EPISODE II: SPY GAME
Marissa Faireborne couldn�t believe what she had gotten herself into. If only she hadn�t been so headstrong, kicking down the door with guns blazing! Now here she was, trapped by Starscream, one of the most dangerous Decepticons ever known. God knows if she had only been patient and waited to take down Connelly, this would never have happened.
�Well, it is nice to meet you Captain Faireborne,� Starscream was saying. �You�re quite the legend I hear, but I�m afraid your time has run out.�
He aimed his laser at her, but was stopped by Connelly. �No wait!� the EDC director said. �She didn�t come here just on her own accord. I guarantee that the Autobots put her up to this, or at least know that she followed me. If she winds up dead or missing, they won�t be too far behind.�
Starscream sighed and lowered his weapon. �Well, what do you propose we do about this?�
�I�ll take her back with me,� Connelly said. �She�ll report back to the Autobots that she didn�t find out anything, and that�ll satisfy them. Then I�ll keep her somewhere safe until the Autobots are off the planet.�
�Very well,� Starscream replied, clearly disappointed. �If it�s one thing I�ve learned from experience, it�s that patience is a virtue.�
Connelly snatched Marissa�s laser pistol from her and pointed it at her. �Let�s move along, now. Time�s a-wasting and the Autobots need their report.�
Marissa gave him a nasty look and put her hands over her head. Turning around, she opened the hangar door and walked outside.
�Oh my God,� Connelly said as he pointed at his fallen guards. �Are they dead?�
�Of course not,� she said, grinning. �They�re just going to be asleep for a while.�
�Okay then!� he said. �I�m quite impressed. You�ve still got it. Help me move them into the car, will you?�
After putting the bodyguards into the backseat, Connelly motioned for Marissa to drive. She opened the door, got in, and started the car. She looked in the mirror to see Connelly get in.
�All right then,� he said. �Let�s get going. Oh and remind me to fire these two idiots.�
�Why are you doing this Connelly?� Marissa got right to the point. �This world domination thing has got to be the oldest scheme in the book.�
�Oh but it can be a reality now,� Connelly said. �I have been building these Cybertronian tech soldiers for months now. In only a short while I will have enough to take on this entire planet.�
�How can a group of technicians possibly control all those robots? It�s impossible!�
He laughed. �That�s the most brilliant part. I�ve created a control device that Starscream himself can wear on his head. Only a Transformer has the mental capacity to be able to do this, and he can control an entire army. With his military experience, he could easily gain control of the world. All I ask for is a portion of this empire, since I am the one who is funding these resources.�
�That�s the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard!� Marissa scoffed. �You have to be familiar with Starscream�s track record! He�s been known to sell out his own leader.�
�You don�t think I�ve considered that? As of right now, while my men work on the control device, they are implanting a small frequency receptor that is tuned to my brain waves. If I perish for any reason, it will be rendered useless and Starscream is left high and dry.�
�You are completely out of your mind,� Marissa said coldly. �I pray to God that you�re going down.�
Connelly matched her glare. �Well that�s sweet and all but we really must hurry. I don�t want to keep the Autobots waiting.�
He sat back in his seat, obviously perturbed by Marissa�s last statement. Looking back to the road, she couldn�t help but smirk a little. They had just driven right past her rental car and William Connelly didn�t even see it. The tracker device inside would be more than enough to get the Autobots here in no time. She just hoped that she would be still alive at that point.
An hour later at Metroplex, Goldbug was getting antsy. The meeting at the United Nations had been over for a long time and Marissa hadn�t reported in yet. He thought something had to be wrong; she would have at least called to say she was all right after this much time.
�That�s it,� he said out loud. Goldbug ran for the door and headed down the stairs that led outside. Just as he was ready to board a transport, he heard Jazz over the loudspeaker, telling him to head for the communications room. When he got there, he saw Jazz looking very relieved.
�What?� Goldbug asked. �What is it?�
�It�s Marissa,� Jazz replied. �She�s up on the monitor.�
Turning on the viewing screen, Goldbug saw Marissa�s face become visible. She looked tired and haggard, but pleasant. Still, there was something off about the whole thing.
�Hey Goldbug,� she said, smiling. �Sorry for being late.�
�No, don�t worry about it,� he said. �It�s okay. So what kept you?�
�Oh, just lost Connelly for a bit, but I caught up with him,� Marissa said. �I forgot to check in, just got too into it and completely lost track of time.�
�You okay?� Goldbug asked. �You look pretty tired, he must�ve had you all over the city.�
�Yeah, my car�s been acting up too,� she said. �Thing just has lousy gas mileage, had to fill the damn thing up twice! I should sell it.�
�Well not everything can be as fuel efficient as me,� he said, laughing. �So what�s up with Connelly? Find any dirt?�
�No, in fact I think he�s clean,� Marissa said convincingly. �It�s strange, but I don�t think he�s behind anything sinister. He�s just a jerk, nothing more.�
�Well, that�s disappointing,� Goldbug said.
�Yeah I know,� she said. �I really wanted to get something on him, but no luck. I�m sorry.�
�Oh it�s not your fault. Just get some sleep; you look like you need it. See you later.�
�Okay,� Marissa said. �Marissa Faireborne, signing off.�
The screen went blank. Goldbug�s face went grim and his happy disposition left quickly.
�We need to find her now,� he said immediately. �And we need to find out what William Connelly is up to.�
�What?� Jazz said, surprised. �She just said��
�I know, I know, but more happened in that conversation than just what you saw,� Goldbug said matter-of-factly. �And what Marissa just did was give us the biggest hint we need to know that everything isn�t �just fine.��
�How?�
�She said that her car was acting up.�
Jazz still didn�t understand. �So?�
�She doesn�t own a car,� Goldbug said. �And even if she did own one, she wouldn�t have used it to follow Connelly. That would have been a fatal mistake, and Marissa was the Army�s top intelligence officer. She�s smarter than that.�
�So what you�re saying is that she�s telling us that she�s been captured?�
�Bingo. So we know that Connelly�s not alone on this one. Otherwise, Marissa never would have been caught. Fortunately, I think we�ve got a lead.�
Goldbug headed towards a nearby computer. �I know that she must have rented a car, so I�ll hack into several rental car companies� records to see where she rented the car from. These days, they have a GPS device located onboard that they use if the car hasn�t been returned yet. I can tap into that frequency and we could track that car down ourselves.�
�Okay,� Jazz said. �I�m sending Hound with you. Take a transport to New York and find out what is going on. I�m going to notify Cybertron about what we know as of right now. Hopefully we can figure this out before it�s too late.�
Jazz walked out, and Goldbug started on hacking into the FastGo rental company�s computer.
Thirty minutes later, Goldbug and Hound were en route to New York. Goldbug had successfully located Marissa�s car several miles west of New York City. It seemed like it was parked in the middle of nowhere.
They landed their air transport in a forest clearing and covered it with camouflage. Keeping themselves out of sight, the two Autobots transformed and inconspicuously pulled onto a highway. Two realistic dummies inflated in the driver seats as to not call any attention to them.
As they drove, Hound kept track of where they were in respect to the rental car. �According to these coordinates, we have about five more miles to go and there should be an exit or something.�
�Good,� Goldbug said as the two pulled off at their exit. �We need to remember to be extra careful. Letting Connelly know that we�re on his trail could jeopardize Marissa.�
They continued on, and soon were close to Marissa�s car. The two Autobots slowed down and found a forest area where they could hide. Pulling off the road into the trees, they transformed and took out their scanners. They immediately saw the car sitting off the road.
Goldbug took out his infrared adaptor and attached them to his scanner. If there had been any movement within the past six hours around that car, he would see it. He could quickly understand what Marissa had exactly done several hours ago.
�Okay,� he said to Hound quietly. �This is what I can tell. When she got out of the car, she got into the trunk. Then she moved a few feet away and crouched into a shooting position, so she must have got a rifle or something out of the trunk. Once the threat had been neutralized, Marissa must have ran up to that hangar over at that airbase. She should have been captured in there, because she did not return to her car.�
�So is she still in there?� Hound asked.
�No, I doubt it,� Goldbug answered. �I bet Connelly made her drive away with him. He�s probably holding her in an EDC prison. He won�t touch her, though: she�s worth more to him alive. I�m more concerned about what else is in there.�
Goldbug put his gear away and got up. �And I think I�m going to find out.�
�What?�
�I�m going over there.�
�Can I ask why?�
�Look, Hound. We�ve got to know why Marissa was captured. She�s too resourceful to lose out to those lackeys that guard Connelly, and I�m positive Connelly didn�t scare her enough for her to give up. Someone or something else is involved in this, and I want to know who or what it is.�
He transformed and drove off before Hound could say a word. As insane as it sounded, Hound knew how Goldbug must have felt. Since he was the one who had originally approached Marissa to follow William Connelly, he felt responsible for what had happened. Still, if Goldbug would succumb to whatever got Marissa, he would jeopardize both their safety.
Hound took out his radio. �This is Hound, come in Metroplex. Jazz, I think we�re going to need some help on this one.�
Goldbug drove up to the hangar as quietly as he could. He transformed and moved around to the closest window to peer inside. It was too dark to see anything. Frustrated, he went to the front and noted the tire marks that had to be from Connelly�s limousine. Goldbug took out his audio sensors and put the receiver up to wall. It was quiet inside, almost no movement.
Then something startled him. It was a voice, so faint that even his highly sensitive instruments had trouble picking it up. He could tell it was Connelly, but the EDC director wasn�t in the room. It was like his voice was coming in through a transmitter. Goldbug concentrated on what Connelly was saying.
��fine,� he had been saying. �She hasn�t given us any trouble. Ms. Faireborne has been placed in the EDC prison and hasn�t even made one attempt to escape. I�m telling you, our plans are still going to work fine. The army is almost finished, and this time next week we will have the planet in our grasp.�
�Good,� another voice said softly. �What about the Autobots?�
�My propaganda campaign has worked better than I ever could have imagined,� Connelly said smugly. �The United Nations will no doubt concur with the populace.�
�This better work, Connelly. I�m putting a lot of faith in you.�
That voice, Goldbug thought. He knew he recognized it, but it was from years ago. The problem was that the Autobot was having a hard enough time realizing that Connelly was planning such an act of treason. Quietly, Goldbug put away his equipment. He had recorded the whole conversation, and he knew that they could analyze it later.
He transformed and made his stealthy escape to Hound�s position.
�Find anything?� Hound asked.
�More than enough.�
They drove away quickly and headed back to their transport.
�I want a strike team organized at once!�
Rodimus Prime was in the communications room talking to Ultra Magnus. They had just received a transmission that Connelly and another cohort were planning on taking the world on with his new hi-tech soldiers. He was furious, and knew that he was going to need all the help he could get against Connelly�s army.
�I�m on it,� Ultra Magnus said. �I�m sure I�ll find some volunteers.�
He left and Rodimus was not far behind. The Autobot commander closed his eyes and began to settle down. It was just so mind boggling to him that a worm like Connelly could have been so diabolical. The Autobots needed to move quickly.
Within an hour, a team was formed. Ultra Magnus was going to lead the group whose members were the Technobots, Dinobots, Kup, Springer, and Arcee. Rodimus Prime was going to remain on Cybertron and command the forces there to strike if the need arose.
As they prepared to board their shuttle, Rodimus Prime spoke to his second-in-command. �Now make sure you stay on your toes. You�ve got the Earth forces including Omega Supreme and Metroplex, but we�re not sure just how big Connelly�s army is.�
�We�ll take care, Rodimus,� Ultra Magnus said. �And I�ll give one to Connelly for you.�
�You might not get the chance,� Rodimus Prime said as he saw Grimlock shining his energo sword.
The strike team got in the transport, and it took off straight for Earth. The Autobots were in for the most dangerous battle of their lives.
TO BE CONTINUED