Fandom: Transformers Bayverse (Pre-RotF AU)
Pairing: Jazz/Prowl, Hound/Mirage, Perceptor/Drift
Rating: PG-13
Codes: Slash
Summary: Jazz, Hound, Blurr and Perceptor go looking for Fire Lord deep in the Amazon.

Units of time:
solar cycle. . . a local day
lunar cycle. . . local month
stellar cycle .. a local year
nanoklik. . . . .1 second
klik. . . . . . . . .1.2 minutes
breem. . . . . . 8.3 minutes
joor. . . . . . . . 1.2 hour
orn. . . . . . . . .a day on Cybertron (43 joor)
decaorn. . . . . a 'week' on Cybertron (10 orn)
metacycle. . . .a 'month' on Cybertron (360 orn, 200 decaorn, 5.66 Terran years)
vorn. . . . . . . .a 'year' on Cybertron (16 metacycle, 128 decaorn, 25600 orn, 82.75 Terran years)

A Wolf in the Fold 25: The Jaguar's Den

"Remin' me again how we'r gonna find this Fire Lord?" Jazz asked at Hound lead them through the dense rain forest far from where modern humans went. Trees around them were large enough for him to move through, but for now he remained on the ground behind Hound and Perceptor and in front of Blurr. Well, sometimes in front of the hyperactive racer.

"We aren't," Hound said easily, his attention on the jungle and nearby river as he replied in the Latin American Spanish they'd downloaded as the most likely local dialect. "We set up camp, make ourselves obvious and she'll find us. At least that's what both Shade and Mary say is the best, fastest, least dangerous way."

"Make ourselves obvious, great," the First Lieutenant grumbled, though he'd known it going in. This entire conversation was for those watching them. "So how far to camp?"

"Less than a mile," Hound responded, glancing back to make sure Perceptor was doing all right. He smiled at the scientist's undisguised fascination with everything around them. He'd forgotten how much Perceptor enjoyed fieldwork. "There are some ancient human settlement ruins that will make a good site. The satellite images indicate they visit it periodically."

Of course he didn't need to say it. Everyone on the mission had read the reports and seen the pictures. Jazz had been the one to compile that report with Prowl. As much as they would have both preferred to have a different team going, there was no telling when Ratchet and Mirage would be back from Europe, or when Trailbreaker or Blaster would arrive on Earth, if they would. So he and Hound would just have to do the best with who they had.

Though he didn't show it and doubted he could prove it, Jazz was positive they were being watched, tracked by someone who knew how to hide in this environment. It set him even more on edge than knowing that they were trying to provoke a very secretive individual with a weapon form like Nightshade's. While not as suicidal as his attacking Megatron at Mission City, it ranked up there with the crazier things he'd done in his very long life.

::Jazz I'm sure I saw a fela-mech, a big one, too big to be Ravage, in the trees.:: Blurr told him on a highly encrypted short range comm.

::I sensed it,:: he agreed. ::It's likely Fire Lord's alt. Don't try to get close.::

::I can catch her.:: the racer insisted, eager for action and completely out of his element in these tight confines.

::I'm sure you would. Then her weapon mode would tear you to shreds without a second thought,:: Jazz reminded him. ::She'll come to us soon. We're here to talk, not anger.::

::I am so not for this mission,:: Blurr let out an audible sigh from his vents, his turbines humming in agitation.

::I know,:: Jazz apologized. ::This isn't a mission I'd have chosen for you if I had many options.::

Blurr made a turbine hum of understanding and acceptance with the large fans on his frame and lowered their power to reduce his noise in the otherwise silent party. He wasn't entirely sure how, but he managed not to go crazy at the pace or go after any of the three forms tracking them when Hound finally called a halt.

"Here we are," the tracker grinned, delighted to be the first to see something so remote.

"All right mechs. Set camp and settle in," Jazz called out. He barely managed to finish before Blurr had everything in place, from the communications relay to the shelter from the daily rain and the parameter grid.

"When do you think one of them will come out?" Blurr asked with careful casualness when they'd been doing nothing but hanging out for almost forty-eight hours. They had all downloaded the local dialect of Spanish and stuck to that for verbal communalization in the hope that it would encourage Fire Lord or one of her mechs to come out and talk to them.

"When they're sure we're here to talk," Jazz shrugged and relaxed in a hammock-like device, reading a datapad of area news from the past year. Unlike Nightshade and Bloody Mary, Fire Lord seemed to have a dislike for humans, or at least towns and small cities. It didn't take Prowl's battle computer to know that there had been far too much destruction since Fire Lord had come on line, but not one bit of it could be tied to anything unnatural, much less Cybertronian. "At least Hound and Perceptor are enjoying the outing. Why don't you take a run on the river?"

Jazz smiled at the breeze and near-instant absence of the racer. He wasn't well suited for this kind of mission, but no one and nothing could catch him once he got going. If things went south, they'd need him to get help.

It also had the advantage of leaving him alone without making it look intentional. If they were going to make a move, it was most likely now.

Hound was happily watching Perceptor gather samples when his olfactory sensors warned him of an unfamiliar mech nearby. He barely managed to shout a reflexive warning to the scientist-sniper before his systems crashed in an emergency stasis shutdown.

"Hound!" Perceptor shouted as he turned in time to see the tracking specialist collapse, his optics black and frame completely limp before he hit the soft ground. One step forward and strong hands grabbed him; one around his body and one over his mouth. A large frame pressed against his back and the hiss of a vent was close to his audio. His comm was blocked when he tried to call for help.

"Be quiet, wise one," a low, heavy accented growl against his audio receptor froze him on reflex. "We do not wish to hurt."

Perceptor nodded slightly, his spark beating frantically with every system powered up for a combat that wasn't to come. He calmed slightly at the answering pulse from his bonded. Still too far away too offer anything but moral support and a promise of eventual rescue if need be, but much closer than he had been the last time they'd reached for each other. Further calm came when his higher functions asserted that he had not been damaged and had been told they did not wish to do so.

The hand moved cautiously away from his mouth, though he was still held tightly.

"Hound?" Perceptor dared a whispered question and looked pointedly at the tracker while being careful not to pull away from the strong hands that held him.

"Not hurt," the rough voice assured him. "Move. The river."

Perceptor nodded again and complied, careful with his steps guided from behind by the mech who still had a firm hold on him. Even this far upriver the Amazon was wide and fast, but it didn't seem to matter to the mech behind him as he was pressed forward, into the swift current and thick mud of the bottom. He did his best to focus on movement and the discoveries as they became completely submerged, his vents and cooling systems adapting without problem to the thicker medium coming in.

He felt Blurr pass above them, running on the river's surface, but his reflexes were nowhere what would be required to get the racer's attention, so he did not try. There was no point in angering his captor with an action that had no chance of succeeding. Twelve point six one three miles upriver of their camp and he was directed out of the muddy water.

Energy field sensors picked up the presence of four mechs without designation or faction signature before the muddy water had cleared from his optics to confirm that he was now barely two lengths from another were-mech's weapon mode, this one based on a jaguar. Flanking her were two normal looking mechs, the fourth above and beyond them with a heavy riffle leveled at him. They were all in shades of black, brown, green and muted yellows with very limited splotches of color. Perfect jungle camouflage.

"Autobot Perceptor," Fire Noble managed not to butcher either word in Cybertronian too badly before switching to the same heavily accented Latin American Spanish that the mech behind him had used. It was an accent that Perceptor could not identify. "We have heard you come in peace. We have heard you have come to speak with me. I am listening."

He blinked his optics, surprised into silence for a moment as it sunk in that the talkers of this team were not the ones who would be talking.

"I am not the best..."

"That is the point," a slow, languid smile spread across her wide muzzle as she settled to lay down as Nightshade did in alt mode. It brought her optics nearly level with his own. "You must make the case, not the smooth speaking one."

After another moment of shock and Perceptor launched every subroutine he had related making a proposal presentation and teaching. Arguing for an alliance could not be that different from arguing for funding for a project and teaching this group what they needed to know was critical.

"First, would you tell me how much contact you have with the others? It would be useful to know what you are already aware of so not to repeat it," he relaxed his systems and settled in for a long, hard debate.

"Enough to know where they are, that you are allied with Death Bringer who patrols north of here, how to make energon and that what has happened to us occurred all across the world," she gave him the quick summary.

He inclined his head slightly, buying himself a moment to organize his thoughts and facts. "What do you wish to be called?"

"My name is Xipil," she seemed to smile slightly when he repeated it flawlessly.

Perceptor, however, was mildly annoyed that he was being blocked from all communication, including the internet, to look up what language her name was in. It was so much better to speak in an individual's native language. But he would do his best with what he had until he had built up enough good will to ask for access.

Hound struggled every nanoklik against the paralysis; the darkness and still that claimed his frame and sensors. His processors were fully functional, but nothing of his body would respond. Only the automatic systems that kept him functional were running.

~Hound?~ the noble he was bonded to felt ready to panic despite the intense arousal that also raced across the now fully open bond.

~Attacked, processors are on, frame's not responding at all. No error messages, so I'll recover,~ he grumbled. ~Sorry,~ he added a moment later when it sunk in that his bonded was probably being someone's first interface right now. ~Didn't mean to disturb you.~

~Do not dare apologize for letting me know you have been attacked,~ Mirage was now focused fully on his bonded, the intense arousal fading quickly from his systems. ~What happened?~

~I was watching Percy gather samples and felt a mech without a faction signal come up behind me. I didn't even get a chance to warn him before systems were shutting down. I didn't see or feel hitting the ground, though I'm sure I'm laying there now. Unless I've been moved. I can't tell.~

~Prime said that he can't raise anyone on your team,~ Mirage's concern deepened. ~The entire area is under a communication blackout ... Blurr just came out of the blackout. He should be to your last known location momentarily.~

~I won't be able to tell,~ Hound grumbled. ~It's most likely the mechs we were sent to look for, Fire Lord's crew. It wasn't a Con. Good to know they didn't get Blurr. Can Prowl contact Jazz?~

There was a long pause while Mirage communicated with Prime or someone else.

~Prowl says that Jazz is fine. They didn't go after him, but Perceptor was not with you. It seems that capturing him was the purpose of the attack. Blurr indicated that there was no sign of battle or serious damage around you.~

~Percy's a good sniper, but his best weapon is still his IQ,~ Hound chuckled as he felt the first bit of response code from his body. ~I seem to be coming out of paralysis.~

~Jazz and Blurr will be with you at the camp,~ Mirage passed on what Prime told him of what Prowl was passing on from Jazz. ~You're safe.~

Blurr was twitchy, forced to move slowly as Hound did his thing, tracking their missing comrade by a combination of scent and instinct.

~We're being watched,~ Jazz warned both his companions by touch, not trusting even short range encrypted transmission.

~That means we're on the right trail,~ Hound smiled to himself at being right. The locals had done an unusually good job in hiding their trail, forcing Perceptor to travel under the river and using their knowledge to high effectiveness in making the tracking difficult. They couldn't conceal the small scent of Cybertronian oil and lubricants that carried on the moist winds and Hound counted on it remaining that way. ~Still no energon or internal fluids.~

~What could they want him for to take him like this? It doesn't make sense,~ Blurr was objecting.

~Given the history in the Americas of what happens when outsiders show up, it actually does,~ Jazz told him, his tone subdued. The stories still haunted him at times. He couldn't blame anyone of native heritage for being distrustful, even downright hostile. Still, they had not harmed Perceptor as far as they could tell, and the harm to Hound was less than what a friendly sparing match would create. More stressful, but once the chemicals had been processed in his system, they did not seem to have any lingering effects.

If they managed this alliance, he had to get that formula. So fast acting with no real side effects; the applications for his team were nearly endless.

Hound abruptly looked up, startled into stillness by the green and brown mech standing only half a pace in front of him.

"Hello," the tracker remembered to use the local Spanish variant.

"Come," the large mech spoke, the word grating on vocals unaccustomed to speaking it. "Hound, Jazz, Blurr," he locked his gaze on each as he spoke their name in a heavily accented Cybertronian, though he did manage not to mangle their designations too badly.

Without waiting for a reply he turned and walked into the jungle.

"After him," Jazz said quickly, taking the lead from Hound without hesitation. The trek wasn't long, barely three miles, though he was nearly dark when they heard Perceptor's distinctive vocals explaining interfacing as only he could.

::He actually managed to make it sound not fun,:: Hound chuckled.

::He's far better in practice,:: Blurr commented.

::Do I want to know how you know that?:: Hound glanced back at the racer.

::He is bonded,:: Blurr laughed. ::I served with him and Drift in Kup's unit for a time. Neither show it but just like Prowl they are both very passionate behind the self-control. I'm sure you'll get an audio full when Drift gets here in a few decacycles.::

::I think I'm going to plan a long exploratory trip into the mountains,:: Hound shuddered.

::Hush,:: Jazz chided them. ::Focus on our hosts.::

"Greetings Jazz, Hound, Blurr," the huge feline weapon mode spoke in careful Cybertronian as she stood with lazy, lethal grace.

All four Autobots suddenly felt the uneasiness familiar to them from Nightshade's weapon mode, only it was the full, unmitigated threat that Megatron gave off.

"Whoa," Jazz breathed out, even his systems put on edge at it. It wasn't enough to cause any of them to bolt or break off an attack, but it was damn unnerving.

~Love?~ Prowl was with him instantly, offering support, tactical plans and a buffer against the code demanding fear of a potent killing machine.

~I think we can safely say the weapon mode fear-aura is a frame-type standard,~ Jazz commented as he forced his systems to settle down from pre-battle readiness. ~She just stood up. Not threatening at all. Apparently she wanted to talk to Perceptor without us for a while. He's fine. Was talking up a storm when we arrived.~

"This is Xipil," Perceptor spoke up, her smile one of absolute delight. "She's a native to one of the tribes that has survived with very minimal contact with the outside world. She's told me so much about uses for the jungle life. It seems that they don't have the same issues that the others have had. Yara," he motioned to a lanky water-blue femme as tall as Hound. "Even agreed to a scan, and their assessments of their condition is correct. They do not have the energy depletion or unrepaired damage, though they have listened to methods we use. Oh, and I uploaded Cybertronian for them, so they understand us just fine. Vocalizations are coming along nicely."

Even as he passed all that on to Prowl to tell Ratchet and Prime, Jazz had to contain a frown. "Do you know how?" he looked between Perceptor and Xipil.

"We," Xipil motioned to the five mechs and femmes around her. "Are all part of this land. We all understand and support it, and in turn it supports us."

Jazz looked around the six members of the South American contingent and did a little math. "Were all your followers raised to live with the land?"

"Yes," Xipil rolled her right shoulder. "Those who are not able to live within the tribe do not survive."

::That's a nod,:: Perceptor interpreted for them. ::She confirmed that three mechs and a femme did not make it. There are no bodies left.::

Jazz mimicked her shoulder roll perfectly. "If you find another who does not suit your ways, perhaps we can take them in," he suggested diplomatically. "We have adopted many into our tribe."

"I will take it under consideration," Xipil tilted her head slightly before smoothly lowering herself to all fours to come as close to optic level as she could with Jazz. "You may go home now. Perceptor will be protected and cared for as my guest."

::Please,:: Perceptor nearly begged. ::I trust them to do so. What they are sharing with me is invaluable.::

Jazz gave Perceptor a look, then focused on the giant killing machine before him. "Would you please remove the communications barrier? I will not leave a tribe-mate when I have no way to communicate with him."

Xipil gave him a scathing look but turned her head to look into the dense jungle behind her. "Paco, work it out."

A sound, a voice speaking in a language Jazz didn't have, preceded a medium-sized golden-brown mech with unusually large sensor wings. Paco approached while she shifted to turn her attention back to Perceptor.