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Chapter 6 - "The Clash Of Interests"



'You see that, guys?' Bumblebee asked over the com link.



'Yeah. Barricade,' Jazz turned off his hologram. According to the signal the police car was parked near the hotel, as if waiting... for what?



'He's tireless.' If Ratchet could shake his head while in his vehicle-form, he'd have done it.



Jazz was going to tell Bumblebee to get Rita down that very instant, but the scout's concerned voice suddenly came across the com link again. 'Guys, I've got something else on my far-range radar.'



Jazz checked his far-range, but saw only Rita's signal, his comrades' signatures and one of Barricade. But it didn't mean anything. Bee was a spy, and therefore he was good at locating things before anyone else could do it.



'What's that, Bee?' Jazz asked.



'It's... slag, it's Starscream,' Bumblebee finished with nuisance.



That's what Barricade was waiting for. Starscream meant trouble. Big trouble. As in, crashed streets and blown buildings. Jazz could easily understand the hatred that his partner had almost managed to wipe from his voice as he'd said the Decepticon's name. Having your legs torn off by the shock wave of a blast from his missiles must have been not very pleasant.



'How far is he?' Ratchet asked the scout dryly.



'One and ahalf minutes.'



No point in fleeing from the hotel then, the Decepticon jet would be sure to not let them escape. Under such conditions it would be safer for Rita to stay inside the building, out of sight of the Decepticons.



'Jazz to Optimus Prime.'



'Optimus here.'



'Sir, we might need ta engage in a fight with the Decepticons in the human city. Yer orders, sir?'



Optimus was silent for several seconds. He was thinking of the possible and inevitable consequences.



'Can the confrontation be avoided?' He asked.



'I can't say for sure, sir.'



When Optimus spoke again his voice was not one of a commander, but that of a friend. 'You were and still are my Second in Command, Jazz. Act on your discretion.'



'Thank you, sir.' Jazz responded quietly, but firmly. He was thanking his leader for the trust. It would be Jazz's first serious operation since Ratchet had brought him back from the land of dead.



'Keep me informed,' Prime said. 'And bring everyone back in one piece, Jazz.'



'Yes sir.'



'Optimus out.'



'A'right everyone, stay alert,' Jazz spoke up calmly, taking the lead between the three of them. 'Check yer weapons and await orders. Maybe it'll still go smoothly,' he added quietly, but/ didn't believe his own words. It was time to call for reinforcements in the form of Ironhide who was on patrol around the city. ''Hide, where are ya?'/



'Returning to the Lennoxes' residence. Why?'



'Mind joinin'us, big man?'



'Depends. I need to guard my charge,' the weapons specialist grumbled half-heartedly.



'Well, I thoughtcha might wanna kick some Decepticon aft.'



'You should have started with that, little guy,' Ironhide grunted. 'Where and when?'



'At the Paradise Hotel. Right 'bout now.'



'I'll be in five minutes. Don't get yourself fragged by then.'



'Was that athreat?' Jazz asked in mocking disbelief.



'No. Awarning,' Ironhide growled, and Jazz smiled to himself knowing that it was the black mech's way of showing concern.



'Hurry, bro, or there won't be fun left for ya here,' Jazz drawled. His words were a major bluff; should the confrontation take place, they would need Ironhide's outstanding strength and legendary cannons to ensure everyone made it back to the base tonight. But it was his way of keeping things cool.



'Really? Then tell them not to start without me,' the weapons specialist smirked. 'Ironhide out,' he said and closed the link.



Yeah, they understood each other perfectly. Only five minutes. They just had to get the Decepticons busy and move Rita far enough from the hotel to merge with traffic and make the chase meaningless. Piece o' cake.



And then Jazz heard the jet.



The sound started like a distant scream and as the aircraft neared their location it grew into a guttural growl. In the relative night calm of the human city it was almost deafening. Several moments later a huge silver metallic form of F-22 Raptor started to fall from the black sky into the middle of the parking lot, transforming in mid-air into a menacing robot and landing heavily on its long powerful legs. Above the low-frequency noise that Starscream's dying turbines were producing Jazz could hear the screeching of car tires on the nearby street and the shrieks of humans. The first signs of panic that promised to turn into a mass terror, not unlike the one that had accompanied the Battle for the Allspark.



Yeah, piece of cake.



Behind Starscream's back Barricade rose from his car-form and moved to stand beside his leader. The two Autobots left their shelter, already falling into battle modes and readying for the clash that was becoming more and more probable with each passing second. Jazz couldn't imagine the two Decepticons transforming back into their secondary modes and just leaving at this rate.



Jazz slid the visor over his optics and switched his intercom to the encoded frequency. 'Bee, stay back for now and protect Rita.'



'Got it, Jazz.'



''Hide?'



'Three minutes.'



'Barricade's yours. I'll take Starscream,' Ratchet transmitted the message.



Fair enough. Jazz was too small to stand against the jet.



'Okay, lez dance.' Jazz let the fatal smirk blossom on his lips, holding Barricade's red gaze.



The two Decepticons moved simultaneously, as if on command. And everything else disappeared for Jazz except for the fight.



Barricade lunged at the silver Autobot. The saboteur swung his upper body back, as the black and white mech's shiny metallic claws swished through the air dangerously close to Jazz's face. Jazz ducked forward and punched him in the side, continuing with the onward movement so that he ended up behind the Decepticon, out of the dangerous zone around him. A string of Cybertronian expletives emitted from Barricade's mouth, followed by series of vengeful attacks.



Barricade wasn't exactly a small mech. So far only speed was on Jazz's side. The saboteur could hear the buzz of Ratchet's rotary saw behind his back, and, by the sound of it, its steel fangs had just tried what Starscream's armor tasted like. Jazz jumped back from yet another of Barricade's aggressive moves and glanced at Ratchet. The medic had the same 'size difference' problem, if not bigger, literally speaking, and tried not to let Starscream's long hands near himself. The jet was missing several fingers, too. Go, Ratch.



Jazz prayed for Ironhide to appear soon. It was getting intense, and he didn't like it. It would be pure luck if none of humans would be dead after this.



'Bee, we kinda need ya here,' Jazz bellowed through his com link as Barricade launched at him with a swiftness that was astonishing for a mech of his size. Jazz rollerskated to the side and barely managed to escape the fist that came crashing down on the pavement, making a huge hole in the asphalt with broken rifts coming from it. Slag, that was close.



Barricade was open for a shot, but Jazz couldn't use his plasma cannon, it might injure any humans that were around.



The black-white Decepticon turned around for another attack and Jazz went purely on instinct, generating the low-level forcefield around his spark casing and activating his battle shield. And just in time, for Barricade's hand swung loosely, aimed at Jazz's midsection. The silver Autobot caught the punch on his shield and drove it to the side. But the second punch got him. The force of the blow was... Remarkable for a Decepticon, Jazz thought, balancing on the verge of unconsciousness and trying to get up from the ground. The saboteur's visor dimmed for a moment and lit up again, to register a clawed hand falling down onto his chest. Razor-sharp fingers sank into his shoulder and started cutting his armored torso with an awful moaning sound, tearing through the forcefield and leaving deep marks in Jazz's metal skin. The silver bot gave a strangled mechanical sound and grabbed that hand with both of his, trying to stop it before it could reach his spark casing.



A bright yellow lightning crashed into Barricade's side, pushing the black-white mech away from Jazz and toppling him over.



Bee...



A wave of gratitude washed over Jazz as he gathered his trembling form back on his feet and collected himself as best he could for a fight again. He glanced around the battlefield, making a quick reconnaissance; his gaze fell onto the far end of the hotel's parking lot, where in the midst of human and vehicle chaos he saw avan.



The black van from an hour ago.



/No way/, he thought.



So it was a distraction attack to get them into a fight and reach Rita at the same time.



No fraggin'way...



-----



Rita knelt on the bathroom floor. Her hands grabbed her dirty pair of jeans from before, digging through multiple pockets and searching frantically for a thing she couldn't possibly leave the hotel without - her cell-phone.



She cursed through gritted teeth. It had been slightly disturbing when that Ratchet-guy had suggested to make a "thorough medical research" with further "elimination" of whatever he might find; it had been slightly more disturbing when Jazz had simply vanished into the air like a fucking ghost in a horror movie; it had been quite scary when the window glass had started vibrating from a horrible low hum coming from outside, and when awful crashing sounds had come from the street a little bit later. But it had been downright freaky when Bumblebee had thrown a "get to the parking lot, one of us will pick you up" at her and dissipated as well, leaving her alone and with an open mouth in the middle of the empty room. What the hell is going on here?



She finally found her cell-phone and almost jumped out of her skin when it burst to life in her palm. After a second of absolute disorientation she pressed the dial button.



"Yeah?" Her voice trembled, and she couldn't do anything to prevent it.



"Rita, get outta there. Now!" It was Jazz. His urgent tone made Rita's heart skip a bit, she started to rise up into a standing position.



"What's going on, Jazz?" Her hands were shaking. A feeling of vulnerability engulfed her, now that the absolutely abnormal things had begun to happen around her. She'd never been so pitifully unable to think straight, but who could blame her right now?



"Those thugs that tried ta kidnap ya are in the hotel,' Jazz explained, breathing heavily, and Rita felt nauseous, hearing his grunt in time with asound of explosion outside the window. "Leave everythin' and get outta yer room. Don't use the elevator. Don't hang up. I'll meet ya half-way."



Rita felt everything inside of her go cold. Among all the things that she was unable to fathom she could definitely understand what the two armed guys from that street meant.



"Rita?" Jazz's voice held concern.



"Yeah, yeah, Jazz... I'm leaving." Rita breathed out, clutching the phone to her ear and hastily putting her shoes on.



As she ran to the door, it suddenly burst open from a mighty kick, revealing a huge figure of the man in black that occupied almost entire door opening. Rita's gaze lifted up and caught his burning black eyes that she recognized immediately and that expressed insanity and cruelty. His left ear was bandaged. He looked even more intimidating than in the uneven light of the night streets.



Oh God...



Rita whimpered in terror and moved back as he made a slow step towards her. He was visibly relaxed, and even smiling slightly. He didn't have any reason not to; he'd cornered his prey.



She turned away from him and ran back into the room. She didn't know why she did it. Maybe to try and jump out of the window; it would be better than letting that man near her again. Whatever her subconscious thought, it was a mistake. The man advanced at her like a predator, catching her in a matter of seconds. They both fell to the floor with a loud thud. Rita's breath left her lungs as all of his weight landed atop of her. The cell-phone slipped from her fingers and fell a couple of feet away from her. A faint, but desperate "Rita!" could be heard from it.



Jazz...



The man's huge hands tried to find a tighter grasp on Rita and pin her down. She cried out, on the verge of panic, and miraculously managed to turn onto her back. Her hands clenched into fists, she started struggling. This was a battle for her life, furious and uncompromised; she put everything she had into her punches, not really aiming anywhere in particular.



One of her fists hit the man into his injured ear. He let out a roar of pain and lost his grip on her for a moment. It was enough for her to knee him in the crotch area and gather all her strength to push his heavy writhing body from her.



She scrambled up to her unsteady legs, grabbed the phone from the floor and made a wild dash to the door again, almost falling out of her room. People were running around in the corridor, she could hear someone screaming somewhere. Rita glanced to her right and saw the elevator doors open. The second man in black stepped out and turned his head to her.



Shit, shit, shit...



Rita turned and ran towards the stairs.



"Jazz!" She cried into the phone.



"Rita, what the frag was that?!" Her bodyguard sounded as out of his mind as she felt. "Ya okay?"



"Yeah," she replied, running down one stairwell. "Those two..." She didn't finish, starting to suffocate from running and adrenaline.



"Yer in the right wing, they must be followin' ya. Go ta the left staircase, I'm comin' for ya."



"Okay." She took a run along the corridor of the fourth floor, hoping that her persecutors would stay on her previous path, on the stairs of the building's right wing.



Her lungs were burning with fire, each breath cut like a knife inside of her chest. She threw a glance behind her and to her absolute horror saw the man with the bandaged ear at the far end of the corridor. He had a gun in his hand. He raised his weapons and took aim...



Time stretched like in a slow motion, and only her mind was racing at a speed of light. She felt heaviness in her legs as if they had been made from lead. Just a couple of feet more - and she would reach the end of the corridor and cover behind the corner. But her brain working like a clock told her instantly that she wasn't going to make it...



A flash of motion right in front of her caught her eye. A familiar figure appeared from around the corner she'd been striving to reach and raced towards her. She had only a nanosecond to lock eyes with it - blue eyes, like arctic ice - but it felt like an eternity.



Jazz.



She didn't seem to be able to feel relief, in that instant she could feel nothing but all-encompassing fear. Jazz's gaze shifted past Rita, behind her back, and he reached for her with his hands, so slowly and so fast at the same time. She didn't slow down, expecting him to vanish or let her pass through him like a paper ball.



But instead she bumped into him full force.



Not loosing even a second, he wrapped one arm securely around her small frame and used the momentum to spin them both around, pressing her to himself and shielding her from the gun. His other hand awkwardly held her head to his hard chest, cradling it under his chin. The next thing she heard were whip-like cracks of gunshots blasting through the air, echoed by a muffled, sickening sound of flesh being torn.



And then the world gave a start and was rushing again, as fast as the perfectly aimed bullets.



The body holding her jerked three times, two strong arms tightened around her, but no sound escaped Jazz except for the hitched breath.



And they were moving again. The two made it to the saving turn and fell to the floor behind it in a heavy heap. Rita sat up on her knees immediately and turned to Jazz, afraid to look at him, but unable not to. She could see three nasty dark-red patches forming and spreading on the back of his once blindingly white t-shirt that used to seem unable to be ruined. Breathing heavily he started to lift himself up onto his hands and knees, and she felt a wave of panic and sheer horror rising in her chest when she realized how much effort it cost him to do such a simple thing. She wanted to touch him, but didn't dare. She wanted to cry, but couldn't make her vocal chords work.



He managed to come up on all fours, but quickly gave up the idea of fully getting onto his feet."Go... reach... my car-form," he breathed out between the intakes of air.



Rita didn't move, terrified and frozen in place by the thought of leaving him behind and at the same time hearing the tramping of boots in the corridor getting closer to them with each passing second. A low hoarse groan of pain finally tore itself from Jazz's throat, and the sound of it wrenched at her guts. She just stared at him, trembling violently, her eyes bright with fear and tears.



"Go!" He snapped angrily, looking at her with agony flooded eyes.



It was an order that left no space for disobedience. It broke her stupor.



Letting out adesperate whimper and thus voicing a tangle of emotions that had formed a suffocating lump in her throat, Rita got up on her wobbly legs. She gave Jazz one last glance. Then turned away from him and started running.



End of Chapter 6