Burnwheel the Decepticon hadn't moved. For a day now he sat here, ever since being chased down by the Autobot Arcee and the one called Bumblebee. And that was exactly what the Decepticons wanted. Within his vehicle mode, a complex array of sonar and stealth tech was ticking away, foiling the Autobots attempt to find him. Even his appearance was different, altered to a new form that was less sinister and more high performance than early models. In a sense you could say the Decepticons were learning to act more like Autobots.

Burnwheel inwardly smirked. Soundwaves experiment was working. Hell, at one point this 'Arcee' had even rolled up and stopped on the street right next to him! Complaining loudly to the beeping one over her transmitter as the two drove around looking for him. It was delicious.

But he was going to be spotted. It was inevitable. The longer he stayed put, the more obvious he would become and if the Autobots were to come back, chances were they'd reason it out.

So Soundwave ordered his return and now Burnwheel was just waiting for dark so he could roll out unnoticed.

Except he already had been.

ooo

"It's been there for a whole day now. See it?" High-side asked.

"Duh-uh!" Cindy mocked him, popping her gum over his shoulder as she stood behind him. High-side looked back at her with a frown where he crouched by the building corner.

"Do you always have to make fun of me?" the smallest Scrapper hissed. Fifteen going on five, he was shorter than Cindy and reed thin, but wiry strong under his white t-shirt, red suspenders and heavy duty overalls. His boots were nearly as dirty as his lank black hair and he glared at her through thick eyeglasses.

She rolled her eyes and pulled a string of gum out of her mouth with a finger. She glanced over at Marshal where he leaned against the back alley wall. He had taken one look and that was enough. Now he stood there as 'excited' as he usually was, waiting for dark.

She sighed. Cindy was a tall, slender, tough 'bad part of town' girl. Sixteen years old with buzz cut black hair, to many piercings, and a taste for Goth dress. She was dressed in a black tank top and matching tights with boots just as chunky as High-side's, only polished to a shine. She wore a faded denim jacket in the cool fall air stuffed with all manner of gadgets and tech and she flipped open her phone and started playing a game-app.

Marshal looked over at her, noting her pale skin and shining eyes as she was quickly absorbed the video game. He knew she deliberately made herself up to look cheap with that make-up of hers. Anything to get attention.

"Put that away. It's dark enough now and people will see the light." He said.

Marshal was a mean kid going on eighteen and headed for jail at some point. He was taller yet than Cindy, with short tousled dark hair and a clean shaven face that could look quite normal except for his wicked eyes. He wore a long black over-coat with an expensive collared shirt and jeans underneath that and a simple pair of hiking boots. It's not that he was pretentious, just at any time he could loose the coat and blend right into the crowd and this helped his little gang make many a score.

Tonight High-side had done well and they were after that car. A new chop-shop had opened off of Highway fourteen. Down the old back Mason road. And this was a step up for the 'Scrappers' as Marshal wanted bigger scores.

Cindy clicked her phone shut.

"Oh yes, you never know when the FBI might see us."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" High-side looked back at her with a leer at her shapely legs.

"More attention!" he sneered.

Before Cindy could reply Marshal stood up from where he leaned against the wall. It was enough to quiet them both because with Marshal you never could tell.

"Shut up." Was all he said. He sounded bored but there was an edge to his voice. He stepped up next to Cindy and looked back out at the ride they were after. Finally he looked over at her and the cold glare he gave her made her wilt.

"Geez. Sorry, gawd." she frowned, holding up her hands, and pouting a little before tucking her phone away.

"You just get it quiet when we pop it." He ordered her, reminding her to take care of the alarm if there was one. He looked down at High-side where he crouched at the corner by his feet, nudging him with a boot.

"You just get us in. I'll drive." he said as High-side careened his neck to look up at his boss.

"Markus will like that one. He might just repaint it and keep it for himself." Marshal added softly, looking back up at the ride. Markus was a professional criminal and grade A bastard who ran illegal activities for forty miles around Jasper in all directions. Cindy tried to looked over his shoulder at the sleek car again but High-side whined a little, chewing his fingernail.

"Boss we gotta move on it, then. It's way past cherry time."

Cherry time was the time between a car being parked and a car being reclaimed. You never really knew of course, but Marshal like to feel he had an instinct for these things. Markus was teaching him about it. After work between midnight and three in the morning were best when working the suburbs.

But then there were times that cars hit the the twenty four hour mark, parked downtown somewhere or in a lot like this one. This made them infinitely more targetable but in a strange balance of risk, infinitely more dangerous for it could be reclaimed by the owner literally at any second.

In the big city, kids like Marshal and his gang could swipe a car in fifteen seconds whenever they wanted to take a stab at it. Out here, Markus was the law of the lawless and he took no chances. So they staked em' out a little. Took their time. Learning how to be better criminals. It was now seven in the evening.

"Wipe your boots off." Marshal said and High-side whipped out a rag and quickly rubbed the toes clean.

A minute more, a double check and then it was go time.

"Ok, get out there." Marshal said and High-side scuttled out of the alley, bent low and going from dumpster to garbage can and keeping to the shadows like a rat. He closed in on the car rapidly.

"He looks like Gollum." Cindy smirked as Marshal turned to her and raised his arm. She tucked herself up under his arm and together they strolled out of the alley like a young teenage couple walking down the sidewalk that ran down the street. A few blocks down sat a lone gas station and it would look like that's where they were headed.

Cindy kept an eye on High-side as Marshal keep an eye on everything else, leaning into him warmly because it was colder than she counted on tonight. She watched, narrating each step High-side took as she and Marshal drew closer to the lot. Marshal smelled good this close.

"You ever think about grabbing my boob when we walk like this?" she asked, looking up at Marshal.

He didn't even blink but he growled at her as they drew within twenty yards of the lot's rope-fence border.

"Don't fuck around. Just get over there." and he lowered his arm off her shoulders. Cindy took five quick steps away from him and stepped over the rope fence and then she was back among the shadows herself. Marshal kept walking, his eyes scanning the streets. If a cop showed now, the other two would hide and he would just walk on with a wave and a smile.

Marshal couldn't see anything. But down the street he saw someone turn into the gas station on a bike. Who was that? Jack Derby something? Didn't matter. Marshal would never steal a bike. No money in them.

Coast was clear. He looked over at where Cindy and High-side should be but they were already in the car. The passenger door swung shut as he watched.

He smirked. Not even a light.

Smooth as silk. With one step he was over the rope railing and headed for the drivers door.

ooo

Burnwheel snarled deep down in his rotten mechanical soul. This couldn't be happening! Megatron would have his head for this! One minute he was ready to roll and then he spotted that damnable Arcee returning with her human lackey. It could be no one else and as Burnwheel still debated leaving, the most outrageous thing happened.

He was known for being clever. And Burnwheel prided himself on it. And what better moment for him to leave than right now? To drive past this Autobot and her human would be the final test. That would be the most inconspicuous way wouldn't it? Because you always ignored what was right in front of you. And if he didn't leave now she might come back this way and her human could start poking around.

Trouble was, he was less than pleased with the new Decepticon holographic rider. That was why he waited for dark, to help cover any flaws in the program.

Burnwheel had just about made up his mind to try it anyway when two humans appeared from the shadows and sidled up next to him.

What's this?! Not now!

And incredulously the human popped his lock with some tool, opened the door and jumped in! He was down on the floor in a flash, holding open the door with his boot for a human female just behind him who had some device in her hand and was frowning. She slipped into Burnwheel with more agility than the first and scooting over by the steering wheel, she turned and joined the other on the floor.

"You should have waited, you little shit! The reading is all whacky! I can't tell if there's an alarm!" the girl hissed.

"Fuck it. It would have went off by now anyway." The greasy human answered her with a stutter.

"Gawd, you stink this close up." the girl crinkled her nose.

"Shut up!" The male whined as he reached up under the dash. He stopped, frowning with puzzlement. He had no idea what he was seeing.

"What the hell?" he whispered. "What is all this?" he looked over at her.

She was quicker on the uptake than the male and her eyes went wide as she saw the lights and mechanisms under the dash.

"Where's Marshal?" she said. She started to look up.

"Damn fleshlings!" Burnwheel snarled and swung the door shut behind her.

ooo

"Who said that!?" Cindy cried. She started to look panicked.

"Oh fuck are we busted? We're busted! The cars rigged!" High-side scrambled up. He tried to bolt but he was going nowhere. The locks all slammed down. He raised a fist to pound on the door.

"High-side, stop it!" the girl hissed.

"Game over, man!"

"Be silent or die!" Burnwheel snarled.

They both froze, the color draining from the faces.

"Who said that?" the girl whispered again, looking into the back seat. It was a voice unlike any she had ever heard, and modulated to chill her very blood. It filled the whole interior but seemed to come from the dash.

"Be silent...or die. I am very serious." Burnwheel said. His dash lights glowed and he turned them to illuminated the girls face. She looked down at him terrified and without knowing it looked Burnwheel right in the eye.

"I believe you." she whispered. The male swallowed hard, frozen.

Good.

Burnwheel waited for the third, that he could see was approaching him rapidly. Down the street, the Autobot was parked outside the door of the gas station with her human inside. She'd be at her most watchful.

Perhaps this disaster would prove advantageous after all.

He unlocked the drivers door.

ooo

When Marshal opened the door he couldn't keep the slight smile of satisfaction off his face.

"Good job. We're outta here." he said as he slipped behind the wheel.

"Indeed we are, fleshling." Burnwheel replied, slapping the door shut behind Marshal and locking him in.

"What the hell?" He looked at Cindy where she sat petrified next to him, High-side was shaking over against the passenger door.

"You are the leader, based on preliminary evaluations. You will drive me out of here with your companions or die."

"Who said that? What the fuck?!" Marshal was more angry than panicked, though he did turn to the door as if to get out.

A crackling nimbus of energy played across the dashboard and all three teens winced.

"You will do as I say or I will cook the female where she sits."

Marshals veins turned to ice, his heart hammered at his ribs.

"Who are you? What is this?"

"I am Burnwheel. You are my prisoners. You will drive me out of here or you will all die." The engine started. The dash glowed.

"Ok. Ok. Take it easy." Marshal raised a hand.

"Silence fleshling. Get over your pathetic shock and do as I say. Now."

Marshal put his hands on the wheel and put the car in drive, thinking fast. He still couldn't help himself though as he looked back down at the dash.

"Is this come kind of joke?"

An arc of electricity jumped out and brushed Cindy's hand. She gave a squeak and whimpered, dropping her device and leaning against Marshal.

"Now." Burnwheel repeated. "Pick that up." He snarled at Cindy.

"Marshaaal." Cindy whimpered again, dragging out his name as she hastily snatched up her decoder. "I don't think is a car."

Marshal drove to the end of the parking lot without saying a word.

"Go left. Past the gas station." The deep voice commanded. "And put your arm around the female like you were on the street. We're all just some happy fleshlings here." Burnwheel said.

ooo

Arcee watched the sports car pull out of the lot. That's the one that had sat there since yesterday. She focused on it but then notice the couple that was driving, with their friend sitting next to them.

She sighed.

Damn it all.

It really looked like the bastard got away. It was hard for her to give it up though. But yeah, he had to be long gone by now.

ooo

Burnside chuckled to himself. What a rare moment! This entire operation was a success! The gas station diminished in his mirror and he turned his full attention to the humans as he took over and headed out of town, in the opposite direction that Arcee had come from.

He might be able to keep his head after all, he mused as he sped away into the night.

Just as soon as he disposed of these fleshlings.