"This is stupid."
"Of course it's stupid, Sideswipe, but the payoff is worth it."
A red sports car rumbled along the upper levels of Iacon's skyway, as a yellow matching sports car rolled behind it.
"Why can't we do official races? Have you even gone to the speedway?"
"Official races?" Sunstreaker asked. "I don't know if you've been watching the news, but Blurr has those races on lock. No chance either of us can beat him. But the underground circuits..."
"Are illegal." Sideswipe finished.
"Yes." Sunstreaker agreed. "That's why they pay so well when you win. We'll be going up against rejects and decepticons anyway. Nobody we can't handle. This will pay easily as much as that private security gig."
"We could've still had that private security gig if you could've held your temper for two seconds..." Sideswipe muttered in irritation.
"Look man, I don't know where you get off letting someone talk to you like that, but I wasn't having it."
"For 25 shanix an hour, I would've let him say whatever he wanted, Sunny!" Sideswipe protested, as they rumbled up to an abandoned lot. The two vehicles slowed to a stop, and transformed up.
"You don't punch your boss in the face when you're at a job that pays that well!" Sideswipe shouted.
"He was an afthole. I don't deal with people like that, you know how I get." Sunstreaker replied, arms folded.
"Yeah. I know all too well how you get." Sideswipe replied. "And now we're about to get into some street racing..."
"I have some news." Sunstreaker interrupted.
Sideswipe gave him a look, his optics flared.
"You're kidding. This isn't a street race, is it?"
Sunstreaker grinned nervously.
"No. I mean, we could race each other while we do it, but no. It's not a street race."
Sideswipe ran his hand over his helm.
"What did you agree to?"
"So here's all we have to do!" Sunstreaker exclaimed. "Just take some boxes in our subspaces, and drive from here to Nyon as fast as we can. Deliver those boxes, get paid 5000 shanix."
"Sunny..." Sideswipe began.
"Each." Sunstreaker finished, a daring look to his optics.
Sideswipe let out a long sigh.
"Each?"
"Each."
Sideswipe looked at the street lights, and gritted his teeth nervously.
"We're running guns aren't we? For the decepticons?"
"Don't ask, and you won't have to think about it." Sunstreaker replied.
"Sunny, do you have any idea how much trouble..." Sideswipe began.
Sunstreaker put a digit over the mech's mouth.
"Stop! Don't think about it. Now, our contact should be here any..."
There was a rumble, as a large Cybertronian truck rolled into the lot.
A decepticon badge on his trailer.
"I don't even have to think about it." Sideswipe said with disappointment. "Look at that."
"Just shut up and let me talk." Sunstreaker said, prodding the mech with his fist as he walked toward the truck.
It transformed up into a large silver and black mech.
"Hey! It's the master of motors, the Motormaster himself!" Sunstreaker exclaimed, raising his hands. "How you been buddy?"
Motormaster looked down at him with a distinct lack of amusement.
"I have the guns."
"Wow." Sideswipe said in disbelief. "Wow, I cant believe this is happening. Actually I can't believe that I CAN believe this is happening."
"Shut! Up!" Sunstreaker snapped.
Motormaster laid the two crates down on the ground.
"All yours. Just a question first. Is your brother on the level? I can't afford for this not to make it. Megatron's on my aft about this."
"Oh my sweet Primus, we're working for Megatron." Sideswipe said in a panic, as he began pacing.
"Sideswipe, Shut the frag up!" Sunstreaker exclaimed, glaring back at him. "He's fine. Got a weak fuel pump, needs to be pushed sometimes. But a good kid." He said to Motormaster with a phony smile a child could tell was false.
Motormaster's red optics shifted from the red mech, back to the yellow mech.
"You have one hour. Get it to Kaon. Keep the heat off. The guns may be hot."
"We can take the heat." Sunstreaker replied with a confident smirk. "Count on us."
Motormaster smirked back.
"I do, Sunstreaker. I'll count on you both to understand how painful failure would be."
He transformed down, and rumbled away, leaving the two crates behind.
Sunstreaker looked down at them.
"Well. Best not keep the cons waiting." Sunstreaker said, patting his twin brother's back.
"We're gonna die." Sideswipe replied with certainty.
"That's the spirit, sides. Let's get to it."
From afar, a pink and white femme looked through thermal goggles.
She had an autobot badge on her chest, and a determined look in her optics.
"The transfer is complete. Looks like they're using two neutrals." She reported into her comm.
"Identification?" The voice asked.
"One red sports car, one yellow. Twins."
There was silence for a moment.
"Ugh. I've had run ins with them before. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They're trouble. Try and take them down. You have permission to seize the weapons, and make the arrest. Be careful, Arcee."
"I will be, Magnus. You can count on me, don't worry." Arcee said, folding the goggles away.
"Will you be needing backup?" Ultra Magnus asked.
Arcee smirked.
"Do I ever need backup?"
The pink and white femme jumped down from the rooftop, changing form as she hit the street, and roaring down the road, after the twins.
The red and blue Cybertronian truck rolled down the speedway, with the black and white police car behind it.
They were on the expressway now, which led directly up into the Citadel.
"I don't know how you're so casual about all this." Prowl said pointedly. "Regardless of whether or not you were friends, we're really putting ourselves on his radar right now."
"Most criminals don't like the police. Especially when the police hurt their operation. This is no different. The only difference is he is a terrorist, not a criminal." Orion stated.
"Damn." Prowl replied. "You used to worship that guy. Shockwave too, have you seen what he's been up to?"
"I heard he was responsible for the bombing of a laboratory in Tetrahex. The decepticons aren't even a shade of what they used to be Prowl. So we can't afford to think sentimentally."
They rolled into the main garage of the Citadel, and transformed up.
"Look." Orion continued. "The decepticon's have spread so far across this world...everyone has friends in the decepticons now. We can't let emotion stop us from doing our job. They're bombing autobot targets, and civilians are getting caught in the crossfire."
"You don't have to explain it to me, Pax." Prowl replied. "Seriously. I get it. But...Megatron has people everywhere. Aren't you afraid he's going to...take you out?"
The two mechs took the elevator up into the Citadel.
"Megatron uses fear to dominate. To control. It's how he's spread so far across Cybertron." Orion explained. "I won't let fear slow me down."
The elevator stopped ahead of their destination, and the door slid open.
"Excuse me, sorry." A very short yellow mech said, as he side stepped into the elevator.
He squeezed in between the two, and leaned against the back wall of the elevator, letting out a long, pent up sigh.
He looked up and his blue optics widened.
"Oh wow. Orion Pax. You're the...the guy Prime is always raving about."
"That's me." Orion replied, as the little mech stood awkwardly between them.
Prowl cleared his throat.
"Oh, sorry, hi other...cop...guy." The mech waved weakly. "Orion Pax's friend."
"Prowl." Prowl replied dryly.
"And you are?" Orion asked.
"Me? Oh sorry, I'm Bumblebee." The little mech said, holding out his hand. "I'm new. This is my first week, I just graduated from autobot academy. I'm a courier."
"There's an autobot academy now?" Prowl asked, as Orion shook the little mech's hand.
"Yeah. You didn't know that?" Pax asked. "We needed more soldiers after the decepticons wiped out so many of them. They've been restocking the army and police forces across the planet." He turned his attention back to the small mech.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Bumblebee."
"Courier huh?" Prowl asked. "Where you headed?"
"Oh, I have to pick up orders from the office and then drive them to the autobot stronghold in altihex." Bumblebee replied enthusiastically. His optics widened.
"I just broke the first rule already."
Prowl smirked. "Couriers aren't supposed to..."
"Tell anybody where they're headed, yeah I got caught up in the excitement, I'm sorry, please don't tell my boss?" Bumblebee begged.
"Relax kid." Orion replied, patting him on the head. "You get a free pass just this once."
The door slid open.
"Thank you so much." Bumblebee replied. "Good luck with the whole...catching decepticons thing."
"Good luck with the whole driving to Altihex thing." Prowl replied with a wave, as the door slid shut.
There was an awkward silence between Orion and Prowl as the elevator continued to the top floor.
"Kid won't last a week." Prowl muttered.
"Have faith. He has a good spark, I can tell." Orion replied.
"Yeah. Good spark gets you killed in this line of work."
The door slid open, and they stepped into the main chamber.
Zeta Prime stood regally in the corner, overlooking Iacon through the massive citadel window.
He opened the door to the large balcony, and gestured to the two autobots.
"Come. We have much to discuss." He called to them.