Ghost in the Machine
By: Ghost of the Dawn
Chapter Two: Abduction
October 28
The sunset was gorgeous. To Hound, most of them were. He loved this planet even though he had only lived here but a small fraction of his very long lifetime. There were days when it felt like this planet had been waiting for him. The cry of a hawk, the shrill whistle of the wind, the roll of the thunder: they all seemed to be making themselves heard only to get his attention. Hound listened and looked as much as he could.
Earth and Cybertron were such complete opposites. Cybertron was constant. Nothing changed except construction as buildings were redesigned or torn down by war. New levels were often added to the surface, but it never grew or changed like this planet did. Earth was the epitome of change. Life was always growing, dying, and being reborn again. Even the weather was a force of change, killing everything off each winter and letting it start anew in the spring. It was a primitive, heartless and beautiful cycle and Hound never got tired of seeing it.
Upon his favorite ledge in the forest, he was enjoying the color splashed around by autumn. In the distance, the engine of a jet plane rumbled through the sky. Hound thought nothing of it. Planes were always flying overhead, coming to and from the Portland airport.
The sound didn't make him turn his head from the dazzling view until he realized it was getting dramatically louder and coming right for him.
Hound lept off his lookout right before it was peppered with laser fire. The green Autobot slid and rolled down the mountain slope, taking out boulders and trees in his wake. He reached for his weapon as the enemy jet circled around. "This is Hound to Autobot base," he radioed. "I need backup! I think I just found the missing -Agh!"
He fell forward, his body not moving. Behind him was Skywarp: armed, unnoticed and faceless.
October 31
Ratchet pondered the list of items stolen from Carly's laboratory as he had several times before within the past few days. The more he tried to put rhyme or reason to the event, the more it felt like a basic smash and grab. Ratchet wished he could say that was typical for Decepticons, but it really wasn't. Outside of energy, the Decepticons didn't just take whatever they could get their hands on. There was always a specific reason for a break-in. They would obtain that which they came for and then they would leave. This incident, where they had simply taken anything and everything they could, stumped the Autobots.
Not only their actions, but their objectives were mysterious in their own right. This government robotics facility was one of the top in the world, but for the Decepticons to be interested in it-- as Carly had put it, it was like stealing a cookie recipe when you already knew how to make your own cookies, ones far better than that facility could produce. While the facility was cutting edge for Earth, for a Cybertronian it was rather basic.
Prowl had deduced a conclusion both logical and ridiculous: humans. It was the only kind of theft that facility worried about-- technology theft from other companies or countries. But therein lay the strangest part of the equation. Why would Decepticons help humans get technology they already had?
The next conclusion to be reached was that it was not a voluntary effort. As amazing as it seemed, all evidence pointed to the Decepticons being used against their will and, obviously, without Megatron's permission.
Kidnapped Decepticons: Con-napped, some of the Autobots playfully called it. Very few of them seemed worried or sympathetic at first. But then there came the incident of the abducted Hound and everyone sobered again.
After his last transmission, Autobots had been sent immediately to the scene. While his own words and the physical evidence indicated that it was the work of Megatron's missing Decepticons, no other information had been found. While the search for Hound still continued, it was slow going with the fact that their expert tracker was the one missing.
With their search turning up not a thing for three days, the Autobots were forced to admit they probably weren't going to find anything and were stuck playing the waiting game. Whoever had Hound most likely wasn't going to kill him, but use him as they had done with the Decepticon seekers. Now all they could do was wait until the ones responsible for this operation made their next move.
"Hey, Ratch. Been a while."
Ratchet looked down from his station to see an older human standing by his feet. "Sparkplug, you old fossil! What have you been up to?"
"Watch who you're calling a fossil, you rust bucket. You're older than I am."
"And still better looking," Ratchet retorted to which Sparkplug chuckled.
Daniel, who had been shadowing his grandfather, rolled his eyes. Old people.
"So what brings you out here?" Ratchet asked as he got up.
Sparkplug nodded towards his grandson. "The kid here is going to hang out with his friends tonight. He's been in a bit of trouble lately so his mother wants him to have a chaperone."
"I'll go!" Sideswipe sang, his face suddenly almost floor level with the two humans. Sparkplug jumped at the sudden noise. Despite his size, Sideswipe had an outstanding talent for appearing out of nowhere.
"I love seeing the little mini humans in their costumes. What are you going to wear, Daniel?"
"Dressing up is for kids, Sideswipe. I don't do that anymore," Daniel informed him.
"Seventeen is still a kid," Sparkplug insisted. "And YOU are not responsible enough to be a chaperone," he pointed at Sideswipe.
"Aww..." Sideswipe pulled himself back to his feet.
"Here I am, ready to go," Wheeljack announced as he came in.
Apparently, he had been appointed the one for the job. Daniel didn't have as many complaints about introducing him to his friends as with some other Autobots. Wheeljack sometimes had that crazy scientist thing about him that was almost cool. Most importantly, Carly believed him suitable for the task and agreed Daniel could go out despite his grounding if Wheeljack accompanied him.
"Sweet," Daniel said. "Let's get going. I don't want to be late."
"Come on, let me come," Sideswipe urged. "You know the rules, Wheeljack. With the base on high alert, no one is allowed to leave without a buddy."
"I've already got one. Cliffjumper is coming, too."
Sideswipe managed to look offended. "Cliffjumper? But he's..."
"Paranoid enough to watch both our backs?" Wheeljack finished. "Yeah, that's why I asked him to come." Wheeljack transformed and Daniel got in.
"He's not going to yell at any of my friends is he?" Daniel demanded.
"Nah, he's just going to be around, keeping an eye out. Your friends may not even notice he's there."
Daniel slumped back in his seat, looking somewhat satisfied.
"I've really been looking forward to this, Daniel," Wheeljack continued. "I fitted myself with a bunch of extra equipment: thermal readers, audio recorders, infrared, electromagnetic field meters-"
"Yeah, yeah," Daniel cut him off. "Just go. And try to curb the science around my friends. We get enough of that at school."
Sparkplug watched as the duo drive away. "There goes my little shithead grandson," he commented. "Spike never had such an attitude at that age. And he talks to you Autobots like you're just everyday machines. It's Carly. She coddles him too much. Never gives that kid the discipline he needs."
Ratchet grinned. "But you still love him, don't you?"
"Yeah, but I'd still send him to boot camp if it were up to me. He needs something to straighten him out."
Before they reached their destination, Wheeljack had to pick up one of Daniel's friends, a teenage girl his age named Clarissa. Carly had warned Wheeljack that Daniel was probably "sweet on" this human girl and anything he did around her, Daniel would be extra touchy about.
Wheeljack cared not either way. He was there to study far more interesting things than the courting habits of awkward teenagers. Though if he were, he would have to say the two of them were quite a match. In their dark clothes and dyed black hair (Clarissa had a purple streak in her bangs), they looked almost made for each other.
Despite her dark appearance, she seemed pretty excited to meet Wheeljack. Daniel let her sit in the passenger seat while he sat in the back. She asked him all the basic questions like whether it was hard to transform and if he could see her sitting there and watch the road at the same time. And, thoughtfully enough, if it was a bother to drive them around.
Wheeljack kindly answered all her questions and was careful not to be too overly cheerful or "sciencey" about it per Daniel's plea.
Their first destination was a seasonal haunted house where they met up with Daniel's other friends: Jay and Trevor. Wheeljack, of course, had to wait outside in car mode while the teenagers went in to scream at fake chainsaw killers and such. The Autobot didn't mind. He could wait for the main event. Across the street, Cliffjumper was parked, pretending not to be a part of the group and certainly not a sentient machine.
"I don't understand the human need to scare each other with fake costumes," the red Autobot radioed to Wheeljack while they were waiting. "You'd think with how fragile they are, they have plenty of real things to be worried about."
Wheeljack chuckled at this. "I really couldn't say."
After the house of horrors, the teens had a quick bite to eat and set off for the cemetery. They knew of no graveyards rumored to be haunted in Portland, so they settled for the oldest and creepiest one they could find. The site they chose was overgrown, forgotten, and free of guards who might be on the lookout for nighttime visitors.
The group pushed open the gate to let Wheeljack inside and then found themselves a comfortable place to sit, one with enough space for Wheeljack to transform without destroying any headstones.
"Wow, Wheeljack! You looked wicked!" Clarissa exclaimed when she saw his robot form.
"Uh... thanks?" Wheeljack looked to Daniel to confirm that, yes, it was a compliment.
"So are you going to, like, tell us if any ghosts come around?" Clarissa continued, intrigued.
"I'm not sure. I've never done this before so I'm not clear on what I'd be looking out for. And be to honest, I don't really believe in this whole 'dead human spirit finding' or whatever you want to call it."
Daniel glared at Wheeljack. "Ignore him, guys. The robot's a scientist. It's kind of out of his league."
"I believe in them," Jay said, face serious. "The house I lived in as a kid, there was no way that place wasn't haunted."
"Well, let's see," Clarissa said as she began to light the candles she had brought with her. "Maybe we can change Wheeljack's mind."
"She jumped when the phone rang soon after and, with a shaking hand, picked up the phone.
"'Hello?' she asked.
"'This is the operator returning the call,' came the voice. 'You need to get out of there, now. We traced the phone call to inside the house.'
"Cindy froze as she-"
"That's hardly a practical move, not locking the doors when 'baby-sitting,' as you call it, someone's offspring late at night."
"Teenagers are never practical, Prowl," Crystal said as she lowered her book to her lap. "They're teenagers."
"Then why have one look after your children?"
"Because they'll do it for cheap."
"So a child's safety is gambled on the lowest pay?"
"I don't know, Prowl, it's not like I have kids." There was a pause and Crystal raised her book to continue reading.
"I just don't see how someone could sneak into your base like that. How could you not hear him make those phone calls to you in the same house?"
Crystal sighed and tossed her book over her shoulder into Prowl's back seat.
"This holiday tradition of purposefully scaring yourself is very strange," Prowl said.
"Some people like the adrenaline rush--the thrill of feeling at risk without putting themselves in any real danger."
There was a thoughtful pause from Prowl. "Do you enjoy those things?"
"Heh, not really," Crystal said sheepishly. "Why else would I be reading these stories inside a big, safe Autobot? Being a single woman and living alone is scary enough by itself sometimes. But I still wanted to do something in the spirit of the season, you know?"
Prowl was quiet again and Crystal could hear the crickets chirping outside. They were outside the city limits on a grassy lookout with trees at their back. Any other time of year, Crystal guessed, it was probably used as a teen make out place. But this night they had it all to themselves. At least, it appeared that way. Maybe it was just the creepy stories, but she felt like there was something out there watching them.
"I still don't believe I quite understand this holiday, this celebration of fear and the dead. I know you have a holiday to remember those who have passed already, but this..."
"Yes, Halloween is definitely a different type of holiday," Crystal agreed. "It stems back from very superstitious times. They believed that on this night the boundaries between the world of the living and the world of the dead would disappear and, depending on what you believed, that was either a good or bad thing."
"Yes, I researched its origins. Humanity's obsession with communicating with the dead I found very odd."
"Yeah, but Halloween is hardly about that any more," Crystal insisted.
"What is it about?"
"The candy, of course!"
"Then you are keeping the spirit very well."
Crystal looked down at the bag of candy in her lap. "I do what I can." As an afterthought she added, "What about you Autobots? Is there any kind of holiday like that for you?"
Prowl took a while to gather his thoughts, logic circuits working to determine the best way to explain so that he would be understood.
"We don't have holidays. To do so, we would need a calendar, something that loops within a certain amount of days. Cybertronian time only goes forward. We never repeat things like weeks, months, or years.
"As for our fallen, very few of them truly, by your definition, die. Very specific parts have to be completely destroyed for true death to occur. Usually the damaged body can always be rebuilt, redesigned and reactivated."
"You mean like zombies or the Frankenstein monster?" Crystal blurted out.
Prowl searched for those words on his internet database. "No. It's different."
Crystal let it be at that. She tried to put herself in Prowl's position. Being a living machine, it probably wasn't as odd to him as it was to her. Hardly a parallel could be drawn between the different cultures, different species. What sounded macabre to her was probably quite acceptable and normal for robots who had been shot at and blown up for millions of years.
"Crystal," Prowl spoke in the silence, "is that true what you said, that it's scary living by yourself?"
The teens had been at it for almost an hour. Clarissa had them all sit in a circle holding hands. In the middle were a few glowing candles and some other trinkets. Each one took turns entreating entities to let their presence be known. Every once in a while one of them claimed to hear something or feel an icy touch.
Wheeljack, however, was extremely unimpressed. Not a thing was showing up on any of his instruments. It seemed the teenagers were merely hyping each other up into thinking these things were going on. Most of them glared at him when Wheeljack brought this up.
Trevor suggested they try an abandoned hospital he knew of that was supposed to be haunted. The others agreed, but Clarissa wanted one more try before they left. "If there are any spirits around that have something to say," she tried. "Contact us now. We will listen."
For a while, nothing happened. But then the wind picked up and the teenagers looked at each other with excitement as the tall grass whipped around them.
Wheeljack jumped to his feet. He was definitely picking up readings now, but they weren't coming from the graveyard.
"Daniel! Get them out of here!"
It was pure reflex. The others had no idea what was going on, but Daniel reacted without thinking. He grabbed Clarissa's wrist and yelled at all of them to run. The other two boys needed no further instruction. All of them were off like a shot to the cemetery's front gates.
No sooner had they vacated the area than something large and loud rocketed out of the sky. A sonic boom trailed after it as it dove nose-first right for Wheeljack. The Autobot braced himself and caught the jet by the wings, its pale grey paint suggesting it was Ramjet. The force of the impact shredded and dented the ground at his feet and Wheeljack could feel his shoulder sockets threatening to rip right off. Holding the Decepticon by the wing with his engines still screaming helped Wheeljack to understand the human phrase "taking the bull by the horns."
The screaming jet pushed him several yards, leaving deep gashes in the ground and destroying the fence. Grunting, Wheeljack managed to maneuver himself around the wings and suddenly ducked, letting the jet shoot itself away.
He knew it was only a matter of seconds before Ramjet would loop back for another attack. Wheeljack sprinted back towards the frightened teens who were huddling behind Trevor's car. "Get everyone out of here now! Go home where it's safe! I'll lead him away."
A few more steps and Wheeljack was in car mode and racing down the hill.
The teenagers were stunned as they watched, unable to move. The roar overhead told Ramjet had already righted his path and was continuing pursuit.
"Trevor, give me your keys," Daniel said, pushing his friend to break him out of his stupor.
"Huh?"
"Give me the keys and everyone get in the car." Daniel's voice was forceful and full of urgency. His friends did exactly what they were told.
Daniel started the engine, intending to go after Wheeljack, but a small red vehicle suddenly pulled out in front of him and Daniel slammed on his brakes.
"Where do you think you're going?" the red car demanded.
Daniel poked his head out the window. "Wheeljack needs help!"
"Not your kind of help, he don't!" Cliffjumper shot back. "Your job is to get your friends to safety, far away from those Decepticons."
Daniel sighed angrily. "But-"
"Do it or I'll run ya off the road myself!"
Daniel frowned as he watched Cliffjumper drive away. His friends, however, weren't really complaining.
Unfortunately, while Wheeljack was built for speed, Cliffjumper was not. He was having an extremely hard time trying to catch up. Even cutting through small back roads and taking every shortcut he could find was not gaining him any ground. He contacted the base by radio about the situation, knowing Wheeljack would be doing the same.
"Wheeljack, can you double back toward me? I'll try to give you some cover fire," Cliffjumper radioed.
"Uh, I'm trying! These slagging seekers aren't giving me an inch!" came Wheeljack's strained response. "They're boxing me in!"
Right then, the frequency began to fade out. "Pushing me.... Astrotrain... taking me by air... losing the signal...."
"Wheeljack! What's going on?" Cliffjumper demanded, his voice raising in anxiety. "Hold on! I'm coming for you!"
He sped up to his maximum output, but this soon proved to be a mistake. It had to be none other than Skywarp who appeared in the airspace above him and fired at the red Autobot. Cliffjumper had been caught so unaware that he overcompensated in his swerve and lost complete control. He hit a dip in the road and was sent spiraling nose over tail, parts flying everywhere, until he landed in a spin on his hood.
Skywarp transformed and landed next to the totaled vehicle. His emotionless optics scanned the Autobot and waited for instructions.
DAMAGE TOO EXCESSIVE. LEAVE IT AND RETURN.
Without so much as a backward glance, the faceless seeker transformed back into jet mode and left Cliffjumper to his fate.
"What's that?" Crystal asked of the beeping dashboard.
"It's an emergency signal," Prowl said. He opened the channel so the radio transmission could be heard.
"Prowl," Ironhide's voice came over his radio. "We got a distress alert from Wheeljack. Decepticons came outta nowhere and attacked him. We believe he's been captured and is aboard Astrotrain right now. Cliffjumper was shadowing him but was badly injured. We're sending a rescue team for him as first priority.
"I know you're technically off duty right now, but you're the closest to Wheeljack's last projected location before we lost his signal."
"Roger that," Prowl responded. "I'll see what I can confirm. Dispatch back up when you can. Prowl out."
"Poor Wheeljack," Crystal said when the transmission was over. "I hope he is okay."
"I'm going to have to ask you to get out. I cannot take you with me. It will be dangerous."
Crystal's eyebrows shot up and she looked out to the woods where she had been feeling like something was watching her all night.
"You're going to leave me alone at night in the middle of nowhere?"
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. I have to go."
"You're going to leave me out here in the woods and I'm going to get eaten by bears or raped by some wandering psycho!" Crystal insisted.
"I highly doubt that."
"You don't think I'm good-looking enough to get raped?" she demanded.
Silence from the police car.
"You better get going, you have to help Wheeljack," Crystal urged, putting on her seatbelt.
"The first safe place I can find, I'm dropping you off," Prowl warned.
To Prowl's frustration, there was no "safe place" he could drop off his passenger as he followed the last coordinates of Wheeljack's signal. No buildings in sight. The signal took him further into the wilderness, through forest trails until reaching flat, open planes. In the distance was a suspicious building out in the middle of nowhere.
Prowl sat where he considered to be a safe distance away. The dim lights of the building could barely be made out by human eyes. His engine rumbled his dissatisfaction with the current situation. The wide open space and the tiny structure made the place look harmless, but Prowl had a feeling that was intentional, in order to hide something more sinister.
"Wow," Crystal said lowly as she squinted in the darkness. "So, what do you want to do?"
Prowl took a moment to consider his options. "I cannot take you in there and there is no other place I can leave you. You will have to remain here outside."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Crystal asked. "Haven't you seen the movies? Any time the girl gets left alone outside she is always found by the bad guys and used as a hostage at some critical point in the battle. And I don't know about you, Prowl, but I say no thanks to all of that."
There was chuckling from a different male voice over the radio.
"Looks like she's got it all figured out, Prowl."
Crystal swung her head to look out Prowl's side window so fast she hit her forehead on the glass. "I knew there was someone out there."
There was a rumble of another engine next to them. In the moonlight, if she turned her head just so, she could see a vague shape shimmer for just a second.
"That would be Mirage," Prowl said. "Our base has been on high alert lately. Autobots can only leave the base in groups of two or more."
"Is someone after you guys? Who are they?"
"Looks like we'll find out soon enough," Mirage answered her.
"I am relaying the coordinates to the base," Prowl said. "It appears there is no choice but to take you with us, Crystal. But you will do EXACTLY what I say at all times is that clear? I have seen the movies, too, and you will not wander off, you will not touch anything. You won't take anything into your own hands. You will not leave my side for ANY reason unless I specifically tell you, understand?"
"Prowl," Crystal said, impressed. "I like this side of you."
Mirage chuckled. But Prowl's silence radiated that wasn't the response he was looking for.
"No, I understand," Crystal insisted in a serious voice. "I'm sorry you guys got stuck with me. I'll do everything I can to stay safe and stay out of your way. We're doing this for Wheeljack, he's what's most important right now. I don't want anything to happen to him either."
"Affirmative," Prowl confirmed. "Mirage, stay behind us and stay cloaked."
"Roger that, Prowl. I'll stay on your tailpipe."
Satisfied, Prowl drove out across the empty flat plane towards the single structure. Swift and silent, headlights off and, as Crystal glanced out the back window, it seemed he was also doing his best not to kick up any dust.
The same with the invisible car behind him, Mirage. She had never seen this Autobot before; all she had to go on was a voice, for now. But he definitely made her curious, not just about himself but about what other Autobots were out there and what they could do. Maybe if she could brave this, she could find enough courage to brave the hidden unknown of the Autobot base.
But, one base at a time. Prowl slowed down in front of the building. Only a dim bulb shined over the open hanger door. Prowl indicated for Crystal to get out before transforming into his robot mode. Given proper notice, Crystal wasn't as startled by it as she had been the first time she saw a full-sized Autobot transform. But she had to admit, it was still quite a sight. Prowl still looked the way she remembered him, but at this size, he looked almost menacing.
He paused at the door and a frown covered his face plate. "I'm not getting a return signal from the base. I don't know if they received my message."
"Signal interference?" Mirage's disembodied voice suggested. "At the very least, we know they've got Wheeljack's last transmission. They should be sending backup anyway. Can't turn back now."
Still frowning, Prowl nodded. He pointed his blaster, a mean and intricate-looking device, toward the hanger opening. His blue optics scanned the depths of the darkness. It seemed not to lead in, but turn into a metal shaft angling downward beneath the ground. There didn't appear to be a single light source below. Prowl could activate his night vision if he wanted to, but that didn't help the human currently clinging to the back of his leg so she could stay by his side like she promised.
Crystal herself was alarmed with the proximity. Staying this close to something so large would be a problem if he suddenly stumbled or was startled. She could just barely make him out in the blackness. If Prowl didn't have as much white paint as he did, she wouldn't have been able to see him at all. That wasn't even mentioning the invisible one. Crystal thought maybe she could at least sense the large robot that was supposed to be behind them, but she couldn't tell he was there at all when she looked back. Even if he was there, all she saw was a dim light and the stars. Hopefully he would watch where he was stepping, because she sure couldn't.
For lack of any other alternative, Prowl turned on his headlights, but kept them as dim as possible. Crystal was now allowed to stand a few feet away without worrying about running into anything. She stepped back to look up at Prowl and he looked down at her.
Crystal suddenly snorted and turned away, trying to stifle her laughter.
"What?" Prowl hissed.
"I'm sorry," Crystal tried to choke back the noise she was making. "I just never realized. You--your headlights-they're right on your--"
"What? What are you laughing at?" Prowl demanded, clearly not getting it.
A second pair of headlights flipped on at the bottom of the ramp, bright and searing. A vehicle engine roared from the source.
Prowl glanced down in worry, but Crystal was already gone. She pressed herself flat against the wall and was trying her best not to be noticed. Prowl hoped she hadn't been.
The engine down below revved and tires squealed as the owner of the bright headlights tore up toward him. Prowl couldn't say anything to Crystal or Mirage. He couldn't chance giving either of them away if they hadn't been noticed already. For the moment he was the main target and he had to lead the threat away.
Prowl turned and ran back up the ramp, transforming into car mode as he raced out under the night sky. The other vehicle was right on his tail. Crystal only caught a glance of it. It looked like some kind of off-road vehicle, like a jeep. When both had left, Crystal hurried further down the ramp, almost to the bottom. She knew a distraction when she saw one. That meant there was something going on down there.
Further down, it was completely pitch black and she had no choice but to stop. She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open to give herself some light. Even then, she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her.
"Mirage?" she whispered in the darkness. When she got no response, she tried a little louder.
"I'm here," a deep, metallic voice responded.
It was closer than Crystal thought it would be. As if the Autobot were crouched next to her. It made her jump. "Where are you?"
"Stretch your arm to the right. Now take one step."
Crystal did so and her hand pressed against something flat. By the light of her phone, if she turned it a certain way, she could faintly make out a corner here and there of his silhouette. Even more of a marvel, her hand up to the wrist was invisible.
"So much for not taking things into your own hands," Mirage commented to her. His voice was low and calm as if he was used to existing in silence.
"Prowl left us," Crystal insisted. "And we're doing what he said to do. I said the most important thing is to help Wheeljack and he agreed."
"So he did," Mirage said, amused.
"And I'll let you take care of the big stuff," Crystal assured him. She gave a thoughtful pause. "That other vehicle, was that a Decepticon?"
"I'm afraid not," Mirage's voice was laced with regret and worry. "That was one of our own. Someone has been, we think, brainwashing or controlling Decepticons as of late. Very recently they started to collect Autobots, too. Hound disappeared a few days ago. At least we know where he is now. Prowl will take care of him."
"Oh, I have no doubt," Crystal confirmed. "Prowl always knows what to do."
Mirage took a moment to be impressed with Crystal's faith in his commander's ability.
"Wait, how many 'brainwashed' Decepticons are there supposed to be?" Crystal asked. "What if they gang up and attack him, too?"
"Well, that might be a bit more of a challenge, then."
Crystal glanced toward the exit. "Maybe you should go help him."
On that cue, heavy metal doors fell down on either side of the shaft, locking them in. From the ceiling, a strange wet mist sprayed over them. Crystal wrinkled her nose at the thick smell and backed away.
A black light flicked on and the mist took on an illuminated pink hue.
'It's paint,' Crystal thought as she inspected the flecks on her arm.
She looked up. The paint was settling over Mirage's exterior and revealing his form to the light.
"Ah, there you are," came a cultured, accented voice over a speaker.
A large, metal claw snaked out of the way and grabbed Mirage around the neck from behind. The glowing pink Autobot struggled as he was dragged backward by the neck to be held against the wall.
Dr. Kraus smiled in satisfaction at the captured, paint covered Autobot on his screen.
"I'm definitely quite glad we prepared for that one or else he may have ruined it all. Surprising what simple things can thwart even that kind of technology. Not to badmouth technology, of course. Remind me to thank our old friend Chumley for all these divine robot-catching gadgets. That is, in the next, what? Eight years when he gets out of prison?"
"I wouldn't know," sighed a high, metallic voice dripping with disinterest.
Dr. Kraus turned around to the owner of the voice. "Oh come now, Starscream, these are your enemies! Wouldn't you like to revel just a little as you watch their capture?"
"It appears I have no choice to do anything else but watch," came the sarcastic reply.
Starscream sat on a chair-like apparatus in the middle of the large room. He was forced to sit still at the most upright attention with thick clasps at his forehead, neck, arms, wrists and ankles. Many panels all over his body were either open or missing with wiring spilling out. Other wires from outside sources were wired into his body as well. He looked like a toy someone hadn't finished building yet-a very large toy. Damage done to both his body and his bindings told of Starscream's several attempts to break free.
"Don't be so negative!" Dr. Kraus insisted with bravado. "You're witnessing history! Everything is falling right into place!"
"Everything but me, you mean," Starscream smirked.
Dr. Kraus frowned. He hated to be reminded of that. Not that it wasn't enough that failure was staring him right in the face, the detestable robot had to bring it up every chance he got. The one black eye in an otherwise flawless plan.
The scientist only frowned for a moment before plastering his smile back on. "But even failures can be learned from."
Starscream frowned at his emphasis on the word.
"I am sure," Dr. Kraus continued as he went over to a computer station and typed in a few commands, "that you still have much to contribute to the world of science ... in your own way."
Under no will of his own, the cockpit on Starscream's chest flipped forward and the compartment underneath slid open to reveal a pulsating, glowing orb.
Starscream looked horrified. "You wouldn't!" he screeched.
Dr. Kraus stood in the glow, hands clasped behind his back. "The spark of a Cybertronian--either Autobot or Decepticon-- is one of the universe's greatest scientific mysteries. I don't think even your own kind fully understand what it is. Imagine what I could learn by taking one apart!"
"So you will gladly trade murder for knowledge," Starscream accused.
"Murder?" Dr. Kraus laughed. "Certainly not! You've a bit of a flare for the dramatic, don't you? I'm sure when we're done fiddling with it we'll find a way to start you back up again, for giggles if nothing else."
"You do realize that removing my spark incorrectly will kill me, Doctor."
Dr. Kraus threw back his head and laughed. "Kill you? How absurd! You're only a robot after all."
Starscream growled and tried with renewed vigor to escape his confines.
"Yes well, lovely chatting with you and all, but I have other things to attend to," Dr. Kraus carried on as if it were any normal conversation and left the struggling Decepticon without hardly a backwards glance.
There was no place to hide in the large, dark shaft. It was at least three cars wide and completely barren. Crystal did her best to stay hidden in the dim light. She brushed off as much of the reflective paint as she could and pressed herself flat against the wall right near the hanger door. She was extremely glad she had been wearing dark colors that day so she wouldn't be revealed by the black light. It was truly a stroke of great luck.
Across from her, Mirage was still pinned by the neck on the opposite wall. He had given up on fighting it. There was no use damaging delicate circuitry for nothing. Both waited silently to see what would happen next.
The heavy metal door slid up and Crystal wasted no time slipping through it the second she could fit and disappeared into the darkness.
Once the door was raised entirely, it revealed a large robot form.
"Wheeljack," Mirage whispered.
"Yes," said the human standing on Wheeljack's open palm. "He is the most recent addition to my collection."
Wheeljack stepped forward, his light paint job glowing eerily in the black light. His face, while not having distinct features to begin with, was now devoid of any plating. It was completely composed of wiring and pale optics.
"What did you do to him?" Mirage asked.
"The same thing I will do to you, actually," Dr. Kraus responded. "Now, please do not struggle. That clasp on your neck has an electric magnet in it. If I turn it on, it will permanently scramble a large part of your personality circuitry, and I really doubt you want that."
Mirage didn't move, but his expression indicated that he was extremely unhappy.
"Open it," Dr. Kraus commanded and Wheeljack's faceless form reached to open Mirage's chest compartment.
Mirage had a disgusted look on his face as Dr. Kraus was brought in close to touch his inner circuitry.
"What are you doing?" the Autobot demanded.
"Just turning off your invisibility field and then disabling your motor capabilities," Dr. Kraus informed him. "It's all quite painless -- not as though you actually can feel pain --so not to worry."
A few buttons and switches flicked and something powered down inside Mirage. His full body became visible and his arms fell lifelessly at his sides.
"Okay, bring it in," Dr. Kraus called to the darkness as Wheeljack set him down.
A truck's headlights lit up in the darkness and it pulled out with a massive flatbed. With the mindless Wheeljack's help they turned Mirage's body around and laid him flat. Then they drove him off slowly, deeper into the underground bunker.
Crystal took note of all of this in the darkness. One man seemed to be in charge and very much knew what he was doing, but the rest appeared to be hired hands, perhaps hired muscle as well. It was hard to tell in the dark, but Crystal thought she saw a few of the men wandering around with guns. There weren't many, but they still had a significant advantage over her.
Her only hope was to get back to Prowl somehow. This was certainly something she could not handle on her own.
As if answering her wish, the blocked end of the shaft opened. Crystal looked at it as if it were a godsend. That is, until heavy footfalls of several different pairs of robot feet came down. It was so dark she couldn't see the shapes of those entering. All she could see were three pairs of red optics and one shorter pair of blue. The pair of red optics in the lead was dragging something and the distinct smell of burning oil filled the air.
As the large, heavy shadows passed her, Crystal could hardly make out their silhouettes with their dark coloring. The thing they were dragging, however, was mostly white and Crystal recognized it as Prowl instantly.
Her heart sank witnessing his capture. He had been her only hope and she had never planned on anything happening to him. Now she was left all alone. The only thing she could do was try to get out and get a safe distance away and then wait for the other Autobots that were, hopefully, coming. She readied herself to dash up the ramp to the open night air.
Before she could, the door slid down with a deafening finality. Crystal frantically pawed at the thick metal. It wouldn't budge. Her heart began to race in panic in the blackness. She was trapped inside the pitch dark, underground bunker and there was no way out.