The next chapter is primed and ready to read. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. With college work in the way it's not easy trying to update these stories one chapter at a time. Not only that, but I'm going to add another Transformers Prime story soon. It would take place during season two and it involves Jack's father. I'm not going to tell you much yet since I'm a little secretive about my stories. However, I should let you know that it's a crossover of an anime show I watched. Trust me, once I publish it, you will see where I'm going with it. Now let's see what happened while I was away. I got to say I'm becoming quite the popular one in the Fanfiction community. I have seventeen reviews on the last chapter and a total of 84 reviews throughout the whole story. Not only that, but my hit counter for my last chapter is up to over 1,000 hits with a total of almost 20,000 hits. I got to say, I'm quite pleased with all of this. I say this story got everyone's attention. Wonder if the folks in Hasbro are reading this? Maybe they would have some second thoughts in their version of season three and come to me for help. But I digress since these are Fanfiction stories and there could be some copyright laws between me and Hasbro. But here's hoping that this story can get me to the top. Time for chapter six of TFP S3 E1 and let me tell you, this is going to be interesting. Team Prime infiltrates MECH's base of operations with the help of an unlikely ally. But as they were looking for their friends, they weren't expecting the unexpected.
Chapter Notes
Well, it was going to happen since a few readers were asking about it. Yes, Sari is going to be in this chapter. But here are some things I need to do with this Sari. For one thing, this Sari is going to be human for half the season. I got an interesting idea on what to do with her halfway through and want to coax her into the Transformers Prime universe slowly. Still, I don't want to spoil too much in one go, but it would be vaguely familiar with the Transformers Animated series, another show I liked to watch. Another thing I want to change is her attire. Though I like the futuristic sundress she had on, especially in her teenage form, I think it would be a little bit off the top. Instead, I decided on an outfit I saw on DeviantArt. You're welcome to see it if you want. Here's the link to that picture, ( cafcow . deviantart art / Movieverse – Sari – 131899441). You just have to remove the spaces when you do a copy and paste since Fanfiction has the audacity to remove these links in chapters for no reason. Lastly, since I added the Director from Red vs. Blue into the chapter (and yes thanks random guest for writing to me about the Director's message is similar to the Director of that series) I've decided to add some cameos of other Red vs. Blue characters. Think of it as Easter eggs the folks at 343 Industries did on their Halo 4 Spartan Ops episodes. I'm pretty sure you have to guess who the first two are. Here's a quick hint, they hate each other.
Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime, or any characters from Red vs. Blue in this or future chapters.
Chapter Six: Distraction
Isaac Sumdac's Journal Entry
Date: April 14th 20XX
I don't really know where to begin here. I was hired by the Director to help with this project he's been working on for quite some time. But lately, I'm having some serious second thoughts about all of this. I mean, creating a robotic soldier is one thing, but turning innocent civilians, kids no less, into this alien substance called energon and recreating them into robots is beyond my understanding. He didn't want to reverse their conditions, meaning they have to be like that for the rest of their lives. How can he think of that when they had lives before this?
Just to add insult to injury, he was forcing me to continue helping him with his so called master plan. Even dragging my daughter into this predicament as well! How did he know about my daughter? I don't understand that. I haven't told Sari about this little operation I've been working on for the past few months. Been lying to her that it was a side project I've been working on with a client. If she finds out the truth behind what I'm doing, then I'll never forgive myself. What's worse yet is that if I don't help the Director with this project for him, then he'll have no choice than to hurt my daughter, or worse. I lost my wife in an accident years ago; I cannot lose my dear Sari. She's the only family I have left. But I also don't want these people that were used as test subjects to be treated like lab rats. They could get hurt during the many tests, if not die from these experiments. I have to do something; I have to help them escape. If it would mean that it would cost me this job, then so be it.
It was late at night in the correctional facility that MECH was using as a base of operations. In and out of the prison, soldiers were on high alert keeping watch over the entire area. There were tanks around the prison entrance in case an enemy tried to get in. Up in the watch towers multiple anti-aircraft missile launchers kept an eye in the sky. And searchlights shone inside and outside the perimeter. Long story short, it was heavily guarded. Not far from them on the hilltop, Team Prime was keeping watch on the place to see if there was a way in. After leaving the base, Arcee had given Wheeljack the location of MECH's facility and they reached it in no time. They were thankful that the Energon Dampener was able to hide their signatures from any Decepticons and they made the entire trip undetected. The group was keeping a tight watch on the area with Wheeljack using his high tech binoculars to get a closer look at the place. As they kept watch, Smokescreen looked up at his ED, hidden in one of his door wings and was still a little unsure.
Smokescreen: "You're sure that these ED's you created are working?
Jackie turned to the Elite Guard member and sighed with an answer.
Wheeljack: "Well I don't see any cons chasing our tail pipes. So it looks like it's working real well."
Smokescreen looked right at Wheeljack and groaned about it, deciding to ignore him. Jackie then looked at the facility and wasn't impressed by it.
Wheeljack: "So these are the new enemies you told me about huh? They don't look so tough."
The femme turned to him and explained about their enemy thoroughly.
Arcee: "Don't judge a Scraplet by how cute it is, Wheeljack. Though MECH is human, they are just as dangerous as cons. They are nothing but a bunch of terrorists that would use the most advanced hardware for their own gain."
Bulkhead: "Yeah and Judging by the looks of it, they are pulling out all the stops. No Autobot could withstand that onslaught."
Arcee: "Or Decepticon. After the news of what happened to Jasper, it would seem that almost everyone is on edge, including MECH."
Smokescreen: "So, how are we going to approach this? I mean it's not like we can walk up to them, knock on the front door, and say, 'Hello! We're Autobots. Can we have our friends back?'"
As they were talking about it, Bumblebee was looking at the base itself to see if there were any openings for them to bypass. But as he was looking around, he noticed something off. The scout didn't spy much else, but it looked like there were multiple semis in the back, with men moving some kind of equipment into most of them and the rest sat still, empty. Noticing that, he pointed to the trucks and beeped to them about what he saw.
Bumblebee: (Well we better get them out of there and fast. It looks like they are packing up and ready to leave.)
That got Arcee's attention and was a little confused by it.
Arcee: "What?"
Curious, she took the binoculars from Wheeljack to check for herself. Upon closer examination, she too noticed the trucks with the equipment already inside half of them with the other half still waiting to get packed. Noticing it, she cursed and realized things have gotten worse.
Arcee: "Scrap! You're right Bee. Looks like MECH's about to fly the coop. Guess that blackout caused by them got the military's attention after all. If they leave with the kids and June, then we won't be able to find them again."
Bulkhead: "And how are we going to get in? You heard what Smokescreen said. That place is just as heavily fortified as the weapons depot in Axiom Nexus. Do you have any idea how we're going to get in without them noticing us?"
The two-wheeler rubbed her chin and tried to think this one through.
Arcee: "I'm thinking. I'm thinking. Aaargh! Sure wish we had Optimus here to give us a plan. He's the one with the strategies in his processor. Without him we won't stand a chance."
As she was thinking up a way in without getting detected, Wheeljack looked right at the base and thought of something else. He could tell that with all those weapons they were packing, it wouldn't be an easy feat. However, if they were a little preoccupied, then it would give them a chance to break in. That's when it hit him.
Wheeljack: "I got an idea."
The femme looked at the Wrecker and was interested.
Arcee: "You do?"
He turned to her and nodded as a response.
Wheeljack: "Yep. Judging by the ordnance they carry, they seem to be on constant alert. However, there is one thing that can keep them off their guard, and that is a distraction."
The rest of the Autobots overheard that and turned to look at him just to see what he was saying.
Arcee: "Is that so?"
Wheeljack then got up and turned towards his ship to get a few things. As he was heading into his ship, he started to explain his plan.
Wheeljack: "One thing I learned while in the Wreckers was that a good enough distraction can keep the enemy busy. And what better way to create a distraction than by blowing something up. You do that and MECH will be in a panic frenzy."
Bulkhead: "Sounds like a plan. A little bit of a reach, but a plan nonetheless. So you think your grenade can create that distraction?"
Wheeljack was in his ship looking for something that just might work. But he did hear his friend ask that question and responded back with a simple chuckle.
Wheeljack: "Seriously Bulk? With an army like that, we're going to need a bigger bomb, and my grenades won't do much but give them a little graze."
Arcee: "So what do you have in mind?"
The Wrecker then got out of his ship with a sly smile on his face, holding a detonator of some kind.
Wheeljack: "I say we take a page out of the enemy's playbook. Catch."
He threw the object at Arcee and she caught it with one servo. Once she got a hold of the detonator, she started to inspect it and was completely surprised. From what she could tell, it was a three-point star-like device with a timer-like monitor at the center. Blinking her optics, she could tell what it was.
Arcee: "Hey, is that…"
Wheeljack: "The detonator that Dreadwing uses? You're on the money Arcee. In fact, it's the same detonator that he planted on good old Bulkhead over here."
Bulk blinked and remembered that moment, groaning to himself and was a little jittery by the object in question.
Bulkhead: "Oh, do you really have to remind me about that time Jackie?"
The Wrecker shrugged his shoulders and responded back to him.
Wheeljack: "What can I say? I have a thing with explosives, especially the ones that Decepticons use. Anyways, after I took that off of Bulkhead here I tinkered with it from here to there. What I did was give it a manual timer, meaning it can work without the remote. I then doubled the blast power; that way it would create a huge enough explosion to knock a squad of Insecticons off their feet. With a blast like that, those humans will be a little preoccupied containing it. This will give you the chance to rescue your friends and get out of there in one piece."
Arcee stared at the detonator and smirked to herself. She then looked up to Jackie and was pleased with his work.
Arcee: "I'm really starting to like you, Wheeljack."
Wheeljack: "Hey, just trying to help out any Autobot that's in need of an assist. Oh yeah, one more thing. Even if we have our EDs masking our energon signatures, Soundwave can still track our comms if we ever talk in long distance. So I have an alternative solution to that. Here, take this."
He then approached Smokescreen and placed something in his servo. Smoke opened his hand and looked at some kind of small stick with a button on the top. The Wrecker then backed away and explained what it was.
Wheeljack: "It's a beacon that only the Jackhammer can pick up. Once you find your friends, just press that button on the top and it will send a silent signal to the ship. I'll be there in a matter of cycles."
The team listened to his words and realized what he was saying.
Bulkhead: "Wait a nanoclick. You're not coming with us?"
Wheeljack looked at his friend and answered his question.
Wheeljack: "Well, someone needs to be with the ship at all times and I'm the only one who knows how to pilot the Jackhammer. Besides, you guys still don't have a ground bridge just yet and the way back to your base is a long drive. And with the cons looking for you, it wouldn't be a peaceful road trip."
Everyone looked at each other and realized he was right.
Bumblebee: (He does have a point. We don't have any way back to the base and it's miles away.)
Smokescreen: "And with no ground bridge and the fact that we are still being hunted down, Wheeljack is our last chance of escaping."
Arcee nodded and turned to Jackie and wanted to know one more thing.
Arcee: "Thanks for all your help Wheeljack, but there's something that's been bothering me as of late. Why are you really helping us? It's not like you would give us everything to save our friends out of just simple kindness or anything."
Jackie smirked and explained why he really is doing this.
Wheeljack: "Well after what Bulk's friend did for me back when she saved my aft from the clutches of Hardshell, I had to return the favor in some way. What better way than right now, huh?"
Arcee smirked and could agree with him for once.
Arcee: "Guess so. Just be there when we retrieve the kids okay?"
The Wrecker nodded and did his own oath.
Wheeljack: "Not a problem. Wrecker's honor."
The femme smirked and was glad that he would be there when they escaped.
Arcee: "Good."
She then turned to the others and told them to move.
Arcee: "All right team, clock's ticking. Let's get in there and rescue our friends. Roll out!"
Soon enough, every bot began to run down the hill until they jumped and transformed into their vehicle modes to ride down the hill just to reach the facility. As they left, Wheeljack looked on and couldn't help but to feel a little sorry for them. They've been through too much already and having to lose the kids from these humans was the icing on the cake. And now this rescue mission would help them repair the damage that happened to them, both physically and mentally. So staring at them leaving, he gave a silent salute and gave them a big farewell until they contacted him.
Wheeljack: "May Primus be with you Team Prime, and good luck."
He then walked away into the Jackhammer and waited for them to respond back to him.
Back in the MECH facility, everyone was packing up and getting ready to leave. With word of what happened with the blackout around the facility thanks to the Director's experiment, they needed to be prepared in case a military unit came in and stormed the place. But in one of the quarters, there was one person that wasn't worried about all that, only about the four people that had been turned into Cybertronians. In his office, Professor Sumdac was typing down his daily report and giving his own thoughts about the project. But deep in his heart, he felt that none of it was right. He originally wanted to help the Director on his special project, but he didn't expect anything like this. Kidnapping civilians that were mostly children, converging them into energon, altering their genes into a Cybertronian, then turning the energon into those types of robots. This was all too insane for him! Plus neither he nor anyone else could reverse it, because it would be too risky. And then there was this grand plan the Director wanted to put into action. The professor didn't know what this grand plan was, but he didn't like the sound of it one bit.
He tried to tell the Director that he wanted to quit the project, but the head of the Science Division threw a serious curveball at him. The curveball turned out to be his own daughter, Sari. He was surprised at the fact that the Director knew about his daughter, or what happened to her mother. Now the Director was forcing him to continue with this project, and if he were to refuse, then his daughter's life would be in danger. He didn't want Sari to get hurt, let alone have these poor people that were taken being treated like weapons. He had to do something about this situation he was in. But how? As he was thinking about this while typing his report, the cell phone on his desk began to ring. Curious, he picked up the phone and placed it on his ear, answering the caller.
Professor Sumdac: "Hello? This is Professor Sumdac. Who's calling?"
There was a bit of silence until the caller responded back.
Sari: "Sheesh dad… I can't believe you already forgot about your only daughter."
The professor's eyes were completely wide and he was surprised at who was calling.
Professor Sumdac: "Sari? Is that you?"
In the suburban neighborhood in Detroit, there was a two-story condo meant for the well-to-to citizens. Inside the home, a young teen was on her computer doing her school project. Her room was that of an average teenage girl with her bed layered with stuffed animals on one end, a flat screen HDTV, a closet full of clothes for teenagers, a classic jukebox that had been modified to play songs from her iPod, a vanity mirror that has her makeup and accessories, and a state of the art computer with the latest desktop programs. Sitting at the desk was a young girl with light chocolate skin, short red hair with two little pigtails in the back, and the most exceptional blue eyes that made her look a little exotic to everyone. She was wearing a yellow sleeveless top with a black stripe on the side, a brown jacket with long sleeves and a short lower hem, a black choker, faded blue jeans that went down to her feet with a green belt to hold it up, a pair of red Converse sneakers, and a necklace around her neck with something hidden underneath her shirt. It was obvious that this young teen was none other than the daughter of Isaac Sumdac, Sari Sumdac. She just laughed at her father's response and shook her head.
Sari: "Duh, dad. Who would you expect to call you at nine in the evening? Anyways, I'm calling to let you know that I need a little help with my schoolwork. You see, the teacher wants us to do a report on our family history and wanted us to pick a certain member of importance. I wanted to pick you because of your job and what you do for a living. So can you tell me all about yourself?"
She waited for a response from her dad until he responded.
Professor Sumdac: "Oh I'm sorry Sari, but I'm a little busy at the moment. Maybe you should go online and do your research about me there. I'm sure there's a lot of good information that would help you out."
Sari groaned to herself and hated that idea.
Sari: "But dad, all those news articles only give me the boring stuff. I just want to get the good stuff from you. I mean you lived through it right?"
Professor Sumdac: "Even if I could, I don't think I would have the time to tell you. I'm still working on this side project for someone and I need to help him with everything. I don't even know when I'm going to be finished with this project."
The daughter sighed and rolled her eyes around, thinking that it was another excuse.
Sari: "Oh dad, it's the same excuse as always! Ever since you've taken part in this side project, you've been absent all day. You're never home, you never call, and you miss out on all the things that are far more important than this. Remember that parent teacher conference you were supposed to go to? You didn't show up! Even when you came for my sweet sixteen birthday party, you're always on the phone with your client on this project and spending little time with me. It's like you care more about your work and less about your family."
Sari: "What are you doing down there that's so important?"
Isaac sighed to himself and didn't know what to say. Ever since taking part in MECH, he had to keep everyone in the dark about this project, and that included his daughter. And now he's being forced to work on this project or pay a serious price in Sari's life. He didn't want that on his conscience, not since the death of his wife. So he took a deep breath and lied to her the best he could.
Professor Sumdac: "Oh it's nothing sweetie. It's just a project involving the building of a new form of robot. There's nothing to worry about."
Sari: "Well you sound a little worried. Is there something wrong that you might want to talk about?"
Now the professor was a little worried, as he could tell that his daughter was sensing the tension in his voice. But he couldn't tell her the truth because it would endanger both of their lives. So he continued the lie.
Professor Sumdac: "Well, it's my client. He said that I have to work longer than I was expecting. Not to mention his staff is a little strict with this side project. Plus my client added something to the project that I didn't like at all. It's been a big mess for me."
Professor Sumdac: "I don't know what to do."
Sari heard his little lie and believed him. She felt sorry for what he's going through now. But being that she is his daughter, she decided to lighten up the mood and told her father what he should do.
Sari: "Seriously dad? You're asking me? I'm not the voice of reason here you know. But if I were you I would go up to your client and say, 'Do you know who I am? I am the one that made robots the next big thing. Who do you think you are, pushing me around like I'm a lackey? You have no respect for your superiors! I quit!'"
She could hear her father chuckle on the other line and could tell he was enjoying her impersonation.
Professor Sumdac: "That's sound great Sari, but I don't think that my client is that easy to fool."
She then slumped on her chair and thought of something else.
Sari: "Well… If I were in your shoes, I think I would do what's right for myself. You know, like fix something that you did wrong or help someone in need. That kind of stuff."
Sari: "At least that's what I'm thinking."
The professor smiled and thought that she was right. If he can't face his client on this, then he has to do what's right. All he needs is to figure out what to do. So he took a deep breath and responded back to her.
Professor Sumdac: "Thank you for your advice Sari. I'll try to think about what you said. Now I have to finish this report for my client so he won't think I'm wasting my time. Do your report and go to bed early. I love you Sari."
There was a brief silence until he heard his daughter finishing the conversation.
Sari: "Thanks dad. I love you too."
The moment she said that, the professor hung up the phone and continued with his report, thinking about what to do. But what he didn't know was that something was about to happen that would change his life even more and help him in this dilemma.
Outside the prison walls, there were spotlights peering left and right searching for anything out of the ordinary as a few guards were stationed in sections on the outside. Not far from them, the Autobots drove down the hill in their vehicle forms and approached a good enough hiding spot to be away from MECH. Once they parked, they transformed into their bipedal modes and took a quick peek to see what they were in for. When they saw the brick wall that was protecting the prison, Arcee gave a stern look and could tell that this was the place.
Arcee: "There it is. MECH's secret base of operations. This is where they are keeping our friends."
Just as she said that, a spotlight was heading to their position. They immediately ducked down and hid behind a rock wall so that they wouldn't get detected. Once hidden, they started to formulate a plan.
Smokescreen: "So now what do we do? Can't go in there blasters blazing, 'cause that would be suicidal."
Bulkhead: "At least Wheeljack gave us Dreadwing's detonator to help create a diversion to get us in. We just need to plant it someplace and blow it up."
Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead and wondered about that plan.
Bumblebee: (And where are we going to put it? With a place that big, it won't be easy finding a good spot to plant the explosive.)
Arcee heard that and snickered to herself, thinking that it wasn't that impossible. She then turned to him and told him to not worry.
Arcee: "Don't sweat it Bee, I think I know a good place to place the charge."
The scout turned to her and was wide-eyed about her response.
Bumblebee: (You do?)
The two-wheeler nodded and gave off a small smile to him. She then went serious and turned back to the barrier to find a good opening while explaining her plan.
Arcee: "Back on Cybertron, my team was on a mission to free Autobots in a prison camp from the darkest part of Kaon. Like this place, the camp was heavily fortified and impossible to get in. There was however one thing they didn't count on, the attack on their power generators. From what our Intel gathered, the generators connected to the prison camp were unprotected due to safety protocols. It was the opening we needed. With enough explosives and skills, we managed to infiltrate the generators and blew it sky high. The destruction of the generators caused a huge blackout in the camp, creating enough chaos and confusion on the cons. This helped us break into the camp easily and freed the Autobots held captive."
Everyone listened in on Arcee's story and realized what she wanted to do.
Bulkhead: "You're not thinking about pulling that same plan you pulled back on Cybertron, are you?"
She turned to the Wrecker and responded to his question.
Arcee: "Seems like a fair option. I took a good look at this prison since before we left the Jackhammer and noticed a separate building at the end of the facility. So it's obvious that this detached building could be the generator room that powers the entire facility. We blow that up, MECH will be too busy trying to contain it, giving us an opportunity to search the facility and save the kids and June."
Smokescreen looked up at the prison walls and could tell it wouldn't be an easy feat. As they were looking at it, another spotlight came to their position and they ducked down to avoid being spotted.
Smokescreen: "Yeah, easier said than done. With all that heat in there, it would be impossible reaching that building. This would've gotten a whole lot smoother if I had my Phase Shifter with me."
The femme looked right at the Elite Guard member and told him that won't be necessary.
Arcee: "Who needs an Iacon relic when you have stealth on your side? I'll take the lead and go in there alone while you all remain here. Won't be a picnic with the three of you causing trouble."
Bulkhead: "You're sure you can do this on your own?"
Arcee gripped the explosive charge in her servo while answering her teammate.
Arcee: "I've been through many solo missions before joining Team Prime Bulk, I think I know what I'm doing. Just wait for my signal."
The second she said that, she jumped and transformed into her motorcycle mode and sped to the wall. As she left the three, Smokescreen blinked his optics and thought of what she said.
Smokescreen: "What signal was she talking about?"
Bumblebee: (Don't know, but I guess we have to wait and see.)
A few minutes later, a lone soldier was scanning the area outside the prison walls and noticed that it was clear. He then rendezvoused back to the others to see how they were faring. What he didn't know was that as he was leaving, Arcee came to the scene in her motorcycle mode and slowly drove to the wall. As she was driving next to it, she immediately transformed and slowly put her back to the wall, sneaking her way around the complex, avoiding the spotlights that were scanning the area. She then stopped at the end of the corner to take a quick peek. She spied a small group of soldiers gathered around talking about recent events. She looked up at the wall and saw a tower with a search light scanning the outside, and barbed wire lining the top.
Noticing that this spotlight only scanned the outside not the inside, she knew that was the best way in. Just then, her receptors picked up the sounds of a car engine coming her way. Turning to her left, she caught a green sports car heading her way with a MECH soldier peeking out of the roof scanning the area. But in a matter of seconds, the car went past the area where Arcee once stood. That's because Arcee made a quick jump and landed on top of the wall in a crouching stance, keeping her head low from the guards present at the tower. With the car passing below her, she looked back to see if the coast was clear. Noticing a soldier with his back turned, the two-wheeler used her blades to cut the barb wires lest she got stuck in the mess, and jumped off the wall, performing a somersault in the air and landing on her feet. Once on the ground, she made a quick dash to the generator building, seconds before the MECH soldier turned around, and headed to a shadowy spot where Arcee stood still.
Slowly she sneaked her way through the facility and started to search for the building that housed the generators. As she was reaching her destination, she encountered some serious obstacles. When she went past one of the sleeping quarters for the soldiers, she spotted what appeared to be a tank driving through the path with four soldiers around it. She cautiously waited for them to pass, hiding behind the quarters. Once they passed, she got out and rushed to the generators as quickly as possible. She then spotted a few more MECH cars heading her way and had to find someplace to hide fast. Looking up, she spotted a light post above her. With quick reflexes, she jumped, used servos on the light post and her upper strength to climb to the top. She then waited until the cars passed below and disappeared in the distance. After they left, she jumped down and kept running to the building. Turning the corner, she noticed a huge building that looked like some kind of bunker. Looking up she spied a security camera scanning the area at the top of the corner. The femme had to time it just right so she could reach the other building without being spotted. As the camera turned to the left, she transformed into her bike mode and sped her way to the end before it could turn back.
Once she was away from the camera, she transformed back to her robot mode and looked up at the building. She could tell it was a huge building by how wide it was and the many lines that connected it to the others. With a building that big, she wondered how she was going to get in. Looking up, she noticed that one of the windows was opened fully like that of a regular warehouse. Smirking, she knew she found her way in and was about to get in to that window. But just as she was about to get in, she heard two voices in the distance.
Grif: "Hey Simmons? Do you know when we get a break? I'm getting tired from all that walking and standing."
Simmons: "Seriously Grif?! You want to take a break now?"
Arcee quickly turned to her right and saw two lone soldiers, whose names were Simmons and Grif, arguing about something unimportant. They were walking and looking at each other, not fully aware that the two-wheeler was right in front of them.
Grif: "Why of course I want to take a break! I mean we've been on patrol for hours on end and we haven't have any breaks what so ever. Hell, I don't care if it's a coffee break cigarette break, bathroom break or whatever, I just want a break."
Simmons: "Grif, the commander specifically told everyone that there would be no breaks for today or any other day."
Grif: "Since when?"
Simmons: "Since we had that group meeting a few days ago."
Grif stopped walking and was surprised by that.
Grif: "Wait, we talk in those meetings?"
Simmons stopped too and answered him back.
Simmons: "Yes we talk in those meetings. You were even there next to me, remember?"
Grif: "Why yes I was there in that meeting. But I spend most of the meetings sleeping with my mask on."
Simmons sighed to himself and couldn't believe his friend did that.
Simmons: "Well congratulations, Grif. Not only that you've fallen asleep in the meetings, but you missed out on all the stuff that is important. Whoopdi-flipping-doo!"
Grif: "Hey! Those meetings are boring to begin with. I can't help it when the commander's words make me fall asleep. Seriously though, why do we have to have so much security in the place to begin with?"
Simmons: "Because it has something to do with that alien invasion that attacked the small town in Nevada. And with this country on edge after this attack, Commander Rourke wants this facility well protected at all times."
Grif: "Right… Well if aliens were going to attack this planet they would've focused on attacking big cities or military complex's, not a small town in the middle of nowhere."
The two then continued to walk and kept on talking.
Grif: "By the way Simmons, what is going on in this facility? I heard that they were doing some kind of experiment. Do you know anything about it?"
Simmons: "Sorry Grif, but that's under the need to know basis."
Grif: "You mean you don't know."
Simmons: "No… I mean it's top secret."
Grif: "Yeah, you don't know."
Simmons: "Just shut up and scout the area, Grif. I'm not going to have Rourke giving me a beat down because of your laziness."
The two then walked away and disappeared in the distance. What they didn't know was that they were at the spot where Arcee had been standing. Looking for a place to hide, she saw a stack of metal crates to the left, piled on top of each other, a perfect place to hide. She quickly ran to the crates and hid behind them, kneeling down on one knee and peeking out to see when they would leave. After waiting for them to leave, she came out of her hiding spot and was curious about what they said.
Arcee: "MECH is performing an experiment? I don't like the sound of that."
She looked up at the warehouse-like building that housed the generators and found one of the open windows. Knowing that Jack, his friends, and his mom were taken by MECH and now word that they were conducting an experiment, she knew that it wasn't a good sign of things to come. Looking down at Dreadwing's detonated charge, she tightened it with her servo and said something under her breath.
Arcee: "Hold on Jack… I'm coming to rescue you."
In the main facility of MECH's base, the Director was in his office looking through all the data and reports from his project. He was pleased with the results of his project and was successful with the Board's approval to continue his work. Although he was a little concerned with Professor Sumdac's thoughts on Project Metamorphosis, and his threats to quit the operation. Good thing he put the professor back on track after threatening to harm his daughter if he didn't cooperate. But he still held some serious doubts about Isaac and sensed that there could be some signs of deception in him. He would have to keep a close eye on him and make sure he stays in line. If he doesn't, the head of the science division would have to take some serious steps. As he was thinking about that, there was a knock at the door and he responded.
Director: "Come in."
The door opened and Commander Rourke came in with a tablet in his hand. He approached him at the desk and started to talk about the recent activities.
Commander Rourke: "Sir, I got the latest reports from the project and there is some good news."
The Director looked up at the commander and decided to listen in.
Director: "Go right ahead commander."
Rourke looked at his tablet and decided to give him some of the details.
Commander Rourke: "Well for starters, I've had the science team searching for an alternative power source to continue with Project Metamorphosis. After going through the research and locations to move this project, they have found the perfect power source to replace this one. Here's the data."
He handed the tablet to the Director as he took a good look at it. After reading the information in the tablet he smiled at what was on it.
Director: "Very good. What's the progress on moving Project Metamorphosis?"
Commander Rourke: "We've just about finished transferring the rest of the equipment into the trucks. We'll have everything packed in fifteen minutes."
Director: "And the test subjects? Any progress on them yet?"
The commander shook his head and responded.
Commander Rourke: "Nothing so far. They are still under a deep recharge after the change so there's no telling when they will wake up."
The Director then placed the tablet on his desk and was in deep thought. After thinking this through, he swiveled his chair and talked about that.
Director: "As long as they are in that state, it will be that much easier to transport them to our new facility. As soon as you get the last of the equipment ready for transport, prepare to move our test subjects to the trucks. We still need them to continue the experiment. Understood?"
Rourke listened in to what he said and nodded in approval.
Commander Rourke: "Yes sir. I'll get on it right away."
As that was going on, something was about to happen in a big way.
In the generator building, everything was peaceful as all the turbines were working hard and there wasn't a guard present. But then, someone was coming through the window and into the warehouse-like structure. That someone was the Autobot's own femme ninja, Arcee. After going through the defenses without getting caught, she was able to reach the generators without any trouble. Now all she had to do was plant the detonator that was from Dreadwing and create an explosion big enough to cause chaos and confusion. She started to look around to see where to place it so it could make the greatest explosion. Looking around, she could tell that a good place to plant it was the middle of the building. So she cautiously walked through rows and rows of humming turbines and approached the middle of the room. Scanning that area, she decided to place the detonator in one of the larger generators powering the facility. Approaching its main turbine, she planted the charge and started to initiate the timer. But before she entered the final countdown, she sighed and started to whisper to herself.
Arcee: "All right Wheeljack… Let's hope this works…"
The moment she pressed the button, the charge was armed and the timer started to countdown. Normally, the numbers on the timer were Cybertronian, but it actually said fifteen seconds before detonation. With the timer set, the femme now had to make a mad dash out of there before it exploded.
15, 14, 13, 12, 11…
She quickly transformed and raced her way through the garage door, which was locked for the moment. The two-wheeler then activated her blasters in the back and began to fire away on it.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6…
Each blast created a circular shape on the door and acted like a cutter. Once they made a full cut, the circle like shape tilted forward outside and hit the ground with a metallic thud. She then went through the hole-like exit and sped as fast as her tires could take her.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
The moment the timer reached zero, Dreadwing's explosive charge went off and created a chain reaction with all the generators around it. That in turn caused the whole building to blow up, and in turn created a small mushroom cloud of flames and electricity. The force of the blast pushed every soldier and vehicle back, sending them flying out away from the blast. With the generator building gone, electricity sparked everywhere, and then the power in the facility suddenly turned off.
In the facility, every area shook violently as the soldiers held on for dear life. The lights in every building went off leaving the place in complete darkness until the emergency lights flickered on. In the main office, the Director and Commander Rourke felt the impact of the blast as the lights above them turned off unexpectedly. Concerned, Rourke contacted the squad leader outside the prison.
Commander Rourke: "What the hell is happening out there?!"
There was a response from the outside as one of the soldiers explained the situation.
MECH Soldier 7: "Sorry commander, but there was an explosion from the generator building. We lost 85% of power in the facility with auxiliary power working on the doors and terminals. There's panic all over the place and we have a lot of wounded! What are we going to do?"
Commander Rourke: "Get it together soldier! Contain the fire, get the emergency generators to bring the power back online, and attend to the wounded. I will be there to assess the damage."
He turned off his comm and sighed to himself. The Director, who remained calm throughout the whole experience, got up and asked the commander what happened.
Director: "Something the matter commander?"
Rourke turned to the head scientist and told him the situation.
Commander Rourke: "There appears to have been an explosion in the generator building. Details are unknown."
The Director then stood up and decided to see for himself.
Director: "Then let's see this incident. Shall we?"
Right around that time, the professor finished up the report and was about to consider the words his daughter told him. But as he was thinking about it, he felt a violent shake in his room and the lights and computer went off. He looked up at the extinguished light and wondered what had just happened. Heading to the door and opening it, he noticed a lot of soldiers running in different directions as if in a panic. Curious by all of this, he quickly asked one of the soldiers going by.
Professor Sumdac: "Excuse me, but what's going on around here?"
That soldier then turned to him and explained what went down.
MECH Soldier 8: "We had an explosion in the generator building that caused the power outage. We're working on the situation even as we speak."
Professor Sumdac: "Is there anything I can help with?"
MECH Soldier 8: "Negative. All scientists with the exception of the Director are supposed to remain in their rooms until further notice. Safety protocols and all. Just remain in your office unless you're needed, all right?"
The professor sighed and nodded to the soldier.
Professor Sumdac: "Okay."
So the soldier left to help out with the others while the professor closed the door and waited in his office.
Back outside, Team Prime saw the explosion and was amazed that Wheeljack made a charge big enough to decimate a building. But not as surprised as when all the lights in the facility blinked off in a matter of seconds. Seeing all the chaos, Smokescreen looked at his teammates and finally figured it all out.
Smokescreen: "I guess that was the signal."
Bee looked at him with an obvious expression.
Bumblebee: (Gee, you think?)
But Bulkhead knew what to do and told the others to move.
Bulkhead: "Come on, this is our chance! Let's get in there while MECH is busy!"
The three then got out of hiding and hurried to the wall of the prison. With the spotlights at the towers off, this gave them the chance to break into the prison and free their friends. But there was a problem getting in. Bulkhead solved that problem by turning his servo into a wrecking ball and used all of his strength to destroy the wall in one hit. Once they got their opening, they entered the prison yard and headed to the main building. Luckily for them, no one was present in the field since they were too preoccupied with the fire where the generator building once stood. So they were able to get to the building without any difficulty. As they were looking for a way into the building, they heard metallic footsteps coming from the corner. With Smokescreen taking the lead, he armed his blaster and waited for the chance to strike back. When the moment came, he got out of the corner and aimed his blaster at whoever was on the other end. But as he got out of cover, he saw Arcee with blasters of her own aimed at the Elite Guard's chassis. The two looked at each other and sighed in relief, knowing that they were on the good side. Arcee smirked and responded to the standoff.
Arcee: "Same team, Smoke."
Smokescreen laughed a little and retracted his blaster into his servo.
Smokescreen: "Right. I knew that."
The femme shook her head as she retracted her blasters as well. She then looked at the destroyed hole in the wall and sighed to herself, knowing who did that.
Arcee: "Seriously, Bulk? Did you really have to burst through the wall?"
She turned to the Wrecker for an explanation as he rubbed the back of his helm and nervously laughed.
Bulkhead: "Well, what other way should we get in? Sides, MECH's too busy putting the fire out of that building you blew up. Still, getting into the building is going to be another problem."
Arcee rubbed her chin and remembered what she spotted while getting away from the explosion.
Arcee: "Not likely. I noticed a huge garage door in the back of the prison. The only way for all of us to get in. Bit of a risk, but it's worth a shot."
The three mechs looked at each other and knew it was the only entrance for them. Bulkhead turned to her and told the two-wheeler to help them.
Bulkhead: "Show us."
So the four walked up to the wall and checked to see if there were any enemies around. With Arcee taking the lead, she took them to the garage door she saw when she was getting away from the blast. As they got to the corner in the back, she stopped and gave a gesture for the others to wait. She then peeked to the corner to see the garage door not far from them.
Arcee: "There it is. That's our way in. From what I can tell, that door leads to the garage where they keep all their vehicles for repair. We get in there, we will find our friends."
Smokescreen took a peek as well to see the garage door and smiled.
Smokescreen: "Way to go Cee! So, how do we get in? Blast our way through the door?"
The two-wheeler looked at him and had a sour look on her face.
Arcee: "No! After what just happened recently, we can't use our blasters or any loud weapons to attract attention."
The Elite Guard member looked down to her and wondered what she's thinking.
Smokescreen: "Well then, what's your idea? Wait until they open the door for us?"
The second he said that, they all heard the sound of the garage door opening close to them. They immediately hid at the corner so they wouldn't get caught, as Arcee did a quick check to see who was there. That's when she saw a MECH-like fire truck coming out of the garage, headed to the area where the explosion started. The others looked at the truck too, surprised that the door had opened up for them. Bumblebee looked at Smokescreen and beeped to him about what he said.
Bumblebee: (You had to ask, huh?)
As soon as the truck left, the garage door started to close. Arcee saw the door closing and knew this was their only shot to get in. She looked at her teammates and told them to hurry.
Arcee: "This is it! Move before the door closes on us!"
The team immediately made a mad dash to the garage door before it closed on them. Bulkhead was the first to get in with his big body followed by Bumblebee and Smokescreen. When Arcee was up next, the garage door was just about to close, but she had enough room to let her in. With precise timing, she ran to the door and did a quick slide through it, seconds before it closed. Once in the clear, they had blasters up and backs to each other in case there were any soldiers. Fortunately there were none, just a huge garage with many vehicles from cars to tanks parked. Even though the main lights were still off, the emergency lights illuminated the entire place. Bulkhead lifted his blaster up and left it armed as he scanned the area.
Bulkhead: "Area's secured. I'm quite surprised that no one is around here."
Arcee: "Guess that diversion I made drew everyone to that spot. Perfect for us to start searching. Everyone stay close and keep your guard up. Though the place does look temporarily deserted, there could still be a few guards keeping watch."
Everyone nodded and proceeded to the arch-like exit of the garage to get into the prison and search for their human friends.
While they were beginning the search, Professor Sumdac was still in his office waiting for any news on the power outage. He spent most of his time sitting on his bed as the emergency light in his room shone down on him. He couldn't help but think of what his daughter had said to him. It was like her words were a second chance to make things right again. As though he had to figure out some way of repairing the damage he had caused. While he was thinking about it, he didn't notice the glass of water on his desk vibrating on the surface. That was until he could hear loud steps that were getting louder and the room was shaking.
Curious, he got out of his bed and headed to the door to see what was going on. Opening the door, he was suddenly greeted by a huge green foot. Scared straight, he quickly backed away. But inching back to the door, he slowly peeked out. Eyes like saucers, he blinked at what he was seeing.
Professor Sumdac: "Oh my…"
Looking right up he saw the Autobots walking past him, as they weren't fully aware of his presence. As they were away from his view, he stepped out of the doorway to see them leaving. Pondering this, he soon realized that they were looking for the kids and the woman that MECH had taken. He remembered Miko telling the Director that the Autobots would find and rescue them and it looked like she was right. But judging by the way they were looking, they didn't have the slightest clue where their friends were. He then remembered the words of his daughter that echoed in his head.
Sari: "If I were in your shoes, I think I would do what's right for myself."
Repeating those words to himself, he tilted his head up and knew what he had to do.
Professor Sumdac: "Oh Sari, you certainly know how to help your father."
Cautiously he followed behind the Autobots, wondering where they would go next.
Outside the facility, every MECH soldier was trying to get everything under control. There were fire trucks surrounding the burnt building that was once the generator area and were drenching the flames in gallons of water. Soldiers were around too as they used fire extinguishers to clear off burning debris all around. And there were medical units aiding the injured that had gotten caught in the blast, patching up their wounds. As all of this was going on, the Director and Commander Rourke approached, surprised to see what had happened to the generators. One of the soldiers approached the two and saluted.
MECH Soldier 9: "Director! Commander!"
Rourke looked at the mess and turned to the soldier to ask him what happened.
Commander Rourke: "What just happened here?!"
The soldier looked at the fire and explained to them about the incident.
MECH Soldier 9: "Don't know. One moment everything was normal and the next there was this huge explosion coming from the generator building. The details are unknown so far but from what the survivors said the blast happened on the inside."
The Director went past the soldier and continued with the questions.
Director: "Tell me soldier, was there anyone inside."
The soldier turned to the head of the science division and answered him.
MECH Soldier 9: "I don't think so sir. No one was present inside the building. General rules and regulations states that no one is allowed into the building unless they were maintenance workers. Might have had something to do with the many volts of electricity that emanated from the turbines."
The commander looked at the burning building and wondered about this incident.
Commander Rourke: "Sir, I do believe that the explosion might have had something to do with the test we conducted hours ago. It's obvious that the electric surge from the final phase overloaded the generators and caused them to explode from the inside."
The Director stared right at the fire and thought that was impossible.
Director: "If that was the case Commander, then they would've blown up to begin with. Judging by the force of the blast and the way it happened on the inside, I do believe that this was no accident."
The Commander looked at him and was a little confused.
Commander Rourke: "Sir? What are you saying?"
That's when the head scientist turned to him and expressed his thoughts.
Director: "What I'm saying my dear commander is that this explosion was nothing more than a diversion. But the main question is, who did it?"
The second he asked that question, he heard a voice of another soldier coming to them.
MECH Soldier 10: "Director!"
They all turned to the soldier headed to their position, panting from his running. The commander approached him.
Commander Rourke: "What is it soldier? What's got you on edge?"
The MECH militant looked up to the two and told them what he saw.
MECH soldier 10: "Sorry for the rush, but I need to show you two something. It's at the prison walls."
The Director raised a shadowy eyebrow and responded to the soldier's plea.
Director: "Show us…"
Back inside the prison itself, the Autobots were continuing to search for their friends that were taken by MECH. They'd been going at it for minutes on end as they checked each prison cell, thinking that they could be in any of them. They also had to avoid detection from other soldiers that were still patrolling the area in the dark as they waited and scanned the area for any hostiles. With a Cybertronian flashlight in hand, Arcee quickly checked each cell while the others looked at the others she missed. They didn't have a clue that someone had been following them. After looking into several cells, Smokescreen sighed and told everyone that they were empty.
Smokescreen: "Nothing here."
The others were looking through the cells too and agreed with him.
Bulkhead: "Everything here is empty."
Bumblebee: (Ditto)
Arcee rolled her optics around and was getting frustrated over this.
Arcee: "Still isn't enough. They have to be around here somewhere."
The other Autobots looked at the two-wheeler and could tell that she was a little obsessed with finding their friends. Bulkhead then came in and tried to calm her down.
Bulkhead: "Calm down Arcee. We've been looking through every cell imaginable and can't find the kids or June. It's possible that they might not be in this facility at all."
That's when Arcee turned to the Wrecker and spat back at him.
Arcee: "Shut up! You don't know that! For all we know they could still be around. We just need to keep looking."
Smokescreen headed to the two and had a suggestion.
Smokescreen: "Even if they are here, this search is going to take too long. By the time we find them, Earth's military would arrive and start to ask why we're here. Perhaps we should split up and expand our search."
The femme turned to the Elite Guard member and responded.
Arcee: "Not going to happen. I know you're still new to Team Prime, so I'll let you know that MECH is a serious threat. I should know. They nearly turned me into scrap metal and they had the audacity to take Bee's T-Cog. If we split up and MECH finds us, they won't hesitate in putting us down and take us apart piece by piece. If we stick together, we might have a better chance of taking them on. It's imperative that we get our friends out of here and escape before MECH finds out what really happened."
Smokescreen: "Even if we do stick together, we still don't know where they are keeping our friends. I mean look around you. This place is huge! It would take us megacycles to find them."
Arcee groaned and was about to say something to him. But before she could do that, everyone heard a mysterious voice right behind them.
Professor Sumdac: "Perhaps I could be of some assistance."
Their audio receptors perked up and turned to the direction of that voice with their blasters armed. But what they saw was an Indian scientist that was a little bloated and had spiked hair with a white line in the middle. Caught off guard by their sudden armed response, he stumbled back and landed on his rear. The group looked at him with curiosity and wondered who this person was. Arcee then retracted her blaster and approached him, asking his name.
Arcee: "Who are you? Why are you following us?"
The professor got up and dusted himself off, introducing himself to the Autobots.
Professor Sumdac: "My name is Professor Isaac Sumdac, and I'm here to help."
As he finished with his introduction, he was amazed by the Autobot's presence and their design. He stared at each of them and was astounded.
Professor Sumdac: "Fascinating… I've been working with robotics since I was young, but I never thought it would beyond my understanding. Your design, the shape of genders, the body language… It is almost like you act all human. Such an astounding find!"
The team looked at each other and was a little confused by what he was trying to say. Smokescreen then rubbed the back of his helm and awkwardly responded to him.
Smokescreen: "Um… Thank you?"
Arcee looked at him and groaned in complete confusion. She then looked back at the professor and argued back.
Arcee: "You? Help us? Please… You honestly think that a MECH scientist would help us?"
The professor looked at Arcee and explained who he really is.
Professor Sumdac: "I don't actually work for MECH to begin with. I'm actually their intern to help build their projects."
Arcee: "Either way, someone who's helping MECH, is MECH. So you better give us one good reason why we shouldn't slag you…"
The professor eyes opened a little wider and could tell that they meant business. After hearing what the femme said, he decided to help them with who they were looking for.
Professor Sumdac: "Because I know where they are keeping your friends."
That got every bot at a standstill as Arcee blinked at what she was hearing, but then went back to reality knowing that he's working for MECH.
Arcee: "What? You're lying!"
Sumdac lifted his hands up and tried to reason with them.
Professor Sumdac: "No, no! I'm telling you the truth! I can take you to them if you like."
But they were still not buying it as Bulkhead decided to intervene.
Bulkhead: "Is that right? And why should we trust you?"
The professor gave a deep sigh and tried to explain to them truthfully.
Professor Sumdac: "Because if I were here to betray you, then you would've been offline by now."
Slowly the Autobots looked at each other and wondered whether he was telling the truth. Indeed he was a MECH scientist, or intern as he would like to call himself. But there would've been more soldiers surrounding them if one of their own was close by. Plus they are still alive after talking to Sumdac. So that would mean that the professor was telling the truth in some way. So Arcee bent down on one knee and demanded that he takes them to their friends.
Arcee: "Take us to them."
Heading back outside, the Director, Commander Rourke, and the soldier arrived at the location from where he had run. What they saw was what appeared to be a huge opening in the wall with bricks and barbed wire scattered everywhere. The three looked on as the commander asked his man about it.
Commander Rourke: "A giant hole in the wall huh? Is this is what you wanted us to see?"
The soldier nodded and explained to him about it in detail.
MECH Soldier 10: "Yes sir. I was on my way getting equipment needed to pump the water when I saw this. I have no idea how this opening got there or what caused it."
The Director slowly walked to the debris and bent down to examine it. Looking at the debris, he figured out what has happened.
Director: "It's evident that the opening of the wall seems to have been caused by a strong force, but the explosion from the generators was too far to make that kind of impact. And judging by the direction of the debris, the force of the blast came from outside the prison walls, not inside."
The soldier listened to what the Director said and was in disbelief.
MECH Soldier 10: "So you're saying that the explosion was just a diversion. Good god… You don't think that the military did this right?"
Rourke turned to him and answered.
Commander Rourke: "Impossible! I have scouts securing every route that goes into here. They would've let me know about this so we could be more prepared."
Director: "Maybe it wasn't the military that did this. Maybe it's an enemy that we weren't expecting…"
The two looked at the Director and wondered what he meant by that.
Commander Rourke: "Sir?"
The head scientist stood up and wondered who could have pulled something like this. Looking around he noticed a security camera that was offline at the moment. Rubbing his chin, he wondered about something and asked the commander about the camera.
Director: "Commander, are the security cameras online yet?"
Commander Rourke: "Just about sir. Once we hook the backup generator to the security room we will have it up and running in no time."
The Director nodded and decided to go down there.
Director: "Then let us head there to see what the cameras picked up. I have a good feeling that our intruders are still within the facility."
As the Director was heading to the security room, the Autobots continued to look for their friends. Bumblebee took point and got his back at the corner. Quickly, he got out of cover and aimed his twin blasters at anything that moved. When the hall was empty, he turned to the team and chirped at them.
Bumblebee: (All clear!)
Soon enough, the rest of Team Prime came out of the hall and had their weapons poised and ready in case there were any surprises. As they got the area secured, Professor Sumdac was in the middle of the group to see where to go next. After looking both ways, he pointed to the right and told the team to follow him.
Professor Sumdac: "This way."
He then took the lead and headed down the hall while the Autobots followed behind. Arcee then got next to the professor and asked him about this trip.
Arcee: "How much farther professor?"
Professor Sumdac: "We're just about there. We just need to turn to the left and we'll be at the holding area where they are keeping your friends."
The two-wheeler glared at the scientist and retorted back to him.
Arcee: "You better be right about this, Sumdac. The last thing I want is to walk into an ambush."
Professor Sumdac: "I would never lure you into a trap. I'm an honest man Ms… Sorry I didn't get your name."
Arcee: "It's Arcee, and don't you forget it."
The walk was a quiet one as Arcee began to wonder about this professor that wanted to help them. It was all too weird for her since he's working for MECH, but she could sense that he appeared trustworthy. She then wondered about the kids and June, especially Jack. She hoped that they were safe and sound, and prayed for Jack's own safety. But the more she thought about it, the more she worried about this experiment one of the soldiers had talked about. What was this experiment, and what does it have to do with the Autobots' human friends? This concerned her the most. Curious, she looked at Sumdac and started to ask him.
Arcee: "Professor Sumdac, can you tell us about this experiment MECH is performing here?"
Sumdac did a double take and was surprised that she knew of this experiment, or had heard of it. So he asked her.
Professor Sumdac: "And why do you want to know about it?"
Arcee: "Out of curiosity."
Isaac sighed to himself and could tell that the Autobots wouldn't like what they would hear. So his only option was to slowly coax them into the basic stuff until he told them everything. Taking a deep breath, he started with his explanation.
Professor Sumdac: "Two months ago, I was hired by the Director to help with this project he'd been working on since MECH had learned of your existence."
Arcee: "Director?"
He looked up at her and explained about him.
Professor Sumdac: "He's the head of MECH's science division and a genius at that. He has quite an interesting background."
The other Autobots overheard him as Smokescreen chuckled at the name.
Smokescreen: "The Director huh? He sounds just like Megatron, all full of himself."
Both Bulk and Bee chuckled at the Elite Guard's remarks.
Bulkhead: "Tell me about it. Giving himself a nickname like that makes him feel like more of a dictator than a director."
The professor overheard that and could agree with them on that occasion. After what he'd seen, it makes the Director feel more like a ruler than a scientist. He brushed that aside and continued with his explanation.
Professor Sumdac: "Since your existence was revealed to MECH, both the Director and Silas have been competitors in creating the perfect robotic soldier. While Silas was focusing on Project Chimera, the Director had much stronger ambitions.
Arcee heard that name and nodded in approval.
Arcee: "We've faced Silas's Chimera before. He was using it to frame our leader and try to make us into criminals. Fortunately, Optimus was able to defeat Silas's creation and our names were cleared. Though the take down of Silas was supposed to be the end of MECH. Guess we were wrong."
Professor Sumdac: "It does seem that way. After Silas's project failed and after his betrayal of MECH, the Director then took over and used Silas's research to help continue his work. During his studies, he made some interesting discoveries that Silas missed out on. Most of it had to do with the similarities between your biology and that of our own."
Arcee: "And what does it have to do with you?"
The professor looked up to the femme and told them about himself.
Professor Sumdac: "I am an expert in robotics engineering. The Director came to me because of my work and wanted me to help out on his latest project. He calls it Project Metamorphosis. It has something to do with making his robotic soldiers much more human."
The group turned to the left at the corner and was getting closer to their friends. As they were walking, Arcee pondered what the professor was saying. This Director and this project could mean some bad news for them, especially now that they have the cons hunting them down. But what does all that have to do with their friends, and why did MECH go through all the trouble to abduct them? It doesn't make any sense. Thinking about all this, she asked him about the project and the kids.
Arcee: "So what is this Project Metamorphosis? And what does it have to do with our friends? It doesn't seem to fit the picture in any way possible."
Sumdac sighed and knew that they won't like what they would see, but had to show them anyway.
Professor Sumdac: "Trust me when I say this Arcee, the answers to all your questions are right behind that door."
He then pointed to something straight ahead as the team looked to see what he was showing them. What they saw was a huge garage door of some kind that was holding something of grand importance. Judging by the looks of it, it would seem that their friends are being held captive inside.
Smokescreen: "So our friends are in there huh? A little bit extreme to keep them prisoner."
Arcee: "Well at least we found them. Now we just have to get them out of here. Bulkhead!"
Bulk looked at the two-wheeler and nodded, changing his servos into a pair of wrecking balls.
Bulkhead: "Way ahead of your Arcee."
He was about to head to the garage door and start to break it open. But Sumdac came in front of him and stopped him right there.
Professor Sumdac: "No, no, no! That won't be necessary! I have security clearance for this room. I'll open the garage door for you."
Bulkhead looked down at the professor and found that to be a bit odd for once. He then looked back at Arcee and wondered if she would let him do that. Listening to the professor's words, Arcee decided that it would be better to free their friends quietly than too loud.
Arcee: "Let him do it Bulk. It's wise not to gain too much attention."
Bulkhead groaned to himself and put his wrecking balls away as the professor headed to the small keypad next to the garage door. Once he scanned the security card, he started to input the code to gain entry.
Professor Sumdac: "Thank goodness that the auxiliary power is keeping the door locks and terminals online or things would've gotten complicated."
As he finished inputting the code, he was about to press enter on the door pad. But before doing that, he sighed and turned to the Autobots, warning them about what they were going to see.
Professor Sumdac: "Before I open the door, I want give you a fair warning. Once you enter this room, you will not like what you will see."
The Autobots looked at each other and wondered what he meant by that. But they let that slide as Arcee turned to Isaac and told him to open the door.
Arcee: "We'll take that risk. Now open it."
Sumdac nodded and pressed the enter key. The keypad beeped and the door slowly lifted upwards, giving the Autobots a way in. When it was fully opened, the team entered the room as Sumdac followed behind. They had their blasters armed, thinking it could be a trap, but the place was so dark it was hard to see where they were. Arcee used her blaster free servo to take out her flashlight just to see where they were. When she saw the place was empty, she retracted her blasters and told everyone to do the same.
Arcee: "Stand down, no one is here."
So everyone withdrew their weapons as Sumdac headed to the main controls and started gaining access to the system. As he was getting the system online, Arcee asked him about this place.
Arcee: "So where are we?"
Sumdac answered her question while typing.
Professor Sumdac: "This is what the Director calls the recovery room, where patients who survived the project remain until they are ready for service. This is where your friends were put after surviving the procedure."
The femme blinked her optics and wondered what the professor meant by that. Before she could even ask that question, she heard a beeping on her flashlight, which oddly enough also acted like an energon detector. She checked the screen and noticed something that wasn't right.
Arcee: "That's odd…"
Bumblebee approached her and wondered what she was looking at.
Bumblebee: (What is it, Arcee?)
Arcee: "Don't know Bee, but my scanner readings for energon is off the charts. It looks like my scanners are picking up four different energon signatures directly in front of us."
Sumdac heard that and could tell they weren't going to like what happened to their friends. With one push of the button, the gears slowly began to turn and four pairs of lights slowly came on. What Team Prime saw were four berths slowly descending diagonally, facing towards them. What they saw completely shocked them and left them speechless. Arcee could only mutter a few words out of her mouth.
Arcee: "By the All Spark…"
What they were looking at was both good news and bad news. The good news was that they found their human friends. The bad news was that they were no longer human, they were Cybertronian.
And cue the cliffhanger! Sorry folks, just want to keep you hanging until I post up the next chapter. Besides, anymore writing would make it too long like what happened to my next story. Don't worry; you'll get to see what Jack, Raf, Miko, and June look like in their Cybertronian forms and some huge action along the way. Just be patient for a little longer. Please Review.