[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Format (Closed for now)

[Ren]

A moment of concern, a flicker of worry as they pulled down the ramp in pursuit. Preparing themselves to have lost sight of their target in a mess of traffic. Only- it seemed that this was not the case, their uncertainty melting away almost as quickly as they drove.

Pulling onto the new stretch of road, it did not take them long to spot the speeding ambulance up ahead. This road certainly working to their advantage in that the traffic was sparse, which not only meant they could keep Ratchet in their sights, but they could increase their speed to catch up to him with what would hopefully be relative ease.

While there was still some distance between them and Ratchet - about four cars worth - they noted the slight wobble in his movements. Unsure if he was about to shift forms again, they held their position, which proved to be beneficial as shortly after the unsteady movement, a shrill noise sounded that even from back here made them flinch as they drove.

That hadn’t happened before.

Undeterred, they would push forwards. Should the noise be done again? It would be no matter, their air support would be here shortly.

[Bumblebee]

Bumblebee wouldn’t respond to Bulkhead’s words, wanting to focus on what he was doing, rather than risk being distracted even for a second.

A few miles ahead? That was nothing. He could close that distance in no time at all, and while he had to do some rather risky maneuvers to swerve and move around civilians who were sticking to the speed limit, he was trying to be as safe as he could. He’d be written off as some jerk in a fancy muscle car, nothing more - and if anyone called the police? Well, Fowler would have to deal with it.

There was still the risk of MECH, and while from here he couldn’t see any of those familiar green vehicles, he knew they were around. This caused a moment of worry, feeling bad for leaving Optimus behind the way he had, but he knew the Prime would understand.

Pushing his luck, he would speed up further - just a little bit. No longer able to see Optimus, but at least he was hopefully catching up to Ratchet this way.

That was the frustrating part about this. He couldn’t see ANYTHING except normal, boring cars as he quickly caught up to them and then went on to overtake. There were no telltale signs Ratchet had been here, not that he expected neon flashing signs with “He went that way!” but... travelling north was so very vague, and while it wasn’t Bulkhead’s fault, Bee was on edge.

Wait- there!

What looked like a generic flatbed truck to most stood out almost instantly to Bumblebee. That familiar shade of nauseating green, restraints that were flapping wildly on the now empty bed.

But where was Ratchet?

If he was still moving north, yet wasn’t on the truck? That meant he’d managed to escape. There was some relief in this thought, but that also meant that he was running - probably from another vehicle. They wouldn’t have just left him on a single truck, that wasn’t how they worked.

His comm clicked to life, but then just as quickly? It would close. No words were spoken, no real noise- almost like someone had wanted to talk, or was going to say something, but then changed their mind.

No time to think about that. Probably just Bulkhead hesitating on more directions, he figured. Keeping his attention on the truck, he would open his own commline- this time to Optimus. 

::--Optimus, there’s a MECH flatbed truck. Restraints are loose, bed is empty. Want me to get in closer or keep looking for signs of Ratchet? They don’t seem to be chasing him, I don’t see him.--:: he wasn’t quite sure how to proceed - follow the truck and hope it led to wherever Ratchet had gone? Or keep going? He was known to MECH, Optimus was too, and while he was sure they’d already been spotted? The last thing they needed was this rescue mission turning bad.

Oh, they’d been spotted alright. Up above, the distant thrum of helicopter blades would whir.

[Optimus Prime]

Being stuck in the dark was not a fun experience. Unable to see where to go, unable to see obstacles and problems that could lie in wait... something to run into, something to trip over, something to send one cascading down to the ground. Grappling for anything, trying to feel around for something to provide the roughest sense of where one may be in the inky darkness... yet even then things may have moved since last viewing the region. No... being in the dark, lost and confused, was not a fun place to be...

And that was precisely where Optimus found himself in this moment.

Stuck, struggling, only the vaguest of concepts on where to go, a rough statement of 'North' that could mean so very much. Hoping for a clue, looking for some kind of sign that could tell them where to go. Optimus was hoping Bumblebee got eyes on Ratchet, or on MECH themselves so that they had something to follow and contend with. Yet, until that moment he simply had to drive, an unseen gaze nearly scowling down at the civilians that blocked him from progressing with much pace at all, needing to move around them carefully.

Like Bumblebee, Optimus did not think much about the open frequency click.

When the Prime’s comm opened once again and Bumblebee spoke, Optimus considered for a brief moment what the best action would be. Trying to weigh pros and cons, trying to figure out what path must be best for the moment. One thing was for certain however, and that was the fact Ratchet was now on the move on his own power should he have broken free. This was a profoundly great sign, and it put a wave of hope to haze over some of the dread and pain he was experiencing before. Numbing, soothing a fresh wound that still ached.

::Progress ahead. If Ratchet is on the move, then MECH will be in pursuit::

There was no doubt in his eyes other MECH vehicles were on the move far closer to Ratchet. They tended to work in small teams, and the more agile cars would have kept pace better. Bumblebee could try to catch up to these, while a large flatbed truck was something that Optimus himself could catch up to. While he was stifled a decent amount, he did not have a trailer, he could change lanes easier than a true flatbed that was large enough to carry Ratchet, and as such he continued to press forward, gaze locked ahead to try to find what Bumblebee spoke of.

He would take point following them if he could, as MECH would need means to transport a Cybertronian if they were to down Ratchet again, while Bumblebee could continue scouting for the first assault and Ratchet himself.

[Ratchet]

He kept moving. Right now he felt like that was his only safe bet. He was feeling a strong pull to hide, to find a place and disappear, vanish from sight, where he could settle, could sit down and try to understand what had happened, what was going on. He was getting tired, nerves starting to wear thin from the constant panic and fear.

He started to speed up again, trying to find a place that looked like he could hide. It was difficult – his damaged processor was still learning as he was going – still making connections. As he moved, every now and then there would be a literal connection take place, and a new bit of information would be downloaded, a tiny nugget of information suddenly there for him to access. He didn’t question it, didn’t doubt it. It was as if someone would suddenly hand him a piece of paper with a word written on it, and suddenly he understood what it meant.

Ratchet settled in behind the car that moved along the road before him, not too close. He was learning that while they looked like the beings who had hurt him, not all the strange beings in the other moving machines were all that interested in him. They looked out at him as he would pass, but they never seemed concerned or alarmed...or angry.

He rose over a little ridge in the road, and down a small hill, saw a building. It was all white, the entire front covered in windows. What looked like a metallic canopy extended from the building out over several upright machines. There were cars lined up at the machines, and others parked in various places around the main building. Humans were travelling in and out. The large signs out by the road - “$2.65 Regular $3.05 Premium Free bag of Popcorn and a Soda with every Fill Up!” - meant nothing to Ratchet.

But....there was a place to rest, maybe. A place to stop for a little. If the other beings in the other moving machines weren’t interested in him....maybe he could just rest back a little from them?

He was so tired.

Ratchet slowed, and eased from the highway into the parking lot of the large gas station. If an Ambulance could be said to creep, this one did, trying to keep a low profile while moving slowly past the parked cars. His entire frame was on high alert, attention darting from one vehicle and it’s occupants to another, looking for any sign of hostility, aggression – any sign they might come after him.

There were a few who looked his way – Ratchet tensed up, ready to bolt again if need be – but they turned back to their own lives. Probably transporting someone, they would assume, taking someone home, or maybe just the ambulance drivers returning from a rescue.

Fortunately, Ratchet remained just far enough back from the other vehicles that the darkened interior of the cab and the daylight on the exterior of the windshield created a pattern that hid the fact the ambulance had no driver.

He slowly made his way back into a corner of the parking lot, which butted up against a line of scrub and boulders. Behind this the ground fell away slightly, into a shallow ravine. He turned, facing out into the parking lot, facing the other parked cars, the closest about 50 feet away.

Here, nervous, tense and on edge, Ratchet settled to try and understand what was going on, and how to get to safety. He watched every vehicle that entered, every human that moved about, on edge, wary, scared.

[Ren]

As Ratchet pushed forward, the lone MECH car would follow.

They kept their distance, but would keep the ambulance within their sight - curious as to what he was doing, or more importantly? Where he was going. He was making no motions to veer off the road, nor had he transformed and bolted on foot. While that was probably because of the few civilian vehicles on the road, it was still strange.

Was he trying to blend in? Had he not realized they were but a few short meters behind him?

Radio contact was being maintained, the passenger holding the cellphone to his ear with his shoulder while he fumbled with loading the weapon with both hands using a different cartridge than before. Even despite the risk of the ambulance transforming, they couldn’t chase him forever like this and orders had come in to do whatever they could.

As Ratchet pulled from the road and into the gas station, they would hang back - not following immediately. Hazard lights on, they would pull to a crawl, lingering a few short feet from the driveway into the lot as they eased into a stop. Unaware of the fact it backed out onto another ravine, they considered the ambulance cornered.

All they needed was one more shot with the weapon to immobilize him, and while doing it in the view of the public wasn’t exactly how they wanted this to play out? They would do everything in their power not to let him escape. Security footage from the gas station could be scrubbed, any witnesses could be paid off…

The passenger door flung open, and the man would exit quickly, holding a similar weapon to the first one that'd been used back in Nevada. Breaking protocol in not reaching for his mask and goggles, he did his best to blend in - even despite the military greens and the weapon that no doubt stood out to anyone that saw.

It was because of this he moved on foot, knowing the familiar green vehicle would draw unwanted attention by Ratchet, and no doubt spur on another chase. This way was faster, sneakier. 

Traveling the short distance into the gas station lot, he would make a point of moving towards the back of the building and going around, hoping to get a better angle to catch Ratchet unaware.

[Bumblebee]

::--Got it!--::

Bumblebee didn’t have to be told twice, and while he had no doubt that this truck had been the one used to transport Ratchet? It didn’t matter in this moment because Ratchet wasn’t here.

There was a niggling worry about leaving Optimus so far behind - what if the Prime caught up to the flatbed truck and they realized who he was and turned on him? They were out in the open here, with people driving around beside them, which made everything just that much more dangerous.

But they had no time to worry or stress over things like that, not now. If something did happen, Prime would surely be able to fight them off until Bee came back or managed to call in for further backup.

Using this as a sense of urgency, he would push forward and quickly overtook the flatbed truck which didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry at all. The driver holding a phone to his ear did a quick glance - then a double-take - at the yellow Camaro as he passed, but Bumblebee did not notice.

Nor did he notice the helicopter that was now trailing above them.

His gaze and focus on the road ahead, it didn’t take him long to notice the skid marks and fresh imprints of two sets of tires cutting across the median lane. While he didn’t know the tire tracks of every Autobot out there - because who paid attention to that kind of thing? The fact there were two did not bode well.

::--He cut across!--:: there was some slight alarm to his beeps as he realized what'd happened, but at least he knew for sure which way Ratchet had gone.

::--I’m gonna follow, will keep in contact!--::

There was no way Optimus would be able to follow his movements, at least- not easily. Cutting across the road was dangerous enough for Ratchet but Optimus’ altmode was too big, too slow- there was no way.

Meaning they’d be separated.

::--He went down the next off-ramp, meaning maybe there’s an exit up ahead.--:: letting Optimus know what he saw so that the other mech could adjust his route accordingly if need be, he would quickly swerve across the median, pulling down the exit ramp and hopefully closing the distance just that little bit more. 

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus' first question at Bumblebee's words was 'Do you have visual?' yet, the statement never left him. If the Scout had seen Ratchet, it would have been specified as such, meaning some other clue had to be in play here. It made it so that the Prime kept his attention sharp and pointed, looking to see what may have been observed. Skid marks, a broken divider, slammed over sand barrels or other clues to show of recent disturbance... It was while this happened he saw the flatbed truck that had been spoken of, and with little stalling he pushed his engines harder, catching up and moving into the left lane right beside the soldier's vehicle with an angry roar of systems that then leveled out to keep pace.

--He went down the next off-ramp--

::Noted::

Time was ticking.

Optimus' unseen eyes cast ahead, looking at the sparse traffic and the distant black smears and freeway exit that were coming up fast. He took note of how other drivers seemed to be backing off as the two large vehicles drove side by side, having seen how aggressively the red truck had rushed up into position. Optimus evaluated the offramp, noting how his frame was blocked from the exit he needed by the other vehicle that had once held Ratchet captive. The other vehicle that was primed and ready to transport him to his death and dissection. The other vehicle that held soldiers that saw him as nothing more than an experiment to add onto the pile.

With a vacantly neutral look, the Holoform that sat inert within Optimus' cab turned to peer over at the MECH driver who was undoubtedly looking at him, likely recognizing him for who he was and the blunt fact he was not human. Expression steely cold, hollow, brown eyes part lidded... looking down upon the soldiers and their recognizable attire with an eerie emptiness that wasn’t befitting of the situation. The illusion didn't turn back to look at the road ahead of it in the few fleeting moments, head lifting a small amount before a sort of 'inhale' suddenly shifted in and his expression twisted into a sneer.

Bumblebee may have had concerns, worries about what may happen should Optimus catch up... If the inhabitants turned against him and exploited the fact there were civilians around... Banking on him not being able to transform, not being able to defend himself beyond slamming his brakes and hoping to avoid whatever may have been cast at him. There may be worries about him being alone, in case other MECH vehicles appeared, or if the helicopter turned against him rather than Ratchet or Bumblebee himself...

Optimus was not vulnerable here.

A wrench of systems, a heavy slam of front wheels to the side... with all the force the multi-ton vehicle had, all the mass added by being not made of earthly metals and materials, all the raw anger and frustration... bitterness and want to simply DO something rather than continue to play victim here on this world and only scrabble to catch up and pick up the pieces... Optimus was going to make the exit he needed to in order to follow Bumblebee and Ratchet.

And he was taking the flatbed with him.

Rubber shrieked as it ground against asphalt, side mirrors were crushed in as the two vehicles collided with heavy forces in play. Optimus did not 'bounce' off with a single strike, but rather applied an even heavy pressure to help make sure the MECH vehicle did not completely spin out and go into a spiraled flip to take out the now braking civilians that were more than happy to back off and give space. His goal was to force MECH off the road, into the gutter, where an outlet ditch was clear of humans and could act as a trap. If he could wreck the forsaken vehicle into that culvert, then no amount of scrabbling could clean up that scene before Fowler could be called in.

Optimus had not decided if he would continue after this goal was met or not. Unsure if he should try to catch up to Bumblebee, or if he would ENSURE the soldiers would be taken in and would not escape. He had not necessarily decided yet, and really, he was far more focused in the NOW when sparks were flicking up and the angry sound of crackled metal and shattering glass rang out.

((Permission gotten to ram MECH))

[Ratchet]

He remained on edge.

Remaining as still as he could, quietly observing the creatures moving around him, he did the best he could to blend in, all the while keeping a sharp lookout around him.

Now that he had a few minutes to “catch his breath”, no longer running almost blindly, but able to stay still, he could try to figure out what was going on.

Who were those creatures? Why were they chasing him? Why was he so afraid of them? He had been utterly drowned in fear and panic when he had come to, and only knew they were the cause. While he couldn’t remember what they had done to him specifically, he knew with a certainty that there was a reason to be afraid of them. They had done Something Bad, and he needed to get away from them.

So why, then, weren’t the other creatures, all around him, causing the same response? He was wary of them, but not afraid.

Whatever had happened when he had been running, this strange...folding in on himself...while it had felt odd, it hadn’t felt wrong, and so he remained there, transformed, but on high alert.

Had he managed to outrun them? Maybe they weren’t all that interested in him after all...but...

Tense. Stressed. Unhappy.

From his position in the parking lot, he kept an optic on the highway as it passed before the gas station. He waited, and waited, expecting to see the ones who had been chasing him to go by. Maybe if they did he could go out and head back the way he came, move in the opposite direction until...until...

Until what?

Until...

Nothing. He had no idea. For now, just get away.

Suddenly, it seemed as if every circuit in his system pinged. Something was wrong. He didn’t know what it was, but something wasn’t right. The creatures chasing him should have passed by now. Why would they have given up? The fact the other creatures all around him weren’t showing him any interest made him more and more nervous, because it made no sense.

The ambulance started to creep forward slightly, tires crunching a little on the grit of the parking lot, as Ratchet cast out his scanners again, not even aware he was doing it, “looking” around cautiously. Highly tense, he was like a spring about to explode, as he continued moving slowly out of his own little parking lot and across the larger parking area, moving from the building and more towards the road.

If the coast was clear, maybe he’d try to sneak out again, and move somewhere else.

Farther away.

[Ren]

As Ratchet slowly began to move, the MECH soldier rounded the building, only to halt in his footing as- the ambulance was no longer where he was supposed to be. There was a moment of confusion before he spotted his target - watching in dismay as he seemed to be moving back toward the road.

It was now or never.

There were two civilians pulled up at the gas pumps filling their cars, with one other parked in front of the store itself. Their positions were noted, a gentle crunch of combat boots on gravel as he ran forwards to try and get a clearer shot before the ambulance pulled ahead too far. The fact the soldier was carrying something akin to a rocket launcher was odd enough, but the loud, almost deafening bang as it fired would draw any and all attention his way, the two others in the lot immediately throwing themselves down into a crouch behind their vehicles, confusion and panic on their faces.

What fired from the weapon was something similar to what’d initially attached to the ambulance back in Nevada, in that it was a disk-like object. This one was a little bigger, and while it did not have any wires or loose parts, it had a raised center, almost as if housing something internally.

Should the object hit and attach itself to Ratchet? A powerful jolt would surge through him to hopefully stop him in his tracks. While the flatbed truck was still a few miles out, at least Ratchet wouldn’t be going anywhere.

--

Ah, there was the other one.

Even though they had radio contact from the helicopter that lingered above, alerting them to the presence of Autobot backup, the flatbed truck did not have a visual on the red and blue Peterbilt. At least, not until it pulled forwards at speed to close the short distance between them - driving alongside them.

They knew who he was. They knew what he was, and the driver’s expression was one of neutrality as he turned to stare down the holoform that was looking right at him. While the Camaro had gone on ahead in some futile attempt to catch up to the ambulance, the truck was far too large to maneuver with ease, trapping him here on this road for the time being.

The passenger of the truck was talking quickly, an animated conversation as he gestured with both hands - although it was fairly evident he wasn’t talking to the driver at his side.

They kept pace with the Peterbilt for a moment, the driver turning his attention back to the road in front of them before there was sudden movement, a slam, and a shattering of glass as the side mirror was crushed in an instant. They did not have the same mass of the truck beside them, the flatbed of their own vehicle unfortunately empty and so their weight had been lessened, yet they would not go down without some semblance of a fight.

Trying to push back, steering against the impact to try and force Optimus into the median strip - it would do nothing, and any attempt to speed up was quickly proven to be trivial as they were effectively eased off the road and into the outlet ditch.

Frantically they tried to steer their way out of it, but it was no use - the truck toppling down and onto its side with a crash.

While the other drivers had initially backed off to get out of the way of the speeding red and blue truck, they had slowed to a crawl now, watching in horror as the flatbed was rammed off the road for seemingly no reason at all.

The helicopter would stop its forward trajectory, hovering in place above the wreck.

((Attempt to shoot Ratchet was done with permission, thank you!))

[Bumblebee]

Any worry about how much trouble he would be in for pulling across two lanes of traffic quickly dissipated as Bumblebee sped down the ramp, ignoring the angry honking of horns from the cars he cut off in his rush. He knew the MECH truck wouldn’t be able to follow him - at least not quickly - meaning he was effectively free now to catch up to Ratchet.

The worry about Optimus was still there, however - knowing that should something happen to the Prime? It wasn’t like he could get back to him easily. But that danger was also present for him now, too. MECH knew who they were, and should Ratchet have managed to get away? He was now a lone target, and he was quickly driving right toward them.

Unaware that Optimus had tried to comm Ratchet directly only a few moments earlier, Bumblebee would attempt to do the same. Ratchet would hear a strange - but possibly familiar - click of a comm coming to life, followed by a concerned trill of beeps.

::--Ratchet, where are you?--::

[Optimus Prime]

There.

That vehicle would not be going anywhere anytime soon.

Nothing else could be done, however.

After the crash and everything slowed down, Optimus took heed of just how many people were around, there far too many for him to safely remain behind and try to do anything more. With no ability to transform in this area, and only one Holoform that would be against two soldiers, as well as any possible 'heroes' that may try to help the perceived victims if he tried to apprehend one after his show of seemingly unprovoked rage. It would result in more stress and pain than was needed. While capturing MECH personnel would be oh so very valuable, able to hand them over to Fowler for interrogation, the acquisition of the truck would be good enough for now, even if it would gift minimal boons.

Look up the plates, look up registration, follow the trails to the manufacturer even if the numbers were fraudulent to try and find a source... Data on the vehicle itself if anything was modified, or any belongings that may be abandoned if the soldiers made too hasty of a retreat. GPS tools that may have logs still in them, weaponry that wasn't grasped last second...

The soldiers may not have a lot of time to consider all of this, and Optimus hoped that would be the situation here. In a worst case scenario, they would do what they had done to the facility that was raided... make it go up into a ball of flame, yet he hoped such precaution was not installed into the vehicle.

::Bulkhead, contact Agent Fowler. MECH's flatbed is incapacitated and requires intervention::

Choosing to act a moment to help assist Fowler in explaining away the incident, Optimus intentionally wobbled in his drive further down the ramp the moment he swerved back onto the asphalt. He almost tried to mimic a drunk, or a driver that may have had a medical emergency of some kind to validate the assault. Something that could be spun as a heart attack, or other ailment to diffuse any idea of a true hostile individual out on the roads. He would turn underneath the freeway ramp with an awkward bow, almost a listless drift, his side view mirror hanging barely on while bits of glass from it clinked down onto the ground.

His unseen gaze pierced back upon the soldiers as they faded from his immediate vision.

Once he was out of sight from the civilians that witnessed the event ((given how much they had slowed)), Optimus righted himself and straightened out, returning to a more normal drive to follow Bumblebee's trail, ignoring the large abrasions that streaked his side doors. The damage skimmed off bits of clearcoat, and in other areas red, though didn't pierce deeper than that against the reinforced silver metals.

With a twist of the remaining side view mirror, Optimus peered back at the helicopter that had stopped its forward progression, no doubt working to figure out what to do about these current events. While it would not take them long to catch up should they choose, there was some security brought on that it was not directly overhead any longer. There was no saying what kind of weaponry was loaded into it, and no saying how desperate or willing MECH may be to use such things in front of others.

Optimus then spoke on a channel for both Bulkhead and Bumblebee.

::Advise that a MECH helicopter is present::

[Ratchet]

Ratchet continued creeping forward, unaware anything was going on in the area near where he had just vacated. A part of him felt he needed to flee, another part felt as if staying where there were other beings was the best course of action. He didn’t know why he felt this way, and in all honesty, it made no sense. Beings like this had hurt him somehow, certainly tied him down.

Wheels continued to crunch faintly as the ambulance moved.

Suddenly, several things happened all at once.

There was an impact on his backside, near the doors. It felt hard, as if something slapped him there, right on the very corner, near the hinges where the door connected to the rest of the body. At the same time, there was a sudden, stinging sensation, sharp and hot.

Quick on the heels of that, a loud bang from behind him.

Panic welled up inside him again, and his wheels spun, digging in and sending gravel spraying everywhere. All around him, the strange beings made sounds of fear and distress, running or falling to the ground and cringing there.

A sharp pulse rippled through his systems, bio metrics flickering for a second, as the object shot at Ratchet hung crazily from one of the back doors. It hadn’t made a good seal, yet managed to send a painful shock through his system.

Ratchet hurtled forward, aiming towards the entrance of the parking lot, each swerve and turn causing the immobilizer to swing, still emitting small pulses of electricity as it attempted to deliver the punch it was made for.

At that exact moment, there was a voice inside his head. Consisting of pings and trills, he nevertheless managed to hear it,and not only hear it, understand it. Understand the words, and what they meant. For the first time since waking up on the flatbed, Ratchet’s processor was starting to work the way it should, and the words he heard were no longer just random sounds and noises. The words, and their meaning, were grasped.

That didn’t mean he felt any better towards them at this particular moment.

His processor continuing to make connections he wasn’t even aware of, he replied back through the com, his voice thick with fear and anger.

::LEAVE ME ALONE!::

Swerving towards the highway outside the gas station, the ambulance left a long black mark on the pavement, a loud squeal as his tire fought for, and lost, traction. It wobbled for a moment, and then spun around. There were other cars coming into the gas station now, and Ratchet suddenly felt cornered.

With another squeal of tires, the ambulance spun about, and hurtled back across the pavement, moving now towards the back of the parking lot, towards the trees and the ravine that lay beyond it.

Without a thought, the ambulance slammed through the trees, leaving a rather large hole, and started to careen down into the ravine, dragging shrubbery and loose scree with it.

There was a single, auditory WHOOP as the ambulance vanished from sight into the ravine.

[Ren]

While the impact of the device wasn’t a direct hit to the point of being truly effective, it was good enough - and so the lone soldier would retreat back the way he came with hurried movements, keeping himself low. His efforts would hopefully be enough to slow the ambulance down to the point they could recapture him, or at the very least keep an eye on things until further backup arrived.

Quickly getting back into the Mustang, they were ready to give chase - and for a moment it looked like that was about to happen, until the ambulance spun and roared back across the pavement into the parking lot, hurtling down into the wooded area to the surprise of the panicked onlookers.

Frantically, one of the soldiers pulled out his cellphone as the Mustang eased to the back of the parking lot, unable to safely follow the ambulance through the trees into the ravine itself.

--

There was no movement from within the cab of the flatbed truck.

At least, not at first.

But as the Peterbilt moved out of sight, the door facing skyward would push open suddenly, and the two soldiers would quickly scramble out, jumping down with a thud of combat boots onto the dirt and gravel below. They didn’t have time to really think about what the hell had just happened, nor worry about the truck circling back to finish what he started- no, they had to move.

Civilians that’d witnessed the crash had slowed to a stop on the same shoulder, some pulling out their phones to report the incident to the police. They hadn’t managed to catch the plates of the aggressive truck, but they hoped the description and the fact he’d been driving erratically would be enough to track him down.

Some of the more concerned witnesses moved from their vehicles, ready to help the men from the cab and offer any assistance they could until emergency responders arrived- only to be met with confusion as the two occupants began to sprint into the treeline, effectively abandoning their vehicle.

The helicopter eased forwards once more, hovering ominously over Optimus as he drove - before strangely veering off course a moment later, cutting across and heading toward the direction that Bumblebee and Ratchet had gone.

[Bumblebee]

::On it, Optimus!::

Bulkhead’s voice came through loud and clear, not needing to be told twice as clunky fingers frantically inputted the command to get ahold of Fowler and explain the situation as quickly as he could- while keeping an eye on what was going on. Multitasking wasn’t exactly his forte, but damn he was making it work, so utterly focused to the point he hadn’t noticed Miko clamber up his frame to stand on his shoulder and get a front-row seat to what was going on.

It didn’t take him long to reach Fowler, thankfully he actually picked up directly, rather than going through the whole explaining it to three different people shebang. Primus was on their side today- until it wasn’t. Optimus’ voice was heard once more and Bulk’s frame slumped some.

A helicopter… That wasn’t good, and as such he would pass that little tidbit of information to Fowler as well.

You guys got this!.

--

Meanwhile, Bumblebee continued to drive. Quickly veering around someone who was absolutely going at least five under the speed limit, he continued to look for signs of Ratchet, hoping that he was at least on the right track.

His comm clicked to life with Optimus’ voice, and there was a rumbled growl as he sped up.

::--Got it.--::

There wasn’t much he could do about a helicopter, but to know it was there was good, and pushed him forward with urgency. MECH already knew who they were, and until they got Ratchet and bridged safely back to the Omega Base? He knew they’d probably be under some sort of surveillance.

Only- no sooner had he spoke did his comm click to life once more. He’d been expecting Optimus giving another update, or Bulkhead with more directions, but- it was Ratchet actually responding to him.

He sounded scared. Terrified and angry- and Bee didn’t like it.

::--Ratchet, it’s me, Bee! Where are you? Are you okay?--:: while his beeps were still filled with that sense of urgency, they were softer, to try and get some sort of answer from their medic.

Focused on Ratchet’s tone of voice, he drove past the gas station- only to slam on his brakes as he noticed the familiar green vehicle parked at the back of the parking lot. They weren’t moving or doing much of anything - and all Bee could see from here were trees.

Had Ratchet gone through there?

He had to have. The more he looked around, the more he noticed that something was wrong. The humans who were still semi-crouched behind their cars, some who were on their phones, the attendant who was also on their phone inside the building, gesturing wildly to whoever it was and pointing at the MECH vehicle through the window. The black skidmarks that- while they could’ve come from anyone, were too weird not to notice.

Slowly reversing, Bee would swing around and pull into the parking lot. He crept forwards, moving cautiously. He knew MECH could see him should they take one look in their mirrors, but if Ratchet had gone through those trees? He had to follow before they did.

Optimus’ comm would click to life once more.

::--I think I found where Ratchet went! MECH are here- they aren’t following, but I need to get past them to follow Ratchet--:: his beeps were quiet and whisper-like, almost as if he was scared of MECH somehow listening in on what he was saying.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus watched the MECH helicopter warily from his remaining side view mirror and unseen gaze. While it had delayed and hung over the crashed flatbed a short moment previously... more likely than not offering instructions to assist the soldiers in escape and direct on what path to take... now it had crooked over to hover directly above him to keep a bead on his location. This was irritating but expected, due to the fact he had just taken such a reckless action that would have ended with any other Autobot getting reprimanded. What was notable however was when the helicopter veered off course violently.

There was no way MECH was giving up monitoring the situation and departing. There was no way they would opt to cut their losses and scuttle off with their tail between their legs. MECH was still very much involved and had the opportunity to gain back control dependent on their technology and the actions they would take from this point onward. Because of this, their sudden redirect that wasn't in the direction of the flatbed absolutely screamed which way Ratchet and Bumblebee had gone, a clue that one did not need to be particularly astute to figure out.

Shifting lanes, keeping some attention on who was behind him in case a renegade hero who had witnessed the crash was chasing him down... Optimus would turn and began to zero in on the location Bumblebee spoke of.

::Act with caution Bumblebee. I will be there shortly::

Words that needn't be said. Optimus liked to believe there was no way the young Scout would be truly irresponsible and ignore MECH’s threat should past missions speak of his talents... yet it felt right to verbally confirm it, in case this style of panic and unrest spurred on more reckless tendencies. Whatever the case, Optimus would aggressively make his way to the gas station, catching up due to the fact everything around that area had slowed down to a crawling wary standoff.

The large red and blue truck would pull casually into the station as if the driver merely needed to stop off momentarily, seemingly ignorant to what was going on. The false human within turned some to look at the cowering humans on their cellphones, feigning a look of confused concern while creeping back to the rear side of the pumps. It was while doing so he could see Bumblebee at last, though in turn, he also saw MECH who were parked ahead.

Optimus had a momentary flare of anger at this, a want to get a second chance at apprehending two soldiers. Perhaps if he utilized the ravine to the side he could do something to actually land them some additional victory beyond getting Ratchet back. However, the green muscle car was still in line with the civilian's gaze, and he knew better than to make Fowler need to cover up a SECOND brash case of 'road rage'. One was bad enough... though he could validate the first incident with a need to disable their means of transporting a Cybertronian temporarily.

Turning, angling a bit, Optimus would move in the direction of the gas station building itself. His intended goal was to act like he was doing a modest drop-off that didn’t require a full container hitched up, eek himself somewhere where he was only in line of sight of security cameras. Cameras could be scrubbed clean, they could be deleted and removed... but a handful of people witnessing a truck careening off the edge after a crashed ambulance was another.

As Optimus moved past Bumblebee, the Holoform would give a sideways look, a sort of wordless 'follow' as he hooked around.