If Luck Be A Lady

Jazz was too tired to think at the moment. It had been two days since his detour at the police station, and since then he'd been driving without rest as if trying to make up for the hours lost. On the plus side, he'd covered quite a bit of distance. On the minus, he was tired as hell, and he knew that if he didn't stop and rest for a while, there was every chance that he would burn out his systems and start falling apart. He could just picture the look on Ratchet's face and hear the colorful words coming out of his mouth if the Medic ever got word of what he was doing right now. The thought was sobering enough to him that he began looking for a suitable place to park and shut down for the night, where he wouldn't look too conspicuous.

He had left the main city district behind the previous day, and was now quite close to leaving the Beijing province altogether. He just needed to rest somewhere and fuel up somehow before the really long drive began. He scanned through a cross-section of the area he was in and found that there was a public parking lot a few meters to the left of where he was now. He decided to look for it, and soon enough, after making a left turn into a side-street, he drew up alongside the open-air carpark on his right. It stood in between a block of seedy apartment units and a darkened factory building, and was thankfully not deserted of other vehicles.

Jazz turned into the parking lot and reversed into a spot alongside the wire-mesh fence, near the entrance. Satisfied with his position, he cut his engine and headlights and waited for some of his systems to cool before shutting down for what was left of the night. A light breeze blew across the open space, running cool, soothing fingers along the length of his body, taking away some of the heat from his engine and tyres. He longed to transform into robot mode and stretch himself, but he didn't want to risk being spotted. So with a quiet sigh to himself, he began to shut down.

… Some time during the pre-dawn hour, Jazz awoke for no apparent reason and he groaned internally since he'd wanted to rest for a few more hours, before starting on another long drive. He was just about to try and shut down again when he heard it – footsteps close beside him. Then he felt the warm tingle of a human hand on his left back door. He tensed. The last thing he needed now was to be car-jacked. The hand left his door, and when he next felt it again, it was on the lid of his trunk. Someone was trying to force it open. Rather than risk it getting broken, Jazz subtly unlocked it, figuring that if whoever it is was trying to steal something out of it, they were going to be sorely disappointed when they saw nothing inside.

He cast his scanners back as the person fumbled with the catch, and to his surprise, made out the form of a young woman. The heat signature radiating off her indicated she was very tense, but Jazz didn't need that to tell him that this might not be a simple case of stealing after all. The way she kept whipping her head around and looking in all directions, as if she expected someone to jump out at her, told Jazz that there was more to this than met the eye – or optic in his case.

The woman finally got the lid open. What she did next startled Jazz even more. She climbed inside and gently drew the lid down again, leaving only a tiny gap so that she could breathe.

Remaining as still as he could, Jazz scanned the surrounding area and soon spotted a large man walking down the pavement towards the carpark, his head turning from side to side as if he was looking for something – or someone. It didn't take Jazz's sharp mind more than a second to put two and two together. The man entered the carpark and started peering into some of the other cars, all the while shouting words in Chinese which, to Jazz, didn't sound at all pleasant, and as he did so, the mech heard what sounded like a frightened, muffled sob come from the woman in his trunk.

Somehow Jazz knew that if she was found, things would not end well for her. Suffice it to say that not all men were gentlemen when it came to the treatment of a lady. Prudence dictated that he should just stay where he was and hope that the man wouldn't find her, but he knew that was unlikely, given the way he was yanking on door handles and pounding his fists on trunk lids. He also knew that there was no way he'd ever be able to sit still should the man find her and start slapping her around.

In the end, Jazz's gentle, chivalrous nature won out over prudence. He decided to trust to luck, and if luck be a lady – as the human saying went – then he figured he was in good hands. He cranked up his engine, ignoring the startled cry of surprise from the trunk, floored his accelerator and with a screech of tyres drove out of the carpark, leaving the man staring in astonishment. He heard the young woman start crying in what he hoped was relief, and then heard her softly murmur something in what he thought was English.

"Aw c'mon now girl," he said aloud. "Don't fret, you'll get to see your Mama and Daddy soon."

There was a moment of silence, and then a frightened voice asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend. Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya, but I need ya ta do a li'l somethin' for me."

"I have little money, so I cannot pay you for your help."

"I don't want your money girl, all I want is for you to trust me. That ain't hard ta do fer the guy who rescued ya is it?"

"N-no…. Okay, I will trust you."

"Good gal. Now hang in there for just a li'l while longer till I find us a place quiet enough where we'll both be safe."

Five minutes later Jazz turned into a roughly-cut lane that was sandwiched between two empty warehouses. By this time, the dawn light was slowly adding patches and streaks of color to the dark blue-grey sky. Jazz came to a stop and popped the lid of his trunk open for the woman to climb out. When she did, she came round to his left front door.

"I thank you for saving me," she said.

"No thanks needed li'l lady, just happy to be of service," Jazz replied. "Where'll you go now?"

"I am trying to return home to my family's village in the Central Provinces. I only fear I may not have enough money for a train ticket, for the journey is rather long."

Jazz said nothing for a while, again fighting a war within himself of mission versus morals. He took a good long look at the young woman standing on the pavement beside him. She looked no older than 22, had long straight, black hair and dark brown, almond eyes. She wore a simple, faded, ankle-length denim skirt and a brown t-shirt; and wore no accessories save for a simple pair of gold earrings. Streaks of dust and dried tears smudged her otherwise pretty face, and her small, delicate hands were roughened by many hours of hard labour.

He was no fool. He knew what some of the working conditions in those factories and warehouses were like. He knew how poor, village people were exploited into doing hard labor for minimal wages. He knew how those people were treated. He knew Decepticons didn't necessarily have to be robots alone. There were humans who behaved far worse than them sometimes.

A journey from Beijing to the Central Provinces could take at least three days by train, and to Jazz, the thought of this little girl stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no money and no one around to help her, weighed heavy on his spark. Could he really bring himself to just leave her to her fate?

While the debate raged on in his head, the young woman took a step back and bowed to him as gracefully as she could.

"Once more, I thank you for your help," she said and began to walk away.

That jolted Jazz out of his thoughts and into action.

"Hold on there lady!" he called. She stopped and looked back. He edged forward on his tyres. "Maybe I can save ya the money and the walk to the train station. See, I'm headed out there maself." He paused and she looked at him half-curious, half-afraid. He sighed. "Guess what I'm tryin' ta say is: would ya like ta ride with me?"

Now she looked surprised. "That… that is very kind of you, and I thank you for your generous offer, but I have nothing to give you in return."

"I don't want nothin' from ya ma'am, just the pleasure of your company. I've been travelin' all by my lonesome for a long while now, it'd be nice ta have someone to talk to again."

He opened his front passenger door and the woman gasped and stepped back quickly upon seeing the empty interior.

"W-what are you?"

"Y'ever heard of Transformers?" he asked. She nodded. "Well, I'm one of 'em, an Autobot – one of the good guys. I'd transform for ya, but y'see, I'm supposed ta be here in secret and in disguise, so I'm trustin' ya to help me keep this a secret. Will ya trust me now and come with me?"

She nodded again. "Okay." Stepping off the pavement, she got inside.

Jazz shut the door after her. "Alright, now strap yourself in and we'll be off!" He began moving once again. "And I don't believe I caught ya name the first time."

"My name is Chi Jia Mei," she said, and a small smile lit up her face. "What is your name?"

"The name's J- Meister. Pleasure ta meet ya Jia Mei. Now, I'm a bit of a stranger ta these parts, so why don't ya help me find the quickest way outta here and onto the highway that'll take us westward."

Jia Mei leaned forward. "Turn left here," she said, and she soon navigated them back into the main flow of traffic.

For a while they concentrated on moving as quickly as possible through the heavy morning rush-hour traffic, so they spoke little, keeping a lookout instead for any opening, which Jia Mei had a knack for spotting. Two hours later, Jazz finally crossed the Beijing state's border and pulled onto the exit ramp that led away from the busy highway. The road stretched ahead like a silver-grey ribbon that wound its way through hills and valleys, towns and fields – straight for the most part, though now and again branching off in varied directions.

Jazz held their course straight, unless Jia Mei directed him otherwise. Now that they'd left the hectic pace of the city behind, they could relax and talk for a bit. The sun rose higher and shone down hot and bright, but thankfully Jazz's tinted windows filtered most of the glare. Jia Mei leaned back in her seat and drew the back of her hand across her left cheekbone. She grimaced at the dirt smudges. Jazz smiled mentally to himself and opened his glove compartment to reveal a box of tissue.

"Help yerself girl," he said with a light chuckle in his voice.

"Thank you," she replied, pulling out a few sheets and wiping her face and arms.

"Not a problem darlin', happy ta be of service, but if ya don't mind me askin', why were you hidin' from that guy earlier? He hurt you or anythin'?"

"No, but I fear he would have, had he found me," Jia Mei said, stuffing the dirty tissues into her pocket to dispose of properly later. "I came to Beijing from my village four years ago to look for work so I could support my parents, who are simple farmers. I was given a job at a garment factory close by to where you met me. The old supervisor was a kind man. He always paid us well, and always allowed us to visit our families once a month. He also taught English to those of us who wanted to learn it."

"Sounds like a nice guy. So I'm guessin' he's not the one who chased you into that carpark huh?"

"No. He had to go away temporarily on business, and he left that horrible man in charge. He would not allow me to home, so I ran away against his wishes. I will not go back until the old master returns. This man treats us as if we are nothing more than stupid, mindless machines." She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "I am sorry! I did not mean it like that."

Jazz laughed. "Its alright, I know what ya meant. No offense taken, so don't worry about it."

Jia Mei rested her arm along his window rim. "You said you were here in secret, but why?"

"Well if I told ya, it wouldn't be a secret anymore would it?" Jazz asked.

"I suppose not. Forgive me, I should not have asked.

"Just suffice it to say that its important that no one knows I'm an Autobot, and that no one knows I'm here. I shouldn't have even revealed myself ta you, but hey, sometimes an Autobot's gotta be a gentleman and help out a pretty lady."

Jia Mei laughed and ducked her head, blushing ever so slightly. "I am honored that you trust me. Do not worry Meister, I will keep your secret. Maybe I can even help you."

"I'd be mighty grateful to ya if ya could."

The sun, now reaching its noon point, beat down relentlessly on the world below it, and out here in the countryside, free of exhaust fumes and smoke from the factories, colors shone out all the brighter. Fields of rice glowed a dazzling green, hillsides gleamed golden-brown, here and there wildflowers showed off their blossoms of pink, violet, blue and white as they bobbed and danced in the breeze along the edges of the road.

Immersed in pleasant surroundings and pleasant company, Jazz barely felt the miles as they slipped away under his tyres. Jia Mei spoke of her family and life on their farm which, as she admitted, was nothing much to talk about. Her father ploughed the rice fields while her mother bred chickens for eggs and meat. Most of their produce they would take to sell in the nearby village, the rest they kept as their daily rations. The income they brought was just enough to ensure that the water kept running and the plough kept working, and that there was enough feed for the chickens. At 18, Jia Mei left her home for the capital city in the hopes of bringing a higher income back to her now-aged parents.

By the time she finished her story, they had reached the outskirts of a small village. Jazz checked his speed and slowed down considerably.

"We'd best stop and find ya somethin' ta eat girl, y'must be starvin'," he said.

"What about you?" Jia Mei asked. "You must require some type of fuel?"

"Well, energon's usually best, but any type of fuel should do, though I've no idea where to get some around here."

"It's a good thing you've got me with you then." She unbuckled her seatbelt. "Find some place to park where you wont stand out so much. I'll be back soon."

Before Jazz had even come to complete stop, Jia Mei had popped open the door and jumped out. Stumbling, then catching herself, she walked briskly to one of the village dwellings. Jazz mentally shook his head, then went on to look for a place to wait where his sports car alt mode wouldn't look too conspicuous. He found a spot between a broken-down house and a rice field, reversed in alongside the house and shut off his engine. Now that he had some time to himself, he was a little surprised to find out just how tired he really was. Never before had a mission been this long or this tiring, but then again, neither had he been in a new body prior to this. He chalked the soreness down to that.

While he waited for Jia Mei to return, he tried to shut down and see if he could catch a few snatches of sleep, but barely an hour had passed when he felt a pat on his left side, near his fuel hatch.

"Open up Meister!" Jia Mei called. "I was able to get some fuel for you." She held up a quarter gallon can of liquid.

"How'd you manage it?" Jazz asked as he popped open the hatch. "I'd feel mighty bad if ya had ta pay for it outta your hard-earned wages."

"Don't worry about it." Jia Mei winked as she poured the fuel into his tanks. "A lady offered me this and some food if I could help her darn a bundle of clothes, which I did."

"In just an hour? Dang girl, you work fast."

Jia Mei put the empty can down and closed the fuel hatch securely. "Years of needlework. You pick up a trick or two after all that time."

Jazz cranked up his engine and opened the door for her to get in. Once she was safely strapped into the seat, he pulled out of his 'hiding' place and back onto the road again.

Afternoon bled into evening and the setting sun stained the fields around them with a blood-red hue. A few pale stars appeared in the dark-blue eastern sky and a crescent moon glowed weakly in the last rays of the sun.

"Sure is pretty out here," Jazz heard himself say. "Scenery like this kinda makes me forget I'm on a mission."

"But you don't really forget do you? You just stop thinking about it for a little while," Jia Mei replied.

"Yeah, ya got that right, an' sooner or later it makes itself known again." He sighed.

"So that is why you came to China? Because of this secret mission of yours?"

"Ya could say. I was in the middle o' my vacation when I got called back and put on this case."

"Why you?"

"Well, think of your situation – why are you out here?"

"For my family. I want them to be safe and secure, and I am the only one who can help them."

"There ya go. I ain't got family like you do, but the guys… we're pretty close-knit, and right now, I'm all they got. If I cant pull this mission off… let's just say things ain't gonna be pretty. Lotta lives at stake." Jazz gave himself a mental shake of his head, feeling a sense of déjà vu and recalling that he'd had this conversation before – most recently with the policewoman in Beijing.

"Many lives are a heavy burden for just one pair of shoulders," Jia Mei said. "Are you truly that alone?"

"Not per se, just in my line of work. Company kinda makes it more complicated." He checked his speed and slowed down a little. "Now listen, its getting' close ta night-time, so why don't you hop in the back, lie down and get some sleep, and I'll wake ya in the mornin' in time fer breakfast."

Jia Mei nodded and climbed over to the back where she curled up on the seat. "What about yourself?"

"I'll be fine li'l lady. Goodnight an' sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Meister." Jia Mei closed her eyes and was asleep in minutes.

Jazz smiled inwardly and continued his drive, though his thoughts began to turn once more to Dash Faireborn. He hoped the man was getting on alright and was not too bitter about being taken off the case.