Closing in on Chicago – 0200

Wheeljack felt restless, cooped up inside the cargo space together with Prowl, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. They were the striker team. Fast, maneuverable, able to get in, assess the situation and proceed accordingly. Wheeljack hated it. He was supposed to be a scientist, solving problems with his processors not his blasters. Over the years he'd become used to some of it but it still felt as if he was meant for something else, as if his spark wanted him to stay out of the fighting.

But he knew he had to, for his friends, for every sentient creature who'd make a discovery. He'd fight for science itself. He looked at the leader of the human troops, Graham.

"Sensors indicate we are closing in on the city you call Chicago, shall we get ready?"

Graham looked at his watch. "Any second now yes" Wheeljack looked at Prowl who nodded.

"Wheeljack, Sunstreaker. I want you two to scan for alt-forms as soon as possible so we can blend in better, Sideswipe, you act as advance guard, lead us through this." They all transformed as the plane descended rapidly.

Another minute passed, the plane turned around and the hatch opened, their human comrades began to jump out, dangerously close to ground. Wheeljack figured that recklessness was common among humans.

The pilot talked through the speaker.

"All right, Striker team get ready." The pilot had aligned himself with the freeway outside Chicago, and was now flying away from the town. The planes belly just a few feet above the cleared freeway.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stood side by side, revving their engines, getting ready. Sideswipe still in his Cybertronian form, as was Wheeljack.

"Striker team, Go!"

The two comrades darted off instantly. Rolling out of the plane and onto the freeway. There had been no time to prepare the extra number of parachutes so the drop-off had to be improvised. The daredevil stunt seemed to work for the two hotheads though.

"Lets go!" Prowl broadcasted as they left the plane and hit the freeway.

--

Epps ran from cover to cover in downtown Chicago. Trying to make sure that he looked like just another panicked spectator, however he was using his cellphone to send images to Lennox and Prime.

"These Decepticons, I've never seen them before" Prime spoke.

"There's to many of them, and they seem to much like mindless machines."

"Yeah I've been wondering where the taunting, laughing and torturing went!" Epps said as he threw himself over a fence. "Lennox I want guns here soon, the casualties are not many, but that can change real quick."

The machines seemed to avoid armed conflict as they moved through the city, whenever there was anyone armed with explosives or similar, they dispersed. Moved around them and struck another place, the damage they did was mostly structural. "I'm gonna hightail it out of here now, see if I can help the cops or something.

All of a sudden, a high-pitched noice erupted from his phone, and all of the machines as well.

"The hell!?" He stared in disbelief as the machines optics started to flare up. Their moves became more determined, fluid. One of them turned around and stared straight at him, and while it didn't have the size of the normal transformers, beeing roughly the size of one of the twins, but less bulky, it still could kill him easily.

"I was on a vacation.." he muttered as he turned and ran. Not wanting to know what the mech had in mind for him.

--

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker was rushing toward the scene with Prowl and Wheeljack on their tails. Sunstreaker had, after speed-scanning through every car-dealer and yuppie-garage on the way, finally decided on a yellow Lamborghini Diablo. Sideswipe had taken the chance to remedy his slightly rushed scanning of the Centennial and instead chosen his new form, a crimson red Ferrari Scuderia.

"I'm getting readings now, we should have visual within the minute."

"I was suspecting that." Prowl said as he overlooked the people running away around them. Then he started his sirens. "Wheeljack, find an alley and get on a suitable rooftop, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, get in the fray!"

They all moved to their tasks. The first sign of battle Sideswipe saw was a car thrown from around the corner, barely missing Epps as he turned just a second earlier. In a second he transformed in front of the surprised Epps who hadn't recognized his new carform. Not wasting any time Sideswipe grabbed the surprised soldier then yelled to Wheeljack. "Ally, bring him with you!" Then he tossed the increasingly surprised sergeant to his friend. It was a surprisingly soft landing as Wheeljack cushioned the landing with low energy forcefields.

"Hello human." Wheeljack said as he put him on his shoulder "Better hold on."

Sideswipe figured it was best if Epps was up there and co-ordinated the strikes instead of having to worry about him on the ground.

Then he saw the first one. It had shown up while he threw Epps, It stared straight at him and for a moment nothing happened. Then it began emitting a high pitched almost animalistic shriek, which was cut short by Sunstreaker who'd circled the area, snuck up on the unsuspecting foe and put a round in the back of its head. Spreading components across the ground as it shut down from the damage.

The wicked smile on his face was a bit to sinister for Sideswipes liking, but he didn't have time to reflect on that. Because now he heard another shriek, and then one more until it was almost deafening for a normal human to be in the area.

"I think we pissed them off." Sunstreaker noted gleefully.

Prowl moved up to them, he was now transformed as well.

"We have movement all around us.. this feels an awful lot like a trap."

"I love blowing up traps." Sunstreaker added as he took a shot at the first one that rounded a corner.

It hit it right across the chest which almost vaporised. Leaving only the arms, legs and head.

"Back to back soldiers!" Prowl raised his rifle and turned around scanning for targets. It didn't take long. Like vicious animals they attacked, with no fear for their own lives. Not even when those before them fell one by one did they let up.

However the pack was no match for the combat prowess of the trio. When one front got to close, Sideswipe moved in cutting them up as they came. Sunstreaker covered his back with his rapid firing gun, as well as as his car forms edged tail wing, which was attached to a thin wire on Sunstreakers arm, he used it like a whip at times, pulling the beastial machines into eachother, cutting them up with the bladed end.

Prowl stood behind them, using a rapid fire energy rifle. Shooting the mechs with an eerie accuracy and leading his squad with short commands, to where they should be focusing their attention.

By now Wheeljack had reached his position and he knelt at the edge of the roof, 120-130 meters above the ground. He let Epps down at his side.

"What are you doing up here, the fight is.." Parts came out of Wheeljack, it was almost as if his own body went into the rifle that formed in his hand. Epps had not known the bot for more than a few minutes, but he sure looked a bit thinner. And the size of the rifle he now was carrying was awe-inspiring, even for an autobot. For a human, it was as if someone had taken a battleship cannon and made it into a rifle.

"Ey man, that thing wont mess up the neighborhood, Will it?"

Epps looked a bit worried, he'd seen enough off autobot weaponry to know that even the smallest weapon could pack a punch. A rifle as tall as the wielder was a scary thought.

"No need to worry." Wheeljack said, then the weapons end split into several, smaller barrels.

"Wheeljack, commencing sniping operation." He broadcasted to his compatriots as he brough the rifle stock to his shoulder

All of a sudden, Sunstreaker and Prowl threw themselves to the ground, Dragging a surprised Sideswipe with them.

Suddenly Wheeljacks rifle flared up, energy traveled from his chest and into the rifle before splitting up, and from each barrel came a myriad of concentrated energy beams, raining down on the beastlike decepticons. Several dozens where cut down where they stood, not one single beam missed its target. However, Wheeljack was launched backwards by the blast, Epps stared at him in disbelief.

"You're one hell of a sniper" he managed to say.

"I'm a scientist, not a sniper." Wheeljack responded as he rose, adjusting his faceplate which had unhinged itself from the recoil. He seemed weary and tired, as if the blast had drained him somewhat. "Heck of a shot though!" The mech actually chuckled.

Epps cellphone rang, and he began to open it as he watched the ground crew move in to help finish up the last of the pack. Most of them had started to flee.

"I hear you Major."

"Intel says we are winning, but you know more about this than any of the screenpeekers, what is happening?"

"Bogeys are retreating, Sideswipe and his team are in pursuit. But man, this wasn't the normal kind of Decepticon."

Wheeljack looked down on Epps.

"If I may, Major." The autobot had somehow hacked the phone and began talking to them.

"Go ahead, Wheeljack"

"I will need further analysis of the parts, but the "bogeys" does not seem to be of cybetronian standard.. if anything it seems almost as if they had been manufactured here on earth."

There was a moment of silence. They didn'ty know this new autobot but what reason could he have to lie. Lennox began speaking again.

"I'll make sure both you Autobots and our science crew takes a look at it.. Epps?"

"Yes Sir?"

"You got your girl to safety?"

"Yeah."

"Then go say goodbye to her, I'm cutting your vacation short."

Epps sighed, but couldn't help chuckling.. somehow he'd known "Sir yes sir"

--

--

Starscream was overseeing the dig in the Antarctic. The efficiency of the Constructicons was quite astounding, in just 18 hours they had found and strengthened a large ice cavern. Now they were working to make it even bigger, creating new chambers and halls for the decepticon forces.

There was something about the ice that appealed to Starscream, So fragile, yet at the same time.. unbreakable, and even if the chill got to his servos it was easily compensated for. This would make a good base after all.

Soundwave opened a comm channel and Starscream wondered what the giant spyglass had to say now.

"I have detected a battle in the human city called "Chicago" It appears the Autobots had a hand in the fight as well.

"We have no forces there, who defied my.. Megatrons orders and went there, If the autobots did not kill the waste of energon I wi.."

Soundwave interrupted what he guess would be a long rant.

"Correct, we have no forces there, however I still detected automatons of Cybertronian design, but they seemed.. inferior to anything from Home."

Starscream paused. This was something new, he wondered if he should look into it himself.

"Soundwave, inform Lord Megatron as soon as possible. And keep me updated on this."

Had humans gotten hold of cybetronian technology.. and then began making cheap knockoffs that bit them in the aft, not impossible. Starscream thought. The fleshbags were quite ingenious after all.

"Get a move on!" Starscream yelled to Longhaul who drove past him, almost running over his foot.

He grumbled, sure they where efficient.. to bad it didn't come with intelligence.