AN- Finally, the cliffhanger is put to rest while I give you a little surprise at the end. And a hyperactive chipmunk. Plus a healthy dose of LOLcat speak. Don't worry, it will make sense by the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy this monster.


Comrades in Arms

:Starscream, Knock Out, Dreadwing, status report! Airachnid, Arcee, Hardshell, what are your locations? Starscream, where are you? Starscream! Slag it all, what happened to you?:

Megatron scrambles to his pedes, barking orders through his comm. as Soundwave and Raf work with the computers to bring up damage reports. Usually, Starscream is the first on the comm. channels, restoring order in his usual precise way. Now his voice is nowhere to be heard, something that worries Megatron to no end. Airachnid and Hardshell finally ping him their locations while Knock Out is the first to report.

:A little shaken up, but functional. Medbay has the same status.:

Dreadwing calls in next. :Safe and sound sir. Jack and I are looking for Jackson and Miko. Do any of you know where they are?:

Hardshell answers the query, :They were with me at one point. I can track them down.: A ping of thanks answers this before Starscream's voice shakily fills the comm. channels.

:Starscream reporting in sir. Arcee and I are alive, but she is unconscious. Do we have any intel on what caused the explosion?:

Megatron turns to where Soundwave is deducing the source of their ship's crash. The resident tech-head searches the surveillance cameras and pulls up a clip on his facial monitor. On it, a black mech with doorwings uses a massive arm canon to blow the power core, setting off the explosion that grounded the ship. Soundwave zooms in to get a clearer image of their ship's saboteur. Megatron raises an eye ridge at the identity of this mech. What was Optimus Prime's SIC doing on his warship? "Soundwave, isolate and fix the breach in security." Then he answers his Second, :Yes, we do. It appears that Smokescreen somehow managed to enter and sabotage our ship. How he was able to even get on unnoticed currently is a mystery though.:

:Understood. I am presently making my way to your location with Arcee. We shall be with you momentarily.:

Now Knock Out joins them from his med bay, while Soundwave returns to his work. Dreadwing, Hardshell and all four of the humans enter the bridge with Airachnid following behind. Megatron paces across the bridge looking worried. "Dreadwing, please find and assist Starscream with Arcee. I am assuming at least one of them is wounded."

The gold Seeker nods, before turning to find the wayward SIC. Knock Out looks contemplative as his medically oriented processor calculates and catalogues the damages sustained to the crew and ship. "Megatron, how will we manage to get the ship back up and running? We do not have enough qualified individuals or the parts needed to repair the damages."

Megatron starts to answer when Raf speaks up from where he is sitting on a consol. "Hey guys, do you know what this stuff is? I found it just before the crash, but I'm not sure what it is. It looks like energon, but it's red." He pulls up an image of a quarry with a large protrusion that looks like a red energon crystal in the center. Several construction vehicles are in the picture as well, giving them a sense of scale to the size of the crystal.

Knock Out and Megatron look at each other, blink, then back to Raf. "What are the coordinates?"

Raf shrugs then sets about finding the information Megatron asked for. Meanwhile, the medic turns back to Megatron, "if it really is Red Energon, then do you think that it will work? I know that it can allow a mech to travel at nearly the speed of light and can help speed recovery from a wound. But do you think it can really restore our ship?"

"I do not know. Starscream will need to run a few tests before we can be sure. Until then, Optimus Prime must not be allowed to gain access to the Red Energon. It could become a-"

"What tests will I need to perform?" Starscream asks as he limps onto the bridge. His white plating is covered in dust and dents while one wing, the one Knock Out recently patched up, is crumpled like an accordion again. The second in command definitely looks worse for wear, while Arcee, who Dreadwing is looking none to happy about carrying, seems to have only a few dents and dirty plating. About to launch into a blistering tirade for injuring his wing for the second time, Knock Out steps forwards, but Starscream holds up a servo to stop him. "Knock Out, I am acutely aware of the mess I am and my wing hurts like the Pit, so please leave your verbal abuse until after we are airborne. Then you can use your vast knowledge of vocal maltreatment to your spark's content. Until then, please stay away." Knock Out pauses, then snaps his jaw shut, glaring at the Seeker who dares to undermine his medical authority.

Starscream turns to Megatron, who is watching the SIC and CMO have their "conversation". He hides a smile at the slightly peeved look on Starscream's visage and the murderous glare aimed at the Seeker as the medic turns to tend to Arcee.

"Yes Starscream, I do need you to run a few tests for me. It appears that Raf has found some Red Energon that could return our ship to working order. Unfortunately we do not know for sure, requiring you to test if it has the healing powers needed."

Looking thoughtful, the white Seeker goes into his "brilliant scientist" mode, "actually, no tests are needed. The Red Energon Raf has managed to locate will greatly speed the self-repair process of the ship, which have needed it for some time actually, but more on that later. Now we need to find and return the substance to the ship. Is the ground bridge still operational?"

Soundwave nods from his station while Raf inputs the coordinates for the ground bridge. Megatron turns to his loyal followers, quickly taking in the level of damage on each. "Dreadwing, Hardshell, Airachnid. You three are with me. Starscream, you are in desperate need of repairs so let Knock Out repair you! I am not taking no for an answer, now sit down, hush up and don't move until you are granted permission by our medic, do you understand? I need you to be fully operational in case of an attack. Until then Soundwave is in charge." Starscream sputters in indignation; completely missing the smirk shared between medic and leader, but does as he is told. The temporary SIC nods and fires up the ground bridge, allowing his comrades to dash through to the other side.


Megatron steps out of the ground bridge, his cannon humming as it charges. He glances around, taking in his surroundings. They appear to have bridged onto the edge of a human quarry; abandoned construction vehicles litter the floor below. In the center of the quarry, several Vehibots are beginning the arduous process of mining the highly volatile red energon. Standing to the side, observing and directing his troops, is Optimus Prime in all his evil glory. Next to him is Ratchet. The psychotic Dark Energon-high scientist/medic is in a tizzy over the supposed carelessness of the drones in handling his latest toy. Hardshell, Dreadwing and Airachnid follow their leader to the edge, examining the scene before them. Megatron outlines his battle plan to the other three and they nod, getting into position. With a fortifying breath, the mighty leader of the Decepticons stands in full view of the Autobots, Hardshell and Dreadwing flanking him.


Optimus Prime rarely joins his soldiers on a mission, but today is different. With Ratchet leading this operation and the highly volatile material involved, it is a good idea to be at the sight in person. There is, of course, the small chance of discovery by the Decepticons and Ratchet blowing something sky-high. Megatron knows that Optimus would put the substance to use as any number of things ranging from explosives to steroids. And of course, mister goody-two-shoes would want to stop his evil counterpart from having fun. Typical.

Speaking of whom, a voice calls from the edge of the quarry. "Optimus Prime!"

Optimus turns lazily, a bored expression visible without the cover of his battle mask. Whipping around, Ratchet stares wide-opticked at the source of the hail. Megatron stands on the edge of the quarry, his remaining Insecticon and Dreadwing standing on either side. "Ah, Megatron. So glad you joined the party. I'm assuming you want a little bit of my prize, correct?"

"Preferably all of it," Megatron retorts, jumping from the cliff edge to stand level with his arch nemesis. Dreadwing and Hardshell follow, landing behind their leader, waiting for orders. Optimus smirks before closing his battle mask and engaging his weapons.

"Well, then. You will have to claim it as your own." Megatron and Optimus charge forwards with simultaneous roars while Dreadwing and Hardshell begin the attack on the other Autobots. The two leaders duel with unmatched ferocity, dealing hefty blows and blocks to the other combatant. A slash, a parry, a dodge, a hack, each attack and resulting counter ooze with the grace and power of the perfect pair of adversaries. Megatron can feel the thrill of battle singing through his circuits, heightening awareness and speed. Feeling no different, Optimus enjoys the deadly elegance of the battle, bringing memories of before the war briefly to mind. Before he took up the sword as his symbol, before the energon of thousands covered his servos. When Megatron was Megatronus and he was Orion Pax. The former gladiator was a good teacher, something both himself and Starscream could attest to considering their peaceful backgrounds and current prowess.

A narrow evasion of Megatron's blade swiftly brings Optimus back to the present and the task at hand. Parrying and thrusting, he locks his blade with Megatron's, leaving the two titans heaving with exertion and the desire to win the upper hand. Airachnid's voice suddenly fills Megatron's audio as her comm. comes in to her leader. :I have done my part:

Optimus narrows his optics as Megatron suddenly smirks from across their locked weapons. "What are you up to Megatron."

The Decepticon leader somehow manages an innocent look to accompany his answer, "me? Up to something? How insightful of you." A twist of a blade, some fancy footwork, a good, hard push and Megatron disengages from Optimus. The Prime glares, a snappy retort at the ready to sear Megatron's audios when a muffled schlulp grabs his attention. He stiffens, realizing that in the middle of his battle rage he had forgotten entirely about Ratchet and the Red Energon. Oops. He slowly turns around, still keeping an optic on Megatron, to see Ratchet out cold with Hardshell and Dreadwing standing between him and his glorious Red Energon; or, its former location anyways. Where the large crystal once sat, now is merely a gaping hole in the ground. The truth hits him like a rampaging Insecticon. Only one bot could pull off a heist like that: Airachnid. Optimus starts to laugh, a deep, creepy chuckle, that quickly rises into a spine-tingling, full out evil cackle that leave most mechs wondering what horrible thing resides in the Prime's vocalizer to create a sound like that.

"Well done Megatron! You are learning the art of deception to live up to your faction's name. I congratulate you." Optimus removes his mask to reveal a predatory smile underneath the accessory. "Now, I will leave you and take my scientist with me. Your deception was perfect and I do not want to spoil it for me with another round of pointless fighting. So long!" With that, a ground bridge opens, allowing a squad of drones to stream forth and Optimus to make his retreat. Several of the drones grab Ratchet and follow their leader while the others cover them. The three Decepticons fight back, following the very last until the bridge closes. Silence reigns over the clearing as the three warriors come down from their battle highs and regain their normal composure. Megatron seems disturbed by something, causing Dreadwing to send him an inquiring look.

Catching it, Megatron sighs, glancing at where the Autobots had disappeared through their ground bridge. "Was Optimus right? Am I really becoming what I have always fought against?"

Dreadwing shakes his helm, a stubborn look on his faceplates. "No, you are not. Optimus was just playing his usual mind games with you. Believe me, if you were any closer to becoming an Autobot, we would have told you. We are almost family you know." Megatron nods, sending a ground bridge request to Soundwave.

The glowing portal swooshes open and the three comrades step through, their spirits jovial and accomplished now that they had the means to repair their ship.


Soundwave's ground bridge lands them in the power core chamber, where it seems every one else on board has decided to congregate. Knock Out and Starscream bicker about the best way to temporarily patch the core while Soundwave and Raf calibrate the surrounding machinery. Jackson and Airachnid stand next to the Red Energon, discussing the properties of the large crystal nearly twice the size of the spider. Smiling, Miko runs to her guardian and hugs his pede with open arms. A chuckle escapes the gold jet as he scoops her up and places her gently onto his shoulder. Finally deciding on a course of action, Starscream and Knock Out break up their argument, sending the Seeker to work on the patch and the medic to check over Megatron and his team.

With wonder and a little trepidation, Jack watches the frantic activity around him from his perch on a stack of crated energon. He can remember a time in his universe like this one. Bulkhead had crashed the Nemesis, causing Megatron to use Dark Energon to revive and restore the ship. Unfortunately, the ship turned out to be a very large, sentient being known as Trypticon. The massive Decepticon had been a little unhappy about taking orders from Megatron, freezing all of the Cybertronians who dared defy him, Megatron included. In the end, Jack and the Raf and Miko from his universe had finally put Trypticon on ice by removing the Dark Energon from him to shut down his conscious. Jack certainly does not want to have to do anything like that again, although he has hopes that either this ship is not Trypticon or the universe switch worked on him as well.

Megatron watches the dark haired teen. A slightly worried and thoughtful frown decorates his features, causing the Decepticon leader to muse about Jack's thoughts. Once Knock Out finishes his less than gentle ministrations Megatron turns and strolls over to the human. "Is anything wrong Jack? You look apprehensive. Is something bothering you?"

A startled jump and the youth looks up into Megatron's genuinely concerned optics. Brilliantly blue optics, not burning scarlet, that hold nearly as much wisdom in them as the Optimus from his world. "Yeah, I guess. I'm just a little worried about what will happen when the Nemesis comes back online. This ship was a robot like you at one point, right?"

"Why yes he was. Still is actually. The Nemesis was known as Trypticon Station before the war. Utilized as a floating laboratory that housed experiments far too dangerous to keep on the planet's surface, Trypticon carried much of that time's known Dark Energon. His time before the Station however is shrouded in mystery. There are, however, several possibilities. One is that he was a very rare race of Cybertronians known as a Cityformer, a Cybertronian large enough to transform into a small city. Another is that he was a mere space station that was given a spark and intelligence. Either way, Trypticon was a formidable foe against the Autobots until Optimus and a few others from his group of elite warriors finally felled him. They dismantled him but kept his conscious and spark intact before putting him in several labs to keep what they deemed an unfair advantage away from us. The battles to regain Trypticon were hard and long, but we finally managed to capture all of his pieces and re-form him into the warship you see now."

Starscream breaks up his leader's history lesson with a status update on the project. "We are ready to revitalize the ship Megatron. I would deem it wise if you waited for us on the bridge. We will join you as soon as we are finished." Megatron turns to his SIC, the white Seeker having finished the patch while his leader explained the ships origins.

"Very well Starscream. By they way, is there any chance his conscious will return with the repairs?"

A pause then, "yes, I would not be surprised if Trypticon returns to us. Even though that spacebridge incident left him as he is now, the Red Energon might repair his processor as well. We will just have to wait and find out."


Once on the bridge, the Cons each go to a station to watch for signs of repair. Megatron stands on the walkway with the children perched in various places on his person. Suddenly, screens pop to life along the walls and the hum of the repaired engines rings in their audios after so much silence. The ship slowly levels off as the Red Energon repairs and heals the damage done by the crash. Starscream and Knock Out enter the bridge, looking triumphant at their accomplishment. Whooping and cheering, the kids, now on a nearby consol, excitedly laugh and shout as their ship rises gracefully into the gathering dusk. Crackling static fills the intercom causing everyone to fall silent. Tones and beeps slowly emerge from the static and enter the silence of the bridge. Megatron and Starscream share a knowing glance before the Seeker calls out, "I am afraid that we cannot understand your speech, it is far too old for us. I did, however, add an internet hub to you recently so you might as well use it to learn an intelligible language."

Silence reigns for several seconds before it is torn to shreds once again. "Oohlook! NewpeopleandnewfriendsandneweverythingandSTARSCREA M! Ican'tbelievethatIgettoseeyouagainStarscream! It'sbeensolongandIreallycan'tremembermuchandImisse dyousomuch! HowlonghaveIbeenout?"

Miko is the first of the stunned gathering to speak. "Guys, I think a hyper-active chipmunk just hijacked the comm. system."

"IamNOTachipmunk! Wait,what'sachipmunk?" comes the distinctly offended voice again.

Starscream face palms with a groan. "I said intelligible, not extremely rapid intelligible. There is a very big difference."

Jack looks stunned while the rest of their group tries to stifle their laughter. Megatron finally recovers, his leader poker face firmly in place as he describes their situation. Several hmm's and uhuh's come from the obviously distracted voice until Megatron decides to address the situation. "Trypticon, what are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh,IwasjustlookingonthiswebsitecalledYoutube. Ithasalotofinterestingvideosonhere. Whoknewhumanshurtingthemselvescouldbesofunny?"

A highly restrained roll of his optics and a deep intake is all Megatron can answer with, giving up on a lost cause. That's what he got for having his ship under the care of scientists for millennia, apparently those stuck around scientists gained at least a little scientific curiosity and insanity. Poor Starscream is the lone exception, his sanity still somehow intact after being bottled up with only other scientists for so long. About to leave the bridge to find Knock Out and ask for an explanation of Trypticon's voice, a hail from said individual stops Megatron.

"Oh,Megatron! Youknowthoseescapepodsthatyouweretracking? Theyshouldhavelandedaboutfiveminutesago. Butnowtherearethreeinsteadofjusttwo. Doyouknowwhy?"

Soundwave jerks up and around to face Megatron, looking as though he is about to open a ground bridge any second. A small motion puts him slightly at ease, although it is still clear he wants to dash off to wherever the pods landed. Megatron makes a quick decision, calling Knock Out to the bridge. He gives a nod to his eager TIC. A green portal swooshes open just as Knock Out enters the bridge. The blue medic quirks an optical ridge at the antsy Soundwave and open groundbridge. "Knock Out, the pods have landed. Your medical assistance may be required if the occupants have sustained any injuries." A look of understanding crosses the medic's face before he follows Soundwave and Megatron through the portal. Unfortunately, no one notices two small figures slip into the groundbridge.


Jackson cannot believe that their warship is one huge Cybertronian! Sure, the ship must have come from somewhere, but the thought of how big this robot could be almost blows his mind. Miko, who is really the only one of the four who can understand the hyper-speed speech, turns and murmurs quietly to the three boys. "Escape pods?"

Jack answers, "yeah, Cybertron is dead, so they had to escape somehow. The long distance ones usually send them into stasis, kind of like a coma for us, to keep them in suspended animation until they can land somewhere. Apparently some new guys are coming soon."

"Great, even more aliens are gonna be running around here," Jackson snorts, not enthralled in the least. A nasty look is Jack's only response as Knock Out walks into the bridge and Megatron explains the situation. The groundbridge opens up and allows the three Decepticons to go through. Unfortunately, Jackson decides to follow them. He darts away while Jack hisses an unheeded warning. Rolling his eyes, Jack runs after the other teen, aiming to tackle him before he reaches the portal. But he is not fast enough. Jackson runs through, leading Jack in after him while the two other humans watch in horror. The groundbridge closes and Miko and Raf look at each other, not sure what they should do about their missing friends.


Two escape pods race towards the brilliantly blue and white organic planet. After all the time in their pods, a good stretch of their legs and solid ground beneath the occupants sounds like the Well of Sparks incarnate, organic displeasures aside. The third pod is more of a ship than a pod, with a weapons system and much more room than what the other two crafts are sporting. Breaking the atmosphere, orange tongues of flame surround them as the first and second pods begin the process of waking up their passengers. The third's traveler gallantly tries to correct the steep descent, knowing his ship will not survive the upcoming hard crash without serious damage. The three vessels strike the ground in blossoms of fire, the escape pods' occupants landing near side-by-side while the third lands several miles away from them. Hatches open and allow the occupants to escape the confines of their small prisons. They observe their surroundings for several seconds before dissolving into the nearby forest to await their allies or search for an appropriate disguise.


Megatron, Soundwave and Knock Out step from the bridge and into a thick pine forest. The usual night sounds of a forest fill their audios, chirping crickets, hooting owls and the quiet rustling of a slight breeze. Quickly deploying their scanners, Soundwave and Knock Out take point while Megatron follows as a rear guard. They finally step into a clearing created by the crash of two Decepticon escape pods, the twin trails of destruction leading them straight to their resting place. The two with scanners each go to a different pod while Megatron stands watch, sensors on high alert and weapon drawn.

"Megatron, it appears that the occupants survived the landing and were able to walk away with little to no damage, but they are nowhere to be seen. Thankfully the moon is full so I can see three sets of tracks; two leading in the same direction with the other headed the opposite way." Megatron prepares to answer his medic when a rustling in the brush catches his attention. Turning, he prepares to defend his two subordinates in case of a threat. Something large, gold, and flight-enabled zooms past his helm in the direction of the unassuming Soundwave, his back turned to the commotion.


Jack tumbles out of the groundbridge after his quarry and right into the middle of a pine forest. The two teens duck into the undergrowth around a large boulder as the recon team forges ahead to the landing site. Turning furiously to the one who got them into this mess, Jack glares at Jackson. "What was that all about? Why did you have to go chase after them? Don't you know that there could be Autobots around here! They won't hesitate to kill us and believe me, it is not a fun experience to be stuck in the middle of a Cybertronian fire-fight."

"Oh lay off will ya? This will be fun. We get to be the first to see the new guys!" Jackson smirks, watching the three Decepticons stalk through the surrounding forest. Grabbing his shoulder, Jack spins his companion around with a dark scowl.

"But I thought you didn't like them! Look, do you have any idea what kind of trouble you got us in? The Autobots are dangerous and the sooner you get that into your head, the better. Like I said, they will not hesitate to squish us because that's just who they are."

About to make a remark to counter the other teen's obvious lack of fun, Jackson's phone ringing in his pocket brings him up short. Slightly surprised, the teen pulls out his phone to look at what he now realizes is a text. Jack joins him, reading the text over his shoulder. The light of the cell phone screen illuminates their surprised faces as they re-read the text in case they misunderstood. Sure enough, the text really does say, O hai! Can yuz see meh? Iz wavin!

"What the-" but another text cuts Jack off. This one says, Srsly, I iz teh wiet cat abuv yurz hedz! Y cant yuz see meh? The teens look at each other before slowly turning around to look at the top of the rock they had their backs against. Just as the text said, there is a large white cat waving at them from the top of the rock. He bounds down to join them, his shoulder just level with their heads, golden yellow optics full of mischief. A human sized and humanoid mech rounds the rock to their right while a large golden bird lands on the rock itself. All sport the Decepticon sigil emblazoned somewhere on their frames. The mech looks the two wide-eyed humans up and down, before nodding to himself as though he has made up his mind about something.

"Come on guys, we should probably take them to Soundwave. He'll know what to do with them."


At the other landing site, a black and electric blue mech staggers from his nearly destroyed craft cursing up a storm. Untangling a sparking wire from his pede with a profanity-filled snarl, he storms around his ship, taking in the damage sustained from the crash. His scarlet optics rake the sides of his ship, mentally logging the breached hull, broken fins and smoking engines, plus all the panels ripped off from his rough descent. Definitely not the best landing he has ever managed, but with the organic atmosphere and unfamiliar gravitational pull, it could be understood. Servos planted on his hips, he decides to just leave his ship here and go after the Decepticons who had so graciously led him here. He transforms down into his sleek Cybertronian alt form to search out the enemy he has so long wanted to kill. That betrayal still leaves a bitter taste whenever the thought comes to mind. Shoving aside his thoughts he focuses on the hunt for prey, moving in the general direction of lights he can just barely see lighting up the night sky over the treetops.


"Soundwave, behind you!" The communications officer turns too slowly and is bowled over by the streak of gold. Megatron runs in for the attack, sword unsheathed until he notices that the gold streak has solidified into a familiar golden form perched on Soundwave and nuzzling the silver mech's head. Buzzsaw, one of Soundwave's constant companions from earlier in the war and even from the Gladiator Pits, is much more avian in design than the other flight-capable deployers, Laserbeak and Ratbat. Approaching from the side, Knock Out chuckles at the overenthusiastic greeting bestowed upon the TIC. Finally reaching his pedes and situating the large bird on his shoulder, Soundwave joins his leader with almost a jaunty skip in his step. Megatron smiles at the joy he knows his best friend is showing, even if he has limited resources available to express it.

"Soundwave! O Ai haev mist yu!" Another streak of color skids to a halt in front of Soundwave, this one white and feline-shaped. Knock Out raises an eye-ridge at the jaguar's choice of language. "Ravage, precisely where did you learn that?"

"O, the inernet." Ravage smiles cheekily at the medic. Knock Out facepalms.

The humanoid mech follows the other two with the teens walking glumly in front of him. Megatron turns to the group of three, noting Jack and Jackson's guilty countenances.

"And precisely what are you two doing here as well?" Both teens wince slightly at Megatron's tone of voice.

"Let me handle this," Jackson murmurs to Jack. The brown-haired teen takes a step forwards and clears his throat. "Sir, all I have to say is: it was Jack's fault!"

"Yes, I…. wait, WHAT?" Jack can only stare at his counterpart in astonishment while he continues on with his story of how Jack led him onto the groundbridge and not the other way around. Poor Jack is too flabbergasted to renounce any of the wild claims the other teen is throwing around. Fortunately, Megatron does not believe a word of Jackson's story, having already received a comm. from the humanoid mech with the conversation the two had after leaving the groundbridge.

While all the human's drama is proceeding, Knock Out scans over the new arrivals for any damages. "Well, everything seems to check out. Do any of you three know who was in the second and third pods?"

The mech shakes his helm. "Nope. The one next to us is a Decepticon, but we don't know who. The other one is of Autobot make though, with an unknown passenger. But, the other two did come together so they probably know each other."

Megatron looks thoughtful. "If there is only one, then that thankfully rules out the option of Jazz and Prowl, but leaves almost any other Autobot. Knock Out, you did say that there is one more set of tracks, correct?"

The medic nods. "Yes, tire tracks, but only two that are constantly changing distance from the other, but not because of the ground. It is almost like the wheels take the place of pedes."

"I know only one mech who has anything close to what you describe. Frenzy, I thank you for the information. I can now hazard a guess to who our unknown arrivals are. Knock Out and Soundwave, please escort everyone to the ship. It would be best if I went alone to find our missing friend and with any luck, we might just so happen to find the new Autobot." Megatron gathers the affirmations from his soldiers before turning and melting into the dark forest beyond the clearing.


A shadowy figure stalks his prey through the night-black forest. There is no good camouflage for the hulking silver figure in the grays and greens of a moonlit forest; something his hunter is thankful for. Lithely swinging into one of the massive pines native to this part of the planet, he moves with a grace and skill unseen among the general populace. The silver mech kneels on the ground, looking for something among the greenery. Jumping into the tree next to the mech, a few small branches drop onto the back of his helm and neck, causing him to pause and pull them out of the joints in his armor. He scrutinizes them closely before smirking and dropping them to the ground. Silently standing, he observes the night-time forest around him, the strange quiet telling him something is amiss. His hunter smirks, knowing he is soon to be caught, but they are at least still on his terms. He drops behind the silver mech with an extended blade, aiming for his neck.


Megatron feels the slight tremble of the ground before a blade is pressed lightly to his throat. The stealthy attack does not seem to faze him however as he stands patiently waiting for this assailant to release his hold.

A deep voice echoes in his audio, the mech's mouth mere inches from the appendage. "Even after so long fighting with and against each other, as well as this being my first time on this planet, I can still get the drop on you. Tsk Megatron, you must be going soft."

Softly chuckling, Megatron answers the pertinent mech, "Oh no, I knew you were following me from the moment I noticed how new some parts of the tracks were compared to other portions. Tsk, Sideswipe, you are the one going soft." He shifts uncomfortably under the blade at his throat. "I would also be much obliged as well if you removed your blade. It is getting a bit tight."

With a grunt, Sideswipe slithers down from Megatron's back and slips around to face his leader, tire-pedes allowing him to move gracefully as though he is on skates. Mismatched optics, one a clear ice blue, the other a deep scarlet, hold Megatron's own blue gaze with a fiery defiance. Dark green and black plating hides him well in the dark forest, shadows and moonlight coming together on his smooth lines to blend with the patterns adorning his armor. A long scar wends its way across the mech's chest and through an Autobot symbol branded onto his armor. Above the symbol, though slightly less noticeable, sits a Decepticon sigil, unmarred and unabashedly flaunted for any to see and all to know which faction serves as his.

"Sideswipe, it has come to my attention that a third craft landed. All I know is that the occupant is of Autobot allegiance, yet not the designation. I do have an idea of who it might be, but I would like to know for certain if you know who has arrived."

A deep scowl etches its way across the smaller mech's face. "Yes, I do. He has followed me for quite some time. After I found Ravage, Buzzsaw and Frenzy, I simply followed them because I figured they would know where you were. It appears that I was correct. Unfortunately, the Autobot followed me. As to his designation, it is Blurr.


Perched on a ridge overlooking a road, Blurr watches the activity below him with interest. Several human cars are lined up as though in preparation for a race. He uses the newly found human information hub, Google, to identify the cars below. The first row consists of a black and white Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and a black and yellow Urbana 500 while the second row has an anti-freeze green Lamborghini Aventador and a maroon Aston Martin Vanquish. The third and last row earns even the Cybertronian's appreciation. The closest is a chrome and black Bugatti Veyron while the other just so happens to be a silver Lamborghini Veneno. Comparing the stats of each car, his credits are on the Veyron while the Veneno would at least give it some competition. A human femme steps into the middle of the road with a red bandanna held high in one hand. Revving up, the sounds of all six massive engines sear the night air as they prepare for launch. The bandana is dropped and the powerful machines roar forwards into the night, not noticing one more car slip into the race.


Megatron watches the race from above, keeping an optic on Sideswipe racing below. The former racer and gladiator closely follows the two front-runners, unsurprisingly the Veyron and Veneno. Sliding next to the Veneno, Sideswipe scans the silver masterpiece and reformats on the fly, plates shifting and melting to create a solid form again. Now two Venenos race side by side; one is the original silver racer, while the other is a dark green Cybertronian in disguise. The green one darts off the road and onto a small dirt track before joining Megatron as he lands in front of one of his most loyal warriors.

Scrutinizing him, Megatron cannot help but make an observation, "you don't really look that much different. That car has almost the same design as your Cybertronian form."

Sideswipe chuckles lowly. "That is the reason I picked it. The Veneno might not be the fastest car on the planet, but they sure look like it."

Megatron nods in agreement before calling for a groundbridge back to the Nemesis.


Meanwhile, back at the race, another Cybertronian decides he has waited long enough. Sliding through a gap, he gains ground on the competition. The Mustang and Urbana he passes by, as well as the Aston Martin. The Aventador however gives him pause as he considers the pros and cons of the super car. Deciding that no, this is not the right car for him, he continues on to the two front-runners, the Veneno and Veyron. A quick glance at the Veneno instantly shoves it from the list. He refuses to become a car that looks like that. Just no. Now only the Bugatti is left, the slightly bubbly look to it not quite his style, but speed does not lie. A quick peruse through the lands of Google shows that the fastest streetcar in the world is as good as he is going to get, so he grudgingly scans the vehicle. As the changes take effect and his frame adjusts to the new form, he pays close attention to what augmentations have been added to the factory engine by both the human owner and his programming. A noise of satisfaction leaves his vocalizer as he scrolls through his own stats. All are acceptable, but he will have to try to see for himself if he really can reach over 500 miles per hour in the human measurement.

Darting off the road he too enters a side road leading back to his ship before calling for an Autobot groundbridge. The portal opens and he steps through into a large laboratory. Before him stands Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots and Destroyer of worlds. Blurr sinks to one knee in a deep bow of respect for his leader and master

"Rise Blurr, one of my most faithful servants. I have long awaited your presence here on this planet."

"Thank you sir. I myself have long awaited this day as well. Tell me how I can serve you and it will be done to the best of my abilities."

Optimus smirks, "perfect. I am in need of a Second in Command. Smokescreen proved incompetent and too traitorous for the position. You are to fill his post."

"Of course, my liege. I will gladly take up the mantel of Second in Command."


Megatron steps from the groundbridge followed closely by Sideswipe who quickly takes in his surroundings. They appear to have landed on the Nemesis' bridge, which is lit up as per usual in glowing blue with Soundwave at the main controls. The Decepticon TIC turns to them as he closes the groundbridge with a whoosh. Sideswipe turns around to find himself face-to-face with a glaring Knock Out. The irate medic merely sidesteps the frontliner and makes a beeline for his leader. Following the CMO is Starscream who stops by Sideswipe to watch the fireworks.

"He's gotten a lot louder and more exotic since I last saw him," the green mech murmurs to the Seeker as he watches Knock Out give Megatron a very verbal dressing down. "I didn't even know he knew human profanities." Megatron stands like a scolded sparkling; knowing he had better look sorry or Knock Out would get rough.

"Yes, I'm fairly sure that is the first thing he tries to find whenever we come to a new planet. He's become a lot more accurate too. He managed to hit me from across the bridge earlier today with a crowbar. He's also learned how to throw datapads recently after watching me do it several times," Starscream returns, then winces when said crowbar is used to drive the medic's message home.

"So in short, the same rules apply as always? Don't piss him off and don't get too slagged."

"Precisely. Now, you need to be filled in on the protocols we currently have on board this ship. A few have changed since you were with us last, so those will be first." Both mechs turn and leave the bridge and their leader to his fate at the hands of Knock Out with the sounds of Trypticon chortling in the background.


AN- Bit of trivia for this chapter, SG Ravage is one of my all-time favorite characters. Spoiler for the next chapter: the first relic hunt episode! Complete with NYC, pyrotechnics and a good dose of awesome battle scenes courtesy of our resident hand-to-hand specialists.

If you have any questions or just wanna tell me your favorite part of the chapter, or even constructive criticism, then just drop me a line. I like knowing what I do right and if I did anything wrong.