[ti]Ep 3[/ti]The Enemy of my Enemy... [closed/for now]

[Deleted]

EP: 3 – Week: 1 – Day: 4

Location: Somewhere in Oregon.

-------------------------------------

Three months had passed and everything seemed back to 'normal'. Either side continued to fortify their positions... in good and worse ways it appeared. But regardless, the Decepticons thrived throughout this time, expanding their new home 'Blackridge Hold' in an exaggerate speed that would have been impossible to accomplish if it had not been demonstrated by their forces.

Though, it had been exactly this what led the black and white mech to seek shelter elsewhere, avoiding their new quarters as much as was possible.

Their Base was crowded, loud and the drilling never ceased to stop. But here, out in the wild with no one other than himself he had what he wanted, needed even to keep some of his sanity in check; peace, quiet, time to think and hopefully no one around to snoop in his business!

And it was exactly here, in his new Hobbit-Hole where one of the (probably/definitely) worst ideas came to his mind.

…

The sun was already about to vanish behind the horizon, painting the landscape in a dark orange and red hue. The air was still filled with its lingering heat as it subsided slowly towards sundown. A few far spread clouds swiveled around to add a milky contrast to the sky above, barely visible.

Down, a rather abandoned highway snaked its way through rocky terrain and dusty dunes, peppered with dark gray, almost burned vegetation that lined up at the side of the road. Occasionally a few meager trees could be seen. It was far from any road within the cities though; some holes and washed out fissures lined its surface every now and then.

But despite its condition, it could not deter the black and white Mustang from following its path with an unauthorized speed. Rules and traffic regulations were for humans anyway, not for Cybertronians, not for him! It had its boon to sport a paint-job of one of the (more or less) local Police forces; People moved out of the way with just a quick flash of the lights or an aggressive sound of his siren! It was great, it felt GREAT! He was the king of the road... unless one pesky fleshling would decide to just slow down and stubbornly drive in front of him without giving way. Oh, he hated THOSE.

But thankfully there had not been any incidents with other participants on the street, and so Blackframe continued his way down the road. Pumping loud music, typing and working away on current projects on the small monitor within his cab, sending shortwave radio signals of Cybertronian origin along the way to get his 'invitation' out while keeping an optic on the road as well as scanning the environment for any foreign object that might cross his path.

Multitasking!

The last ten or so hours had not yielded any results, but with daylight slowly fading the chances kept increasing, while faintly, there was hope. Blackframe knew from past experiences and his own job that as soon as all light was swallowed by darkness, the bad guys came out to play.

He just had to be patient and boost his sensors.

[Zercon]

Except not all bad things lurked in the shadows.

Oh, Blackframe may have felt like nothing was being accomplished, sending out pings throughout the day, meandering through towns and more populated areas before daring to breach into the more open landscape to try to bait a reaction from… someone, but the truth of the matter was he wasn't ever truly hidden. In general, most humans whose path he crossed seemed to react in some form of curiosity. A couple of individuals growing over-cautious and making a point to slow down at the sight of law enforcement to watch pointedly as he passed, not wishing to get a speeding ticket or draw attention to themselves, others trying to dart to the side in a panic when the lights flared or siren popped...

Humans were not exactly shy about turning to try to peek inside. At a stoplight the passenger in a green sports car with a black stripe running down its center seemed to lean out a bit and look quizzically, curious if the officer was looking their way, overly cautious of trying to stay in line, only for brows to furrow, staring over at the sickeningly black windows which weren't common. Most who saw the illegally dark tint seemed to question what they saw, a confused look at stop signs the norm unless the driver was too scared of drawing attention and kept their head pointed forward. One woman seemed particularly spooked as she clutched the wheel of her blue hatchback, nervously glancing over.

At one point when Blackframe peeled out of a populated area to get away, a motorcycle began to follow. Dark plating, the rider wearing black leather and a slick dark-grey helmet, the visor blacked out with no hint of face to be seen. it looked as if they were following the cruiser, keeping a safe distance, monitoring or judging his path... but in the end, it appeared unfounded as one of the rustic roads connecting the barren highway was taken and the rider went back on their merry way to whatever boring human life they were mulling around in.

Really... nothing particularly jarring made itself known. No ping backs were sent in reply, no souped-up sports cars that were all clones of one another peeling out of the crowd to chase and pursue, there was no helicopter trailing overhead to keep a bead on him or some sudden trap draped out into the street like poorly laid spike strips. It was oh so particularly boring and overly quiet.

Until it wasn’t.

As the officer clad mech rounded a corner near a more mountainous edge, he would be faced with a bout of construction that blocked off the path abruptly. Service trucks holding the local electrical business decals parked at a diagonal, a few folding plastic barricades put out as if the flashing yellow lights on their hoods were not enough. It appeared a power line had gone down, cables laying rather haphazardly in the roadway. Despite the obvious concern and response however, there wasn't a human in sight, at least not right in front of him.

A clearing sat to the opposite side of the rock face through the thick fir trees and underbrush. It was not unlike other fields that were likely crossed through Blackframe's path in the days trip, a natural variation of a clearing with saplings sporadically placed on its outer edges; however this one held a large military vehicle planted right in its center angled a bit towards the far edge. Its nose was pointed in the direction of a dirt road, a rural path weaving more likely than not to a logging site. The vehicle may have been in an odd location, but what lay on its bed was particularly of note.

A turret of some kind, a massive device that looked like an abomination between human and Cybertronian tech. Boxy angles, the underside sleek with ridges and systems piping down into the vehicle, as a large object jutted out from its center. It was bolted down in place, a secured chair attached where a soldier appeared to be sitting. Dark green leathers, plastered with patches of muted brown and lighter tans. A broad belt strapped along his middle, while a sort of bomber jacket folded over top with a flared collar and shoulder guards. He wore a full head mask, lined etches folded across his face, as a pair of black goggles were placed over top.

Beside this man stood a woman. She too was clad in leathers, the mossy greens and browns, a dash of tan thrown in, but unlike the counterpart - hers was tailored almost like a shorter dress with a stripe down the front, leading to black-clad legs and sleek boots that went up to her knees with knee guards and front armor to match her counterpart. To further differentiate her, she did not have the same helmet, revealing a pale complexion and medium bobbed blond hair that was tucked behind her ears.

As Blackframe came into view the turret operator seemed almost bored, head resting down upon knuckles while goggles lazily turned in his direction. The woman, however, was far more interested, arms delicately folding at her lower back while looking at the vehicle expectantly, her head rising up as a smooth smile pulled into shape.

No calls were made.

No invitation for him to move closer.

No words spoken.

Their presence was invitation enough.

[Deleted]

The yellow flashing lights, as well as the huge trucks blocking off the road were the first thing that caught his attention. The blasting of music stopped and the speed of the vehicle slowed down to a crouch, carefully approaching the construction site. As he did so, the loud roaring of an engine subsided until only a soft purr of its mechanism was audible. He was careful and kept his attention at high alert.

A few dusty dirt pebbles lined on the road made ever so subtle noises as he rolled over them. The contact with its substance a familiar sound many could recognize. The branches and bushes lay ignored for now, his attention only focused on what happened in front of him.

Until the oddity of another strange vehicle sitting in the middle of a clearing filled his field of vision; large, military design, loaded with a weapon- combat ready it seemed. This was the moment where his attention shifted from the large trucks towards the scene at the far side.

However, curiosity paired with a healthy dose of fear kept him at a rather tolerable distance, stopping. While he did come to a halt, his engine was still running in case he would need to make a hasty retreat. The turret manned on the back of the vehicle was not looking fun to play with and he was sure it could cause a good amount of damage should that thing hit its target. Which he was not all to keen to find out!

It was probably easy to tell that he did not trust this whole ordeal...

After all, Blackframe never even had interacted with the local life forms before, apart from shoving them off the road or annoying them until they'd gave way. Anything on this planet was just too fragile, their lifespans were way too short to even be bothered with, plus, social interactions weren't his strong point!

The two humans occupying the vehicle on the other servo seemed rather relaxed if he had to make a guess. While the first seemed to be more bored, the one standing however, uphold a posture of superiority. It was probably the one in command he assumed. Though, its smile and confident appearance gave him thoughts of doubt; only two? This just screamed of being a trap!

For just a few short seconds, there would be no sound made, no words spoken as he observed them carefully. His side mirror angling slightly towards them as to keep them in his field of vision before speaking up.

“Mhm, may I assume your passivity to be a sign of... tolerance?”

He finally asked, voice slightly raised to make sure the other two could hear him well.

Though, he was keeping a close optic on the turret, looking for any indication of it suddenly powering-up. If it would? Well, he hoped that a well aimed throw of his dagger would cut that thing in half, or at least disable it!

[Ren]

The two humans watched Blackframe intently. While the male had initially seemed bored, his gaze never wavered or turned away from the vehicle. No glance was made towards the nearby trees, nor did he peer down the road where the vehicle had come from... he simply stared back with an almost disinterested focus while the female seemed more carefree. She delicately reached a hand up, gloved fingertips smoothing a wayward strand of hair back into place behind her ear that had been dislodged from a faint breeze. The trees around them rustled slightly, long branches bowing only at the tips where they were at their most thin. She only spoke once prompted, a smile still pulled across her lips.

"You could say that."

Pleased, calm, she projected her words so that the vehicle would be able to hear her well enough from the distance that separated them. After these words, her free hand that had pulled her hair back in line now gestured carefully to the turret and soldier at her side. It was a passive movement, palm facing the sky, fingertips only loosely held out - her body language relaxed.

"Please disregard, merely a safeguard given current circumstances."

While these words were cast out, her eyes closed, forearm neatly tucking down to fold along the small of her back with the other.

"Arrangements have been made so that your entry road is blocked for standard travel, you needn't concern yourself over civilians."

Not a barricade, nor a trap that could in any way contain a Cybertronian, but it would be effective enough to keep a normal individual from meandering down this particularly remote road to interrupt. No threat of being seen, no loose ends to tie up or individuals to conveniently make... disappear. Only a pleasant interaction between a pair of natives and an extraterrestrial being.

"We gathered from your many attempts to contact us that you wish to speak, so are gifting you the rare opportunity to do so."

Her weight shifted then to her other foot, eyes opening to place down upon the figure upon the roadway. She was contemplating what he may become, calculating silently what his scale range must be, while guessing what type of artillery or weapons he held to his name. It was no mystery to MECH that these robots from another world were at war, and they knew perfectly well what many were capable of. Each had so many unique attributes between them, each one a new mystery to peel apart and learn from.

[Deleted]

“Mhm, how generous of you.”

He said in respond to her explanation, sounding more sarcastic than anything else.

The fact that the humans had already picked up upon his signal some time ago, left Blackframe with a rather dull feeling.

They haven't even bothered to answer it, but instead let him drive around for Primus knew how long... maybe even watched him. And he had not detected them in return. It somehow made him feel as if he had failed to achieve something important- he just couldn't put his servo on what exactly!

“Well, since you already made all of those arrangements... I guess I'll skip the formalities and dive straight into it then.”

He began, raising his voice some as his engine kicked up a notch again.

The humming sound within the vehicle set back to work, starting to move its mechanism around so that the Mustang could reel backwards a bit. Its bright red glowing taillights lit up, paired with a small white one's to indicate that the car had just shifted into reverse mode.

“I've come to make a proposal, an offer you most likely would be interested in.”

He continued while slowly backing up, front wheels shifting into position to maneuver him backwards and towards the large military truck, closing the distance between them.

“I assume it is no secret to you that a few of my kind have allied themselves with your, human counterpart kind- in order to fortify their military forces. I also assume that it is no secret to you that their alliance has grown rather persistent- strong even, in a way it has become more and more difficult to engage them.”

“What I suggest is to even the battlefield, with an alliance just as persistent and strong! It will grant us both an advantage, and I heard you are desperately seeking a way of acquiring a technological advancement for your own kind. I can grant you more than any other individual would ever be willing to, should you consider my offer that is.”

He wouldn't elaborate any further, not right now at least. The deal he would like to strike was adamantly clear, even with just this small amount of information given. If the humans were about to accept such an offer, they would need to negotiate its conditions and rules further and into detail of course, but for now, Blackframe was curious if they were even interested in such an arrangement.

Backing up some more, Blackframe would slowly but carefully make his way over to where the large truck was sitting then, rear end closing in to the larger vehicle in order to try and park next to it (profitably without scraping off his undercarriage during the process, he was no off-roader after all). Though, his mirrors kept a close image on the two organics, looking out for any subtle signs of hostility or any gesture to deny him his move.

While there had not been any weapons drawn as of yet, he sure wasn't keen on facing that turret head on, or even look at it where it could strike him at point blank. With his attempt of backing up to reel side by side and next to the truck it was mounted on, he hoped to achieve a safeguard of his own there- praying that the humans wouldn't be as stupid as to fire this thing within close proximity of their own should things suddenly escalate!

[Zercon]

Moving closer to have a discussion was one thing, moving within range where the Cybertronian could simply transform and crush them before they could even have a second to respond..?

Not going to happen.

The moment Blackframe went past a sort of invisible line that seemed to be a bit too close to comfort, the male on the turret seemed to perk up. His lazy stance shifted, his hands moving from their lax posture to grip onto the controls a second later, only for the systems to roar active almost instantly with no real warmup or warning. A snarled heave of the machine sounded as the device reeled around sharply to aim at Blackframe's approaching form, the male's posture hooking forward some as feet planted and locked firmly within the rest beneath his seat with a clicking pop.

The two humans didn’t seem to be concerned they were potentially firing the weapon a bit too close to them, not fearing its outcome. Instead, they both focused down with careful consideration, as the male's fingertips hooked gingerly over the controls of the massive weapon, more than willing to let it kick out and show this bold Cybertronian they would not tolerate him in their immediate vicinity. The woman's smile transitioned some into a sneer while this occurred, her pleased look diminishing fast with a feeling of profound disappointment at this individual's audacity.

"Should you not wish to add to the culmination of your fallen comrades donations, you will be wise to swiftly reconsider your approach."

Steely words, sharp and abrupt, though spoke loud enough to be clearly heard over the idling growl of the machine at her side while Blackframe approached. Paired with this, she took one delicate step back closer to the cab of the vehicle, her hand lifting to rest softly upon its hood. She wanted to be sure to be out of range should the weapon need to reel around on a moving target.

"We do not fear the Autobot's allies. We have been outsmarting them far longer than they could ever know."

A light drum of fingertips clicked out across the cab, her sneer of disdain gradually shifting to a more neutral look once again. The smile did not return, however, though it was telling that she labeled the opposing faction by their appropriate name.

"For us to even humor such a proposition we would require payment upfront. Donation of a living subject."

No hesitation, laying down their terms right then and there. Words were words, agreements hollow, they were borderline useless in the grand scheme of things. Lies, deceit, manipulation, there was no trust to be had here with an entity such as these otherworldly machines that were already losing some of their people to the experimentation grinder.

Far more than they realized.

"Unless you have other means of funding your goals..?"

The woman did not seem particularly amused up until this point, her last words gaining an edge of curiosity. Meanwhile, the turret operator kept the machine trained on Blackframe, locking him right within his crosshairs with no intent to back off anytime soon. The Cybertronian had already burned that bridge, and they were on guard for more attempts to breach their buffer of safety.

[Deleted]

As soon as this abomination of a turret sprang to life, Blackframe stopped dead in his tracks, ceasing all movement in his attempt to approach the two figures. The realization came with a shock as the weapon powered up way faster than he'd first anticipated. There was no way of outrunning this thing, nor would there be an appropriate way of swiftly disabling it now.

The humans had just made it clear as day that they do NOT tolerate him any closer, and the interceptor had no other choice than to accept this at the moment - if he liked it or not.

“NO! WAI- DON'T-!”

It was the only respond he was able to shriek out in his panicked state.

Some of the vehicles panels rippled like a wave across its frame as he did so, small pinpricks and tell-tale signs of transformations before they would settle back into place again. It was faint and only lasted for a split of a second.

He did not change form though, but it sure was a close one. It was an almost instinctive reaction for them when faced with potential danger... to seek a form where they could defend themselves... after all, having access to their limbs allowed them to draw their weapons in return, but as it currently was, Blackframe remained frozen until the voice of the human ripped through the humming and buzzing air once more.

His focus was drawn from the frizzling weapon towards the one person standing near the truck cab, listening to her voice.

To say that he liked what the human had just proposed would be a lie. The sheer audacity of this fleshling to even DEMAND a payment upfront was certainly worth a slap to their face! A scoff was made in return, yet not overly loud as Blackframe was still aware of the situation he found himself in.

However, it would take a minute or two before he would be able to find his own, calmer voice to respond to her again.

“Fine! Just- don't, okay?”

A subtle shift of the vehicle led him to duck his form more towards the ground, front wheels awkwardly reeling back into a straighter position to try and display submission. It was such a degrading position and inwardly he raged in all his might, but from a second person's perspective, the vehicle remained still, lifeless even.

“Your demands- are, well, how do I put it? Rather extreme, don't you think?... But, are in the realm of possibility. If I was to grant you a living test subject, however, I demand an appropriate payment in return. You know, such an extremely valuable asset has its price, and it's certainly not cheap!”

This situation sure escalated quickly.

“I've come to forge an alliance between us, your faction and myself, to be integrated in future projects of yours! I want to know everything, regarding the Autobots and their allies! Any information MECH has and is about to obtain, will then be my pool of information as well, and vice versa of course!”

“You might not fear the Autobotss allies, and seemingly outsmart them- but, you still lack the appropriate meaning of engaging them with their Cybertronian counterpart, don't you?! You are still forced to hide your presence, to work swiftly under cover and would have to abandon any base that would fall victim to one of their assaults. However, with a joined effort, and the information I am going to offer you, you could enhance your technological advancement far quicker than you currently do, and in return would be able to defend yourself against our common foe more effectively, be superior.”

Trying to find the right words in order to persuade the two organics and to defuse the situation some, Blackframe spoke slowly as his own mind was racing towards a certain edge of worry. It was his very first interaction with an alien life form, one he knew nothing off other than the few snippets he'd read on the internet.

“I am currently in possession of valuable Decepticon Intel, which I could offer you as an upfront payment you so desperately crave! Just imagine where MECH could be within just a month if you had access to our data base...”

Falling silent, Blackframe hoped it would be enough 'bait' to calm the other two down, to try and get SOME control back in this situation.

[Ren]

The woman's head rose slightly to look down her nose at the Cybertronian as he hollered out, smirking some at how quickly he was startled into a panic. Her gaze did not leave him to look at the male’s reaction to this shriek, keeping her attention squarely on the Cybertronian - trusting her companion to react accordingly should anything happen in these next few moments.

She was keenly aware of how Blackframe’s outer facade of a shell seemed to twist in ways a human vehicle could never manage, watching him closely as various panels seemed to ripple and quiver. It was further actual proof that the thing before them truly was what they believed it to be, and not a ruse or some trick of a remotely operated vehicle. In a way, Blackframe only hurt himself by betraying this small but crucial fact, making it no longer quite so important if he were to transform or not.

It was interesting to see how their frames moved, how they could seemingly emote without real features or limbs to gesture with, and how they could utilize such things to convey emotions despite the detached form he took. It was only a moment before the Cybertronian started to speak again, laying out his proposition with more detail and another attempted pass at winning them over. However, the woman didn't seem particularly impressed.

“We won’t.” she was still smirking, even if it was the most subtle of curves on her lip now as not to antagonize him.

She’d stick to her word, so long as Blackframe knew his place and kept his distance.

Despite this acknowledgment, the man did not back down.

While Blackframe had gone passive, the turret operator did not yield. The gun still aimed at its target, even if there were no additional motions of hostility. The gun did not roar to life, and if Blackframe was paying attention he may notice the individual’s finger relaxed some from the trigger. Despite this subtle motion, the figure was tense; almost as if he did not trust the threat and was waiting for him to take another motion forward. He was still silent as Blackframe spoke, seemingly content to watch and let the female do the talking.

She would humor his words.

“Extreme? Considering our line of work, if you know of us, you’d know we value your kind. Intelligence and access to a database are all well and good, but how are we to know what are falsified records without firsthand experience? Hooks, bait… we work with fact, and you offer a lot of generals. Technological advancement, the inclusion of your pool of intelligence...” a gentle tsk followed, and she shook her head.

As she spoke, she shifted her weight a little.

“You are awfully bold to assume we need an alliance. Especially with someone we know so little about and with seemingly so little to offer.”

All she could glean from this individual was that he had been desperate to seek them out, given the pings throughout the day, and that he was oddly quick to turn on his faction and kind, given how casually he mentioned the valuable intel.

Another gentle shifting of weight, this time her arms would loop gently behind her, resting on her lower back.

“Should we decide to do business, it will be that, and that alone.”

There would be no friendship here, both sides in this discussion were planning to effectively use one another for their own advancement, and little else. He had approached them, not the other way around - and while intelligence was always useful, MECH were doing considerably well for themselves even without the insider knowledge.

“Unless you produce actual results and disclose details, we may as well consider this discussion concluded.”

Some baiting of her own. Maybe he would divulge these ‘valuable’ details just to keep their attention for a few moments longer while he muddled through further words to get on their good side.

[Deleted]

As soon as the human spoke, a growl left the vehicle in utterly annoyance. Though, no other motion was made during that. Blackframe was still aware of the position he currently found himself in, and would not attempt any further provocation, yet.

But it was evident that he was not pleased at all.

“As I just mentioned, I am in possession of valuable Intel- and I already agreed to your pathetic upfront payment, a living test subject, it was?”

The sentence was spoken with a sneer, almost in disgust as Blackframe could not comprehend the organics audacity. It was simply a rude behavior and he quickly found himself cornered in a way that led his inner aggression leak through his field.

What else would be necessary to convince them that he was not a threat to them? His lower frame was almost scraping onto the road, ducking away to display submission- an act that was so unnatural and dangerous, especially in front of an alien species he knew nothing about. For all he knew, they could deceive him, pull the trigger at any moment or decide to bait him further into the rabbit hole. It was a walk on razors edge, one that the black and white vehicle was not keen on continuing to wander.

“For someone who claims themselves to be sooo advanced as you say, you lack focus!”

Humored words of his own, yet paired with his still lingering annoyance.

While the human had made its point clear, Blackframe internally rolled his optics. Sometimes he doubted that those creatures were even at the top of their planets food-chain. From this small piece of conversation, he could already tell that they were anything but advanced. And if their cities and network was anything to go by? Well, he was certain that whatever it was the human tried to convey, it was all an act! But what he could also tell was that they were smart enough to tinker a seemingly threatening weapon together, one that was still aimed at him!

“Tsk, if you truly think you can survive on your own, especially with nothing more than a few fancy toys, think again, human! How long do you think it would take us to render your little toys useless? We can already neutralize any of your devices whenever we want, what would make us stop at your weaponry?”

A small pause was made then as the vehicle caught some air in order to calm down some.

“I am offering you a one time chance to obtain Cybertronian technology, what technology exactly, well, that is up to you, really. As long as you can provide the services I require, you are free to demand whatever you desire. Be creative. Everything has its price after all, and business is never cheap!”

“Sadly, you seem rather convinced that my pool of knowledge has no value- so, allow me to introduce myself in full this time, so I may proof you otherwise. Don't worry, no harm to you will be done, as long as you stay true to your word, of course!”

This time, arrogance was laced within his words as Blackframe felt some of his confidence return to the surface.

He wasn't going to play into their little game, knowing exactly what they were trying to do. No, this was business, and business was never that easy! If the humans were truly interested in obtaining additional information and further Cybertronian technology, they would need to be a tad more patient. Blackframe was willing to sacrifice his factions knowledge (to a degree) in order to fortify their position within this war. Though, a sacrifice could hardly be made when one was bound to remain motionless in vehicle mode.

[Zercon]

The woman simply watched and waited, patient as the individual before them had its little tantrum.

"For someone who claims themselves to be sooo advanced as you say, you lack focus!"

"For one who believes themselves to be the superior species, you lack situational awareness."

With a gentle flick of the wrist, she gestured to the treeline to her left with her palm up, fingers relaxed and loose. It was a simple motion to draw attention to the area, the thick mat of tree trunks and bushes splotching out what lay beyond as they grew more dense and intertwined. Yet, despite its almost passively mundane approach of a motion, what followed after was anything but.

A growled rumble of a machine, a snarled hiss of mechanics... The noise was not unlike the weapon on the back of the truck that had activated a few moments prior. Something within the wilderness had been sitting so innocuous and inert through their discussion, though was now coming alive with instantaneous fury and rage. However, while it was similar in noise, it was substantially louder, lower, and held more power behind it than the large piece of weaponry Blackframe had been staring down.

A crackle of branches, a snapped heave of wood blistering as it was pushed aside... birds that’d been resting scrambled instantly into a frenzied panic, taking to the sky in a swarm, chattered squawks and a flurry of wings to try to escape the area as fast as possible. Whatever it was could not be seen at this point, masked behind the mesh of foliage and gnarled branches. There was a thrum that followed a moment after, a resonating impact of something large ramming down against the soft earth to compact it.

Then, the turret on the back of the vehicle fired.

The weapon did not use hard bullet ammunition, there was no laser that rocketed from the central mass, nor was it a blue plasma bolt of an Energon fueled beam. In fact, there was no bullet of any kind at all despite its disjointed Cybertronian and humanoid look. Instead the outer corners of the object flared open, followed by a heavy bang as multiple projectiles were launched simultaneously from all sides at a slightly outward angle.

The force of the launch was violent, harsh, rocking the military vehicle upon its suspension so hard it shifted forward with a lurching push to leave grooves in the dried grass below. The operator was secure in his mounting, but the woman had braced the second after the noise in the forest sounded out, gripping fiercely onto a handle to keep herself upon her feet. The projectiles spiraled out from their launch point, swiftly revealing that it was not a spray of bullets, but a mesh of high powered cables that furled open.

All of which were electrified.

In simplified terms, it was a net. An incredibly large and incredibly powerful net flanked in a series of metallic spheres with magnets housed within each. A select three out of the mass of others were larger, ragged and sharp housing generators that fueled it and a three pronged hook to snag onto the metal cables or bore into their target. The snare created a large blanket effect to spread far.

Should Blackframe remain in vehicular form, the magnets and hooks would make certain to hold it down to his outer plating as the high charge electricity pulsed. Should he revert to his true state, the pure velocity behind it would undoubtedly bind him as the weight of the spheres spun and whiplashed around him to tangle and lock. It would likely happen near instantly should he not have incredible reaction times, surging with enough power to incapacitate if not knock him completely unconscious.

Thing is, MECH was counting on him being far more distracted and concerned with whatever lay beyond the edge of the clearing...

[Deleted]

How dare the human used his own words against him!

Though, the annoyance would only last for a moment before his attention was brought to the treeline at the far side. The outside mirrors of the Mustang shifted slightly to catch the image of whatever it was the organic was trying to present.

His field of vision fell onto the dense covered area, taking in the sight of shrubbery and bush that seemed to grew thicker the longer he watched. At first glance, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, yet was brought quickly into another state of panic as a howling sound of machinery sprang to life. A loud thrumming, snarling sound caught his audials instantly, and just as the feathered creatures fled their home in a hasty hurry- the black and white vehicle transformed!

This time, it was pure instinct. This time, there was no attempt of holding back. This time, it was actual fear.

Plates and gears quickly shifted around, breaking the car into each and every component apart in order to rearrange its bits and pieces anew. A flurry of black and white color blurred its form for less than a second before the seemingly normal car shaped itself into a metal alien being.

Blackframe wasn't big nor tall, mind you, yet his size was considerably larger than that of a human or human vehicle. Compared to his fellow Decepticons, however, he was one of the smaller, leaner and skinnier type. A lanky figure so to speak. Which would now stand in a ducked position where once a car had been parked onto the road. His legs and pedes were slightly spread apart to try and balance this new form he took, while one of his servo was placed upon the side of his helm to try and reconnect his communication line...

But despite this quick action, the weapon that was mounted on the back of the military truck took action as well and launched its fire.

It was this action what led the Cybertronian to yank his helm towards the scene, shifting his attention from one threat to the other. Everything happened way too fast, and before he could comprehend what had hit him, Blackframe found himself hurled across the street by a forceful impact.

The impact of the launched projectile took him by surprise. The sheer velocity that was behind the net allowed it quickly to wrap around his frame, magnets placing itself into position while the hooks anchored themselves tightly onto any gaps within his armor. There was only a hollered out shriek, loud and obscene in pitch and tone as everything struck him full force at once. His whole world spun for a moment, before then a high charged zap of electricity jolted through his entire system to incapacitate him.

Blackframe would lay there, wrapped tightly like a burrito onto the road near the service trucks, jerking uncontrollable as the electrified blanket did its job. A few gurgled out spits of static, whimpering and pitiful attempts of snarling still left his vocoder as he did so- before, after a short moment his vision frizzled out and everything went black.

[Zercon]

Ah... there was the transformation.

The woman held tightly to the railing attached to the side, braced securely just in case their target managed to slip out from the netting and go on the offense. The military vehicle was already angled facing away from Blackframe, and should he dart to the side or cut through the net it would rocket out and away with a peel of tires. However, it seemed this would not be needed, a quick shift of forms soon followed by a direct hit by the trap mechanism.

A clunking hiss rocked from the turret on the back of the vehicle, its operator heaving a lever that caused a chain effect before its side ratcheted open sharply. A heft of a cartridge rotating and another net was rammed into the chamber, ready to fire again should the need come.

While it appeared the individual was downed, there would be no foolish mistakes due to arrogant assumptions they had fully won this little tiff as of yet.

"Your fatal mistake was declaring you were in possession of the information you sought to barter with!"

Her voice cut out boldly. Not screaming to be heard, but speaking loud enough that her words would carry across the distance clearly enough. Should this mock police vehicle be unable to hear? It was no terrible loss.

"We will simply take what we desire, and thank you for your contribution to our cause."

Smug, amused, there were some boons to playing stubborn, and it had worked out in their favor this day. Arrogance seemed to have been a bit of a common theme with Cybetronians. Believing that just because they were a mechanized species from another world with advanced technology that they were... superior. No matter...

As Blackframe's frame lurched in reaction to the electricity that would undoubtedly take away his conscious at any minute, he would be able to see a brief glimmer of the tree line that sat across the field. Branches snapped and crackled loudly, the canopy of leaves peeling aside as something seemed to move forward. Details blurred by frazzled systems teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, all that would be deciphered of its shape was just the fact it was a shadowed form easing forward that was quite tall in stature, before his entire world plunged to darkness.