Act 1 Part 2 Chapter 2
So last chapter, Bulkhead mentioned a lot of events and characters. Characters such as Ultra Magnus and Hound. For anyone wondering, they will be appearing in the series at a later date. Don't fret however, fans of Transformers Prime and the Transformers comics will be in for a treat in the next few chapters ;)
Needle in a Haystack!
Bumblebee drove down a narrow alleyway. Water splashed against his sides, as he kept his optics open, searching for any trace of their missing friends. It was cold that night. He activated his internal heating system to keep himself warm. There was a slight drizzle. He activated his windshield wipers as the rain landed on his windshield. He drove past alley cats and litter. The cats hissed at him, and scurried off, splashing and sloshing in the puddles. Bumblebee had his headlights on, so he could see in front of him.
Arcee, was driving around a scrapyard. She drove by tall piles of broken down cars and scrap metal. All the destroyed automobiles gave her an uneasy feeling, but she kept on looking. The damaged machines reminded her of her friends and comrades that died as a result of millions of years of war. Old wounds began to open up, and she began to panic, almost losing her balance and falling over. The junkyard had dirt roads, and because it was raining, Arcee was getting mud all over her tires. It was very unpleasant. She felt as if she was in the middle of a trench, wandering through a filthy ditch to find her lost platoon.
Sideswipe was driving near a multi story parking lot. He scanned the area, only to find nothing that could point him in the right direction. They all had been searching for hours. They had already searched the highway where they were attacked, but no trace of Bulkhead was left behind. Sideswipe had decided to give up looking, and found a place to power down for a while, but he looked into his rear view mirror and saw a shady figure. The figure had a skull on, and a torn up sweater. Sideswipe suspected that the man would try to "steal" him if he were to power down, so he just kept on driving.
Back at the Ark, Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl and Wheeljack were in the command center. Optimus stood on his platform, while the others sat at computers, checking the radars for any sign of their lost comrade. They were overseeing the search, while Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Arcee were out looking. Prowl had then received a message from Sideswipe. "We've got a message, it's from Sideswipe." Prowl projected it on to the big screen.
"What's the situation, Sideswipe?" Optimus asked while he folded his arms.
"With all do respect sir, I don't think we're going to find Bulkhead. We've been searching for cycles and we still haven't found anything. Whoever did this, they're good." Sideswipe said.
"Are you suggesting we leave Bulkhead? That's not how we roll, Sideswipe. I will not rest knowing that one of my soldiers, no, one of my friends and an innocent boy are unaccounted for, and could potentially be harmed!" Optimus shouted as he placed his hands on the railing. That's the kind of reaction Sideswipe would expect. Optimus lived by a 'no man left behind' mentality, and Sideswipe knew that. There had been times that Optimus has halted entire military operations, just to find a missing Autobot.
"I'm sorry sir. I'll keep looking, sir." Sideswipe said.
"Thank you Sideswipe. I'm sorry for snapping. I just, hope Bulkhead and Chip are OK." Optimus replied.
Sideswipe nodded and signed off. This behavior was understandable. First Cliffjumper died, and now Bulkhead was missing. The Autobots felt as if their numbers were dwindling. A feeling of fear and dread hung over them. However, the Autobots weren't the only ones who were worried.
Spike, Carly and Sari were at Chip's house. Chip lived in a two story house down the street from Spike, with an attic and a garage. There was a lot of high tech, and high priced devices and appliances there. Chip's dad worked for a software company, Onyx, which was owned by Blackrock Enterprises. Chip's mom was a lawyer. Chip's family always liked to be up to date when it came to technology. They had a 4K UHD TV, and a Playstation 4 in the family room. The family room had clean white couches, a dark wood coffee table with a few coasters, and a fireplace. Spike admired the 4K TV, he could never have imagined having something like that to himself. Spike and Carly sat on the couch beside Mr. and Mrs. Chase. Mrs. Chase was sobbing and blowing into a tissue while Mr. Chase was rubbing her and held her hand to comfort her. Sari was sitting on the floor in front of the TV with glasses on, playing Knack. Spike and Carly thought they should say something to cheer up Chip's parents.
"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Chase. Chip's a smart kid. I'm sure he knows what he's doing." Carly said.
"I know, but." Mrs. Chase paused, and tried to prevent herself from breaking down again. "It doesn't seem like Chip to get easily separated from the group so easily. I mean, he's gone camping before."
Spike and Carly froze up at that comment. They had lied to her about what really happened to Chip. They told them that he had gotten lost on a camping trip. It was the only thing they could tell them. If they found out that Chip was captured alongside an alien robot, they'd totally lose it. They could only hope that the Autobots would find Chip sooner, they didn't know if they could keep up the lie.
Spike looked over at Sari, who was till playing. He was irked that he and Carly were trying to comfort Chip's parents, while Sari was playing video games. He walked over to her. "Aren't you worried?" Spike asked.
"I am worried. Chip's a friend, why wouldn't I be?" Sari asked while keeping her attention on the screen.
"Well you sure aren't acting like it." Spike replied."Chip's parents are distraught, and all you are doing is playing a half decent platformer on their PS4."
"Well I guess I can't relate that well." Sari said.
"What do you mean?" Spike asked. "Have you never cared about anyone in your life? Spike asked. Sari turned around and gave Spike an ugly look.
"I was raised a single child, I was home schooled up until 9th grade, and my father barely has the time to talk to me. Unlike you, I wasn't raised going to a normal school, or interacting with normal people. My only friends as a child were a mustached plumber and a blue hedgehog. I've spent 45% of my life hunched over in a dark room playing video games." Sari snapped.
Spike took a step back. He didn't mean to touch a nerve or anything. He could obviously tell that there was something wrong with her. "Look I'm sorry, Sari. I didn't mean to open up any old wounds, I just-
"I don't want your pity, Spike." Sari said, as she turned around, and went back to playing.
Cat and Mouse!
Starscream walked into the command center. No one was in there. He went over to the loud speaker and spoke into it. "Attention all seekers, Soundwave has requested that we meet in the hanger bay". The seekers looked at each other confused. Soundwave said no military activity was allowed for the next few orbital cycles. They shrugged it off. It was best not to disobey an order. Within the cycle, a squadron of seekers met in the hanger. Among them was Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Slipstream. Starscream walked into the hanger and went over to the squadron to address them.
"My brothers and sisters, Soundwave has detected an energy reading coming from a state the humans refer to as "Alaska". He has requested that we go there and investigate these readings, and report back to him." Starscream explained.
"Wait." Slisptream said while holding up her hand. "Soundwave explicitly stated no military action in Megatron's absence."
"Oh, Slipsteam. It's not technically military action, now is it? Think of it as just a scouting mission. Just like the old days on Trypticon Station." Starscream said. He walked up to her and put his finger under her chin, and softly lifted her head up, so that both of their optics met. "Besides, these readings could prove beneficial to us. For the good of the empire an all that, no?" Starscream put on a reassuring smile, and tried to look as sincere as possible. Slipstream turned away, and fell back in line, and stood ready to serve. This caused Starscream to smirk. "We shall leave immediately. Decepticons, deploy!" Starscream commanded.
The seekers transformed and flew out of the hanger. They flew in "V" formation, with Starscream at the forefront of the group. Starscream was glad. Everything was going perfectly.
At the Ark, the Autobots were still in the command center, overseeing the search. An energy reading popped up on Wheeljack's radar. "Optimus Prime, I've just picked up an energy reading in a place called Alaska." said Wheeljack. This caught Optimus Prime's attention. If the Decepticons had detected the same reading, they would likely go for it as well. Prime knew they had to check it out, but he also wanted to keep searching for Bulkhead. A light bulb lit up in Prime's head.
"We will let Bumblebee and the others continue their search for Bulkhead. In the meantime, me, Ratchet and Prowl will go to Alaska to investigate those readings. Ironhide, and Jazz remain here and oversee the search, and Wheeljack is on ground bridge duty. Am I clear?" Optimus asked.
"Clear!" Everyone said in unison. Ratchet, Prowl and Wheeljack got up from their chairs, and climbed out of their bunkers. They walked into the ground bridge room. Wheeljack ran to his workshop, and collected his tool box, and the Diagnostic Drone. He entered the coordinates and opened the ground bridge. Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl transformed and drove through the portal. Wheeljack closed it after they left out. He grabbed his tool box, and continued his repairs on DD.
The ground bridge opened and Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl drove out on the other side. They were in a tundra near a mining shaft. There was a slight breeze. Ratchet opened a flap on his arm revealing thermo scanner. "This seems to be a much colder region. As such, our circuitry May be vulnerable to lower temperatures, so it's best we don't stay out here for too long." Ratchet said. They heard loud booms and looked up into the gray sky, and saw nine jet fighters. Three of them were F-15s, while the rest were cybertronic jets. They swooped down and transformed, landing on a cliff that stood above the Autobots.
"Optimus Prime? What are you doing here? Don't you have to lick the wounds of your pathetic warriors?" Starscream asked.
"Last I recall, it was the Autobots who were victorious in Los Angeles." Optimus replied. Starscream growled at this comment. "There is no need to fight, Starscream. Megatron has lead you down the wrong path. If both our factions worked together, we could possibly return to Cybertron and end our war." Optimus had always hoped to make peace with the Decepticons. In fact, after the Autobots left Cybertron, he hoped to organize peace talks with the Decpeticon Conclave to end the war. Naturally, things didn't go as planned.
"Oh, please! Don't bore me with your saccharine speech, Optimus Prime. I, I mean, we Decepticons shall return home, and we shall rebuild Cybertron, and this planet will bend to our will! Decepticons, attack!" Starscream commanded. The Decepticons were about to fire, but they stopped when they saw multiple military men and tanks approach them, all of them bearing an insignia that said "E.D.C." The tanks and men took aimmed at both factions. The hatch on one of the tanks opened, and Marissa Faireborn climbed out of the tank, and grabbed a megaphone.
"Attention, machines. You are on United States soil. Surrender yourselves immediately or we will open fire!" She commanded.
"How adorable." Starscream said in a patronizing tone.. "The humans are trying to fight back."
Operation: Bulkhead!
"Where am I?" Chip thought to himself. He slowly sat upright. Without his glasses he could barely see anything. He reached to the left him and felt around for something. He felt glasses, and he raced to put them on his face. He could finally see, and he looked around to see that he was in an emergency room. He was in a hospital bed, and he was wearing a hospital gown. He looked up in front of him and saw three people in the room with him. The first one was a middle aged Caucasian man who wore a military uniform that didn't belong to the United States Army. He had a scar on his nose and over his eye. He had trimmed hair and his facial expression was a mean scowl.
The man on the left of him was old and wrinkly. He had gray hair that made him look like Dr. Emmett Brown. He wore metal plating the top of his head and he wore a white lab coat.
The woman on the right looked much younger than the two men. She seemed to be in her late twenties. She had long blonde hair, and freckles. She wore a green coat, a white shirt and red pants.
"Glad to see you are awake." said the man in the middle. He walked closer to Chip, giving the boy an apprehensive feeling. "Allow me to introduce ourselves. My name is Leland Bishop, but you can call me Silas." He gestured to the old man behind him. "This is Doctor Henri Arkeville, he specializes in biochemistry and robotics. He then gestured to the woman behind him. "This is his intern, Josie Beller. She is a MIT graduate."
Chip needed a second to process all of this. "What happened to me, who are you people?" Chip asked. Silas frowned more the usual at that question.
"Don't worry. All shall be revealed in time." He gestured for him to get out of bed. "Come with me." He said
Chip looked to the side of the bed and saw some shoes. She slipped into them, got up and followed Silas and his cohorts out the door. They walked down a long hallway, absent of windows or anybody else. "There is a reason you are here, Mr. Chase. Do you know why?" Chip nodded his head no. "You are here because of what's happened to you over the last few days. Do you believe aliens are real, Chip?" Chip froze up at that question. Now he knew why they were after him. It was the government, he thought.
"No." He replied. They reached the end of the hallway. Josie grabbed her keys, unlocked and opened the door.
"Well, then you wouldn't happen to know anything about this would you? He asked. They went inside the room, and Chip's jaw dropped to the floor. He saw Bulkhead's decapitated head in the room, attached to cords, cables and wires. Around Bulkhead were multiple scientists and engineers, picking him apart and studying him. They stripped Bulkhead of his face plate, revealing his endoskeleton which resembled a non living, unholy being. Chip looked into Bulkhead's optics and saw nothing but pain and sadness. Bulkhead's head was still attached to his spark, meaning he was still alive. Chip looked to the left of him and saw multiple drones who had the same body type as Bulkhead, but they all didn't have heads.
"You asked who we were, Chip? We are a group called Mechanical Engineering and Computer Hacking. You can call us M.E.C.H for short." said Silas as he grinned. "We know who you are, and we know that you know about these creatures. After all, why else would you accompany them? You are a young, smart kid. We here at M.E.C.H need people like you and your friends. Carly, Spike, Sari. All very smart children. Straight As and Bs, all year long. I was hoping to catch more of your friends, but we wouldn't want to be too greedy now would we?"
Chip clenched his fists. "What do you want from me?" he asked.
"We want you to join us. Come work for us." Silas replied.
"And what do you plan on doing with these machines?" Chip asked.
"We plan on ushering in a new technological era. Times are changing, and we know that we are not alone in the universe. If we don't evolve, we will be wiped out. What happened in Los Angeles is proof of that. We plan on showing these people the truth about the cosmos, and we will do that by force." Silas explained.
"And why would I work for a group of terrorists?" Chip asked. 'Terrorists'. He didn't know why he used that word, but in this situation it felt appropriate.
"Because, Mr. Chase. We know how you are. We know where you live. Your oh so precious family. We know all about them too." Silas replied. 'If you don't do what we ask, we will kill them, and not just your family, your friends as well, and I will make you watch."
Chip wanted to cry. He just wanted to break down in tears, but he couldn't. He couldn't let his captors know that he was scared. If he did, then they would have won. Chip tried not to let it get to him. He held back his tears and his anger. "Fine, I'll help you. Just please, don't hurt my family, or my friends."
Silas smiled. "I knew you'd see things my way." Silas turned around to face the door. "Come along now, Mr. Chase. We have work to be done." Chip followed behind, Silas, Arkeville and Josie. They walked out of the laboratory. On the way out, Chip saw a half open door. He got a glimps inside the room and saw another decapitated Transformer. This one looked drastically different from Bulkhead. This robot had red optics with a flip down visor. It had a black helmet and it's face was colored beige. It had orange antlers on the side of it's head. Multiple wires and cables were attached to it, just like Bulkhead. It gave Chip an uneasy feeling, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had a long road ahead of him..