"What is it?" Bumblebee chirped staring down at the uncovered relic.
Bulkhead poked it, "It sure is an odd shape."
Optimus was just as unsure as his team, he bent down gently scoping the triangular shaped relic into his hands. "Perhaps the base's directories will hold that information."
The relic felt light in his hands, as though it was a hollow shape. Something in him told him to handle the object with caution. "Ratchet we are brining through the relic, please activate the ground bridge."
Optimus held the relic away from his chest, though he gripped it tightly. Ratchet furrowed his eyes when he saw how the Prime was handling the relic,
"What is it?" he asked approaching him. Optimus shook his head,
"I do not know. Perhaps our databases will tell us." Ratchet took the relic from Optimus's grasp carrying it over to his work station. Optimus cringed slightly when Ratchet roughly placed the relic down on his work bench,
"Ratchet, proceed with caution." He warned, the medic shrugged and continued his work. Miko leaned up over the railing looking down at the oddly shaped object,
"Sparkly." She commented at which Ratchet just huffed,
"You would do better to focus on your homework rather then this." Ratchet quipped.
Miko rolled her eyes, "Meh, it can wait."
Jack lightly tapped his book with a pencil, "Actually it can't Miko, we have a math test tomorrow." Miko ignored him running to the other side of the railing where Bulkhead was watching Optimus's screen flicker back and forth between images.
"Any luck?" Arcee asked from behind him. Optimus's shook his head,
"I am afraid that our database seems to hold no information on this relic."
Ratchet grunted, "Well I can't figure it out, it seems hollow like it's a piece of scrap." Arcee walked over picking up the relic and turning it over in her hands.
"Could it be just a worthless piece of scrap?"
Optimus nodded, "It is indeed a possibility." Jack hopped over the railing with Miko and Raph close behind, Raph gently touched it as Optimus placed it down for the children to look at. Miko ran around it running her hand along it as she went. Jack studied the object,
"Hey Optimus look." Optimus bent down looking to where Jack was pointing,
"Is it Cybertronian?" Optimus shook his head at the inscription that had appeared.
"et qui tangit quod tricirangle erit ingressus est in quod ludo mentis, ad finem ludum oportet te per se facti"
Rising back to his full height he placed his hand under his chin, "No that is not Cybertronian." Miko whipped out her phone,
"I got it covered OP." she snapped a picture of the object, "Whoa?" she said in disbelief looking at her phone, she tried to take another picture, and another. "Ah what the scrap?" she bellowed. Everyone stared at her waiting for an explanation,
"uh Miko what's wrong?" Bulkhead finally asked. Miko held up her phone,
"Every time I take a picture the writing is gone." Bulkhead looked at Miko's phone, sure enough the inscription was not present in the image but still branded the relic. Optimus felt a sudden urge to remove the relic from the room.
"I will place the relic in our vault with the others." Without a moment of hesitation, he picked up the relic and headed to the back. Something about this relic just didn't feel right.
After placing the relic is its holding spot Optimus made his way back out to the main control room, suddenly he felt dizzy. Stumbling slightly, he placed on hand to steady himself on the wall and the other on his head. He blinked looking up the room began to spin as he slowly and wobbly made his way to the main room. Bulkhead rushed over to him,
"Oh no not you too." Optimus tried to understand what Bulkhead had said, another way of dizziness took him over as he plummeted unconscious to the ground.
Bulkhead caught him before he hit the ground, "Bee come quick!" he hollered out, Bumblebee came running to his aid.
"What's going on? Even the kids are affected!" Bumblebee beeped. Bulkhead shrugged not sure what to say as they laid Optimus out on the ground.
A few hours passed as Bulkhead and BumbleBee paced back and forth between the bots and children. Ratchet and Arcee had been placed on the two med births, Optimus had been pulled over and laid near them on the floor. Jack, Raph, and Miko were sprawled out on the landing, everyone seemed to be ok. A moan escaped from one of the bots causing Bumblebee to jump, Arcee began to stir,
"Cee you okay?" Bulkhead leaned over her. Arcee's eyes fluttered open,
"Bulk?" she sat up her hand on her head. "What happened?" Bulkhead look to bumblebee as Jack was coming to a standing position. Bulkhead grew concerned when Jack stumbled backwards staring down at his hands with a gasp.
"Jack you ok?"
"Yeah I think so." Bulkhead whipped his head to the left where Optimus's body was now rising. "Jack?" Bulkhead asked. Optimus's form came to its full height,
"What?"
Bulkhead's eyes widen, "Holy mother of primus." Arcee's form was now breathing heavily,
"I'm in Arcee's body!" she squealed.
Jacks form looked to Optimus, "Jackson?" Jack nodded not moving a muscle, "Optimus?" Optimus nodded. Bulkhead looked at Miko's form, it stood with an angry expression and arms crossed. Bulkhead looked to Arcee's form, "Miko?"
"Yes, its me." She smiled, "This is totally cool." Arcee, now in Miko's body, growled.
"This is not cool Miko, I never felt so…helplessly weak." Miko snarled, "Hey!"
Jack stood still as a statue afraid to move, he was so tall everything looked distant and small. Optimus saw Jack's face flash with fear,
"It is alright Jackson." Jack looked down at the Prime now inhabiting his body, a reassuring smile across his face. Jack tried to slow his heart…err spark now, as he felt it beat furiously in his chest. Bulkhead voice broke his concentration,
"That only leaves the obvious, Raph and Ratchet." the two had still not awakened.
"Well wake them up! I want to know how to reverse this!" Arcee spoke rather loudly, Raph's body jolted as the young human stood up abruptly.
"Ratchet?" Arcee reached down to give the human his glasses,
Ratchet nodded, "Yes what? Why is everything blurry?" Arcee placed the glasses on his face,
"Better?" she asked, though she was frustrated with their current situation she couldn't help but chuckled at Ratchet.
"Miko?" Arcee shook her head turning Ratchet around to watch himself stand. Ratchets mouth dropped open, "Impossible."
Raph looked to the sound of the voices, he jumped when he saw his body looking back at him. "What in the world?!" Miko calmed him, having gotten the hang of Arcee's body right quick. "Calm down Raph, it would appear we switched bodies with the Autobots." Raph nodded looking over his hands, he was in Ratchets body. He looked down to the floor, he was tall. Everyone remained silent for a few moments, grasping what had occurred. Jack was the first to break the silence,
"Not to be the one who makes this worse, but what happens if the cons make a move?" Everyone stared at him. Jack looked back and forth, feeling awkward as their gaze fell on him, he shifted his weight, "What?"
Bulkhead shook his head, "Sorry Op…Jack its not…we are used to hearing Optimus talk like that." Optimus sighed with an eye roll at the comment, "A fair question Jack and one I hope does not need answered." Miko, whom had not been paying attention, had figured out Arcee's weapons system. "Cool!" she squealed as a round accidently fired. Bulkhead dove for the ground as the blast passed over his head,
"Miko!" Miko put her hands behind her back, blasters till activated.
"Whoops sorry Bulk." Bulkhead stood back up, "Put those away before you hurt someone or yourself." Miko shook her arms, trying to get the blaster to recoil,
"Come on!" she groaned, "They won't go away!"
Arcee leaned over the railing, "You have to focus, if that's possible for you." Miko frown holding her arms out in front of her and taking a deep breath, the cannons retracted.
"Sweet!" Miko nodded to herself. Jack still hadn't moved an inch, he watched as Raph seemingly had no issues maneuvering and learning Ratchets body, Miko as well. Jack felt as though he were nailed to the floor, too afraid to move. He saw Optimus looking at him, through his eyes.
His face was soft and caring, "Come to me Jackson." Jack sighed heavily, still not used to hearing his own voice from a different set of ears. Jack looked down at his feet, he breathed moving slowly over to the railing. He sighed in victory once he reached it, looking at Optimus whom smiled up at him.
Jack smirked, "This is going to take some getting used to."
"For everyone." Arcee quipped.
Raph pipped up, "How are we going to explain this mess to our families?"
Ratchet huffed crossing his arms, "No way no how I am going to pretend to be a human." Optimus laid his hand on the small Ratchets shoulder, "We may have to for now."
A sudden proximity alarm made everyone, including Optimus jump. Bulkhead ran to the monitors, "uh-Oh." He looked to Optimus, "It's Jacks mom." Jack's eyes widened,
"No, no she is going to freak." Jack grimaced as his moms car pulled in parking in her usual spot.
"Hi honey!" before she could race up the stairs Jack bent down placing a hand in front of her, June looked up startled, "Optimus? What's wrong?" Jack breathed in,
"Okay this is going sound crazy, but Mom, I'm Jack." June stepped back looking into Jacks face then up at Optimus whom leaning on the rail nodded. June shook her head,
"How…how is this even possible? I mean I shouldn't be surprised, after meeting aliens nothing should surprise me…" she plopped down on the steps. Jack sat on the floor with a thud,
"We are going to figure this out Mom, some relic did this." June smiled at him,
Miko plopped herself down, "Maybe that weird language tells how we can reverse this."
June looked over at her, "And you would be?" Miko laughed, pointing up to her human body,
"Miko, and Arcee is in my body. Raph and Ratchet switched too. Bulk and Bee are the only normal ones."
June nodded, "What weird language?"
Jack shrugged, "It's not Cybertronian or English, we don't know what it said. Miko tried to take a picture of it but it didn't show in her images."
Miko jumped up, "I'll go get it and show you." Before anyone could stop her, she had raced back to the vaults.
"Is it a good idea that she is touching it? Raph looked up at Ratchet. Ratchet merely shrugged with a huff, as Miko came charging back into the room, holding the object for June to see.
"That's Latin." June stood up squinting her eyes to read the inscription,
"He who touches the tricirangle will be entered into the Mind Games, to end the game you must become one with yourself."
Everyone stood silent, "Become one with ourselves, what the heck is that suppose to mean? Ratchet threw his small arms into the air.
June shook her head, "No idea." She looked up to see Jack staring down at her wide eyed. "Yes Jack?"
Jack shook his head, "You know Latin?"
June laughed, "I took a few years of it in college." Jack just shook his head processing what he had just found out.
"It doesn't make sense why would Cybertronian's write Latin on a device?" Raph asked.
Optimus finally spoke, "Perhaps it was not invented by Cybertronian's."
Jack crossed his arms, "That doesn't make sense. Humans don't have this kind of tech, do they?" Arcee commented, "What about Mech?"
A sudden door bang caused them all to turn around, "What about Mech?" Agent Fowler asked as they entered. June finished her ascend up the stairs to met him,
"Sit down Bill, I need to tell you something."
A short time later Agent Fowler looked around the room, "Let me get this straight, Raph is Ratchet, and Ratchet is Raph. Miko is Arcee, and Arcee is Miko, and Jack is Optimus, and Optimus is Jack?"
June nodded, "That's the gist of it and Miko is holding the device responsible."
Jack turned to her, "Speaking of that, why don't you put that away before something else happens." Miko moaned but walked back to place the object back in its holding.
"Still need to figure out what its message means." Bulkhead said, "and who created it."
Optimus nodded, "And we must do so before…" just as he spoke an energon alert sounded, "Perfect." Arcee grunted as Bulkhead pulled up the alert. "looks like Decepticons are moving energon." Jack, Miko, and Raph looked at Optimus. "Bulkhead and Bumblebee, recon and report back." He stated as the two raced through a ground bridge portal.
Jack looked at Optimus, "What if they need backup? The decepticons can't know about our current situation."
Miko jumped over to him, "no problem, we just have to pretend to be them."
Raph intervened, "And just how do you plan on doing that Miko?" Miko smiled backing away from them and taking a deep breath, she crossed her arms, and leaned her weight to her left leg.
"Scrap, the cons are getting away!" Everyone including Arcee stood with their mouths open at Miko's impersonation. Raph laughed, picking up a wrench and winging it across the room,
"Bulkhead I needed that!" he hollered. Miko was on her knees laughing, Jack chuckled as well.
"That's pretty good Raph."
Ratchet crossed his arms with a grunt, "I do not sound like that."
Optimus laid a hand on his shoulder, as if to silently say, "Sorry but yes you do."
Miko tuned to Jack, "Your turn!" Jack looked around the room, "Uh…" Just then Bulkhead reported in, "It a super small mine boss, nothing much here."
Optimus nodded, "Return to base Bulkhead, at the moment we have more pressing matters."
Jack sighed inwardly, saved by the com, he thought to himself. His triumph was short lived, after Bulkhead and Bumblebee arrived at the base Miko pushed him again,
"You guys are just in time to see Jack do his Optimus impression."
Jack looked to Optimus for help but only received a small shoulder shrug in response, if Jack didn't know any better, he would have thought he saw Optimus's eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Jack sighed with a growl, "Fine Miko." She straighten himself to Optimus's full height, "Autobots, Transform and Roll Out."
Miko clapped, "Dude you looked and sounded just like him!"
Raph laughed along with Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee, Optimus crossed his arms, a small smile plastered on his face. "Well done Jackson."
Jack felt sheepish looking at the Prime, "Thanks." He muttered.
Miko tapped her foot, "Not that this isn't fun, but I am starting to get bored."
Arcee snorted, "There's a shock."
Jack looked around, "Not much we can do, unless someone knows how to become one with themselves."
Raph put his hand under his chin, "It doesn't make any sense, how can we become one with ourselves if we aren't ourselves."
No one knew the answer when June interrupted, "Raph, Miko, I just got off the phone with your parents to tell them you were sleeping over at my place tonight." Raph and Miko high fived.
June looked at her watch, "Speaking of that it is getting late, and you three have school tomorrow." Arcee, Optimus, and Ratchet froze in place. June cocked her head, "Well come on, if the kids can imitate you, I'm sure you can imitate them."
Jack waved his hands, "Whoa mom, can't you like say we are all sick or something."
June shook her head, "I don't have the authority to do that for Raph and Miko, and as for you, you've missed enough days. Anymore and you could get suspended." Jack lowered his head in defeat.
"Lets just hope the cons don't decide to make a move while we are…at school." Arcee groaned. Bulkhead reassured her, "No worried Arcee, me and Bee can handle it."
"And if you can't?" she shot back.
Optimus stepped in, "We will deal with that should it arise, for now our mission is too imitate the children to the best of our ability." Optimus lead the way as the three of them climbed into Junes car.
"Raph?" Ratchet called out for a ground bridge.
Jack, Miko, and Raph watched their teammates leave with June, "So now what?" Miko asked.
Bulkhead shrugged, "Might as well put the sensors on high alert and get some shut eye while we can."
Jack nodded in agreement as they made their way back to the bots chambers. Jack lowered himself with ease into the Autobot leaders bed, he felt strange doing so. He laid back looking up at the ceiling, "Hopefully Vince has good mind to keep away from me...err Optimus tomorrow." Jack whispered into the dark, almost hoping Vince would challenge the Autobot leader, Optimus could pummel him, he thought as slowly sleep took over the weary teen.