CHAPTER TWO: DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?
"It's tough being the youngest; Primus knows how much slag I've taken over the voruns from the other Autobots, even if it was all in fun. I guess that's why I agreed to being assigned to watch out for Peter; for a little guy, he's been through a lot. I wish I didn't have to keep leaving and coming back; hope I don't give Peter a system crash. But, with Megs and the 'Cons back on Earth, that'll be the least of his worries..." – Bumblebee, Autobot High-Speed Infiltration and Reconnaissance Specialist
Qatar Desert, 100 miles from SOCCENT Air Base, November 10, 2007
The moon was still fairly high in the sky, casting a pale light over the sand dunes as the dark green, U.S. Army-built Jeep roared across the desert, easily handling the terrain as its rear-mounted machine-gun scanned the horizon. Any nearby insurgents would have gladly attacked the vehicle...except for one thing.
The Jeep had no driver.
As the destroyed SOCCENT Air Base appeared on the horizon, smoke from the fires darkening the sky, the disguised Autobot Deep-Reconnaissance expert known as Hound sighed beneath his vehicle-mode. 'Primus...I'm too late...'
"Hound, this is Prime. Have you reached the outpost?"
"Hound, here, Prime." Hound replied by radio. "I have the base in my scanners; we're too late, sir. Whoever was trying to hack the human network has already gone disassembly-spree on this place...slag it!"
"Easy, Hound." Optimus said. "Don't count the humans out, just yet. A few micro-cycles ago, we detected a coded human transmission from a nearby site; the humans must have had a rendezvous position, in the event that their outpost was attacked. However, Bumblebee's report indicates that it was Blackout that was attempting the infiltration..."
"...and wherever that son-of-a-glitch goes, Scorponok isn't far behind." Hound finished. "If Blackout's backed off, he'll send in his mini to finish them off." 'And in terrain like this, that little slagger will have a field-day...'
"Correct." Optimus agreed. "We have the location for the humans' position; your new mission is to get to that location as fast as you can, and help the humans hold off Scorponok until they can evacuate. Once there, it is also vital that you make contact with the members of the powered-human team known as the Ultimates; their organization's assistance will be of paramount importance if the situation escalates."
"I can handle it, sir." Hound said. "I kept that little slag-bag away from civilians on Caeona III, and I can do so here." 'Although he can move faster through this sand than solid rock...but that also makes it easier for me to pick him up.' "So, any idea what Blackout was looking for?"
"None, yet. We did manage to decode the Decepticon signal, so if they make another attempt, we'll know what Megatron's plan is." Prime answered. "With the outpost destroyed, chances are, the Decepticons will attempt to hack the human network on the American continent. With any luck, we can intercept their signal and apprehend their hacker within a few nano-cycles. But right now, those humans need your help. We're sending you the coordinates, now. Roll out, Autobot!"
"Yes, sir!" Hound declared. As the transmission ended, Hound quickly downloaded the coordinates of the human outpost, before he gunned his engine, racing across the desert sands.
XXXXXXXX
Parker Residence, Queens
After getting a snack at the ice-cream parlor, Peter drove MJ back to her home, before returning to his own home, parking the Camaro in the garage, the setting sun turning the yellow paint of the car a bright gold. As he got out of the car, Peter paused for a few minutes, staring cautiously at the Camaro. As he looked at it, Peter could feel his spider-sense tingling faintly, not in a threatening way, but like it was trying to tell him something...
"Peter?" Aunt May called from the house. "Supper's ready!"
"Coming, Aunt May!" Peter called, not breaking his gaze on the Camaro. After staring at it for a few more seconds, Peter left the garage, heading inside.
After coming to the dinner table, Peter sat down to a nice meal...but he was too distracted to do much else but pick at his food. May quickly noticed. "Peter? Is something wrong?"
Peter sighed. "It's nothing you can help with, Aunt May."
May looked stricken. "Does it have to do with...Spider-Man?"
Peter shook his head. "It's not that serious, Aunt May." he answered. "It's just...my car."
"Oh." May said, a bit relieved. "Is it a problem with repairs? Should I call a mechanic?"
Peter groaned. "More like a priest."
May blinked. "Pardon??"
Peter looked to his Aunt. "Aunt May...do you think it's possible that Mr. Bolivia could have been right? Could my car be...haunted?"
May smiled guiltily. "What happened, today, sweetheart?" she asked.
After Peter had told her the whole story, May's smile grew. "Peter," she said, "there are no such things as ghosts..."
"Tell that to Doc Strange." Peter muttered.
May lightly smiled. "Well, Peter, don't you think it's more likely that someone just stole your car, and then had a change of heart?"
Peter thought about that for a moment. "Well...maybe." he agreed. "But what about the other stuff? The horn honking, the door opening, and the hood popping up?"
"It is an older car, Peter; there are bound to be a few 'quirks'." May reasoned. "And they just happened to show up today, that's all. That's a much more logical explanation, wouldn't you agree?"
"Maybe." Peter said, as he continued to eat. Maybe Aunt May was right; maybe it was just a few coincidences...but he had to be sure.
After supper was done, and after helping Aunt May put the dishes away, Peter retired to his room, in the twilight hours, just before dark...and before he went web-slinging. He had to figure this out...and he knew where to start. Taking out his phone, he quickly dialed in Doc Strange's number; the Earth's Sorcerer Supreme also worked as an occult consultant for the NYPD on the side...but Peter was hoping that the good Doctor would be willing to give him some advice...
"Strange."
"Hey, Doc?" Peter asked. "It's...Spider-Man."
There was a momentary silence. "Well, this is something of a surprise." Strange replied. "It's good to hear from you; I was concerned after being made aware of recent events..."
"Yeah." Peter said. "I'd...rather not talk about that. I just...need a little advice regarding something...out-of-the-ordinary."
Strange's voice was automatically concerned. "Of course." he said. "What's wrong?"
Peter took a deep breath. "Doc...do you know of any demons or spirits that possess cars?"
Strange paused. "Spider-Man?" he asked. "Did...did I hear you correctly?"
"Yeah." Peter replied. He sighed. "Look, I know it sounds nuts, but..." he lowered his head. "Look, just forget it..."
"No, no, it's quite alright." the Doctor assured him. "I simply have never had such an inquiry, before."
"Oh."
"There are all manner of entities, both benign and malevolent, that can inhabit inanimate objects," the Doctor continued, "but I know of none that preferentially choose to inhabit automobiles..."
Peter breathed a relieved sigh. "So, my car's not possessed?"
"I did not say that, Spider-Man."
Peter froze. "But...you said..."
"I said that I did not know of any such entity." Strange corrected. "That is not to say that such a force does not exist. I have sensed no new magical forces in New York, recently...but things do escape me, from time to time."
"So, you don't know." Peter said flatly. 'Great.'
"Presently, no." Strange admitted. "I will attempt to research the matter further, but I am also handling a case for the police..."
"That's okay, Doc." Peter said. "I'll handle this on my own; thanks, anyway."
"I am sorry that I could not be of further assistance, Spider-Man." Strange said. "Good luck."
"Thanks, Doc. Later." Peter said, before hanging up. Looking out the window, Peter saw the last rays of the sun start to fade behind the horizon; it was go-time for Spider-Man. 'Well, I guess I'll have to solve the Case of the Haunted Camaro, later.' he thought, as he quickly changed into his Spider-Man costume. Once he had suited up, he silently opened his bedroom window, and crawled, unseen, onto the roof, before firing a web-line, and swinging off.
XXXXXXXX
International airspace, 500 miles off the coast of Israel
Out over the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea, a lone Black Hawk helicopter flew towards the west, heading away from Qatar...
"Report, Blackout."
Blackout's main processor momentarily froze as he heard his leader's voice. "M-My Lord!" he exclaimed.
"You weren't planning on leaving Scorponok to his own devices, I trust?"
"I...n-no, Lord Megatron." Blackout answered. "I had merely planned to quickly refuel and return to retrieve him."
"Good." Megatron answered. "Scorponok may be incapable of sentient thought, but he is an effective enough weapon, and we need every resource. But what disturbs me most, Blackout...is that you were seen"
Blackout scowled under his vehicle-mode. "I...it was unavoidable, my Lord. The humans already knew that I was not their lost vehicle, and were going to open fire on me..."
"So you jeopardize our cover further by transforming in plain view?!" Megatron roared. "IDIOT!!! The humans likely KNOW of our presence, now!"
"I...I understand, my Lord." Blackout said. "I offer no excuses."
Megatron growled. "What is done is done." he muttered. "We must take precautionary measures, and limit the humans' ability to attack us, once they inevitably side with the Pit-damned Autobots. Our ally has graciously supplied us with the schematics of the headquarters of the human organization S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as an opportunity to infiltrate it; Soundwave will soon get Frenzy into position. We will retrieve the needed files and incapacitate the humans in one stroke."
"A brilliant move, Lord Megatron."
"In the meantime, you will return and retrieve Scorponok, and assist him if need be." Megatron ordered. "I will send Starscream to meet you en route, and deliver several Energon cubes; that should be sufficient to refuel you."
Blackout chuckled to himself. The former Decepticon Air Commander, now reduced to a simple errand-drone; how the mighty had fallen. "Your generosity is truly without peer, Lord Megatron."
"As is my wrath." Megatron warned. "Failure upon this planet is NOT an option, Blackout. We will NOT lose the AllSpark to the Autobots."
"Understood, my Lord." Blackout replied. "We shall not fail you." As Megatron ended the transmission, Blackout promptly altered course, heading back into Qatar, to follow his master's orders.
XXXXXXXX
SOCCENT Emergency Rendezvous Outpost, Qatar
The mood at the SOCCENT outpost was a tense one.
It had been several hours since the Air Base had been attacked, and their e-vac ships were still about an hour away, Cap noted grimly. He, Wasp and Iron Man were guarding the perimeter of the simple outpost with the other able soldiers, in case that thing came back, while the non-combatant personnel were further inside, tending to their casualties.
'It could have been worse.' Cap thought. 'The base could have been caught COMPLETELY off-guard.' They were fortunate not to have more casualties.
But the revelation of what that thing had been had only worsened the tension. Cap had thought that it was, in the worst-case scenario, a new weapon developed by a country who funded terrorists.
But after getting briefed on the Transformers by General Fury, Cap realized that the reality was far worse.
"God," Wasp murmured, "I still can't believe it...that thing was a Decepticon..."
"I knew that symbol looked familiar." Iron Man muttered. "After all this time..."
"And we thought the Chitari were bad." Cap agreed, recalling the incident with the Chitari aliens that he and his team had handled, a while back. "But an entire race of ten-plus-story-tall, transforming, heavily armed robots stomping around this planet...God help us..."
Wasp lightly smiled. "Hey...that's just the Decepticons, remember?" she said. "If they're here, that means that the Autobots must be, too!"
"But why haven't they tried to contact us?" Iron Man asked aloud.
"General Fury told me that there were two possibilities if they ever came back." Cap said. "One: that they were still fighting their war, and it just spilled back onto our planet."
Wasp looked worried. "And the other?"
Cap looked grim. "That the Decepticons won."
No-one said anything at that for a few moments.
The silence allowed Cap to take notice of something. "Anyone else feel that?"
Several of the soldiers on guard with them looked confused. "Sir?" one asked.
"I did; there's definitely a localized seismic event near here." Iron Man reported.
"Earthquake?" Wasp asked.
"We're not on any major fault lines." Iron Man said. "Even so, it's much too small...and it's moving..."
Cap was instantly on guard. "Where's it headed?"
"It's headed right for us!" Iron Man exclaimed. "It'll be on us in seconds!"
Instantly, the soldiers took up defensive positions in the guard-bunker they were using. Suddenly, on the horizon, Cap spotted a Jeep, heading towards the base, with two soldiers driving it; it was one of the outpost's perimeter patrols...
"The seismic anomaly has altered course!" Iron Man exclaimed. "It's heading right for the Jeep!"
Cap's eyes widened in horror...before they narrowed, as he bolted out of the bunker running towards the Jeep. "Get out of there!!" he shouted, waving his hands to get their attention. Spotting him, the soldiers stopped their vehicle, wondering what he was doing...
...and then, Cap spotted it: a mass of sand moving rapidly towards the Jeep, being displaced by...something underneath it...
"MOVE!!!" Cap yelled, racing towards the Jeep, as Iron Man and Wasp followed him from the air, hoping to get to them in time...
Too late.
The sand-mass erupted as a huge, mechanical scorpion-thing burst out of the ground, sending the Jeep flying with a swipe from its deadly claws. The Jeep tumbled end-over-end across the sand, until it came to rest upside-down, pinning the two soldiers underneath it. The scorpion's glass eyes were completely empty as its deadly bladed tail suddenly expanded, becoming an even more fearsome weapon, before it advanced on the upended Jeep, its tail rearing back for a strike...
Captain America's shield spun through the air from his throw, clanging against the scorpion's head; this machine – this Decepticon – clearly wasn't as heavily armored, as the impact from the strike drove it back. The scorpion skittered to the side, dazed...and then its glassy eyes fell on Cap; the machine let out a low hiss...before its claws opened up, revealing high-powered machine-guns...
Cap dove out of the way of the hailstorm of bullets from the scorpion's claws, as Iron Man and Wasp opened fire on it; repulsor rays and bio-electric stings, supplemented by rifle-fire from the bunker, drove the alien machine back, causing it to let out a screech. "Keep it up!" Cap ordered. "You're hurting it!"
Despite having A.I. only slightly above that of a drone, the mechanoid known as Scorponok knew enough to realize that its current tactic was ineffective, and promptly switched; the machine dove beneath the sand, and was gone faster than any could realize.
With the scorpion dispatched, if only momentarily, Cap darted to the toppled Jeep, as Iron Man descended next to him; with one good shove, the two of them pushed the Jeep off the soldiers. "We need a medic out here, NOW!!" Cap roared.
"Cap!! It's coming back!!" Wasp exclaimed. Turning, Cap saw another rapidly-advancing sand-mass coming straight for them. Cap braced himself; with the two wounded soldiers to protect, this would be tough...
Suddenly, a rain of high-caliber bullets ripped into the sand-mass from the side; the scorpion screeched, leaping out of the sand, skittering around to face the new threat...as another Jeep, equipped with a machine-gun turret, roared across the sand dunes, landing between them and the scorpion.
A Jeep without a driver.
Automatically, the soldiers in the bunker took aim at the Jeep, as did Wasp and Iron Man. "Hold your fire!!" Cap shouted, as he caught sight of the crest on the Jeep's dash; it was the image of a robotic face, bright red, plain and trustworthy.
Instantly, the Jeep started to transform, becoming a humanoid robot, the rear of the Jeep unfolding into its legs, its front becoming its arms and torso, as a head rose out of the torso, its mouth covered by a silver-metal mouth-plate, its eyes a bright blue, instead of the malevolent red that the Decepticon warrior had, its machine-gun hoisting onto its shoulder.
The mech's eyes narrowed, as it grasped its machine-gun, and pulled it down, taking aim at the scorpion, before opening fire once more; the scorpion screeched, diving back beneath the sand, darting away.
The mech grumbled. "Rotten little slagger..." he muttered, putting back his machine-gun.
Cap looked up at the robot. "Are...are you an Autobot?" he asked warily.
The mech chuckled, bringing his massive hand to a salute. "Hound, Autobot Deep-Recon Unit, reporting for duty." he replied.
Smiling wearily, Cap returned the salute. "Good to hear you guys are still around."
Hound laughed...and then his optics narrowed. "That little slag-pile's coming back." he warned. "I'll blast him out, and when I do, the rest of you scrap him." With that, Hound pulled out his machine-gun, as a holographic screen popped up in front of the aiming cross-hairs, scanning deep beneath the sand...before picking up a large heat-signature...
Instantly, Hound unloaded another clip into the sand, the high-caliber rounds ripping into the dunes, driving Scorponok into view, before continuing fire; the second that the mech hopped out of the sand, Cap let his shield fly, as Iron Man and Wasp fired, along with the soldiers from the bunker. Scorponok screeched in agony as the shots tore into his armor, before the vibranium shield cut right through his tail, severing the bladed tip from the rest, sending streams of lubricant and Energon spraying across the sand, as Scorponok started to sag...
Suddenly, the sound of rotor-blades cut the air...as the "Black Hawk" appeared on the horizon, firing a full salvo of missiles. Hound's optics widened in horror, as he leapt in front of the two wounded soldiers, targeting the missiles and opening fire, shooting down every single one. Quickly, Hound transformed back into a Jeep, opening his doors. "Get those two in here!" he ordered. "They're as good as scrapped, out here!"
At once, Cap darted to the wounded soldiers' side, helping them into the Jeep; thankfully, their wounds were light enough that they could be moved. Once they were secured, Cap hopped in, himself, as Hound gunned his engine, racing back to the outpost, as Iron Man and Wasp followed from the air.
In seconds, they were at the outpost, where medics were waiting to take the wounded to the infirmary. Instead of pursuing them, the Black Hawk descended, transforming as it touched down, as the crippled scorpion linked with it.
Once the soldiers were taken away, Hound resumed robot-mode. "I'll keep the Decepti-trash busy, while the rest of you open fire at him."
"No good." Iron Man said. "His armor's too thick; even my repulsor rays didn't get through it."
"Slag." Hound muttered. "You got anything stronger?"
Cap thought for a moment. "We have the experimental sabot rounds; magnesium-based shells, burn at over 5000 degrees..." he suggested.
"Perfect!" Hound exclaimed. "Okay, new plan: I'll get in the 'Con's face, while you two," he gestured to Wasp and Iron Man, "blast him from the air." He turned to Cap. "While we're keeping him busy, you get those rounds ready...and make sure you get him."
The three Ultimates promptly nodded, and Hound ran towards the Decepticon, as Wasp and Iron Man followed from the air, while Cap remained, to assist in getting the sabot rounds ready.
As he saw Hound running at him, Blackout snarled. "Autobot scum!!" he roared, as he took out his blade-rotors, slashing at Hound, who ducked under the slice...before unleashing an uppercut, giving Blackout a face full of metal fist.
As Blackout stumbled back, Iron Man and Wasp opened fire from above. Growling, Blackout transformed, flying up to blast the two impertinent organics...but Hound pulled out his machine-gun, emptying a full clip at the helicopter, forcing Blackout to drop back down, transforming again. "Leaving already, Decepti-chump?!" Hound snapped. "Try downloading some manners!"
Roaring, Blackout sent Hound flying with a back-hand; Hound hit the sand hard, but rolled backwards, coming right back up. Looking up, Blackout fired his machine-gun, forcing Iron Man and Wasp to dodge his shots. "Allying with these pitiful organics will not avail you, this time, Autobot!!" Blackout hissed. "Once Lord Megatron has the AllSpark, this world, and all others, will fall before his might!!"
By then, Cap had readied the first grenade-launcher equipped with a sabot round. "Not on my watch, machine!!" he shouted, as he took aim at Blackout, and fired.
Blackout's optics widened, as he twisted out of the path of the shot...but not completely evading it; the round impacted off his shoulder, as part of his armor melted under the heat of the magnesium core. Roaring, Blackout fired an EMP-grenade at the human outpost; when it went off, it would cause every electronic device in the outpost to go offline...
...including medical equipment...
Quickly, Hound whirled towards the grenade, targeting it and opening fire, destroying it before it could detonate. Those seconds were all that Blackout needed; he quickly transformed to vehicle-mode, and flew away.
"Slag!!" Hound cursed, as he opened fire on Blackout's retreating form...but the Decepticon was too far away.
As Iron Man and Wasp touched down, Cap walked over to Hound. "Thanks for your help."
Putting his weapon back, Hound nodded. "Sorry we couldn't get here, earlier; after the 'Cons landed, we didn't get much time, and Prime needed every flight-capable Autobot on the lookout for Megs."
Cap's eyes widened, as he recalled the briefing, which included the intel they had on the Decepticon commander. "Megatron is here?!"
"Afraid so." Hound replied. "He and the 'Cons have gone dark; we haven't been able to get a fix on 'em."
"God..." Wasp murmured, "...what could that metal maniac want?"
"That Decepticon mentioned something...an 'All Spark'..." Cap recalled. "What did he mean?"
Hound looked apologetic. "Let's just say that the stakes are a bit higher than the last time we were here." he said.
Cap nodded in understanding. "We'll have to notify General Fury of your presence on Earth." he said. "We'll need all the help we can get."
"You do that." Hound agreed. "I'm sure Prime will be glad to help. For now, I need to report in."
"Take care!" Wasp said.
"You, too," Hound replied, "and remember, you've got friends, out there; together, we kicked the 'Cons off this planet, before, and we can do it again!" With that, Hound transformed, and drove off across the desert. By then, Cap could see their e-vac ships far off in the horizon. Quickly, he and his teammates darted into the outpost, to prep for their extraction.
XXXXXXXX
Midtown High, Queens, November 11
As the lunch bell rang, Peter promptly gathered his things and left the classroom along with all the other students, his pace slow, worried. He was still no closer to figuring out what was up with his car. After getting back from web-slinging, the night before, he'd done some research on supernatural phenomena, but there were no accounts that dealt with cars...
"Anything wrong, Peter?"
Turning, Peter lightly smiled at the school's Physics/Auto Shop teacher, in his usual brown slacks and blue button-up t-shirt, not in his mechanic's uniform. "Nothing you can help with, Mr. Witwicky."
Sam Witwicky, in his early thirties, smiled. "Try me." he said, absently running a hand through his short brown hair.
Peter sighed. "My car's acting funny."
Sam blinked. "Car trouble?" he asked. "You want me to take a look at it?"
"It's not the kind of trouble that most cars have, sir." Peter admitted. "It's less 'tune-up' and more 'Night of the Living Dead'."
Sam blinked. "You want to run that by me again, Pete?"
'Great. My own teacher thinks I'm nuts.' Peter thought. "Mr. Witwicky...I think my car is haunted."
Sam was silent for a moment...and lightly smiled. "Older car?"
"1975 Camaro."
Sam whistled. "A man of taste." he said. "Not bad, Peter." He smiled. "Older cars often have these kind of bugs, Pete; unless it's serious, they usually work themselves out."
"Maybe." Peter said. "But, yesterday, it disappeared from where I'd parked it...and then reappeared. My Aunt figures that someone just swiped it, and then put it back, but..."
"I can understand where you're coming from, Pete; believe me, I know." Sam said. He chuckled. "When I was your age, I had all kinds of trouble with my first car." His laugh grew. "It practically had a life of its own!"
Peter chuckled. "Yeah, that pretty much sums up my car."
Sam smiled. "Believe me, Peter, you have nothing to worry about; it would be impossible for your car to be any more trouble than mine was."
Peter smiled. "Good to hear, Mr. Witwicky." he said. "So, your car was a lemon, huh?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that." Sam corrected. "I had some of the best times of my life with that old Volkswagen Bug; met my future wife, for one. It's just that...trouble tended to follow it around."
'Well, I already had that problem.' Peter thought. "Thanks, Mr. Witwicky." he said.
Sam grinned. "My friends call me Spike, Pete." he replied. "See you around." With that, he headed off.
Turning back towards the cafeteria, Peter lightly smiled to himself; he had to admit, he did feel better, after talking to Mr. Witwicky – Spike, he corrected himself. He was about to walk into the cafeteria, as he passed by a window that gave a clear view of the school parking lot...
Peter froze, his eyes going wide; the Camaro was gone.
Turning, Peter ran for the school's main door, bolting outside, and running around to the side of the school, where the parking lot was. He rounded the corner, coming towards the lot...
...and stopped dead in his tracks. The Camaro was back.
Peter's annoyance overpowered his astonishment as he marched up to the car. "Okay, that does it!!" he shouted at the vehicle. "I don't know who or what you are, but whatever it is you're doing...cut it out!!!"
As expected, the car just sat there, making no reply.
Groaning to himself, Peter shook his head. 'Maybe I'm just losing my mind...' he thought. Then, he happened to take a look at the Camaro's grille.
The Chevrolet crest on the grille seemed...loose...
"Talking to your car, Parker?" Flash sneered, as he stepped out of his truck. "What, MJ finally wised up and..?"
Suddenly, the Camaro's hood popped up.
Flash's smirk quickly evaporated. "I...I got better things to do." he said quickly, as he darted off.
Peter groaned, as he promptly put the hood back down. 'Maybe my car is haunted.' he thought glumly. As he turned, and walked back into the school, he looked up into the sky, hoping for an answer to his unasked question.
'Oh, God...why me?'
XXXXXXXX
Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. U.S. Headquarters, New York
As the dark of night fell over New York City, the Triskelion was still bustling with activity; unlike most other government offices, the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate never slept.
Outside the impressive Triskelion building, a single catering truck pulled up to the gates. The driver presented his badge, and the guards opened the gates, allowing him in. The driver promptly complied...
...but not before a single, spindly shadow crept to the back of the truck, unseen by anyone. The shadow quickly opened the truck's door, and snuck inside, closing the door behind it.
The truck drove to the cargo area, as the driver parked it and hopped out. As he moved to the back doors, two guards joined him. "Okay, fellas, I got those donuts you guys ordered this time," he said, as he opened the doors, "so I don't want to catch any flak from...what the..??"
There, sitting next to the boxes of refreshments...was a silver-colored stereo.
The driver picked up the stereo. "Anyone order a stereo?" he asked. The guards, looking equally perplexed, shook their heads. "Well, someone must have; I'll have to check the manifest." He set the stereo down a few feet away, before hopping into the back of the truck, to start sifting through the cargo, the guards keeping a close eye on him.
With the attention of the meddlesome organics elsewhere, the stereo slowly crept into the shadows on several pairs of metallic spider-legs that it had sprouted from its underside. Once it was hidden in the darkness, the Decepticon known as Frenzy completed his transformation; where the stereo had been now stood a 4-foot-tall silvery, spindly mechanoid, with hands ending in metal claws, its torso protected by metallic armor...under which hid a cannon capable of firing razor-sharp metal discs. Its head was almost insect-like, with razor-sharp mandibles where its mouth should be, and with a pair of glowing red optics.
His change complete, Frenzy quickly started to climb the walls, his claws easily letting him scale the walls, where he promptly slipped in through an air vent. Inside the vent, Frenzy skittered through the duct, following the map that Lord Megatron's associate among the organics had provided. Within minutes, Frenzy came to another grate; he quickly pulled it free, and dropped into an empty storage closet. Opening the closet door a crack, Frenzy spotted a nearby elevator...right under a security camera.
Frenzy hissed in annoyance, as he took careful aim, and fired; the razor-sharp disc spat from Frenzy's chest, spinning through the air, and severed the wires that fed into the camera, killing the video feed just as the camera had turned away from the elevator.
With the coast clear, Frenzy darted from the closet, running to the elevator and tapping the button for the floor he needed to get to. Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching, automatically spinning towards the sound, his arms morphing into automatic weapons. Frenzy snarled; if the elevator didn't get here, soon, he would be spotted. He did not fear these primitive organics...but if he was spotted, the mission would be over...
As the female junior S.H.I.E.L.D. data-analyst rounded the corner, she saw the elevator open...and resting just inside the door was a silver stereo. Shrugging, the analyst simply stepped into the elevator, nudging the stereo inside with her toe, letting the doors close; luckily, the elevator was already going to her floor.
As the elevator emerged onto the Data Analysis level, the analyst calmly walked out, heading to her work-station, leaving the stereo behind...to Frenzy's delight. Once the coast was clear, Frenzy shed his disguise, and crept into an empty computer lab. Snickering with metallic glee, Frenzy zipped to the mainframe, opening two data-ports, linking one cable from his torso into one port, before morphing his right hand into a metal spike, jabbing the spike into the other port. Instantly, the main screen showed files being sifted through at an incredible rate, as Frenzy easily penetrated the humans' laughable excuse for a firewall. Taking the files that his Lord required would be all too easy; the somewhat-larger task would be penetrating their communications network...
XXXXXXXX
Nick Fury had just finished briefing the Pentagon on the situation when he'd gotten Reed Richards' call. Fury scowled at the young scientist. "This had better be good, Richards." he warned.
Reed's near-panicked expression told him that it was. "General, they're hacking the network again!!"
Fury's eye went wide; he knew who 'they' were. "What?!"
"It's true, General; the Decepticons are hacking us...and it's working!!" Reed exclaimed. "This Decepticon is a lot better than the one in Qatar; if we don't cut the hard lines now, they'll have whatever it is they're after!!!"
Fury quickly switched on the intercom. "Initiate full server isolation; I want every single server cut off, NOW!!!" he ordered. To Reed, he added, "Where's this hack coming from?"
"It's...it's coming from the Triskelion, General! I've tracked it to a computer lab on the fifth floor!"
Switching on the intercom, Fury ordered, "Security to Level Five; we have an intruder!!"
"There's more, General!" Reed added. "They're not just taking something, they're planting something, too! It...it looks like a virus; some variant of a Spider-Bot, but I've never seen it before..."
Fury scowled. "Can you cure it?"
"I don't know, sir."
Fury's eye narrowed. "Not good enough, son; if those things have hacked us..!"
"Understood, sir." Reed answered. "I'll let you know when I know more. Reed out."
Alone again, Fury got up, and headed to Level Five, to find out just how the hell one of those things had gotten in..!
XXXXXXXX
In the computer lab, Frenzy laughed to himself; in seconds, the download would be complete. He watched the progression of the download: 95 percent...96...
Download interrupted.
Frenzy's optics went wide, as he tried to resume the download...but it was no use; the servers had been cut off.
Cursing venomously in a high-pitched electronic language too advanced for organic auditory sensors, Frenzy bashed his head against the screen in sheer frustration. After a few head-smacks, Frenzy calmed; he had most of the files, and the virus had been inserted. All he had to do was escape...
Suddenly, he heard noises outside the lab; his little outburst had drawn attention.
After hearing the noise in the computer lab, two security guards stepped in cautiously, weapons raised. Looking around, they saw no sign of anything out of the ordinary...except a silver stereo next to the mainframe. "Looks clear." one guard reported.
The second nodded...and then paused. "Hang on..." he said, "...didn't the General say that these things could change shape..?"
Realizing that his cover was blown, Frenzy instantly transformed; despite their dawning realization, the two guards were taken completely by surprise. Not wanting to draw any more attention, Frenzy fired a round of razor-discs; the tiny blades tore into the guards' flesh with lethal accuracy, killing them instantly. Sneering at the organics' inferior durability, Frenzy scanned the room for an alternate exit, since the base was likely on alert...and spotted an air duct above his head.
Frenzy cackled to himself; organic stupidity had saved his aft, once more.
XXXXXXXX
By the time Fury had reached Level Five, the rest of the security team had reached the computer lab; as he stepped inside, Fury frowned to himself as he saw the two dead guards, their chests pierced by tiny blades. "Put the base on lock-down; I want that thing found!" he barked. As S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel scrambled to follow his orders, Fury took out his cell-phone and called the Baxter Building. "Tell me that virus is taken care of, Richards."
"I'm sorry, General, but I'm still working on it." Reed answered. "This virus is unlike anything I've seen, before; it evolves almost instantly, making every attempt at neutralizing it ineffective. Even worse, it gets stronger every time we try and fail; it speeds up every time we attack it! At this rate, the penetration could spread to every file in the network!"
Fury scowled. "What did that thing take?" he asked.
Reed's tone turned grave. "It downloaded every file S.H.I.E.L.D. had on every known mutant and super-human, General."he said. "It also took one more thing: the files on a Lord Leopold Watson."
Fury's eyebrow arched. "Why??"
"I don't know, General; the Decepticon corrupted the data after it copied it...likely so we couldn't trace its search."
Fury's eye narrowed. "Keep working on that virus, Richards." he ordered. "If the Decepticons are taking these kinds of measures, a full-scale attack could be imminent."
"Understood, sir."
After ending the call, Fury strode off, heading towards the main command center, to find out where that machine had gotten to.
S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't roll over for anyone...not even giant robots.
XXXXXXXX
Parker residence, Queens
It was late at night, and everyone in Queens had long since settled in for the night. At the Parker residence, the house was locked up tight, and the garage closed, with Peter's car safely inside.
Suddenly, the radio on the Camaro flared to life. "Prime calling Bumblebee; come in, Bumblebee."
"Bumblebee here, Prime. What's the problem?"
"We've recently intercepted a Decepticon transmission; Soundwave is en route to the Triskelion building to retrieve Frenzy, who has apparently infiltrated the building."
"Probably to finish what Blackout started."
"That is most likely the case." Optimus agreed. "We need you to intercept Soundwave, and find out what the Decepticons were looking for; if it pertains to the AllSpark, the Decepticons must not get that information. You have to stop them before Frenzy can broadcast!"
"Understood, Commander. Bumblebee out." Bumblebee said. As Optimus ended the transmission, Bumblebee targeted the garage-door opener, and fired a low-intensity ultra-high frequency wave, triggering it and opening the garage door, before simply driving out.
With any luck, he could be out and back before Peter realized he was gone.
XXXXXXXX
As he swung over the city, Spider-Man had to admit that it was quiet...almost too quiet.
There hadn't been so much as a cat stuck in a tree, all night. While he didn't mind the break...he couldn't help but feel that something was up.
Regardless, after several hours of just swinging around, it was time to call it a night. Turning in mid-air and firing another web-line, Spider-Man started to swing home...when his spider-sense went off. He followed it to the street below...
...and spotted the Camaro, driving into the city, near the Triskelion building.
'What the..?!' Spider-Man thought. His thoughts turned angry; possessed or not, that was his car, and he wasn't about to let some punk steal it. He swung low, coming right towards the Camaro, before he let go of the web-line, landing right on the windshield. "Hey, didn't your mama ever teach you not to take things that don't belong to...you..?" His quip died in his mouth as he looked into the cab...and saw no-one there.
The Camaro was driving itself.
'Oh my God...I DID buy Satan's Camaro!!' Spider-Man mentally cried. Suddenly, as the Camaro rounded a turn, his spider-sense went nuts, as he spotted another car a few meters ahead of the Camaro...a black, customized Corvette.
'Hey...that's the car I spotted, a couple nights ago!' Spider-Man thought, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. Whatever this Corvette was up to, his car was clearly after it...and, chances were, it was nothing good. Quickly, Spider-Man hopped up on top of the roof, crouching low, as the Camaro gunned its engine, closing on the Corvette.
As the Camaro got close, Spider-Man thought he could see a pair of glowing red eyes in the back seat of the Corvette. The Camaro took a hard turn, keeping the Corvette in range, matching it in speed. Suddenly, the Corvette sideswiped a light-pole, causing it to fall into the Camaro's path. The Camaro slammed on its brakes, but Spider-Man fired a web-line at the Corvette, latching onto its roof and pulling himself towards it, as the Camaro executed a perfect turn, taking a side-road.
As Spider-Man adhered to the Corvette's roof, the Corvette swerved, trying to shake him off. Spider-Man climbed towards the Corvette's windshield...and found no driver. 'Big surprise.' Spider-Man thought...seconds before the Corvette slammed on the brakes, sending him flying off the car, to slam hard into a wall. As Spider-Man recovered, the Corvette swerved towards him, ready to drive straight at him...
...and then the Camaro roared out of an adjacent road, slamming into the Corvette, knocking it aside. The Corvette drew back...and then peeled out, driving off. The Camaro simply turned towards Spider-Man, slowly inching towards him, as Spider-Man simply regarded it curiously.
'Okay...maybe it's not Satan's Camaro...' he thought, '...but something is up with this car.' "Uh...thanks." Spider-Man said to the vehicle.
The Camaro simply revved its engine.
'Oh...kay' Spider-Man thought. With that, he fired a web-line, and pulled himself up to the roof-top, before swinging off.
Within a few minutes, Spider-Man had reached his home neighborhood...but touched down on the rooftop across from his house, crouching low, keeping his house in sight.
'I have to be the only guy in the city who has to stake out his own car.' Spider-Man thought. No matter what, one way or another, he was going to figure out what was going on.
Even if it took all night.
XXXXXXXX
After Spider-Man had left, Bumblebee sighed to himself. "Prime, this is Bumblebee." he said into his radio. "I lost Soundwave; Spider-Man followed me, and Soundwave would've slagged him..."
"You made the right call, Bumblebee." came Optimus' reply. "We'll take extra care in monitoring Decepticon communications; with any luck, we can figure out what they were looking for in time to stop them."
"What about Peter?" Bumblebee inquired. "He's getting pretty nosy, Optimus; sooner or later, he'll figure me out."
"I agree, Bumblebee; we'll be making contact with him very soon...but right now, we need a better idea of what the Decepticons are planning. If we bring Peter into this too soon, we could endanger him. For the present moment, we continue our search for the AllSpark, as well as for the Decepticons."
"Understood, Prime. Bumblebee out." As the transmission ended, Bumblebee drove off, heading back to Queens. As he pulled into the Parkers' garage, Bumblebee's sensors spotted a heat-signature on the opposite building. Bumblebee chuckled to himself. 'Sneaky little slagger, ain't you?' he thought. With that, he triggered the garage door, closing it behind him.
XXXXXXXX
Undisclosed location
In the temporary headquarters he had selected for himself and his forces, Megatron smiled as he received the data that Frenzy had just transmitted. "Well done, Frenzy, Soundwave." he said over the radio. "As always, my second, you serve me well."
"I am at your command, Lord Megatron." Soundwave replied...followed by Frenzy's chatter in their native language.
Megatron chuckled as he reviewed the data. "To think, that all these changes occurred in only about a tenth of a vorun." he mused. "Organics may be inferior, but they certainly grow fast." His smile grew even more sinister – if such a thing were possible. "And it was certainly kind of that foolish insect Fury to gather such useful information for us."
"Your orders, my Lord?"
Megatron paused, thinking. "Stand by for further instructions." he said. "I have yet to fully study all of these files...and I intend to pay particular attention to this 'Spider-Man,' who attempted to interfere, just now." He chuckled. "The young Peter Parker may be an annoyance now, but that will soon change, once the AllSpark is ours."
Megatron smiled to himself, as he thought of that unfathomable power, the power that had almost been his...but his dear 'friend' Optimus Prime had kept him from it, allowing the source of all power on Cybertron to escape their world.
And now...now it was within his grasp.
He needed only to discern the connection that this human – this 'Leopold Watson' – had to it...and the universe would, at long last, be his.
And nothing – not Optimus Prime; not his Autobots; not the humans; and certainly not this 'Spider-Man' – would change that.
XXXXXXXX
Coming Soon:
As Peter draws closer to the truth behind his car, the Decepticons make their move.
Will Peter realize the truth behind his 'haunted' car?
Can the Autobots warn him in time?
Find out, in "Robots in Disguise," coming to your computer soon…
