Howard's cheek pressed into the cold, wet grass, and his eyes were glued on the too-still form of Chronos.

He giggled. This was just like a party, he told himself. And the guest had left – Hah! His demented little brain couldn't understand why the guests had gone and left him here, lying on his stomach, both legs certainly broken because there was no way a simple fracture could cause a man so much pain.

His master didn't seem to care. His master was…better. So proud. So…wonderful. He was the Howard's link back home.

Howard smiled. Oh, when he returned to his own time, people would rejoice. His friends and parents would rejoice. He was the only futuristic human to have travelled back to the past, after all.

The past sucked.

Humans now, they were so, so stupid. Despite all Howard's studies as a young boy, all his research, all the time spent in the libraries observing files and holograms of his ancestors, he'd still been horrified to discover that his own era gave the past era so much more credit than they'd actually deserved. Releasing the mindeaters on humanity had been a wakeup call for him, would have been a wake-up call for humanity, had the Autobots and his "assigned" family had not interfered.

He'd never wanted to marry and have a child in this time period. He belonged elsewhere. Somewhere greater.

In the land of titans.

It was then that Howard began to weep. Heavy sobs that attracted the attention of Chronos. The huge creature padded over, armor crackling. His dark charger whined and kicked at the ground behind him.

Before he could reach Howard, the two huge hellhounds bounded through the trees, tongues tasting the air, tails wagging. Muscle rippled beneath thin layers of black fur, and their eyes, their horrible crimson eyes, spoke of evil.

Howard marveled them. They were monstrous, but incredible. Deadly, yet seductive. Everything about the Chronos's small fleet was a sight to ogle.

"Did they escape?"

The hellhounds barked.

Chronos licked what little lips he had with a long, purple tongue dripping with saliva. His lizard eyes darted towards the forest. He gestured with one clawlike hand, saying, "The Autobot and the two humans are speeding through the forest. I can hear them, the noisy little things. Give chase and bring me the remains."

The two hellhounds leaped back through the trees, fast as lighting, leaving scorching hot footprints in their wake.

Chronos, the Timelord, turned his attention to Howard. He reached down and gingerly gathered the human into his hands, and then began to trot over to his waiting charger. Holding Howard close to his face, he said, "My, my. You are such a loyal servant, Howard Scott Darby."

"I wanna' go home."

"Of course you do. But here's the catch, Howard," the creature lowered his voice, a trail of saliva dripping down and splashing against Howard's knee. It burned, like acid, eating through the fabric of his pants and past his skin, all the way down to the bone.

Howard screamed.

"In two weeks, your world, the year 2300, will cease to exist."


The wind whipped at Jack's clothes, pressing them against his chest. The speedometer before him was inching over ninety, though it felt faster. The pressure was so great that he felt his ears pop, and his breathing became shallow behind the helmet he wore.

That wasn't going to stop him.

In the distance, a howl.

"Probably a stray dog or a coyote," he murmured, feeling the sweat as it beaded across his brow.

Arcee cut a corner, skidding past trees and ferns. She pulled out into another trail, the movement to jerky that it nearly sent Jack flying off the side for a second time.

No sooner had she executed the maneuver did the trees to their left explode in a flash of blinding light. An engine roared. Tires kicked up a spray of dirt that hit Jack in the face, obscuring his view.

His world tilted crazily as Arcee wrenched her alt form into a skid. Furiously, Jack wiped away the dirt with the back of his hand, and then flinched when he found himself staring into two glaring headlights.

"Friend or foe?" he shouted.

"Friend…" Arcee answered mildly. She wobbled and Jack slid off, allowing her to transform.

The lights on the car before them snapped off, and the doors to the vehicle popped open. Two figures stumbled out, and then the vehicle itself shifted, joints rearranging, the effort flawless.

"Wheeljack?"

"Long time no see, two-wheels," the rogue acknowledged Arcee with a nod of the head, optics darting to the side as Jack rushed past him.

In the glow of the moon, Jack could see a portion of his mother's injuries. Clad in only a hospital gown, her hair was disheveled, red rings around her eyes. She walked with an unnatural limp, back hunched like an old woman. She was trembling so badly that she was using Rafael, who was also shaking, though not as badly, as support.

"Mom!" Jack rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her.

She leaped back, as if she'd been stung. Then, shaking her head, she blinked rapidly, as if recognizing Jack for the first time.

"Jack…"

She returned the embrace, and then began to cry. She stopped herself before the first tear could roll down her cheek, wiping away at the dirt and what looked like dried blood plastered to her skin.

"You don't look so good, mom."

"I've seen better days," she sighed. "I…I need to go home, alright? Jack, it's getting late and…wait…what…what are you doing here?" she looked past Jack. "Arcee, what is he doing here? Why are…"

She trailed off, suddenly growing tired. She leaned against Raf for support, wobbling on unsteady feet.

"Mom, we really should go. You look sick."

"I…I am sick. No, no, he's sick," she glanced back towards the wood. "They all are…"

"All? Who else was with you?" Arcee stepped forward.

"A Decepticon. Howard. Wheeljack," she pressed her lips into the line, thinking. "And this…this creature. This…"

"Was it Cybertronian?"

"No. No, no. No, no, no, no, no," June squeezed her eyes shut. "He's–"

Jack didn't see the creature before everyone else did. He was so wrapped up inside his mother's story that he didn't see the two ton wolf erupt from the trees, knocking over Arcee with the force of a wrecking ball.

Rafael cried out. Jack wrapped his arms around his mother. The wolf's momentum carried Arcee into the forest, and several moments later, an ominous howl of a wolf emitted from somewhere to their left.

Another dog was bounding onto the trail.

Wheeljack's hands flew to the hilt of his swords and he said, "Here doggy."

It took Jack a moment to realize that the dog had three heads, each snarling and snapping at empty air. Saliva dripped from bared fangs. The dog looked remotely organic, stark black, six crimson eyes casually staring down its prey.

It lunged.

Wheeljack took the partial hit. Teeth sunk into his shoulder, but he was able to wrench the dog off. The ground shook as the Cybertronian stumbled, regaining his footing before sweeping his swords in a long arc, fending off the dog.

The creature ducked its head and the forest echoed with three consecutive snarls.

"C'mon," Jack cried, grabbing his mother, who was frozen in shock.

"What about Arcee?"

Jack opened his mouth to reply, but his words flowed out as a cry when Arcee, armor hanging limp from her shoulder, crashed through a thin spruce and landed on the path.

"Arcee!"

She wriggled through the wet grass, shouting into her comm. "Ratchet, we need a groundbridge, now…the coordinates are…"

As she spoke, Jack whipped around and saw Wheeljack slice at the three-headed dog. The blade ruffled the creature's fur, sending it leaping back, and then crouching. Poised. Ready to spring, and Jack and the others…

They were helpless, stuck in the middle of it.

"Get that groundbridge up, fast!" Wheeljack bellowed.

Jack's mother, tired and limping, led the two children towards the edge of the small trench that was the path, where they pressed their backs against the clotted dirt.

A small yelp, and the second dog came lopping from the trees, trotting leisurely, almost. Its fangs dripped. Its tail was like a whip, clearing away small branches, overturning logs.

Jack's blood ran cold.

The beast had looked at him.

He tried to move his head but found it paralyzed with fear. His fingers curled into semi-deadly fists, instinct telling him to run, fight, run or fight. Neither would be successful. Neither would be smart; he ducked when he saw Arcee crawling, reaching out…

Wheeljack had his own hound in a vice grip, wrestling with the creature, swords abandoned. Their yips and snarls and shouts mingled in with the sudden flare of a groundbridge as it sprung up several meters away from the battle.

"Go!" Arcee shouted. When she saw Wheeljack hesitate, she growled, "You too! We'll go back for your ship – just not now! Do your duty and get those humans to safety!"

The three humans ran. Dove under the swing of the hound as it turned its massive head, and then glanced back at its bunched up its muscles, ready to attack…

It leaped.

A tawny blur flew and smashed into it. The projectile had been the other dog, flung by Wheeljack. They landed close and a fur covered tail slapped in front of Jack; he leaped over it, landed on one knee, and was up and running towards the swirling, crackling portal of light he knew so well.

Several seconds later, the forest around him faded, and he, Raf, and his mother were deposited onto the warm floors of the Autobot base. Arcee and Wheeljack followed, and the ground bridge deactivated.

The silo was filled with silence.

Ratchet stood by the monitor, hands on the lever, staring at the five of them with a healthy look of perplexity.

"Does anyone want to explain to me," he said slowly, voice rising with each word, "What exactly is going on here?"


Starscream transformed several yards from the ground, forcing himself into a painful skid that jarred his knees and caused his healing side to groan in protest.

He coughed. Wings bent, one gushing energon, he regained his footing and began to hobble. The snow was lighter here, a faint, icy sheet across the ground. It wasn't as terrible as last. Certainly not.

He'd circled around, observing the hellhounds as they'd fought the Autobots. Wheeljack had disappeared into the groundbridge. Starscream wondered if he'd be able to search, and find the Jackhammer, and then be able to operate it…his wings hurt, and the idea was doubtful.

But it was an idea, nonetheless.

He'd left a fine trail of energon behind. The hellhounds – Cerberus and Barghest – would find it. They were most likely still recovering from the battle, but even then, they'd still be ready.

He wasn't in the mood for a fight. His wing was punctured, so he was grounded once more. If he'd been Optimus Prime, he'd maybe have stood a chance. But he wasn't.

He was just…Starscream. Starscream the rogue. Alone. Empty. Lover dead and gone, although something was cooking inside his processors…a plan.

And it involved wit.

His specialty.

Starscream, with his processors and spark in shambles, gave a hearty giggle, bouncing on his heels. Sinking to his knees, he tilted his head back and allowed his tears to fall and his giggle to transform into a laugh that echoed for miles.

It took Chronos ten minutes to burst through the trees on his demented, black horse. Smoke curled from the beasts nostrils, and it allowed its master to climb off before it neighed and stepped back, tail swishing back and forth.

Starscream took note of the human that lay, almost like a piece of candy in a stocking, in one of the side pockets of the saddle. His head was drooped, hair stringy and covering his face, but Starscream had no doubt that it was Howard Darby.

He grimaced and wrapped long arms around his narrow torso. "You've found me," he said bluntly.

Chronos stepped forward, feet dragging.

"I've found you," he replied bitterly. "And yet you are not fighting."

"Why, that's simply because I have nothing to fight for."

Chronos paused. Then, "You are a Decepticon, are you not?"

"A rogue."

"You have the insignia planted onto your chest, therefore I shall identify you as one of them," Chronos's tongue shot out, running across a scaled jaw. "The way you sit – hunched in depression, head ducked in shame, arms crossed in embarrassment…you wish to make a request?"

Starscream lifted his helm, crimson eyes sparkling. Oh, he had Chronos. He had the Timelord, he had Father Time. He'd wrap the arrogant beast around his servo. Get him to do one thing…one thing.

"You say you're a master of time?"

"Yes."

If Primus wasn't going to give him happiness, then by the Pit, Chronos would.

"I'll take you to Megatron if you'll travel into the past and bring someone back. Do we have an agreement?"