At the docks

Optimus drove backwards with a trailer full of garbage. Optimus then dump most of the trash onto the small boat. Then, some rather stubborn garbage got stuck and blocked off the rest of the trash. Prowl, Bulkhead, Blackarachnia and Bumblebee then started pushing the trash out.

"This is even less dignifying than repairing space bridges. Not to mention extremely unpleasant to the old factory sensor's." Prowl said.

"Not only that it smells bad." Sari said.

"Sometimes I wish I took Ultra Magnus offer to go to Cybertron." Blackarachnia said.

"Well that may be but this is still a good opportunity to mend some strained Earth-Autobot relations." Optimus said as he transformed.

"Yeah, who knows? Once they start trusting us again, they may even start liking us again too." Bumblebee said .

Meanwhile Ratchet used his magnets to lift any metal out of the garbage pile. Amongst the trash was an old green car.

"HEY THAT'S MY CAR! Put it down now!" An old short man shouted at Ratchet.

"Yeah, yeah." Ratchet sighed. He turned off the magnets causing the car to plummet into the water.

"You…you…! You're going to pay for that! You lousy alien machines ! You going to pay I swear!" The man said.

"Hey! YOU'RE the one who parked your car under a trash heap!" Ratchet said stomping his foot

"Now listen up you overgrown vacuum cleaner! That trash wasn't there when I parked it!" The man said. Ratchet then used his magnets to wrap two metal bars around his shirt and lift him up.

"And how is that my fault?" Ratchet asked.

"HEY! YOU PUT ME DOWN NOW! I KNOW ME RIGHTS! AND I'M CALLIN THE COPS OR A TOWTRUCK!" The man yelled.

"Maybe liking us is too much to ask with Ratchet around." Bumblebee sighed.

"You! Quit harassing the Autobot!" Fanzone said pointed at the old man. "You put down the citizen!" Ratchet reluctantly set the man down and removed the pipes. "The city will cover the damages to your vehicle sir. Now I suggest you go about your business."

"This isn't over tin can!" The old man barked. Ratchet merely raised a brow then flashed his magnetizer. The old man then ran off.

"And you my Autobot friend could stand to work on learn some people skills." Fanzone suggested.

"There's nothing wrong with my people skills!" Ratchet retorted.

"No you make Capitan Fanzone look like the friendly one." Sari commented.

"HEY!" Fanzone and Ratchet said at the same time.

"Sari's right Ratchet. No amount of good deeds can make up for a bad attitude. I think it might be a good idea for someone to work with you on projecting a more pleasant disposition." Optimus said.

"I pity the poor glitch who gets stuck with that job." Bumblebee giggled with Sari. The laughs suddenly died when they saw the other Autobots looking at them. "He means us doesn't he?"

"What are you smiling at?" Sari asked Prowl who was smiling.

"Apparently there is one job less dignifying than hauling trash." Prowl responded.

"And it looks like that job is at capacity. Let's transform and roll on home." Optimus said.

Optimus, Bulkhead, and Prowl then transformed and drove away. Bumblebee looked from Sari to Ratchet and then transform and drove away. Ratchet then transformed and opened a door. Then Sari key started to glow but no one noticed.

"Will you get in already?" Ratchet demanded.

"Ah ah. What's the magic word?" she smiled.

"NOW!" Ratchet yelled.

"It's going to be a long day." Sari sighed. She stepped in to Ratchet. Then he drove off.


A few minutes later

Bumblebee, Ratchet and Sairi were stuck in a traffic jam.

"Move it already! Don't you humans have anything better to do?" Ratchet barked at the traffic jam.

"You really should try to be more patient with people." Sari suggested.

"I'd be a lot more patient with them. If they'd just get out of my way!" Ratchet said.

"Cool your crank case Ratchet. That's why these things are for." Bumblebee said and put on his emergency siren. Some cars moved out of the way and cleared a path.

"Now that's more like it." Ratchet smirked.

"Aren't you kind of missing the point about acting friendlier to people?" Sari asked.

"I can't exactly smile in vehicle mode can I?" Ratchet said.

"Somebody help me!" A man said ranning onto the road in front of the rover. "My wife is about to have a baby and our car broke down! We need to get to a hospital right away!"

"What do I look like? A taxi service for unprocessed protoforms?" Ratchet asked.

"This is an emergency. Not to mention a chance for you to practice acting friendlier." Sari reminded

"This is going to be some acting job." Bumblebee said. Ratchet opened his doors so that the man and woman could get inside him.

"Remember the most important thing is to keep the mother calm." Sari said.

"CALM? Why wouldn't she be calm?" Ratchet asked then drove away.

Ratchet sped through the streets and skidded through corners sending all his passengers rolling across the floors.

"Spike Honey? Could you please tell the driver to SLOW DOWN?" The woman asked

"Carly there is no driver there's only a little girl." He said.

"What!" she said.

"WILL YOU HUMANS KNOCK OFF THAT RACKET? I'm trying to figure out which one of these buildings is a hospital." Ratchet demanded.

"What's going on?" The man shouted,

"Let! Us! OUT! NOW!" The wife demanded.

"Way to calm them down Ratchet." Sari commented.

"Will you two pipe down? There is absolutely NOTHING to panic about!" Ratchet barked. Just then a mech holding a large barbell ran up behind an armored truck, smacked it. It started to come towards them. "Except that…" Ratchet turned just in time to avoid the truck's crash landing. The rover skidded to a halt. "There. What did I tell you? We're perfectly safe." Then Bumblebee transformed.

"That guy doesn't look too safe to me." Bumblebee said pointing at the mech who was running down the street towards them.

"I am Wreck-Gar! I knock things over!" Wreck-Gar said then he started smacking the armored car with his barbell. Ratchet opened his doors to get the man and the women out and transformed.

"So you want to play rough do you?" Ratchet challenged.

Ratchet then used his magnets to lift out Wreck-Gar's barbell out of his hands and thrown down the street. It just barely avoided hitting the couple who were now shaking in terror.

"I don't know much about these things lady but I think you're supposed to breath or something." Sari said. Before Bumblebee and Ratchet could take on Wreck-Gar the Angry Archer's magnetic arrow snatched away a canister out of the armored car.

"I know not what this reciprocal contains but me thinks it must be valuable. Now give them everything you've got!" Angry Archer said.

"Right! Everything I've got!" Wreck-Gar said and began throwing random items from within his backpack at the Autobots. "Here have this toilet and this engine block!" Ratchet caught the toilet but was knocked down by the engine block, "How about a nice boiled side of beef?" Bumblebee caught the beef and used it to bounce away the rest of his gifts.

"Ratchet you get the others to the hospital. I'll take care of the junk-bot." Bumblebee said.

"Since when do you give the orders kid?" Ratchet demanded.

"We're Autobots. We're supposed to protect life remember?" Bumblebee reminded.

"Don't tell me how to protect life! I've been protecting life since before you were you came online!" Ratchet said.

"Autobots? Protect life?" Wreck-Gar curiously observed. "Right!" Wreck-Gar ran to the couple. "Greetings life! I am Wreck-Gar! Wreck-Gar the Autobot!" Wreck-Gar pulled an Autobot insignia out of his backpack and slapped it on his chest. "I will protect you!" The two screamed in terror.

"We're supposed to be working on our people skills! Remember?" Bumblebee retorted.

"You're also supposed to catch the bad guy!" Sari reminded. Wreck-Gar overheard Sari and looked at the Archer swinging away.

"Right! Catch bad guy!" Wreck-Gar said and ran after the Archer. Bumblebee and Sari ran after Wreck-Gar.

"Well don't just sit there you still want that ride or what?" Ratchet asked in a angrily tone.

"We'll call a cab!" They said at the same time.

"Hmph. Not even a thank you. And they call me rude." Ratchet said.

"What are you? What is he?"Bumblebee asked.

"I don't know, but he's giving off a ton of AllSpark energy." Sari answered. Her key glowed brightly in response.

"I am Wreck-Gar! I give off a ton of AllSpark energy!" Wreck-Gar said and then began to glow himself.

"So what? An AllSpark fragment brought some junk pile to life and made some new kind of Autobot?" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"I am Wreck-Gar! I am some new kind of Autobot?" Wreck-Gar said.

"Listen up scrapheap." Ratchet said walking up to Wreck-Gar and ripped off his Autobot symbol. "You're not an Autobot and never will be an Autobot. You're only good for one thing: GARBAGE!"

"I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing GARBAGE! I must deliver garbage to all!" Wreck-Gar said and then transformed into a garbage truck and dumped a huge pile of garbage on the other three. He then drove off down the street dumping a trail of trash along the way.

"You just have a way with words. Don't you?" Sari said sarcastically.

"Ratchet come in." Optimus called on the comlink.

"What is it Prime?" Ratchet asked.

"There's some massive AllSpark energy both Blackarachnia and Scattershot are heading to your location." Optimus said.


A few minutes later

Ratchet was using his magnets to rip off the armored car's door and lifted up the driver who was struggling.

"Will you hold still?" Ratchet barked then he saw the looks on Bumblebee and Sari's faces. "Uh-I mean- are you alright sir?"

Ratchet then made a forced smile. Bumblebee and Sari smiled untile Sari saw a white and red limo pull up. Porter C. Powell stepped out.

"What are you doing here?" Sari growled.

"That's one of my trucks. It was delivering a canister of trash-eating microbots to be demonstrated for the mayor when the driver tripped the silent alarm." Powell answered.

"Well it looks like he was too late Mr. Powell. Your sample's gone." Fanzone said.

"I've got a pretty good idea who's got it." Bumblebee said.

"Hello? Powell kicked me out of my home. Remember? Why should we do him any favors?" Sari stubbornly reminded.

"Because microbots and an AllSpark fragment can't possibly mean anything good." Ratchet said.

"We better find this bot before thinks get worse." Scattershot said.

"Good think he left a trail." Blackarachnia said pointing to the trail of trash.


A few minutes later

The Autobots, Scattershot and Sari were following the trail of trash.

"My key is getting hotter we must be getting closer." Sari said then her key pointed right. "Make a right."

They turned to the right into a military base. They saw Wreck-Gar stood at the center now wearing the Decepticon symbol on his chest.

"Hello! Would you like some garbage?" Wreck-Gar asked.

"Just hand over the microbots and nobody gets hurt." Bumblebee said. Wreck-Gar searched then started going through his backpack.

"Microphone. Microscope. Ooo, microfiber!" Wreck-Gar said pulling junk out. Ratchet then grabbed his shoulders.

"Listen up you rusting scrabble circuitry!" Ratchet said as shook Wreck-Gar by his shoulders. Lugnut transformed right next to Ratchet.

"That is no way to address a servant of the great and wise Megatron!" Lugnut said raised a fist and transformed it into his P.O.K.E attack. He held the pressure pad close to Ratchet's face. Wreck-Gar stared at it curiously.

"Ah! The universal greeting!" Wreck-Gar said and stood to a attention. Then he raised his left hand and began the recital. "Bah weep. Gragnah wheep Ni ni bong!" He held his hand out in a high-five and moved it towards Lugnut's punch.

"LOOK OUT!" Ratchet said and grab Sari and ran away from the base followed closely by Bumblebee. A huge explosion ripped through most of the military base. Lugnut and Wreck-Gar emerged from the rubble.

"Gah! Those accursed Autobots will pay for their insolence!" Lugnut shouted.

"Right!" Wreck-Gar said and pulled out a cash register with steaming meat inside it, "Cash, check, or charbroiled?"

"ATTACK!" Lugnut said smacked the register out of his hand.

"Which kind of tack would you like?" Wreck-Gar said and pulled out a handful of different items, "Thumb tack? Carpet tack? Uh, income tack?"

"Ugh, never mind. I'll destroy the Autobots myself!" Lugnut said and transformed he took to the sky but Wreck-Gar jumped on his back.

"Would you like to try our special of the day?" Wreck-Gar said and pulled out the microbot canister that had begun to leak. He read the label. "Warning biohazard. Property of Sumdac Systems. Why that doesn't sound that bad at all." Just then a small drop of microbots fell on Lugnut's tail.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF MEGATRON?" Lugnut screamed as he realized he was being eaten. "GET IT OFF ME!"

"Right! Get it OFF YOU!" Wreck-Gar said and pulled out a drill and started to disassemble Lugnut's tail until it fell off with Wreck-Gar holding onto it as it plummeted while Lugnut flew wildly with no other tail to stabilize his flight.

"Looks like that takes care of both our problems." Bumblebee smiled.

"Not really if those AllSpark infused microbots could eat through that Decepticon armour." Ratchet said

"Imagine what they'll do to downtown Detroit." Sari realized.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH! WOAAAH! Omph!" Wreck-Gar yelled as he and Lugnut's tail crash-landed in a pile of garbage on a large scow. Wreck-Gar's legs struggled as his upper torso was trapped in garbage. Wreck-Gar finally forced himself free of the garbage. Then he heard a sound in the distance. Several people on shore were clapping. "They cheer for Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing GARBAGE! Fear not good people! YOUR GARBAGE IS COMING!"

The Autobots and Scattershot followed the scow above the water using a bridge.

"If that scow hits the shore it's bye-bye Detroit!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

"We have to stop it!" Sari said. Then Ratchet transformed.

"No I have to stop it it was my bad attitude that set this whole thing in motion. So I'm either going to make it right. Or get eaten by microbots to save everyone." Ratchet said and transformed and drove off the bridge.

"We need to see if we can't stop it." Scattershot said.

"But how?" Bumblebee said. Scattershot transformed and hovered in the air.

"I will take Blackarachnia and she can use her webbing so I can pull it away from the shore." Scattershot said.

Blackarachnia nodded and Scattershot put his arms around her and hovered above the scow then Blackarachnia fired some webbing it did slow down the scow. Meanwhile Ratchet had made it to the scow and transformed.

"Wreck-Gar! We need to keep the scow from reaching shore! And hope those microbots don't know how to swim." Ratchet said looking down to see the microbots had stopped eating trash and were now eating the boat.

"No! I am Wreck-Gar! I am only good for one thing. GARBAGE!" Wreck-Gar said and pressed a lever to increase the speed. "I know what I am now. And it's all thanks to you!" Wreck-Gar felt a tear of oil coming to his optics.

"Get away from those controls you malfunctioning slagheap!" Ratchet said and used his magnets to throw the lever in reverse.

"I am Wreck-Gar! I am a malfunctioning slagheap!" Wreck-Gar said and pushed the lever back into high speed and broke it. The webbing that Blackarachnia was using to stop the scow broke.

"YOU GLICHT HEAD! YOU'RE GOING TO DESTROY THE WHOLE CITY! YOU WOULDN'T DARE DO ANYTHING THAT STUPID!" Ratchet yelled.

"I am Wreck-Gar! I dare to be stupid!" Wreck-Gar said as his optics glowed red, "I WILL DESTROY THE WHOLE CITY!" Wreck-Gar jumped in front of Ratchet and stared him down menacingly.

"Alright you! You've forced me to make the ultimate sacrifice. To do the one thing that requires more courage than anything I've ever had to do in my Autobot career. I—!" Ratchet said and thrust his arm forward. "Apologize!"

"Come again?" Wreck-Gar said confused. Then his optics turned back to normal.

"I take back every mean thing I said about you. Don't let others tell you what you are. You can be anything you what to be." Ratchet said.

"You mean…I could be…a hero?" Wreck-Gar said.

"Yes and you can start by saving this city from being consumed by a swarm of out of control microbots." Ratchet said.

"Yes! I am Wreck-Gar! I AM A HERO!" Wreck-Gar shouted to the heavens.

He yanked off his Decepticon symbol and slapped on an Autobot insignia. He pulled out a vacuum cleaner, attached it to his backpack, and started to suck up the microbots. He finished sucking them up just as the scow became a floating heap of metal. Wreck-Gar stood proudly until his backpack started to shake and rattle. An orange glow came from inside.

"Thank you!" Wreck-Gar said waving before he fell into the lake.

"Wreck-Gar!" Ratchet called. He ran to the edge as a beam of blue light shot upward. "Don't worry kid! I'll pull you out!" He used his magnets to lift him out but only found several scraps of metal. The scow then bumped on the shore.

"Ratchet! You did it! You saved the city!" Bumblebee cheered.

"You're a hero!" Sari agreed.

"He's no hero! He destroyed my microbots!" Powell accused.

"In that case the mayor refuses to sign your sanitation contract." The secretary said.

"That's it!" Ratchet said and grabbed the Mayor, his secretary and Powell. "Listen up you organic meat bucks! Either you settle this garbage dispute HERE AND NOW! Or I dump the lot of you in the river! GOT IT?"

"Well I suppose we can service the malfunctioning trashbots." Powell sighed. The mayor nodded.

"And I suppose we can renew your contract with a small increase." The secretary said. Ratchet set them down. They shook hands. Everyone else cheered.

"What do you know? They like me. They really like me guess I got a way with words." Ratchet said smiling. Sari merely put her head in her hands while Bumblebee slapped his forehead.

"You could say that." Blackarachnia said as she and Scattershot landed.

"Pity we couldn't save Wreck-Gar." Scattershot said looking at Lake Erie


Meanwhile deep at the bottom of Lake Erie

Wreck-Gar was buried up to his shoulders in sand. His optics jumped open. He looked around at the fish swimming uncaringly around him.

"Fear not fellow creatures of the deep! I am Wreck-Gar! I am a hero!" Wreck-Gar said. He then tried to get up but found he was stuck. He struggled with his head and shoulders but couldn't free himself. "Uhh, excuse me could one of you lend me a hand? Or a fin? Anybody?"