Author: Gatekat and baka_no_neko on LJ
Pairing: Trigger/Amunet Mubarak
Rating: PG-13 for Violence
Codes: Het, Xeno (Transformer/Human), Violence
Summary: In an effort to move their joint courting along and settle the tension a bit, Jazz arranges for a full month off for all three and a ride to the Congo.
Set in the Point of View fanverse at (community .livejournal .com/tf_matrix)
Trigger Happy 5: Jungle Hunt
"So what are the rules?" Amunet rumbled in excitement as the NEST C-17 neared their destination in the Congo basin.
"No inflicting serious injuries, no using native forces against the others, if attacked by an outside force, the game is off until the threat is dealt with," Jazz summed it up.
Trigger felt a thrum of anticipation in his spark, nodding his helm in acceptance to Jazz's terms, "Understood." He leaned back against the wall, eager for what was to come, "We are each other's targets, I take it?"
"Yap," Jazz grinned even wider. "Given what we all are, it seemed a good way to ease some of the tension."
Trigger's facial plates twitched with amusement. "I'm game. Particularly with such challenging quarry."
"So am I," Amunet grinned with a devilish glint in her deep brown eyes. "I'm looking forward to coming home with both my trophies."
Jazz laughed, a playful, delighted sound of honest good humor. "We'll see who comes home with the trophies, Mokolé."
The Pagani's optics gleamed with sudden excitement. The prospect of a long hunt and his prey being a particularly delicious femme did wonderful things to his spark. "Not long till landing, I hope."
"Less than a breem," Jazz rumbled with his own eagerness.
"You two really think you can take me in my own environment?" Amunet's brown eyes glittered with her grin.
Trigger looked down at her with a slightly feral grin. "I'm certainly no stranger to this. As for you..." he turned his helm so he could zoom his optics out the tiny window. "I can at least try."
Amunet snickered. "It's going to be a fun month."
"Definitely," Jazz agreed and they settled in for the transport to land and come to a quick, hard stop on the open ground that was passing as their runway.
"Pilot says we're all clear," Jazz spoke up and transformed alt more before the cargo bay door began to descend. "The hunt starts at dawn."
Beside him Trigger's Pagani form bounced on his shocks. "Split now? Will you need a lift into the jungle Amunet?"
"It's thirty yards away, pretty," she patted his roof and watched Jazz drive off. "Get going. I'll be on your tail before you know it, and then your chassis is mine."
With a revv of his engine, the Pagani pulled back and swerved round Amunet. His boot bounced as he tore off down the ramp with something akin to childish glee.
Once under the cover of the trees, he was lost to his primal hunting mode. "Primus, sometimes I wonder why I gave this up!"
Within an hour he became aware that something was following him. He was sure it wasn't Jazz. Even if half the silver mech reputation was inflated, he shouldn't be that easy to pick up without giving any of his Cybertronian nature away.
Trigger by then had transformed back into his bipedal form. He slowed in his prowl through the undergrowth, his optics flitting from side to side as he doubled his IR scans.
Nothing.
Well, plenty of animal life, but nothing that might qualify as a hunter. Definitely not Jazz or Amunet. No humans, drones or Cons either.
An optical ridge rose as the black mech crouched, he was now beginning to regret that fact that he couldn't use his detectors here - what with the rules and all, he'd neglected to take any spare. They'd at least give him a basic analysis of whatever had triggered them.
He pressed his back to a thick tree, making sure he could see at least 180 degrees around and above. His servo twitched, his shotgun begging to come out.
"What in the Pits?" he hissed in Cybertronian, trying to track anything that moved.
He found nothing but normal animals. Yet he was absolutely sure it was no animal that had triggered his warnings.
After a breem or so, he vented. Nothing. But that eerie feeling just wouldn't leave him. No matter, he pressed on. He raised his door wings so their sensors could continue their routine scanning.
Several indigenous birds flapped about above his head, but he remained focused, despite their bright colors. He still had the data on Amunet from their last mission, hopefully he could put that to good use later. For now he'd have to try and remain undetectable.
The jungle was so full of life, but none of it the life he was looking for. Two joor past sunset he settled into a defensible position well up in one of the giant trees that flourished in the area.
Less than two breems later his systems kicked on with a start as proximity sensors alerted him to something they couldn't identify within ten meters of him.
He kept his optics powered down, his frame as still as possible. Door wings twitched ever so slightly as he zoomed his optics in around the base and a quick glance above him.
There, one level above him. A shape and size reminiscent of a Struthio camelus with a long, reptilian tail, but seemingly at home in the high branches.
Still extremely wary, the mech couldn't help but wonder whether this creature was of similar kin to Amunet. The way its tail curved round the branches like those monkeys did, it seemed strong enough to act as another limb but he couldn't be sure.
He moved ever so slightly, testing to see if the creature was indeed recharging.
It seemed to nearly explode into movement with a squawk that set off birds and animals around the tree before taking a flying leap into another tree, using all five limbs to catch hold but only it's two longer hind legs to actually move.
What really struck Trigger was the way it darted was ... intelligent. It wasn't the way an animal would escape. This creature was putting distance between them yes, but was far more concerned with line-of-sight than distance.
His optics powered on now, his plans for recharge draining quickly away as he refocused on the bizarre creature. It may have settled into new nest three trees away, but it was still very much aware. Like it had been far before he'd been aware of it.
He balanced himself between the huge branches, his servos whirring as he clutch at the bark. Traveling like this would pose as a threat, he thought as he raised his door wings, but his curiosity was killing him.
So for the next joor and a half he and the creature performed a strange sort of dance in the trees. He'd move. It would move. Always at least twenty meters between them, but never more than thirty-five.
It hadn't panicked again, and every time he got a good look it was watching him, it's long neck raised fully and huge eyes following every twitch he made.
It was cold blooded too, since it didn't show up on IR at all until he upped the gain so far that the sensor fed him gibberish if he didn't know exactly what he was looking at.
An internet search eventually turned up a reasonable match for body design and size, except for the small fact that Utahraptor was from a different continent and had died out 126 million years before.
Irritated his scans weren't even picking up a faint signature, Trigger filed away a reminder to ask the newly arrived Wheeljack if there was any upgrades.
Definitely a relative of the Captain's he concluded, sitting back on his haunches, venting as the creature mimicked him. He had to get on with his task, but this creature was too fascinating to leave.
"I wonder if there is any way to communicate with it ... it's squawking must have some translation," he moved again, listening intently.
Still no sound, but instead of backing away it very cautiously circled closer to him.
Optics narrowed as he crouched lower, eying the creature with slightly surprise. "Great now I can't try and translate anything," he uttered almost inaudible.
"I know your sounds," the creature said back, it's voice a growled mixture of squawk and English as it made a lightning-fast leap to another branch closer. "What are you?"
Trigger stilled, "Cybertronian - Autobot, autonomous robotic organisms to quote our Prime." He tilted his helm as he regarded the creature. "Obviously not your everyday intruder."
It came another branch closer. Within what Trigger now calculated to be it's attack range. Brightly colored feathers fluffed and it sniffed the air deeply.
"You smell of kin, no blood."
He knew it, watching the creature diligently. He hesitated for a moment, more than a little reluctant to part with the Captain's secret - regardless of who it was. "I've been around someone of a similar nature to yourself, yes ... and definitely no blood."
There was another long pause as the wildlife went crazy. Low rumbles traveled threw air and ground, pitch and frequency varying too much to be natural.
"Come," the creature eventually told him as it made a quick series of hops to the jungle floor. "We forgive rudeness. She tried to talk first. You moved faster than her messenger."
Greatly intrigued yet slightly confused, the hunter bot expertly navigated down the tree, his door wings splayed. Carefully he came to the overgrown ground and followed after the creature.
"I meant no offense or harm," he added just in case, optics flitting from side to side at the noise of varying wildlife, "Are you of the same tribe?"
"We are Mokolé, yes," the sleek biped said before darting off. While its form was meant to travel in these conditions, it stuck to paths he could travel without doing much damage. "We have watched since you landed. You do not act like the other invaders."
Trigger hummed from within his chassis, bending down to avoid low lying branches. "I have been in similar environments to this one. My instincts are that of a hunter."
The creature, the height of a human male, dipped it's head slightly but otherwise didn't respond.
Again his sensors gave him nothing but gibberish, fueling his fascination, "Where are we?"
"Just a place to discuss your hunt," it said calmly as moonlight gave his visual sensors enough light to pick out several large reptiles ... crocodiles, his databanks provided, though not what type ... in the shallow pool. Around the water were three other creatures he could not begin to classify, much like Amunet's war form.
::I see you did the smart thing too,:: Jazz's amused voice came over his internal comm. ::Apparently we move too fast for local politics.::
He snickered quietly as he replied, ::Why am I not surprised to hear from you. First into everything.:: He continued to look about the pool with interest, ::Amunet tried to warn them first I take it? Sensible as always,:: "Ah, of course" he answered it.
::Yes, she is. I just wish she'd warned me we needed to wait a few more days,:: Jazz's pout could almost be heard.
::You remember I can hear you, right?:: Amunet broke into the conversation. ::Field op mods.::
Ah, upgrades.
::Evening Amunet,:: Trigger added cheekily, trying to chase away the amusing image of Jazz pouting from his processor. ::I believe I may have met some relatives.::
::You have,:: she chuckled as one of the crocodiles walked out of the wallowing hole and transformed to Amunet's human form.
"I will never get used to seeing that," Jazz shook his head in bemusement.
"It's certainly something," the hunter bot smiled at her in greeting. "I didn't know you had a family reunion planned," he lowered his door wings as a sign that he was merely playing.
Amunet rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Come here, there are boundaries to our hunt," she motioned them to a crude map drawn in the mud.
With a nod, he paced forward, optics zooming into the mud map. He started replicating it into a manageable file he'd use for later reference. It took him a moment, GPS being a bit sluggish this far out, but a pre-drawn map was then graphed onto the original. "Gotcha," he uttered once complete, yellow optics brightening again.
"Ditto," Jazz nodded after double checking that Trigger had the same parameters he did. "We won't be hunting anything but each other, no killing."
"You welcome to kill outsider humans," the one who had led Trigger here spoke up. "They not welcome here. Ever. Evil creatures."
Trigger regarded the Mokolé with a mixture of understanding yet sadness. "I'll pass on that. Understood Jazz, abandon if 'Cons show." Despite himself, the Pagani grew eager again. His door wings twitched with anticipation.
"One new rule," Jazz regarded Amunet evenly. "No help from the locals."
"Wasn't planning on it," she said easily. "You both know this," she motioned to the gathering around them. "Does not go beyond us." ::And Prowl, but he doesn't tell anyone either.:: she added on a scrambled channel to Jazz.
"Of course," the silver mech nodded.
Trigger nodded his helm, "Got my word." He ran a quick diagnostic on his sensors to see if there was anything he could do to enhance them. But alas, nothing came of it, "When do we start?"
"Now," Jazz grinned. "We still hunt at dawn."
Amunet's dark eyes glittered in the darkness and she turned, transforming into a Nile Crocodile and slipping into the water before disappearing.
"Take that as our cue," Trigger replied, door wings raising as he too picked his route and delved into the wild vegetation.
Low-lying cloud from the mountains had descended into the basin as the fiery sun began its climb. Trigger had recharged the following night nestled in the giant arms of a crooked old tree. When the first rays of light spilled over the hills, the hunter bot's systems started and bright yellow optics flickered into existence.
After a small energon ration from his subspace compartment, the Pagani started his routine. The map of the land and its relief was one of many tabs open on his HUD, his GPS and sensors all relaying valuable information. Once on the jungle floor, located the watering hole from the previous night and calculated various locations either of his prey could be found in. But he'd had to be skeptical. Based on the information he'd gathered/deduced on Amunet's reptilian form - length, strength and speed - didn't necessarily mean she'd been in these places yet. As for Jazz, well, Trigger had all the information he'd need. Speed, signal frequency and the knowledge the silver mech was extremely adaptable.
There was also the blaring issue that made this hunt so different any other - he was also very much the prey as well. So as Trigger scouted various overgrown paths he'd calculated would be most active, he set up minor monitoring devices that would relay any movement, IR readings or nearby signals directly back to him. Allowing him time to either flee or prepare.
Joors passed. The black mech memorizing notable, natural formations and terrain types, potential perches giving birds eye view whilst providing suitable coverage. He was meticulous about his tracks, cautious of less stable ground. He'd taken into account that the Captain's sense of smell would far surpass the capabilities of the usual human. He knew there was little he could do, so emit various misleading smells was his best line of defense there.
He currently perched beneath a heavy endowed tree, its branches and greenery tumbling over his upper frame, scrutinizing his location in a good three to four mile radius. The thrill of this all had mellowed now, his mind now settled into his work. His optics darted down to several spherical objects in his servos. Trigger grinned as he placed the carefully into his subspace compartment - that was one participant taken care of.
Near two in the morning, after the moon had set on the sixth night of the hunt, Trigger picked up the faintest hint of something ... off ... along his perimeter. Not enough to be sure what had happened, only that something had cross the boundary with a significant amount of stealth.
Yellow optics snapped off in the direction of the tiny buzz of inference with his perimeter alarm. Optical ridges lowered as he cross-section into that particular sector. After noting the proximity to both water and large tracks he couldn't rule out either of his prey/pursuers.
With a gruff vent, the mech set off into the night. "Time for a closer look."
He moved cautiously, well aware that in 'fair' combat either of them could take him down. Even with his sensors wide open and searching, he had no idea which of them, if either, had crossed his perimeter.
After coming closer to the source his HUD flash up a warning, and he paused. What if this was a trap, an attempt to get him out of his sensor filled territory? His engine growled with indignation. He didn't like this waiting, not being able to stalk his prey but instead become that which he normally hunted. He had to play on both fronts, and he'd much rather play it on his own side of the board.
Knowing that whatever had come across was now definitely closer, the mech paced back from the ledge that over looked the disturbance.
There were faint traces; a partial pede-print, a claw-mark on a tree.
Jazz.
And most likely Jazz leaving an intentional trail for him. A mech didn't survive as long as Jazz did doing what the little silver Pit-spawn did without being far better than to leave a trail.
Trigger snorted, the mech was intentionally baiting him. Well, the Saboteur would see that this wasn't just his court. Examining the print, his HUD taking a snapshot, Trigger recorded the length and width of the scratch just to be sure. Comparing it, he found a match - Yep, Jazz.
Growling slightly, the Pagani turned, but not taking the same route he used before. This time he delved onto far more overgrown path.
He didn't make it ten paces before another parameter alarm went off from nearly the opposite side of his network.
He didn't even need to check that sector to know who it was. Optics narrowed and the hunter bot growled. Just what he needed. He'd have to use the parameter network to catch him out, but he was probably waiting for Trigger to do just that.
He hadn't even made it to the new breach when another alarm went off, marking the third point of a compass.
Getting to the end of his tether, the Pagani's servo clenched till it creaked, his HUD working furiously through the network. He focused in on the fourth point and sent out a hopefully stinging rebound pulse.
::Nice Try, Trigger,:: Jazz's voice chuckled across his comm. ::Not good enough.::
Jazz was getting too close if he was able to locate his comm signal. With a whirr of his engine, Trigger stealthed and ventured into the undergrowth. He had to stay out of reach, close combat was fatal for him - and Primus did he know it.
Sidling down a slope, the mech enter a sector he'd studied particularly closely. Rocky terrain despite the relentless vegetation, hopefully the sensors in place here would lead Jazz directly were he needed him.
He eyed his subspace pocket gleefully.
His sensor network pinged again, another parameter breach well away from his location. Not thirty nanokliks later, a second ping came from a quarter mile away from it.
So much for that, this was proving to be difficult. Venting, the mech continued on, further and further to the east. He was drawing close to the boundaries of his own parameter when it pinged to the south.
Jazz's snickers came over his comm. ::I thought you were a better hunter than this.::
Trigger crested the hill, and spotted one of his parameter transverses. Picking up the pace, the Pagani knelt down and extended the cable from his wrist. Linking up, a rundown of all the alarms sprang up before his HUD. Moments passed as the mech scrutinized every breach, finally finding a pattern.
Please, keep talking Jazz he thought as his mouthplates stretched.
A tap on his shoulder snapped his head up, right into Jazz's grinning, upside-down face. "Boo."
That smile stayed on his face regardless, cable snapping back into his wrist, "Hello."
A finger twitched, Steady now
"Just dropping in," the silver mech winked his visor before curling up into the tree he was handing from and disappearing into the greenery with all the graceful finesse his reputation spoke of.
"So very glad you did," the hunter bot grinned as he rose and backpedaled, optics glowing in the dark. His finger twitched again. This time he uncurled his servo ever so slightly and inserted an object, unnoticed, into a port hidden in his wrist.
His tools whirred as he put the finishing touches to the last batch of his minor neural charges. It had taken him far longer than he'd wished. Certain tools had gone missing, replaced with organic food substance that left him growling for breems on end.
He'd been able to hide his contraption from the overgrown, silver monkey mech. Only just though.
Now he just had to keep Jazz in the blast radius long enough to set the charge off.
::Are you actually planning to hunt me, or do I have to come get you?:: Jazz suddenly asked over the comm.
Six days. Six days that crazy mech had tormented him. And by sweet Cybertron, it had taking all of his willpower to keep him from snapping.
::And here I was beginning to actually enjoy your company,:: he feigned a sigh as he finished setting the charges.
::Ah, are you missing your pretty organic?:: Jazz teased, or really taunted, him.
Truth be told, his spark did lurch at the mention of Amunet. But he kept his cool, rising to his feet and scanning subtly for his opponent. His name sake ready to go off under the slightest touch
::Pleased to hear she's 'my' organic,:: he rumbled back.
::Of course, you just have to claim her,:: there was a distinctly mocking tone in Jazz voice, a reminder that Trigger hadn't done so yet.
A flash of silver movement in the deep brush about thirty meters away caught his optic.
So close, so tantalizingly close. His optics followed the flitting silver, but he made no attempt to move. ::So says the mech who's had six months and still couldn't::
::Because she doesn't like my bonded. What's your excuse?:: Jazz shot back, once again disappearing from view.
::You and neither of us having enough time between missions,:: he readied himself, IR sensors tracking the Saboteur.
::Nice to know I haven't completely lost my touch,:: Jazz's smirk was audible. ::Seeya.::
Ready and with a grim smile, Trigger played his final hurtful card. ::That's just it though. You have. Letting your emotionally stunted, narrow-minded bonded stop you taking such a delightful socket.::
He was sure he could feel the fury ripple out from a spot in the jungle. His IR lit up with the Saboteurs form as he went from crouched to standing, facing Trigger squarely.
"You will take that back," Jazz's voice was anything but the cool, collected agent of destruction spoken of by Autobots and Cons alike. He still promised death and destruction, but it was now completely and utterly personal. In was in this moment that Trigger believed everything he ever heard about the Terror of Cybertron that was the Decepticon Jazz.
Trigger knew now just how true those stories of this mech were. But if he was to play this right, he had to act the part. His door wings snapped shut with determination, his yellow optics unwavering.
His digit ghosted over the tip of the detonator. The silence was chilling, and his vocals rang out far louder than normal. "No."
One chance...slip up, and he'll slice me up.
Almost in response to that thought an energon blade flicked out of subspace, clearly marking Jazz's position as he stalked forward. Just the way the silver mech held the weapon told Trigger just how much of an impression he'd made with his words. It was hard not to kill that way.
::Trigger, what the Pit is going on?:: Prowl's voice suddenly demanded over his long-range comm.
He crouched slightly, door wings lifting in challenge. ::Minor situation, might have angered your bonded. All part of the plan.::
He backed up slightly, passed the quarantine zone that would shield him from the blast. The second Jazz came over that sensor, he'd take the hit.
::Very well,:: Prowl sounded much less convinced of the wisdom of it than Trigger. ::Try not to let him kill you. He's not listening to me at the moment.::
::Yes sir.:: Trigger responded and felt the line close.
He took another step back, optics wide, as Jazz stepped into the blast zone. That blade was vicious - and never had he expected the Saboteur to process one. They were illegal as anything on Cybertron or beyond for an Autobot to carry, and he had it on a friendly game of hide and seek?
His finger clicked down hard on the detonator, his HUD registering the massive surge from the neural charge.
For a single utterly processor-melting moment of pure horror, it looked like Jazz wasn't going to go down. His visor flickered and flashed as recognition crossed the Saboteur's features, then somehow even more hatred than before.
Jazz's frame tensed, trying to keep control of itself long enough to attack.
He watched the mech flight valiantly to try to come at him, that blade hissing. The look of realization that dawned across Jazz's face at this kind of double betrayal should have made shame rise in his processor. For Trigger's conscious however, this was nothing. What really made him take another step back was the utter hatred on Jazz's face.
Primus, that isn't going away any time soon.
He readied the cuffs from his subspace. His servo guards rose up and elongating incase Jazz did in fact get through. Not that they'd last long against a weapon the silver mech shouldn't even have.
Golden optics locked on blue optic band for another tense nanoklik before both understood that Jazz wasn't going to make it.
Funneling every shred of control he had left, Jazz managed to flick his wrist to throw the blade at Trigger. He fell to his knees, his optic band going black before he could see if he hit his target.
An almost-yowl of pain ripped from Trigger's vocals as the weapon sunk in between one of his leg cables. It hissed and spat sparks as it tore through delicate wiring, spending up a spray of bright energon.
It had been all but a few nanokliks before the hunter bot ripped it from his leg out of impulse. It severed several important wires that he knew would eventually render that leg useless.
With the blade discarded, he wasted little time fumbling over the frothing wound. Stasis cuffs glowed in the dark as he moved over Jazz and restrained him. He knew it wouldn't keep him down after that display, so he prepared to put him in medical stasis when the Saboteur refused. He straddled the mech's back, his legs dug deep into the earth as he place neutralizer pads down Jazz's back to control his movements.
He felt the tremor of the previous neural charge dissipated from Jazz's systems. Unsurprisingly, it was faster than normal.
Despite being in full control of his systems again, at least as much as the stasis cuffs allowed, Jazz acted like he was still under.
Trigger leaned back ever so slightly. He knew that when the charge passed a mech took only a few nanokliks to recover, that Jazz was 'playing dead' so to speak. More like lying in wait he thought to himself.
"Yield?" his tone was impassive, optics watching Jazz like a hawk.
"Never," the Saboteur hissed in a voice Trigger was sure was usually reserved for Cons who caught him.
There was a few moments of silence before Trigger pressed a transforming finger close to one of pads, "Had to do it, Jazz."
The mech stiffened and went under, his sleek silver frame limp under Trigger's. It gave the black mech the access he needed to reach the medical stasis twitch just under the back of Jazz's helm.
With a vent of air, he carefully reached under and caught a digit on the switch. It flicked down, and Jazz fell into stasis. Trigger moved off the mech, falling to one side as his damaged leg protested messily. He hissed.
"You may be under, but you certainly left your mark" he grumbled, investigating the scolded plating.
::Trigger?:: Prowl pinged his long-range comm again. ::Should I come get him?::
Glad to here the officer's vocals regardless of how Prowl would react, he replied. ::He's in medical stasis, sir, best he was back with you at base::
::Understood. Do either of you need Ratchet's attention?:: the TIC asked even, almost like he was taking a routine field report.
The question made him laugh, looking over and the Jazz who he'd respectfully turned on his back, ::He's good, me not so good::
::Skyfire, Ratchet and I will be there in approximately one point three joor. Be prepared to inform me of exactly what I will be calming him down from.:: There was a small pause. ::I expect his blade to be turned over when I arrive.::
Dragging himself to a large outcrop of rock, he leaned there and huffed through his vents. ::Understood.::
The channel closed, leaving him with one Saboteur in medical stasis, a damaged leg, and too much time to think about what he'd learned the last breem.
Trigger was in a slight crouch as he moved along over another embankment. His leg joint was functioning again, the CMO having sealed the open energon tube. When asked by a very grumpy Doc how it had happened, the hunter bot had glanced over at Jazz's frame with vent of air. He hadn't mentioned the Saboteur's blade. From the look Ratchet gave him, he didn't need to. He had a strong suspicion that the medic was quite familiar with the results of Jazz's rage.
Given that Prowl hadn't even questioned keeping the Saboteur in medical stasis until they were back in Diego Garcia, the TIC probably was too. He could just hope that they'd settle Jazz down by the time he got back.
Now he was able to actively peruse his next target, something that was almost impossible with Jazz. Although his scanners where almost useless in finding her, he did have her DNA sample that would make things a lot easier.
Much to his surprise, her trail led to the Congo itself, wide and relatively calm here, and deep. The perfect place for a giant amphibious creature to hide and set up an ambush.
The river was wide and slow, but despite that he was wary. His sensors could pick up on all kinds of life in all that liquid, but again they were useless in finding Amunet.
Joors, then an orn, then two, had passed as he navigated along the riverbank, prowling close to the jungle floor. The vegetation here was still overgrown but nowhere near as dense as where he and Jazz had fought.
He was sure she was here, under the water. After studying up on her animal form, he had a feeling it was going to be another long hunt. She was playing the ambush predator angle by all appearances.
Curse these organic's ability to blend so well with there surroundings! He grumbled but continued onwards, tracking a previous set of tracks left by the femme's animal form.
One step near that water and its all over he analyzed, HUD flashing through various scenarios, But I doubt getting her out of there will happen any easier...hmmm.
He continued to stalk the edge of the water until he knew where she was; deep in the middle of the river, lying near the bottom. She moved every so often, but only by a few feet.
"I wonder" he processed, slipping a servo into his subspace pocket and pulling out a pulse emitter. It would give out his signal, not that she'd fall for it, but he was curious as to what she would do.
With a flick, it was tossed deliberately carelessly onto the bank before it slid down into the water. His HUD flashed as it sent out a faint pulse.
It flashed again as the device was assaulted by something when it got to deeper water. While large, at least the size of a smaller adult human, it was definitely not Amunet.
He grumbled, tweaking the controls so that the pulse became a charge. Whether that would stop the creature from eating the device, he doubted it but at least he'd get some kind of data from the sensor waves in the charge.
The creature, a very fish he was sure, exploded into movement at the charge, lashing and twisting about, before eventually letting go and swimming off. A bit of research marked the likely culprit as a Goliath Tiger Fish, the largest and most vicious of the river's known inhabitants.
Primus, some of the species on this planet... the beast was not as sentient as most, but had it been ... His frame shuddered at the thought, before turning the emitter closer to Amunet's position.
He scanned again, she seemed to just move a little every so often. Prowling, just like he had.
When the pulse emitter got within ten meters of her, she made a sudden undulating dart away, stopping when she'd put fifty meters between her and the emitter.
He transmitted coding to the device so it followed her but didn't if she tried to turn back, instead would circle round if possible. The mech left his spot, moving incredibly quickly in such overgrown conditions. He had to place motion detectors further up this river if he was to track her further.
Doing so would be tricky, as he had to get right up to the edge of the bank in order to do so. If the emitter kept Amunet busy it could work.
His attention partially on where she was and what she was doing, pleased that she seemed willing to let the emitter chase her about the river for the moment, he set his sensor pods up without interference beyond the local fish that occasionally mistook one for a meal.
Abruptly something far too large to be anything native appeared on his sensor sweep, though it was not Amunet, or even a relative. A fish, but huge, at least eleven feet long.
He stilled, his HUD flashing up the far more pressing danger swimming closer to his position. How on Cybertron had this creature come into an area it wasn't native to, and how had it snuck up on him so efficiently?
He moved suddenly, unintentionally, his sensors picking up a spike in movement around him. It only just saved him from an impact with the business end of the huge fish, and at this close range his optics and sensors worked out what it was.
A shark.
A large, thick-bodied shark.
Outline in his processor, he narrowed the possible candidates down to one; a large female bull shark. A species renown for eating anything and everything, edible or not. What really caught his attention was how much metal, car parts, had been pulled out of their stomachs over the time humans had been paying attention.
His spark lunged dreadfully in its chamber, causing the mech to back pedal and scramble out of the water. Those beady black optics had startled him, and-and the car parts? He thought it was an organic.
"They eat us too?" he shook his frame from the muddy water, laying low to try and retain his secretive position.
No one answered him, but it couldn't stop his processors from creating horror stories based on what was known to come out of the big shark's stomachs. Rumors and stories could be discounted, but the humans were too casual about vehicles to fake at this quantity and quality of evidence. License plates were a common remain, but nearly every part had been pulled out of some shark or another.
Trying to rein in his sudden anxiety, Trigger added organic sharks to the small list of things he really, really didn't like.
He was pleased to see that most of his sensor where intact, bobbling along with the current of the river. They would provide the tracking, now he would just have to locate a suitable place to attempt an ambush.
He kept his attention on his network of emitters and sensors as he worked out a way to push her into a place of his advantage. There seemed to be enough of them. But to choose wrong would be to give her an advantage. He had time, experience, on her, but she had every other advantage, including being on home ground.
She wouldn't leave the safety of the water, that much was certain. So unless he drove her into an area of water that could be cordoned off from the rest, he had nothing. Those neural charges were useless now - this was an organic - so he rummaged around on his subspace and found little of use. He'd do the good old one on one stalk once he had her enclosed.
Days passed and Trigger struggled to fight off recharge. He knew he needed it, but he was also sure that she'd strike as soon as he cycled down for it.
His plan needed his full concentration to insure that it was flawless. A single gap in the perimeter, a faulty emitter or a knocked sensor pod could tip the scales in Amunet's favor.
But solar cycles after solar cycle with no recharge - due to his perfection tendencies - were severally hampering his efforts.
"Slag it!" he growled in Cybertronian, whirring and clicking with irritation. It seemed to be affecting his mood and in turn his logic processor.
Great! I'm a walking target he thought as he failed to reconnect a faulty sensor pod, the wires thin and tricky.
He worked through his exhaustion, determined to see his security network fixed before catching a few joors recharge. The last think he needed was to go into forced stasis in the water where those car-eating sharks lived. He'd spotted four of them over the days, and those were just the ones he picked up.
Though his optics dimmed threateningly at one point, the Pagani managed to reroute the power to the small device. Letting it bob off along the bank, he rose and came upon a safe space to recharge - the lower branches of a heavy-laden tree more than half a mile from the river. Hopefully it was far enough to stop Amunet from sneaking up on him.
As he settled in, all he could do was offer a small player to Primus to watch over him and trust his sensor net to rouse him if anything human-sized or larger came near.
An internal alarm roused him when he'd recharged enough to function well. As he assessed his surroundings, he was more than a bit surprised that she hadn't tried anything. But she was an ambush predator, given both her animal form, what he'd seen of her hunting for meat and her tactics on the battlefield. It made sense she'd wait for him to come to her.
All the more reason for caution he concluded, completing his routine assessment. Everything was in order, now for the bait. Flickering through the net, he came across a couple of suitable candidates from the area she'd like.
As he tried to finish pulling in the net, he felt a resistance greater than anything he had wanted to catch.
Fortifying his footing on the bank, pedes digging into the ground, Trigger gripped the net. Optical ridges drawing down, he sent a faint ping to his network, waiting for the feedback. Whatever was done there, he estimate, could probably put up quite a fight.
It pull back again, the kind of wild thrashing an animal did. It could be a shark, or a crocodile, possibly even a particularly large Tigerfish. Whatever it was, it could drag him further into the water every few moments.
When his scanners came back with only the very faintest traces of anything, Trigger's optics widened with sudden excitement. There was the lurking suspicion that this could indeed be another of those Undermaker forsaken sharks, but it was perfect.
However there was the strength issue. For such smaller organics, these fish sure had-
"Ah!" he exclaimed as the bank beneath him gave out. The earth was so saturated that it could no longer hold his weight. He hit the water with a resounding splash and loud revvs of his distressed/startled engine.
The net went completely slack. Then the water in front of him exploded into the giant crocodilian head, long neck and huge body of Amunet's war form as she lunged for him.
His HUD thrummed with all kinds of alerts as the black mech tried to leap backwards. He was already swamped with water, his movement hampered. Optics startlingly bright as Amunet displayed incredible grace despite her intentions. A single lunge and she was on him, her greater mass slamming him under the rushing muddy water as powerful hands grabbed him. Jaws, nearly large enough to cross his chassis, closed down on him as she kicked backwards, hauling him into deeper, faster moving water where she had even more of an advantage.
It was almost impossible to pinpoint anything specifically with his optics, water gushing around him so fast and murky. His servos tried to retaliate. But one was locked in between him and Amunet, the other frantically trying to scramble for purchase.
All to no avail.
::Surrender?:: her voice, full of amused satisfaction, came over his internal comm.
A whine sounded from within his chassis, HUD flashing up warnings about submerged systems beginning to offline to protect themselves. He growled defiantly, his pride as a hunter being wounded from all sides.
::I have no choice, either that or force offline:: he grumbled through the link. Even before he'd finished, he was rushing to the surface. Reflex forced him to gasp air the moment his first vent breached the surface, and before he'd even oriented himself, he was almost completely above water, resting on Amunet's broad chest as she used her powerful tail to swim towards the shore.
His vents heaved air into his systems, the alarms reducing until the last of the water drained out. Trigger slowly lifted his helm from Amunet's chest, optics watching the shore approaching eagerly.
"My pretty little mech," she rumbled with a light gurgle, her systems still running mostly under water. "How did you take Jazz?"
"Goading and neural charges," he vented as he spoke, flicking a piece of vegetation from his armor.
"Goading?" her voice carried the surprise her features couldn't as she set him on the bank. "What did you say to him? I can't imagine anything would make him snap," she asked with an affectionate nuzzle.
He stroked her scales idly, "Made a rather derogative comment about Prowl, he didn't take it too well. At all in fact. But I did what I had to bring him down."
She made a vibrating rumble of approval and rubbed her head against his side. "He is quite protective of his mate. A good trait, but exploitable. So, we have many days before the transport comes for us unless we call it. What do you want to do?"