Chapter Twenty-Two

...

Lockdown crossed his arms over his chest, scanning the ground below him from where he stood on the outskirts of Chicago. He glowered at the streets below, thrumming to life with people; completely unaware of the future laying ahead of them. In some ways Lockdown felt a pinprick of compassion for them, their primitive species with their lack of understanding and technology. He could not imagine an existence in such a state—a weak planet, a weak body, a weak government. Death could arrive so swiftly here and take whom it pleased without them even flinching. They didn't seem to care.

Which made it all the more wonderful for his plan. He liked deals that were uncomplicated and unmessy. These deals were often quickly over with, which meant he had his prize, recognition, and payment; and could leave. He wanted so badly to be off this ball of planetary mass; to be away from these humans and have to stop worrying about them and trusting them. Not that his trust was much bigger than a micron, but it was trust to get the job done to say the least.

He would have his Prime—well, their Prime—and his female human, as well as his Shield. Lockdown had come to the sore realization that without the female he would not have the Shield. And without the Shield, the Matrix was really worth nothing to him. Since either of the devices could only be controlled by the Prime; the Shield could be controlled by the femme, he'd need one or the other or both to use the device to his advantage. By manipulating the femme with Prime to the point where she would break, he could get her to do whatever she wanted. And the power of both the Matrix and the Shield would be his.

What power that would be! The power to bend time, to create any slave or manipulatable object seemed almost like blissful ecstasy running through him. Oh, would galaxy's rue the day when they were shaped when he was outfitted with so much power—no Primes to stop him, no Creators. He would take what he wanted, when he wanted; no more bidding, no more deals.

A small, plotting smile crept up his face as he spotted the KSI building within the city. These humans were playing right into his hands, if only they would ever find Optimus! The smile instantly fell from his face as one of his hybrid's slunk up to him shadily, seating himself next to Lockdown's piloting chair. Lowering himself into it, he reached a hand down and patted the top of the animal's head roughly, almost menacingly. The beast did nothing, just sat stone cold still.

...

Crosshairs dropped Cade and Mira at the door the Target supercenter, then slowly made his way through the parking lot and parked himself, Mira watching before she stepped through the door. Cade was already done, heading towards the men's section, ball cap pulled low over his eyes. He then looked over his shoulder and jerked his head towards the left, above the service counter, where cameras were pointed directly at the entry. Upon realizing this, she pulled her cap over her eyes and came up beside him.

"Let's make this quick," Cade looked around for anyone who might have recognized them. Then, he jutted out an elbow for her and gave her a crookedly half smile, "let's make this look unsuspicious."

She nodded and grinned at him, "Now there's an idea."

They made their way to the clothing department, and parted after that. Mira gave him instructions to get something that looked a bit professional, but laid back as well. He nodded and walked off, leaving her with a myriad of decisions. In this instant she realized how much she hated shopping, and quickly began scanning the racks for choices.

Dresses were out of the equation, as were heels. She, filtering through the racks with a sharp eye, she finally decided on a slightly pricey pair of dark-wash Silver jeans, and a brown, suede looking suit jacket with capri sleeves and a fitted cut. Beneath that she chose a red cotton v-neck, and a pair of fashion boots which a buckle on the side. If they were going undercover as garage managers, then this would be perfect—casual, professional looking, but at the same time practical and comfortable.

Finding her selections, she discarded her previous clothing in the changing room and ripped the tags off her new finds, stuffing them in her pocket for the time being. Slipping on the boots, she straightened her coat and opted for Tessa to braid her hair down the side however far her shoulder-length cut would go. Nodding, she slipped out of the dressing rooms and made her way across the stoor towards the men's departments, stopping when she arrived at the purses. Plucking a brown, leather looking messenger style purse, she looped it over her shoulder and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

She found Cade, with a new hat and outfit, doing the last step of buckling a leather belt around his waist. He'd chosen a light wash jean, a cargo pants looking style, with hiking boots. A charcoal grey t-shirt was tactfully placed under a tan button down, the sleeve rolled up past the elbows, with white buttons. A new ballcap, a roughly looking Browning one, was pulled equally over his eyes. He smiled crookedly at her and nodded. "Let's go."

"Agreed." She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and shot Crosshairs a text message. The reached up to check the Shield between her fingers as they approached the counter, and she slipped it beneath her red v-neck, hoping the shirt would cover at least some of the emblem. When the cashier didn't stare and said nothing, they exited Target and spotted Crosshairs.

They jogged over to him and popped open the doors, Mira sliding into the driver's seat. Crosshairs shifted into first and chuckled, the radio sparking to life with a click. "Well, well," he chortled sarcastically, "she does clean up after all." Insulted, Mira looked to the rearview mirror, where a pair of flight goggles—one blue lens, the other red yet again—swayed gently as he drove. Grabbing them harshly, she pulled down and then release, the plastic lenses cracking against the plastic frame of the rearview. "Hey—Mira!" he chastised, slightly swerving out of surprise. Cade was beside her beaming widely and chuckling.

Mira frowned at him, "Not all of us are egotistical frag-heads who only care about what we look like," she leaned forward and rapped on the dashboard slightly, "bring up the See-All, I'll comm Prime." He did so and began making their way back towards the Autobots, who hadn't moved their location. Crosshairs initiated a comm and Optimus immediately responded.

"This is Optimus." He said, strongly. His voice was steady, unwavering—dark, almost. This surfaced Mira's previous concerns about her guardian, making her aware of his inner emotions. She could sincerely hear the distaste in his tone, the frustration; though she knew he didn't mean to show it. She was wondering how long he was going to be able to retain the angst, the hurt.

"Mira calling in," she replied, quickly, bringing up a few scans on the screen. She mapped the KSI building and looked towards the east building which Optimus had mentioned earlier, "I see your garage, Optimus. Bryce and Bumblebee back yet?"

"Affirmative," he used proper comm-link terminology, "They have what they need. We are go here."

She nodded firmly. "Roger that. Meet us at KSI, and we'll rendezvous. Code…," she initiated the chart of codes they had used back in the times when NEST was operational, "…Blackbird. We'll do a roost circle while you arrive."

Optimus chortled ever so quietly, "Good call. We're en-route to you, give us ten minutes just to check our six for shadows. Be safe, be smart. Optimus out."

The communication dropped, and Crosshairs navigated the street. Mira brought up the floor plan of the KSI building, finding that Bryce's hunches had been previously right—no way in undetected, motion sensors everywhere. So, they were going to need ID's to get anywhere they needed to go.

KSI was big enough—sporting a staff of roughly 180 souls, just in research "scanning", they called it. The rest of the staff just listed in an employee master log for pages, enough to make Mira's eyes cross as she scrolled down the pages. Canceling the roster, she tapped the east wing of the building, and zoomed in on it by pinching the screen and then spreading her hands apart on the windshield. Instantaneously the picture enlarged and she found the main hangar, with the security booth roughly 50 yards from the entrance. Tight security, armed. She nodded and tapped the screen with a rounded fingernail.

"That's our best bet, getting scanned at the gate," Crosshairs turned left around the intersection, making his way along the plot of the skyscraper, most obviously scouting out the perimeter, "Security is lightest there. I think they're scanning cars," she wrinkled her brow, looking to the radio, "'Cross, can you hijack a security camera in there and direct it at the gate? What are they bringing in?"

"You got it, sweetheart," he said dryly. The See-All began rapidly running through security code and she watched as he crossreferenced a camera set and blackened the screen in the security room, probably causing some type of investigation as to why the security booth's view had gone black. "There. Got a good view?"

Boy, did she! There was a line of vehicles, two extravagant muscle cars and another semi hauling a mixture of vintage, sport, muscle, and racing machines on a car/truck trailer. She wrinkled her brow and watched the guards—armed with automatic rifles—look at ID's, ask a question, and wave the car first in line forward. All of them took the same route, to the first door, and then Crosshairs cut the transmission, "That all I can give ya, Mira. They're looking into viruses and security now."

She nodded and patted the wheel, "That's fine, I got what I needed." Then, turning to Cade, she found he'd purchased three blue-tooth looking devices and had them torn apart, and was crossing wires. "—Cade?" She asked, questioningly.

He looked up, "Here, try the Shield on these," he said quickly, "I had an idea." She took the Shield from around her neck and placed it beside the device, and ran her finger over the end. Instantly it began scanning the device and transformed itself, releasing a Cybertronian probe which cemented itself into the earpiece through the mic. It began running scans and then retracted the probe. Silent and still now, Crosshairs took a sharp right and slowed.

"What is it?" The device had changed color into a deep black, with the Autobot insignia carved into the side now. He placed it between two fingers and gestured her forward, situating the earpiece in her ear and cascading a curl overtop. The device echoed a code back to her, and she instantly realized it was her old comm frequency she'd deactivated when NEST had disbanded. Shock overcame her and her stomach dropped a few feet seemingly into the floor.

He smiled crookedly, "Crosshairs, try shooting Mira a comm." He looked curious. Mira handed him the Shield, and ran her finger over the end again, Cade applying the Shield to the other two devices. Instantly it configured, and the colors changed to black again, the emblem of their allegiance boldly showing in etched silver.

"But Mira doesn't have a—" Mira stopped him by grabbing the wheel.

She spoke quietly, "Try my old frequency," she whispered touching her ear. He sighed roughly and did so, bringing up the comm line on his See-All. Instantly the frequency connected and she reached up to silence the beeping in her ear. Initiating the comm, she smiled as Crosshairs voice rang in her ear clearly, as it did in the radio.

"What is that thing even?" He asked, astounded, "It…it works!" She silenced the earpiece as Cade fashioned one in his ear as well, and handed the other to her. Fingering it, she gave him a look of complete surprise, and smiled then, chuckling.

"It's a communication device," Cade shrugged, "all it needed was a circuit pulled out and the Shield's configuration. Good as gold, now; and a lot less expensive." He smiled at her and she shook her head, "Simple stuff."

"You're amazing," she said bluntly, "pure and simple amazement." She turned to look out the side window as Crosshairs came to a stop in front of the building. Drift and Bumblebee had parked across the street, Hound and Optimus a few spaces down as to not draw suspicion. Bumblebee opened a door and Bryce exited, the back door opening as well to deposit Tessa and Merrick. Crosshairs released them, and Cade crossed the street first, then Mira did.

They met Bryce and Merrick and Tessa, and Mira slipped the device to Bryce and explained it with a whisper. Hovering behind Bumblebee's form, Bryce handed them each a plastic ID card, then wrapped an arm securely around Merrick's shoulders. "These will get you in," he said quietly, "try not to scan the same ID at two different spots, that'll trigger a suspicious alert. Stay cool, keep your head low." Then, he tapped Bumblebee's window and it rolled down, and he unzipped the bag. Checking over his shoulder he nodded towards the seat.

"Guns and watches. Take them and use 'em," he said. Mira reached in and grabbed the Baretta, and handed Cade a Glock. Slipping hers into her purse, Cade slipped him in the back of his pants and covered it with the t-shirt. Then, they strapped on the watched and Mira squared in front of Bryce, who was still trying to figure out the comm earpiece.

"Cool," he said, the sound resonating in her voice. "Same frequencies—we have contact with everyone?" Cade nodded and activated his, then turned it off. Bryce nodded along in understanding and rapped on Bumblebee's window again, "forward our comm numbers to the guys, 'Bee." The radio quirked and the chassi shivered slightly in reply. Then, turning to Mira, he smiled at her. "Just like the good 'ole days, eh, sis?"

She chuckled and nodded slowly, "Yeah, except now I'm no as agile, not as fast, and have a weakness," she mumbled. Looking to Merrick, she sank to a knee and winked at him, "I'll be back, okay, baby? Listen to Bryce and Tessa, you understand?" He nodded and then flung himself at her, wrapping his little arms around her neck and burying his face in her hair. This knocked her backwards against Bumblebee, where she equally wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. Tears began to form around her closed eyes, and her heart hammered. She choked back a sob and nodded, rubbing his back with her hands.

"I love you, Mamma," Merrick mumbled clumsily into her curls.

She nodded and inhaled a very shaky breath, "I know. I love you too, Merrick. So much." Letting her head rest against the Camaro, she felt the energy of the car rush to them and warm the metal against her back, Bumblebee's way of perhaps giving her a reassuring snuggle as well. She smiled when he quirked and clicked, and then the radio programmed.

"Don't worry, about a thang…" it switched frequencies, "because ever-y little thing, gunna be alright…" The Jamaican music cut out, and she smiled, chuckling. Merrick pulled away and then stood next to Bryce, wrapping a small arm around his leg. Bryce ruffled his hair and she nodded to him.

"If you need anything, just as Optimus," She said quietly. Bryce stepped forward and enveloped her in a one-armed hug, resting his chin on top of her head, her arms wrapping around his thick middle. He did not let go of Merrick's arm, and nodded gently before pulling away. "I'll be live in there, so keep in touch."

Bryce nodded once, slightly wavering, "Gothcya. If you need backup," he patted the jacket to his right, "I'm always packin'."

She chuckled and shook her head and blew a kiss to Merrick, "Be good," she chastened. He nodded furiously and she nodded to Tessa, "Keep them in line, honey. Goodness knows Bryce needs it more than any of them. Maybe not Hound…"

"I heard that, femme."

Touching the comm, she turned on her heel and grabbed the strap of her bag with one hand, gesturing towards the massive skyscraper with her head to Cade. Tapping on Bumblebee's hood with a flat palm, she nodded, "Okay, Bumblebee. They're scanning vintage cars, sot that' you. We'll take you in with us and then we'll part ways once we get in. Sound good?"

"Affirmative, cap'n." The radio quipped, "Let's get this show on the road!"

Stepping off the curb, Mira looked down the way to Prime's alternation mode, where the holoform was activated, and leaning an arm out the window. She smiled at him and nodded, and he raised a hand in an acknowledging wave, then reached up to touch his ear gently. "Keep an eye on my family, Optimus, while I go find yours."

"I will watch over our family," she noted the casual, and surprising, use of the word "our", and stopped before slipping into the driver's seat, "as you gather the rest of it."

Giving him a half smile, she nodded to the semi, "Right then. I'll be back."

"I will be waiting."

She slipped into the car, Bumblebee fired the engine, and they headed towards the entry.