Here we are. Welcome to the crossover co-written by Ultimate10 and viking7734, who also deserve the credit. SO yeah, the story like that was in your truely's head for a while, but if it wasn't for the ladder two, it would probably never come out yet. So thanks guys. Now let us start this story.
-01-
When Worlds Collide
It was another peaceful day. The sounds of birds singing, running rivers, and the whispering sound of the wind, gently brushing against one's body could be heard. In addition, the sun rays were warming the face in a way none can help but smile.
Or at the very least that's what one would like to say, but nooooo...
Jack Darby couldn't enjoy it. Why? Mainly because this 16-year-old, raven head teen had to hide from a bunch of crazy alien robots. He barely managed to jump to his right, when another Vehicon hit the ground. Before he could catch his breath, another one was already onto him. The boy took off, trying to get away, but the drone was too close. Jack was already feeling his bones getting crushed. No way could he outrun this thing this time.
That's when a white blur flew over him, knocking the drone down. As it raised its head, a blade came out of Arcee's servo, and she used it to cut the Vehicon down. Finally, Jack was able to get a breather, as he looked at Arcee. His mind was able to collect everything.
Somewhere far in the galaxy, there was a planet named Cybertron. It was inhabited by a race of giant, sentient machines. The race lived peacefully, under the leadership of a Prime, the guide of their people. But it all ended when one of them, Megatron, who arrogantly named himself Absolute, in oppose to a Prime, called some of the Cybertronians to serve him. The result was civil war, or more precisely, The Great War. Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, for all his psychopathic urges and possible insanity, has proven to be a brilliant and ruthless strategist and leader, conquering nearly entire planet. The Autobots, who opposed the Decepticons, lead by their newest Prime, Optimus, fortified the wall of Iacon, Their last free city.
As the energon reserves ran low, Optimus gathered the team to leave the planet in search of new energon resources. The plan was good, but Megatron followed him and his team. Ultimately, in 1944, both Autobot and Decepticon crafts crashed on planet Earth.
A few months ago, while riding back home, Jackson Wolf-Cry Darby found a damaged bike in the kennel. He decided to fix it. But when he did, he was attacked by Ravage, the panther-like Decepticon tracker. Arcee, who was the bike the teen fixed, saved him. The boy would likely never see the alien robots again, if it wasn't for one thing. He was able to actually fix her. With that level of intelligence and skill with machines, the Autobots took the boy, and his friends, Raf, Miko and Terry, who accidently learned about the Bots, under their care. And Arcee was assigned as his guardian. Little to say, the two had a very bad start. They seemed to be the only ones to just tolerate each other and nothing more. But in time, Jack grew on her, and Arcee became a family.
Now he recalled why he was here. He looked around to find the Japanese exchange student hiding behind the bolder, taking snap shots and cheering for Bulkhead, who was pounding two Vehicons at once.
"Go, Bulk!" The girl cheered. "Kick their afts! Subarashi!" She was so taken by the fight; she failed to acknowledge the black cat-like robot sneaking behind her. Ravage, for that was its name, leaped towards the girl, who would've either turned to see her fate or get killed if not for Jack, who tackled her out of the Decepticon's way. Ravage turned to the humans, growling and snarling. The kids managed to get on their feet, backing away, as Ravage whipped its tail back and forth.
"Miko, one of these days, I swear, one of these days, you're gonna be the end of me."Jack said with a slight growl; nevertheless, the girl did not take his words kindly.
"Well, you could've not come with." The black-haired girl with pigtails and a ponytail said, hiding behind Jack.
"Then you'd be alien cat food by now." Jack pointed out towards Ravage, who was closing in on the two, still snarling. The two kids looked around, either hoping the Bots would notice them or hoping to find a way to escape, but before they could decide to run, Ravage was...
Send flying. Jack and Miko looked to their right to find their rescuer; the only flyer on the Autobot team, the legend amongst flyers back on Cybertron- Jetfire.
"What's wrong, pussy cat?" He started. "Am I a little too much for you small fangs or somethin'?" he mocked Ravage, who took a few steps back, looking between the flyer and the kids. "No you don't, Fangs. Back away, now. Or you'll end up in recycling facility." Jetfire threatened, pointing out his energy rifle. The cat did not take it for a bluff, and quickly transformed into a black KTM 125 cc road race motorcycle and sped off. However, before getting anywhere far, it served to soften the fall of Barricade, the 'Con's hunter. How fearful was that mech. He liked killing and torturing. But the thrill of the hunt and fight just excited him.
The said Decepticon stood up, rubbing his chin, glaring at the two Autobots who were now dealing with his partner, Thundercracker. Jazz, one of the Autobots kicked the blue Seeker in the chest, while the other one, Hot Ride, punched him straight in the face, sending him flying. Barricade managed to catch the Seeker before he fell.
"Cheers fur that, Barricade (Thanks for that, Barricade)" Thundercracker said in Scottish. Then turned to face the Autobots and glared hardly, allowing electricity to run down his right servo. "Ye'r aff tae pay fur hitting mah coupon, glitches. (You're going to pay for hitting my face, glitches.)" He growled.
"Oh, so that's a face. I thought it was your exhaust pipe." Hot Ride mocked, unsheathing his blade, pulling it out from his waist. The minute he'd done so, the countless little blades began to glow and spin, like a chainsaw. Thundercracker just stood his ground, still charging his signature weapon. Hot Ride just calmly walked towards him.
Neither would take their glare off the other. Finally, Thundercracker released the thunder. It had enough power to cracker the hill behind the two Autobots. Bot it missed the target. The Autobot soldier just gave him a confused look before smiling. "My turn,"
"Forgoat it. A'm oot o' 'ere.(Forget it. I'm out of here.)" The blue Seeker decided, and transformed. Taking off into the sky. That, of course, did not go well with the hunter.
"Thundercracker! You coward! Get back here!" Barricade shouted, but Thundercracker was already far away. The hunter turned to face the two Autobots just in time to block Hot Ride's sword, catching his wrist. "On the other hand, Barricade doesn't need the help of that rusted glitch." He smiled, delivering a strong punch to Hot Ride's midsection. Then send him flying with a kick. That's when Jazz jumped in, with a flying kick to Barricade's face. It was a close one, yet the 'Con managed to keep his balance.
"Y'know, Barricade. I've seen lately some kung fu movies with Bruce Lee." Jazz started, taking the stance. "Wanna know a few hits?" he asked.
Barricade glared at him, trying to burn holes in him, but then looked around to find himself surrounded by the Autobots. He may liked the fights, but wasn't as stupid and arrogant as most Decepticons.
"This is Barricade. Barricade needs backup. Now!" he shouted into his comm.-link. And within seconds, a vortex of green-yellow energy opened in the thin air. Barricade smiled, counting on a group of Vehicons to come out. However...
"/Barricade! Return to base, now! /" Starscream, the Decepticon Second-In-Command spoke through the comm.-link.
"Starscream. Barricade has yet to complete the mission!" he snarled, leaping over Arcee and taking his distance.
"/Forget those readings, Barricade. Surely it's nothing. Besides, Megatron has a different task for you. /" Barricade snarled.
He wasn't certain if it wasn't another trick of the Seeker or the truth. After all, Starscream was a pathological liar, treacherous and ambitious, always waiting for the right moment to overthrow Megatron. Yet again, he was the only Decepticon left. He looked around, thinking of a strategy and spotted the human youths.
Yes, the Autobot pets, their obvious weakness. Barricade quickly aimed at the tree not far from them and fired, causing it to start collapsing. Then aimed his right servo at the boulder they hid behind and fired a missile, before transforming and taking off, transforming into a HMMWV. Arcee and Bulkhead raced towards their human friends, while Hot Ride and Jetfire tried to shoot Barricade.
Jazz was lucky he had such good reflexes and aim, managing to hit the missile before it could contact the boulder, but the tree still collapsed.
"Jack!" Arcee cried.
"Miko!" Bulkhead followed. The two circled the boulder to look at the tree; however, the humans were not under it, but next to it and both with fearful expressions. "Are you okay?" Bulkhead, the 28 foot titan kneeling to them, asked.
"That. Was. AWESOME! What a thrill. Sugoi!" Miko started to speak like her usual self, again. Jack growled.
"Next time, I'm not giving a care even if it's a mission to the Moon." Jack spoke through his teeth.
"I'll hold you to that." Arcee supported his decision.
"Well, isn't that all nice and all?" Jetfire spoke, approaching the Guardians. "Luckily, we can still study those strange readings we found. Think it's the Super Energon?"
"Doubtful." Arcee said. "This planet can't produce enough energon naturally, which is why we synthesize it from other resources. The only Super Energon we managed to find was destroyed to ensure their warship doesn't leave the planet."
"Besides, these readings are not that of the energon." Bulkhead said, pulling out the scanner. "The readings suggest something stable." He said while pointing in the general direction. "Over there."
"Autobots. Let's roll." Jazz ordered and the whole group started to walk.
It was a peaceful, sunny day in the State of Nevada. Inside a large canyon system in the middle of the state, the yellow sun was shining and the wind was gently blowing across the land. For Jackson Darby, the bearer of the Omnitrix, what started off as a nice day…turned into a rough one.
Earlier that day, the computer back at the Autobot base had picked up on an Energon signature emanating from the middle of Nevada. Jack, Arcee, Smokescreen, IDON, and Miko had offered to tag along. The latter was allowed since the Decepticons were no longer on Earth, thanks in part to Vilgax.
Six months ago, Jack Darby had been walking along an old, desert road outside of Jasper, enjoying his downtime. Unexpectedly, a shooting star fell out of the sky and nearly crushed him in the process. Upon approaching the crater, Jack discovered that the object was not a meteor or a satellite, but rather…a probe. An alien probe!
Jack cautiously approached it and after pressing a button on the side of probe, the top half folded over, revealing a silver and blue watch lying inside. Overwhelmed in awe and curiosity, Jack reached in to grab it, only for the watch to jump at him and clamp onto his wrist.
He tried to get the watch off but it was fruitless endeavor. Curious, Jack started messing around the watch. He was surprised when the dial popped up along with a hologram of a bipedal fire person. Curious, Jack pressed the dial down, only to feel his body transform from the inside-out all in a matter of nanoseconds.
Imagine his shock when saw that he was a being with molten rocks for skin and had fire engulfing his body. He had christened this form, Heatblast, from the beginning. After the incident with his mom seeing him as Heatblast, fighting off a squad of Eradicons, he had decided to keep the watch a secret from his mom and the Autobots.
Over the new few days, he discovered that this watch, the Omnitrix, allowed him to turn into a variety of alien species with different abilities. He used his powers to take down bank robbers, battle Decepticons, and alien bounty hunters. Along the way, he gained a Plumber partner named IDON. The Plumbers are a group of intergalactic police officers who uphold the law and protect anyone they can throughout the universe. The duo over the new couple months battled crime from both Earth and space.
Jack eventually confessed his secret and his feelings to Arcee after she confronted him about how he had been spending less time with her and at base. After a little romantic outing, Jack and Arcee went back to base and the teen explained how he found the watch and etcetera. Team Prime was really shocked to hear all of it, but came to terms after a while.
Things heated up when Vilgax, a powerful warlord who ruled over two galaxies, arrived to Earth to claim the Omnitrix. During his time, he had destroyed the Decepticon flagship and sent Megatron and his top lieutenants running through a spacebridge. He then turned his attention to Jack.
After fighting Vilgax in Jasper, getting captured, and rescued by Tetrax (a Petrosapien), it ultimately came down to the battle in the Andes Mountains. Vilgax had upgraded the Con spacebridge and was planning on bringing his invading force to Earth to destroy it.
Team Prime though easily defeated Vilgax's armada of drones; however, they stood no chance against the Big V himself. It all seemed hopeless, until…Jack unlocked his most powerful form up-to-date, Way Big. A thousand foot tall being with incredible strength and can shoot cosmic beams from his arms.
Way Big easily defeated Vilgax and tossed him into the collapsing spacebridge. In the end, Vilgax and his vast empire were destroyed. Millions of worlds were freed and Jack had become an intergalactic superhero.
Four months later, everyone was still relishing the peace…but the quiet was immediately shattered today. When Jack, Arcee, Smokescreen, IDON and Miko approached a cave in the canyon wall that was emitting the Energon signature, a figure walked out.
He was a 6'5'' man with a well-built body, broad shoulders, and long black hair. He wore a pair of old, black combat boots, black pants, and a grey short-sleeved shirt with the number 11 bolded in onyx. Underneath both of his cold, blue eyes were scars. This person, whoever he was, had a cold, superior, and dangerous feel to him from Jack's prospective.
In his right hand was a shard of Energon. The group felt really uneasy from how he was looking at them. The man stared at the group (primarily Jack) with a cold, malevolent grin adorning his lips.
"Uh…who the heck is this guy?" Miko asked out-loud.
The black haired man seemingly ignored Miko's question as he stared down at Jack.
"Well, well, well…looks like I finally found you, Jackson Darby." The man spoke in a cool voice.
Jack's brow lifted. "Uh…do I know you?"
Suddenly, IDON shifted his arm into a blaster and aimed it straight at the man. "No, but I do!" He snarled. "It's Kevin Levin. He's half human/half Osmosian…a race that can absorb matter and energy. He was put in the Null Void for variorum crimes and murders."
"Yep…that would be my resume, red spot Plumber drone." Kevin replied.
"How did you get out of the Null Void?" IDON demanded.
Kevin grinned. "That's my little secret for now. But when I got out, I quickly heard the rumors of the Omnitrix bearer and how he defeated Vilgax the Conqueror. Needless to say, I had to track you down…so I could absorb your power."
Kevin tightened his grip on the Energon shard he was holding, and suddenly, his arm illuminated in a blue glow. He then began walking towards them. Arcee and Smokescreen swiftly deployed their blasters and aimed at Kevin.
"Hold it right there, bro, you're not coming in any closer." Smokescreen said.
Kevin's grin became more sadistic. "Wrong,"
All of a sudden, three Energon blasts fired out from Kevin's arm and hit Arcee, Smokescreen, and IDON square in the chests and sent them careening backwards.
"GUYS!" Jack and Miko said in unison, both alarmed.
Kevin chuckled as he continued to approach the two. "Not even a challenge." He mocked.
"Miko, get out of here NOW!" yelled Jack.
The Asian girl, for once, didn't argue as she took off in the general direction where Arcee and Smoke were lying. Jack stared down at Kevin in anger, anger for hurting his family.
"Okay Kevin, you want a challenge?" Jack pulled up his sleeve, revealing the silver and blue Omnitrix. He pressed the buttons and let the dial pop up. "Then I'll give you a challenge!"
After slamming it down, cobalt light blinded the canyon. In the wake of the light stood a nine foot tall being with a very robust built, crimson skin, and four powerful arms. It had four greyish-blue eyes and a clean shaved head. It wore a pair of black pants with a black shirt that had a blue strip going down the middle. The Omnitrix dial was present on his chest.
"FOUR ARMS!" Jack shouted in a deep, raspy voice.
Kevin's eyebrow cocked. "Impressive, I'll admit. But it is amusing to think that you can defeat me."
Four Arms's growled as he charged at the long black haired man. Kevin fired another blast of Energon at him, but Jack managed to dodge the attacks and deliver a nasty haymaker into Kevin's chest. The blow sent the Osmosian/human hybrid colliding into the canyon wall with a loud thud.
He grunted as he slid to the ground, a little blood trickling from his mouth. The red Tetramand approached Kevin and picked him up by the throat and slam him back into the rocky wall, glaring at him.
"What was that you just said?" taunted Jack.
Kevin laughed manically in response, confusing the teen hero. 'Okay…is this guy crazy or something?' He thought.
Suddenly, Kevin grabbed hold of one Jack's arms, causing blue energy to flow into Kevin. Four Arms groaned in pain as the energy coursed out from him and into Kevin. He could feel his strength steadily draining away. Without warning, Kevin put his feet in Four Arm's midsection and pushed him back a hundred yards!
Jack's feet skidded across the rough desert ground as he kept his balance. When he came to a halt, he looked back at Kevin, who was running straight for him at an amazing speed. The black haired Osmosian yelled as he leaped in the air, his fist reared back, ready to bring it down on Jack.
However, Four Arms lunged at the side and avoided the hit, causing Kevin to hit the ground. The result was a small shockwave that created a small crater. The crazy, power-absorbing criminal stepped out of the hole and glared at Jack with an evil smirk.
"I can absorb energy, and that includes the energy out of any living being, especially you."
"Nice trick. Doesn't matter though, I'm still gonna wipe the floor with you." Four Arms stated confidently.
"Then let's put that theory to a test then…Omnitrix bearer." Kevin said the last part as if it were poison.
The Osmosian and the Tetramand ran towards each other. When they closed the distance, Four Arms punched Kevin in the chest with both right fists while Kevin punched him in the torso. As a result, another shockwave was created that sent both criminal and hero careening backwards. After they stopped and caught their balance, they ran at each other again, reengaging the fight!
Meanwhile, Miko was by Arcee, Smokescreen, and IDON's side as they recovered from the unexpected Energon blast from Kevin. Arcee was on her hands and knees', holding her midsection as Smoke was getting to his feet.
"Whoa. I did not see that coming." Smokescreen noted.
IDON, whose anti-gravity projector was working again, floated off the ground with a foggy system. "Ugh…Kevin must've absorbed the energy inside that Energon shard and then discharged it at us."
"You're telling us this now?" Arcee said in annoyance.
Miko, who was hiding a boulder close to the trio, had her phone out and was taking snaps of the Four Arms-Kevin fight. She cringed from the hits that Jack took and the ones he sent at Kevin. It really was becoming a beat down, and it looked like Jack was losing the upper hand.
"We gotta do something! Jack won't last long against that freak!" Miko stated.
"For once, Miko's right." Arcee said as she got to her feet. She turned toward IDON. "Can't you just send him back to the Null Void?"
"That blast damaged some of my systems. My built-in N.V. Projector is still rebooting." The yellow drone explained.
"Great," Arcee muttered. She the activated her com-link to call in base, "Arcee to base, do you copy?"
"Ratchet to Arcee, what is your status?"
"Some alien freak is attacking Jack, we need backup now!"
"Coming right up!"
Meanwhile, Four Arms bounced on the ground as the hit from Kevin sent him backwards. He skidded to a stop on his back, a few cuts and bruises present on his body. Jack's blurry vision refocused and honed in on Kevin, who was now standing on his chest, looking at him with a twisted smile.
"So this is the great Jack Darby, bearer of the Omnitrix, and the one who defeated Vilgax the Conqueror? I guess…I was expecting something…more." Kevin commented.
Four Arms grinned. "Oh…so it's more you want, huh?"
Suddenly, the Tetramand head-butted Kevin, causing him to stumble backwards, holding his head in pain.
"Okay Kevy…I'll give yah more!" Jack yelled as he slapped the Omnitrix dial again.
In the wake of another display of blue light, stood a seven foot tall, bipedal creature that was made of green crystals. It had broad chest and shoulders and big arms. It wore a sleeveless suit that was half blue on the left side and half black on the other. The Omnitrix dial was displayed in the middle of his chest.
"DIAMONDHEAD!" shouted Jack, whose voice was deeper.
The human turned Petrosapien glared at Kevin with eyes that spoke determination. "Is this the more you wanted, Kevy?!" Diamondhead taunted with a grin.
Kevin growled in anger as he rushed at Diamondhead, letting out a battle cry as he did. Diamondhead didn't flinch. He simply held up his right arm and discharged a folly of crystal shards. The projectiles bounced and shattered off of Kevin's hard body. But even the Tetramand strength he absorbed from Four Arms couldn't last against these shards.
The barrage of crystals sent Kevin backwards, his shirt torn to shreds and cuts all over his upper body. When they stopped, the Osmosian criminal looked back up, hatred and rage filled his eyes. However, he wasn't prepared for the nasty, crystal fist that collided with his face.
Meanwhile, Miko continued taking snaps of the fight and cheered for Jack. "Alright Jack! Kick his aft!"
IDON looked back to Arcee and Smoke and inquired, "How are you feeling?"
"Better," Arcee replied. She looked on at the fight. It seemed Jack's new form, Diamondhead, had an edge over Kevin…for the moment. "We should help him."
"Agreed," IDON complied as he redeployed his blaster. "Miko, stay here."
"Awwww," She whined.
Arcee, Smoke, and IDON (with their weapons deployed) ran towards the battle taking place a hundred yards in front of them.
Back at Autobot Outpost Omega-One,
Optimus, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee stood anxiously by the groundbridge, waiting for Ratchet to input the coordinates.
"Be wary, we do not know the full capabilities of these being Jack is engaged with. But it must be extensive if he requires all of our aid." Ratchet reasoned.
"Understood," Optimus answered. "Activate the groundbridge."
After inputting the destination, the medic pulled down the lever. All of a sudden, sparks and smoke started spitting out of the control panel and eventually the groundbridge ring structures.
"By the All-Spark!" Ratchet cried.
"Ratchet, what is happening?" Optimus asked.
The orange and white Autobot quickly began typing on the panel, searching for the problem. After a couple seconds, a series of code scrolled across the flickering screen. When he finished reading the codes, Ratchet's optics widened in shock.
"The groundbridge has somehow malfunctioned. Instead of opening a portal back to here, it's…opened a breach in the space-time barrier on their side." Ratchet diagnosed.
The optics of the Autobots present widened from shock too.
"Ratchet, can you open a bridge to their coordinates? We must get them out of there." Optimus said.
"I can't, the groundbridge system is off-lined. It'll take days to repair this!"
The Autobots looked at each other, their expressions grim over what fate would befall their comrades.
In the middle of Nevada,
Diamondhead grunted as he skidded across the ground, still standing upright. Apparently, Kevin had managed to touch him long enough to coat his entire body in Diamondhead's crystals. Upon gaining his ability to shoot follies of crystal shards, he also gained Petrosapien strength to add along with the Tetramand strength he got from Four Arm; thus making himself a few levels stronger than Jack.
The Petrosapien glared at the crystal covered form of Kevin. The Osmosian strolled toward Diamondhead at a leisure, graceful pace. He held up his right arm and morphed it into a crystal katana.
"Like I said, I can absorb the abilities from any being." Kevin said.
"I don't understand. What do you want with me? What beef do you have with me?" Diamondhead asked.
Kevin, who was twenty yards and closing, grinned. "Oh…it's nothing personal. You see, I'm love power. I feed on power. And your power, or should I say… the power from your Omnitrix, Jack Darby, is…extremely exquisite."
Out of nowhere, the sounds of blasters priming caused Kevin to stop in his tracks. He turned to see Arcee, Smokescreen, and IDON surrounding him on three sides.
"Thanks for getting us up-to-date on your plan, Levin. Stand down now! You're outnumbered." IDON ordered.
Kevin said nothing. He only looked between each of his foes, a scowl ever present on his face. Before anyone could make a move though, a portal opened up behind all of them.
"Ah, and it looks like backup is here." Smokescreen noted, still aiming his weapon at Kevin.
However, after closer observation, Jack saw this portal was not a regular groundbridge portal. It was a mixture of red, blue, and purple. The outer rim was mostly red and blue whilst the center was purple. The sounds it made were very hectic, and the suction was increasing drastically.
"Uh…guys, I don't think that is a groundbridge." stated Diamondhead.
Suddenly, the suction from the vortex became so strong it began sucking in dust and debris from around them like a vacuum cleaner. The Autobots, Petrosapien, Plumber drone, and Osmosian/human hybrid struggled to fight the pull. Kevin was the first as he was pulled off his feet and pulled into the portal, yelling while doing so.
When he disappeared inside, Jack morphed his hand into a pick axe and slammed it into the ground, trying desperately to keep himself from getting sucked in. Arcee, Smoke, and IDON were having a difficult time too. They former two tried to walk back whilst IDON's anti-gravity projector fought against it, but the suction was too strong.
The ground underneath Jack's pick axe hand gave way, causing Diamondhead to be pulled off his feet and into the portal.
"JACK!" Arcee cried.
IDON swiftly followed suit as his anti-gravity projector couldn't fight the pull any longer. Seconds later, the suction became so powerful it finally pulled Arcee and Smokescreen off their feet and into the center of the vortex.
Miko, who was hiding behind a boulder thirty yards from where they were, was holding on desperately to the rock. However, her grip soon gave as she was lastly pulled into the anomaly. A couple seconds after she went through, the vortex collapsed in on itself into a singularity before disappearing out of sight.
The sight was breath taking. Even for the Autobots. It was a big field, filled with flowers in nearly every color of the rainbow. The river ran through the middle of it. Miko, despite her punkish and somewhat tomboyish behavior, gasped. "Kawaii." She said. "Think we could stop here for party?" she asked the Bots.
"I like the way you're thinking, Miko, but business before pleasure." Jazz said, earning a disappointed moan from the Japanese girl. "Bulk, what's the scanner sayin', you big ol' lug nut?"
The green giant looked at the scanner and turned around with it, checking when the signal was strongest. "There." He pointed towards the only stone in the river. The group made their way towards it, and what they found surprised them.
It was a small, disc-like device, blinking on the edges. Its surface was surprisingly perfectly smooth, with not a single scratch. But strangely, there was no sign of any tool on it.
"Hot Ride to base, we found something that requires Ratchet's expertise." The red Autobot with yellow flames spoke into his comm.-link. At the moment, Jack approached it and studied it.
"Certainly alien," The boy said. "But no way to tell it purpose. And yet..." he found a single crack under the disc. He took a closer look, yet saw nothing. "Strange. Looks like it's anchored."
"Why would it be anchored?" Miko asked, reaching to the disc.
And that shocked everyone. "MIKO! DON'T!" They all yelled in unison.
But it was too late.
The Ark
The base of the Autobots was the platinum- golden vessel that brought the Autonomous Robotic Organisms to this planet- The Ark. That's where Ratchet was working. And he was thankful. The human tech in the old underground base used to work on his circuits. Even when Raf upgraded it, it still annoyed him. But now, that they were put back to The Ark, he was relieved. He only wished the cruiser was able to fly. But at least he could now work with some descent equipment.
Speaking of which, Teletraan I, the ship's super-computer, picked up some strange readings a while ago. It was the source to which Jazz, Hot Ride, Arcee, Jetfire and Bulkhead were sent to investigate. But now, about an hour later, the readings the medic was monitoring changed. After a few clicks, his optics widened.
"Optimus! We got an emergency!" he called, getting the attention of their leader. The 34 foot tall Cybertronian, with red torso and arms and blue legs and helmet approached him. While his lower half of the face was covered by the face-plate, it was made of several plates, which were moving when he spoke.
"What is the situation, Ratchet?" Optimus Prime asked, followed by a bulky red-and-dark grey Autobot with a scar on his face, Ironhide.
"The energy source our team went to investigate- Teletraan just picked up an energy spike. In the area, and the readings seem to influence the area's electromagnetic field, similarly to a ground-bridge."
"You mean a portal is about to open or somethin'?" Ironhide asked.
"Can't tell. The readings are..." he paused. Ratchet usually tried to keep his emotions in check. He should, but always failed. And his optics widened in horror. "By the Matrix. These energy readings... Something's bending the very fabric of space and time. They need to leave the place!"
"Ratchet! Open the ground-bridge!" Optimus ordered.
"NO! Opening the ground-bridge when some other portal is about to open might have a far more devastating result!" Ratchet explained who then opened the comm.-channel. "Ratchet to Team Alpha! Jazz?! Can you hear me?! You need to leave the area..." the readings sky rocketed again, causing interference in communications.
Miami, Florida. It was hot all the time. Probably the reason why Mark Darby decided to move there, it reminded him of Jasper, his hometown in Nevada. It's been eight years since the bots returned to their home planet Cybertron in order to restore it. It was a hard time for everyone, especially for Mark and his girlfriend, the Cybertronian Arcee. They just started their relationship and had to separate. Sure, they talked to each other, but it was the no-seeing part that was hard. Both of them had important things to do. Arcee had to help rebuild Cybertron and Mark was busy running Orion Industries, along with Raf, and being the super hero Iron Man. Could anyone guess that Iron Man, part of the mighty Avengers, saved the world multiple times, and yet, has girl troubles? Guess some things don't change. Mark entered the workshop in his beach side mansion and gave a big yawn. The now 28 year old genius wore his hair short as opposed to his younger days when his blonde hair was long. He was also cleanly shaved, but kept his mustache and goatee. After all, he was the face of the company along with Raf. Currently he wore a black Motley Crue t-shirt, blue jeans and black, with white tips, Converse shoes.
"Jocasta, you there? " Mark asked and tapped his computer screen which in response turned on. AC/DC's Highway To Hell started playing through the speakers.
"For you sir, always. " he was greeted by a gentle female voice.
"Then let's get to it. " Mark announced and motioned his hands. Immediately the workshop came to life. Light illuminated the dark room and revealed the large workshop. Mark made a lifting motion with his right hand and holograms appeared around the workshop, showing detail to everything that was inside. Including a few priceless cars, like the Shelby Cobra or a Lamborghini Aventador. He didn't know why he had the last one though.
"Sir, might I ask what the point of making a new armor is? As I understand, your last one works fine. " asked the female AI "And you also have the Bleeding Edge stored inside you. "
"The Edge is not of much use. If Thanos or Ultron come around again, the Edge wouldn't put up much of a fight. " Mark explained. The Bleeding Edge armor was somewhat useless. While fast and agile, it wasn't suited for melee combat "Besides, after the Extremis fiasco, it's a part of me now and uses up my spark, still feels weird to say that, and I only use it in emergencies. " Mark clarified.
"Very well sir. Shall I ready the Model 36? " the AI asked.
"That'd be nice, thank you Jocasta. " Mark poured himself a coffee that was miraculously there every morning Thanks Airachnid. Mark thought and smiled to himself. A crash behind him got his attention and he turned around "Dummy? Really? Again? " the small robotic arm lowered its arm in shame. It broke something again.
"Sir, the Model 36 is ready for its final test. " Mark snapped his head up and smirked widely. A podium before him opened and a red Iron Man armor with a golden face plate, biceps and golden accents appeared. It's eyes and chest reactor were glowing a light blue. To a normal person it would appear as a regular Iron Man armor.
"Excellent. Okay, so, Model 36, prehensile suit, Extremis configuration three point five. Jocasta, break it down. " just as he said it, the armors glowing eyes and reactor turned off and it fell apart. Some of the parts rearranged its sleeves to look like cylinders or regular plates "Let's see what this baby can do. " Mark extended his right arm and called to the right hand glove through his mind with the help of Extremis. The RT unit on the glove sputtered a little before it gained power and it flew towards Mark. It reached his outstretched hand and assembled itself around it up to the elbow "Nice. " he commented as he examined the red armor "Okay, let's try something new. " he called to the left and right shoulder pads. In a few seconds time, they flew towards him and hit their target, assembling themselves from his shoulder down to his elbow, fully armoring his right arm. Mark smirked "That wasn't so hard. Let's kick it up a notch. " he raised his arms up and called to the entire suit. All the scattered parts came to life and rushed towards him. He remembered when he first did this he ended up on his butt with a lot of bruises. The armor flawlessly assembled on him "Yep, I'm the best. "
"Indeed you are, sir. " responded Jocasta with a hint of sarcasm.
„Running systems check... Everything is running like it should, duh. Heartbreaker RT is at maximum power. Control surfaces are good. Mp3 player work- " he was interrupted by Jocasta.
"Sir, miss Walters and miss Potts are approaching. " she informed him and Mark gulped loudly "They appear rather... Frustrated. " Jocasta's voice gave away her joy. She loved when this things happen. As if on cue, Jennifer Walters or as the super hero world knows her, She-Hulk, walked in with a load of papers, followed by Virginia "Pepper" Potts.
"Good morning ladies! " Mark greeted with a friendly wave, hoping to get on their better side.
"It's 2pm. " Jennifer informed him while listing through her papers. Mark remained quiet "I'm here, this afternoon, to remind you of your legal responsibilities to our investors, board members, trust funds, employers, - " she continued talking and Pepper joined in.
"You have a meeting in thirty minutes, as I'm sure you know, then make an appearance at MIT, after that- " the mixed voices of Pepper and Jennifer were hard to follow so Mark just tuned out and played some music through his helmet's speakers. Good thing the girls don't hear it. The song finished at the same time as they did. They were waiting for his response.
"Oooor you can ignore everything we just said, like every time, and leave it all to us. " Pepper said sarcastically.
"Thanks Pep! I knew you'd understand! " he said in a happy tone and the sounds of his repulsors firing up filled the workshop.
"Oh no you don't! " Jennifer yelled and dashed towards him. He was already mid-air when she grabbed his right leg "You're doing this! Now! " she was glaring at him. Mark just smirked under his helmet. His right boot opened up and freed him of Jennifer's grasp. He quickly made his escape, leaving Jennifer with his right boot in her hand. She threw the boot behind her and sighed "I wish Arcee was here. She could get him to do anything. " and it was true.
"Or his mother. " Pepper commented and the two laughed. Just then, the cylindrical form of the right boot flew only centimeters away from their heads and assembled on to the rest of Mark's armor. The two looked at him with angry expressions.
"Knew I forgot something. Bye! " and with that he flew off once again. He flew through the mansion, going to the other side where Raf's workshop was. It also had a small version of the space bridge in it so he could visit Arcee anytime he wanted. He entered the workshop and landed behind Raf and Skydancer, Mark's adopted daughter "Mornin'. " he greeted cheerfully.
"It's 2 pm. " they replied simultaneously. Mark frowned under his helmet.
"How's the 36 doing? " Raf asked and turned around to face Mark. The boy was now much taller than before but kept his hairstyle and glasses unchanged. He was wearing a white lab coat over his attire that also hadn't changed over the years.
"Pretty well. The Extremis update helped. " Mark commented. He removed his helmet and placed it on a nearby table "Hey Sky. " he greeted his adoptive daughter. She was two and a half meters tall and white in color with blue accents that mimicked the design of Mark's armor. Sky's body was sleek and aerodynamically designed to help her fly better. Her helm was the same as Arcee's with the exception of the pink highlights. Her alternate form was an Orion Industries prototype drone that looked like a smaller version of the SR-71 Blackbird.
"Hi dad. " she greeted back without looking away from her work. Mark looked at an empty armor case that was surrounded by closed ones.
"Where's Miko? " Mark asked.
"She should be back any second now. She went to visit her folks in Tokyo and also a children's hospital. " Raf informed him and put on the M36 helmet "The readings are great. " Raf commented as the suits stats flashed on the hologram inside the helmet.
"Yeap, can't wait to take it for a test drive. " Mark said proudly. At the entrance of the workshop, two very familiar figures appeared.
"Guess who I found. " a female voice spoke and Skydancer immediately recognized it.
"Aunt Airachnid! " she turned around to see the femme. She looked pretty much the same as before, but gone were the spider legs, sharp finger talons and the urge to drink energon. Her vehicle mode was now a motorcycle. She smiled at the young bot and moved aside to reveal a person behind her "Grandma! " Skydancer yelled happily and ran to hug her grandmother, June Darby.
"Hello Sky! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you! " June said in amazement as she returned the hug.
"Well, I am a Cybertronian now. " she said with pride in her voice and June smiled warmly.
„Just like your father. " she looked to her son who was walking towards them.
"Half, mom. Half. " he smiled and hugged her.
„I don't know. Every time I see you you're wearing the armor. I'm starting to think you are glued to it. " the group laughed at her comment. Just then the ceiling opened and a person in purple armor descended into the workshop. The armor was feminine in shape and much slimmer than Mark's M36. It had the same color pattern as his armor only the red was replaced by purple and the gold by pink. The eyes and RT units were glowing yellow.
"And Rescue saves the day! " came the excited voice of Miko under the helmet while striking a heroic pose.
"You helped your mom grocery shopping? " Mark teased and Miko removed her helmet. The girl, like Raf, has also grown and now wore her hair short, reaching just below her ear, with the pink bang still there.
"Sure did! " Miko responded in her usual excited voice "Gotta' help however I can. " Miko was living the dream. She was a super hero for Primus sakes "Hey Mrs. D. ! " she greeted the older woman and took notice of Mark's armor "Is that the new 36? Does it have the Heartbreaker unibeam? Is it as fast as the Jetfire? Can it disappear like the Chameleon? " and there was the typical Miko question bombardment "When can I get one? "
"Whoa, whoa, easy! You'll get it as soon as I make a test run. " Mark assured her. Many were thinking that he was insane giving her a suit of her own, but when the time called, she proved herself and earned the right to wear one.
"Alright! " she jumped and threw her fist up "I'm so gonna' kick aft! "
"Speaking of aft, you guys wanna' go to Cybertron? " Mark asked and they all looked at him "We haven't been there for a while. "
"You just wanna' see your girlfriend. " Miko teased.
"Among other things. " Mark smiled warmly and Miko frowned. She was less and less able to tease him about his relationship. That doesn't mean that there wasn't other material to use.
"I'd like to go! " Skydancer said a bit too excitedly. Miko grinned evilly.
"Going to see a certain yellow bot? " that seemed to do the trick as Sky's silver faceplate turned blueish from the rush of energon to it.
"M-maybe... " she said quietly and poked her fingers together.
"I'd like to see my future daughter in law again. " June winked at Mark who blushed slightly "Guess I'm going too then. "
"Oh! Me too! Bulk and I have some wrecking to do! " Miko slammed her fists together.
"What about you Raf? " Mark asked his friend.
"Nah, I got some important work here. And somebody has to man the bridge. " he explained. Mark nodded and then looked at Airachnid.
"You coming? " he asked her. Airachnid's expression changed to a sad one.
"No. Too many bad memories. " she said quickly. Mark wasn't one on giving up.
"Come on! It'll be fun and Arcee will be happy to see you. " he encouraged her. Just like saying spark instead of heart, it was even weirder saying Arcee would like to see Airachnid. The femme, however, wasn't fond of the idea. June approached the black femme.
"C'mon, Flare-up. You have to deal with it someday. " June reasoned with her.
"I'm not that bot anymore. " Airachnid said sadly.
"No, but you're getting there. " June gave her a reassuring smile. The femme thought about it for a while and gave her a final answer.
"Sorry... Just, not right now... " June gave her a sympathetic look.
"All right! Raf, fire up the space bridge! Cybertron here we come! " to say Miko was excited was an understatement. Then again, when wasn't she?
"Umm, Miko, aren't you forgetting something? " Mark asked his friend.
"Don't think so... " Miko put her index finger to her chin in thought.
"We're going to space. No atmosphere. You and mom can't breathe there. " Mark explained shortly.
„Oooh... " Miko connected the dots and put on her helmet "Ready! " June cleared her throat.
"What about me? " she asked and raised an eyebrow at the girl in the purple armor.
"Whoops, sorry! Here, you can have one of my old ones. " Miko said sheepishly and pointed to the armors that were in their cases.
"And I have just the one for you. " Mark extended his arm towards one of the cases and it opened, revealing an armor similar to Miko's only red and gold and with heels instead of flat boots. It activated itself and floated gently towards June. The back of the entire armor opened up and June equipped it.
"Good day, Mrs. Darby. I'll be here in case you need any assistance." she was greeted by the voice of Jarvis.
"Hello Jarvis, nice to hear from you again. " she replied.
"It's the safest one of all Rescue armors. Defense protocols, advanced shields, magnetic fields manipula- "
"Bla, bla, bla. In short, you're safe. Can we go now? " Miko finished Mark's rant that could have gone on a while. Mark gave her a glare and then nodded "Finally! Raf, now you can fire up the space bridge! " Raf sighed and typed in the location of Cybertron. Mark, Miko, Skydancer and June entered the portal.
They arrived on Cybertron in a matter of seconds. As the portal opened, a few bots jumped in fright but quickly calmed down when they saw who came out of the portal. The former team Prime, that now acted as a government of sorts, told the new Cybertronians stories about their human friends and to them they were also heroes. Soon, a crowd gathered and bombarded them with questions, which Miko was very happy to answer. Word of their arrival spread quickly and soon Arcee arrived.
"Mark! " she called him over the crowd.
"Arcee! " he fired up his repulsors and flew over the crowd to see his girlfriend. He landed in front of her and took off his helmet. Arcee pressed a button on her Mass shifter, an Iacon relic owned by Micronus Prime, the smallest of the thirteen, and shrunk down to his size. They embraced and shred a passionate kiss, not bothered by the many optics watching them.
"I missed you. " she told him when they finally broke the kiss.
"Missed' you too Cee'. " he told her as he watched into her bright blue optics he loved so much.
"Aww, ain't that cute. " Miko began to tease again, only to be met with nodding of other bots that genuinely thought it was cute. She frowned under her helmet again. A loud crash spiked her interest. Where there was a crash, there was fun.
"Grimlock! No! Put that down! " Ultra Magnus was scolding what appeared like a robot T-Rex that had something like a pillar in its giant, sharp toothed jaws.
"Whooaa... " Miko said in amazement. Magnus's scolding was met with a low growl from the Dinobot.
„I said, put that down! " he repeated himself. Grimlock apparently didn't like the tone of the former Autobot lieutenant and snapped the pillar in half "No! Bad Dinobot! " Magnus scolded and Grimlock made a run for it. Miko was ready to take off but was stopped by June.
"Oh no young lady, you stay right here. " June told her. Miko whined loudly. She was 26 for Primus sakes.
"But! But! " she earned a glare from June and although she couldn't see it, she could feel it and gave up on the chase.
"So, how are things on Earth? " Arcee asked her sparkmate.
"Lonely without you. " he flashed her a smile and Arcee laughed lightly.
"How's... You know... " Arcee was fidgeting and Mark knew who she was talking about.
"She's fine. We asked her to come but, you know... " he shrugged at the end. Arcee looked down with a sad expression on her faceplate "So, anyway, what do you say you come to Earth a little? After the grand tour of Cybertron of course. We can catch a movie, have dinner or something. I know this great place called the Moon. " he winked and Arcee laughed again.
"You sure know how to treat a femme. " Arcee flirted back.
"About time, right? Remember our first date? " they both laughed at the memory "Remember how I-" he was interrupted by an urgent call from "Raf? What's up? "
"Something's wrong. A bridge is opening behind you. " Raf informed and you could sense he was really worried.
"Then shut it off. "
"It's not me. It somehow followed the trace of the space bridge that brought you to Cybertron, but... The readings are off the charts! " Raf was panicking now. The sound of a space bridge opening caught everyone's attention. Mark frowned.
"Expecting company? " Arcee asked. When Mark didn't reply she got worried "Mark? " once again he didn't reply. He put on his helmet and rushed to the portal.
"Everyone get back! Now! " he yelled over the sound of the portal, which was louder than usual. It was also a different color, it was red, blue and purple. The bots quickly did as they were told. Miko, June, Skydancer and Arcee, who returned to her original size, sprinted up to Mark "Raf, I got visual! " no response "Raf! " only static. He felt a pull "What the...? " he looked around and saw that dust and debris were being pulled into the portal. He tried getting away with his repulsors but the pull suddenly increased and his sensors indicated some sort of magnetic force pulling them in Great, just the day to be in a full metal suit. Even his mother's Rescue suit was helpless against the pull. He had to ram his hands into the metal ground so he doesn't get sucked in. The others did the same.
"MARK! " he finally heard Arcee call his name. He outstretched one of his arms towards her when he lost grip with his other and got pulled into the portal "NOOOO! " Arcee screamed and let go of her hold, following Mark into the portal. June, Skydancer and Miko didn't notice that, but they also couldn't hold on much longer and they lost their hold. As soon as the five were pulled into the portal it closed, leaving the other bots confused as to what happened.
It was only a few seconds, for sure. A minute at top. But it felt as if all of them were unconscious for eternity. Arcee groaned as she stood up. She could remember the disc they found glowing after Miko touched it. Then there was an explosion of light, followed by a shockwave. Fortunately, it wasn't a bomb, it appears. Still, it was unpleasant. She looked around to find her team still there, all getting up on their feet. "Why do I always wake up with a helm trauma?" Arcee asked.
"Is everybot a'ight?" Jazz asked, looking towards the rock where the disc was.
"All kicking," Miko shouted. "But what did that thing do?"
"Umm..." Hot Ride caught everyone's attention. Both he and Jack were starring at something with the look of disbelief.
"You guys are not gonna believe this if we told you." Jack answered the not asked, yet obvious question. The team approached them, carefully. There was a huge crater in the field, not far from the boulder. But it wasn't that that got them shacked. It was what they found in it.
"What in blazin' gyros?" Jetfire asked. "Am I seeing this scrap for real? Think I gotta cut off the oil." He stated, much to the others' disbelieve. Yet the former Seeker was onto something. After all, how could they be seeing them?
(***).
To be continued...
A.N.: So... whaddaya think, folks? Let us know. Couse things are yet to even begin. Let us know PM-ing, reviewing or otherwise. Well, ciao.
Our cast:
Ultimate10's:
Jack- Josh Keaton
Four Arms- Dee Bradley Baker
Diamondhead- Eric Bauza
Kevin Levin- Charlie Schlatter
Arcee- Sumalee Montano
Smokescreen- Nolan North
Miko-(Tania Gunadi)
IDON- Billy West
Optimus- Peter Cullen
Ratchet- Jeffery Combs
Bulkhead- Kevin Michael Richardson
Kris-dragon's cast:
Jack- Josh Keaton
Miko- Tania Gunadi
Arcee- Tara Strong
Jetfire- Scott McNeil
Jazz- Khary Payton
Hot Ride- Tony Oliver
Bulkhead- Kevin Michael Richardson
Barricade- Ron Pearlman
Thundercracker- Steven Blum
Starscream- Gilbert Godfried
viking7734's cast:
Mark - Stephen Amell
Arcee - Sumalee Montano
Miko - Melissa Gilbert
Raf - Andy Pessoa
Jocasta - Jen Taylor
Jarvis - Paul Bettany
Airachnid - Gina Torres
Skydancer - Tara Strong
June - Moira Kelly
Pepper - Gwyneth Paltrow
She-Hulk - Rebecca Shoichet