:Ugh,: came the disgusted grunting of a red sports car, :and you're telling me that we have no choice but to follow this stupid pull on our sparks?:

         :Yes. If we feel it, then Optimus feels it. You should just be glad you found me and not someone with a grudge against you.: 

     The two vehicles turned to follow said receding pull. The clouds were heavy so they couldn't see exactly what was causing it to ebb and grow as it was. There were no life signatures other than the usual human ones, though they were sparse on the long highway.

         :Only because you never had the pleasure of racing me.: The mech's silky chuckle would have made the other roll his optics. :Tell me, what would you have felt staring at my taillights? The view is probably as fabulous as my faceplates, but other's opinions are usually different and absolutely preposterous.:

         :The only reason I would have had a grudge against you is if you cheated in a race.: The sky-blue sports car of some unknown model chuckled in return. :Because that's the only way you would have won.:

         :You're such a riot!: The darker colored mech guffawed. :Maybe I'll stay with the Autobots just because I like your wit, Blurr.:

         :If that's the only reason then I'll make sure to recharge with one optic open. You're still not that trustworthy, Knockout.:

     Knockout made an offended noise, despite knowing it was true. He had defected to the Autobots when he was abandoned by Megatron himself in favor for an idiotic relic hidden on Velocitron. However, the pompous mech was also known for switching to the winning side when he felt like it. Upon hearing of Megatron's demise, he defected to the Autobots once more. His usual excuse was he sided with the bots who were the least likely to send him on any paint-scratching missions. 

         :Allegiances aside,: Blurr interrupted one of Knockout's usual laments about the road conditions as the red vehicle hit another pothole, :have you been able to contact any of the Autobots?:

         :To be frank, I can't even get ahold of the Decepticons, which I have tried just for the sake of finding out if I'm blocked on both frequencies. Turns out, my comm is just busted.: He found a new lament, but Blurr didn't let the mech continue.

         :Mine is too. Probably from our rough landings.:

     The two continued on, unknowing of the Decepticons ahead. Knockout fretted about the incoming rainstorm as thunder rolled above them, but Blurr was a little less troubled as he spied a police car ahead of them. He brought Knockout's attention to it, who merely huffed and said they could out-run the human any day. Neither realized it was Barricade, or that Starscream was practically hovering above them.

     Both 'Cons held peak Decepticon cloaking technology, so they only let others detect them if they wanted to be detected. Barricade knew that once they passed him by, the two would recognize him, however. Velocitronians were fast, but they were observant. They had to be or else they risked crashing, and both these Autobots would definitely spy his insignia on his doors. It wouldn't be the first time he had run into Velocitronians, but he hated the occasional mishap the more he did. Starscream didn't share the same disdain but would hate them nonetheless if only because of their allegiance.

         :Incoming.: Starscream warned only a few seconds before the duo passed by.

     Barricade halted the minute the other two did, their wheels screeching on the unkept road at their speeds and sudden stop. They transformed, the road being empty, so Barricade did so as well. 

         "Didn't think I'd see you in a place like this." The interrogator chuckled, leaning on a telephone pole and making it creak. "Knockout, how far you've fallen."

         "Barricade." The red mech greeted nonchalantly. "As dingy as ever, I see. How long has it been since you took an oil bath? You need it."

         "What are you doing here?" Blurr spoke quickly, a string of words like a toddler high on sweets. It took a moment for Barricade to process what he said.

         "Same as you, I suppose."

         "You're far too laid back. What's going on?" Knockout examined the mech he once knew to be trigger happy and always on guard. He remembered a lot of yelling and irritability, though he knew he was capable of being nonchalant as well. 

         "Like I'd tell a traitor and his Autobot youngling-sitter." 

         "Said the one who can throw the biggest tantrums of us all." Came a pointed accusation with a digit to match.

     Barricade only sneered. 

         "What you two are running after has already been captured, so stay out of my way." 

         "You mean that?" Blurr smirked with a mischievous twinkle in his bright blue optics before pointing up and transforming his servo into a speed blaster, firing several shots into the sky. Starscream hollered from above before crashing down in a transformed heap. 

     The Air Commander glared at the two who smirked at him, noting Barricade rolling his optics. He didn't like being made a fool of, and this was the last straw. He had been talking to Marissa again and somehow missed a thin patch of cloud ahead of him. As a result, Blur caught sight of him and expertly calculated where the Seeker would be next. The three shots fired into the air clipped his wing, enough to ground him until the wiring was repaired but it wouldn't stop him from fighting the two speedsters.

         The mech glared at the others as he stood, holding Marissa in his palm. 

     The woman tilted her head curiously at the two newcomers. She could tell they were Autobots just by the tense atmosphere, and, of course, the separate insignia on the blue one's chest plating. They were both smaller than the two Decepticons, but that only helped their advantage of speed since they were faster than Barricade (which Marissa thought impossible considering she saw him pass 300 MPH on a long stretch of highway already). 

         "Who are they?" She decided to ask, startling the two Transformers between her guardians. 

         "A human? You willingly abducted a human?" Knockout was clearly disgusted, his colleague ignoring him as he examined the femme. 

         "Our enemy." Starscream told her. "One of which not having the bearings to face the consequences of his actions." 

         "Consequences?"

     Blurr stopped his colleague from speaking any further as he held gazes with the curious human femme. He wasn't often quiet, but Knockout knew when he was, Blurr was thinking about a plan. 

         "You talk too much." Barricade huffed before taking the moment of distraction to shoot at the two, but they merely separated from each other's side and charged after their separate targets. 

     Starscream was startled as he jumped over the attacking Blurr, being able to hover in the air long enough to keep him from reaching the woman in his palm. Said human was glad she kept the helmet on as she rocked backwards from the jump and sudden experience of gravity, then the loss of as Starscream came crashing back down. He rolled to avoid Blurr's high jump and managed to shove his pede in the smaller mech's abdomen as he made a U-turn to attack once more. The Seeker didn't care about the potential harm he could bring to the woman in his palm, but her occasional grunt told him she was at least still alive. 

     Over his shoulder, Starscream eyed Barricade attempting to hit Knockout into next week, but the Aston Martin was an expert in dodging blows and tiring an opponent out. The police car swung again, only to be struck from behind with an electric rod, making him grimace.

         "Like my new toy?" Knockout teased. "Human technology is primitive, but I do like its upgradability."

     The other mech only growled as he swung again, his fist being blocked by the rod up high, but Barricade swung low with the other and hit the mech in his abdomen similar to how Starscream did to Blurr. He then proceeded to beat him senseless until the blue mech jumped over his nearly fallen comrade and kneed Barricade in the faceplate.

         "They really are fast-" Marissa marveled as she watched the blue bot stop on a dime and drift with just his pedes, causing sparks to fly off the road.

         "Don't get any ideas." Starscream warned before jumping up again, and attempted to transform, despite his bleeding wing. He ultimately failed as Marissa's flannel was caught on the window of his cockpit and left her behind.

     The woman screamed as she felt gravity pull her back down to the black top, knowing her helmet wasn't going to protect her from being as flat as a pancake. With that in mind, she watched as Starscream failed to transform completely, and accepted a fate that was changed quicker than Blitzwing's personality as Blurr caught her mid-fall. She felt her body tossed around in a light grip as the Velocitronian rolled awkwardly, wary of the squishable life in his servo. When he finally righted himself, he grinned handsomely at the woman. 

         "Pleasure to meet you! I'm Blurr: fastest thing on wheels. I'll get you out of here and we can talk later, alright?"

     The response he received was a confused look, but he didn't give her time to process any of what he said. The mech transformed and sent a message to Knockout that they were burning rubber. Knockout sent a sassy 'put metal to the pedal already' as he too transformed and took off, only to be halted abruptly by the weight of Starscream.

         "You're not going anywhere, traitor." He snarled, pressing his pede down on the mech's hood.

         "You brutes! This is an outrage. I'll have your helms for ruining my paint!"

         "I don't think you're in the position to be making threats, Knockout." Barricade chuckled darkly as he neared.

     The two were about to flatten the poor mech when Blurr appeared between them and kicked them away, allowing Knockout to escape. Starscream fired at Blurr, who summersaulted away from the barrage of bullets and jumped over a guard rail where he hid the human. The mech grinned at her as bullets flew passed and his servo wrapped around her torso before tossing her toward the other. Knockout caught the human and transformed around her before racing off with Blurr hot on his tail. 

     Starscream growled as he was stuck watching the two retreat. 

         "Get that device back." He growled at Barricade. "And kill those two speedsters whether they have the human in their very servo or not!" 

     Barricade merely nodded before charging after the two Autobots, swearing a number of choice curses at their rotten luck as he pushed himself to catch up, though it was a lost cause. He hated Velocitronians, even more he hated them if they were Autobots. All because they were the few beings he could not catch up with, and who could keep pace with him without any trouble.

         'They'll have to stop at some point.' He reasoned. 'If Starscream didn't blow it then she might want to return to us.'

     It was a slim chance, but Barricade knew the woman was uncertain about who was right and who was wrong. She also knew that most likely no one, not even the Autobots, knew what was on her wrist. Her curiosity would prove unhelpful in this circumstance, and it made the Cybertronian wonder if she had jumped from Starscream's servo to get answers from the opposing team. Of course, he knew if the Seeker had dropped her, he wouldn't admit to it anyway. Blaming Marissa for her own capture would be amusing anyway if they abducted her again. 

         No- when they abducted her again. 

     The Seeker felt rather useless as he watched Barricade leave him. He was going to be grounded for a few Earth hours, and his wings already ached for the skies again. His spark lurched at the mere thought of being grounded, but actually being grounded made it heavy and mournful. It only made sense to continue forward on foot and hide in the trees. Even if the Autobots caught up to him, he wouldn't be detected. Starscream considered going back in the direction they had deviated from to avoid Knockout and Blurr, considering it was the most direct way to Canada and the Rocky Mountains where he had been hiding before. The human wasn't likely to survive in the cold mountains, but he was counting on it. She was dead weight, anyway, might as well be a dead weight they can strip the device off of with as little mess as possible.

     The thought of Marissa made Starscream aware of the flannel sticking out of his plating. With a huff, he pulled it out carefully, making sure it didn't tear any more than it already was. The cards and pen were lost, the only evidence of anything being in the pocket revealed by a deep blue stain from the pen.

     The mech huffed again, contemplating leaving it before setting off towards the receding form of Barricade and the two Velocitronians.