and Arcee nervously peeked out.
"Is…is it safe?"
Jack removed his shades and sat down at the foot of the bed. He watched as Arcee left the relative safety of the tiny bathroom and joined him. Eagerly he asked, "Okay, Arcee…how in the name of Houdini did you do that little trick?"
Arcee smiled, "Remember Sadie…?"
"Your holographic rider…?"
Arcee nodded, "I wouldn't be a very convincing robot in disguise if I drove around without somebody always at the wheel, would I? Remember, if I don't have you on board I always project a lifelike hologram of a rider so I don't attract any unwanted attention."
Jack waggled his eyebrows, "Oh, trust me…you still attract attention. Sadie's hot."
Arcee smirked, "Keep it up, Smooth Operator. Well...anyway, I just did the reverse of that. I projected a holographic image of my motorcycle body instead!"
Jack was dumbfounded, "But…but you were locked in the bathroom! How did you possibly get a hologram projected from way back there to up here…in the exact parking place, no less?!"
Arcee grinned proudly, "I'll admit, it was a little tricky. I was able to project the image against the mirrored surfaces of the other vehicles in the parking lot and bounce it this way and that, all the way around the motel until…well, you get the idea."
Still attempting to wrap his brain around the physics of Arcee's impressive stunt, Jack stared blankly for a few moments until finally he gave up and let his upper body fall back against the bed. He shook his head and chuckled, "Holy scrap…maybe I should start calling you 'Smooth Operator,' Arcee."
Arcee smiled seductively as she slowly walked towards the bed. She sat next to Jack and looked down at him, gazing longingly into his eyes. She reached out with her fingertips and slowly traced them down Jack's bare chest, the sensation causing him to clutch at the bedcovers and shiver uncontrollably.
"Are you still cold, Jack?"
Jack smiled, "Freezing."
Arcee lay down and snuggled alongside Jack, wrapping her arms around him. She brushed her lips sensually against the hollow of his throat as she purred, "Mmm…can't have that now, can we?"
Before their lips finally touched, Jack whispered, "So, what do you suggest…?"
