Author's Notes: Hi guys, I'm back with chapter 3! I have to say, the fun part of writing this fic is trying to write Swindle in a way that makes him compatible with the Bayverse movies. I couldn't just make him the same as his other incarnations since there is more than one, so I kept the greediness that he has in every version and made him more threatening. One thing about the Bayverse Decepticons, they are truly terrifying. So, I made Swindle less of a cheat and more of a gangster. I also like writing Mikaela since I feel like the movies really wasted her character. They built her up as strong and capable, but then just used it as an excuse to show off her butt. So, hopefully what I'm doing here is working. Thank you for reading, and please review :)

Chapter 3

Helpless

Mikaela had been riding with Swindle to Boston for two days. They might have been there by now, but Swindle kept getting lost. At the moment they were somewhere in northern Ohio. Mikaela still didn't know what Swindle wanted with Mudflap and Skids, but she was already beginning to think something was very wrong here. Swindle was being evasive when she asked him questions, and he was constantly on his comm unit making deals and talking to various 'Cons. She didn't know what that meant for her, but she was worried.

Swindle, meanwhile, had been speaking with a couple of his business partners; The Combaticons. Brawl had been killed while on this planet, but Swindle still had his other three contacts Onslaught, Vortex, and Blast Off. Blast Off agreed to disengage from orbiting the planet to aid Swindle in his quest to kill Mudflap and Skids in exchange for 30 percent of the profits. Vortex, meanwhile, had managed to get a hold of Starscream who in turn spoke to Megatron. Vortex informed Swindle that Megatron was, in fact, interested in purchasing Mikaela for 4,000 credits.

Swindle had to agree to a finder's fee to get the information from Vortex, but he knew it would be worth it. He had managed to keep Mikaela on the hook for this long. All he had to do was keep her from finding out what he was planning for her and he'd be on easy street.

It was during a comm Swindle received around midnight that Mikaela got wind of what was really going on. She had been half awake and half asleep when Swindle got another message from Vortex, and since he thought Mikaela was asleep he opened the comm on speaker for better reception.

"Hey Swindle, you good for nothin' fragger!" Vortex greeted him with affectionate rancour, "Where the pit are you now, anyway? Blast Off says he's been trackin' your movements and you've gone around several cities in circles! You didn't buy another faulty GPS again, did you?"

"Stop ridin' my bumper, ya glitch!" Swindle ribbed Vortex in return, "I'm outside a city called Cleveland and I'll probably be in Boston before the orn is out. So, where did Megatron wanna meet me again?"

"Starscream is your contact, not Megatron," Vortex clarified, "Megatron has newsparks in Africa and can't afford to leave them right now. Starscream wants you to meet him someplace called Lake Superior after your mission to assassinate those two Autobots is complete."

"Newsparks? How did Megatron get those?" Swindle asked curiously.

"No clue. I haven't exactly been where the action is," Vortex replied indifferently, "A good Combaticon knows when to confront, when to deal, and when to run. Poor Brawl, the slagger just didn't know when to run."

"Too true, he never was very bright," Swindle agreed, "So, are there any special instructions for how Megatron wants this human? I can kill her in advance, dress her up nice for him, rough her up a bit, you name it. I could even get a few more humans if he wants them for anythin'."

"Don't bother," Vortex replied, "Starscream says he wants her surprised to see him. Also, Megatron might be in the market for some sabot-proof armor. I know you're the mech with the connections. Just tell me where to go to get it, and I'm there."

"Itchin' to get off this rock, huh? I don't blame you," Swindle remarked, "I'll deal with my mission to kill the Autobots, and then I'll bring Mikaela straight to the lake and into Starscream's waiting arms. As for the armor, I would suggest comming Blitzwing. He ain't exactly stable, but that mech knows armor. Fly safely, slag heap!"

With that Swindle cut off the comm, completely unaware that Mikaela had been listening in to his conversation. Now she knew the truth. He was going to kill Mudflap and Skids, and he was going to sell her after all. She had to get out of this predicament. She couldn't count on Sam, she couldn't count on the authorities, and she couldn't even count on the Autobots. If Mikaela was going to survive, she would have to figure this out on her own.

The next morning Swindle stopped at a gas station to refuel himself and allow Mikaela to buy herself something to eat and drink. She had no more money, so she was forced to use Swindle's counterfeit money to buy what she needed. She got a coffee, some beef jerky, and some snack cakes. She was also able to use the bathroom, which she was grateful for. She had been holding it for quite some time since Swindle didn't like to stop for her unless absolutely necessary.

While eating one of the cakes, a Snowball, she thought about how to escape the Decepticon jeep. She couldn't just run again. He would find her. She couldn't get far enough away to call anyone. There wasn't anyone to call anyway. She thought about her options, and then she realized that she would have to be the one to get Swindle's gasoline. A smile crept onto her face as she realized this was her chance to take control and make good her escape.

"Hey doll face, I ain't got all day!" Swindle barked at her, "There's a cube in the trunk. Fill it up!"

"Sure thing Swindle, whatever you say…" Mikaela replied in a sickly-sweet tone.

She then filled up the cube just as Swindle had instructed. She didn't fill it up with gasoline though. She filled it up with diesel, a fuel she knew his alt mode wasn't built to accommodate. She didn't know what it would do to him, but she hoped it would immobilize him enough for her to be able to get away.

Swindle sputtered and blew fumes as he drove down the road. He couldn't remember the last time he had such horrible indigestion.

"Uh...Earthlings sure don't know much about refining fuel," Swindle groaned, "Ugh, I feel sick…"

"It might not be the fuel," Mikaela replied; trying not to snicker as she recited her cover story, "I don't know if you realize this, but there's this thing that's been going around on earth...it's called car flu."

"Yikes!" Swindle exclaimed nervously, "You don't think I've got this car flu, do you?"

"You might," Mikaela shrugged innocently, "Of course the only cure for car flu is to go see your local mechanic and get your engine cleaned. You're lucky though Swindle, because if you check my public records you'll see I'm a qualified mechanic. I can fix you up in no time, and there should be no permanent damage."

"You'd do that for me?" Swindle asked; genuinely touched (though confused) that she cared about him, "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt to check. Okay babe, look me over."

With those words Swindle transformed into robot mode, holding Mikaela in his palm to make sure she wasn't squished. He then set her down gently on the ground off to the side of the road.

"Okay Swindle, you need to transform into jeep mode before I can check you out," Mikaela instructed him.

Swindle did as he was told, and soon Mikaela had popped his hood and was working on his internals. She wasn't used to alien tech, but there were a few parts in Swindle she recognized, and a few parts was all she needed. Swindle felt pretty good having Mikaela work on him. It felt almost like getting a massage to him, and soon he was practically in recharge while her soft tiny fingers fiddled around with his engine. If this was the cure for car flu, then Swindle thought he should get sick more often.

"Okay Swindle, I'm all done," Mikaela said in a sing-song voice as she closed his hood back up, "All I had to do was remove a few parts. Everything should be fine now."

"So I'm cured?" Swindle asked, "We can get back on the road?"

Mikaela's response was to flip him off as she slowly walked away. That was when Swindle realized...he was stuck. He couldn't move, and he couldn't transform back into robot mode! He was trapped on the side of the road as an immobile jeep!

"You good for nothin' glitch!" Swindle yelled as Mikaela walked further into the distance, "When I get outta this I'll kill you! You hear me! I'll sell you for scrap! Oh, wait, humans don't call it that. One second...okay, I looked it up! I'll sell you for organs! Yeah, that's what I'll do! You'll rue the day you ever messed with Swindle! You hear me!?"

Swindle's impotent cries went unanswered however as Mikaela walked away. She didn't know where she would go, but she'd rather start her life over again with nothing than allow Swindle or any other Decepticon near her again. This time she wasn't going to allow her circumstances to make her weak.

Mikaela had gone to the public library to use the computer and searched for Will Lennox's information. She finally found a phone number she could call and hoped that he was home. She didn't know what the army captain could do, but he was the only one left she could think of that had a stable home and would still talk to her. She found a pay phone, dialed, and much to her relief Sarah answered the phone!

"Hello?" Sarah said, and Mikaela could hear her toddler Annabelle in the background.

"Sarah, this is Mikaela Banes," Mikaela replied; relief clear in her voice, "I know this is probably...listen, I need someone to pick me up, and I was wondering if Will or somebody was around to help me."

"Where are you?" Sarah asked.

"Um...I'm in a town called Painesville, Ohio," Mikaela replied sheepishly, "I was taken by Decepticons and barely managed to escape. Could you send Ironhide or somebody to come get me?"

"Ohio?" Sarah asked incredulously, "Sweetie, we live in Texas! Besides, Ironhide and Will are on a mission right now. There's no way I could drive all the way to Ohio! I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. Do you want me to call someone else?"

"No thanks. That's okay," Mikaela replied quietly, "I'll just find a bus or something. Thanks anyway. Bye."

Mikaela hung up and leaned her head against the side of the pay phone. She sighed a defeated sigh and wondered where she could go from there. She didn't know what else to do, so she found a bench in front of a small store and sat down. She would sit there until she could think of something better, and hope that Swindle didn't contact any Decepticons nearby that would want to step on her.

Mikaela awoke when she felt wind rushing around her body. She felt herself being elevated, and since she was used to the sensation she knew she was being held in a Cybertronian's hand. She opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar dark purple and gunmetal grey mech with dull red optics staring down at her. Then she saw the symbol on his shoulder guards. It was a Decepticon!

"Ah! Who are you? What are you doing?" Mikaela yelled angrily; hiding the fact that she was terrified at the moment.

"This is the one that gave you so much trouble?" The mech asked in a British accent as he rolled his optics at his companion, "Why, it's no bigger than my little digit!"

Mikaela turned to see who the mech was talking to, and felt her stomach drop when she recognized Swindle. She could tell her captor was taller than Swindle, but she also noticed Swindle had more mounted weapons on his body. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew for her it meant trouble.

"You'd be surprised," Swindle replied dryly to his accomplice, "Trust me Blast Off, the human race is every bit as underhanded and cutthroat as we are. In a different reality, I could've been their king."

"So, do you want to step on her or should I just crush her in my fist?" Blast Off asked in a conversational manner that didn't fit the macabre subject matter.

"No, wait!" Mikaela shouted, "It was just a prank! Can't you take a joke?"

"Depends," Swindle replied sourly, "Can you take a direct shot from my ionically charged plasma cannons?"

"Oh, come on! You'd do the same thing in my position!" Mikaela argued with Swindle, "You're trying to sell me to Megatron! Do you have any idea what he'll do to me!?"

"I make it a habit not to ask my clients questions like that," Swindle rattled off in a manner that told Mikaela he'd said those words many times before, "Listen, I was pretty mad at you when you rigged my body to freeze up like that. I wanted to splatter your guts on the pavement and sell the footage to a driving school for their disgusting traffic safety videos. Yes, I thought it through that much. However, in traveling with my companion Blast Off I've had time to cool down, and I realize my bottom line is more important than revenge. So, I'm gonna be generous and let you live long enough to see your old pal Megatron. I make more money doing that than killing you myself. I'm sure you understand, babe."

"I'm not going back with you!" Mikaela snapped defiantly, "You might as well just kill me, because I will never stop trying to get away from you!"

"My my, she is a testy little thing, isn't she?" Blast Off commented drolly.

"Yeah," Swindle chuckled, "It's cute that she thinks she has a choice. Just for that one, no more front seat privileges. Blast Off, stick her in my trunk."

Swindle then transformed into his alt mode, and Blast Off forced the struggling young woman into Swindle's undersized trunk. Mikaela felt like she was tied in a knot as the engine started in earnest and Swindle drove away with her. She knew it would be several hours, maybe even days, before he reached his destination. She just hoped he remembered to let her out sometime before then.