[ti]Ep 3[/ti]Field Day [Wheeljack, Windshield]

[Prowl]

Week Two, Day One

Southern Nevada…

He had to give it to the humans, this part of the planet seemed to be the perfect place to hide a government secret. A barren, desolate place almost the same as the Sea of Rust back on Cybertron. Nobody in their right mind would choose to come out here if they didn’t have to.

Prowl was currently parked alongside one of the main routes in the southern portion of what he had learned was the state of Nevada in the United States of America, the country on Earth that was sheltering the Autobots. He had his holo-matter avatar activated, seeming to be doing something on his alt-mode’s computer terminal inside the vehicle.

He had done his research into what it seemed most law enforcement did on this planet, since he had ended up choosing a law enforcement automobile as his vehicle mode. Optimus Prime’s standing order was to have the troops under his command be undercover or “robots in disguise”. A trick that was easy to pull off for the Cybertronians due to their unique biology.

It had been a week since he had arrived on the planet, and he was less than pleased with the total results. While a few individuals he had respect for had managed to find there way here, the majority of Prime’s forces were wildcards, and if there was one thing he hated it was wildcards.

But he could work with that, so right now he was taking some time to get a feel of land. If he had an idea of what he was up against he could formulate a strategy to survive.

[Windshield]

Wildcards didn't even begin to describe Prowl's company-to-be. A former Decepticon and a maverick Wrecker was just the start of what one could say about Windshield and Wheeljack respectively. And speaking of Windshield...

---

The black Mustang dashed violently across the road. It was a powerful car with a powerful engine and everybody around could hear that. Fortunately, there wasn't anybody around. And why fortunately then? Because the speed limit might've as well been a suggestion in this case. Windshield knew he could get away with speeding here, barren as the road was. After all, rules only mean something when there are others to see you break them.

And there was not a single living soul to object Windshield's disregard...Well, that is until the black-coated Autobot took a turn and noticed a very conspicuous police vehicle standing still in the distance, tucked away all by itself.

Oh joy.

Windshield's engine slowly silenced its roar as Prowl grew from a dot to an ant and eventually a full-fledged car. He then swerved from the main road and parked himself right next to Mr. Protocol like it was nobody's businesses. After that, Windshield pulled down his tinted window—very slowly for extra dramatic points—to reveal a holoform of his own.

A pasty-looking brunet in a leather getup stared at Prowl's holoform with a grave face. His hair was stringy and slicked-back. But otherwise, as far as humans went, this was a pretty solid disguise in spite of its eccentricity.

"Prowl, I assume." Windshield's avatar raised an exasperated brow. It wasn't that long ago a cop totally obliterated half his face. To see that the most annoying person to ever arrive on Earth decided to parade as one of them—Well, it wasn't exactly reassuring. But hey, at least Carbine had a nice, comfortable cell to himself now. That was a win if nothing else.

Now they just had to wait for the second liability to show his face.

[Deleted]

     Two participants had arrived, and it wouldn't be soon after Windshield parked that the third would make his presence known. The roar of an engine sounded in the distance and a deep rumble carried through the ground as the low reverberations pounded into the roadway. It could have been that it was merely a passerby who was looking for an open road to warm up the tires on and take his expensive ride for a spin, as was typically for the high rollers of Nevada and the neighboring California who sought out some desolation to speed around in their fancy rides with the six digit figures.

     The sound increased, indicating a quick approach and soon enough the figure appeared from around the bend. The white vehicle with the trademark green and red stripes from fender to fender was none other than the mech who the Enforcer had the run in with not long prior to this. To all involved, as well as the poor Bots at base, hopefully this second encounter would go smoother, which it may since now it was all business rather than a clash of ideologies. It would just depend on how Prowl managed this 'business' to see how much fussing was involved with it. 

     The 'suggestion' that it would be a good idea for him to join on this little outing had been delicately smacked in his face like a metal pipe, so here he was. Good thing for them, Wheeljack was more about getting the job done than the company he kept, which was the only reason why he even agreed to this with far less kicking and screaming than would have been the norm. That didn't mean he was going to be without his snarky, smart-alec remarks. That was one of his specialties, after all. It wouldn't be Wheeljack if he didn't turn up the charm. If one appreciated the charm of a porcupine.

     Wheeljack wouldn't keep them waiting. At least not as long as one would have expected from him, considering who he was about to be joining. He would take grudges to the grave with him, and Prowl was just another tick on his checklist. 

     Again... this was business. 

     Once the road took him to where the two were, Wheeljack slowed and turned off the main highway to slowly pull up to where they were waiting. He didn't get close and didn't pull alongside them, but rather just catercorner from them where he parked and waited. There was no greeting to be given, and he didn't bother to roll down his windows to show off any holoform. He just wanted the run down of the mission they were on so it could be started. 

     The quicker, the better.

     :: Well, Chief. Care to share the details of this little outing since I know we aren't out here to sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya? ::

[Prowl]

What he wanted was a fully armed, highly disciplined armed response team of the Elite Guard. What he had was an escaped Decepticon convict and a renegade Wrecker…

Vector Sigma…

Prowl heard the engine before he saw the black mustang tear down the road, apparently Windshield like many other Autobots did not understand the idea of ‘robots in disguise’. As Windshield rolled down his windows and the holoform looked over at his, Prowl’s holoform, a clean shaven and trimmed up police officer turned and looked back at him with a disinterested, almost disappointed facial expression.

“Windshield.”

He had read the report on what had happened between Carbine and Windshield and had concluded that both of them were idiots. Despite being essentially egged on, Carbine should have known better than to lose his cool like that. Enforcers had a standard to maintain, even with Cybertron dark.

That made this next addition to their team even more essential, despite Prowl’s personal reservations. The last encounter he had with Wheeljack had been…personally disappointing. He had allowed himself to be egged on by the Wrecker and had almost come to blows if it weren’t for the intervention of Patch, one of the newer medics.

As Wheeljack could be heard making his way towards them, Prowl let out a sigh as he prepared himself. There was no time to be involved in petty disputes here. They had to work together to survive. Not only were the Decepticons here, but some of the native population were intent of butchering them to understand Cybertronian secrets.

Prowl suspected MECH was still active in the area known as ‘Nevada’ since the incident involving the Decepticon Arachnid and Arcee. Just like how it was the perfect place to hide Omega One, it could serve to hide anyone with a good lay of the land and the skills to survive. As such, he wanted to take a patrol out to investigate one area he had suspected of activity lately.

With Wheeljack rolling up alongside, his holoform turned it’s head to look over at the Wrecker as well.

“We’re investigating the possibility of MECH activity about twenty klicks west of here. You two were the closest back-up currently available. Any questions?”

Quick, straight, and to the point. Typical Prowl.

[Windshield]

"Windshield."

"Yes. That's my name," he flatly replied as his black-tinted windows rolled up to hide the holoform once more. It didn't take long before Wheeljack arrived on the scene to ask the important questions. Prowl's brief answer to them sufficed for now as far as Windshield was concerned. He had no business making demands or questioning orders after what happened with Carbine. Really, he could be glad that they let him off the hook. Not that sharing company with Prowl and Wheeljack was any different from a genuine prison. He didn't know that much about them but some bots had a reputation. While Windshield was fortunate enough to avoid having one, the same could not be said about either of his present company.

Any questions?

"Nah, let's roll. Unless il Tricolore over there got a problem with that."

Windshield idled by the road, ready to leave given the notice. Not that he particularly needed Prowl to boss him around. He was plenty independent and probably more than capable of investigating potential MECH activity himself! Otherwise, Optimus wouldn't have entrusted him with the task. It wasn't like the cop messed around with his affairs, no, no, no! He totally didn't feel like somebody was invading his territory out of falsely-assumed superiority. Ridiculous!

But even if Windshield had been made to feel incompetent by Prowl's interest in MECH, he had to play his cards carefully. Wasn't that long ago Ratchet discharged him from the medbay. Returning there wasn't a prospect he wanted to pursue. From what he understood, these craven humans were no joke and it felt good to know someone had his back...Even if it was the fuzz...and a Wrecker.

God, he was screwed.

[Deleted]

     Tricore? Oh boy, for a Decepticon deserter to be trying with nicknames or jokes wasn’t a good idea. Poking at a porcupine was a bad idea, but, then again- Wheeljack had yet to meet a Decepticon who came up with a good one. Guess it was just common for them to be full of hot air but not much brainpower.

     :: Careful, 'Con. I may forget that you're tryin' to pitch for my team now and slip on the trigger. ::

     Wheeljack didn’t trust many, as was his normal to keep everyone at arms length until they proved they were worth the effort of working on a comradery. The fact that there was a Decepticon among them made him not only question why that was being allowed, but also what off-world planet their supposed fearless leader was on. As far as he was concerned, everyone picked their sides during the war and cemented their loyalty to their brand through the actions they carried out. Wheleljack didn't believe for a second that he had come around to correct the error of his ways and decided to play the Good Buy. Megatron may have been stupid to put Starscream within reach of taking over the Decepticon rule at any given moment, but he certainly wasn’t foolish enough to allow someone who didn’t prove their metal in one way or another close to the fold. That alone was enough to make Wheeljack more than a little apprehensive in allowing his optics to be off him for even the slightest moment, especially when on a mission. That was probably one of the only things he and Prowl would have ever agreed on, at least. Windshield was alive this long only by the grace of whatever power he answered to.

     The Wrecker was more than willing to send him back to that maker should he even give the hint of trouble, and he certainly wouldn’t shed a tear over it, either. 

     For now he would sit and wait and be mindful to watch his six.

[Prowl]

“If you two primadonna’s are done trading barbs, we have a mission to complete.”

Prowl’s holoform would give the two a glare before returning his gaze forward and starting his engine. The lead they had was circumstantial at best, but it was the best lead they had in a long time. If Prowl could get a leg up on MECH, it could be the lead he needed to take the terrorist group off the board for good.

And if Prowl was going to format the strategy to defeat the Decepticons here, like Prime was undoubtedly expecting, he needed to have a clean board. If MECH was allowed to continue harassing the Autobots like scraplets, they could throw a major wrench into Prowl’s plans. He’d been building a case against them he intended to take to Prime eventually calling for their extermination, but first he needed the evidence to win Prime over.

Prowl then eased forward to get onto the roadway proper before taking off down the road. One thing did unsettle his mind though. Wheeljack, as much as he hated to admit it, was right in one thing. What if Windshield forgot what side he really was on now, or had been playing them for fools all along. Perfect opportunity to take out two key Autobots and have no one be the wiser...with that he made a judgement call.

“Windshield, take point. Wheeljack, rear security. Maintain spacing of at least fifty meters.”

That should give the illusion that the three of them were not associated, at least to the causal observer. To them, they would just appear to be three cars on the road, headed in the same direction for whatever reason. But it would still give them enough distance to maintain visual contact and mutual support if they ran into trouble.

That’s why Prowl was still alive. He always expected everything to be a trap, everything to be trouble.

[Windshield]

"Short fuse, huh?" He grumbled in Wheeljack's direction before Prowl was quick to defuse the argument with a well-placed interjection and an order. That was smart, Windshield had to confess. Though Wheeljack could still be trouble if he had as little respect for Prowl as he did for Windshield. One never knew, especially not with a Wrecker. Dangerous sort, the lot of them. Stronger than they look and about twice as reckless.

What he did know was exactly why he had to drive in front.

Prowl didn't trust him to play fair.

Reasonable, given his past. Oh, well. It was high time he dispelled some preconceived notions about former Decepticons anyway. With that in mind, Windshield went ahead according to plan, passing Prowl as they entered the road and making sure to keep his distance. He didn't blame the officer for making such a call. In fact, had he been in Prowl's place, he would have done the same. And had they been on better terms, he would even applaud the tuxedo Autobot. It was a very prudent precaution.

But it also revealed a fundamental character flaw: mistrust. Whereas Optimus tried to give people a better part of his faith, Prowl seemed to act in complete contradiction to that. Windshield could also think of it as a strength but he knew Autobots operated, in general, on a different system of values than his old team. In such thought, his mind couldn't help but wonder how many times that caused issues...

...And how many times it still might.

Delicious food for thought, truly. Something to keep his brain from idling on the road.

[Deleted]

     Wheeljack would have thrown out a counter snip to the Con, but it was as if Prowl could somehow predict the Wecker was about to have the last word and rained on his parade. That was certainly enough to spark a bit of annoyance with him, but there would be plenty of time for quips later on. For now he would just let the orders be given and let Prowl think he was in charge of them so they could get on with it. Play the game until it was time to show all the cards.

     Then there was something else said to make Wheeljack question what in the heck was going on in Prowl's processor.

     Did Shades just...

     Rear security?

     Wheeljack scowled at that order. He wasn't afraid to take point, even if he knew you didn't turn your back on a Decepticon unless you wanted a knife dug into it at first chance, just as he didn't have a doubt in his mind that he could handle himself if the Con decided he wanted to show his true colors and flash the purple insignia again. Nothing like a report back saying you'd taken out one of the Wrecker founders and the Autobot's chief strategist to get back in Megatron's good graces. Still, this was not his mission and he'd fall back and do as he was 'told', even if he thought this was a bad idea. After all, the Enforcer was supposed to be the best member of the planning commission the Autobots had, so if he thought this would work who was he to argue? The old Wecker would just be there to clean up the mess if something went bottoms up, just as per usual. 

     He remained parked, watching Windshield as the Con pulled away from them to take to the open highway. Wheeljack couldn't pull off until Prowl followed suit behind Windshield so for now he would just have to wait. 

     Patiently. That was definitely not a word in his dictionary. Sadly, it seemed that he would have to figure out what that word was and how to act on it if he was going to get himself through this mission without tossing someone's body into a ditch somewhere.

[Prowl]

Prowl let Windshield get ahead of him by fifty meters before accelerating forward, not looking back to see if Wheeljack was going to follow behind.

As he began to cruise down the road, he mentally pressed his lips together in thought. In his opinion, Optimus Prime had always been too trusting in his opinion, never stopping to seriously consider the ramifications of what traitors and defectors could be. The best way to slip in an enemy agent was to make your opponent think they were a friend, and what better than a Decepticon who led them to an energon mine.

While this thinking made Prowl few friends or admirers like Prime, it meant that he was rarely, if ever surprised about this when it happened and he was able to react appropriately when they showed their true colors. It didn’t help that Prowl had been betrayed before by one he had considered a friend.

His other problem was the one he assigned to rear security. At least that problem was least likely to stab him in the back, unless that infiltrator decided to make another go at impersonating the Wrecker. Probability of that was very low though, but still possibly. But Prime kept Prowl around because he was able to manage risks.

Despite what others might think, he wasn’t kept around for his winning personality.

[Windshield]

Windshield continued to drive towards the objective, passing a few cars along the way. For now, their little mission seemed to be delightfully uneventful. No suspicious vehicles or Decepticon airstrikes. He could get used to this. But things started getting dull pretty soon. And to ease any hints of boredom, Windshield took the liberty of playing some music. Over his three months on the planet, he managed to get his hands on quite the repertoire. Though the Autobot enjoyed many genres, he vastly preferred various types of rock music.

One of his favorites was The Passenger from the Lust for Life album. Felt like good music for the moment, in any case. Windshield was sure Prowl would disagree with his choices but a gap of fifty meters turned every sound into indistinct noise, and so there was nobody to reprimand him over his tastes or the actual volume of the song. (Which probably scared the living crap out of every human driver they passed.)

[Deleted]

     Wheeljack remained in idle as Windshield pulled off, then Prowl to follow soon after- waiting his turn as the one banished to the back of the line. He didn't like that he had been instructed to bring up the rear when he much more rather be the one to charge in with guns blazing. That was him being the last to arrive to the party, and the fact that it wasn't his choice but rather one of the mechs who he could stand the least out of all of them residing in the base ran his tires bald. 

     It made more sense to him to have the Con between them, where the pointmech could keep scans rolling for enemies, and the rear could make sure that they weren't shot in the back. For all they knew Windshield could be playing them all for stupid and earning their trust until the opportune moment to strike. He could have been leading them into an ambush right at this moment and taking out two of the Autobot's team would be down with only the Con's word about what happened. That was the only reason why Wheeljack pulled out when he was about fifty meters distance, revving his engine as he pulled back onto the road after the earth based police cruiser.

     Prowl may have made a mistake about the placement, and if something happened he definitely would never let him live it down. For now he had to carry out his instructions and just see what happened.

     Windshield could prove to be trouble later one, or he could have just been a rare breed of Decepticon who had really- honestly and truly- decided to have a change of spark, but he definitely didn't believe it and wouldn't dare let his walls down even the slightest. It would take some major programming in Wheeljack's processor for him to believe anything than what he found to be pure fact. Infiltration- that's what those two-timers were all about. They hadn't won anything in a while so why not try to spread an infection from the inside out? 

     Furthering his irritation at this entire set up was the fact that he could feel the pulsing of the music from a hundred meters ahead. His scanners could still work since he was on the outskirts of the noise, but there was still enough there to cause minor interference. 

     :: Shades. Ya may wanna tell the beat box to turn it down some. :: he sent over the private channel with Prowl. He didn't like that he had to talk to the Enforcer, but right now he had to put at least a few differences aside so they could make sure they survived. :: For all we know he could be leading us to a private party and we end up pissing off the guests because we weren't invited. ::

[Zercon]

Desolate roads could only lead so far, the distant shapes of buildings starting to make themselves more and more visible. The simple two lane highway that streaked into the vacant desert, started to gain more lanes while additional human vehicles made an appearance. A pickup truck carrying paint with white splattered ladders, a van hauling a family for some trip... they simply went about their day per usual, save for when the black mustang ripped past with its excessive music absolutely booming. A couple drivers looked over, not particularly impressed at the rumble that could be felt in their seats.

It all seemed normal, additional sporadic cars pulling off and on occasionally, until a side road came up on the right where three vehicles were parked on the shoulder out of the way. Black and purple muscle cars, their exact model was not readily apparent, passing off as any other vehicle that only a particular type of individual well versed would notice fault. They didn't seem like they were intent to go anywhere any time soon, almost looking temporarily abandoned as a haze of red dust skirted across the paint to matte and dull it down. It was as if they had been placed there some time ago and merely forgotten.

Whether or not Windshield and Prowl passed was inconsequential. The trio did not move, or show any sign of giving them interest. No turn of the wheel, no shift of weight across their suspension... the two Cybertronian were not treated any different than any of the other human vehicles that happened to pass. Yet... that was only because of one particularly specific fact.

They did not recognize their Alt Modes.

Wheeljack however...

Police colors, black cars, they could blend together. While a high-end unique sports car rocking a trio of colors easily recognizable and logged after a particularly explosive event upon the Nemesis? Oh. He was recognized in an instant before his shape could fully blot into formation, and it was once Wheeljack was confirmed completely that the first of the trio seemed to move.

A rumbled growl sounded out, an engine that had been on a low idle snarling active with little additional prompting. Wheels ground down a moment, rolling alongside the flow of traffic to look for the best opportunity with a blinker signal going, before tires scraped hard against gravel atop asphalt. Rubber bit down a fleeting second after to burst and accelerate with a brief squeal, merging cleanly into the flow of sparce traffic in front of where Wheeljack appeared to be going. The purple and black muscle car didn't seem to pay heed to Windshield or Prowl, only noting Prowl enough to mind traffic laws and make the merge onto the street as smooth as possible.

It continued along, watching.

The other two hung back, waiting to see if Wheeljack continued down the highway, or if he attempted to veer off course. They knew a confrontation out here with spectators would be... oh so very unwise...

And they counted on it.

[Prowl]

“Shades. Ya may wanna tell the beat box to turn it down some. For all we know he could be leading us to a private party and we end up pissing off the guests because we weren't invited.”

Prowl had to admit the Wrecker had a point, though a weak one at that. The enforcer had not informed Windshield of their direction of travel until the three of them had met up in person, though perhaps he had commed Decepticon headquarters as they had started rolling down the highway and they were setting up an ambush right at this moment. And that music would be interfering with scanners.

Well no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.

::”Take point then, we’ll put Windshield in...the...center...”::

Coming up as he passed by, Prowl would have known that paint job anywhere, but the fact that the alternate mode matched up with the known alternate mode of the Vehicon ground troopers stationed on this planet was all the confirmation he’d need. And as he passed by the three of them one of them seemed to pull out and hang behind him while the other two waited, probably for Wheeljack. Analysis?

Seems they had only recognized Wheeljack, since it appears that they were attempting to box the Wrecker in. Prowl accessed his memory as he tried to remember...Windshield had received his alternate mode with Optimus Prime, and unless Red Alert had become really bad at his job lately the Cons would have no idea that he was on planet either. Unless Windshield had led them here and there were more of them waiting down the line...no time for that. Prowl’s mind was thrown into overdrive.

::”Wheeljack, Windshield close up to twenty five meters spacing. It seems we have company. Wheeljack, it seems that they have identified you but not myself and Windshield. Therefore, we will maintain cover until we are in a secure location. Turn off at the next exit.”
::
Prowl kept his rear view fixed on the one behind him, hoping to Primus that Wheeljack did not do anything rash at the moment.

[Windshield]

The three Autobots were treading dangerous waters now. Not that any of the passing humans would notice aught amiss. Vehicon troopers, disguised as ordinary vehicles, though instantly recognizable to any who clashed with them on Earth. The tension here was invisible to an outside observer. However, it was no less real for it.

In such a prelude to violence, Windshield behaved surprisingly well. The moment he so much as caught a glint of the enemy, his noisy song died down. Not that it was particularly necessary. Something Wheeljack had forgotten about humans is that they tend to quite like music. Out here, the only thing out of the ordinary was, ironically, himself.

But they could bemoan their differences later. Though not exactly a team player, Windshield followed orders when given. He slowed down, making sure to do so inconspicuously and gradually. In the end, the result would be the same. His and Prowl's gap shrunk considerably, making ready for Wheeljack to pull ahead as needed.

Indeed, had Windshield been as dangerous or malicious as Prowl liked to consider, now would be the perfect opportunity to strike. Betray one's new loyalty to curry favor with ancient allies. But nothing like that occurred. Instead, Windshield was perfectly content to work with the other Autobots. There were no signs of deception or ulterior motive. Though that didn't account for much when his companions were hellbent on finding fault with every slight action, every word spoken. Such lack of trust was almost as dangerous as the enemies in tow.

::Bad Company at that, huh?:: Windshield responded to Prowl and Wheeljack over comms with a dry chuckle. At a much lower volume than before, the black Autobot's stereo crackled to life again. And, of course, in insufferable Windshield fashion, the song playing now was Bad Company...