Got a new chapter ready faster than expected. Like I said last time, we're getting our major Decepticon antagonist. Also, remember what I said about this chapter being a lot heavier? Well, it's gonna probably be mood whiplash levels of heavy since things are gonna get pretty gruesome.

As for why that is... well let's just say we're entering Energon Universe territory and leave it at that for now.

So... yeah, fair warning.

In lighter details, I will say ahead of time that this chapter's a synchronous episode with the last one, being set around the same time as it. The events here should also probably explain away why Bond started having those visions towards the end of the previous chapter.

Anyway, special thanks and shout out to SwapAUAnon, Matrix Dragon, and Quantum01 for Beta Reading this chapter.

Mission 10: Enroute

Ah, this is the life, Looking up at the stars, Kelly Shiragami hummed in relaxation as she reclined in her foldout chair. The breeze was gentle, the crickets chirped, the trees swayed, her small red truck was just a short distance behind her in the grass, and the lake in front of her rippled in rhythm to the winds. It'd been a stressful week, what with work piling up and her neighbors being obnoxious, so she really needed to get away from it all for a bit. Thankfully, this old, large lake was just what the doctor ordered! A nice afternoon of swimming and fishing lifted her spirits up and then some.

"You really needed this, Kel," She sighed, calling herself by that silly childhood nickname, Who cares if all your neighbors make fun of you, call you crazy for seeing a giant machine man? Who cares if the authorities yelled at you to stop calling them in the middle of the night after a couple nightmares? You sure don't! And who needs them anyway? You don't need any jerks in your life treating you like an insane woman.

Okay, technically, none of them had insulted, yelled, or called her insane. They just told her to get some sleep (easier said than done) and that she probably just hit her head one morning. Rude, admittedly, but most of them weren't jerks about it (except her next-door neighbor Bob, but screw that guy). Still, it was really frustrating how no one believed her. Not even the Secret Police or regular police believed her. She knew what she saw!

Let it go, Kel, Kelly told herself through grit teeth. Now wasn't the time to think about her life's current woes. Now was the time to just get away from it all. No more thinking about freaky giant yellow robots, real or imaginary. Just sit back, relax, and look at the stars, Kelly rested her hands behind her head, trying to see what constellations were out tonight. She could make out a few, and was dazzled by how brightly the stars shone, but she was especially dazzled by what looked like a shooting star. The tiny spec of light flew high above in the upper atmosphere.

Knowing what that meant, she smiled and thought of something to wish for. Ugh, I can almost hear the laughter right now. "You still believe in those silly superstitions?" Well, excuse me for being a free spirit, Margret! Kelly shook her head of the jeers that one bully gave her when she was thirteen. She wanted to put it aside just as much as she did the lack of faith in her seeing... Actually, I think I know what I want to wish for, She closed her eyes, I wish for a sign. Just... something, anything, to show me that I wasn't seeing things that night.

Opening her eyes, Kelly blinked in confusion at what she was seeing. For some reason, the shooting star was flying slower than before. She blinked a few more times to make sure it wasn't her eyes playing tricks on her, but as she did, the star seemed to grow brighter and brighter. Then, much to her shock, the spec of light did something no shooting star should've been capable of.

It turned.

As the light grew, forcing Kelly to shield her eyes a loud roaring breached her ears, and it only got louder with each passing second. Realizing what was happening, her mind flew into a state of panic as she jumped out of her chair - so fast it clattered against the ground - and ran for the trees far behind her car. Mere seconds before she reached the nearest one, the light grew so bright that it could've been mistaken for the sun, and the roar almost made her ears bleed. Just as she hid, the light started dying down, the roar lessening and being replaced by what sounded like a very, VERY loud engine. Still, Kelly refused to look out of fear, even as the air violently shook everything to her bones.

Then, after over a minute of constant engine roaring, as well as shaking trees, leaves, dust, and air, it all stopped. Opening one eye, Kelly tried to calm her rapid breathing, a hand to her heart as she dared to peak out. With most of her body still hidden behind the tree, she looked and saw nothing but settling dust and the open lake, now covered in a cloud of thick steam.

W-What the hell was that!? Kelly tried her best to calm down, but that was a fool's errand. Instead, she settled for trying to figure out how on Earth a meteor managed to turn in mid-air, then (based on the sounds) stop right above the lake. However, she found herself unable to think of anything, mind devolving back into abject terror as she heard the waters ripple.

Then, emerging from the lake, she saw... it.

Rising from the water was a... a metal giant, but unlike the one she saw before, this one was in colors of navy, grey, and black. Its eyes were red as blood, staring forward with obvious contempt at its surroundings, especially as animals made their presence known. From birds flying out of trees to deer running across the grass, the forest was alive and terrified of this new presence. As it stepped on the land, water cascaded off its metal plates, giving it an unnerving shine and further emphasizing how this thing just towered over her. Kelly hid behind the tree, hearing the metal man's steps thunder and shake the earth one after the other.

Just keep still, Kelly held her breath and shut her eyes, Don't make a sound, don't even breathe! It won't see you. It won't see you. M-Maybe it's just a dream. Yeah, this is all just a bad dream and you're gonna wake up, nice and warm in bed any sec-

CRNCH!

The loud, sickening crunch snapped Kelly's eyes open as, against her better judgement, she poked her head out. A light gasp escaped her lips upon seeing the large, dark robot staring down at its own foot, underneath which she could see the legs of a poor little deer. From the look on the machine's face, it was clearly unexpected, and part of her expected, if not hoped, for it to look down in horror at what had happened. Perhaps for nothing more than a means to assuage her fears that she wasn't in life-threatening danger at the moment just being near this thing.

But no, that didn't happen. Instead, it wiped its foot against the grass, as if trying to remove a stain. The machine then lifted its foot, blood dripping off the mangled corpse that hung limp from beneath. Without a word, it grabbed the dead deer with its fingers and tossed it away without a care in the world, the body hitting the top of Kelly's truck just behind it. A rooftop was dented, glass was shattered, and the alarm echoed throughout the forest.

About the only good thing to come from this was that it distracted the machine, diverting its full attention to her vehicle. As it walked up to the truck, Kelly contemplated running away while she had the chance. She almost did, but then the machine's eyes emitted a green light that shot forward, enveloping her truck for a few seconds. Her curiosity matching her fear, Kelly couldn't help but watch what was unfolding. Then the light faded, the machine's right arm converting into what looked like a canon that took aim and fired upon her truck, reducing it (and the poor doe's body) to nothing but smoldering wreckage and charred flesh.

Upon seeing that, Kelly quickly hid behind the tree again, holding her breath in the desperate hope to go unnoticed. She heard the machine take heavy, loud steps again, sounding as if they were getting closer to her, but then she heard an... odd sound...

TSCHE-CHU-CHU-CHU-TSCHE!

Before she could even process what that noise was, lights flashed from behind her tree and a truck zoomed past her. As it went straight for the dirt roads leading to Berlint, Kelly could've sword that it was a black version of her own truck, but she couldn't get a clear enough view. No longer hearing the footsteps, she peaked out and saw that the lake shore was now devoid of life. Nothing but her ruined truck, a knocked down chair, and a series of footprints that led almost to where she was.

I-It, Kelly gulped, It's gone. You're safe. You're safe, She repeated this several times as her breathing accelerated, You're safe. Just calm down. You're safe.

Yet she didn't feel safe, and as her vision grew blurry with tears, exhaustion hit her body like a lead weight. Everything going limp as she fell, the world fading to blackness before she hit the ground.

"H-Hey! Let us go!"

"Yeah! We didn't do anything!"

"Just shut up and get in, scumbags."

Kacey grunted as she and her boyfriend, Mark, were shoved into the backseat of the car. It looked like a dark colored Chevy Biscayne with the SSS logos plastered proudly on its side doors. The male and female Secret Police officers, a red head with blue eyes and a blonde with green eyes respectively, both of whom appeared to be in their early thirties, took to the driver and shotgun seats.

"Look, I don't know what this is about," Mark glared at the officers, "But if you're gonna arrest anyone, arrest me. Let Kacey go!"

"No dice. We got evidence that both of you are guilty of abetting with Westalis agents. You're coming with us for questioning," The female, the same who called them scum, glared back as her male cohort started the car and began driving.

"B-But we didn't! We'd never do that!" Kacey was almost crying, trying to figure out how it came to this.

She and Mark had been working the late shift at the Ikitsuke Café, giving late night drinks and pastries to happy customers. While her boyfriend was busy in the back with stock, she continued serving, even saying hello to that sweet Frankie gentleman who often came by. This time though, the man had a white, fluffy dog that looked sorta like a mix between a Great Pyrenees and other shepherd dogs; he'd said something about dog-sitting for a friend. Either way, he looked cute, so she gave him some of the animal treats they had stored for when people brought pets over. After the fact, she chatted with Frankie for a bit, who seemed in a rather chipper mood, and watched as Kopi and Bond got along swimmingly.

It was always enjoyable when she saw the old stereotype about cats and dogs hating each other get defied. Sometimes, she thought about and related it to the tensions between Westalis and Ostania. During her time as a café server, she'd seen the most unlikely of people learn to get along. If they could do it, perhaps their countries could too.

Then about ten minutes after Frankie left, Mark came out, having checked that they were fully stocked for the night. They were just about ready to finish up their shift and close up shop when the SSS pair arrived in full uniform. At first, they thought the two were last minute customers that they'd have been more than happy to serve. But then they pulled out their badges and threw them into handcuffs, dragging them out while leaving poor Kopi behind. Just the thought of leaving her precious kitty alone made her want to cry even more.

"If you were gonna arrest us, least you could've done is bring Kacey's cat," Mark said, as if reading that part of her inner turmoil. She'd always loved how he could read her like a book. Her darling Kopi wouldn't last long on his own!

"Sorry, but if it means anything, I'm sure your cat will be fine," The male officer said as he drove, sounding far more polite than his companion, "In any case, assuming you're being honest, then it'll just be a quick questioning at SSS Headquarters. After that, you're free to go."

"Tch. Yeah right, you saw the photos, David!"

Photos? Kacey blinked her tears away, "What photos?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Ada, enough," David chastised his partner one last time before apologetically looking back at Kacey and Mark through the rear-view mirror, "Sorry about her. She's normally... okay, she's still aggressive on a good day, but she's just in a bad mood right now. Not easy to stand out in the workplace when you have a rising rookie or two showing you up."

Ada grumbled and pouted into her seat like a child, muttering something about a "stupid Briar brat", but Kacey wasn't paying that any mind. Instead, she looked to her boyfriend and saw that Mark had the same contemplative expression she had. Wiping the remaining tears away, she tried to think of where these alleged "photos" came from, since she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd never once interacted with or traded information with a spy, nor had she ever made contact with anyone who could be construed as having association with one. It was likely that the photos Ada mentioned were fakes or doctored, but who could've made them? Was it an actual spy or their associate, hoping to frame them to throw the SSS of their trail, or was it a fellow employee at Ikitsuke Café, wanting to remove the competition for promotion?

Kacey shook her head, hating herself for thinking so lowly of her fellow employees as Mark gently placed a hand on hers to help calm her down. There was nothing they could do right now but hope that they could convince the SSS of their innocence when they got to the Headquarters. If they could just see the photos, then maybe they'd be able to point out oddities to prove them false. But the minute that hope entered her head, it just as quickly vanished, for she knew by word of mouth that the SSS were unforgiving and ruthless by nature. Sure, David seemed nice enough, but that was just one decent officer amidst an ocean of brutal, uncaring spy hunters who'd stop at nothing to eliminate any and all threats to Ostania. Her mind spiraled down that rabbit hole, further convincing herself that they were as good as dea-

"What the shit!?" Ada screeched as David suddenly stopped the car, cutting off Kacey's line of thought. She and Mark lurched forward, foreheads almost hitting metal mesh partition, then snapping in reverse, the backs of their heads hitting their seats. Looking up, Kacey saw a black truck zoom away, having driven while the SSS's light was green and almost ran into them.

"... David," Ada muttered, "Did you see the rear end of that truck? It looked like-"

"Like it had bloodstains on it? Yeah, I saw," David, his kind tone gone, stepped on the gas and drove after the truck, Kacey and Mark leaning back at the sudden burst of speed. The car's siren went off as they chased down the speeding truck, which didn't even bother swerving when an opposing car was on a collision course with it. Only by luck and the other driver's reflexes did it not collide with the speeder or the SSS car, and even then, only barely.

"Jesus!" Mark gasped as Kacey clung to him.

"S-Shouldn't you leave this to regular police?" Kacey asked, actually hoping to get to SSS Headquarters now so she wouldn't have to be in such a dangerous position. As if answering her prayers, a police siren sounded in the distance, an average cop car soon joining them. "There, see?" She pointed out as the police cruiser overtook them to chase the speeder, "Now how about we leave this to the appropriate authorities so we can be taken in for-"

Kacey found herself cut off when, from her position, she could see the black, bloodstained truck swerve, now driving backward to face its pursuers.

"...q-questioning?"

TSCHE-CHU-CHU!

Upon the sound of shifting metal, something happened that she couldn't see, but whatever it was, it made a loud boom noise ring out. Her eyes went wide as the police car in front of them exploded and went up in flames, rolling on its side as David swerved to the left and barely avoided it. Kacey and Mark braced themselves as the chase continued, the truck in front of them effortlessly turning forward and speeding up as if nothing happened.

"That is..." Ada stared in shock, "Not a civilian driver."

"And highly armed, from the looks of it," David nodded, his gaze now steely as he patched into the radio on dash, alerting SSS HQ that they were in pursuit of a possible terrorist before giving the street and their current location in Berlint, as well as requesting backup. Kacey couldn't really think about that now that she the gravity of her situation: She and Mark were arrested, stuck in the back of an SSS car, and in the middle of a high-speed chase with actual terrorists!

We're going to die, we're going to die, we're going to die! Kacey was hyperventilating now, Mark desperately trying to calm her down as the SSS car chased the terrorist left right, uphill, downhill, across corners and more.

"Can't you just drop us off somewhere if you're gonna be fighting terrorists?" Mark asked, his voice shaky and terrified.

"Not happening!" Ada yelled, sounding almost accusatory, as if she expected them to make a break for it the instant they were let out. If Kacey was being honest with herself, she most certainly would've run for the hills with Mark in tow.

"But they'll kill us!" Kacey screamed back, anger entering her voice at how callous the officer was.

"Look, I'm sorry. If we stop now, we risk them getting away, and there aren't any SSS officers nearby to provide support right now," David made another sharp turn, still maintaining a close, yet safe distance from the black truck, "When we corner them, stay in the car. The glass is bulletproof. Just lay low until backup arrives, and you should be safe."

"Should be!?" Kacey and Mark yelled at once. At this point, she was pretty sure that both of them didn't care if they got thrown into a slammer despite their innocence. They just wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Hold on!" David made one final sharp turn, chasing the terrorist straight down the empty concrete walkway of a port, one that Kacey recognized as where cruise ships would dock for oceanic vacations. Even at this speed, she could see that the port was devoid of ships, giving way to the vast oceans stretching out as far as the eye could see. Eventually, they came to a sudden stop, everyone jerking forward as they all stared ahead at the terrorist's truck. It'd reached the end of the port, having shifted mid-drive to face them, only to now just... sit there. Not a hint of activity came from the truck, the tinted windows and darkness of night making it impossible to see what was going on within, even with the SSS car's headlights illuminating the opposing vehicle.

"Stay put and keep your heads down, got it?" Ada barked the order as she and David (who flashed them an apologetic glance) pulled out their pistols and stepped out of the car, "Nowhere to run! Step out of the vehicle and put your hands in the air!"

Kacey clutched at her head, mind still swimming in fear and slowly dimming anger at everything happening. But as she ran a hand through her blond locks, she felt at her hairpin and blinked. Pulling the accessory off, she got an idea amidst the SSS ordering the terrorist out and looked to her boyfriend.

"Mark, you remember those lockpicking lessons from Summer camp when we were teens?"

Mark looked at the hairpin, eyes widening in realization. "Yeah, I remember," he nodded, taking the hairpin, "Hold still. I'll have this done quick."

In the background, she heard Ada's yelling get more aggressive (well, more than it already was) while letting Mark go to work on the cuffs. Thankfully, it took very little time to break her out, letting Kacey rub at her wrists before Mark gave her the pin. However, before she could get to work, the sound of gunfire rang out, making her and Mark freeze in panic. Looking up, they saw through the partition that Ada had opened fire on the truck, though nothing seemed to happen. The windshield didn't even look like it had a scratch on it.

"Ada, what the hell!?"

"They didn't get out, so I shot them! What did you think was gonna happen!?"

As the two SSS officers went into an argument, Kacey, now a little relieved, started lockpicking her boyfriend's cuffs, getting him out just as quickly. She moved to open her door, but it wouldn't budge, "Crap, should've guessed."

"There's gotta be loose screw or something we can break through," Mark started searching around the metal mesh, hoping for anything while Kacey searched the floor. If luck was on their side, maybe the SSS officers or a previous detainee left a screwdriver lying around. Anything they could use would work. As she did this, Kacey took a brief glance through the car windshield to see the officers near the truck, Ada kicking at the shotgun door.

"Anything?" Kacey asked.

"Nothing," Mark sighed, "Should've known it wouldn't be that easy."

Kacey grabbed at the mesh and started shaking it, watching as David approached the driver's door with his gun trained on it while his partner reloaded her clip. Looking back at her boyfriend, Kacey said, "Okay, new plan: We brute force this thing down and drive away. It doesn't seem too durable, so if we put enough strength in, maybe we could-"

Suddenly, a bright green light blinded them both, forcing Kacey and Mark to cover their eyes as they winced, "ARGH!"

They heard David and Ada cry out in shock, the light lasting several seconds before it finally died down. Her vision returning, Kacey looked down at herself and saw she was uninjured, seeing the same for Mark. They both looked back outside the windshield to see the officers staring at the truck, whose front lights were suddenly glaring at all of them.

And then it... it transformed.

TSCHE-CHU-CHU-CHU-TSCHE!

Oh my God, Kacey covered her mouth, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Even with her limited angle of vision, she watched as the truck turned into a mechanical giant that towered over all of them, red eyes and a metallic grey face briefly visible before it stood to full height. Despite this, she could almost feel the machine glaring down at them.

"What the hell is that thing!?" Ada screamed, aiming her gun.

"I don't know! Open fire! Open fire!" David yelled back as the two unloaded their clips at the robot, who didn't seem phased in the slightest. Gunfire echoed until Ada started backing away as her clip ran out. But just as she reached to reload, the machine lifted a foot back and delivered a kick that sent her flying right at the SSS vehicle. Kacey and Mark yelped, clutching at each other as the windshield cracked, broken glass clattering along the dash while blood dripped into the car. Ada's limp body sprawled out against the crumpled hood, blocking their vision.

"You bastard!" She heard David yell out, followed by more gunfire and what sounded like attempts at avoiding attacks. Attempts being the operative word, as what followed was a scream of agony and a loud, wet squelching sound. Then mechanical shifting rang out into the air and Kacey heard-

I-Is that a buzzsaw!?

"Nonononono-" David screamed as the saws came down on him, causing Kacey and Mark to duck low in the back, hoping to not be seen. She couldn't see anything, but she heard it. Every haunting noise, every shatter of bone, every bloodcurdling cry. She heard it all. Desperately, she prayed and prayed and prayed for some form of escape to reveal itself, but she knew there was none. As Mark held her close, she shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable-

Suddenly, the side door swung open, causing their heads to snap up in panic and turn. To their shock, it was Ada, still alive and having pulled herself off the hood of the car. She was bruised, her left arm a mangled, dangling mess, hunched over with a back covered in blood, and barely breathing, but she was alive.

"Go..." Ada's voice was nothing but a hoarse moan, "Get out... of... here. Ru... RUN!"

Kacey and Mark didn't spare a second thought, immediately moving for the door. Right before they could reach it, however, the car was hoisted into the air, forcing them to crawl back and hold on for dear life. The car moved with such speed and movement slammed the door shut again, Mark's grip on his seat loosening as he slammed into her, knocking both of them to the opposite end and leaving Kacey in a bit of a daze. It felt as if they were being swung around like a baseball bat, a loud, crunching thump heard as the car was suddenly stopped mid-air, once more sending them flying to the other side of the back.

"Ooooww..." Mark groaned in pain, Kacey barely stifling her own as she forced herself up, feeling like the back of the car was tilted at a downward angle. As her vision cleared, she helped her boyfriend to his knees, only to gasp when she saw the window of the side door to see a giant splatter of blood plastered on it. It didn't take her long to realize who it belonged to.

"S-Shit..." Kacey stuttered as the car's angle shifted again, a faint red light coming from the windshield. Turning, she and Mark looked down the angle and saw the machine's face look up at them through fractured, bloodstained glass. "D-Door!" Kacey panicked, "Mark, the door!"

"On it!" Mark quickly moved to open the door again, only for it to refuse to budge. Realizing the door closing locked it again, Kacey rushed to the door on her side and tried in vain to open it, hoping against hope that amidst all the swinging, something was knocked loose to let it unlock. When that failed, she just grabbed at the metal mesh partition and shook at it, Mark helping her as they were desperate for it to loosen or come off the hinges or just something that'd get them out of here!

"Dammit!" Kacey cried, tears streaming down her face as the couple started punching at it, getting nothing for their efforts. Fully drained and having given up, only now did she realize that the robot hadn't done anything. It just stared, watching their desperation. And then, to her horror, she saw through the blood and glass to witness its full expression.

It smiled at them, a sinister glint in its eyes as it bore shimmering metal teeth, looking far too human to belong on this monstrosity's face.

W-What are you? Kacey didn't have the strength to even whisper anymore as the machine started swinging the car again, feeling as if they were being spun like a wrecking ball. Just as quickly, she felt gravity weaken, the outside world becoming a turning blob of stars, the moon, and the ocean below. The port, meanwhile, grew smaller and smaller each time it became visible between spins. Looking to Mark, she saw the same hopelessness in his eyes as he returned her gaze. The couple did the only thing they could do anymore.

Giving each other one final kiss, they hugged, sobbing into each other's shoulders. Kacey's thoughts turned to her parents, her family, the friends she grew up with, the friends she'd lost, the customers she'd served and cherished, and her beloved Kopi. All of them she cared for, all of whom she'd never see again. She wondered if they'd even remember her. As the car made impact with the cold waters below, her final thought arose, and would soon wither alongside her.

Goodbye everyone. I'll... I'll miss you all...

Yuri struggled to keep his breathing even as he surveyed the scene at the pier. Kneeling down, he took a closer look at Officer Ada's blood-soaked corpse, all her limbs looking like they'd been dislocated, shards of broken glass lodged deep in her back. His fellow officers, one of whom being Jeffrey, stood nearby, photographing the body from every angle to analyze the wounds at HQ. Looking over his shoulder, Yuri saw the Lieutenant, Gascoigne, and Chloe alongside a few others staring down the remains of David. And if Ada's wounds were stomach churning... he didn't even want to think about what David went through.

While the likes of the First Lieutenant and Gascoigne maintained stoic demeanors, Yuri could see in their eyes just how horrified they were by the aftermath. Chloe didn't even bother hiding hers, mouth covered as if she was trying to hold back bile. She had more luck than the older officer just behind her, who walked off and started purging the contents of his stomach in the ocean waters nearby. Turning his head back, he saw that even Jeffrey looked too disgusted to continue and headed back for the large, dark green SSS truck that brought them here. Sighing, Yuri stood up, feeling like he was about to puke himself, and walked over to regroup.

"Anything?" He asked upon approach.

"No. Nothing," Chloe gulped and managed to recompose herself, "The wounds aren't making much sense either," she kneeled down and pointed, "See these? They look like gashes from a sawblade, but..."

"If it was one, it doesn't match any I've seen or read," Yuri understood, focusing on the mystery at hand to keep his mind off the more gruesome bits, even though two came hand-in-hand. Part of the job was being able to recognize what weapons caused what wounds. He'd already taken to studying such a thing long before becoming a Counterintelligence Operative, since it'd make patching up said injuries all the easier. But this? The gashes were far too large, drilling deep into the concrete of the port itself with a pattern unknown from any legally (and illegally) available blade. The most Yuri could gauge was that it must've been a personalized weapon, but the sheer size and power left him baffled.

And that isn't the only thing that doesn't make sense about this, Yuri looked back at Ada's body and looked up to the second story of the building. His eyes met a large splatter of blood, her blood, where the body made impact before plummeting to the ground. It's clear she'd been thrown with enough force to reach such a height and cause the impact, but he didn't know of anything with the strength or dexterity to do so. Making matters even more confusing was the glass shards lodged in her back. He knew that exact type of glass as what the SSS used for their vehicles, designed to be bulletproof and very tough to break.

But there's the other mystery, Yuri now turned to Ada and David's SSS patrol car, parked a few yards away from David's remains. Aside from the blood coating part of the front and rear, it was perfectly intact without a single dent or broken window. Which begged the question: How did Ada get it lodged in her back if the only amount present was undamaged and where it was supposed to be?

The subject of presence brought his mind to the distinct lack of two. When Ada and David called in, they described the truck they'd been chasing, yet there was no sign of it. Oh sure, Yuri knew whatever bastard did this would run when the chance presented itself, but there should've been an indication of that, especially when their escape would've naturally been hasty. Where were the skid marks? What about traces of exhaust fluid from the car's tailpipe? The entire scene seemed like all that'd ever been here were the bodies and their car.

And then came the lacking presence of the suspects they'd said to have arrested beforehand. Much like the truck, there was no trace of them, and he personally doubted they were in on the slaughter. Between when their arrest happened and when the attack started, everything went by too quickly and felt too much like happenstance for them to have been affiliated with the attackers.

So, we have one officer slammed into a building, both at a height and with strength that shouldn't be possible, not to mention glass shard wounds that make even less sense. We have another killed with a weapon that shouldn't exist. We have a getaway vehicle that up and vanished into thin air. And we have two missing potential spies or their associates, Yuri rubbed at his temples, feeling sicker the longer he stayed here. But he kept that feeling locked down. His fellow officers were dead and there was a terrorist (or terrorists) on the loose, possibly threatening innocent lives at this very moment. He made a vow to protect this country and its people no matter the cost to himself, be it physical or mental. He'd see that promise through and stop at nothing to bring any who dared spill blood in his family's home to justice.

"Second Lieutenant Briar," The First Lieutenant drew his attention and tossed a set of keys, which he easily caught. He gestured for Chloe to join them and continued, "You two take their patrol car back to HQ. We'll focus on cleaning up this mess. From there, you can call it a night."

Yuri opened his mouth to protest, insisting that he remain to try and piece together the mystery, and by extension, find the culprit. However, the stern gaze leveled at him kept those words in his throat. While he understood why, given their role being to bury anything that could cause a panic amidst Ostania's public (a blood covered patrol car in the middle of a pier very much being one such thing), he couldn't help but feel patronized.

He must have seen my reactions earlier, Yuri nodded and made his way towards the formerly owned Patrol Car, Chloe in tow, Really need to develop a stomach for this. If I'm squirming on the inside right now, what am I gonna do when I have to face Twilight?

He wouldn't stand for that. To protect those he cherished, he needed to be better. And he would be, no matter what.

Getting into the driver's seat, Yuri felt hit by this... odd wave of dread. He couldn't describe where it'd come from or why he felt this way but sitting here just felt wrong somehow, almost as if he was being watched. Unable to find an answer, he shook it off as jitters brought about by the current environment and took the steering wheel. When he did, however, he saw a symbol, reminding him so much of the one on Loidy's car. Yet this one was far more angular, eyes in a glare and lacking a mouth.

"Yuri?" Chloe snapped him out of it, "Are... are you gonna drive or..."

"Yeah, sorry," Yuri turned on the ignition and slowly made his way out of the pier, entering the roads of Ostania on route to State Security Service Headquarters. Throughout the drive, he occasionally glanced at Chloe, who gazed out the window in a mix of revulsion and shame. He wanted to stay quiet, a combination of socializing not being his strong suit and wanting to give her the needed space to process things, yet the nagging feeling brought about just by being in this car kept bugging him. Silence felt worse, so he cleared his throat and asked, "Are you alright, Chloe?"

"... No," Chloe sighed, "It's just... I've seen and read a lot of reports. I know how gruesome things can get. Yet seeing something like that..." Yuri couldn't do much more than quietly agree and let her continue, "I guess I just can't process any of this. Why would someone do that? How could they do something like that?"

"Monsters don't need reasons. It's just what they are," Yuri replied with a low growl, anger at the perpetrator returning as his drive to bring them to justice grew stronger. Strangely, his answer didn't seem to satisfy Chloe at all. If anything, it seemed to piss her off, but she looked too emotionally drained to give a biting remark. Seeing as it didn't help, he returned to silence and endured the dread hanging over him, continuously dismissing it as paranoia.

By the time they returned to HQ, he felt on the verge of falling asleep, having worked around the clock all day and yesterday. As Chloe headed home and bid him goodnight, he opted to stay here for the time being. Pulling out a pair of cloths, he wiped a bit of blood from the front with one and from the back with another. He knew by the morning, the car would be cleaned off of any blood and grime, but until then...

I'll do some analyzing, see if this will lead me anywhere, Yuri exited the SSS garage and flicked the main switch, shutting down the lights. As each light dimmed, he turned and headed down the halls, the bloody patrol car now hidden in darkness and a river of lookalikes.

... yeah, so... that got dark.

Rest in peace Kacey and Mark. For those two, they're from Chapter 43 of the manga (Episode 4 of the second season), and their deaths were honestly depressing for me to write. I was originally planning on writing their end as far more panicked and desperately trying to escape the car one last time, but the more somber end felt right. For levity's sake, picture a world where after they got arrested, they were taken to SSS HQ and Yuri noticed details signifying the photos as doctored. They're cleared of charges and go back to work the next day, letting things play out as they did in canon with the cute and funny cat episode.

Sadly, this is not that world.

And now we have our Decepticon antagonist: Barricade. Here's to hoping he made quite the introduction. Far as physical appearance goes, his body's based mostly off how he looked in The Last Knight (dogshit as it was, there are some ideas here and there that I thought were neat. Barricade's design in that movie was one of them), which, as seen in the future visions last chapter, included his brass knuckles reading "Punish" and "Enslave". Though his color scheme is more so derived from the Aligned and WFC Trilogy versions, with him keeping bits of the navy-blue coloring from his TLK design in place of purple. In terms of face, that's taken from canceled Transformers Universe game.

I figured it'd look all the creepier if he had a humanoid face that could better showcase to his victims the sheer sadism he possesses in a visual sense. Also helps set him apart from Bumblebee, who looks mostly like he did in the Bumblebee film, face included. That, and I think it helps give this in-universe Uncanny Valley Effect from Kacey, Mark, Ada, and David's perspective since they're seeing something purely mechanical expressing a bloodlust that a machine should not possess.

Far as references/mythology gags go, Barricade rising out of the lake is a nod to Scourge and the Terracons arrival on Earth in Rise of the Beasts, while him stepping on that poor deer... well, I think it goes without saying what that's referencing. But not a shred of guilt for the accidental act or admiration for the world's beauty here. Just disgust for organic life and a desire to hunt, be it Autobot or human.

God help anyone who gets in his way.

In any case, I think I'll be heading back to working on the next chapter of The Silver Raven. After this descent into darkness, I think a lighter, softer pallet cleanser is in order.

Let me know what you all thought of this chapter.