1990: Jefferson Point, Puget Sound, Washington state.
"So where is this base we're assigned to?" the raw umber and burnt umber form of Barracuda inquired.
"There." the red, white and blue form of Autobot leader Optimus Prime pointed out toward the water, "It's a underwater base. Transform and go out about fifteen miles."
The copenhagen blue and light blue form of Bebop, in his dual cassette deck mode, and his cassettes (which resided in his dual cassette decks) went inside the orange and black Tracers' car-jet mode just before she soared off. Her two other companions take to the water in their underwater modes. As they reached the fifteen mile mark, an object reminiscent of a elevator rose out of the water.
"That's the ride down. Your base commander awaits you. She'll see to it you're briefed." Prime radioed to them.
The group entered the elevator and transformed back to their robot modes. The doors closed and a slight humming filled the crowded area as it went down. The doors opened and they exited to find an empty hallway, or so they thought.
"Seems like our base commander is napping on us." the red, blue, and light blue form of Shark commented.
"Oh really? Try looking down." came a female voice.
The group looked down and were surprised to see a young, portly, female human with dark blonde, shoulder length hair and wearing glasses, dressed casually in short sleeved shirt and jeans, "I am Commander Elliot. Now then, shall we begin?"
"Begin what?" the orange and ochre yellow form of Tracer asked.
"The briefing, you are the research specialist Tracer, you'll do all the 'Con research. Bebop, you'll do communications. Austera, Struthia, Vixica, and Ursa Thylar, you'll be spying. Shark and Barracuda, you'll do underwater perimeter defense. Any questions?"
"What kind of block on rock?" Bebop asked.
"No louder than four decibels. No later than 10 p.m. and no earlier than 9 a.m.." she replied.
"When do we start working?" Shark asked.
"You can start after the tour of the base." the Commander replied. The tour was completed in an hour, the Commander then assigned rooms and suggested everyone get right to work.
"I assume perimeter defense requires circling around the base underwater and means that one can go it alone?" inquired Barracuda.
"Yes on both counts. Who wishes the first watch of twelve hours?" inquired the Commander.
"I'll go, Commander. After all, Barracuda is healing from a injury." Shark inputted.
"What?" the Commander inquired, totally surprised by this information.
"It's nothing really, I can barely feel it." Barracuda stated as she gave Shark a withering glare.
"Barracuda, you will not go on perimeter defense until it has healed. Ursa Thylar can fill in for you in the interim. Go and rest, that's an order." the Commander ordered evenly.
Grudgingly the female headed off to her quarters. Shark headed off for the air locks.
The Commander turned her attention to the cassettes. "Now then, Ursa, in between the times of replacing Barracuda you will help Bebop out. Austera, you go to Ontario and spy on the Hondacons. Struthia, you'll go to Brazil and spy on the 'Con base there. Vixica, you will go to Commander Wilsons' base and inform him I'm up and running, then do a little spying on him."
"Spy on him? Why?" the all black Vixicas' fox-like form replied. "I need some info on all S.T.A.R.S and E.D.C. base staffers that he's got at his base." the Commander stated.
"How are we to get to our assignments?" the light green, red and gold equine form of Austera asked.
"That's Tracers' job, she'll fly you over there and pick you up in a week. That clear, Tracer?" the Commander announced.
"Yes, Commander." Tracer replied.
"Good. Now get going." the Commander ordered.
The group split, the Commander set off to the communications room with Ursa Thylar in tow.
"I notice that you limp a bit, Commander." the burnt umber, gold and purple polar bear form of Ursa Thylar commented.
"You observe well, I dislocated my right knee back in February." the Commander replied.
Ursa nodded and lumbered toward the room ahead of her. When the Commander got there, she leaned against the door jam and watched as Ursa lumbered up the Bebops' feet, he lifted Ursa up to the console, and once there she laid down and watched the data whiz by on the screen.
"Bebop, inform me if anything comes up. I'll be in my office." the Commander said. Bebop turned to her and gave a thumbs up. Later.
"Commander! 'Cons everywhere!" Shark cried as he rushed in dripping wet into the Commanders office.
"Are you sure?" the Commander queried.
"Of course I'm sure. You can't miss their symbols." he said.
"Inform the others, I'll take care of the defenses." she replied. She ran into the communications room, threw a switch and asked, "Bebop, how the hell the Deceps get by you?"
"Of 'Bots I've seen only one, of Deceps I've seen none." Bebop rapped in reply and showed that the radar proved his point, just then Shark, Barracuda, and Tracer rushed in.
"Shark, there is nothing on radar. Have any suggestions about these 'Cons you saw?" the Commander inquired.
"They must of jammed the signal somehow." Shark said.
"How many are we dealing with?" she asked.
"I'd say all of them." he responded.
"Let's see, we have nothing on radar at a newly built underwater base and all the 'Cons come down here? Something just doesn't click here. Notice how quiet it is? They should be attacking us not sitting back and taking a look." the Commander surmised.
"Maybe that's just it, what better way to see a bases' defenses than to pretend to attack." Barracuda suggested.
"She's got a point." Tracer agreed.
The Commander threw the switch again and said, "They got their look now let them try starting something."
The screen on the computer flickered, the silvery face of Megatron appeared with a smug smile, "Have you a scared, eh human?"
"Sarcastic, mother fucking, jack tossing, sack of slag shit. Come on you coward, take your best shot!" the Commander swore angrily at him.
Megatrons' face looked amused, "Well, spunky human at last. And to think, I thought you humans were all cowardly bags of water."
"You're dealing with no ordinary human! I'm no stranger to conflict and I'll certainly not back down to the likes of you!" she yelled.
"I'd like to hear you say that out in the open, human. But enough of this triviality, you'll pay for your insolence." he replied.
"Fuck you!" she swore and trained the guns in the base on the 'Cons, which let out a barrage that would have fazed anyone.
"Maybe you shouldn't have said what you did, Commander." Tracer suggested.
The Commander glared at her, Tracer blanched, "That is the Stowell Stare. Remember it, and don't challenge my authority again." the Commander said. Tracer nodded, the base vibrated.
"Breach in quadrant four." the computer said.
The Commander smiled evilly and pushed a button, "Eat this scum. Computer, put up restraining walls."
"What did that button do?" Barracuda asked.
"They're about have an acid bath." she replied.
"Breach party retreating, three injured within restraining walls." the computer said.
She pushed the button again, "That will be enough. Let's see who we have. Computer, force field on breach." They rushed down to quadrant four, the Commander ordered, "Computer, pump out the water and raise the restraining walls." The walls drew away, three 'Cons lay on the puddled floor in agony, and the Commander inquired, "Names, please."
The three glared at the human, then took into account the drawn weapons of the four Autobots, "What will you do with us?"
"Depends on how agreeable you are. Now tell me your names or you'll wish you'd never crossed me." she said, giving them the glare. They blanched, one managed to stutter out their names, she then ordered, "Take them to the holding cells and see to it they're treated well."
"What?!" Shark cried.
"You heard me." she said evenly. The quartet escorted the three prisoners to holding cells with the Commander in tow. She made sure they were treated with some respect and that they were given medical kits to repair themselves.
"Why are you doing this?" one asked.
"Doing what?" she inquired.
"Being so nice to us, we are the enemy and all." one said.
"Because I believe in doing unto others as I would like them to do unto me." she smiled a bit and continued, "Oh, by the way, trying to escape would be very stupid. Do me favor by being good boys so I won't have to kill you, huh?"
Ursa Thylar was posted as guard and the Commander went back to her office. Shark came in behind her, she turned toward him.
"Yes, what is it Shark?" she asked.
"Never mind." he mumbled.
"Shark, if you have a point to make, I want to hear it." He wrung his hands and frowned a bit, she sighed, "It's those 'Cons isn't it? It's how we're treating them, isn't it?" He glanced at her meaningfully, she just shook her head, "I thought so. Listen, it may be true that they wouldn't treat us like this. We are not them now are we?"
"No, Commander." he replied.
"Remember this Shark, whatever we do to others, be it good or bad, it will be returned to us seven fold. Now get back to work." she said. Shark walked out, Commander Elliot sat down at her desk and pushed a button a small vid-screen rose out of the desk. "Computer, show me the holding cell and provide audio." she ordered, the screen flickered and the 'Cons were shown, "Computer, any information from Vixica?"
"Yes. Request?" it asked.
"Information on our three prisoners, names and profiles." she said.
"Inputting." it said.
She read the three way split screen and commented to herself, "Megsters' typical cannon fodder soldiers. After my treatment of them, and based on these profiles, I may be able to turn their hand."
Three weeks later.
"Let me in Bebop." the Commander ordered.
"But Commander." he began.
"Do as I say." she said.
He did, but he didn't like it. The 'Cons looked toward her.
"Close the door Bebop." she stated.
"You shouldn't.." he started to say.
"Close the door." she repeated.
He did, but kept an optic on the prisoners, gun at ready.
"I see you have all healed well, but I hear you won't drink the energon I sent in, last thing I need is a reputation for starving my prisoners. I can guarantee it's not poisoned. Please, for your own sake, drink it." she said.
One 'Con stood up and walked over to her and said, "We have been thinking about where our interests lay."
"Oh?"
"We are but mere lackeys to Megatron, we are expendable. No one cares if we die or live, that is except among ourselves." another said.
"Such is your way, or so I'm told, but you're getting to something." she said.
"Yes, you take us as prisoners and yet treat us like one of your own. This is very different from the 'Con way." the third said.
"Indeed, you give us medical aid, you try to feed us, and now you come to us alone and, I assume, unarmed. This is brave of you, you trust us when you should not." one said.
"This is what has changed our interests. We would like to switch sides, become Autobots." another said.
She smiled and said, "You must prove your worth and loyalty."
"We are ready for it." the third replied.
"Good. Bebop, open the door." she ordered, the door opened and she said, "You are free to go."
"What would you like us to do first?" one asked.
"I'll see to it you have an audience with Prime, but for now you can busy yourselves by patching the hole your former comrades left. Bebop, see to it they get the proper supplies." she ordered.
Soon the three were brought before Optimus Prime. They proved themselves worthy and had Autobot symbols emblazoned over the 'Con ones. To ascertain they would not be recognized by friend or foe, each was physically altered and given new paint jobs. Their new names: Muckraker, Mudslinger, and Deathwatch. Their destiny: to become new members of an elite warrior group, the Wreckers. The lesson learned: anyone can show trust and anyone can change.