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Space, Sol system

In the vast emptiness between the planets, the very fabric of space seemed to twist, distorting and rippling as if giant hands had gripped it and begun to mangle its' surface. Had the telescopes of Earth, the closest planet to the distortion, been focused on this particular area, they would have been sure they had discovered a wholly new phenomenon. They would have been right - the fabric of subspace ripped open disgorging the burnt-orange bulk of an Autobot freight shuttle.

"All right! We made it!" exclaimed Blaster, the Autobot communications expert who just happened to be manning the controls of the shuttle. "Eject, get me an exact position, and Earth here we come."

"You got it coach," the cassetobot replied, turning his attention to the navigation console in front of him. "Baseball, Basketball, heck even Nascar, and no time delay... I can't wait."

"Uh guys, you might want to put your celebrations on hold," Rewind interjected. "I'm reading a subspace distortion on our six. Looks like that 'con followed us through."

"How in the name of Jimi's left hand did she manage that?" Blaster demanded, perplexed. "She didn't have a ship, there's no way a 'con plane should be able to generate her own transwarp field." Even as he spoke, Blaster's fingers danced over the controls, bringing the sub-light engines online, then shoving the handle that controlled thrust all the way forward. The freighters engines roared to fiery life and the heavy shuttle surged forward at a speed far beyond manufacturer's recommendations.

"Rewind, get the stealth filters online. We're still under infiltration protocols, we don't want the humans seeing us," Blaster commanded even as exact coordinates appeared on his screen courtesy of Eject's efforts. The Autobot adjusted his course towards the distant blue gem of Earth just as the sleek purple and black form of the Decepticon fighter appeared on his rear monitor.

"She's here and under her own power," Rewind remarked pointing at the screen. "I'm sure there's nothing in the archives about anyone doing that, though there was a professor on Cybertron that was researching such things circa.."

"Not now Rewind," Blaster interrupted. "She's firing at us!"

Lances of pale purple fire shot from the cannons mounted under the wings of the Decepticon jet, raking the rear portions of the Autobot shuttle. The freighter shook under the assault, and though it's armor was no match for the Decepticon's firepower, the sheer mass of the vessel made her attack less deadly than it could have been.

"Autobot shuttle, I am Slipstream! Surrender to me and live!"

"Eat me!" Blaster replied, borrowing an earthly colloquialism that seemed particularly apt, and driving the shuttle into a series of evasive maneuvers that made its' superstructure groan and creak alarmingly. Unfortunately for the Autobots, their shuttle was no match for the speed and maneuverability of the Decepticon on their tail, and her laser fire continued to rip into the rear sections of the ship.

"I have an idea!" Rewind proclaimed, leaping from his chair and racing back into the cargo bay.

Blaster had no idea what the cassetobot had in mind, or how he'd bolster their flagging defenses when suddenly the power output of the shuttle redlined, and acceleration slammed him back into his seat. The freighters engine output went from orange to blue white and flame shot out from the back of the shuttle to four times its normal distance. The burst of rocket fire from the shuttle surprised Slipstream, causing her to pull up, and allowing the shuttle to gain a few seconds lead. A few critical seconds that brought them in range of the Earth natives' primitive scanning devices.

The Decepticon jet let loose with yet another blast from her lasers though her power supply was rapidly reaching critical levels. The Autobots had no way to know that though, and Blaster transmitted desperately on a tight band back at his pursuer. "Stop firing you crazy glitch! The humans will see us, and neither Megatron or Prime want that."

"I'll not let your cargo fall into Autobot hands," Slipstream snarled and consequences be damned, fired off a pair of heat seeking missiles. They streaked unerringly into the thrusters of the freighter, blowing the already damaged engines, and sending the shuttle screaming down through Earth's atmosphere.

As the shuttle ripped across the skies in a display the humans could hardly fail to note, Blaster tried desperately to bring it under control. To no avail. The engines were gone, and the maneuvering jets wouldn't even begin to halt their headlong flight into oblivion. The communications expert sent a quick distress signal to Ark-19 then popped open his chest cavity, allowing Rewind and Eject to transform and merge with him. Then with only seconds to spare, he activated the emergency bounce platform and disappeared from the ailing ship, just before it slammed down into the deep waters of the GULF OF MEXICO.

OOC - Slipstream belongs to Devastron, he was gracious enough to allow me to use her to intro this new story arc.

Above the Earth

Slipstream blinked into existence some distance behind the Autobot shuttle. She’d been fortunate to pick up the coordinates the Autobot was jumping too. The spy had to call in quite a few favors to gain the coordinates of that abandoned ship loaded with real energon. It must have been lost before the Great War had even started. She had planned to claim it for herself and present most of it to Megatron himself. No one would know that she would have her own personal stash safely hidden away. It would be put to good use for the Empire though, keeping her fueled and maybe being used as bribes on those rare occasions when her words weren’t enough to win someone over.

Unfortunately when she had arrived at the coordinates she saw that an Autobot had beat her to it. From all of the yelling on the communication frequencies she quickly found out she was up against the infamous Blaster. How a loud mouthed idiot like him had located this lost energon was a mystery to the femme. He must have gotten lucky and just stumbled on to it. She wasn’t about to let him take all of that energon for himself. Slipstream was so irritated that she had simply started blasting away, not even bothering to use any words this time.

The seeker had taken a chance following Blaster, transwarping to coordinates just behind him. Sure, space was mostly empty but it wasn’t the type of risk she usually took. She was simply so irritated that she wouldn’t be stopped. Unfortunately the trip to Earth had nearly wiped out her fuel reserves. The femme did notice that there was an infiltration group located on this planet though. It meant that any chance for a personal stash was shot to the pit, but at least she could deliver the energon to the base commander and earn a commendation.

Slipstream opened fire on the Autobot vessel once again. Her energy levels were nearing the red line but she had to bring this thing down before it got to an Autobot base. Unfortunately bringing down a big ship like this one wasn’t exactly her forte. Maybe it was time to use words now.

>>"Autobot shuttle, I am Slipstream! Surrender to me and live!"<<

>>"Eat me!"<<

Oh well, she had tried at least. She fired on the shuttle again, her lasers slowly nibbling away at the other vessel. The seeker was going to be happy just doing that until Blaster was forced to give up when the shuttle suddenly lurched forward. “Agggh!” She pulled up as the sudden burst of flame from the ship’s engines nearly singed her. The femme let out a low growl and resumed the chase, but now the Autobot had a bit of a lead. She fired on him again, her energy nearly depleted.

>>"Stop firing you crazy glitch! The humans will see us, and neither Megatron or Prime want that."<<

Slipstream let out a frustrated sigh to herself. Screw infiltration, she wasn’t going to let this idiot beat her. She would just have to talk her way out of any punishment later, and that would be easy with a ship full of energon.

>>"I'll not let your cargo fall into Autobot hands!"<<

With no other tricks left Slipstream let go with both of her missiles. She watched with some satisfaction as they both struck the ship, sending it spiraling down to the vast stretch of water below. Unfortunately she didn’t have the energy to go down there and try and retrieve the energon herself. She was going to have to make her way to the Decepticon base on planet and refuel and report in.

With the last bit of her energy she changed course, activated her stealth systems and sent a signal to the Decepticon base making them aware of the situation.

Somewhere in Mississippi

<SPLASH>

A brief moment of panic struck Blaster as he impacted with water. That wasn't the plan. An emergency bounce was supposed to put the evacuee on land if there was any in range, or uplink with an orbiting ship if that was a possibility. He wasn't sure what part of the process had failed or what he was going to do if he had landed in the middle of an ocean somewhere, but his panicked thoughts were cut short when he impacted with muddy bottom.

Oh this is going to be wonderful for my systems, he thought yanking himself from the muck and clambering to his feet. The water only came up to his chest,so it was only about 20 feet deep, but it was brown, smelled bad, and was likely filled with more micro-organisms than he could count.

>>On average bayou water contains...<<

"Shut up Rewind, I don't want to know," Blaster said aloud, cutting off the cassetobot's thought. The only problem with carrying his symbionts was their internal communications with him could be very distracting, and in a lot of cases about things he didn't want to hear. It was almost like one of the human psychological conditions - schizophrenia, but Blaster at least had the advantage of knowing that the voices in his head were real, and the option to mute them if they got too annoying.

The big Autobot struggled through what appeared to be a fair sized lake, his weight causing him to sink up to his knees in the silt and mud that made up the bottom, until he finally emerged on the shore. He was coated in muck over a large portion of his body, and he could feel it gumming up his works.

"This is just great," he grumbled, "but at least it doesn't look like anyone saw my entrance."

>>That dive definitely wouldn't have scored more than a 3 coach<<

Blaster chuckled a bit at Eject's comment as he scraped what mud he could from his chest and legs. From what he could knew of Earth geography (which was somewhat limited, his main focus had always been on popular culture, especially music, not maps) he was probably somewhere along the United States Gulf coast. The land near the ocean was full of bogs and bayous that could go on for miles. That meant he wasn't likely to run into too many humans out here, but it also meant he had a fair hike to find some transportation since his alternate form wasn't exactly mobile, and with that crazy Decepticon femme still probably flying around somewhere close, it wasn't safe to start transmitting and draw attention to himself. So, no calling base for a ride either.

"Steeljaw, time to earn your keep," he said, popping open his chest cavity, and ejecting an Iphone that transformed in mid-air into a golden lion.

"What do you require Blaster?" Steeljaw inquired, sniffing the air and already beginning to analyze the tremendous amount of information he gleaned from his chemical receptors.

"I need to know the quickest way out of this swamp, and for you to scout ahead for me."

"Of course. I'm picking up a stronger scent of hydrocarbons due east, so there is likely a roadway in that direction." He gestured with his nose to indicate the proper route, then without further comment took off heading that way. Blaster had confidence in Steeljaw's ability to stay out of sight. Of all his symbionts, the lion was the most professional, and would remember the importance of the infiltration protocols. Besides, no one was going to sneak up on Steeljaw, not with that nose.

Knowing that his scout would let him know if any humans got close, in plenty of time to transform and activate his holo-matter avatar anyway, Blaster set off through the bayou towards civilization.

Gulf of Mexico - Deep Water

With a pop of displaced water, Hound appeared in jeep mode above an undersea ridge. He gradually manuvered to the sea floor, using what little aquatic equipment her had. The pressure held his Cybertronian made body like a vice: He could withstand it for now, but it still wouldn't be a good idea to stay here for too long.

The sludge on the seafloor turns to cloud as the Autobots wheels find purchase and propel him along the sea floor. Not very fast, he was no Seaspray, but enough to cover ground, and to cover the search area in an hour or two. Even with the mission being as important as it was, Hound was slightly glad of the leisurely pace: He hadn't really gotten a chance to rest since he arrived back at HQ, and this would be a wonderful oppurtunity to see a part of the planet that the Autobot rarely got a chance to see.

Somewhere in Mississippi

"Okay Rewind, I have a question," Blaster said. As he made his slow progress through what could only be called a swamp, the Autobot had nothing to do but thing, and there was something that had been nagging at him since their rollercoaster ride of a shuttle flight into Earth orbit.

<<Yes?>>

"What exactly did you do to the shuttle to send us rocketing forward like that? I'd have sworn there was no way to get that much power out of the engines."

<<Oh that... I simply added some of the energon we were carrying to the fuel mix. One may increase the RPMs of earthly diesel engines by adding whiskey to the fuel mix. I extrapolated that since our current fuel systems were adapted for lesser fuel sources, adding pure energon to the mix would increase our power output.>>

"So you had no idea if it would work..." Blaster began, then started to laugh. Basically he could have either gotten angry at the risk, or choose to appreciate it. He opted for the latter.

"Well at least things are never dull," he commented, and marched on.

Gulf of Mexico - Deep Water

Long minutes passed as Hound pushed his way through the waters, seeking any sign of his goal. This environment, more than any other on this unusual planet, was alien to him, the very idea of so much liquid in one place being mind boggling. Even the Rust Sea of central Cybertron had been nothing like this. And yet, like the rest of Earth, Hound found himself liking it. The fish, the plants, the swirls of dust disturbed by his wheel, and most of all, the sound of the deep ocean, it all added to make a unique experience, one Hound hoped he could see again sometime, possibly with better equipment.

The scout was skirting around a large patch of sea-weed when his sensors finally picked something up. Heading forward, Hound could just about pick out a large metallic shape, resting halfway down a slope which led to a trench. Not only was the design unlike any earth vehicle, Hounds sensors could pick up the faintest whiff of something familiar in the water: Energon.

>>This is Hound to Autobot HQ. I've located the vessel, sending co-ordinates now. Be adviced, its not in the safest of location, and there might be Energon leakage.<<

Somewhere in Mississippi

Blaster was still knee deep in the bogs when he picked up Hex's transmission. The question of course was - is it safe to answer? Unless that psycho femme seeker stayed well out of range, Blaster was fairly confident he could take her. He was a match for any of the seeker core in a stand up fight, not to mention he had built-in back-up. Besides, now that he'd had a few cycles to think about it he was sure he could disguise any transmission he made in all the native radio clutter.

The communications specialist was right in the middle of scanning the local frequencies for a suitable signal to piggyback when he was interrupted by a signal from Steeljaw.

>>You'd better transform and activate your holo-matter avatar Blaster. You have humans incoming. Judging from the smell there are at least 6 of them, and they have all been consuming some sort of ethyl alcohol distillate.<<

"Great, just what I need - a bunch of liquored up rednecks out looking for the UFO," Blaster grumbled as he made his way to dry land and activated his transformation sequence. It was, as always, a bit disconcerting shunting a large portion of his mass into subspace, but at least this time he had a full tank of the good stuff (he'd had to sample the energon after all), and he could afford the energy drain repeatedly without any risk to himself or his symbionts. Within seconds, where once had stood a 30+ foot robot, now there was a rather rough looking, tattooed guy holding a large Ipod dock shaped like an old boom box. Blaster's avatar then hefted the radio to his shoulder and slogged off towards the trees.

"Keep an eye on them Steeljaw, but stay out of sight. I have to get in touch with Hex," he transmitted, then went back to work searching for an appropriate signal. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, and soon he was sending a message back to the Ark.


Gulf of Mexico - Deep Water


A silvery light lanced from the sky into the depths of the ocean. When the light faded, Ironhide and several other Autobots appeared in the water. As soon as the disorientation from the Bounce faded, the old warhorse began issuing orders.

"Hound, Hardhead yer our perimeter. Find some good cover and give us some protection. Blackstrike, ah want you to head up to the surface and get in the air - keep an eye out for incoming 'cons. If they fly in or bounce in, you'll spot 'em coming, but don't you dare engage. They'll outnumber you up there, so you just spot 'em, report in, and fall back here with the rest of us. No heroics! Brawn, Smokey - get down in that ship and lemme know what the energon looks like and how tough you think it'll be to get it outta there. Wish it was in a better spot, but we'll work with what we got. Ah'll be floatin' here to coordinate things and get the rest of 'em movin' as they get here."

Gulf of Mexico-Deep Water

Prowl and brawn found themselves no longer in the Ark, but now on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, with the advance unit.

Prowl briefly examined the openness of the watery area before Ironhide gave out his orders. He proceeded to walk, but found he could not move as fast. Additionally there was a pressing feeling he experienced from the water pressure. He had expeienced such environment sbefore when away from Cyebrtron on survey missions, so this was nothing new to him.

Still, he needed to ensure that the jamming arrays were up and running.

"Ironhide, I'll go on ahead with Smokescreen and Brawn and examine the energon. However, I need some assistance in setting up these jamming arrays. I'll place the central one at the ship. But we need each of the others set up at a half kilometer radius from the ship." he explained. "Once activated, we'll cut off the Decepticons frequencies and they won't be able to coordinate unless up close."

Originally, Prowl had the arrays sey up further out, but given the time constraint they had, he needed to modify his plan. However, they had numeorus advantages in the water. Flight would not be an option to their enemies this time, additonally, no flamethrowers or missiles, aside torpedos and mines.

"Each of us takes one to a coordinate I'm giving each of you, digs a hole, activates it, drops it, burys it, and resumes their assignment. We should have enough of us to do this quickly." he continued.

"Hey whatever Prowl." Brawn spoke up, taking and array in hand. "Just give me a spot close by and I'll take care of it. I'll say this though, we'd best hope those Decepticons take their time. As a matter of fact, let's hope they fly here."

Brawn knew if it was Megatron leading, they'd bounce, but if it was Starscream, in typical seeker fashion, they'd take the long way out of a sense of pride as flyers. He'd like to give Megatron a reason to give Starscream a much-deserved thrashing for not being fast enough.

Gulf of Mexico – Deep Water

A shard of brilliant light shot down from the clouds and penetrated the calm surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The bright shaft dove deep into the murky waters until it struck the seabed where Smokescreen, Hardhead and the rest of their Autobot comrades materialized near the downed spacecraft. The diversionary tactician took a step forward through the mud and sand as he looked around to get a bearing on his surroundings. Hardhead, on the other hand, simply remained still as the muck slowly began to envelop his ankle joints. There were no signs yet of any Decepticon intruders, but that would surely not last for very long.

Both mechs listened closely as Ironhide gave out his orders. Hardhead nodded and turned to the green scout standing nearby. “Okay, Hound, you take that side of the ship and I’ll take the other.” Without another word, the seasoned veteran turned and made his way towards the far side of the ship. Trudging through the watery depths was a bit of a chore, but it didn’t faze a big strong mech like Hardhead. He barely noticed the added resistance as he walked along the gulf floor. He soon found some cover behind a large coral reef where he knelt down and readied his shatterblasters for the eventual confrontation.

Meanwhile, once Ironhide had finished giving out his orders, Smokescreen then listened to Prowl’s instructions on how to set up the individual arrays. “Doesn’t sound too hard. Here’s the central array for you to place on the ship, Prowl,” Smokey said as he set the container he had been carrying down next to the military strategist. The diversion expert then took one of the smaller jamming devices and started plodding towards his designated coordinate.

Gulf of Mexico - Deep Water

Blackstrike felt really uncomfortable, he wasn't used to this much water, he wasn't able to move freely, it was really annoying him. "Yeah sure, from the space this water looks so beautiful, but it's really annoying, I had to get out of the water as soon as I can." The black mech then noticed the other 'bots that had appeared next to him. They were all ready to kick some 'con aftess, and he could understand their excitement, he was looking to test the new maneuver he learned.

"Hey, Smokey!!! Be careful, remember we had to take an energon drink after this." The engineer listened carefully as Ironhide gave his orders. "Understood Sir, but I don't make any promises, I'll try to avoid combat, but if a 'con shoots at me....... well, it's not going to be a good day for him." After responding to Ironhide, 'Strike jumped and transformed in mid air into his Blackbird form and flew to the air patrolling the sky. "I have to be alert, in any minute the 'cons could appear, I cannot let my guard down."