Ghost in the Machine
By: Ghost of the Dawn
Chapter Three: Illusion of Life
Prowl had no choice but to leave Crystal behind. Mirage would stay and look after her. He transformed and raced out of the shaft and into the dark and wide open spaces. Behind him, headlights belonging to none other than the missing Hound were on his rear bumper. The ground beneath his wheels was loose and full of rocks that abused his under carriage. Prowl's design was definitely not made for this kind of terrain. But he was still built for speed which helped him to out flank the green Autobot trailing him, despite the lack of solid ground under his tires.
It was hard to decide what to do about his situation. This was no Decepticon. This was Hound chasing him; a comrade who was being forced against his will. It didn't seem right to use any sort of violent force on him. But Prowl would have to stop his fellow Autobot somehow in order to save him from himself.
Before the tactician could finish formulating a plan of action, more variables in the form of Decepticons came into the equation. Laser fire peppered the ground in front of him, causing Prowl to swerve and slide in the loose dirt to avoid being hit. He zig zagged to and fro as the flyers circled around and around, taking pot shots at him.
Hound stayed right on Prowl's rear bumper, sometimes getting in the way when he tried to turn. It soon became apparent to Prowl he was being herded somewhere. It seemed they were doing their best to keep him in the area--even pushing him closer towards the bunker. They didn't want him to leave.
Once he realized this, Prowl knew he would have to alter his course or else he may fall into whatever trap they had planned for him. He quickly swerved out of Hound's shadow and roared for open land as the seeker turned to have another go at him.
Prowl transformed into robot mode without stopping, sliding along the loose ground, and fired at the sky. The night hid the seekers aside from a few lights so his aiming was only so accurate. However, he was rewarded with a spark in the sky and the sound of a sputtering engine.
The jets all began to descend. Skywarp, Ramjet and Astrotrain gathered in front of Prowl as they landed in robot mode. Hound joined them, all standing before him, faceless. They were eerily still: calm, motionless. Not at all how he was used to seeing his kind behave. It unnerved him and made it hard for Prowl to guess what they would do next.
Prowl took a step back in spite of himself.
Something tingled at his ankle. He glanced down and saw a metal arm snake out of the dirt and clamp down on his skin. He felt an odd electronic pulse surge through his body and slowly his limps began to lose power and feel heavy.
He stumbled as his legs were having trouble holding him up. His strength and control were leaking out of him. And those standing around him stared mindlessly, watching. Prowl was overwhelmed with the urge to get away. He took a few steps back from them before he finally lost all power and collapsed on the ground. His last memory was of those faceless forms crowding around him.
Dr. Kraus looked over the two Autobots that lay before him. There was the blue one, now covered in pink reflective paint, deactivated by Kraus' own hand. Then there was the back and white one that had just recently been dragged in.
This one was not deactivated yet. His systems were merely stunned and would recover soon if the doctor didn't work fast. Also, according to his research, this one was of quite high rank which most likely meant a greater fighting ability. He would need to be reprogrammed first.
"That one," Dr. Kraus pointed to Prowl's inert body. "Make sure all his functions are down and let's reprogram him quickly as possible."
His assisting technicians nodded and got right to work. Prowl's chest compartments were opened to make sure his motor relays could not be switched back on. Then the real reprogramming began as they moved to the head and began removing the face panels.
A Cybertronian's main directive processor was located in the head. Through research, Dr Kraus found that if this were overridden, then the body itself could be made to believe that the directions given to it were the wishes of that being-- therefore allowing the robot to be controlled.
To get to the hardware inside the head, Dr Kraus found it easier to go through the face than to try to remove the thicker armor of the helmet. Removing the face also helped some of his more squeamish assistants to cope with what they were doing.
Most of his techs were college students with more genius than they had school work. They were a generation who had grown up with the knowledge of Autobots and Decepticons since their youth. It took a while for them to see the aliens as what they really were-- not living, feeling beings, but simply machines. The removal of the face helped with that. Without the face, it left less room for sympathy on the part of his assistants. Then all they could see were the wires and bolts--not the individual it pretended to be.
With as many as they helped reprogram now, they were getting used to the procedure and went about it like clockwork. Even with the addition of Autobots, it didn't even slow them down, just as Dr. Kraus predicted.
Everyone knew it had always been "heroic" Autobots on the side of humanity against the brutal and violent Decepticons. But Dr. Kraus never saw good nor evil in them. All he saw was one type of robot programmed to do one thing against another type.
There were different types, contrary to what Dr. Krause had originally theorized. At first he had believed down to the core, all Autobots and Decepticons worked the same. But it was not so, per his finding from all the government funded Autobot-based research he had stolen lately.
Fundamentally, down in their most basic core programming, Autobots and Decepticons were different. It was as if they had been built for two completely different purposes. It was intriguing.
Even more so, the process to reprogram them was different for the two factions as well. Decepticons were actually easier to reprogram. It was as if they were built to take orders. Giving Decepticons new objectives was hardly a challenge. Autobots, however, were a different matter entirely.
Their processing and decision making capabilities were far more independent and less susceptible to outside suggestion than that of Decepticons. In truth, he probably wouldn't have been able to figure out how to override their strong will without stealing all that Autobot technology from the government when he did. And just in time, too. Autobots were practically knocking at his doors and Dr. Kraus was sure it would only be a matter of time before even more appeared in the area. He had to work fast.
Luckily, even the Autobots were easier to program than the red and white Decepticon seeker bound in the control room. Dr Kraus frowned as he worked. The procedure had no affect on Starscream, no matter what he tried. It was especially confusing and frustrating considering he had an identical model, the black and purple seeker, which easily turned. So why was this one so different? They had all been stumped at finding a completely unfamiliar string of programs in Starscream's core processor that seemed impossible to override.
Kraus' assistants insisted they deactivate Starscream fully while they figured out the mystery, but the scientist wanted to keep Starscream activated to see what he could learn. Most of his strength and all his weapons were off line. But unfortunately, his mouth was not and Starscream enjoyed reminding Dr. Kraus how much of a failure he was every time he was able. Maybe it was time to deactivate the seeker fully. Even when he wasn't around his mouth was becoming a distraction.
"Doctor," one of his assistants called. "Come look at this."
Kraus made his way to the monitor screen the young man was working on and inspected the display.
"Look, this one's got a second program running we didn't see with the other two Autobots." The assistant pointed out the second code of commands that were running through Prowl's core processor.
Kraus gripped tighter to the chair. He didn't want another Starscream to deal with. Not now.
"Can we override it?"
"I believe so. Just how you showed me," the young assistant replied. "We're going to program around it instead of trying to tamper with it. I believe it's some sort of performance enhancement program. It will still function just fine after we take control of it's thoughts, The program will believe it's still working for its host and continue like normal."
"Excellent. Do it," Kraus nodded. "We need to get both of these robots finished and ready go out as soon as possible. Sending out scrambling signals in the area will only stall the other Autobots for so long. We need as many robots as possible to fight them and we'll need to be ready to program as many as we can get a hold of."
The assistant nodded and got to work with all seriousness.
Within the shadows of the bunker, Crystal crouched in the quietest, darkest place she could find. Unbeknownst to her was that Dr. Kraus found the place to expensive to keep the entire area running with electricity and only turned on as few lights as possible at any given time. Whatever the reason, Crystal was grateful of the darkness. She never really considered herself a helpless person, but in this instance, she felt very helpless indeed. She knew somewhere in this large underground facility they were doing something to Prowl. But what, she had no idea and she would not know how to stop it. She did know a bit about fighting and self defense from her own hobbies, but she also knew there were armed men in the area is well. There would be no winning against a gun.
There was nothing she could do and nowhere she could go. It was maddening and heart breaking and completely unfair. How could she live with herself if she just waited in the dark for rescue? Especially if rescue never came? Then what? Wasn't there something she could do? Someone she could call?
Call! That might work!
Crystal frantically dug around for her cell phone and pulled it out. Jazz had used it to call her several times before. There had to be some way she could call him back. She flipped open the phone and went through the call logs frantically. She never had been able to call Jazz back, he technically didn't have a phone number. Jazz had to start the connection himself to call her. But there had to be some way. She fingered through the call logs, trying to return the call, but no phone number showed up. Texting seemed out of the question as well. There was no way she would be able to contact him.
Apparently, she wouldn't need to. Crystal's cell started to vibrate and an unlisted number came up on the caller ID. Crystal instantly put it to her ear.
"Jazz?" she asked, her voice going up an octave in hope.
"Hey babe," Jazz's boisterous and extremely appreciated voice came over the other end. It was a bit static, but it was him. "I figured it would be a long shot, but I thought I'd try to call you. You're still with Prowl, right? We lost radio contact with him a while ago. I guess they aren't blocking cell phone signals."
Crystal fought to keep her voice low despite her excitement.
"Jazz! They got him! They got Prowl and Mirage! They brainwashed Wheeljack somehow and they're trying to do it to the others! You have to come stop these people!"
"Woah, woah, woah. People? You said People? Humans?"
"Yeah, they've got this big underground bunker in the middle of nowhere. They're working on Prowl and Mirage right now. I--there's nothing I can do to stop them, they have armed guards." Crystal swallowed, her voice growing lower as she admitted something she never enjoyed admitting to. "I don't know what to do, Jazz."
There was silence on the other line for a moment.
"Crys, I want you to get out of there. I've already sent a group to Prowl's last known coordinates. Get as far away as you can and wait for them."
"I can't Jazz, I'm locked in. I'm hiding, but I can't find a way out of here."
"Then you stay hidden until we can get there. I'll be coming out with more Autobots from the base. Just sit tight Crys, I'll bring the whole calvary. I'll come get you."
"Just hurry," Crystal urged. "I'm okay, but don't let them hurt Pr--"
"Hey, I thought I heard something over here."
Crystal instantly flipped her phone shut and turned it off. She huddled further into the darkness and held her breath.
"What did you hear?" a gruff voice asked.
"I don't know, it was really quiet. Like shuffling or whispering or something."
Silence.
"Probably vermin slipped into the bunker. There's all sort of critters out here. Can't see shit though in this darkness. Let's go see if the Doc will let us turn the lights on for a while. It certainly won't make him happy if something starts chewing on all his equipment."
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea. Let's go ask him."
Crystal didn't move ever after the foot steps left. If they were going to flip on all the lights she would have to get out of there soon. But where else could she go?
Jazz frowned at his broken connection. His sensitive hearing picked up some kind of human voice before the connection was cut. His common sense told him it would not help his friend to call her back. He needed to get down there and go get her himself. Not to mention Prowl and the other Autobots. Hopefully he could get to them before they attacked him. He did not like the prospect of what this battle was promising.
As Jazz quickly made his way to the Ark's exit, he radioed the current team that was already in route.
"Sunstreaker, this is Jazz. What is your ETA?"
"We should be reaching the location where we lost the signal in a few minutes. After that, I'm sure we'll be in a radio dead zone." Then Sunstreaker had to add. "Of course we'd be there sooner if we didn't have Ironhide slowing us down."
"Would you like me to let him know you said that?" Jazz shot back with a bit of humor in his voice.
"I'll tell him!"
"Slag it, Sideswipe! Stop hacking my frequency! I am trying to have a conversation here!"
"Awww... I just wanted to be included..."
"The two of you best watch the road and pay attention," Jazz warned. "We don't know what's out there. First thing to look for, if you see anything that might be jamming our radio signal, take it out.
And be ready. If those missing Decepticons are any indication, Hound and Wheeljack will be fighting on their side. If we don't hurry, they may have Mirage and Prowl with them as well."
"I don't worry so much about the others as I do about Mirage," Sunstreaker said. "Fighting him won't be easy."
"You think Mirage will be the worst of it?" Jazz wondered. "Well let's hope you don't have to fight anyone. The rest of us will be right behind you. Jazz out."
By the time he was finished with his conversation, Jazz was outside the Ark where Optimus Prime was getting ready to lead the rest of the available Autobots into battle.
"I got a hold of Crystal, she's trapped inside their base," Jazz reported. "She said Wheeljack's already been confirmed reprogrammed. They're working fast. They've got Prowl and Mirage, too. I have no idea how long it takes them to do their dirty work, but let's try to beat them before they turn anyone else."
"Right," Optimus nodded and then turned to his team. "Autobots, tonight we may have to do battle with some of our own. At the very least, try to capture and contain. Do not use force unless you absolutely have to. If you get a hold of an Autobot, radio Ratchet and he'll see if he can't repair them on the field or at least deactivate them until we can get back to the base."
"Perfect," Ratchet muttered. I'm going to be fixing their programming for days. Humans need to keep their greasy digits out of our systems."
"I hope that's the only repairing you'll do," Brawn put in. "I don't want to have to mess up our own guys, but I will if I have to."
"We'll do what we can," Optimus confirmed. "But we WILL bring back our own in one piece. Autobots, roll out."
The lights were flipped on, clacking loudly as each set lit up down the bunker. A small handful of men wandered around the open area. Most of it was bare to make room for large vehicles and robots. The rest were boxes of equipment and parts-- both stolen and paid for. The men poked around in the corners and checked the crates for holes.
"I don't see anything, Boss. But I'm sure I heard something moving around," One of the men called.
Dr. Kraus was standing in the doorway of his control room, hands clasped behind his back.
"Well set a few rodent traps in the corners and then get those lights off. Electricity is money."
"Yes, Boss."
Dr Kraus turned around and walked back into his control room. He moved past Starscream's hulking form like he was nothing more than a bit of large furniture and stopped before the set of cramped screens and curious panels filled with nobs and buttons.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I do believe the Autobots won't let you get away with this, Doctor," Starscream said conversationally. "You may have stayed under Megatron's radar, but the Autobots don't think like he does. Megatron may not suspect your weak, pathetic kind is capable of such a thing. But the Autobots look to humans as almost equals. I'm sure they've already fingered human meddling and they're coming for you, Doctor."
Dr. Kraus turned and smiled at the seeker.
"That may be, but I have nothing to fear from the Autobots. Not a single one of them will deliberately harm any of my men or myself. It's the way they are programmed. Just as I know it would take your Megatron a long time to find out what was going on. He is programmed to think a certain way. Everything not of his kind is beneath him and not given his consideration. That's the way he is made."
"Are you sure it's not simply the way he chooses to think of you?" Starscream prodded.
The human scientist shook his head.
"He can't help but think otherwise. All of you run like clockwork. All it takes is a bit of time to figure out your programming and I can guess your every move."
Starscream harumphed. "So even after all our conversations, Doctor, you still see us as nothing more than preprogrammed machines."
Dr. Kraus smirked. "Oh, whomever made you was very good, to be sure. This programing is light years away from any of our AI technology.
"You can emotionally respond to any conversation just like everyone else. You have character flaws: you're annoying, cowardly, sarcastic, you're traitorous and have a fear of death. All these actually make you seem more human than some of the others."
Starscream frowned at the accusation.
"Your programming is so perfect, even you yourself, the creation, believe you are alive and that you can die. Every part of you was designed to give the illusion of life from your expressive faces to your beating sparks." Dr. Kraus lowered his voice with a knowing smile. "But make no mistake, someone out there created you. You didn't come into existence out of nowhere. You are someone's experiment, their product. And you are acting exactly how they made you. No more, no less."
"Interesting theory," Starscream said in a patronizing tone. "But let me ask you this. If we were created, where are our creators now? Where are the scientists who built and programmed us? If they did, indeed, exist at one point, they are definitely gone now. And why? Could it be we made it so?
"Did we rid ourselves of those who made us, Doctor? Did we chase them off? Did we kill them? How strange would it be for us to do that. For to turn on our creators certainly wouldn't be something we were programmed to do, now would it? And you wouldn't have any history of that within your kind, do you Doctor?"
Dr Kraus looked almost cornered and then thoughtful. Then he shook his head again.
"You definitely are a work of art. Every bit about you is made to trick those into believing your existence. But the absolute definition of sentience is the ability to become more than what your creator made you to be; to be what YOU desire. And, I'm afraid my dear Starscream, you just don't have that ability."
The consul behind Dr. Kraus beeped urgently as the screen flashed red. He turned to assess it and then turned on his speaker so he could address all employees in the bunker.
"Looks as though we have Autobots approaching the area. I count four of them. Everyone to your stations. These Autobots will need to be captured and processed as quickly as possible. I'm sure there will be more on the way. Programming team, get those two Autobots finished and out on the field as soon as possible."
No sooner had Dr. Kraus finished giving orders, then he turned and hurried out of the room, excitement in his eyes. This was going to be a battle to remember.
The door slid shut after him, leaving Starscream to sit in silence. The seeker didn't make a move, but something shuffled around from behind his calf. The young human woman poked her head out and glanced about the room before sliding out all the way, eyes warily on the door.
"You have all the ear marks of a self righteous Autobot-lover," Starscream said in a neutral tone.
Crystal jumped at being addressed, but then turned and looked up. She still couldn't believe she was stuck in a room with that same Decepticon. Even more so, that she had used him to hide. She tried to stay confident as she talked to him for the first time.
"Then why didn't you rat me out to that guy?"
Starscream regarded her calmly. If he remembered her at all, it didn't show.
"Because even the most unlikely has the potential for usefulness. At the time, you and I have a common enemy."
"I'll say. That guy certainly doesn't have a high opinion of your kind," Crystal looked at Starscream suspiciously. "Why hasn't he reprogrammed you, too?"
Starscream smirked cryptically. "The doctor and I have... professional differences."
That just made the human regard him with even more suspicion. That didn't explain anything.
"I believe it would be prudent," Scarscream continued. "If we united against our common foe to get out of here."
Crystal folded her arms, leaning against the consul. "What's in this for me? I can leave this room, you can't."
"Typical," Starscream huffed. "Just like a human to try to make themselves sound more important than they are."
"You're not winning an points with me here," Crystal warned.
"Yes well, I'm sure if you could leave this place, you would have done so already," Starscream accused and Crystal knew he had her there. "So let's see if we can't come to some sort of arrangement."
"There's not a whole lot out there," Trailbreaker said as he peered over the rocks. His optic band was scanning for anything he could think of that may give them more information on what they were up against. "It's just a lot of flat, open ground out there. I see a small building and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if that were only the tip of a large, underground structure. But other than that, we're too close to the dead zone to pick up anything else."
Sunstreaker frowned where he lay against a large boulder to keep out of sight.
"That means we're gonna be totally flying blind. I don't like it."
"Sunny, adventure!" Sideswipe urged, tweaking his brother's foot. He was on his hands and knees staying hidden as well. "Jump into the unknown! A new surprise at every turn!"
"Yeah, yeah, adventure," Sunstreaker agreed reluctantly. "So how about it, chief?"
The yellow lamborghini looked to Ironhide who was frowning at the landscape.
"Ah don't like it, but we don't have a choice. We gotta go out there and force them to make a move so we can see what we're up against. Hopefully the others will be here soon if we rile up this hornet's nest longer than we can handle."
"Only one way to find out," Sideswipe announced as he jumped the boulder. "Come on Sunny, let's go stir up some dust."
Sunstreaker reluctantly trudged after him. "This dirt is going to get all in my engine. I'm going to need a steam cleaning when this is over."
"So get it when it's over," Sideswipe retorted as he transformed. "But for now, let's play!"
The two lamborghinis raced over the open plane. Engines screaming, dust billowing, lights bright, they were obviously looking to get some attention. The second they were in the open their radios ceased to work. The brothers had to yell at each other over their engines to communicate.
"Hey Sideswipe, do you see those tire tracks?"
"Sure do. I would guess Prowl and Hound. Looks like they were chasing each other around."
"Yeah, but where are they now?" Sunstreaker wondered.
"Maybe we should go bang on the front door and ask."
The twin sport cars slid on the loose ground as they spun around sharply and raced for the small building in the middle. Outside was a single light in front of the hanger. But as they approached, they could see the hanger door begin to slide up.
From their hiding place, Ironhide and Trailbreaker could see as well.
"Here we go," Ironhide muttered, his body tensing and his optics locked. "Let's see what you got."
The door opened all the way and the two lamborghinis slid to opposite sides two jets and a rocket thundered out inches from their hoods. No sooner has the seekers buzzed them, then the vehicle forms of Hound and Wheeljack unleashed their arsenal and began firing.
"Slagslagslagslagslag!" Sunstreaker chanted as he peeled out, trying to get away. "How about a little help here?"
Trailbreaker smirked as he climbed out from their hiding place. "Looks like the young ones want some assistance. Let's show them how it's done."
Ironhide frowned. None of his radio transmissions seemed to be getting back to the main convoy.
"Ah've showed them a thousand times. Some kids just don't learn!"
Trailbreaker transformed into vehicle mode. "Well let's do it again. Eventually something will stick."
Meanwhile, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were dodging laser fire left and right. Both from the reprogrammed Autbots behind them and the Decepticons flying above. It was all they could do not to get holes in them when Ironhide and Trailbreaker barreled into Wheeljack and Hound, forcing them away from the lamborghini brothers.
"Woo hoo!" Sideswipe cheered. "I guess it's up to us to take down those Decepticons. You up for some jet judo, bro?"
"You do realize judo is the art of throwing bodies, in which it's practically impossible to do that in the air."
"Practice makes perfect, Sun. Let's do it!"
The duo circled around and aimed for a rise in the ground to use as a ramp to which they launched themselves into the air.
It was only fitting, since it was Sideswipe's idea, that he would land on Skywarp.
"Uh oh," was all the red Autobot had time to say as he was zipped through the air.
At the same time, Ironhide and Trailbreaker had paired off against their reprogrammed comrades. Trailbreaker quickly discovered he was no match for Wheeljack's speed while Ironhide was finding himself on the receiving end of Hound's cannon. And with neither willing to take drastic measures against their friends, the Autobots were at a loss at what to do.
Ironhide's tire blew out as Hound hit it, nearly careening into Trailbreaker. The two transformed into bot mode and crouched behind Trailbreaker's force field. Wheeljack and Hound, in robot mode, fired on them mercilessly.
"Ah think we need a new strategy," Ironhide grunted. "This isn't working. How are we supposed ta take these guy out without scrapping them?"
Trailbreaker braced against the attack, holding the field steady. "I don't know, Ironhide. It sounds cruel, but we may have to do just that to save them from themselves."
Ironhide frowned. He didn't like it one bit, but they couldn't hide behind that force field forever. Something just might have to be done.
Above them, Sideswipe was being flipping back and forth at neck-breaking speed. He would have the luck to get Skywarp. Even brainwashed, nothing matched this seeker when it came to sharp turns and throwing off unwanted Autobots. Sideswipe thought his fingers might snap off as Skywarp lurched and twisted and warped them both this way and that. There certainly was no time for throwing any bodies. It was all Sideswipe could do just to hold on.
Finally, he couldn't even do that as his grip slipped and Sideswipe was sent sprawling into open air. He activated his rocket pack to control his spinning and slow his decent. However, that still didn't prevent him from stumbling as he hit the ground and plowed face first in the dirt with a groan. He hoped his brother was doing better than he was.
Sideswipe sat up and was a bit perturbed to find something had cracked his optics. Grazing his hand through the dirt, Sideswipe expected to find a sharp rock or something similar. What he found was a bent metal antenna.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" he grinned and began to dig.
His efforts were rewarded when he discovered it seemed to be active and stretched down several feet. Sideswipe hummed to himself as he pulled out a small device and turned it on. Above him, Sunstreaker's voice was screaming from somewhere in the sky that he needed to get the slag back up there and help him.
But Sideswipe paid the voice no mind. He clipped the device to the antenna. It beeped shrilly until the wire began to heat up and start smoking. Sideswipe grinned as he immediately began to be able to use his radio again.
"Sideswipe to Optimus Prime. I nixed the jamming frequency. All radio signals are up and running."
"Good work Sideswipe. The rest of us are almost there What's the status?"
At that question, Sunstreaker came literally screaming out of the sky to do a similar face plant in the ground next to his brother. Several yards away, a smoking Ramjet dove nose first into the dirt as well.
"We're down one seeker," Sideswipe reported cheerily as he grabbed his brother's back and pulled him up into sitting position. "Ironhide and Trailbreaker were trying to keep Hound and Wheeljack busy. But we haven't seen Mirage or–"
Bright lights flashed on the twins and they moved to cover their optics which had been on night vision. They scrambled to their feet as the owner of the lights revved his engine.
"Uh, I think we found Prowl," Sideswipe said as the police car in front of him transformed into robot mode.
Prowl's face panels had been stripped like all the others, leaving his wiring exposed and his optics looking dead. Seeing Prowl like that gave Sideswipe the chills.
"What is Prowl doing?" Optimus asked over the radio.
"He's just kind of standing there, watching us."
All of a sudden, Jazz's voice screeched over the radio. "Lethal force is authorized against Prowl! Repeat, lethal force is authorized!"
The twins just gawked stupidly at their communicators.
"What are you talking about?" Sunstreaker demanded. "It's just Pr-"
Jazz was not listening. The urgency in his voice chilled their processors.
"Sideswipe! Sunstreaker! Get out of there!"