Ep. 2 - Downturn - [Closed]

[Zercon]

From the aerial view, Fairwinds would see just how plain and boring the paths through the city were. They did not cut around in a perfect grid that was seen in more developed and new areas, but bowed and curved, some roads cutting through others in odd one way streets. The city seemed to be a victim of rapid construction back in its day, and while its hustle has since receded, the work and paved paths remained, turning what could be a simple excursion into a cookie cutter maze of trouble where things look similar enough to be confusing, while different enough to portray new levels of destruction at every corner.

The buildings from a distance looked rather nice though... striking up into the sky with a cool grey tone that made some appear to be etched out of raw stone. The tops of these structures were papered in peeling white, the topcoats no longer maintained properly, while others already had puddles of water collected on its surface from the previous downpour, likely having obtained a mini pool that had yet to fully evaporate or drain. The MECH, or... supposed MECH structure was no different.

It had no water on it, but the topcoat was patchy and worn, chunks taken out of it and streaks smudged in grey and black smears that other structures did not hold. There was a small access door for workers, the orange metal plate worn down and faded and likely leading directly to a set of stairs that fed down into the primary building. It wasn't far from this that a large blue tarp lay off to one side. Unlike everything else, it appeared new and clean, smoothed flat over a substantial patch of the roof, with its corners weighed down by bright orange buckets likely filled with sand. Its edges fluttered absently in the wind.

Beside the building the Decepticon would be able to see the large construction site. It plunged down into the ground, having once intended to be made into underground parking. The sides of the hole had already been paved in concrete, matching the overall theme to this patch of the world cleanly. Rebar jutted out at some areas in odd angles, rust creeping along the dark metal to tint it orange and red. An excavator stood sentry off to the side, one of its treads sunk entirely into the ground, while the entire thing hung to the side awkwardly, threatening to topple over if the right forces kept up, or if the ground below shifted any further.

Part of the underground garage seemed to have been completed though, the dirt leading down a slope beneath an overhang suspended by large pillars. The overhang sunk back into darkness below not visible from her position.

The roads were just as empty as the skies.

No other vehicles seemed to be out and about at this time of day, and they only would cross paths with a few that were parked on the sides of the roads in some spots in front of structures. Most looked already robbed and beaten into, but some were downright eviscerated. Wheels gone, sitting on blocks, parts ripped out from its hood and rust edging along to eat at paint and exposed metals. The populace was just as scarce, only a few people walking around with their heads down low, minding their own business. Some pairs stood off to the side, not directly in line of sight, watching as the cleaner and much nicer cars passed with a malicious edge.

A man in a black shirt and rough jeans strode out into the middle of the road as they passed, turning to square off his shoulders at their receding frames of the vehicles to stare down at them. Watching where they were going on the grid work without taking another stride until they were out of line of sight.

Trash bundled up against the side of buildings, while bits of glass and scraps of metal from accidents left behind and never having been dealt with properly. Between every three or so dilapidated establishment, was one trying to survive still, bars ground down into the edges of windows to keep thieves out, and detract from the hospitality even more. The survivors all seemed to be businesses that had no need for a front store, possibly working through online means where the prestige of a location mattered naught.

Graffiti wasn't an occasional glimpse like it may have been in other cities, but instead was a constant presence. Names, comments, an occasional glance of true artistic talent, it shrieked out stories of the world they drove through, and the struggle many of the occupants endured. To their right, they would be able to see a nursing center, windows boarded, and writing and faces sprayed on. Moss green words made in a bold font, smeared with spackles of white on the outer edges that was significantly larger and more notable than other scribbles.

'CHAOS'

As they grew closer, the half demolished to still standing building ratio seemed to get better. Orange lights blurred over specks of the darkened world, blushing it with bits of warmth where the occasional person stride trying to get on with their day. Some more stared at the vehicles that most definitely didn't seem to belong, while others didn't even care to give a second look.

The MECH building lay just ahead, the road curving ever so slightly and branching off to the right to lead down into an underground parking garage, the barrier arm has since been ripped off, the scanner still standing but didn't seem to be operable any longer. Beyond the building, across from the construction site, lay a few smaller ((but still large)) establishments that didn't have the luxury of underground parking. Their parking lots held a few modest vehicles but were mostly empty, yet somehow still seemed crowded by how small they were made. Lines were painted so near one another that dings and scrapes were probably not a worry, but a guarantee. Concrete barriers and wrought iron fences caging the small lots mostly in and framing them with raised pathways keeping the buildings shielded from the main road.

[Deleted]

Despite the uninspiring and rather depression landscape, Fairwinds was making a photo album.

A professional working one, with condensed files for quick transmission and a sequential order that gave a solid overview of what she saw when she made a lazy circuit around the MECH building. She wasn't a grounder and didn't have much of an insight into how they saw things, what they figured was important. Bridge height limits were a thing, apparently, and maximum loads too. Just, bridges sucked for grounders and she was exempt from being bothered by them.

She was the eye in the sky and was going to be able to see trouble coming from the outside before it got to them. That was basically her role. She could also supplement their intel' in advance of reaching the building in case they saw something relevant that she didn't. A mis-matched lamppost or something.

Finally winging down to the Eastern face of the target, Fairwinds swept down through a gap in adjacent building's scaffolding and landed primly. She took a moment to waddle back and forth in search of the perfect piece of tarpaulin to stand behind whilst simultaneously being able to watch the front entrance.

Positioned, she sorted the ten photographs taken around the building into a panoramic and loaded it to the Cloud. Then, she sent the secure link and a textual message to everyone in their unit (save the squishy, who was grossly inferior when it came to downloads).

Current situation around the target. I'll do another circuit and update if anything changes.=>



<<OOC: Go ahead and skip me over unless there's something Windy needs to pass on!>>

[Bluestreak]

Inside the Nissan's cab, there was a soft chuckle. The avatar in the driver's seat offered Nell a lopsided shrug as he glanced down at his own dashboard, as if he was quietly contemplating a few things.

:: Thanks, Jazz, :: he immediately responded. ::Will do, keep it quiet over the airwaves, got it. Quieting now. ::

"Aw, well, if everyone was like me, maybe things wouldn't be like they are now," he said, glancing over at Nell again. His voice was surprisingly a bit sober and thoughtful. "Like everything. Better to like everyone then decide that everything's life is beneath your own all the time, I think. I guess the universe doesn't work that way though, it can't, no matter how much I'd kinda want it to."

He shook his head and looked around at the abandoned buildings. The road lifted and bumped them a bit, jostling Nell in her seat, but his avatar never reacted to the bounce and scrape. "Sorry, Nell. I think this place is sort of getting to me. I- just a bad feeling, that's all. Maybe it's just the way it's laid out, maybe it's the trash and the junk and the bars on the windows here but ugh, it reminds me of..."

"Of back home," he finally admitted to her, nervously settling and resettling his hands on the wheel. "I guess I just like it when it feels like you can live there, and this place, you sure can't. Like - like you just expect something bad to come out of these places because everyone's on edge, waiting for the next big thing to come along and wipe them out. Even the businesses, see that? It just feels hopeless. I know, I know, I should be looking at the people surviving and saying, hey, there's hope, right? So I'll do that instead. Someone's surviving, and hopefully even thriving a bit, and that's all that matters sometimes."

Sort of. It didn't. The humans here looked as beat down as the mechs who'd piled into the back alleys had. Some eyeing those that had just a bit more with greed and avarice. You didn't dare shut down or there was a good chance you'd wake up on a back-alley chop shop, if you ever woke up at all.

Chaos was right. It had been pure chaos, down in those places. He hadn't liked to go there; he remembered once long ago getting sent with a fellow courier to deliver something. They'd both been nervous; there was a reason you went in pairs and even that might not work out. Job had to be done though, and they'd done it; you had to have some way to get credits during that mess. Fuel had been expensive, and the jobs more and more dangerous.

He wondered for a second what had happened to her. One of those things he'd not thought about in all this time, a one-time encounter. Probably dead. She'd been stationed in Praxus too. No one made it out of Praxus that night.

Except me.


The avatar's chest lifted as if he was taking a deep breath. His vents huffed out a soft blast of warm air against her legs and then he was oddly quiet as he looked at the ruined cars. Nell might see him shudder lightly, even as the vehicle underneath her quivered and avoided a puddle of oil that had licked its way onto the road.

Stop it stop it stop it it's gonna be fine, we'll do fine, it's got to get done...

They drove on in strange silence for a little bit. He was watching the world warily out his window. The car's headlamps illuminated the road slightly in the gloom of the impending rain. The buildings began to stand a bit more against the encroaching decay. This made more sense to him; something that MECH would have here, planted for themselves. Who would think to come into a place like this.

"Guess we're here," he murmured, and glanced at her. "Hope this works."

Bluestreak's avatar stretched out his hand and shook it, clenching his fingers a few times into a fist. "Oh, whoops, sorry I got kinda distracted, uh, right, right clothes, right, let's see what I can come up with here. Like you, huh?"

The avatar disappeared for a moment, leaving Nell with an empty seat. The wheel still moved, the pedals of the car still depressed and lifted. The dash lights glowed soft blue, and then brightened back up again.

His avatar re-materialized. Charcoal grey slacks and suit, oyster-shell dress shirt. Shades of grey down to everything except his now black and shiny dress shoes. The avatar's tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth in a bit of concentration as a black tie materialized in place. However, his hair was still ruffled gently, and on his wrist remained the ever present leather band with the tiny blue stone.

The mech glanced over at her. "The truth is out there," he deadpanned.

[Deleted]

blockquote]Nell glanced at him for a moment. “That’s true, but I’m glad you’re well..You.” She replied. “Means not everyone is like the more cynical folks, who make things a living hellhole just cause they feel like it.” A slow sigh left her and she nodded in agreement to his next remark.

“It’s fine, Blue, it’s a bad vibe here. Like shit is gonna hit the fan in a big way.” She hated saying that, but that’s certainly what it felt like and she was keeping her eyes on the area around them. She would nod as he continued to speak, what he said was true and she knew it from experience. “Honestly, you might be the most optimistic person I know but – I know these places better than I like to admit.” Nell remarked. “I’ll tell you this, even I know that someone’s surviving despite this place. My pa worked his ass off to get us out of places like this, now he owns his own shop and was able to help my brother through college.” Hopefully that’d help him put him in a better state of mind.

“People have choices, some give up because they think no matter how hard they try theres no getting out. Others are like my pa, who claws his way out of the rubble to start new.” She sighed slowly, and silence slowly fell between them. It was awkward, being in such a quiet zone when Bluestreak was normally well, talking a blue streak up and so chatty.

Her eyes fell onto the nursing center with ‘chaos’ pained on the side. It didn’t set her on edge, she was used to things like this (as much as she hated to think that she was). The blast of warm air on her legs, and the soft quiver underneath her, made her look at him. “It’ll be okay.” She told him, before the silence crept back in.

When they neared, that silence was finally broken and Nell slowly nodded. “Yeah, it will.” She couldn’t say it for sure that it would work, but she wanted it to.

After all, she kept her end of her bargain up and running with her father and she wanted to keep it that way.

Glancing at him, she shook her head signally it was okay. “Yeah, little like me.” Nell told him but one thing was for certain, she was not expecting his avatar to fully blink out like it had! It made her jump and if things weren’t still functioning like they should? She would have made a grab for the wheel.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he blinked back into his seat and she let out a sigh before he spoke in a deadpanned voice.

A snorty laugh left her, and she shook her head as a grin appeared on her face. “Alright, Mulder, lets get this show on the road.” She mentioned as she gestured towards an empty parking space closer to the exit. “That looks like a good place there… Quick and easy way out, just in case.” Nell remarked.

(hope this works everyone! sorry for the wait!) [/blockquote]

[Jazz]

     Well, Mirage had said that he didn't care what Jazz did, so Jazz was off doing his own thing. It would be suspicious for a collection of vehicles to be driving down an otherwise deserved road, so Jazz opted to turn off to the left in a different direction. It would take him perpendicular to where everyone else was headed off and though he would be some distance off, he would make sure to remain within comm range. If that meant that he would have to go off road and hang a u-turn then he would but for the time being it was still solid roadway under his tires. He'd be able to hear the back and forth between everyone but he didn't hear anything else from Blue so apparently he'd taken the hint to keep on radio silence.

     Jazz was scanning the scenery all the while making sure he kept the speed limit. No point in trying to be hidden and be pulled over for speeding. How could one really explain a car that didn't have a driver? Thank Primus for heavy tinted windows. As for the scanning? It was a deserted area, miles of desert around him with mountains here and there. All the excitement was the other way- where everyone was going... where he should have been going. But hey, when one had to scout, one had to scout. Not like he wouldn't be able to swing around and be on scene in mere moments.

     ... When every split moment may count.

     Tires jerked to the right, going off road and hitting the dirt, kicking it up behind him. He was driving diagonally now back in the direction he came, not intending on taking the exact path the others were, but just so he could get on location from a different position. With any luck he could find a lookout point where he could camp out out of sight and just wait to hear across the come that everything had gone over smoothly and mission was complete without error. At least, that was what he- and probably everyone involved- was hoping for.

[Deleted]

Mirage had not often frequented the less...astute parts of Cybertron, back when there were still still parts of the planet that weren't reduced to utter ruin. He never had any reason to, and what's more, mecha like him simply did not belong in places like - well, a bit like the one they were traveling through. Crumbling, vandalized buildings, broken streets which disagreed terribly with his tires and shocks, and denizens who appeared a tad sketchy to say the least.

With all his polish and finery, he would have stuck out terribly. If not for the power and influence behind his name, there was no doubt in Mirage's mind that something rather unpleasant would have happened to him if he had dared walk through the mean streets of, say, Kaon, in the middle of the night. Or even during broad daylight, in public, with a crowd of witnesses.

The point was, Mirage knew full well that there were places where mecha of his stature were not welcomed,  places where he simply did not belong, and if not for the legacy of his cohort putting the fear of God (and immediate legal ramifications) into anyone who so much as looked rudely in their direction, he would have surely been eaten alive if he had dared to travel to those no-man's-lands without an armed escort.

But that was ages ago, when there was still something resembling a civilization on Cybertron. These days, Mirage was his own armed escort and the streets he wandered were alien and of an uncomfortably small scale. The only thing that remained constant, humorously enough, was the feeling that he did not belong. His alt-mode clashed terribly with their dilapidated surroundings - sleek, polished, and exotic: his appearance boasted wealth, and in a place like this where wealth was clearly absent, it was no wonder he felt the way he did.

Like a nail that had yet to be hammered down, he stuck out - or at least, he did until they vanished from the line of sight of any passers-by, at which point Mirage himself vanished altogether. He slowed his pace, lagging far behind the others as his form shimmered and faded, his image disappearing within seconds as he activated his cloak.

He followed Bluestreak for a short while longer, before slowly pulling over to the shoulder of the road and rolling to a slow stop. As Bluestreak continued onward without him, Mirage had to resist the urge to creep forward a bit and tail him in secret. This was Bluestreak's task, not his own. He was simply meant to provide backup and support, not play babysitter and hover over the other mech like a mother hen.

The task, strangely enough, was far easier said than done.

[Zercon]

The large office building stood tall and loomed overhead as Blue and Nel approached, blotting out a large patch of filtered light from the hazy sky above. A few of the street lights in this region were far more operable than the prior streets, yellow light offering illumination and a bit of clarity to where they were going. The parking spaces available on the roadside, weren't really as available as they may have seemed. Peeled red and yellow paints ran along the curb, faded reminders of a fire lane that fell into neglect like everything else in this city. This said, the spaces across the street in the walled off open parking lot were prevalent, and the underground parking garage entrance was up ahead a half block. Or they could ignore the fire lane! Wasn't like anyone would really report it around here.

On ground level, and how near they were, the front doors were now visible. They were metal frames with glass inserts, though they looked a bit rough around the edges. The glass itself appeared frosted, but whether that was done intentionally, or if it was from years of neglect and filth had yet to be visible. A few papers and stickers were taped on it, information that wasn't even remotely legible from the distance.

----------

Running parallel beside the others was a smart choice, it separated Jazz from their immediate sight, and didn’t make the already odd looking group that much more bizarre. While the pricey vehicle was still a notable piece of machinery, and still would draw attention, turning a few heads was far different than starting a slew of rumors and a conversation piece for the few groups that meandered around. Alas, as clever as this was, going off-road to cut diagonally across a cleared lot abolished any sleauthy attempts.

Dust kicked up aggressively in Jazz's wake, curling and coiling in angry swirls at being disturbed from possibly years of neglect. While the moisture laden air quickly tried to subdue it, making the plumes less effective, it was still a notable sight. But it wasn't just the odd sight that would draw attention, the bizarre aspect of a fine tuned machine and polished Lotus off-roading when it was more at home on a showroom floor... no... it was the sounds that accompanied it.

Rubber squeaked over the curb, glass laying beneath years of dirt shattering, and gravel ground down beneath Jazz's heavy frame, it all cutting through the silence of the immediate area with enough force to draw immediate attention. There was a bakery nearby, a small modest little business in which a woman and man were outside conversing, but that ended fast. The man lifted his head, looking out to stare dumbly at the crazy driver, and the woman reeled around expecting to see an accident. She mumbled something to him, all while not taking her eyes off of the prize and possible gossip subject to tell her friends and family later. A man down the road a bit, closer to where the spectacle occurred, let out a whooping laugh, leaning off of the sidewalk to try to see where the crazy driver was trying to go!

This was a city location after all... road rules should be recognized.

So much for keeping a low profile!

----------

While the Lotus Elise was a spectacular sight, in paled in absurdity for the location compared to the Caparo.

Mirage was gaining a lot of attention fast, some looking hungrily at the vehicle with a predatory gaze, while others pointed it out as if an exotic animal was parading down the street. No one could make head or tails of what a race car was doing here, but they wouldn't be able to do so for long, for once it cut out of line of sight... it was gone...

Mirage was invisible to the world, and effectively gone, which confused the last stragglers that rounded the corner to see where the spectacle had gone off to. One individual seemed particularly bothered at the loss of the find, a sneer creeping across his features before he went back on task to whatever he had been doing prior.

It was silent. Eerily so. Mirage would be able to see the large office buildings in the distance where Bluestreak and Nel were meant to be, and he would be able to see the construction site peeking out on its opposite side. The flecks of orange barriers that were sun bleached and faded sat out on the sidewalk, and a few temporary and freestanding chain link fences rattled occasionally in the wind.

It was all peaceful in a way, a soft breeze kicking up from the rainfall that refused to descend just yet.

[Bluestreak]

"Hey, neat, you got the joke," Bluestreak grinned, right before he went back to a very serious expression. He brought up his palm to smooth down his tie as the Nissan gently avoided a rut in the road and then easily straightened out. "I thought it might have been before your time, it's an old show, isn't it, and you're certainly not that old, right? I'm pretty sure you're not, I'm kinda getting better at human ages and how they sort of relate to ours, maybe? Good one though. It's amazing how much stuff on alien life you all actually get right. Kind of creepy really, when I think about it too hard. There's this episode, Piper Maru - I think it's Piper Maru - the first one with the Black Oil and that's just a bit too close for comfort for me personally. Do like their dynamic though, they're good partners."

He quickly held up a hand. "I'm only on what, season four, I think. Don't tell me what happens if you've seen it, I'm watching it when I'm off duty at night and the only other thing on is repeats of House Hunters that I've already watched."

Then he grew serious again, glancing over at her. "You grew up in a place like this?" he echoed softly. His gaze went to the broken buildings and sad storefronts. "Like when you were just made, right? That's what you mean? Came on line here?"

A faint smile. "I dunno the term for it. Is it born? Sounds right, based on the TV stuff, I think. Hey though, this sort of place, you're right. We had them back home too, trust me. Places where all these folks went and all you did was find a way to survive. A lot of us who didn't want to get into the war ended up in those places, and it was pretty... well, it was bad. I didn't like to go through them then and I still don't now. Not because I think anyone in them is down here because they're awful folks. It's more like - well, you look around and see where you could be if things hadn't turned out better for you. Luck of the draw. Luck's a scary thing because man, it sure doesn't always show up when you need it to."

The blonde man shook his head. His hair flopped over his forehead as he shifted his hands on the wheel, overlaying them together. He fiddled with the blue bead on his bracelet, rolling it over and over in his fingertips, flicking it over and over with this thumb.

"Yeah, that's my vibe too. It's okay, I try to stay optimistic. It's important. If you don't, the other bits creep in and you won't find your way out of them. Not that I have to tell you that, I think you know it just fine." Another look around them. "You probably know it better than I do. But your father worked hard, stayed focused and taught it to you and you will teach that ethic to someone else- don't give up. It's the only way, really. Not giving up, and---"

The sound of Jazz's leap over the curb suddenly echoed. Even over the hum of Bluestreak's engine there was the terrible scraping sound of a low-slung sports car grinding against pavement. The humans stared, and Bluestreak actually squinched down in his seat as if he could hide himself from anyone looking in the window. His chin ducked into the collar of his starched shirt.

"Ohhhhhh," the man groaned, eyes half closed. "Oh boy. Gah, Wash would have a fit, he would. Stay on the road, stay on the designated road. No curbies. Bad idea, let's not attract everyone's attention wait they've already done that haven't they, I keep forgetting what cars are super expensive sometimes. Not my thing but--"

His windshield wipers moved, sliding the beads aside from his glass. Water was running off his silver hood; his tires sloshed up a spray behind them.

"Hey, Nell, I'm a little concerned about parking in the open. Maybe better is the garage, right? Fire lane has a chance of getting me towed, even in a place like this. Rather not have to sit here while I get a lock boot around my front wheel or get impounded, eek. We can walk back to here and go in as humans - well, not that you're not human, but you know what I mean."

[Deleted]

Nell grinned back at him, and she shrugged a shoulder. “I watched a little bit when I was younger.” She told him before laughing a little more. “'It's an older show, but not too old. It started when I was...” She let out a hum in thought. “Around three years old, or around there at least.” Shrugging a shoulder, her attention slipped onto him and she slowly smiled. “I'm twenty six and if you ask me...Just basing off of mentality and all? I would say you were around my age, maybe a little older.” She remarked with a shrug. As far as that episode. “Oh god, the black ooze.” She voiced and shuddered. “Yeah, I'm just glad there isn't anything actually like that on Earth. You're safe, it's just somethin' that some guy came up with and...sorta freaky if there is stuff like that out there.”

Her grin was back again though, and another laugh left her. “Okay I won't spoil it. You have a long way to go, two movies, and a miniseries.” She commented. “You're in for a treat towards the end though, hilarious episode where there's a body swap – one of the better funny episodes.” She remarked. “I should give you the password to my Netflix account though, you'd be surprised at whats available.” She told him.

When the conversation turned serious, she nodded when he echoed her remark. He stumbled a little when he commented about her coming on line, but he soon corrected himself and she nodded slightly. “You got the born part right.” She remarked before listening to him. Really, it was funny how while many things were different between their two cultures? There were so many things the same. “Yeah, exactly. Luck is a fickle bitch when she wants to be.” Nell commented as her eyes flicked across the area around them.

She was about to tell him something in response to his words, when Jazz's curb jump made her well, jump. “Jesus fuckin' Christ.” She muttered as her head turned in the direction the screech came from. “I think there'll be plenty to have a a fit over that idiot move.” She commented and let out a sigh as he mentioned his concerns when it came to parking. She couldn't see the fireline, it was faded to the point only a couple of sections were painted red now. “Crap, ya you're right. Parking garage it is, but as close to the exit as possible okay? Quick route out in case things get hairy.”

Her eyes flicked over to him for a moment. “But I do know what you mean, and I wouldn't say I know it better than you – I just don't know about teaching the work ethic to anyone else. I'm shit with kids.” Nell mentioned with a shrug of her shoulders. “Lets get you parked, and into that building before some other unwanted attention pops up.” Hopefully, these badges would grant easy access and the bugs could be planted with relative ease.

Hope, was a good thing to have right now.

[Jazz]

     Low profile or not, the noise and actions that Jazz made as he went off the finely crafted man-made road served as a purpose of distraction. He may have had the alt mode built to be well cared for and kept under lock and key but that wasn't the only reason he was usually the one to watch. Eyes would have been turned towards the foolish one taking a showroom vehicle out on a joyride in the dirt with everything being kicked up in the wake of the larger rear tires. Less onlookers would notice the seven-figure non street legal racer suddenly vanish to who knows where, and by the time anyone would peel their eyes from the unfamiliar vehicles making their way through what remained of a town, Bluestreak and Nell would have been elsewhere. When there were vehicles with six and seven digit numbers making up their value, it wasn't good to have them in such close contact where they could be seen at once. Best to use one as the guinea pig, right?

     There wasn't anything illegal about taking the path less traveled. Obey the speed limit, pay attention to road signs, yield to pedestrians- those were the rules of the road which Jazz had made note of to follow. As for the off-roading? It could easily be chalked up to some teenager given an expensive car by his wealthy parents and not caring about anything more than having a good time and probably showing off to his passenger.

     The move was finished a lot smoother than it had been started with. The dumb driver missed a left turn somewhere and instead of fighting the strange crosshatch of roads, just cut across what didn't exist to make it to the road on the other side. Now on the road far enough from the others, Jazz maintained the speed limit and continued driving. Luckily he didn't blow out a tire because then he'd have to fake a flat and sit on the side of the road in complete dark. His undercarriage was't as fortunate to be unscathed and Jazz was certainly feeling some level of prodding that was sort of uncomfortable. He'd probably be picking shards of whatever and foreign objects from his joints for a couple days after this.

     Sure, Optimus probably wouldn't enjoy his means of trying to keep eyes off his mission partners, but at least the speculation sure to surround his display wouldn't be something Fowler would have to quickly cover up. Points for effort, right?

[Zercon]

((Was told to skip Mirage))

The parking garage had seen much use over the years. While a lot of this city seemed to be worn down from neglect and just letting nature take back its dues, this structure was battered apart from years upon years of individuals coming and going. It was almost a refreshing change all things considered, the differences subtle, and only for a keen eye to discern, but most definitely in play, changing destruction and sadness into overused and abused.

The ramp down into the garage was at a gentle angle, a beam suspended by a chain at its maw to warn larger vehicles of how long slung the ceiling was on the interior. The band had once been painted in stripes, yellow and black, but sun bleaching on its exterior side turned it to a white and black band unless viewed from the inside. If the two were to drive over this area to head down, there would be a rattled bang as they traversed over a drainage vent, the iron grid jumbling in its recessed pocket.

Down on the first floor if they chose this path, there would be multiple vehicles parked, all of differing makes and levels. Many were the dilapidated clichés of 'just good enough' to skirt by and get to work, while others were of a nicer make and kept in better care. A good portion of them however were covered in a fine layer of dust, turning black cars charcoal, and dulling the colors of those that did step a bit outside the norm. These were mainly near the entrance ramp, while those further away appeared normal, or... as normal as the mass majority of individuals keep their vehicles.

On the far end corner of the underground parking garage, a few strung lights led to an enclosed stairwell that would lead up to the main office building. In contrast, if Blue and Nel were to continue along the primary path however, they would see an option to go down a second level below. Whatever direction they opted to go, there was a woman who was getting out of her car nearby.

She drove a silver two door sedan, modest, and not flashy, but obviously well kept in the way that it had no dings or scrapes anywhere on its frame. The woman herself seemed to follow the same perspective with her own clothing, donning a plain grey pants suit that's only clash of color was a cobalt blue undershirt that was mostly tucked beneath the jacket. She had her driver seat pulled up, pulling a cardboard box out from the back to place on the car's hood.

Not far away from her, a man stood, lingering close by with a similar attire of a grey suit with a blue undershirt. He had a cigarette in hand, looking worn down and exacerbated, trying to clutch onto a bit of relaxation while waiting for the other.

The two were chatting, but the words would not be discernible.

----------

And what a distraction it had been!

Jazz's little adventure pulled all eyes his way, and kept it so that absolutely no one gave a care in the world over what was happening with Bluestreak. Grit and dust whirled up into the air in his wake, and even after he had gotten off of the dirty path and back onto asphalt, some curls of dirt still plumed behind him from all of the hitchhiking filth that tried to cling onto his undercarriage during the off-road adventure.

Eventually, he would shed off the debris and most of the evidence, as well as move outside of onlooker's immediate line of sight. Those that wanted to keep an eye on the spendy car, and it's insane driver, would be quickly abandoned, leaving their curiosity longing for more that they simply weren’t destined to witness. Alas, that didn't mean there wouldn't be new people who Jazz's actions could touch this day.

The road he was currently going down was not much different from any of the others. Destruction, grey, graffiti, dirt, rubble, and the few people that where there either didn’t give a care in the world, or stared at the car in confusion. It would all play on repeat like a bad record, broken up only by the presence of new shops, new buildings, and a few new potholes that rattled him as he passed.

----------

Quiet, peaceful, nothing was going on.

Mirage had it easy. Loaf in the metaphorical shadows, except being out in the open. Being invisible was a free card to be lazy with this adventure, and it was going to be an easy EASY way to skirt by this mission and keep close in case something were to go amiss. He was near enough to spring to immediate action, without being overly suspicious for obvious reasons, mainly the fact there was nothing there to be suspicious over... But... choosing to go invisible, and not just play the role of an inanimate object or a less conspicuous car, meant that there could still be questionable incidents.

Abruptly, with little to no warning, Mirage would feel a hard thwump strike against the side of his alt-mode. The strike was comparatively light, nothing that could ever cause harm to the mechanical entity, but it was still solid and had hit with enough force to make a recognizable sound of impact. The object that had hit him was dark, a flash of grey and brown that scrabbled a moment before it flashed like a lightning bolt down the concrete pathway.

The cat had unknowingly run right into Mirage while trying to chase something, and had the displeasure of greeting him head first. Alas, it appeared to be fine, the grey tabby sprinting down the sidewalk in the form of a puff of fur and confusion, getting about fifteen feet away before turning to try to see what had happened. Green eyes just blankly looked where Mirage was a moment, before the cat's tail flicked aggressively from side to side in dismay, and it bobbed and darted down a side path.

[Bluestreak]

Bluestreak carefully turned into the garage. His tires made a soft squeak on the tight corners of the smooth pavement; the silver car eased around the corner. He seemed to jutter a bit at how close the ceiling seemed. Not that he'd say anything to Nell; but his sensors flicked over every crack, his vision touched on every bit of peeling paint and the slow sway of the chain over them as he drove carefully forward.

"Guess it's a good thing I'm a sports car," he chuckled, as the avatar shifted in his seat. "Not the best clearance in this place. Bulk would totally hit his head on the ceiling if he stood up in here. Heck, I might hit my head if I do. Be hilarious though, end up as one of those looping gifs somewhere, I'm sure."

His voice was light and cheerful, but his fingers shifted and tightened on the wheel in front of him. The dark fabric of his dress suit pulled back slightly at the length of his arm, exposing the buttoned cuffs of his shirt. He brought up his hand for a moment to run his finger around the inside of his collar as if he was absentmindedly trying to adjust how tight the band around his neck was. Not that it mattered, it could have been tied like a noose for all Bluestreak cared. Joy of avatars and all that stuff.

The grating boomed beneath them. Nell would feel the vehicle under her jump slightly as if it had bad shocks.

Slowly, he rolled them past the row of cars. It was always interesting to the mech how many of the humans didn't care for their vehicles. In some way it was awkward, part of him wanted to clear his throat and point out that with a bit of care, they'd last a whole lot longer. Like their houses and their streets and all the other things. Yet, he understood; at the end of the war, Cybertron hadn't been any better than this place. In fact, it had been worse. No money, no power, no time - and apathy. No one cared any more. They didn't care because no matter how much you tried to fix it, you knew it was just going to fall apart again.

It unsettled him even more. His engine rumbled softly as he kept a steady pace through the garage.

"Wonder why there's so much dust on them?" he asked Nell, his voice echoing around the quiet interior of the Nissan. "Construction, I guess? Or don't they move their cars often... and hey..."

His attention was drawn to the woman getting out of her silver car, and the man nearby.

A pause. "Should we park close here, and walk by them? You think it might be important? Wonder what's in that box?" he murmured. "Or go to the next level and come back up and not make them suspicious if it is actually something? I mean, I guess we look all... er, normal. Right? Right."

[Deleted]

Nell glanced towards Bluestreak for a brief moment as he spoke, she even gave him a faint smile, before her attention moved back to their surroundings. “Yeah, parking garages always feel cramp as hell.” She replied, she personally hated them at times. Feeling like a rat that was trap, today was one of those days and she quietly wished there was a better area outside to park at. Maybe, it was because it would be a quicker way out. Or maybe, there would be comfort knowing she would actually see Bluestreak if she was making a run for it out of the building.

Though in a way? That was mute point, because if things went horribly south? She'd honestly rather the autobot (and the same for Jazz and Mirage) get out of there while he still could.

At least, he was doing what he could to keep the situation light with the mention of a looping gif. “I think everyone would be tempted to let Raff keep it up, or at least made sure we all had access.” She joked, choosing to ignore how he pulled at the 'fabric' of his suit or tug at the 'band' around his 'neck'. It was funny, how he got those motions spot on, even if fidgeting was a mute point for him.

As for the dusty cars, she felt weird about them. It didn't seem like a normal amount of dust to her. Especially as the more the headed in? The more standard of upkeep it looked like the cars were in. Strange, so very strange. “Something tells me that it's not normal, Blue..” Nell mentioned before he spoke again about the pair who were also in the garage. “I say park on this level. It's close to the exit, and there are so many open spaces it'd look weird to go up another level.” She told him.

“By the way, if you can do it? Remember the license plates on these cars you see, both the dusty and more driven ones, might be a good idea.” Nell told him as her attention turned onto him, though she was watching the pair in her peripherals. “I mean, I don't know if you guys have access to police records or not when it comes to licensing, but it could help us figure out who the cars belong to and the sort.” After all, it would mean keeping an eye on these peoples movements in a way.

God, this was making her wish she was a cop right now – because she would be able to really look information up if she was.

Taking a deep breath, her head turned towards an empty space as she nodded in that general direction. “That looks like as good as any place to park...” Quick shot to the exit, but also a good spot to make a run for if things got hairy. It also wasn't too close to the woman's silvery car.

[Zercon]

A low overhang, an enclosed area, the Parking Garage was rather standard with its tiny height, most of the vehicles being lower alternatives with a couple brave souls having a truck or two that probably skirted the caution bars on the way in. Other than the dust, nothing immediately appeared to be off with the area, and it could easily be mistaken for a typical business' enclosure. The interactions between the two individuals even seemed natural, not ridged or hidden in the way they spoke to one another.

The man rolled the cigarette between his fingers in thought, speaking drolly with a low hum of words that were still inaudible to the two. His posture was lax, calm, a much lower energy level than the female nearby, rolling with the moment, and letting it flow past, an air of boredom that was impossible to fake. But as uncaring as he was, his attention rose to meet the new vehicle that had entered the area. He seemed to squint at it a bit, as if doing so would help him see who exactly was inside the unfamiliar car, to see if it was someone he recognized that may have gotten something new, but before he could decipher anything, the Female was up in his face.

"Hey!"

Her sharp words barked out a moment, the guy snapping back to look at her, appearing somewhat alarmed. The woman was now holding the box under one arm, resting its weight upon her hip, while her other hand was placed to mirror on the other side. She glared at him a moment, seeming to want him to accomplish or do something, and when he didn't instantly perform, she reached a hand up to pull the cigarette out of his hand, and flick it to the ground.

The man's now freed hand rose up then, rubbing behind his head to smear along where hair would be, if he had any hair in which to ruffle. He at least had the sense to look a bit ashamed, placating in a way to get the woman off his back. She said a few more things, her words cutting in and out in volume some, now audible and pronounced since she was speaking with a higher volume. It wasn't anything of real value though to the two spies however, typical nagging and 'you said you were going to quit' and other nonsense.

It was immediately after however, a third person seemed to pop up from behind their own car, a barking laugh snorting out that was more nasally and rattled. He seemed to have been rummaging in his own vehicle a bit, a crumpled wad of spare change and a few dollars clutched in his thin left hand, while the right held the car keys in a fist. He was donned in similar attire as the first two, but his suit didn't seem to fit him well, either having bought it too large, or having lost weight to make it baggy over the shoulders a bit and hang at odd angles. His hair was pulled back, smeared out of the way but otherwise unkempt.

"Oh, you in trouble with the misses again!?"

He squawked this out, plenty loud that if there was anyone else in the immediate area, they would be getting a nice earful of the entire conversation.

[Bluestreak]

"It does," Bluestreak agreed quietly. His avatar lifted his hand and ran it through the holo's hair, his fingers ruffling up the blonde strands. "Good a place to park as any, so let's do this."

With a gentle, expert motion, the silver Nissan turned. The ride was so smooth that Nell would barely feel herself pressed into the seat for a fraction of a second before he had nosed perfectly into that empty space.

"Scanning the plates for you too," he mentioned. Underneath her the car seemed to lift itself up on all four tires. There was a tiny twitch of the side mirrors; and then Nell would feel the mech blow a puff of air through his vents, much like a human nervously sighing to himself. He shifted his weight in the driver's seat and then reached for the door handle, forgot he was belted in. The avatar stopped abruptly, half-choked by the nylon and he gave her a sheepish grin and reached to unbuckle himself.

"Whoops. Gotta do that right. You know the other day I totally did that when I was waiting for --"

He caught himself again, this time without any help from the seatbelt.

"I don't. Wait, back it up, Bluestreak - try again here, confusing, sorry about that.

"I mean I don't have police access, I'm sorry. Not what I'm cleared for, not my job, you know? I'm just uh, well, I'm certainly no spy, and this is all new to me and I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, and you'll tell me if I screw up, right? Please tell me. Although if I do screw up you'll probably not have a whole lot of time to tell me or I'll just figure it out on my own because we'll probably have someone after us yelling terrible things about our processors, so... oh wait, no, uh, that doesn't quite work for you. Yelling terrible things about your dog or something. Wait, I don't know, do you have a dog?"

"I never asked. If you have a dog, neat, they look awfully fun but oh right - uh, Nell, no - I don't have that sort of access, but if I send them back maybe someone can get them to someone who does."

He was rambling, and realized it. With a shake of his head he settled his hand on the inside of his door and looked at her and that was when they could both hear the conversation going on outside. The Autobot cocked his head and frowned slightly.

"I guess she doesn't like him smoking," he murmured, raising his eyebrow at Nell. "She sure seems upset about it though. Uh, I guess them fighting is... well, they're not paying too much attention to us. Come on."

With that, he swung his door open and started to get out, just as the disheveled man popped up from his own vehicle.

Realizing he'd been caught in the middle of a three way conversation that he might not have been supposed to here, the mech stood there holding onto the driver's door. He politely turned back to Nell, waiting for her to exit. A light on the dashboard blinked, the Nissan settled down a bit more over his tires as if he was trying to just be a car. A perfectly normal car here. Nothing to see but a car with a guy and a lady in it, thanks.