Do you know what I hate the most in life? It's that sometimes it throws a big old wrench at you and grind your daily life to a halt. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, is that, and it's at the time of writing this, is that this country, let alone the world is going through with a pandemic. The self proclaimed Coronavius or COVID-19 in it's scientific term, is spreading throughout the globe, starting from China and around the globe in quick succession. Because of this spread, governments around the planet are urging people to remain in their homes in a social distancing, having no groups more then ten people, postponing and canceling sporting events, concerts, and conventions, and crippling business and the economy. This is definitely a trying time for everyone, including me.

Thankfully, I don't have the virus, not yet at least, but this crisis has caused serious problems with my life. See, I was working hard in finding work for me to do. But with this virus going on, I don't think I'll be looking for a job in an office environment and more of a work from home, to which I don't want. I can't go to any social events with Hankering for More down at YAI in New York as certain events have been canceled. And while wrestling is the best distraction I have to do, I can tell they were struggling with their empty arena shows. Now I haven't watched them yet as I am trying to catch up. But from what I've been seeing through Youtube, there are mix results, as people didn't like the fact of no crowds in the show. And I fear, really fear on what's a WrestleMania is going to be without the grand spectacle. Spoiler warning, it's less of the biggest stage of them all and more of a glorified empty house show, my opinion. Long story short, my life is pretty much screwed up as it is.

I really don't know how long this whole pandemic and social distancing it going to take? It could take weeks, could take months. And I don't know who to blame this mess from the start, whether it is the US governments not responding to this virus sooner, or China for not containing it in the first place. All I know is that I have to stay in my house for as long as possible. Thankfully, I have things to do inside the house until this all blows over. I have video games to play to pass the time, to which I even bought Doom Eternal for my Xbox One for my Birthday on May 25th. I have a makeshift gym down in the basement, which includes and old NordicTrack, a lightweight bar, Wii Fit, and DDR to keep me fit. I can do my karate with others on Zoom along with social online meetups with Hankering on these schedules. And plenty of Wrestling content online so I can watch shows involving crowds including WWE, Ring of Honor, and New Japan. Course I have plenty of food to get me by, although the milk part would be a problem if I run out and had to get more, but I have everything prepared for today. I'm just hoping, just hoping, this whole pandemic thing will pass in a few weeks or so. Cause I sure as Hell don't want to be cooped up in here for so long. But regardless, I and all of you need to stay safe and healthy and we'll get through this together. Now that I got that public service announcement out of the way, let me do another thing I can do during this whole crisis, writing fanfiction stories for all of you to read.

Checking on the last chapter, it is quite surprising as of how it was responded. Sixteen reviews and over nine hundred hits?! Wow! I know I haven't updated this story in quite a while, but this is quite a shocker at the least. Hell, I even got a few reviews going from ojamajomary, the author responsible for the series of Transformers Prime/Madoka Magica. It was one of the reasons why it inspired me to work on my own crossover, but in a different way since, you know, that whole Rebellion ending that got some people upset about. Come to think of it, Magia Record had that ending problem to in their anime adaptation, nothing compared to the game, mind you. But I'm going a bit ahead of myself.

Now for the pooling on the enemy Magical Girls the Decepticons would need in a future chapter. I haven't gotten to that part yet, but soon I need to see what to work with. As for the polls, there seems to be a three-way tie between Any Magical Girl from the Manga series, Magical Girl Site, and Doki Doki Literature Club. Now as much as I appreciate the few who would want to see all three choices, there needs to be one. So I'm hoping the next chapter there will be a tiebreaker. There was also one review that recommended me another twist in the Magical Girl genre called 'Magical Girl Raising Project'. Now I never seen the show completely…but I checked the trailer and it looks promising. A show about Magical Girls killing each other seems to be an excuse for enemy Magical Girls working for Cons. There is also another series that turns the Magical Girl genre on its head. They call it 'Magical Girl Spec Ops Asuka' and it involves Magical Girls engraved into the military and fight monstrous stuffed animals. Seen the clips and they certainly have something. I might try to put both of them in the polling if any of you are interested. But as you can see, it might be a bit too late. After all, I hope that when I get to the chapter, there will be a winner to-

*static*

'Doki Doki is going to win this. You just don't know it yet.'

*static*

Whoa! There it goes again. What is going on here? I know this is just a story but someone is certainly hacking into it. Better contact support to see what the big deal is. Until, keep on voting as I need a time to face Homura and hers. I'm counting on all of you!

In this chapter, while Jack is adjusting to this new life as a half robot and Team Prime of the existence of Magical Girls, the Decepticons are already on the move in hunting Kyubey to get the answers they need about the Magical Girls and how to use them as an advantage. Sending Lockdown, Dropkick, and Shatter, will the Autobots and Magical Girls stop them in taking the Incubator, or will everything be for nothing? This is one chapter you can't miss and read.

Chapter Notes

Now as stated in the last chapter, Lockdown from Age of Extinction and Shatter and Dropkick from the Bumblebee movie will make their for real appearances in this chapter. I did tease them the last chapter, but as a way to give them a chance to make their appearance known. Well in this chapter, the group will be fighting. Who will they be facing that would protect Kyubey? Well, I won't tell ya. However, you should read this chapter to see for yourself. There will be a few more transformers that will appear in this story, but that won't be for a while. I'll let you know when that will happen. Now before starting this chapter, I do want to give you a bit of a warning. The start of the chapter will begin with Jack's nightmare, while it's not much of a spoil, I do want to point out that it could get a little…graphic. And trust me, I seen graphic on a few rare occasions, most likely with the Crossed comic series. And please, don't Google that or you will be scarred for life. If you are squeamish in reading that part, then please, skip to the end of the nightmare. It will all be italic just so you know where to stop. Just a bit of heads up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Prime and Madoka Magica

Chapter Twenty-Five: Kyubey Hunt

The place was dark, so dark that that you can't see a thing. And standing in the darkness is Jack Darby. He looked around the place and was confused of where he was.

Jack Darby: "What the…. What is this place? Where am I? How did I get there?"

He started to walk down the darkened area, trying to call someone out.

Jack Darby: "Hello? Is someone there? Arcee? Raf? Miko? Optimus? Homura? Anybody?"

He continued to walk, wondering how to get out of there. But as he was searching, he could hear a familiar voice.

June Darby: "Jack…"

He stopped and heard that, confused about that voice. He soon shrugged it off and kept on searching. Only this time, he heard it again, louder then before.

June Darby: "Jack…"

He heard it again and immediately turned to the direction of the voice. That's when he saw a shadow silhouette of June standing there in the dark to see her face. He starred at the shadow as it asked him why.

June Darby: "Jack… Why…? Why did you turn on me…? I am your mother… You are my son… We are a family… Don't you love me…? Do you even care…? Please, come back…"

Jack heard that voice and his expression grew angrier by the minute. That's when he scolds her on that.

Jack Darby: "No! We are not a family! Nor are you my mother! You just simply brought me in, a complete stranger to parents that aren't mine! And you want me to come back! Forget it! I'm not going back to you. I won't! Now get away from me!"

Tightening his fist and ran up to the shadowed image of his mother and punched her in the fast. But as he did that, the image shattered in a million pieces and left behind glass shards. He soon saw that and looked to his hand as cuts were on his palms and were starting to bleed. Looking at it, he was confused of what just happened. That's when he soon heard June's voice from all around him.

June Darby: "Jack… Why…? Why did you do this?"

He soon turned around and could see a large wall of mirrors all around him. They all soon repeated the same name over and over again.

June Darby: "Jack… Jack… Jack…"

He looked to all of the mirrors and covered his ears, knowing that he had it with all the images.

Jack Darby: "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

He soon went to town on all of the mirrors and used his fists and smash each of them while the voice of his mother ringing in his head.

June Darby: "Jack… Jack… Jack…"

In a matter of moments all the mirrors were smashed and the voice of June was gone. Jack took a breather and was glad that it was over with.

Jack Darby: "Finally… It's all over. I don't want to hear that traitor's voice ever again."

He soon looked to his hands and noticed that they were heavily cut and blood seeping out of the wounds.

Jack Darby: "Man… Look at my hands. They look so worse then ever. I just hope that I can wrap it up before…"

Just then, he noticed something completely off and starred at it. He could tell that the wounds are opened and he could've seen some flesh muscles. But that's when he noticed that there were no muscles what so ever. Instead, all he could see is something made out of metal. He starred right at the hands and was confused about it.

Jack Darby: "Wha…? What the…?"

Soon enough he saw something that's completely disturbing. His wounds started to open up more as sharp talons came out of the tips of his fingers and started to extend. Soon, he was looking at his new and monstrous like hands. He started to blink and was shocked as the site of these strange hands.

Jack Darby: "Oh my god…"

Soon enough, his body is starting to get torn apart from the inside out as his clothes started to rip to shreds and his human skin getting torn as metal and spikes started to come out. He was groaning in agony and as he looked like a monster with just a human head. He looked up to the blackened sky and was feeling something emerging from the inside. Something dangerous and monstrous.

Jack Darby: "No…. No…! NOOOOOOAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Soon enough, his face started to get mutilated and turned into some kind of monster with sharp teeth and his human eyeballs popping off showing glowing red robot eyes. The monstrous Jack started to roar and looked eager to kill. But just as it was about to do something, everything went blank.

At the same time, the real Jack bolted up and screamed over his nightmare, panting in complete fear. Taking a bit of a breather, he looked to his hands and noticed that they were completely normal, flexing his fingers in the process. Seeing that, and sighed in relief and realized that it was just in his head.

Jack Darby: "Oh, good… That was just a bad dream. I thought for sure that that it felt real."

But then, he remembered what happened last night. The time on the Nemesis where the Magical Girls and the Decepticons were fighting. The explosion at the communication room. The wound and the reveal that there is no blood or torn muscles, just circuitry and metal skin. The fact that he might not be human and that June is not his mother. There's a lot going on in his head after waking up. Placing his hand on the bandaged wound underneath his shirt, he sighed and wished what happened didn't happen.

Jack Darby: "Still… I just wish that what transpired with me yesterday wasn't a dream. I just can't believe that my 'Mom' lied to me. How could she?"

Rubbing a little more, he sighed and decided to leave that behind.

Jack Darby: "It doesn't matter… Right now, I just need to regroup and figure out what I have to do now. I'm half robot now, so I need to understand how I am, what I am, and what I'm capable of. Maybe I'll have Arcee help me out, since she is my partner and all."

Feeling that confidence returning to him, and got up and brushed himself off, leaving the storage room and looking for his partner.

A few minutes later, he was walking down the huge halls and was searching for the two-wheeler, wanting his help any way he could. So he started to search for her any way he could. He started to looking into her room and noticed the door opened. So he peeked inside to see if she's around.

Jack Darby: "Arcee? You in here?"

The moment he went into the room, he noticed that it was empty. So considering the situation, he decided to head to the comm. room and checked to see if she is around. By the time he entered the area, he could see Ratchet at the console, but no one else was around. So he asked him on where she was.

Jack Darby: "Hey Ratchet."

Hearing that, the medic turned to see the Darby and was surprised that he's still there.

Ratchet: "Oh, Jack. Forgot that you were still in the base. Then again, with what happened last night, I can't blame you. After what transpired last night, I can only imagine how you're feeling."

Jack heard that and was completely surprised by that.

Jack Darby: "Last night? Hold on, what time is it?"

Ratch look to one of the screens that showed the time and answered straight away.

Ratchet: "It's currently 8:00 in the morning. You've been in the base all night. I didn't even know you were here until just now."

Jack blinked in shock and didn't think he slept all night in the base.

Jack Darby: "Eight in the morning? Wow… I never thought I slept in that long. So… I'm looking for Arcee. Do you know where she is? Better yet, where is the rest of the team?"

The medic could tell that he wanted to know what happened to the others. So he explained to him what he wants to know.

Ratchet: "If you really want to know, Arcee is in the training room with Strongarm and Sideswipe. After what transpired on the Nemesis, she has to push them in the event of a life or death battle as that one. As for the others, Optimus is with Smokescreen, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead to scout for energon deposits in Russia."

Jack heard that and was surprised by that.

Jack Darby: "Really? They are out searching for energon now. I'm quite surprised by that, considering what we all went through."

The medic sighed and understood what he meant.

Ratchet: "Well, giving certain situations, it's obvious that we all need to stock up and prepare for what we would believe to be an invasion against the Decepticons, if they find our base in Jasper. Still, I'm a little miffed over what happened on Cybertron. I never thought Optimus would go far then to destroy the one thing that would restore our world."

Jack nodded and assured him why the leader did that.

Jack Darby: "Optimus had to do it to save my home. At least be appreciated that there were no human casualties."

He soon started to walk away and headed down to the training room to speak with Arcee.

Jack Darby: "I'm going to find Arcee to help me with something."

He soon stopped and wondered about something else. Turning, he asked Ratch on where the two new Magical Girls were at.

Jack Darby: "By the way, Ratch, have you seen the two new girls from yesterday. Mami and Kyoko?"

The Medic heard those names and shuddered about what transpired between him and the red haired Magical Girl.

Ratchet: "Argh… Oh yeah… Those two… They are sleeping in the old human quarters since they just came and need to clear their heads of what happened. Regardless, I don't want that red head near me. What is her deal?"

Jack chuckled and remembered about that. The fact that Kyoko snapped and took down the Autobot and pointing all those huge spears at him. That was the moment she accidently revealed the secret of Magical Girls in front of everyone. The same moment it was reveal that Jack wasn't human at all. Shaking that thought aside, he decided to let him be for a moment.

Jack Darby: "Well, we didn't expect her to do that. Plus, she didn't know about Homura keeping the Magical Gils a secret until she jump the gun."

Ratchet groaned and wondered about that what he knows.

Ratchet: "And you knew?"

Jack groaned and decided not to talk about it.

Jack Darby: "The moment she came."

He soon started to walk away and headed to the training room. Once he was gone, Ratchet gave a bit of a groan and went right back to work.

Ratchet: "Hmph… Humans…"

In the training room, Sideswipe was knocked down to the floor and was in a bit of a daze. Struggling to get up, he looked up to see Arcee standing over him with a smirk on her face.

Arcee: "Nice try Sideswipe. That might work on a Decepticon rookie, but not a veteran. You need to change up your style otherwise you won't survive for so long."

The red mech groaned and slowly got up, using his sword to support him.

Sideswipe: "Please… I was just warming up."

Cee crossed her arms and heard that same excuse again.

Arcee: "Uh-huh? That's the same thing you said the last bout. And the one after that, and the one after that."

Sideswipe heard that and rubbed the back of his helm.

Sideswipe: "Really? I said that too many times? Funny, I don't remember that."

The two-wheeler sighed and told him to focus.

Arcee: "This is serious, Sideswipe. You and Strongarm were taken into the Nemesis and held prisoners along with our human companions. You're all lucky you managed to make an escape."

Sideswipe reminded her of how they escaped.

Sideswipe: "Actually, it was Dreadwing that helped us make an escape. Everything else was those girls with those strange powers. What do you expect?"

Arcee: "I expect from you is to be 110% committed to the cause."

Sideswipe: "And I am 110% committed."

Hearing that, Cee decided to try this again.

Arcee: "Really? Well then, prove it."

She soon got into her stance and was ready for a fight. Sideswipe could tell that she's ready for another round and decided to show her that he's ready.

Sideswipe: "Okay. Here I go!"

He soon swipes his sword down to begin his attack and charged in. The femme already sees a weak spot and went on ahead to exploit it. The moment he started to swing his sword, she ducked low and dodged it. With a quick sidestep, she deliver a high roundhouse kick to the back of his head and brought him down that easily. He was caught in a loop and fell on the floor face first, with his sword separating from him and clanking on the metal ground. Swipe groaned after an attack like that.

Sideswipe: "Ow…"

He soon started to hear a bit of a chuckle from close by. Looking up, he could see Strongarm sitting on a crate looked down at the prone mech while having the holo board showing police training lessons.

Strongarm: "I must admit, this is quite entertaining."

He started to get agitated and decided to tell the cadet to join him.

Sideswipe: "Very amusing, Strongarm. I don't see you training with Arcee."

The cadet just chuckled and let him know that she knows how to train.

Strongarm: "I'll have you know that I was going through Iacon Police Academy boot camp and know all the necessary precautions to help me handle the toughest of situations. I think I know how to handle myself."

Arcee soon heard her and reminded her that police training is different from war training.

Arcee: "Don't get too cocky, cadet. You might be well trained in the academy, but that won't mean squat when it comes to a firefight. You need to learn that war isn't fair and you have to train harder then ever before. If you are to survive, you must be prepared for anything."

It was then she heard a voice from behind.

Jack Darby: "That really sounds like you, Arcee."

Hearing that, she turned around and saw Jack standing at the entrance of the training room. Seeing him, she decided to give Sideswipe a break while she speaks to him.

Arcee: "Take five Sideswipe. I need to talk to Jack."

Swipe gave a sigh of relief and was happy that he won't have to go through all that beat down.

Sideswipe: "Thank Primus. Thought I never got out of this mess."

Strongarm heard that and find that a bit questionable.

Strongarm: "Aw… What's wrong Sideswipe? Afraid of getting beaten by a girl?"

The red mech heard that and was taken back by it.

Sideswipe: "Hey! Shut up! I didn't expect her to rough me up."

The cadet rolled her optics around and figured he's trying to keep his dignity intact. So she jumped off the crate she was sitting on and decided to make her leave.

Strongarm: "Well… I'll head down to the main room. I need to brush up on my combat skills before it's my turn for combat."

She soon started to walk away as Sideswipe followed.

Sideswipe: "Oh no… Wait up, Strong! Don't leave me with her. She's a nightmare!"

Once the two started to leave, Arcee watched them and shook her head and never thought the two rookies would be a servo full. Once they were gone, she approached Jack and bend down to his level to ask if he's fine.

Arcee: "Hey, partner. How are you feeling?"

Darby rubbed his shoulder where the wound is and was a little hurt from what transpired last night.

Jack Darby: "Still recovering… Though I don't know if I can survive after what 'mom' did. Not to mention that nightmare that I had to go through. Don't really want to talk about it."

Cee got the situation with him and knew that he was still in pain from the news yesterday. So she try to assure her that everything will be all right.

Arcee: "Look, I know things have been a little…rough between you and your mom. But she might have some reasons as of why she kept it a secret. Just give her some time and…"

But Jack won't listen as he told her to stop saying that.

Jack Darby: "No! I don't want to see her face again! She lied to me the whole time and never tells me of this till yesterday. She was never my mother from the start. She took me in and treats me like her own son when in reality I am some creation of human and robot. I can't believe it?!"

The femme could see that he's still bitter from last night and decided to leave it at that.

Arcee: "I get it, you're upset. I would be upset too if someone kept a secret for this long. But you need to calm down and relax. I'm sure in time you will feel the same as before and maybe she will tell you why she did that."

Jack glared to her and still didn't feel like talking and want to focus on another thing.

Jack Darby: "I can try… But no matter what, I won't be speaking to her any time soon."

Cee got the message and tries to change the subject.

Arcee: "Okay… So, what brings you here? I am in the middle of training, with one of the recruits is a pain in the aft."

Jack chuckled and knows whom she meant.

Jack Darby: "Yeah… I noticed. Well I was wondering if you can help me train."

The two-wheeler raised an optic ridge and was a bit confused about it.

Arcee: "Train…?"

Jack nodded and explained about it.

Jack Darby: "Yeah. Last night, when I snapped at 'mom', I sort of armed some sort of blaster out of my arm and fired at the door. You remember that, right?"

Arcee thought about it and remembered about that incident. That was when Jack lost it and there was a blaster fire at the door when she and Homura were outside of the infirmary.

Arcee: "Oh yeah…. How could I forget about that incident?"

Jack soon told her about the plan.

Jack Darby: "Well, since I have the ability to form blasters, I think I should be learning how to shoot. You know, incase you or the rest of the team isn't around and I need to defend myself. What do you think?"

Arcee heard his proposal and thought about it long and hard. It does sound like a promising venture. Since Jack is half metal and surprisingly armed, it would mean that he could make a good enough asset to the cause. And for once, it's nice to see a partner fighting by her side and letting him hang in the sidelines. So with a bit of a smirk, she decided to begin his training.

Arcee: "All right, Jack. Welcome to Autobot training 101. Try to keep up."

In the Nevada dessert, the place was quiet as hawks flew by. But on top of the hill of one of the mountains, a green and blue portal started to open up and three huge silhouettes started to come out. Those three are Lockdown, Dropkick, and Shatter. Once they arrive and the bridge closed behind them, Shatter looked to the view and wasn't impressed.

Shatter: "So… This is Earth. How…adequate."

Dropkick looked on and didn't like the site of it as well.

Dropkick: "This is the planet Megatron wishes to conquer? This is nothing but one big dust ball. Even the creatures of this planet look miniscule and weak. Does he really think he can rule this world?"

Lockdown soon approached the two and told them to get right to the mission.

Lockdown: "It's not much, but Megatron really wishes to take over this world in any way he could. He almost succeeded with the Omega Lock and even if he now has a fortress, he still needs to accomplish all of his goals. And as far as he is concerned, he needs to understand the one threat that would be a risk to his mission. And that threat is the certain humans with strange and unique powers. And to do that, we need to find this creature that is connected to them."

He hit a few keystrokes on his handheld computer on his arm and a holo from of the Incubator they need to find appeared.

Lockdown: "This creature is the key to understanding this new potential threat he is facing. We need to find it and bring it back to Shockwave for further understanding. And from what Soundwave calculated, this creature is believed to be located in the same location where the girls are. A town known as Jasper Nevada. He managed to bridge us close to the town, however we need to be careful. These humans don't know about our existence, not yet at least. If we are to find this creature, we need to find a disguise to help us blend in."

The two heard the orders as Dropkick groaned in annoyance.

Dropkick: "So, disguise as vehicles and not show some unwanted attention. That is not my type of fun. I'm more of a destroy first search later type of mech."

Shatter though has to be the voice or reason and told him that he has no choice in the matter.

Shatter: "True… But if we are to find this creature, we need to be inconspicuous. We need to find proper vehicle forms that won't attract attention."

She soon started to hear the sound of engines roaring and turned to see what it was. That's when she smirked and pointed to what she found.

Shatter: "And I think I found the right modes for us."

Dropkick heard her and turned to see what she is pointing at. What's when he could see what looked like a drag race that is about to start with three separate cars. The first one is a 1971 Plymouth GTX with multiple headlights on the grill and the roof and a blow engine sticking out of the hood. The second is a blue and black AMC Javelin with its one blower engine on the hood and heavy-duty tires for hard terrain. And the third is a black Lamborghini Aventador LP 700 that looks sleek and built for speed. Looking at the vehicles, Dropkick was a little iffy about those decisions.

Dropkick: "Really? Those things? I don't know, they do stick out like sore thumbs."

Lockdown looked to the three that were about to race and decided on the vehicles in general.

Lockdown: "Perhaps… But judging by their engines and their sleek design, I believe that their speed can help us with quick getaways if the things go dire. They will be suitable for our mission."

With that, his optics started to go green and a beam came out of it headed to the Lamborghini, scanning it. While he was scanning it, Shatter looked to one of the hot rods and decided to go with Lockdown's thoughts.

Shatter: "I must say, I do have the need to speed. It might be suitable for us."

She soon started to scan the Plymouth GTX as her choice of vehicles. Dropkick rolled his optics around and decided to follow their lead.

Dropkick: "Whatever… It's better then nothing I suppose."

So he started to scan the AMC Javelin as his decision. Once all three scanned their vehicles, the real cars took off for the race, unknowingly what happened. After the scan is done, the bounty hunter decided to go with the plan, turning to them for orders.

Lockdown: "All right, here's the plan. We split up into three different directions to find our target. Shatter, take the west. Dropkick, go east. I'll take the north. If any of you find this creature, contact me. We'll regroup and snatch him when we have the chance. Let's go!"

With that, he ran up the end of the cliff and jumped down, using his footing to glide down to the bottom. The two looked down and Dropkick was a little hesitant.

Dropkick: "Great… A patrol… Not my favorite thing to do either."

Shatter just patted him in the back and told him to get going.

Shatter: "Come on, Dropkick. Let's get this over with. The sooner we find this creature, the better."

She soon jumps of the cliff and glide down it. The blue mech just shrug it off and had to do it anyways.

Dropkick: "Sure… Whatever…"

He soon jumped after them and surfs down the terrain. Once they all reached the bottom, the rolled and transformed into their respected vehicle forms and drove in three separate directions, beginning the hunt for Kyubey.

Back in Jasper, in Jack's home, Homura was getting dressed for another day after surviving through the Nemesis and the abrupt reveal of the Magical Girls thanks to Kyoko. Once she was done fixing herself up and doing her hair, she looked to herself in the mirror and trying to recollect what happened yesterday. Between getting captured, having Mami and Kyoko dragged into the this war, the news of Megatron's plans that were thwarted, the Autobots now knowing of the Magical Girls, and Jack not really human, it was certainly quite a day. With a sigh, she was concerned about what will happen from this day forward.

Kyubey: "You are quite hesitant today."

Hearing that, she turned around and sees both Kyubey and Bebe on her bed. Looking at them, she explained of what transpired yesterday.

Homura: "Can you blame me? A lot has changed yesterday. Mami and Kyoko now knows of the Autobot/Decepticon war, the Autobots now know of the Magical Girls, Megatron almost wipe out the planet for him to conquer, and Jack found it he some robot and disowned his own mother. So as far as I'm concerned, it was quite a day."

Kyubey though tilt his head to the side and decided to give a bit of good news on it.

Kyubey: "Well, look on the bright side. At least the Decepticons don't know of Magical Girls."

Homura turned to him in a glare and was being sarcastic.

Homura: "Thanks, Kyubey. That makes me feel really better about myself."

Bebe soon turned to the incubator and mention in her bizarre language that it isn't helping. Kyubey soon turned to her and told her that it's the truth.

Kyubey: "But it's true. Since her existence of the Magical Girls was exposed with Arcee first, Homura has done a really good job with making sure that the Decepticons won't find out by eliminating them. The same can be said with Miko getting recruited, and then yesterday with Mami and Kyoko taking fare of them as well. No eyewitnesses and all."

Homura shrugged it off and flipped her hair traditionally in the mirror.

Homura: "Yesterday was a complete mess, and even if we managed to take out the lower drones, we have three of the top elites in the Decepticon ranks that are still standing, all of whom linked to Megatron. Which there is a slight chance that we're going to get exposed if they know us."

Kyubey: "That doesn't mean they know all about Magical Girls. So far, they only know the four of you. They have no clue if there are many more, let alone all of the secrets."

Homura: "True… But it will be a matter of time before they find out everything about us. After that, I fear on what they are going to do to us."

She soon turned to Bebe and was still confused about something.

Homura: "By the way… Why are you still in that form, Nagisa? I know your true form and you don't have to keep it a secret from me."

Bebe, also known as Nagisa looked to her and could tell that she wanted a few more answers. Indeed, Bebe was in fact not only the Witch, Charlotte, but also the former Magical Girl, Nagisa Momoe. She is not only a part of the Law of Cycles, but also the guardian of Mami Tomoe. And of course, she is quite the failure when it comes to looking after her. All she would care about is eating sweets and being lazy. And that proves it with the Nemesis incident. Now here she is, on the bed with Kyubey and Homura, on recent events yesterday. Looking on, she explained why she's in that form in her strange language. Homura, giving she understands it, responded the best she could.

Homura: "You want to be in character. Terrific. That's one thing you can do right."

Bebe, or Nagisa, crossed her arms and humph in annoyance. Homura though decided to move on and decide to head back to the base.

Homura: "Anyways, I better get to the Autobot base now. After all that has happened, I need to make sure that nothing went downhill since yesterday. I hope that Kyoko isn't threatening Ratchet or blowing up anything else. Anyways, I better check on June. With what Jack is going through, I can only imagine how she is handling it."

She soon left the room and headed down to the living room to go and check on her. When she arrived, she knew that her worries are confirmed. June was still in the couch, looking like she passed out and drunk with a few wine bottles scattered on the floor. All the old photo albums are opened and there's static on the TV screen as one of the many home videos that was set up but reached the end. Seeing the sight, she could tell that she's having it completely rough.

Homura: "Oh, June…"

To that end, she decided to comfort her by placing a blanket over her body and patting her on the shoulder. She then went on the phone and called up the hospital to let them know that Ms. Darby won't be around for a while.

Homura: "Hello. Is this the Jasper Medical hospital? Yes, this is Homura Akemi. I am a good friend of June's son. I'm calling to let you know that June won't be able to make it for today. She's…a bit under the weather. Do you have someone who can take her shift?" … "It's just that things have to hectic yesterday and she is in desperate need of some rest." … "I see… Well thank you for understanding June's health and safety. I'll let her know of the news. Have a good day."

She soon hung up the phone and gave a bit of a sigh.

Kyubey: "So, how did it go?"

Homura heard that and turned to see both Kyubey and Bebe, with the Nagisa getting a hold of the cookie jar and starting to munch on it. Figuring that they were checking, the veteran explained of the situation.

Homura: "I told them that June was feeling rather ill and won't be able to make it for her shift. Thankfully, they have others to hold her shift until she is better.

The incubator tilt his head and was a little iffy about that.

Kyubey: "You called the hospital to let them know that she's out sick and won't make it? Sound s little farfetched if you ask me.

Homura sighed and asked him of how to respond to that.

Homura: "Well, what should I tell them? That she is heartbroken over the fact that her only son disowned her, all because he's not human and part of the family, but some type of robot she and her husband took in. That would be believable."

Kyubey heard that and got the message.

Kyubey: "Fair point. Still, I don't know if they can believe what you said if June Darby here won't be able to come to work if this keeps up."

Homura soon walked away and headed to the garage to leave.

Homura: "Let's hope she isn't in such a poor state at this rate. I just hope Jack would come down and get the idea that even after what she did, she's still his mother."

So the Magical Girl approaches the garage and opened the door to see if Smokescreen is waiting for her. But when the door opened, she noticed that he wasn't around. Curious, she took out her phone and called the base, wondering what happened to her ride. After a few rings, she could hear Ratchet's voice on the line.

Ratchet: "Yes, speaking. Who is it?"

She soon started to talk to the medic while Kyubey and Bebe came in and keep watch.

Homura: "Ratchet, it's me. Homura."

The medic heard the voice on his end and realized it almost immediately.

Ratchet: "Ms. Akemi? Why are you calling? This is a private line and I fear that Soundwave might still be tracking your call considering what happened yesterday."

Homura tilts her head and told him that it won't take long.

Homura: "The call won't last long. I'm already out and was expecting Smokescreen to go and pick me up. But I don't see his vehicle mode around. Can you tell me what happened?"

Ratchet: "Oh… That… I'm sorry Homura, but Smokescreen is with Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead for searching for Energon deposits considering the game has changed within the war. They need to be prepared in an event of the Cons finding our base, since they know that our location is in Jasper. Thank Primus they don't know the actual location in the base."

Homura heard the explanation and found it believable.

Homura: "I see… Can't blame you all. After what went down yesterday, it's understanding that you guys need to be on your guard. Is there anyone in the base that can pick me up?"

Ratchet: "Arcee is in the base, but she's in the training room. However, Sideswipe and Strongarm are with me. They told me that they left their training early because Arcee wishes to speak with Jack. If you want a ride to base, I can bring one of the recruits down to get you. Just let me know who you want me to bring to Jasper."

Homura sighed and figure that was the situation.

Homura: "Okay… Just give me a moment."

Hanging up, she was silent and didn't like the outcome.

Homura: "Terrific…"

Kyubey: "My, oh my. This is quite a day for you, huh?"

Now he started to feel aggravated, she turned and demanded why he's following.

Homura: "Why are you both following me? Shouldn't the two of you be in my room and not bothering me?"

Kyubey could tell she's getting annoyed and apologize in advance.

Kyubey: "My sincerest apology. It's just that after what transpired yesterday, it is best I stay with you incase anything bad happens to you and the girls. Sayaka won't be happy and any of her friends get hurt, or worse."

Homura face palmed herself and knew that's the reason why. Sayaka had a negative reaction after the secrets of the Magical Girls have been exposed and are now dragged into the war. Now the incubator wishes to keep an eye on her and the others. With that said, she explained to him on the situation.

Homura: "As much as I appreciate your concern, I don't think it's a good idea. They now know of the Magical Girls, but they don't know about you. I was fortunate you remain in my room just so you don't be exposed. But if you are following me and I have to be at the base… Well… You remember what happened when you met with one of them."

Kyubey remembered that all to well. He did meet Arcee for the first time and in the end got shot by her. It wasn't a fun time for him.

Kyubey: "Yeah… I remember… I can never forget about that shot that blew me to bits. Still, I need to be by your side from now on. Considering the situation, I can't afford to loose any Magical Girls after what transpired. Plus, there's no telling of where the mysterious Magical Girl will arrive, since she and that defected Incubator made an surprise appearance when things started to get bleak with you and the others."

Homura turned to Kyubey and told him that there's no way in knowing of the older Magical Girl.

Homura: "Even if it were the case, the chance of that woman and that incubator are slim, even if they live in this town. Right now, I just need to get back to the base and…"

The moment she was about to finish, she noticed something and started to approach it. Kyubey and Bebe looked on and wondered what she was doing.

Kyubey: "Homura? Is something the matter? You stopped for some reason."

Homura soon approached a stack of boxes that has Christmas decorations inside. Looking on, she noticed a line that looked like a corner sticking and there's cold air coming out of it. Curious, she started to remove the boxes and while explaining to the Incubator what she found.

Homura: "There's something behind all these boxes."

Once she removed all the boxes, she noticed that it was some kind of rectangular alcove that was well hidden. The two creatures approach her and saw the alcove as well.

Kyubey: "Huh… Interesting… There appears to be some form a secret compartment. Question is, what is in there?"

Wondering that too, the veteran decided to go and check it out.

Homura: "Only one way to find out."

Getting her fingers into the lines, she slowly pulled the wall out and it caused it to slant, tearing spider webs in between. Once it was fully opened, she peeked in and wondered what is inside. That's when she saw something strange and decided to pull it out.

Homura: "Well now. This is something."

Getting in, she grabbed something and slowly started to pull it out. The two watched as the Magical pulled some kind of silver contraption out of the alcove. Once it was fully out, all three looked at the object and was surprised by it. Bebe soon responded in her language asking what is it. Homura got the question and answered as honestly as possible.

Homura: "Honestly, I don't know. But I got the feeling it is connected to Jack's true origin."

She soon got her phone out and called Ratchet again.

Homura: "Ratchet, it's me again. Did you already send someone to go pick me up?"

Ratchet: "No, I haven't yet. I was going to tell Sideswipe to go and pick you up."

Akemi breathed a bit of a relief as she was planning to have someone else with a truck bed to pick her up.

Homura: "Good. Can you send in Strongarm for me? I got something I need to be carried, something you might want to see for yourself."

Minutes later, Arcee has everything set up for Jack's training. She already set up the barrels and gives him a good enough distance to shoot. Now she just needs to teach him on how to handle a blaster, from deploying, to firing.

Arcee: "All right, Jack. Let me show you how to use your blaster properly. Now your blaster is your main offence when taking on Cons whether it be close range or in sniping distance. There are two key targets for taking on the enemy, the spark chamber and the head. Aim at those two and you would take down a drone faster then you can say Omega Supreme. Allow me to demonstrate."

She lifted her servo up and turned it into her blaster. Upon doing that, she targeted a few barrels and fired, knocking each of them off the stack. Once she was done, she reverted her arm back to its original form and told her partner to do the same.

Arcee: "See? It's that simple. Now you try it, Jack."

Jack nodded and approached the stacks of barrels and was lined up neatly for him. Taking a look at the barrels he tighten his fist and was about to hit something. But as he was going to do that, his blaster didn't activate for some reason. Confused, he looked back at the femme and asked about that.

Jack Darby: "Uh… How do I activate my blasters?"

Hearing that, Cee asked him of what happened the first time.

Arcee: "When you armed and fired your blaster the first time, what were you feeling?"

Jack looked down and thought about how he turned on his blaster.

Jack Darby: "Uh… I don't know… Anger… Confusion… I sort of snapped in front of 'mom' and it went off without a hitch. You think what I felt was connected to it?"

Listening, Arcee knew what happened yesterday and explained it to him.

Arcee: "Most likely. Activating our weaponry system isn't as easy as a flick of a wrist. Sometimes it's all about focusing on your choice of weapons. Not only do you have to think of your choice of weapons, but in order to activate the weapon itself through two different options. You can either use a certain type of emotion to arm your weapons or activate them by a certain part of your memory. And considering what you went through last night, I believe it was the first option. See if you can try to do that again with your emotion. But…don't think about last night. Try thinking of something else that annoys you."

Jack listened to her instructions and got the message. He definitely don't want to put a hole in the wall just like when if blew a medical bay door down like last night. He would definitely forget about that. So he would rather find another way to unlock his blasters without remembering what happened. Closing his eyes, he thought of something that would make him feel better without snapping. Almost on cue, he heard the sound of metal gears shifting. Hearing that, he opened his eyes and saw that he has his blasters armed and looked similar to Optimus's, but sleeker and more of a smaller format. Seeing that, he smiled and was amazed that he did it.

Jack Darby: "Hey! It worked! I got my blaster!"

Cee saw that as well and was pleased with his accomplishment. Jack soon looked to one of the barrels and wondered if the same thing can be done with shooting. Taking aim, his blaster started to glow and started took aim, firing at it. Of course he sort of misses and barely grazed a barrel. He blinked and realized he sort of screwed up.

Jack Darby: "Strange… Could've sworn I can make the shooting thing easy."

The femme chuckled it up and explained how shooting works.

Arcee: "You need to learn a lot more then shooting, partner. If I were to guess, you might have a targeting sensor in your eyes, at least from what I am judging. See if you can find a way in activating it and locking onto the target. It too could be locked into you emotions or certain memory."

Jack listened and decided to follow her advice. He closed his eyes and focused by using his emotion and/or memory. He soon felt something and opened his eyes. That's when his pupils started to glow blue and he could see digital date and targeting sensors in his vision. He blinked a little and was completely in awe.

Jack Darby: "Whoa… Freaky…"

He soon looks to the barrel and decided to give it a try. Turning to the barrel, he targeted it and it was locked on. Seeing that, he took actual aim and fired a stray shot. That shot soon hit the barrel and knocked it off the podium. Seeing what he did, he was really successful over it.

Jack Darby: "Wow! I actually did it! I shot the barrel down!"

Arcee was pleased with that, but he still needs more training then that.

Arcee: "Not bad Jack, not bad at all. But the Cons won't be standing still like these barrels. Sometimes, they will move around and on occasions go into the air. Here, let me help you with that.

She approached the knocked down barrel and picked it up. She then used her strength to throw it in the air and called him out of it.

Arcee: "Think fast!"

Jack looked up at the barrel in the air and locked on to the target. Quickly, he pointed the blaster to the barrel and fired on it, knocking it out of the air. Once it landed on the ground, Jack turned to Cee and gave a bit of a smirk.

Jack Darby: "Well…? What do you think? Can I fight now?"

Cee just gives him a bit of a sly look and told him that they are getting started.

Arcee: "Don't get too cocky. We're just getting started. C'mon, let me show you a few advanced shooting tactics."

She soon walked away and was preparing to train him some more. Jack though looked to his blaster and was getting the hang of being part robot in some way.

Jack Darby: "Hmm… Maybe being half robot won't be bad after all."

He soon heard Arcee telling him to come.

Arcee: "Jack! Come here please. We have a lot more training to get to."

Jack heard her and decided to get back to training.

Jack Darby: "Coming!"

He soon headed down to the femme to continue to train. Of course, he didn't know that Homura would come and check on him, and a special surprise along with it.

Meanwhile, back in the communication room, Ratchet was on monitoring duty, checking the progress of the team and their energon searches while Sideswipe was sitting on one of the metal crates, sharpening his sword. Strongarm already left the base to go pick up Homura and something that she wants to take to the base, so it left the red mech some free time before the book of laws come whack him in the face plate. However, the noise of his seething is starting to irritate the medic and he turned to tell him to stop.

Ratchet: "Sideswipe, can you please stop doing that?! I'm trying to keep watch on Optimus and the team if they need a bridge for any energon they find."

Swipe looked up to Ratch, and apologized.

Sideswipe: "Sorry, doc. Got nothing to do while I wait for Arcee to finish with Jack on something. She sure is taking her time though. Wonder what's taking her so long?"

Ratchet shrugged it off and ignored him.

Ratchet: "How should I know? It's not like I have a reason to interfere with their daily lives."

The room returned to silent as Ratchet kept monitoring while Sideswipe was waiting. Just then, they heard a voice of one new arrival.

Mami: "That was the hardest sleep I've ever been through."

Swipe looked up and saw Mami and Kyoko heading to the main room, with the blonde pigtail one rotating her shoulder.

Mami: "Honestly, these military beds are hard to sleep in. How can these men sleep in those things?"

Kyoko just chuckled and reminded her what she had to go through.

Kyoko: "Welcome to my world. It's not easy to sleep in the most uncomfortable of places. Those beds are nothing compared to the early days when I became the only child without a family. Wasn't easy, let me tell you."

Swipe soon got up and approached them, pleased that they decided to join him.

Sideswipe: "Well, now… Look who decided to show up?"

The two heard the voice and turned to see the red mech approaching them. Mami soon remembered who he is and what the two went through.

Mami: "Oh right… I forgot… We barely survive what was supposed to be an onslaught on an alien ship and save the world from sheer extermination. For a moment there, I thought I was dreaming it all."

Kyoko laughed it off and remembered that too.

Kyoko: "Funny, thought that too. Guess that not all dreams are fake."

She soon approached the mech and greet them.

Kyoko: "Hey there, Sideswipe, was it? How are things after yesterday?"

Swipe rolled his optics around and told them about it.

Sideswipe: "Oh, nothing much. Just trying to accept that the Cons want to wipe your world and would do anything to do it. Another day in the life of an Autobot, I say."

Kyoko smirked and mellowed out at the response.

Kyoko: "Oh, I see… So basically the usual. That's good to hear."

She soon looked to see the medic on the consol and smirk devilishly, waving to him.

Kyoko: "Morning gramps! How are you doing? Still recovering from that take down I gave you yesterday?"

Ratch peeked down to see the rebellious Magical Girl and groaned to himself.

Ratchet: "Not you… Don't you have a home to go to? I can't stand you trying to hurt me again."

Kyoko just smirked and responded the best she could.

Kyoko: "Aw… What's wrong? Still bruised from what I did last night?"

Ratchet soon murmured to himself in annoyance and didn't like her attitude. Mami soon decided to be the peacekeeper in all of this.

Mami: "Please forgive my associate. She does tend to get a little…rambunctious in her duties. Anyways, where is everyone?"

Ratchet decide to ignore the red haired one, and answered the blonde haired one.

Ratchet: "Optimus and the team are out scouting for energon. Arcee is in the training room, speaking to Jack. Miko and Raf are still in their homes considering what they both had to go through yesterday. And Strongarm is heading to Jasper to pick up Homura. Saying that she is taking something from the house that deserves my attention."

Kyoko overheard that and was a bit upset.

Kyoko: "So the new girl decided to not come. That sucks… I was hoping to get to know her better after we met during the fight. Never got the time in talking considering we were in a near life and death situation."

Mami glared to her and reminded her of the previous encounter.

Mami: "Really? And when you meet up with her, you're going to fight her like that first encounter with Sayaka?"

The red haired girl heard that and complained about it.

Kyoko: "Hey! Don't go putting the blame on me. I was only trying to teach her a few value lessons, something you never said. And to think I was your first student before her."

Mami crossed her arms and didn't like her tone.

Mami: "Those said lessons didn't involve impaling her with that spear. Cause if I wasn't there, she would've been a goner."

Kyoko: "What, just because you failed on me doesn't mean that you want to redeem yourself with the next one?"

Mami: "I didn't fail you as a teacher, you failed yourself."

Kyoko soon gritted her teeth and got her fist up with her ring glowing.

Kyoko: "You want to go at it again? Because I'm ready whenever you are."

Before things started to get ugly, the two heard the sirens beeping and turned to see Strongarm returning to the base. Mami soon smirked and remind her of the law.

Mami: "Not with the police present."

She soon walked away and headed to the truck as Kyoko groaned to herself. The moment the cadet arrived in her vehicle form, Mami noticed a tarp of some time on the truck bed. Pretty soon, the passenger door opened up and Homura popped out of it with a backpack on her back. She soon sees the two and was pleased that they still stayed.

Homura: "Mami. Kyoko. So glad you are both still here."

Kyoko approached Mami's side and shrugged her shoulders.

Kyoko: "Well considering what we all went through yesterday, better staying here then going back to Mitakihara."

Mami: "At least until we get the full picture of the situation."

Homura took a breather and made that said agreement.

Homura: "Point taken. Well, since you are all here, I could use some help. Help me with something in the back. It was a pain carrying this up to Strongarm and hiding it. Really need extra pair of hands to carry it down."

The two looked to each other and wondered about that.

Kyoko: "Uh… Sure… Whatever you say."

The two soon headed to the back while Homura jumped off and headed to the back as well, speaking to Ratchet still on watch.

Homura: "Ratchet, do you have a few minutes? I need to show you something that could be important.

Ratch overheard her and just about had it with these continued interruptions, lifting his servo up in frustration.

Ratchet: "Not now, Homura! I'm in the middle of something. Can it wait?"

Homura jumped on the truck bed and started to remove the covers.

Homura: "It can't! I found something in June's garage and I need you to see it. Look!"

She soon pulls the sheet off the bed to make the reveal as Ratchet turned and just about had it.

Ratchet: "Homura, I just about had it with these interruptions! Why don't you go and-"

The moment he turned, he was shocked at what he saw.

Ratchet: "By the all spark!"

Right on the truck bed is what appears to be a capsule of some kind that's made out of chrome with a built in bed meant for an infant. Sideswipe looks to this as well and was a bit confused about it.

Sideswipe: "Uh… What is it we're looking at? It's just a strange looking Earth crib."

Ratchet soon approached the capsule and realized what it was.

Ratchet: "This is no Earth crib, Sideswipe, it's a protoform capsule!"

The three girls looked to each other and were more confused then Sideswipe.

Kyoko: "Protoform? What the hell is that?"

Ratchet glared to the Magical Girl that took him down easily and explained about it.

Ratchet: "It's a basic building block of all cybertronians. A default shell before creating an actual design. Judging by the size of it, it would seem like this one is that of a protoform sparking, the Cybertronian equivalent of a baby."

Strongarm overheard him in her vehicle form and shared her thoughts as well.

Strongarm: "To be fair, Ratchet, I too was surprised that Homura had a small stasis pop in the garage. Had to hide it from public eye to prevent suspicion, since it's rare to have a protoform sparkling here on this planet.

Homura turned to the capsule and started to put the pieces together.

Homura: "That explains why June kept it, she was hiding it from everyone. Question is, why a capsule like that was doing on Earth?"

Ratchet looked back to the pod and wondered the same thing.

Ratchet: "That's what I want to know as well. If this stasis pod somehow reached this planet and into the hands of June, there's got to be a logical explanation as to why and how."

Looking right at the pod, he noticed something that looked to be like a button on the top inside of it. Curious, he started to push on it and see what it contains. Almost instantly, a distorted hologram popped up that's the size of a Cybertronian and caused the others to jump in surprise. Ratchet, who fell on his tailpipe, looked up to see the image as it was trying to say something. Yet all he's getting is nothing but static and distortion. Sideswipe soon asked what he's looking at as much as everyone else.

Sideswipe: "Whoa! That's something. What is that?"

Getting up, Ratch started to realize what they are all seeing.

Ratchet: "It looks like some time of holographic image. Most likely a message from one of the Family members of Cyberton. But it appears to be distorted and hard to listen to with all that noise. Perhaps it was damage when entering Earth's atmosphere and crashing into the planet."

Homura listened to this and asked if he can fix it.

Homura: "You think you can repair it? See where this stasis pop came from and who the parents are?"

The doctor looked down to her and was a little iffy about it.

Ratchet: "I can try… But this will take me some time and the limited resources I have in repairing it, maybe longer."

Looking back, he decided to put it someplace safe and lift the pod off of the cadet's truck bed.

Ratchet: "I'll take it to storage with all the Iacon relics so I can start making repairs when I have the chance. Meanwhile, I need to stay on the console if Optimus and his team need me to send them back."

Once he started to head down to storage, Strongarm transformed and stretched, a little, feeling a little strain from the weight of the pod.

Strongarm: "Finally, some room to breathe. Never thought that stasis pod was that heavy when I was a sparkling."

Homura though turned to the medic leaving the room and asked where Jack was.

Homura: "Say, Ratchet, do you have any idea where Jack is? I need to speak to him about something."

Ratchet stopped and turned to her, telling her about the Darby.

Ratchet: "He was here not to long ago after waking up in this base. Then he asked where Arcee was so I pointed him to the training room. He could still be there from what Strongarm and Sideswipe said."

He soon headed to storage to put the pod into one of the garage doors. Once he's gone, Homura sighed and took a wild guess that his opinions haven't changed between him and his mom.

Homura: "Take it he's still upset about what happened. That boy certainly has issues."

Kyoko crossed her arms and remembered her family issues as well.

Kyoko: "Pft… Join the club."

But as she said that, she noticed something moving in the backpack and was getting curious about it.

Kyoko: "Hey! What is going on in that backpack of yours?"

Homura heard that and looked at the backpack and noticed the moving as well. Seeing that, she knew what's going on and removed the backpack to open it.

Homura: "Oh, great… I almost forgot about them."

Bending down, she unzipped the backpack to let something out. That's when two heads popped out and surveyed the area. Those two are Kyubey and Bebe as the incubator was breathing in relief.

Kyubey: "Finally! I can breathe again. It's hard to be inside a cramp space, especially with another creature with you."

Bebe find that part offensive and complained about it in her own tongue. Kyubey understood it and was still upset.

Kyubey: "True… But that doesn't mean Homura would place us in such a compact space. The least she would do is to separate us to have more air, or a bigger containment vessel."

Both veteran Magical Girls saw the two and were quite surprised.

Mami: "Kyubey? Bebe?"

Kyoko soon started to get upset and lifted the incubator out of the backpack and barade him.

Kyoko: "Why you… You got some nerve in showing your face after what you've done to us, you tricking bastard!"

Kyubey looked right at the red haired girl and responded the way he does it.

Kyubey: "Nice to see you too, Kyoko Sakura. Though I do believe I never tricked you. It is more of me giving you a choice."

Kyoko wasn't buying it and wanted to kill him for his actions.

Kyoko: "Bull Shit! You lied to us and tricked us to becoming Magical Girls! You selfish mother fu-"

Mami though managed to stop her before she could do something drastic.

Mami: "Enough Kyoko! We don't want to waste our time with him when there's bigger situations at hand."

Kyoko heard her and sighed, knowing that what happened yesterday is more important then Kyubey's actions.

Kyoko: "All right, I get it. But I'm still miffed at him."

She soon let go of him as Mami bent down and picked up Bebe from the backpack.

Mami: "Bebe! How happy I am to see you! You miss me?"

The tiny creature cheered excitedly as they both rubbed each other's noses. Homura looked on and remembered when they weren't friends and the end result wasn't good. Once the veteran was done rubbing the nose, she looked to Homura and asked why she brought the two creatures.

Mami: "Homura, mind telling us why you brought Kyubey and Bebe to the base. I can understand why you keep them away from the base just as a way to keep the Magical Girl thing a secret, but bringing them back is by far baffling."

Homura flipped her hair to the side and explained why she brought them in, or more précised, the incubator in general."

Homura: "Well for one, now that the secret was revealed…by accident…Kyoko…it would be a matter of time before they know of Kyubey. As for the second, it wasn't my idea. Turns out that after barely surviving on the Nemesis, Kyubey decided to keep watch on all of us incase something bad happens to each of us, along with finding out about the mysterious Magical Girl and the defective Incubator.

Kyubey soon ran up to Homura's legs and turned to the two, explaining about the situation.

Kyubey: "It is true. Giving what happened to the three of you and the recruited Magical Girl, I feel responsible for yesterday. So I made a decision to look out for you incase a possible future attack will take place."

Kyoko crossed her arms and still won't believe him.

Kyoko: "Considering you were the one who dragged us into this war, yeah, you took full responsibility in almost getting us killed."

Strongarm and Sideswipe soon join them and asked if it was wise in bringing these creatures.

Strongarm: "As much as I appreciate that creature's selflessness in looking out for your comrades, I don't think it's a good idea in coming here.

Sideswipe: "Yeah. Incase you didn't notice, Team Prime is on edge that not only they know where are base is located, but also threatening to turn Earth into a second Cybertron. I don't think they have time in looking out for these creatures. Besides, do they know about them?"

Homura shrugged her shoulders and was a little nervous.

Homura: "Well… Kyubey never was at the base from the start when I was the first to know of the Autobots. So he remained in the Darby residence while I am away and would only come out with me during Wraith or Nightmare hunting. But now, he's insisting in coming just to see if we are safe. And he won't take no for an answer."

Mami looked away and wasn't sure that it would be a good idea.

Mami: "Still, I don't think they are ready for Kyubey, at least until the time is right. Best keep him hidden until then."

Homura looked down to the incubator and was in strong agreement.

Homura: "Perhaps you're right. I can't let them see him, not yet."

She soon bends down and opened the bag to let him in.

Homura: "C'mon Kyubey, back in the bag you go. I'll even open it a bit to let you breathe."

Hearing that, he sighed and knew this bit of freedom was short lived.

Kyubey: "Very well. At least I won't have to worry about suffocating in the dark. I just hope Bebe isn't joining me."

Mami hugged her companion and told them that it won't matter.

Mami: "Not to worry. Bebe will be with me at all times. Just need to come up with a bit of an alibi to be believable. And for my friend here to be as immovable as possible. Is it true that the Autobots can see her?"

Homura smirked and told them what happened to Kyubey.

Homura: "When I first encounter the Autobots, Arcee can see Kyubey at first. Then at the first meeting involving her shooting him in the head. That was quite hilarious."

She soon turned around and walked away with one strap of her backpack over her shoulder, heading to the training room. Kyoko and Mami looked on with blank faces as the two recruits were even more confused. The Magical Girl veteran soon immediately snickers and started to laugh it off.

Kyoko: "You kidding me?! Kyubey just got shot in the head by one of them?! That's hilarious! Serves that backstabbing fuzz ball right! Wish I was there to see it."

Sideswipe soon blinked and was confused about that.

Sideswipe: "Wait, wait, wait… Arcee shot that creature and killed him, yet he's still there…? How…?"

Mami looked back and explained about it.

Mami: "Kyubey has multiple copies of himself in his own personal space. When one is disposed, another will take his place. It's the value of living eternally in this world."

Soon enough, Ratchet returned after placing the pod into one of the garage and heard the laughter.

Ratchet: "What's so funny?"

They all soon saw the medic and realized that he doesn't know of the creature they were referring to. So they need to keep him in the dark until Homura is ready to show him.

Strongarm: "Nothing, doctor. Just laughing at a joke is all. Nothing to worry about."

Ratchet heard that and was a little quiet about it. But then, he noticed the creature in Mami's arms and asked about that.

Ratchet: "And what is that thing you got there?"

Mami looked down to her companion and could tell he could see her. So she came up with an excuse of what Bebe is.

Mami: "This is my old doll. Bebe. Had her since I was a young girl."

Ratchet looked to the doll like creature, who was playing dolly and not moving at all.

Ratchet: "Uh-huh… Well that's one ugly doll."

Meanwhile, in the training room, Jack was still getting use to the blaster fire and was shooting every barrel Arcee set up and liked it. Arcee crossed her arms and watched on and was impressed by Jack's improvements. So much so that he's ready to take it to the next level.

Arcee: "Got to admit partner, you are getting the hang of your blasters. But now I think its time to go advance. Now a normal blaster shot can handle a drone, but a heavy is a different story. Anything from an Insecticon to these new group of Cons they have, those Tankicons I believe, can be difficult to take out with light shots. If we are to take them out, the only option is for a heavily charged shot right through the head or the spark chamber. To accomplish that, you need to keep the blaster charging up to three seconds. More then that and it will overload and the blast radius would be chaotic. Allow me to demonstrate."

She started to approach one of the barrels set up and armed up her blaster. Taking aim, she started to charge her weapon up and in three seconds, fired a powerful blast. That said blast started to hit the barrel and knocked the barrel down, creating a hole in the middle. Once it was down, she turned to his partner and told him to do that.

Arcee: "Now it's your turn. Target the first three and charge your blaster to three seconds. The first blast could be powerful and your body would have a hard time handling it. But I'm sure you can manage it."

Jack heard that and gives a quick nod. Heading to the three barrels, he armed his blaster and aimed it at the one in the middle. Charging it for three seconds, he fired a powerful blast and hit the barrel square deeply in the middle. It soon landed on the ground with a loud thud and rolled around to a stop. Cee looked to the end result and saw the hole in the middle of the barrel. She soon smirked and was impressed yet again.

Arcee: "Nice work. You are getting the hang of it. A bit more training and we might be able to put you in the field in no time. Though it might take some time with some more extensive training, but I can tell that you would make a full fledge member of Team Prime."

Jack heard her and was pleased with the news.

Jack Darby: "Thanks Cee. I would really like to fight along side you than staying well hidden."

Cee smiled and soon told him to continue with his training.

Arcee: "Good. Now get back to your training. Charge for three seconds and fire."

The Darby heard her and went back to training. Looking to the remaining barrels, he aimed and charged. He fired at the first barrel and moved on to the second. He kept on charging and was about to fire. But as he was about to, he heard a voice from behind.

Homura: "Hey!"

That completely started him as he jumped while firing the blaster at the same time. He missed the shot and it hit the wall. Hearing the voice, he turned and sees Homura standing at the entrance with her arms crossed and a blank look on her face.

Homura: "I could see that you are adjusting to your robot side."

Jack could see that she looked upset and try avoiding the subject.

Jack Darby: "Homura! So nice to see you. How are things? Take it your rest well, after all the excitement from yesterday."

Homura wasn't buying it, but she played along and walked into the training room, doing so much with her blank look.

Homura: "Besides Earth nearly getting cyberformed and the Autobots now know about the existence of Magical Girls, peachy. I can see that Arcee is training you."

She looked up to see the femme watching, deciding to stay out of this. Jack though played it cool and explained about his training.

Jack Darby: "Yeah… She is. Been teaching me on using my blaster properly. Getting the hang of it. Arcee said that maybe with a bit more training, I could be a valuable asset to Team Prime. They're family after all. And I feel like I belong."

Homura walked around him and heard that word he mentioned before.

Homura: "Family… That's a bold word to say. Considering that you turned your back on your mom."

Jack heard that and turned away, not wanting to talk about it.

Jack Darby: "Can we please drop the subject? There's nothing to talk about."

Homura though didn't want to drop it and decided to let it out.

Homura: "No! We have to talk about it. While you were busy shooting your newfound blasters at a bunch of barrels, your mother passed out on the sofa. She was drinking bottles of wine last night while looking at old family photos and videos, distraught of what you did. You broke her heart, Jack. And you need to apologize to her after stunt you pulled yestera-"

Jack heard enough and snapped right at her.

Jack Darby: "NO! You don't understand! My 'mom' LIED to me! She took me into her house, act like a mother, and kept all of that a secret from me until my shoulder got wounded yesterday. She didn't deserve to keep me as a prisoner! She's not my mother! I don't have a family!"

That's when Homura had it and decided to let it all out, just like she did with Madoka after nearly making that wish with Kyubey.

Homura: "NO! YOU'RE WRONG! YOU HAVE A FAMILY, AND A MOTHER! SHE'S AT THE HOUSE COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN AND IS IN NEED OF SOME COMFORT! SHE BROUGHT YOU INTO THE FAMILY WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT AND DIDN'T HAVE ANY REMORSE OVER IT. SHE DIDN'T WALK AWAY LEAVING YOU ALONE CRYING, SHE RAISED YOU BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T CARRY A CHILD! SHE FED YOU, CLEAN YOUR DIAPER, AND TOOK YOU TO SCHOOL! SHE DID EVERYTHING A MOTHER CAN DO, SACRIFICE TO GIVE YOU A BETTER FUTURE, SPOILED YOU WITH WHAT YOU NEED JUST SO YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM! EVERYTHING A MOTHER DID SHE ACCOMPLISHED IN STRIVES! YET AFTER ALL SHE DID FOR YOU, THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HER?! TELLING HER TO SHE'S NOT YOUR MOTHER AND DISOWNING HER LIKE SHE'S A PIECE OF TRASH?! HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE?! STOP BEING SO STUBBORN AND APOLOGIZE TO YOU MOM?!"

Both Arcee and Jack stood back and were shocked to see Homura completely irate over the Darby. They never thought that she could react this badly and never think that she would behave that way. Arcee soon crossed her arms and was surprised by it.

Arcee: "Wow… That was quite a response, Homura."

She took a breather and could tell that they were taken aback by that.

Homura: "Sorry… I never broke out of my character since I stopped my friend from making a wish from Kyubey."

Cee soon crossed her arms and looked to Jack, agreeing with Homura.

Arcee: "Despite that sudden outburst, she does have a point, Jack. She might not be blood related, but June is still your mom and raised you the best she could. You can't just walk away from her and hurt her. Sometimes, you have to face your demons and talk to your mom. And all this practice and shooting will not solve itself."

Jack looked up to his partner and was completely shocked by her words.

Jack Darby: "Really, Cee? After everything she done to me, lying, keeping what really happened behind my back, you expect me to apologize to her?"

The two-wheeler put her hands on her hips and assured him that there's no other way around it.

Arcee: "Keeping yourself isolated and not confronting your problems won't get you anywhere. Trust me, I've been through what you're going through, only in a different way. It's better to get it out of the way then keeping it all bottled up."

Jack turned away and didn't know how to react to that. Homura wants him to confront his former mother to apologize; Arcee wants him to do the same thing. He's conflicted to the whole thing and didn't feel like seeing her again after yesterday.

Jack Darby: "I… I don't know…"

Homura soon walked to him and told him that it was his choice.

Homura: "Look, Jack, you have every right to be mad at your mom for what happened, but she's still a part of your family, even if you two aren't related. Just go to her and apologize to her for your actions. Make her feel better. It's all I had to say. The choice is yours of course, if you don't want to."

Jack heard that and gave it a bit of thought as the two waited for a response. After a minute of thinking, he sighed and made his decision, turning to Homura for a response.

Jack Darby: "All right… Fine… I'll do it. But under one condition… Once I'm done apologizing, then that's it. I'm through with her. I won't go to her house, I won't see her face, I won't do anything with her. I'll just come in, say my peace, and I'll leave, never to return again."

Homura and Arcee listened to his offer and were still shocked that he won't return to June. However it was understandable as to why he doesn't want to let bygones be bygones and accept his wishes.

Homura: "Very well… Let's head down to Jasper and speak to your mom one last time. Arcee, think you can drive us down there? I think Jack needs some time to think about his apology and bridging to the house would be too rushed."

Cee heard the favor and gave a bit of a smirk.

Arcee: "Sure thing, Homura. Got nothing better to do."

Minutes later, out in the Nevada dessert outside Jasper, the roads were barren and little cars drive by it. Just then, a black Lamborghini Aventador LP 700 sped down the road with ridiculous speeds. That Lamborghini is in fact Lockdown in his vehicle form, patrolling the landscape to find this creature the Decepticons need. Driving down the road, he contacted the other two and ask for a report.

Lockdown: "Scatter. Dropkick. Report. What is you status in searching for the creature?"

In another part of the dessert, Shatter was driving down the road in her red 1971 Plymouth GTX, responding to Lockdown's communication system.

Shatter: "Shatter here. Nothing to report so far. Just vast desserts and roads with terrible drivers. However there is something that sparks an interest."

She soon drove off the road and parked on a Cliffside to look at something that caught her attention. There is a town in the middle of nowhere, but all around it looks to be a large military force complete with tanks and rocket truck beds in a circle formation, soldiers on the streets, and checkpoints in roads leading to it.

Shatter: "Went up the cliff side and noticed a strong military presence in this small and pathetic town. Tell me, is this the town Megatron said that the Autobots reside in?"

Lockdown heard that and respond the best he could.

Lockdown: "Indeed, that is the town that the Autobots are in. According to Soundwave, that town is called Jasper and it's suppose to be the entertainment capital of the world."

Shatter soon laughed at the statement and find it amusing.

Shatter: "Seriously? That's what they call that town?! Doesn't look anything entertaining to me. So if the Autobots down there, why not attack it now while we have a chance. What's stopping him?"

Lockdown sighed on his end and explained about it.

Lockdown: "Because it's bad business in attacking an Autobot base if we don't know of its exact coordinates. It could be in the town, or it could be in the outskirts. Until then, Megatron will wait until they do find where the base is located. Meanwhile, you should stay away from it if you don't want to be made."

Shatter listened to the information and got the idea.

Shatter: "Copy that. I'll be as discrete as possible and stay away from this town until the time is right."

She soon heard the sound of jet engines from above and a squad of Harrier Jump Jets flew over in a V formation. Looking up at the jets, she mentally smirked and decided to do one thing before leaving.

Shatter: "I might not stay here for too long… But…it won't mind picking up a souvenir before I go."

Soon enough, her headlights turned green and fired a green stream that scanned one of the jets in the middle. On the dashboard screen, the schematics of the jet were shown and the scan was completed. After that, she soon backed away and drove back to the road to continue the search.

In another part of the dessert, Dropkick sped down the dusted road in his blue and black AMC Javelin vehicle mode. He soon heard Lockdown's voice on his speakers and asked the same thing.

Lockdown: "Dropkick, status."

Dropkick soon respond back with some bad news.

Dropkick: "Sorry, boss. Got nothing. And the only thing I'm gathering around here is sand in my grill. I do notice a lot of flyers around here."

Lockdown: "Shatter told me that there's a strong military presence around this small town that Megatron believes the Autobots are currently in. Those flyers are there to scan the area for any potential threats, most likely Decepticon related. My advice, stay out of sight."

Dropkick: "Yeah, yeah… I got it. Sucks though. Really starting to enjoy the sights."

He soon heard something in the air and checked his review mirror to see what it is. Peeking up, he noticed a lone Bell AH-1 SuperCobra helicopter flying past him. Seeing it fly in front of him, he decided to get his second vehicle mode on him.

Dropkick: "And by the looks of it, I'm going to enjoy it even more.

He started to activate his T-Cog and the green beam came out of his headlights, hitting it and scanning it. Once the scan is complete and the dashboard showed the schematics, he started to drive away and proceeded with the search.

Returning to Lockdown, he was still driving and getting anxious. Shatter and Dropkick couldn't find it and driving down random roads to search isn't helping matters. He soon noticed the highest mountains that show the entire desert and decided to quicken the search.

Lockdown: "You two keep on driving. I have an idea."

He soon started to drive up to the mountain and reached the base of it. When he did, he started to transform and deployed his hook attached to his arm. He slowly started to climb up the top of the mountain and reached the edge, looking at the view of the desert and was somewhat impressed.

Lockdown: "Dropkick is right. This sure is a nice view."

He soon lowered his visor that covered his entire his face and started making a scan. Looking around, he checked every vehicle and every square inch of the creature. Looking around, he could tell that the search is going to take longer then expected.

Lockdown: "This place is vast. And there are very little vehicles around. Could take some time in looking for this creature."

But then, he noticed something and immediately focuses on that.

Lockdown: "Wait… What's that."

There seems to be some kind of smaller vehicle speeding by on the interstate. Curious, he started to get a closer look and zoomed in. When he got close enough, he noticed a supped up motorcycle with two people on it. One a teenage boy driving and the other a young preteen girl. But the one thing that caught his attention is the Autobot insignia that is located on the side. When he saw that, he realized what he was looking at.

Lockdown: "Well I'll be. Looks like we have an Autobot going for a drive. And it looks like that bot isn't alone."

He soon switched his visor to X-Ray to make sure they are not holograms. When he saw the skeletons, he knew that they were human. But as he was looking, he noticed something in the backpack of the preteen girl that has a skeleton there as well, one that is a small creature. He started to get curious and went to heat scanning for a heat signature. When he saw the shape of the creature in the backpack, he double checked the picture of the target and realized what it was. It was the strange creature Megatron was looking for to understanding the new threat. He smirked underneath visor and finally got what he is looking for.

Lockdown: "Heh, heh, heh… Looks to me like I found the target."

He soon started to contact his teammates and told them the good news.

Lockdown: "Shatter, Dropkick, I do believe I found our target. It's with two younglings riding a motorcycle that is clearly Autobot in nature. They are on the Arizonan freeway on Interstate 17. Head down there and take creature from them. Extreme force is necessary. I'll keep track of them as much as I could."

He soon turned off his comm. and jumped off the cliff, getting back down and transforming to pursuit the bike that creature is with.

On that freeway, Arcee is in her vehicle mode with Jack on the front and Homura on the back. The Darby looked at the view and started to get antsy on the trip.

Jack Darby: "Argh… Are we there yet? I swear we would've been down to Jasper by now, checkpoint or not."

Cee heard that and told him of what's really going on.

Arcee: "Not yet. We're pretty much taking the scenic route to Jasper. While we're doing that, I think you need to come up with an apology. What to say to her when we get to the house."

Jack listened to the question and was completely annoyed by that.

Jack Darby: "Oh, I think I know what to say and do. I'll come in, confront her, and say, 'Hey mom. How are things? I want to apologize for my reaction last night. I was upset and I didn't mean to say those things to you. I promise it won't happen again. I say this because this will be the last time we see each other. Good bye.' See? That easy."

Homura listened to his so-called apology and wasn't impressed.

Homura: "That's it? That's what you're going to say to your mom? That sounds too scripted and fake."

Jack peeked back and asked Homura on how she would handle it.

Jack Darby: "Oh yeah? Okay wise gal, tell me how am I going to speak to my 'mom'.

Homura: "Simple… It has to be a real apology. One that shows emotion and kindness. Your mom won't believe you when you act it all out."

Jack groaned and didn't like it at all.

Jack Darby: "What, you expect me to be sympathetic. I'm not Bart Simpson. I don't make a mistake without seeing it. She did! She kept it to herself all these years and just yesterday, she tells me after the wound in the arm that shows I'm not really human. How is that going to work?"

As they were driving, two hotrod vehicles started to drive up two separate exits and entered the same interstate and were driving up towards the bike. As they were driving, Arcee told him that same thing Homura said.

Arcee: "She does have a point, partner. You can't just go in, pretend to feel sorry, and leave. You need to really express this and it need to be real as possible. Your mother is going through a rough time right now and she needs comfort. You broke the bond, now you need to fix this."

Jack listened to the two and sighed, knowing this is going to become a long drive.

Jack Darby: "Fine… I'll do it your way. So, where do we begin?"

As they were driving, the two vehicles were getting closer and nearing their target. Scatter did a scan and saw the creature located in the Homura's backpack. Seeing the creature inside, she confirmed it to Lockdown.

Scatter: "Scanning confirmed. You are right, Lockdown. The creature is there. And it's with an Autobot and two fleshies. What do you want us to do? How shall we proceed?"

She waited for a response from the bounty hunter and got the order.

Lockdown: "Dispose of the three, but the creature needs to be alive. Megatron needs it to gain Intel of the new threat."

Scatter: "Copy that. Beginning retrieval."

Dropkick overheard that as well and asked on what to do.

Dropkick: "So, how do we approach this?"

Shatter thought of that and came up with a plan.

Shatter: "Remember that mission down at Techion, where he have to stop that Autobot convoy filled with energon cubes and weapons?"

Dropkick thought of that and remembered the strategy.

Dropkick: "Trap and Crush?"

Shatter chuckled and repeat what he asked.

Shatter: "Trap and Crush."

The two soon revved their engines and accelerated their speeds to catch up to the motorcycle. Meanwhile, Arcee was driving along and notices something from behind. Looking at the two review mirrors, she could see what appear to be two hotrod vehicles heading towards her, with blinding speeds. Seeing this, she knew that they are in trouble.

Arcee: "Guys, the apology lesson will be put on hold. We got company."

Jack and Homura heard that and looked to see the two vehicles heading towards them.

Jack Darby: "What's the problem? All I see are two speedsters. The desert is full of them."

Arcee: "But they have been following us since they entered the interstate and haven't left since. And it looks like they're getting closer."

The two cars soon started to get close before they are in-between the bike, like two breads in a sandwich. Homura soon looked at one of the cars and was a little worried of what's going on. Looking to the sides, she soon realized that there is a Decepticon insignia on the tail end.

Homura: "Scarp! Those are Cons!"

The two vehicles soon put their plan to place and were about to turn right to the two-wheeler. Hearing what Homura said, she knows she has to get out of this.

Arcee: "Hang on!"

Quickly, she applied the brakes and made a stop as she popped a wheelie with her front tire. The two cars collided, but didn't get their target. Separating, they drifted and looked right at the bike. Jack and Homura saw this and realized that they were in serious trouble.

Jack Darby: "Okay! We got two Decepticons on our tail! As if we would've gotten a break after what happened?"

Homura: "Looks like the Cons are trying to catch us after barely surviving."

Arcee decided to get moving before the two decided to strike back.

Arcee: "You two better stay with me. I'll try to loose them!"

Quickly, she revved her engines and popped a wheelie, speeding past the two while Jack and Homura held on for dear life. The two Cons saw them leave, as they need to go after them.

Dropkick: "Huh… Didn't think that this bot can escape. That plan always works."

Shatter though decided to go after them and told him to get going.

Shatter: "Just shut up and go after them! We can't loose our main target!"

Their wheels soon started to spin as they 180 back and blasted off, continuing on with the chase. Meanwhile, Arcee was driving away and passing as many cars as possible. Jack soon looked back and noticed the two cars going after them again.

Jack Darby: "Arcee! They're coming back!"

Cee checked the review mirrors to see them and notice it immediately.

Arcee: "I see them! I'm going to loose them!"

With that, she started to turn and pass by many cars that were in her way. She swerved around cars and speed past trucks, trying to loose the two as much as she could. For both Shatter and Dropkick, they cannot afford to loose to the femme and would do anything to get to her. So they went on ahead and plow through all that's in the way. Dropkick bumped on bumper of a SUV and pushed it. That in turn caused it to careen to the side and crashing into the front corner. Shatter went next to a Subaru and slammed it to the side, letting it hit a divider and scrapping to the side. She soon crossed all three lanes while passing all three cars in the front. Those cars stopped completely, hoping not to get hit. But the moment they did that, a few more cars didn't have the time and collided right into them, with one of them flying high and landing on the roof and careening to a stop. Homura looked back and could see that the two Cons are trying everything to get to them, even destroying cars in the process.

Homura: "They're still trying to catch up! We need to get out of here while keeping civilians safe!"

The femme heard this and has to come up with something. She soon saw an exit and decided to take it.

Arcee: "Looks like we need to take a shortcut!"

She soon made a quick drift and took the exit, away from any busy highways. Dropkick saw them leaving and warned his partner.

Dropkick: "Slag it! They are making a break for it. If they escape-"

Shatter: "They won't! We are going to make sure of it. Move!"

The two made a quick enough drift and reach the exit. At the same time, they blocked a truck and caused it to be careening to the side and tilting down to the side, skidding with sparks. That soon followed by more cars colliding into it and causing a pileup.

Back at Darby residence, June groaned as she slowly coming to. Getting up, she rubbed her head and was getting a huge migraine.

June Darby: "Ow… My head… This is what I get when I drink heavily."

Getting out of the sofa, she was a little woozy as she was taking one careful step at a time. When she did, she looked to the digital clock and noticed that it was already noon and late. Sighing, she knew that her drinking knocked her out completely.

June Darby: "Of course, I overslept due to my drinking. Why am I not surprised?"

She started to wonder if Homura is around. So she started to walk down the hall to get to her room. But as she was reaching the room, she stopped and saw the door that leads to Jack's room. Sighing, she decided to open the door and looked inside. Stepping in, she absorbed the very room her son lived in. The worn down bed with unmade sheets that comprises of Nascar racecars. The work desk filled with workbooks, old comics, and an outdated laptop. The TV, VCR/DVD contraption, and 360 console with stacks of tapes, DVDs, and video games on the floor. The opened closet with a few clothes out and discarded. Even the old posters of motorcycles and cult movies. All of it reminded her of her son. Slowly walking to the desk, she placed her hand on the end of the bed and took a seat on the worn out swivel chair. Turning back and forth, she looked around and wondered how things would've handled differently. Turning to the desk, she saw a few pictures from the past. It showed her, Jack, and her husband at Disneyworld in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle. Another with just her and her son of a recent pic last year. Picking it up, she starred at the picture and placed her hand on the surface. That hurt her the most as she didn't want this to happen. Now she's all alone, in a house that was meant for a family, heartbroken and abandon. A tear came down her face as she was trying to fight the depression.

June Darby: "Jack… I'm sorry…for all of this. I just wish you knew the truth from me sooner…the whole truth."

By the time she said that, she heard a voice from close by.

"June!"

That got her attention and looked up to see a shadowed creature on top of Jack's bed. Seeing this, she stood up demanded what he's doing.

June Darby: "What you are doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone. Do you have any idea how much I've been going through since Jack showed me the very truth I've been keeping from him for so long? Any clue? I'm hurt because of what happened many years ago. It was too much. And yet here you are, telling me that everything will be okay?"

But the shadowed creature decided to tell her of the situation.

"I'm not here to help you coop. I am here to warn you. Your son, Jack, is in great danger."

Hearing that, she soon stood up and got serious for once.

June Darby: "What kind of trouble?"

Returning to the desert, Arcee was speeding away from both Shatter and Dropkick, who were giving chase. Homura looked back and could see that they are still in pursuit towards them.

Homura: "They are still not giving up. We have to take them down now!"

Pretty soon, she closed her eyes and glowed light purple, letting her Magical Girl attire with her backpack still attached. Getting into her shield, she started to take out an MP-10 SMG. The Jack looked back and told her to wait.

Jack Darby: "Hold on! You can't just change and attack like that, they will know about your existence!"

Homura turned to him and told him that it was already too late.

Homura: "News flash! The Cons already knew about our existence. Secret is out the moment it happened yesterday."

Jack listened to that and understands the situation.

Jack Darby: "Good point. Take them out!"

With a nod, she aimed and fired, letting a spray of bullets at them. The two started to swerve around and avoided the onslaught. Once they got back on track, the two were surprised and didn't think that will happen.

Dropkick: "Whoa! Didn't see that one coming. How did that fleshy get a gun like that out of her shield."

Shatter looked at this and started to piece together who this girl is.

Shatter: "It would seem that this is one of those supposed threats Megatron warn us about. Hmm… This makes this mission more exciting. Let's give them a taste of our medicine."

The two soon started to arm up with blasters as they started to come out of their sides and started to charge them. Homura looked at this and realized they could be in trouble.

Homura: "Okay… Pretty much a bad idea."

Arcee saw this too and decided to get out of the road.

Arcee: "We cannot afford to let human lives be a risk by these two. Let's go off roading!"

Looking at the cliff side, she decided to take it and passed a few lanes while the two Cons firing at the three. Once they hit the end, she popped a wheelie and jumped high at the narrow path that is close to the wall. She soon revved her engines and sped away from the blaster fire, reaching the end of the cliff. Jack noticed this and was getting concerned.

Jack Darby: "Uh… Arcee? What are you trying to do?"

But Cee ignored him and told him to hold on tight.

Arcee: "Hang on!"

Quickly, she made the jump and went over the curve of the road. The two held on for dear life as they went over the road and landing on the mountainside to slide down it. Once they reached the base, the femme drove away from the road and sped fast. Jack and Homura took a breather and was relieved that they managed to escape that.

Jack Darby: "Phew… That was too close for call. Give us a little warning next time you pull a stunt like that, Arcee."

The two-wheeler chuckled and assures him that it won't be easy.

Arcee: "Sorry about that, partner. But when you have Cons on your tail, you don't have time for a little warning. Besides, we managed to make an escape. I doubt those two would pursue us now."

Homura soon looked back to see if they are still tailing them. But she could hear the engines roaring from that direction and told her that she was dead wrong.

Homura: "Uh… Arcee… You might want to take a rain check on that one."

The femme heard her and was a little confused. Adjusting her review mirrors, she looked to the curved road and checked to see what she's talking about. That's when she could see the two Cons crashing through the road railing and was flying in the air. That's when she could see them transforming in mid air. But instead of their bot forms, she could see them turning into what looked like aerial forms. For Shatter, she turned into a Harrier Jump Jet. For Dropkick, Bell AH-1 SuperCobra helicopter. The soon started to fly and headed right towards the three. Shatter soon looked on and wasn't impressed.

Shatter: "Hmph… Pathetic."

They soon arm their gattling machine guns attached to their wings and fired a barrage of bullets right at them. Arcee soon started to serve left and right and avoided the gunfire as she started to get angry.

Arcee: "Scarp! As if Deceptions were bad enough, now I have to deal with Decepticon Triple Changers."

Jack and Homura gripped whatever they can hold onto and were confused about that statement.

Jack Darby: "Triple Changers!? What's that?"

She soon explained about them while avoiding gunfire.

Arcee: "While cybertronians can change from bot to vehicle, there are a few rare exceptions that they will have two different vehicle modes. Hence why they are called Triple Changers. And when you have Decepticons with that rare ability, it will be problematic for us."

Homura continued to fire back with her submachine gun and wasn't having the best of luck.

Homura: "Then it's high time we get some serious backup. I don't know how long we can get away from them."

Arcee was in strong agreement and contacted the base for some assistance.

Arcee: "Ratchet! Do you read me? We have a situation. I am being tailed by two Decepticon Triple Changers and I have Jack and Homura with me. I don't know how long I can shake them off. We are in need of some help right now. Contact Optimus and let him know of the situation."

She waited for a response form Ratchet, but all she's getting is static. So she tries again.

Arcee: "Ratchet?! Are you there?! I'm going to need some help here! Can't drive away forever!"

Still, she can get a read. So she switched comms to any Autobot that can listen.

Arcee: "Optimus! Bumblebee! Smokescreen! Anyone can here me? I'm in serious trouble here! I need an assistance!"

Yet any channel she went on showed nothing but static. Jack noticed it too and was confused about it.

Jack Darby: "What is going on?!"

Arcee: "Can't get into contact with the team. Someone is blocking my communication."

The two heard the news and were in quite a surprise.

Jack and Homura: "What?"

Meanwhile, up in the high mountaintop, someone is watching the chase from afar. On the screen, he used his blocker relay to cut her off with the rest of the team. That someone is Lockdown as he caught up with the chase and kept on eye on all of them.

Lockdown: "Sorry… But we don't want any interference from the rest of the Autobots. It's just you and us."

Back down on the ground, Shatter and Dropkick fight both the mini machine guns and missiles and were trying to take her down. Cee quickly swerved left and right and avoided the shots. But it will be a matter of time before she gets hit. Jack looked back at the situation and didn't like it one bit.

Jack Darby: "Great… We have two triple changer Decepticons on our tails and we can't get into contact with the rest of the team. This is bad, very bad."

Homura looked back and thought of something that might hold them off, telling the others on what she's planning.

Homura: "I got an idea, but I need to get a clear shot."

The femme heard her and told her to hurry.

Arcee: "Whatever you planning, do it now! Can't shake them for much longer."

The Magical Girl and detach her shield as it glowed purple. It soon turned into her trusty bow and pulled the stringer back, letting a magical arrow appear out of the blue. Taking careful aim, she let go of the string and arrow flew up high into the air. The arrow soon reach the two Cons, but unfortunately, it only got between them and missed them completely. Both saw that and were a bit shocked that she can do that.

Dropkick: "Whoa! You saw that!? That arrow almost hit us! Why did she miss?"

Shatter thought about that and decided to focus on the three.

Shatter: "Don't know, don't care. One things for sure, these girls don't pose much of a threat if they miss us."

What they didn't know is that the arrow wasn't meant to hit them, but instead hit the sky to pull a much more bigger attack. When it reached the sky and connects, it exploded and turned into a multi-line and circle shape, the same one Madoka uses on a few occasions. Soon enough, multiple mini arrows came out of it and rain down and bombarded the two with multiple projectiles. The two felt all of that and try their best to avoid them.

Dropkick: "You were saying?!"

Shatter was getting overwhelmed by the arrows and decided to make their leave.

Shatter: "Okay! Didn't see that coming! Fallback!"

The two soon flew away and avoided the arrows, getting into safety. Homura looked at them leave and was relieved that they are gone, but only for a while. Turning back, she told the two on what she did.

Homura: "Was able to drive them away with my arrow, but it will be a matter of time before they came back for another go."

Arcee listened in and decided the best bet is to escape.

Arcee: "Then our best bet is to find a place to hide and lay low until they are long gone. Any ideas on where we can hide?"

Jack soon thought of something and told the femme on where to go.

Jack Darby: "There's an abandon mining facility not far from here with a tunnel. It's small enough for the three of us to get in and hide until they can't find us and leave."

Cee heard that and decided to take that risk.

Arcee: "Good. Let's get going. I don't want to be chased around by these two for long. Show me the way."

Arcee started to drift and turned to the left, making their way to the mining facility.

At the hilltop not far from them, Lockdown watched on and was surprised that one of the humans can do that. But it does prove how much of a threat these Magical Girls are.

Lockdown: "Well now, that was quite surprising. So these girls are the threat to the Decepticons after all. And to think that I believe Megatron is being paranoid."

The two triple changers soon approached the bounty hunter told them of what they encounter.

Shatter: "Lockdown! Did you see what that girl did to us? Did you!?"

Lockdown heard her and responded in kind.

Lockdown: "I did… And it proves to the three of us that Megatron believes that these humans must be taken care of completely."

Dropkick soon flew around him and told him of the mission.

Dropkick: "But we need the creature that these femmes possess and we failed to retrieve it."

Lockdown heard him and shrugged his shoulders.

Lockdown: "We didn't fail. We simply are giving them a false sense of security. I'm following their every move and waiting for the right moment to destroy their hope."

Back down on the ground, Arcee and the two humans managed to reach the mining facility and could see that the whole place is abandoned. There were multiple buildings and warehouses for mining and construction work with old train cars that were parked and equipment to gather up minerals. Seeing the place, Homura was surprised that the place would exist outside of Jasper.

Homura: "Whoa… What is this place?"

The Darby looked back at her and explained about it.

Jack Darby: "This is the old Jasper Mining Company. Back in the late 1800s, gold has always been a commodity in the west and multiple mining facilities sprouted to keep the riches pouring. This place was one of the many mining businesses that is used to mine and distribute gold. But when the well dried out, they shut the place down and back in the 1950s."

Homura looked to him and was even more surprised by his Info about this place.

Homura: "Wow, Jack. I never thought you know of this place, considering you weren't 'born' in the 1950's."

Jack smirked and told her that it was the norm.

Jack Darby: "What can I say? Jasper is a small town, so people know of anything that is outside the town. And that includes old places around it."

Arcee listened in and told him to focus.

Arcee: "Let's save the history lesson for later. Right now, we need to get into hiding before the two will return. Where's the entrance to the mine?"

Hearing that, he looked for the entrance and wondered where it is. That's when he spotted something and pointed to it.

Jack Darby: "There! That's the entrance!"

Cee noticed the tunnel that can get them entry with wood planks to hold it together. Seeing this, she decided to try it out.

Arcee: "Good. Let's hurry in there. I just hope that we don't run into those two again."

So she went to maximum overdrive and sped straight to the entrance.

Up on the hill, Lockdown got a close up on Arcee and the humans heading to the entrance of the mine as the triple changers hover between him. He has been following the group all the time and noticed that they are trying to escape. Seeing them making their way in, he decided to make his present felt.

Lockdown: "So that's their game. But I'm afraid that they won't make it in there."

Removing the visor, he face suddenly started to shift and contort and extending longer, creating a face size cannon with a built in laser on the top. The moment the cannon was formed, he fired two shots right at top of the mine.

As for the femme was getting close to the mine entrance and she thought they were all home free. But then, they could see two shots hitting the top of the mountain and caused an avalanche of rocks and debris coming down. Seeing this, she warned the others to hold on.

Arcee: "Scrap! Everyone brace!"

So she immediately did a drift and tries to stop herself as the two humans were hanging on and trying not to get hurt. Almost immediately, three started to stumble around and rolled around completely to a stop while debris started to block the entrance, preventing them from escaping. They all rolled to a stop and were a little daze from the trip. During the roll, Homura's backpack got detached from her and Kyubey popped out of it. When it was over, Arcee transformed and was a little out of it after that fall.

Arcee: "Ow… That was something. Everyone all right?"

The two human kids started to recover and were a little woozy as well.

Jack Darby: "Yeah. I'm good. No other rippage in my skin and exposing my…other skin."

Homura: "No broken bones on me either. Although if I was broken, I can use my magic to heal me."

It was then that they heard another voice from near by.

Kyubey: "I'm fine too… Thanks for asking."

Both the femme and the Darby heard that voice and looked to see Kyubey struggling to get up. Blinking, they were completely surprised by who it is that came out of the backpack.

Arcee and Jack: "Kyubey?!"

The incubator heard his name and turned to see the two starring at him blankly. He nervously laughed and responded the best he could.

Kyubey: "Oh… Hello Jackson Darby. Hello Arcee. Quite a lovely day, is it?"

The two looked on and never thought he was with them. That's when they turned to Homura and wanted answers.

Arcee: "Homura… Explain…"

The Magical Girl turned to see their serious faces and knew that it was going to inevitable. Taking a deep breath, she explained about why Kyubey was in her bag.

Homura: "Funny story… See, after what happened with all of us yesterday, Kyubey believes it is wise that he stays with me. I tried to tell him to stay but he wouldn't listen."

Hearing her reasons, they knew that she was telling the truth. Getting up, Arcee dusted herself off and groaned in anger.

Arcee: "Just my luck. Not only do I have to protect you two, but a manipulated cat."

Kyubey tilt his head and was a little annoyed by that.

Kyubey: "I'm not a cat. I'm an intergalactic-"

Cee soon lifts her servo up and told him to shut it.

Arcee: "You know what I mean."

Looking up, she could see that the two triple changers were heading straight to them in their aerial forms. She soon hurried to the front and got into battle position.

Arcee: "You three get behind me. I'll handle these triple changers.

Quickly, the two hurried behind the femme while Homura picked up the incubator. Once they were behind, Cee armed both her blasters and waited from the right moment to attack. Meanwhile, the flyers were getting closer to their target and slowly come down. Once they reach the ground, they started to transform into their land like vehicles and landed on their tires and speed to them. Cee remained still and waited until they decided to attack. The moment the cars reach the mining facility, they finally transformed into their bot modes and ran to them. But then, they started to stop and armed their blasters as well, leaving a Mexican standoff. All three of them remained where they are as the humans and incubator looked on with concern. So far, it was nothing more then a stand off as Shatter looked to the femme and realized whom it is.

Shatter: "Ah… Yes… Now I know whom this Autobot is. Arcee… Second in command of Team Prime and the top cyber ninja above her peers. Your reputation precedes you."

Arcee looked to the two and could tell they are stalling. What for, she doesn't know. Yet she has to play along until she gets a clearer picture.

Arcee: "Gee… I'm flattered. Guess that could explain why you try to attack me and my companions."

Shatter heard this and decided to tell her that it wasn't the case.

Shatter: "Oh no… We weren't aware that we were chasing you. But considering your work, I'm honored to face someone like you within this battlefield."

The femme raised an optic ridge and was getting confused by that statement.

Arcee: "Really? If it were the case, we would be fighting right now instead of wasting our time in talking. At least Airacnid has the respect in fighting me then blabbering her mouth."

Suddenly, she heard a voice coming from afar and explained that they're not going to fight.

Lockdown: "Oh, we're not here to fight you, my dear. But we would rather talk."

Arcee heard that voice, realizing whom it belongs to. Looking up, she could see a Lamborghini driving into the mining facility and approaching the stand off. Once the car stopped between the two Cons, it transformed and there stood Lockdown looking down right at her. Seeing this, she knew who the con is and has a disgusted look on her face.

Arcee: "Lockdown… Why am I not surprised? I must say, for a Cybertronian that doesn't really pick a side, you always have a fondness in getting work from the Cons."

Lockdown heard that and waved it off.

Lockdown: "I never pick a side. I do however get paid on jobs my clients need me to accomplish, that includes Decepticons. And this one is no exception."

Hearing that, Arcee believes that this is a threat and charged up her blasters to attack. But Lockdown lifted his servo and told her to wait.

Lockdown: "Relax… I'm not looking for a fight. I am here, however to retrieve something for Megatron."

Hearing that, she knew what he was talking about and looked back at the Jack and Homura, one who is half Cybertronian, and the other a Magical Girl. Fearing for their safety, she turned to him and told him that she won't surrender them.

Arcee: "No way! I am not going to hand over these humans to you! You would have to get to me first before you can lay your digits on them!"

Lockdown laughed it off and assured her that he's not gunning for them.

Lockdown: "I'm afraid you are mistaken, my dear. I am not here got those creatures. I only want the smaller one."

Hearing that, she soon realized what he was talking about. Turning around, she could see Kyubey getting hugged by Homura and figured what this was about. The Decepticons need the incubator to understand the secrets of the Magical Girls. She cannot let that happen. So turning back, she told him that she won't let that happen.

Arcee: "That's not going to happen…"

The Bounty Hunter heard that and didn't like the tone of her voice.

Lockdown: "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, dear. Hand over the creature and no harm will come to you. Resist…Well, no Autobot can survive my team, not even you."

The three soon arm up and got into position, ready to fight one lone Autobot. Looking to the three, she knows that the odds are against her. Looking back, she told the two companions to run.

Arcee: "Jack! Homura! Take Kyubey and run! Don't let them take him!"

Hearing her, the two looked down to Kyubey and knew that's what the Cons want. So the two looked up and acknowledged her orders.

Jack Darby: "Okay! We'll look after him! Make sure those three don't get to him!"

So the two started to run with Kyubey in Homura's arms and were making a break for it. Lockdown soon noticed them leaving and decided to go after them. Looking to the two, he told them to keep the two-wheeler busy.

Lockdown: "Keep this femme entertained. I'll get to the creature."

So he turned and went after the humans who have the asset with them. Arcee sees him go and try to stop him.

Arcee: "No! Don't go near them!"

But as she was going after him, she was immediately bombarded by blaster fire by Dropkick and Shatter. The femme was shielding herself from the blaster fire and started to run for cover.

Dropkick: "Ha! What's wrong little girl? Can't take the heat?!"

Cee jumped over a rusty container and took cover with her two blasters are armed. Peeking to the side, she saw Jack and Homura running away while Lockdown was following them. She knows that they can handle themselves, but Lockdown is a completely different entity. He unpredictable and dangerous and there's no telling what he's capable of. Which is why she needs to handle the two triple changers and get to them before he does. Taking a deep breath, she charged up her blasters and got out of cover to fire. The two quickly backed away while firing and got behind a damaged part of the wall, doing some covering fire as well. The two sides were in a stalemate, but Arcee wants to end it now to get to Lockdown. Looking up, she could see a collection of steel girders that was set up for additional building materials that was left abandon, all of which were hanging on crane's pulley system. Looking up, she decided to use it as a way to get rid of them all. Pointing up, she fired a charged shot and the blaster reached the cable holding the beams. Once it snapped, it started to fall with all the girders doing down in the process. Shatter felt something off and looked up to see the beams heading down towards them.

Shatter: "Look out!"

The two soon got out of cover and the beams hit the spot but barely hit them. Once they were temporarily out, Cee decided to make her move now.

Arcee: "There! That should do it. Now I need to reach Jack and Homura before Lockdown gets to them. Hope I'm not too late."

She soon jumped over the tanker and transformed halfway, landing on her tires and driving down the dirt ground. She went to maximum overdrive to try and reach her friends. But as she was driving, Shatter recovered and got up to see the femme making her leave.

Shatter: "Oh no you don't! You are not getting away from us that easily!"

She lifted her arm up and started to open, gears shifting to reveal multiple missiles around the arm. She started to fire one of them and it flew right in front of the femme. The missile soon exploded and caused the two-wheeler stopping and loosing control. Getting through the explosion of flames, she tripped and tumbled around, causing her to transform and skidding to a stop. Struggling, she got up and looked to see the two Cons starting to approach her.

Shatter: "If you want to save those indigenous primitives, you have to go through us!"

Soon enough, the two got their close range weapons armed and were ready to fight. For Shatter, it is a built in chainsaw that activated with the blades spinning. For Dropkick, it's two blades that were attached to his wrists. Arcee looked at the odds and groaned with complete anger.

Arcee: "I don't have time for this!"

She soon deployed her blades and charged in completely to the two, ready to go on a full frontal assault. The two Cons got into position, ready for fight while the Autobot jumped up high and wind one of the blades up for the first strike, going through with one swipe.

Meanwhile, Jack and Homura were running away with Kyubey in the Magical Girls arms. They were going through what appears to be multiple warehouses with half of them dilapidated, looking for a place to hide. Homura soon turned to Jack while running and asked if they were being followed.

Homura: "Well? Did we loose them?"

Jack heard and was concerned.

Jack Darby: "Don't know, don't care. I don't want to stop and turn to have a blaster in my face."

Just then, he heard the voice of Lockdown from behind.

Lockdown: "Come back here you disgusting creatures. Give me that creature now!"

He heard that and peeked back to see the Lockdown running to them, wanting the Incubator.

Lockdown: "You can't run from me forever! There's no escape!"

He soon turned to her and told her of the situation.

Jack Darby: "One of them is following us! And he looks pissed! We can't get away from him!"

Homura started to get worried and knew that this won't be easy to run from him. But there is a way to escape.

Homura: "Give me your hand."

Jack turned to her and was extremely confused.

Jack Darby: "Wait… What?!"

Homura: "Just take me hand, quickly!"

She soon got her hand out, letting him know to grab her. Jack heard that and was a little iffy about it. But giving the situation they're in, he doesn't have much of a choice. So grabbing her hand, she activated her shield and the gears begin spinning. Once they snap in place, the two immediately disappeared and there was no evidence. Lockdown soon stopped and realized that they were gone in a blink of an eye. Looking around, he wondered where his target is. But then, he felt something from behind and gave a bit of a chuckle.

Lockdown: "I see… So that's your game… You realized the situation is bleak and made a rash decision."

Turning around, he saw Homura standing behind him and has her hand into her shield, holding something that can help her defend herself. Lockdown soon paced back and forth, looking at the girl and was getting interested in her.

Lockdown: "So… You're the supposed threat Megatron warn me about. A fleshy femme youngling? This has got to be quite a joke. Though I must admit, you disappear with that other fleshling and the creature was quite unique. How did you do it? Teleportation?"

Homura could tell that he was curious about her power, but feels like she doesn't want to share. Clenching the weapon within her shield, she held her ground and kept to himself.

Homura: "Sorry… I won't tell you anything. Though I surprised that you have an interest in Kyubey. I wonder why?"

Lockdown shrugged his shoulders and give a bit of a chuckle.

Lockdown: "That is on a need to know basis. But Megatron does want to know of your kind and that creature is the key in understanding. So handover your 'Kyubey', and no harm will come to you. Resist and there will be consequences."

The Magical Girl kept her ground and didn't like the odds of this. She faced Cons before, but this one is far more different. He looks conniving, divisive, and downright dangerous. She knows it so well and has to take him out now; otherwise he will take Kyubey and use him for something. So with a bit of a smirk, she decided to give him an offer he can't refuse.

Homura: "Hmm… Tempting offer. But I would rather decline. But I do have a counter offer for you to listen to."

Almost immediately, she drew out a GP-25 Grenade Launcher from out of her shield and took immediate aim. Pulling the trigger, she fired a few rounds at the Con and they exploded on contact. Lockdown was completely unaware about this and was never thought she was heavily armed. Backing up, he got down on one knee and was a bit damaged. Homura stopped firing and slowly approached the wounded Con and wondered if he got the message. Lockdown took a bit of a breather and was now starting to get extremely pissed.

Lockdown: "You shot me! Never thought you can do that amount of damage. Not to mention that you can store a weapon in a shield so small. You're full of surprises."

Homura gripped her weapon and notice something is really fishy. But she remained firm and is expecting the unexpected.

Homura: "Lucky me…"

The Bounty Hunter chuckled a little and decided to pull his own counter offer.

Lockdown: "Lucky for you, I'm full of surprises."

Almost immediately, his face shifted and extended into a cannon and was going to fire. Homura saw this and immediately realized that her head was going to get blasted off her body.

Homura: "Scrap!"

Quickly, she activated her shield and the gears spin to a snap. Lockdown soon fired his cannon face and a shell head straight to her. At the same time, she vanished and the shell missed her and caused the explosion on the ground. At the same time, Homura was in the air and fired a few more rounds of her grenades right to him. He ran to avoid the shells and fired a few more rounds in the process. She quickly use her time shield to avoid each shot while firing her own, trying to take him down as much as she could before it's too late. Or until Arcee can wrap up her fight. Unfortunate for her, the fight is no close to finish.

The femme was facing a two on one situation. She was in-between the two triple changers and going to the defensive with her blades. She weld left and right blocking each strike and finding an opening to knock them down. She blocked the one blade from Dropkick while Shatter swung her chainsaw at her right to the head. She kicked the blue Con in the face and turned, bending back in slow motion while the spinning blades missed her by mere inches. Once she avoided the attack, she bended back and trust forward, lifting her leg high up and hit her right in the face, causing her to stagger back. Dropkick soon charged in and both his wrist blades to spin slice. Cee turned around and lifted both arms out with her blades sticking out. The con went into a tornado and his blades and connect to her blades and sparks kept on flying. During the spin, he lifted his leg up and delivered a devastating kick, hitting the side of her waist and bringing her down to the ground. She got a little dazed as she struggling with a crawl. Dropkick slowly started to walked to her and wasn't impressed.

Dropkick: "C'mon… Is that the best you got? I thought you were the best Cyber Ninja on Cybertron. Show me your moves!"

He soon picked her up by her winglets and lifted her up in the air. He quickly threw her to the other side, during the toss, she transformed and sped around with a 180 drift before charging in with a wheelie and jumping off the ramp made out of junk. She soon transformed back and twists her body, delivering a two feet drop kick, right to the chest to push him down. He soon falls to the floor with her feet on his chest and her blasters aimed right at him.

Arcee: "How's that for moves, Con?"

Before she could fire, she heard the voice from the side.

Shatter: "Not bad… But nothing compared to mine."

Turning around, she immediately jumped back as the chainsaw barely missed her by the waistline. That was when Shatter returned to the scene and started to get pissed.

Shatter: "You think you can take on the two of us? Please, we face tougher Autobots then you!"

She soon armed her other servo into her blaster and fired away. Quickly, the femme cartwheeled and somersaulted around to avoid the shots. Getting in the safe distance, she continued to fire away and hopes to take her out. Shatter soon did the same and ran and fired with her blaster. They all went into a circle and went on a shooting rampage to each other. But neither of them hit one another and they couldn't take their opponents down. Shatter noticed that and has to do something about it. Looking up, she could see a water silo and decided to handle it. With her chainsaw still out, she went ahead and slice the two metal stands that holding it up. By then, the silo tilted and slowly fall down like a tree. Arcee saw this and realized that it was all bad.

Arcee: "Not good."

She soon turned back and transformed and sped away from the falling silo. Shatter soon joined Dropkick that was recovering and told him to move.

Shatter: "Time to go. Don't want to stay around to and get flooded."

Dropkick saw the silo falling and agreed with her.

Dropkick: "You can say that again."

They both started to transform and sped away from the silo. The moment it crashed on the ground, it destroyed one of the mining buildings and sent wet debris all over the place. Arcee was soon caught in the wave and was pushed forward, nearly getting hit by random items left skewed, then the disaster is over, all that's left is a destroyed building and a pond of water around it.

Not far from Cee, Homura was trying her best in keeping Lockdown at bay for as long as possible. Firing a few more rounds, the grenades bombarded Lockdown and were surrounded by smoke and flames. Recovering from the assault, he turned his cannon face at her and fired a shot. Homura quickly used her time shield and winked out of the way, having the shot missed her. She soon appeared on the others side and the bounty hunter aimed and fired again. And again, she vanished and appeared in a separate location. Then again, and again, and again. Lockdown started to get upset and told her to stop.

Lockdown: "Pesky little pest! Quit jumping from one place to the next! Hold still!"

Homura heard him and smirked, appearing in front of him and tossing the empty grenade launcher. Lifting her hands up, she started to get a little coy.

Homura: "All right… I give. You got me."

Lockdown shifted his cannon back into his face and was a little confused about it.

Lockdown: "This is unexpected. Are you giving up that easily? I can tell that you're a tough creature and surrendering isn't an option for you. From what I can put together, it seems like you're just playing along until you pull a fast one on me."

Homura got his message and smirked at the thought of it.

Homura: "My… Aren't you observant."

The moment she said that, she flashed in and out and stood on the same spot. Lockdown noticed something off about it, but didn't see any thing out of the ordinary. But then, he heard a lot of beeps and look down to see multiple detonated charges counting down the seconds. Seeing this, he knew that it was about to be a bad one.

Lockdown: "Son of a glitch…"

Turning around, he ran and was getting away from the blast. The detonators soon exploded and pushed him down. But doing the push made him transform and sped around with his tires. Going to a 180, he put pedal to the metal and headed straight to the Magical Girl. She could tell that he was trying to run her over and wasn't impressed. With the time shield activated and the gears spin, it snapped and she vanished. As he reached her and vanished before colliding, he stopped and drifted in the process. Transforming back, he looked around and was starting to get annoyed by her tricks.

Lockdown: "Where are you? Where have you gone?! Come on out and face me!"

That's when a purple arrow came out from behind and barely missed him. He looked down at the flaming purple spot and was confused about that. Turning around, he could see the Magical Girl standing on the corner of a warehouse and was holding the bow with a magical arrow appearing when she pulled it back.

Homura: "Oh, I've been here. You just don't know it yet."

She soon fired the arrow and it flew right towards him. He managed to dodge it and deployed his arm blasters and rocket launchers on his shoulders and fired away completely. Homura quickly started to run and jump off to the next roof of the warehouse as the many projectiles hit the spot she was on and wrecked the corner of the warehouse. She soon started to run as Homura fired a few more arrows while Lockdown ran ahead of her with his blasters continuously fired. The two were in an even stalemate as they were trying to oust each other.

Meanwhile, in the disaster zone where the silo fell, the place was quite as water and debris was all over the place. Just then, there was some movement close by as Arcee managed to escape the impact, but was dazed by the blunt of it. Rubbing her head, she stumbled a little and never expected anything like that.

Arcee: "Ow… That hurt… Didn't think that Con would go so far as to bring a whole water silo down. But it did happen and I barely survived it. Just barely…"

She soon looked on ahead and notices all the devastation throughout the part of the facility. With the ground soaked and buildings wrecked from the inside by the rushing water, it is quite surprising how much damage a falling water silo can do.

Arcee: "Though I must admit, I never expect this much damage from one silo. I don't think anyone would survive something like that. The pits, I don't think those two would make it. Regardless, at least I got the time in getting to the kids and taking out Lockdown before he takes Kyubey. I just hope that they managed to escape in time."

She soon started turn and run to the direction where Jack and Homura were. But as she was going to leave, she could hear the engines revving and stop to turn back. Blinking, she figured that maybe this wasn't much of a blessing in disguise.

Arcee: "Maybe I spoke too soon."

She soon armed both her blasters and stood there, waiting for anything to happen. So far, she didn't see much going on. But the engines were still revving and she knew that they were close. Peering her optics, she waited for one of them to make a move.

Arcee: "Come on, Con… Where are you? Come on out so I can finish the job."

She waited a little bit and didn't see anything yet. But then, the engines stopped revving and there was nothing but silence. Holding her ground, she waited to see what would happen next. Suddenly, an explosion came from a building and that got her attention to the fullest. Looking ahead, she could see Shatter in her Plymouth GTX car speeding right towards her. Quickly, she took aim and fired as many shots as she could, but the Con swerved around before colliding with the two-wheeler. Cee was immediately caught in the mess and struggling to stay on the hood, hoping to not get crush by her tires. Managing to get on the hood, she got one of her blasters up and tried to shoot the tires. Shatter felt that and decided to take an alternate route.

Shatter: "Do you like to fly, femme? Then let's fly!"

Pretty soon, her vehicle mode started to shift and sprout wings, turning into her Harrier Jump jet, taking off completely and flying high up in the air. The two-wheeler felt the velocity and fell off the now changed cockpit and rolling on the topside. On instinct, she got one of her blades out and grabbed onto one of the wings and was holding on. Hanging onto the wing, she struggled and need to find a way out of this. At the same time, Shatter could feel the wing and want the femme off of her.

Shatter: "Hey! What's going on back there! Get off of me!"

She soon twists and flew close to the rocky wall and hit on it, trying to get Cee off of her. The two-wheeler struggled and was trying to stay up. But she needs to ground her before she gets badly damaged. Looking down, she could see the thrusters in the back and decided to shut them down. Arming the blaster with her other servo and fired away multiple times to shut her down. After many shots, the engines exploded and was failing big time. Feeling that, Shatter groaned and could feel her engines failing.

Shatter: "Slag it! Engines are failing! I'm doing down!"

She managed to fly up to a platform on the cliff and made an emergency landing as Arcee let go and landed on the flat plateau. Looking up, she could see Shatter quickly transforming and tumbling around a bit. Feeling a bit out of it, she managed to get up and turned to the Autobot, feeling angry over it.

Shatter: "You… You are going to pay for that!"

She soon deployed both chainsaws and they were spinning wildly. Arcee looked to the two blades and looked at hers, realizing that she's in a disadvantage.

Arcee: "Okay… No pressure…"

Getting into a stance, she charged in and was ready for a serious feud. Shatter soon charged in as well and the two were starting to get close to each other. The Con soon swung her chainsaw and was about to go for the neckline. Quickly, Arcee got down on her knees while running and sliding in the process, bending back to avoid the chainsaw swing. She soon stopped and got back up, turning around for an attack from behind. Shatter soon turned back after missing and swung her chainsaw. The two weapons collide and the sparks started to fly. Shatter's blade start to spin and moved rather violently as it was trying to ship away at Cee's defenses. But the femme doesn't want that to happen and let go to cause the Con to loose a bit of balance. That in turn led to her doing a spinning back kick to hit Shatter in the back of the head. The triple changer turned around and went on ahead to swing her chainsaws right at her. Arcee backed away while bending around to avoid each swing. Just then, she jumped up when Shatter did a thrust with her weapons right to the spark chamber and landed on top of one of them. Running up, she delivered a slip kick and knocks her in the chin, causing the Con to fly as the Autobot was flipping upside down. Both of them landed and charged right in for another go as this time, Arcee was in the offensive, slashing her blades at the Con. Shatter lifted both her chainsaws up to protect herself from the array of slices. But she was opened in the one part she didn't protect. The legs. The femme could see that and decided to take that opening with one quick swipe with her blade followed by going down and delivering a leg sweep. Shatter was caught by it and tripped and fell to the floor. Quickly, she placed her pede on Shatter's chest and armed her blaster, aiming it at her head.

Arcee: "You're grounded!"

Shatter looked up to the femme and was silent for a moment. But she soon started to chuckle and responded to her statement.

Shatter: "That's where you're wrong, Autobot. You're the one who will be grounded."

Arcee heard this and was confused by what she said. But then, she could hear the sound of choppers flying upwards, from behind. Turning around, she could see Dropkick in his Bell AH-1 SuperCobra mode, with two chain guns on the wings aiming at her. Seeing this, she knew that she forgot about the second triple changer.

Arcee: "Scrap…"

The Con started to fire multiple bullets at her as she jumped off Shatter and did a couple of flips to avoid the onslaught. But she has limited space to avoid and was nearing the edge of the cliff. This gave Dropkick the opportunity and fired a missile right at her. She managed to avoid the hit, but the impact pushed her off the cliff and falling to the ground floor, rolling down the hill and was getting damaged from the slide. Pretty soon she was on the bottom of the cliff and was hurt from the attack.

Meanwhile, Homura was doing all that she could in facing Lockdown and her bow and arrows to take him down. One arrow after another, she was trying to go for the head and chest, as the key to destroy him. But he rolled out of the way of the arrows and armed both his blasters and head cannon and went on multiple shots to her. Homura quickly jumped up as purple energy wings magically appeared on her back and flew up high in the air, avoiding the assault. Lockdown shifted his cannon back to his face and was even more surprised she can do something like that.

Lockdown: "My, oh my… You are full of surprises are you? You definitely are becoming a formable opponent to me."

Homura look down with her wings flapping and was surprised this Con is respectable.

Homura: "Gee… I'm flattered."

Looking to her soul gem on her hand, she noticed the she was wasting her magic on him and it's already darkened to almost half.

Homura: "Damn… I'm using up most of my magic. Don't know how long I can keep this up."

Lockdown soon armed up her should mounted rocket launchers and decided to make things more interesting.

Lockdown: "Let's see if you can survive this!"

He soon started to fire his rockets and they all flew towards her. Seeing that, Homura quickly flew around and avoided most of the rockets. But the rest started to follow her every move, as they were guided missiles looking for their intended target. Homura looked down to see the rockets following her and was getting upset about it.

Homura: "Oh, give me a break! Do I have to handle this as well?!"

With her bow at the ready, she pulled back and multiple arrows appeared in response. Letting go, the arrows flew to many directions and hit the rockets, creating a firework of explosions in the sky.

As the fight was going on, inside one of the dilapidated warehouses, Jack was looking up at the skyline and was causing multiple explosions in the air. Apparently, when they were giving chase, Homura froze time and took both Jack and Kyubey into one of the warehouses to hide while she faces the Decepticon. Just by looking at it, it would seem like Homura is starting to get over her head on the fight.

Jack Darby: "Looks like things are starting to get intense out there. I don't know if Homura is winning or not from in here."

He soon heard the incubator from behind and assured him that everything will be all right.

Kyubey: "Not to worry, Jackson Darby. Homura is a veteran when it comes to combat. She can take care of herself."

The Darby could hear explosions all around him and was still concerned about that.

Jack Darby: "I don't know… Doesn't sound like she has everything under control. I just hope that Arcee can help her in time, if she can get past those two triple changers."

Kyubey turned his head and was thinking about something. About why they were being attacked and what Lockdown said. Putting the pieces together, he decided to ask Jack for a quick favor.

Kyubey: "Listen, Jack. I need you to do something for me. If things starts to get bleak, I want you to shoot me."

Jack turned to Kyubey and was a little confused about it.

Jack Darby: "Come again? You want me to shoot you? Hey, I know I'm just training with my blasters, but that sounds a little excessive."

That's when the Incubator explains to him of the reason why.

Kyubey: "There is a reason why they are after us. It's because of me. Think about it. The existence of the Magical Girl community is now exposed and now the Decepticons wish to understand their existence. I possess all the information regarding Magical Girls since the dawn of time. If the Decepticons get their hands on me and find a way to gather the information, there's no telling what they have planned for all these girls. You have to shoot me so that they won't get what they want."

Hearing that, Jack knew what the situation will be and had to think of something to avoid the worse case scenario. Looking down, he was hesitant over the idea of shooting him.

Jack Darby: "I… I don't know…"

Kyubey assured him that everything would be all right.

Kyubey: "It will be all right. I have plenty of copies statched away. I'll simply return to Jasper where I will be safe."

Jack heard that and wasn't sure if it would be a good idea. But giving the certain circumstances, he doesn't much of a choice in the matter. So with a sigh, he made his decision.

Jack Darby: "All right. I'll do it. Though I feel like it's wrong."

Looking to his arm, he shifted it to his blaster and charged it ready to fire.

In the air, Homura was flying around avoiding all the rockets being fired by Lockdown. She quickly avoided half of them while the other half she shot down with her arrows. Explosions danced around the sky as she was trying to find an opening. Firing another arrow, she soon checked on her soul gem and it's getting darker the more she uses her magic.

Homura: "Not good! The more magic I use, the more my gem gets muddled. I'm not ready to be reunited with Madoka. Looks like I have to take some drastic steps!"

Twisting the bow, it turned back into her time shield and she placed it on her arm. Pretty soon, she flapped her wings high up in the air and was high enough to regain some altitude. Lockdown looked up high into the air and could tell that she was getting away.

Lockdown: "Fly high all you want. You cannot escape from me!"

He soon got his rockets; blasters and head cannon armed and fired all of them at the same time. The Magical Girl saw this and decided to go all out.

Homura: "Well, here goes nothing."

She soon started to freeze time and all the projectiles stopped and the world froze. Pretty soon, she started to take out any explosive she has as she fired her rocket launchers, tossed grenades, and set detonated charged to one second. When she resumed time, all the explosives connected to all the projectiles and exploded high in the air to create this plume of smoke and fire. Lockdown looked up at the huge explosion and wondered if he got her. He soon got his answer as the veteran came down through the blast and has a sword she took out poised and ready to slice. He soon took out his hook sword and swung it to her. Both blades collided and the impact causes a dent on the ground. The two held on for a while until Lockdown decided to pull a fast one on her.

Lockdown: "I would love to continue this fight, but I have a creature to find."

Soon enough, his hook blade started to charge to administer into electricity. Homura had little time to react, as she was completely shocked from it. She fell off as the magical wings disintegrate during the fall. With his fist tightened, he punched the Magical Girl in the gut and pushed her right into one of the abandoned warehouses. That warehouse though is the one Jack was hiding.

At the same time, Jack aimed his blaster right at the incubator and was about to fire. But as he was going to do that, the door started to burst open and Homura came in unannounced. Jack turned to see Homura looking badly hurt and was shocked.

Jack Darby: "Homura!"

Just then, the two heard stomping from close by and turned to see Lockdown entering the warehouse. So far, he didn't notice Jack yet as he saw the prone body of Homura on the ground completely unconscious. But then, he spotted Kyubey and smirked with accomplishment.

Lockdown: "Target acquired."

He soon walked down to the creature, ready to take him.

At the same time, Arcee slowly regained consciousness and started to get up. Rubbing the back of her helm, she staggered and tried to process what happened.

Arcee: "Urgh… My head…. That was quite a fall. I'm surprised I survived that. Wonder what happened?"

Just then, she heard the sound of a chopper fluttering above her. Craning her head up, she could see the helicopter hovering below her. Once it was close enough, it transformed and Dropkick changed and fell to the ground and landed on his pedes. The two started to stare at each other, as Dropkick was eager for a fight.

Dropkick: "Heh, heh… Didn't see that coming, did ya? I wonder what would happen if you pop a beautiful femme like you. Let's find out shall we."

He soon armed his cannon and aimed it right at the two-wheeler. The femme could see this and has to avoid it now. She quickly rolled out of the way as he fired a shot. But as he fired, there was no blaster, but instead, a huge bolder exploded into a bubble and sprayed liquid all over the place. Cee looked back and realized what he meant when he said Pop.

Arcee: "Well… That's not good."

Quickly, she ran and rolled away as Dropkick continued to fire. He managed to miss her a lot while boulders turned into bubbles one pop at a time. She has to find a way to disarm the blaster now before she gets popped as well. Picking up a rock she jumped and threw it at him. When she did, the rock hit the nozzle of the blaster and left it stuck. Dropkick looked at the stuck blaster and was a little pissed.

Dropkick: "Huh? What's this? Get off of my blaster!"

He tried to shake to rock off of him, but it was to no avail. So he charged the blaster and let it pop off it.

Dropkick: "There! Much better… Now, where were w-"

He soon turned to find the femme, only to be seeing her charging towards him with her blades at the ready. In a panic, he ducked back and avoided the swing. Bending back to his proper position, he turned to see her ready for a bout and thought that would happen.

Dropkick: "Playing dirty, huh? I like that."

He soon got both his blades attached to his wrists out and got into a stance before charging in. Arcee soon noticed this and got into her stance and charged in as well. The two soon collided and swung their blades left and right, dodging and blocking each other's moves, trying to look for an opening. Up on the cliff, Shatter look down to the fight and could tell that it was evenly matched. So she decided to join in on the chaos and increase the odds a bit. But before she could do that, she heard a beep from her communicator and picked it up to see who is calling.

Shatter: "Yes? This is Shatter."

That's when she heard Shockwave on the other end on the progress.

Shockwave: "Shatter, I have everything ready in my lab on Cybertron. What about you? Have you succeeded in obtaining the creature we need for Megatron?"

Shatter heard the scientist's voice and explained what happens.

Shatter: "Apologies, we were able to locate the creature, but it's with one of the Autobots and the supposed threat Megatron mentions. We are doing our best in getting to it, but this Autobot is becoming a hassle. I think we might need some help."

Shockwave heard that and decided to intervene.

Shockwave: "I'll come for an assist. I'll have Soundwave lock on to your location and provide a bridge."

Shatter nodded and told him to hurry.

Shatter: "Better make it quick. This femme is really doing a number on us."

Back on the ground, Arcee was evenly matched with Dropkick as the two clash blades into each other. The Con used one quick swipe to the neck but Cee dodged it and administered a jumping roundhouse kick to get him off his feet. She soon did another spin and used her blades to cut him down. Dropkick sidestepped out of the way and blocked her blade strike with one arm and went for the spark chamber with the other. Cee quickly jumped out of the way and flipped over the Triple Changer, landing behind after kicking him in the back of the head. He fell down, but not before transforming and speeding away. Cee soon turned around and got both of her blasters out, firing away at him to apply the breaks. But he drifted to avoid the attack and jumped off a ramp made of rocks. Switching from car to chopper, he flew high and fired his mini chain guns at her to rip her the shreds. Arcee started to run to avoid the bullets before transforming and going maximum velocity to escape the firepower. She soon went under him and transformed again to do a slide on the back, with her blasters armed and doing some rapid fire. The blaster hit completely as one of the shots hit the tail end of the chopper. The helicopter soon started to stall and spin around while going down. He soon transformed back and landed on the ground, looking up and was completely upset.

Dropkick: "Really? That's you game plan? Shoot my chopper down so I can crash? You think that will stop me?"

Arcee stopped and slid back before deploying her blades for combat.

Arcee: "Wouldn't hurt to try."

Dropkick soon yelled out loud in a war cry and charged to her. But Cee remained still and waited for a chance to strike. The moment he got close, he immediately swung and went for the kill. But in slow motion, Arcee did a sidestep parry and avoided his attack to the side. She soon went from behind and did a forearm to the head, giving him a cut and pushing him to one end. He tumbled for a few minutes before getting up in one knee and taking aim with his blaster. Arcee did the same and armed her own and aimed him as well. But then, she could hear the sounds of jet engines from above and looked up to see Shatter arriving in her jet mode and transformed to land on the other side. She soon got her blaster out to fire as Arcee did the same and shifted her other arm to aim at her. So she stood right in the middle, with two triple changers on both ends, waiting for one of them to make a mistake. Peering her optics back and forth, she noticed that they haven't even made their next move as if they are waiting for someone.

Arcee: "Well? What are you two waiting for? If you want to shoot me, then now is the time."

The two starred at the femme and couldn't help but to laugh it off.

Dropkick: "Get out! You want us to shoot you even after what you put us through? Not a chance."

Shatter: "Indeed… You are certainly a brave soldier, but I'm afraid our time with you is up. In fact I want you to meet a good friend of ours that would want to finish the job."

The Autobot raised an optic ridge and was confused by that statement. At first, she thought she was referring to Lockdown. But then, she could hear a bridge being opened from behind and she was immediately shot in the back before she could turn around. She started to tumble and rolled around before she hit the mountain wall in the back. With her head face down, she struggled and get up as the blast weakened her heavily. However, she managed to look up to see what hit her. That's when she saw a huge shadow coming out and had a horrified look on her face.

Arcee: "No… It can't be… Not you…!"

Indeed, coming out of the bridge was Shockwave, the same Con she shot in the optic and believed that he didn't survive the malfunction spacebridge explosion. But there he is, standing before her with his arm cannon armed and his Cyclops like optic glowing crimson red.

Shockwave: "Arcee… What an unexpected surprise. I didn't think that I will see you again after our last encounter."

The femme tried to get herself up, but can't with her weakened body. Starring a hole through him, she remembered the last time they fought.

Arcee: "Didn't think I would see you either. But last time we fought, I blinded you and left you for dead in that bridge explosion."

Shockwave: "True… But you didn't finish the job. You only miscalculated my chances of survival. Now it is time we pick up where we left off. This time though, the victor shall be me."

He soon charged the cannon on his arm and was going to fire. But he didn't hit her; instead he hit the walls above her. Soon enough, rocks and debris started to fall on her and buried her completely. When the smoke is cleared, there was nothing but a pile of rocks and medium sized boulders on top of her. Both Triple Changers saw this and was surprised that he would spare her.

Dropkick: "You… You didn't terminate her?"

Shockwave lowered his cannon and explained about it.

Shockwave: "Termination is too easy. I just want her to suffer through her torment, the same she did to me. Now… Where is Lockdown?"

In one of the abandoned warehouses, Lockdown and looking down to Kyubey and walking towards him for a retrieval. Taking a look at the creature, he wasn't impressed.

Lockdown: "So… You're the creature Megaton needs in understanding the new threat I encountered. You don't look like something with answers. However, he really needs to understand the kind he and his armada have recently encountered. You are coming with me, one way or the other."

The Incubator backed away while turning to see Homura still out of it and looked to be almost drained of her magic. Knowing that she's out of commission, he tried to talk his way out of it.

Kyubey: "My apology, but I'm afraid I should decline on your offer."

Lockdown didn't like the answer and soon armed his blaster on his arm to come with him.

Lockdown: "You just don't understand. I'm not telling you to come with me. I'm demanding it."

He charged it as a way to force him to come. But before the creature could make a decision, he got blasted in the back by a small beam. He felt that and turned around, thinking that the two partners haven't dealt with Arcee and she's already here. But as he turned, he didn't see the femme, or any Autobot outside the warehouse. He scratched his helm and was curious at what attacked him. That's when he heard a voice from below him.

Jack Darby: "Hey!"

Hearing that, he looked down and saw a human teenage boy starring a hole in him. A teenage boy with a Cybertronian blaster attached to his arm. That boy is Jackson Darby as he watched what happened to Homura and was going to take Kyubey. That is something he can't stand for as he threatened the Con to get back.

Jack Darby: "Get away from Kyubey you metallic bastard!"

Lockdown blinked his eyes and was confused of why this human wanted to face him, but also a blaster attached to his arm. But he started to look interested in him and bent to his level to ask to do it again.

Lockdown: "Do that again."

Jack heard that and decided to pull it off once more.

Jack Darby: "Gladly!"

He soon charged in again and fired another shot. The blaster glazed his face and left a bit of a mark. Rubbing that mark, he was interested by this and never thought this creature has potential.

Lockdown: "Interesting… Very interesting indeed… Never in my life I have expected a creature with a blaster. Are you a halfling?"

Jack noticed that the shots didn't phase him and wasn't powerful enough to take his head off. Standing up, the bounty hunter soon look down to decided to handle it.

Lockdown: "Maybe I will cut you to pieces and have one of my associates look into your corpse. Maybe have something that could be a use for his work. Let's see inside and what makes you tick."

He soon deployed his hook blade and was ready to cut him up. Jack took a step back and realized that this was the biggest mistake of his life. But before he could swing and slice the boy, something came out of nowhere and latched onto his shoulder. The bounty hunter felt that, looked to see what hit him. That's when he saw a syringe that is filled with red liquid as it automatically injected into his body. He blinked and wondered what it was.

Lockdown: "What the…?"

As he was thinking about it, it soon started to explode on him and damaged his shoulder. He wasn't destroyed, but he was wounded as he took a step back from getting him. Looking towards the torn armor and exploded circuitry and leaking energon, he screamed and was completely in shock.

Lockdown: "AH! The PITS! What hit me!?"

Jack witnessed it all and was a little confused. But when he noticed the syringe, he started to piece together what saved him. Just then, some of the clouds parted and the sun were shown, revealing a shadow towering over him and the Bounty Hunter. Seeing this shadow, he turned around and looked up to see someone standing on an old crane that towers high to the sky. Lockdown noticed the shadow too and wondered what it was. But Jack knew show it was. Giving the Assassins Creed get up, the X belt that has red syringes on one strap and green syringes on the other, and the hood with a mask that covered her face and showed only the eyes, he knew who it is. It's the mysterious Magical Girl who looked older then the others. The same Magical Girl that save Miko and Homura from the wrath of Silas. The same Magical Girl who save everyone in the Nemesis. And now she is saving him. Lockdown looked up at the woman and was completely angry over her.

Lockdown: "You! You're the one who did this! You're one of those humans that pose a threat to Megatron! You will pay for what you did to me!"

His face started to shift into his cannon and fired it right away, right at the Magical Girl. The mysterious woman stood there as the shot headed straight towards her. In mere moments, she jumped up high in the air and did a flip while the shot hit the crane and caused it to fall. During the flip, she took out the red syringes and threw them at him. The syringes did miss him, but spread out and injected the liquid, causing it to blow up completely and got him in a daze. Landing on the ground, she approached Jack and threw a green syringe and a bad of grief pellets to Homura. The syringe hit the girl's soldier and injected the green liquid into her, healing her completely. As she was recovering, the mysterious Magical Girl turned to Darby and has no expression underneath her mask. Jack soon turned to her and was relieved that she came in time.

Jack Darby: "Phew… That was close. Thought I was a goner there. Thanks for the help. I don't know what would happen if you weren't there. Come to think of it, you always show up when Homura is in danger. Who are you exactly?"

The older Magical Girl starred at him for a few seconds, before peering her eyes down, showing some sort of emotion. Before she could respond, she heard footsteps and turned to see Lockdown coming out of the smoke and flames and was annoyed.

Lockdown: "You're quite the tricky one, are you? Coming in when things were getting good and ruining it all. You are certainly looking for a death wish. That I can make happen."

He soon deployed his blade hook and poised for a battle. The mysterious woman soon pushed him aside and stepped in; wanting to make sure he doesn't get hurt. With a bit of hand gesture, she took out a single scalpel and spins it with her fingers. Tossing it in the air, it flipped around and grew out to sword size. With it falling down, she grabbed it by the hilt and swipe it to the side like that of a samurai sword. Lockdown saw her performed that and could tell that it could be a grand fight.

Lockdown: "Aw… I see that you are ready for combat. Let's see if you fair against a former gladiator like myself."

He soon charged in and was ready for a brawl. The Magical Girl stood still and waited for an opening. When the bounty hunter headed to her and gave a lower swing, she found the opening and rolled over to give him a slice to the knee. He could feel the pain and turned to perform another swing as she jumped flipped to avoid the attack. Landing on the other side, she swung her scalpel sword only for the bounty hunter to block it with his own weapon. He started to push her back and sent her flying to the wall. She managed to maneuver herself and planted her feet on the wall. She immediately jumped off the wall and steam rolled toward him. The two started to collide and nearly pushed him down. Jumping off, she corkscrewed to a land on the ground and saw the hook going for her. Quickly, she went to the defensive and blocked the attack easily. The two blades collided and sparks begin to fly off them. The Con was surprised that this creature was strong enough to defend herself, but it would be short lived soon enough. The older woman held on and was trying to stall him long enough for something to happen. That something is a purple arrow coming from behind and hitting him on the back. He screamed in pain as the arrow damaged him. Which gives the mysterious woman the time to strike as she counter the hook and jumped up to deliver the kick to the metal chin. She soon spins in the air and swung her sword to the face, causing a slash diagonal. She soon delivered another kick in a sweep diagonal position, bringing him down easily. Once she took him down, she landed on the other end and looked ahead to see what fired that arrow. Turns out, it was Homura as she was fully healed up from the green syringe and used all the grief pellets in the bag to cleanse her gem and replenish her magic. With her bow in her hand, she approached the woman and was surprised that she arrived on the nick of time.

Homura: "Again, you saved my life. I'm starting to think that you are stalking me. Still, I'm glad you're here on time."

Just as things were going to be all right, they could hear a groan from behind them. Turning around, they could see Lockdown struggling to get up and was already on one knee.

Lockdown: "Argh! I have enough with both of you!"

He soon shifted his face to a cannon and was about to fire on the two. But then, a couple of blaster shots came from the side and was holding him back. Lockdown lifts his arm and protects himself from the assault and was overwhelmed. Seeing the attack, the two turned to see who is shooting him. Turns out, it was Jack as he got his blaster up and kept on shooting up a storm. The moment he joined the two, he turned to them and decided that they should work together to take the Con down.

Jack Darby: "Looks like we have to team up to get rid of him. So what do you say?"

He soon offered a hand to the mysterious Magical Girl, hoping that she would accept it. She looked down to the hand and was a little hesitant over it. But considering he joined in with the fight, she decided to accept the hand and grabbed it as a sign of trust. Once the two shook hands, Lockdown recovered quickly and decided to end this right now.

Lockdown: "Aw… Isn't that sweet. Time to break it off."

With the cannon still armed, he charged and aimed it right at the three. Homura decided to make a move and switched her bow back to her shield to place it in her arm.

Homura: "Looks like we better get to work on our team exercise now before we get blasted to bits. Hands!"

She soon lifts her arm out to get a hand. The two saw the hand and decided to take it, with the mysterious Magical Girl grabbing Homura's hand and Jack getting the woman's. The gears started to turn and snap as the bounty hunter started to fire. In a brief second, the three vanished completely while Lockdown fired and hit the spot they were one. Shifting his face back and looking at the spot, he wondered if he got to them.

Lockdown: "Did I get them?"

He got his answer as more projectiles hit his back. Turning around he could see Jack and Homura on the catwalk with their weapons armed to the teeth. With the blaster charged, Jack smirked and answered his question.

Jack Darby: "Think again, cannon face!"

Getting angry, he armed both blasters and fired multiple shots at them, hoping to take them down. The two started to split up and fired back with their own arsenal. With Jack and his two blasters and Homura with her bow, they fired as much as they could. With Jack, he used both blasters to make some rapid fire while Homura use her bow to fire a lot of arrows. Lockdown spread his arms wide as he kept on shooting his blasters to the two. They all missed out as the projectiles hit the ground and walls. The two soon hit a dead end and were trapped. Lockdown noticed them trapped and decided to take this opportunity.

Lockdown: "No place to go…"

He started to charge both blasters and was about to fire. But then, he noticed someone was missing and immediately questions it.

Lockdown: "Wait… Where's the other one?"

Turning to the side, he was introduced by a huge medical mallet that whacked him in the chest and pushed him back out of the warehouse and into the open. He got dazed for a brief moment and looked up to see the mysterious Magical Girl holing the mallet meant for testing reflexes, but was comically big enough to knock someone out. Blinking, he chuckled and knew what happened.

Lockdown: "Ah… I see… You created a diversion. How clever of all of you. I didn't actually think you could pull something like that off. But I can tell that you had all that planned from the start."

He soon started to arm up his cannon on his face and was going to end this once and for all. But then, a purple arrow came between his legs and stopped him from changing. Shifting his face back, he could already see Jack and Homura join the woman with their weapons pointed at him and wanted to make sure he doesn't make a single move.

Jack Darby: "Don't even think about it."

Homura soon pulled the string of her bow back with the arrow fully powerful and knew this was finally over.

Homura: "Face it, Con, you're done."

Lockdown listened to this and turned to see something. Knowing what's there, he smirked and turned to the three.

Lockdown: "Is that right…? Well I'm sorry to disappoint, but this isn't over, not by a long shot."

The three heard that and were a little confused by what he meant by that.

Homura: "What? What are you…?"

But when Jack turned to see what he was looking at, his eyes went bug wide and turned to the two, warning them of the situation.

Jack Darby: "Everyone run and du-!"

But before he could finish, they were immediately blasted from the ground. It didn't hit them, but the impact caused them all the fly in the air and pushed to the direction for what appears to be another crane. Even the force of them caused the woman's hood to go off her head and the mask to fly away. All three of them fell to the ground and rolled around until reaching the base of the crane. Kyubey soon came out of the warehouse and turned to see the three at the crane's base and was badly wounded.

Kyubey: "Homura! Jack!"

He soon started to hear footsteps coming from behind him, loud and rumbling footsteps, and turned to see an unsettling surprise. Three Cons were starting to walk down towards him and looked extremely menacing. Both Shatter and Dropkick were on two separate sides, while Shockwave was in the middle, with his cannon starting to charge. Slowly backing away, he knew that there's no other help coming to protect him.

Kyubey: "Oh no… This is not good…"

Turning back to the three, he decided to run to them and try to wake them up. But as he was running, Lockdown noticed the creature heading to them and started to get up.

Lockdown: "Oh no you don't! You are not going to get away that easily!"

Once he got up, he took out one of the grenades in his holster and armed it, tossing it towards the Incubator. It landed right in front of him and was ticking away to zero. It soon started to shift and turning into an electric prod that shot out static electricity around it. That electricity started to hit the Incubator and shocked him to the point of passing out, but not before it screamed in agony. The moment he passed out, Lockdown looked at what he has accomplished and turned to see the three approaching him. Seeing Shockwave, he was surprised that he was there and crossed his arms.

Lockdown: "Surprise to see you, Shockwave. I didn't expect you to come to my aid."

Shockwave approached the bounty hunter and didn't expect it either.

Shockwave: "Neither did I. However, giving the current environment, Shatter contacted me of the situation and I have to be the one to interact."

Dropkick thought noticed the three downed humans and gave a bit of a chuckle.

Dropkick: "Besides, you're glad we saved your tailpipe. You got beaten by three small creatures! How embarrassing is that?"

Lockdown turned to him with his blaster aiming at his face and told him that it wasn't easy.

Lockdown: "I'll have you know that these three caught me by surprise with what they possess. You should've been there to know why they beat me that easily."

Dropkick lifted his hands up and tries to talk his way out of this.

Dropkick: "Whoa! Easy there with the trigger. I was just playing with you. Lighten up."

As that was going on, Shatter approached the unconscious creature and picked him up with her servos. Taking a closer look at it, she was confused of what they have to retrieve.

Shatter: "So… This is the creature we nearly got terminated to retrieve? Doesn't look like much to get."

Shockwave approached her and told her that it was important.

Shockwave: "Megatron believes that the creature is vital in understanding this new threat the Decepticons was facing. So it's logical that it can give us the answers he needed."

Dropkick soon turned to see the three humans that were starting to come to and told the others about it.

Dropkick: "Hey! Those three are getting up. You want me to pop them?"

Shockwave turned to see him arming his weapon to pop and then looked back to see the crane above them. He soon lifted his servo up and told him to hold on that thought.

Shockwave: "That won't be necessary. Giving the current circumstance, it is best that they suffer then dying a quick and painless death."

Arming his cannon, he pointed it up to the middle of the crane and charged it up to fire. At the same time, Jack was slowly coming to and rubbed the back of his head, feeling the pain.

Jack Darby: "Ugh… That hurt… Should've warned them sooner if I knew that was going to happen."

He soon turned to see both Homura and the mysterious Magical Girl trying to get up, with the older woman feeling worse for wares. He soon checked on her to see if she's all right.

Jack Darby: "Hey! Easy there! You were pretty banged up. Just take is slowly and…"

He soon tailed off and noticed that she doesn't have her hood or mask on her. But what shocked him the most is the fact that he finally sees her face. A very familiar face with long black hair that was styled into a low ponytail and brown eyes. Seeing that, he was shocked as to whom the mysterious Magical Girl is.

Jack Darby: "M… Mom?!"

Indeed, the mysterious older Magical Girl is in fact his own mother, June Darby. Looking up, June saw Jack's shocked face and soon realized that her cover is completely blown. Knowing this, she gave a bit of a nervous chuckle and tries to explain herself.

June Darby: "Heh, heh… Hey, Jack… This isn't what it looks like."

But before she could explain, Shockwave started to fire his cannon at the crane and used multiple shots to take it down. The stand soon detached and pieces and the crane itself started to fall towards the three. Jack and June heard that and looked up to see the crane heading towards them. Jack soon turned to the two and decided to do the saving entirely.

Jack Darby: "Look out!"

He soon got up and went between them, lifting his arm up. Around the same time, the crane and debris hit the ground they were on and buried them completely. Soon enough, a pile of metal and beams were under them as the four cons watched on. Once it was all over, Shockwave contacted the Intel Officer on his comm. and told him to bridge them.

Shockwave: "Soundwave, we have contained the creature. Bridge us to my lab on Cybertron. We are ready for interrogation."

Pretty soon, the bridge opened up from behind them as the four started to turn and enter the portal with Kyubey in their clutches. But just then, Lockdown stopped and looked back at the pile underneath the humans and wondered if they survived or not. But considering they accomplish their mission, he ignored it and decided to enter the portal last. As soon as it vanished, the abandoned mine is empty and the Autobot and the human companions were defeated with the incubator taken. But the problem is that if they survived or not?

Five minutes later…

Smokescreen: "Well…? Find anything?"

Bumblebee: (No! I'm not detecting a spark signature anywhere.)

Smokescreen: "Well, keep looking! I'm sure she's somewhere in this mess."

Sideswipe: "Man… Look at this place. It looks like that an EMP tornado blew in here. You sure that she's here?"

Strongarm: "Ratchet said that her spark signature is somewhere here and it's a little weak. We need to find her quickly before she joins the Well."

Bulkhead: "Hey! I'm picking something up. Coming from here. It's Arcee signal! It's coming from here! Help me out here!"

Arcee couldn't help but to hear voices in the pitch-black darkness. Makes it hard to know what's going on without seeing it. Suddenly, she could hear the sound of rocks moving around her followed by peaks of light. The lights continued to get wider as she was nearly blinded by it. When the light faded, she could see the faces of Bumblebee and Bulkhead, looking right at her with a bit of worried.

Bulkhead: "Arcee! Can you hear me? Can you move? Say something!"

Arcee groaned and coughed up some energon, who was still covered in boulders and in worse of shape. Yet she still has the time to joke around and answered him full heartingly.

Arcee: "Well… I'm not offline if that's what you're asking. Now get me out of here."

Hearing that, Bulk smirked and figured she wasn't in a mood.

Bulkhead: "Bee, you grab one arm I'll grab the other. On three, we pull her up.

The two soon grabbed the femme by the arms and were ready to lift her.

Bulkhead: "Ready? On three. One. Two. THREE!"

With one quick pull, they managed to pry Cee out of the rubble and freed her completely. Placing her down, she took a breather and was relieved she was save.

Arcee: "Thanks for the rescue. A few breams more and I would've been a goner."

Bulk chuckled and told her that it was all right.

Bulkhead: "No reason to thank us. Ratchet lost contact with you and noticed that you life signal was fading. Ratchet had to contact us to your last whereabouts and we had to cut our energon scouting short. And judging by your condition, we were lucky to find you in time."

And indeed she was damaged. Armor dinged up and covered in dust, glass on her chest plate cracked, gashes on her exposed metal skin that's leaking energon, and winglets badly bent. In short, she was in too much of a wreck. Looking down at herself, she decided to make a joke about it giving how fatal it might look.

Arcee: "I've been through worse."

Soon enough, Swipe, Smokescreen, and Strongarm approached them and were glad they found her. Even Sideswipe got the joke and had a chuckle.

Sideswipe: "You think that was bad, try surviving in the Nemesis. Not that easy."

The two wheeler looked to the red mech and smirked to him.

Arcee: "Really? Cause last time I checked, you had helped of a few Magical Girls."

Swipe rubbed the back of his helm and laughed a little nervously.

Sideswipe: "True… But still…isn't easy."

Speaking of Magical Girls, both Mami and Kyoko were there too as they joined in search of their teammate after learning she got caught in the attack as well. Tomoe soon approached the femme and asked where Homura was.

Mami: "Where's Homura?"

Cee look down to the two and knew they were looking for her. So she pointed to the direction they went and explained to them what happened.

Arcee: "That way. I told them to run and hide, but Lockdown went after them. Wish I could stop them, but I was a little preoccupied by two Triple Changers. I'm sure that she was trying to defend herself along with Jack."

Hearing that, the two looked to the direction Jack and Homura went to and decided to take. They soon started to run off to that direction. Strongarm and Sideswipe saw them leave and wondered if they want to join them. Looking to the Elite Guard for answers, to which he turned to them and responded from their expressions.

Smokescreen: "Go! Get to the girls. We'll take Arcee back to base for immediate medical help. Can't let those two go out there incase any Decepticons decide to crash the party. Contact Ratchet for a bridge when you find them."

The two heard his orders and nodded, joining with the Magical Girls to find Jack and Homura. Once they left, Smoke contacted Ratch for an immediate bridge back to base.

Smokescreen: "Ratchet, it's Smokescreen. We found Arcee and she's badly injured. Open a ground bridge back to base and prepare the med bay. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and I will be taking her in. Sideswipe and Strongarm will remain here with the two girls to find Jack and Homura. Have that bridge on standby when they find them."

Once he was done explaining the situation, the portal started to open up and was ready to let them return. Bulk and Bee soon started to carry Cee by the arms and all four of them managed to reach the portal.

Meanwhile, Sideswipe and Strongarm were with Kyoko and Mami as they started to search for Jack and Homura. Walking down the long row of abandon warehouses, they noticed that it was some kind of warzones with scorch marks on the ground, destroyed buildings, and debris all over the place. No doubt, there was a fight going on as Kyoko whistled to herself.

Kyoko: "Man… Look at this place. Looks like Homura was here all right. This place screams explosions and arrows. Wonder if she won?"

Mami soon got her soul gem out and decided to search for her.

Mami: "I really don't know. But right now, I am more concerned if she survived or not. I'll use my soul gem to sense any of her magic around."

She soon closed her eyes and started to focus, looking for any magical presence of her friend. Sideswipe soon look at her and was confused about that.

Sideswipe: "Wait a nanoclick, you can actually do that? I thought those things were used for transforming."

Kyoko looked right at him and placed her hands on her hips after hearing that.

Kyoko: "Well, yeah. We can do that. But we can also use our gems as a way in searching for any magical readings, be that of Wraiths, Nightmares, or other Magical Girls. There's a lot of detail when it comes to our line of work."

Sideswipe heard this and decided to let them do their work while he investigate the attack.

Sideswipe: "Right… You two go do that."

Approaching the badly damage warehouse with a hole that can let him in, he looked and was surprised that it would happen.

Sideswipe: "Got to say, that girl knows how to put up a fight. Almost like she was fighting for her life. Wonder who attack her?"

It was then that Strongarm crossed her arms and remembered the name Arcee mentioned.

Strongarm: "You heard the lieutenant. It was done by Lockdown."

The red mech turned to hear her and noticed that she crossed her arms and turned away, looking a little worried. Blinking, he decided to ask if something was bothering her.

Sideswipe: "Strongarm? Is there something wrong? Who is this Lockdown anyways? Some kind of dangerous Con?"

The cadet shook her head and explained to him of what she heard at the academy.

Strongarm: "No, he was no Con. Nor was he an Autobot. He's just a neutral Bounty Hunter who only cares for himself. He never picks a side, only takes jobs when the bounty is right. Most likely, missions for the Cons dirty work. Armed to the grill and a former warrior in the Kaon coliseum, he is the toughest, if not dangerous mech in all of Cybertron and would terminate you without a second thought if you cross him. I heard rumors about him back at the academy. A lot of recruits spreading myths and fears of this scrapper and what he's capable of. I tend to ignore them as folk tales sires and carriers tell their little sparklings in bed. But if what Arcee said is true and he's on Earth, then I'm really starting to believe them."

Hearing her story Sideswipe felt a little unease, but kept his composure to ask about something.

Sideswipe: "If that's the case, then why didn't he took out Arcee? Why would he be interested in the humans?"

Strongarm turned to him and haven't gotten a clue.

Strongarm: "I really don't know. But I got a feeling that what happened here, he must've been successful."

Mami continued to search for Homura's magic for a while until she pinpointed it close by.

Mami: "There, I do believe I got her magical energy. But I'm also picking something else. A different type of magic, from a different Magical Girl."

Kyoko heard this and was quite surprised that they picked up another Magical Girl.

Kyoko: "Really? Another one? Didn't think there would be one around here. Where is it?"

Mami looked around and answered her question

Mami: "In the same location as Homura. Right about…There!"

She soon pointed to the pile of twisted metal and remnants of the crane that came down. Kyoko looked to this and crossed her arms in confusion.

Kyoko: "There? You serious? That looks like a pile of crap from what I see. Are they buried or something? Cause I know that no one would survive that, not even a Magical Girl."

Mami nodded and told her that she was honest.

Mami: "Indeed. But I can feel Homura's magic, and the Magical girl that's with her and Jack. We best better get all that out of there and hope that they are all right. Strongarm. Sideswipe. A little assistance will be nice."

The two heard her and looked at the debris that the two were buried in, along with the mysterious Magical Girl. Seeing the situation, they decided to help and approached the debris.

Strongarm: "Sideswipe, help me with this crane. It's no doubt the heaviest thing to handle."

Sideswipe nodded and decided to help out in anyway possible. Once they grabbed both ends with both servos and were ready to lift.

Strongarm: "Okay… One, two, three!"

The two soon started to lift the damaged crane up and get a chance seeing what was inside. That's when they noticed something quite surprising and told the girls to come up.

Sideswipe: "Hey, girls? I think you should see this."

Mami and Kyoko heard that and hurried to the pile, climbing up it while the two bots placed the crane away. Once they reached the top, they were shocked and saw something that they didn't expect. In the middle of it, looked to be some type of energy shield in the middle of what appears to be a hole. Who operated the shield was none other then Jackson Darby as he had his arm up and a part of it opened up and revealed some type of mechanism to activate the shield, though tearing part of his sleeve in the process.

Kyoko: "Whoa…"

Jack soon deactivated his shield and the part of the arm closed up completely, looking up to them with a hand raised up.

Jack Darby: "Well…? What are you waiting for? Help us up!"

Looking down, they could both notice both Homura and the mystery Magical Girl that had her head down after getting dropped. Seeing the three, they started by grabbing Jack's hand and lifted him out of the hole and debris. He brushed himself off and was glad that someone came to rescue them. Strongarm soon approached him and was surprised he can do something like that.

Strongarm: "Well, that was unexpected. How did you know you had a energon shock shield with you?"

Jack looked to the cadet and didn't have a clue.

Jack Darby: "To be honest, I didn't know. But at least I was lucky to save everyone. What about Arcee? Is she okay?"

Strongarm lowered her head and knew that Jack doesn't know of her condition. But now that he's asking, she decided to explain to him what happened.

Strongarm: "We managed to find her, but she was badly wounded and we had to take her back to the base to fix her up. She will make it. She's a fighter."

Jack listened to that and was completely shocked the Cee was defeated that easily. But as least he was relieved that she'll make it and took a sigh of relief.

Jack Darby: "That's good to hear. At least Arcee was able to hold her own for so long. I just hope she recovers."

Mami and Kyoko soon lifted Homura up out of the hole as she was slowly recovering from the Lockdown assault. Getting down on her knees, she took a breather and was still dazed from the last attack followed by nearly getting crushed by the crane and debris. Mami soon got down to her and told her to ease up.

Mami: "It's all right. We got you. Just take a bit of a breather and we'll provide you with some magic to heal you up."

Homura soon realized something and got up, looking around for someone. She soon turned to them and asked on the Incubator.

Homura: "Where's Kyubey?! Have you two seen him?"

The two looked to each other and were a little confused about that. Looking back, they answered as honest as possible.

Kyoko: "Uh… No… We didn't see him anywhere. We only found you two just now. We didn't see that back stabbing fuzz ball. Why? Wasn't he with you?"

Hearing that answer, Homura knew what it meant and cussed to herself.

Homura: "Damn it! This is just as I feared. I'm afraid that the Cons might have taken Kyubey."

The two heard that and were completely shocked by that news.

Mami: "They got Kyubey? Why would they do that?"

Homura turned away and knew the answer right in front of her.

Homura: "Obviously because of what occurred in the Nemesis, there's no doubt that the Decepticons want to know more about us. And he is the key."

The other two got the message and realized that they are in grave danger. They and the entire Magical Girl Community.

Mami: "Hmm… This complicates things further. If what you say is true and they got Kyubey, then that means…"

Homura turned to her and finished what she is saying.

Homura: "It means that they will get the answers they need about us, and when they do…"

Then Kyoko decided to finish Homura's statement.

Kyoko: "We're screwed."

Just as they fear the worse, they could hear a voice from in the hole.

June Darby: "Excuse me. I hate to interrupt, but can anyone bring me out of this hole now."

Homura heard that voice and realized it was someone very familiar.

Homura: "Wait a minute. I know who that voice is."

Turning back to the hole to look down, she noticed the face of June looking up and was wearing attire that was very familiar, even without the hood and facemask. Blinking, she realized who this older Magical Girl is and put two and two together.

Homura: "June?"

Without a second thought, she reached out her hand for her to grab. The Darby quickly grabbed it and she and Mami went on ahead and pulled her out of the rubble. With her out, all three girls looked at the woman and were shocked that she is the same person that saved them from the three Cons on the Nemesis.

Kyoko: "You got to be kidding me?! You're telling me this old hag is that mysterious Magical Girl that saved our asses?!"

June was taken back by that insult and crossed her arms, looking a little annoyed.

June: "First of all, young lady, I'm nowhere close to an old hag. You have no right to insult me like that. Secondly, be glad Quvey and I were able to save you all four of you, or you would've join the Law of Cycles like every other Magical Girl."

Mami soon approached her and was just as shocked, but remained cool and collective.

Mami: "Forgive Kyoko, she never had that bad attitude before when I first met her. But she does have a point. You are the mysterious Magical Girl that saved us and you did the same with Homura here. But it is impossible that Magical Girls can survive for this long when their wishes were spent. How is that possible?"

Just as she asked that, Jack soon joined in and wanted to know the same thing.

Jack Darby: "Yeah… That's exactly what I want to know."

June turned to that direction and saw her son with his arms crossed, realizing that her secrets were exposed completely. Turning her head away, she thought about it and decided to let them know, but in a private setting. Turning back, he told Jack the same thing as when he discovered that he's part robot.

June Darby: "Jack… We need to have a little talk… Again…"

Well, that does it with this chapter. Oh boy, another long one as that. I really need to do something about shortening these chapters. However, when you have to add so much into one, it's difficult to loose yourself in it. Still, I did settle some things. Not only to have Kyubey caught by the Cons, but also to reveal of the mysterious Magical Girl, to which I'm sure you all knew who it was the moment she made her debut. But I know what all of you would be asking. If June is a Magical Girl, then why is she still around. Not all Magical Girls make it through their teens. And if she made her wish, what was it? These are all good questions, to which I will answer in the next chapter. Think of it as a pallet cleanser after going through with this entire thing. And, hopefully, it will be short enough to get by. Hope you stay tune for it. For now, I got other stories I need to work on. Please Review. #WherearetheGoodCartoons?