Author's note:
All right, we're getting close to being finished! Hope you enjoy!
After the Decepticons had taken the Rescue Bots prisoner, they overan the town. The humans who refused to surrender had their houses demolished. The Decepticons forced the inhabitants of Griffin Rock into the town square to sleep. Only during the day were they allowed to go about the town's increasing rubble. Stores and buildings were being destroyed every day. Steeljaw took control of the town and enforced harsh rules upon the humans. Communications were cut off. Technology was confiscated. Decepticons enjoyed threatening to step on the Earthlings. Eventually, the townsfolk were scared to step foot outside of the town center.
Food and water became hard to find, and the town leaders began to rationalize the food that others scavenged. Mrs. Neederlander and Mr. Pfieffer, the baker, were in charge of preparing food and rations, while the braver townsfolk were tasked with scavenging. Water had to be carried from any source they could find. As the week went by, fresh water became scarce, and the citizens looked towards the ocean. The only problem was, it was saltwater. Captain Shaw found a working oven, and in secret, boiled the water. Then he and his wife collected the steam and let it condense back into fresh water. It took some time, but it was the easiest way to supply fresh, clean water to the town, albeit very risky if the Decepticons caught them with anything powered electronically.
It was difficult for those with medical conditions. Some were lucky enough to retrieve their medicines and medications before being herded to the town square, while others were not so lucky. Carin and Mayor Luskey negotiated with the Decepticons, asking them to leave the pharmacy building and the hospital intact for those who were injured. The humans—who were in danger of being squished under foot—were in no shape to negotiate. With Carin's calm personality, the best they were able to get was the hospital intact. The pharmacy was destroyed just to spite the humans. The hospital staff were left to salvage anything they could from the wreckage to help the townsfolk with illnesses. Unfortunately, those with diabetes and other chronic illnesses in need of medication were left in danger; they were left to slowly count down the days until the medications ran out.
"If this goes on any longer, we're going to run out of insulin for Mr. Sharma," Dr. McSwain sighs, updating the town council of the situation.
"And poor Mrs. Rubio hasn't eaten for two days," Mrs. Luskey bemoans. "All we've had to offer now is stale baked goods, and she's a celiac. All the gardens have been destroyed!"
"No one ever talked about this aspect of disaster films," Huxley Prescott mutters under his breath.
The townsfolk were waiting for their verdict. The Decepticons won't just leave us here, they whispered in hushed voices to each other. "They'll put is to work," Mr. Bufkin theorizes. "Use us as cheap labor until we give out."
"Or they'll eat us!" Milo irrationally suggests.
"Nonsense, Cybertronains can't eat organic matter," Virginia, the zookeeper, debunks him. She had been quite interested in Cybertronian biology since the secret came out. "More likely, as Mr. Bufkin said, they'll put us to work. Perhaps using us to mine Energon, if there's any on the island."
"I can't see them putting us to labor," Carin calmly states. "As much as they threaten to step on us, I think they need us. They're all wanted criminals, and since the Rescue Bots surrendered when the Decepticons put humans in danger, what's to stop them from using us as ransoms again? Should the Cybertronian law enforcement arrive, I think they'll use us as a ransom. I think we're their bargaining chips for a quick getaway."
Four days after being taken captive, Thanksgiving arrived. Steeljaw, being the manipulative leader he was, gave humans a break from their captivity and graciously allowed them to celebrate their holiday uninterrupted. "I am not that cruel of a leader," he assures them.
Unfortunately, the next day, the Decepticons had upped their old tricks and cruelly destroyed half of the hospital, leaving the humans in more despair.
The Burns family and Greene family, on the other hand, were taken captive and held hostage in the lab. The Decepticons had created a cage for the humans and forced them to stay in there. The conditions were worse for them; while the townsfolk were struggling to find food and water, the Decepticons didn't even think about food and water for a few days. The Burns and Greenes were very dehydrated before Clampdown noticed their degrading conditions and said something. After that, Mrs. Rubio and Mrs. Lima were chosen to bring food and water to the captives twice a day.
Given that the Decepticons didn't understand—and didn't care—about human biology, the two families were left to deal with things on their own. Food and water, the Decepticons understood. They needed Energon and fluids to survive. As for other human bodily functions, well, Cybertronians never knew the feeling of needing to relieve themselves. The humans were left to awkwardly deal with things inside the cage. For Hayley, with her being pregnant, it was torture. And toddler Cece didn't make things easier.
Fed up with how his wife, family, and friends were being treated, Kade decided to do something about it. After the umpteenth time of asking to go to the restroom and being rejected, Kade made his point by doing his business on the ped of Thunderhoof, who was unfortunately too close to the cage. The Decepticon gave him the most offended look of utter disgust, unsure what the human had just done. Cody, Graham, and Franky were trying not to laugh, while Chief and Hayley hung their heads in embarrassment. "Never thought I'd be so happy to see my brother wee on a Decepticon," Dani laughs.
"I never thought I'd hear that sentence," Graham chuckles.
But Kade had proved his point, and the Decepticons allowed them to use the restrooms. The men were allowed to go twice in a day, while the women were allowed three times a day. "I am a gentlemech," Steeljaw says, his metal mouth twisting into a fake smile. "Femmes should be treated wonderfully."
"Such a gentleman," Dani mutters under her breath, rolling her eyes.
About a week and half after the Decepticons took control, Bumblebee called in. "Bumblebee to Heatwave. How is the Fracture situation?"
The Decepticons snicker as Divebomb, one of Fracture's minicons, steps up to the communications panel set up in Doc's lab. Steeljaw places a soundproof shield over the human's cage, allowing them to hear everything while keeping them silent. Divebomb shushes the other Decepticons, clears his throat, and begins to mimic Heatwave's voice. "We have it under control. Scuffle between him and the Panthera group led to our communications being damaged. All we got is audio."
"Ah," Bumblebee says, not questioning it. "Have you captured him?"
"Not yet," Divebomb says, faking a growl of annoyance. "He escaped off the planet. Quickshadow and her group are currently chasing him through the galaxy."
"If it becomes too much to handle, we can assist them in Drift's spaceship," Bumblebee offers.
Divebomb chuckles. "Bee, if they can't handle their ex teammate, I'm not sure who can."
"Fair enough," Bumblebee sighs. "Keep me posted. Drift is itching to take down his old nemesis."
"I am not itching, I keep my armor very clean," they hear in the background.
"Shut up, Drax, it's an Earth expression," Sideswipe groans in the background.
"Is Drax an Earth expression as well?" Drift asks in annoyance, causing another groan from Sideswipe.
Bumblebee sighs over the comm. "Just keep us posted."
"Will do," Divebomb says, ending the conversation.
Back at the Bee Team base, Bumblebee ends the call. "What is it, Lieutenant?" Strongarm asks, noticing his frown.
"Did Heatwave always have a scratchy voice?" Bumblebee asks.
"Pretty much," Sideswipe chuckles. "He always sounded like a grumpy old mech to me."
"Perhaps it was interference from their damaged complications—combinations—communications!" Fix it suggests. Russel slaps his head to help him out of his glitch.
"You're probably right," Bumblebee sighs, writing off the oddness of Heatwave's voice as static.
The Decepticons cackle at the deception. "He don't suspect a thing," Thunderhoof laughs.
The humans watch with despair. "If Bumblebee doesn't suspect we're in trouble, how are we going to be saved?" Graham asks.
"I hope OP calls," Kade grumbles. "There's no way a Prime could be fooled." Unfortunately, Optimus never called.
As for the bots, the Decepticons chained them up around Griffin Rock. Chained and arbitrarily tortured by the Decepticons, they were made an example to the humans. "Look at how weak your protectors are," the Decepticons message was. Boulder, Blades, Salvage, and Blurr were chained around the outskirts of the island, and were given just enough Energon to keep them living. Onca, Tigris, and Leo were chained around the mountain leading to the lab. The Decepticons had fun sending minor rock slides down onto them.
Quickshadow was held captive by Fracture and Steeljaw. The two moved her between the lab and the Firehouse. The humans had no idea what condition she was in, or what they were doing to her.
Heatwave and Chase—considered to be the leaders in the town folks eyes—were chained up on either side of the town square. While the other bots had their servos chained behind their backs on their knees, or their servos to their chests like they were in a coffin, Heatwave and Chase were chained in a different position. Their peds were chained to the base of a metal rod, and their servos were chained out and above their helms.
"Your saviors are now hung on a cross," Steeljaw says, having read up on the strange human phenomenon known as "religion" in his hiding. "They are powerless against us."
"If they are representing the Lord, then you are representing Satan," Mr. Bunty points out.
Steeljaw chuckles. "Then I am winning."
"Guess you don't know how the crucifixion ends," the man says vaguely.
The Decepticon leader crosses his arms. "Perhaps they will sacrifice themselves for you, but I sincerely doubt they will rise again on the third day."
After that little exchange, the Decepticons enjoyed torturing Heatwave and Chase until the humans ran away, tormented by the Cybertronians' pain. Never again did Mr. Bunty argue with Steeljaw over the crucifixion.
About two weeks after being captured, the townsfolk were ready to fight back. At night, Mayor Luskey gathered those that were volunteering to fight back. It was a pretty large group. "Well, eh," Mayor Luskey stutters quietly. "How do we go about stopping the Decepticons? They're bigger, stronger, could easily step on us and kill us."
"I'm not sure there's much we can do," Mr. Alper nervously says. "If anything!"
Mrs. Neederlander huffs. "In all my years, I have never seen this town give up in times of hardships. I'm not going to give up. I'll stop those scoundrels if I have to do it myself!"
Mrs. Rubio sighs. "We have enough people who want to fight back that we could do it. The problem is finding a solution."
Jerry looks around the rebel group. "Deputy Barney, Taylor, Carin, would you three be our leaders? You've spent the most time with the bots, Taylor, and you two have police experience. You guys would probably be the best leaders, no offense, Mayor Luskey."
"None taken," the large man chuckles slightly.
"All the Decepticons are wanted felons on Cybertron," Taylor says. "I think they were all in prison and somehow escaped… If they're wanted, the Cybertronian law enforcement would come for them."
"We just need a way to tell Cybertron," Carin says. "We can't deal with them, but their own kind can."
"So what do we do? Sneak into their fortress and send out a distress signal?" Mr. Harrison asks.
"They could easily prepare for an attack," Amy sighs, holding on tightly to her pet monkey. She was afraid of losing him. "We'd need to free the other bots so that they could hold off the Decepticons until help arrives."
"And what about the other bots who came when Steeljaw first attacked?" Huxley Prescott asks. "The Prime. The dinobot. All those other ones."
"The Bee Team lives on Earth, somewhere in America," Taylor says. "Optimus Prime's team is back on Cybertron. The Bee Team dealt with these guys on a regular basis, so we would need to contact them first."
"Does anyone know how to work the Cybertronian tech?" Deputy Barney asks.
No one in the group did.
"All right, we'd need to free the Burns's and Greene's," Carin says.
"So, what's the plan?" Taylor asks. There was an unspoken agreement that the older woman was the default leader.
The next morning, the Griffin Rock citizens enact their plan. "Hey, ugly!" Milo shouts at Overload.
The Decepticon looks at him in disgust. "Ugly? This is the face of a star!"
"You look like a snowman!" one of the Lad Pioneers shouts.
The Decepticon is offended—despite not knowing what a snowman was. "How dare you!"
The townsfolk begin hurling insults and causing a ruckus, drawing the attention of the Decepticons. Their goal was to draw out Steeljaw and Fracture in particular. Mrs. Neederlander and Mrs. Rubio led the children, mothers, and anyone else unfit to fight back into a secure part of the town square, just in case the Decepticons decided to attack the humans.
"What is going on?" Steeljaw growls, appearing with Fracture and Thunderhoof. The two Decepticons had taken the roles of second and third in command. Fracture, due to his experience with the Panthera Project, and Thunderhoof due to his criminal boss past.
Mayor Luskey gives the subtle signal. Carin, Taylor, and Amy move between the building rubble and head up the mountain undetected. It was a long way up, but they were able to hijack Don's car. The thrill seeking speedster had hidden his car when the Decepticons took over. For the good of the town, he gave away that information and the three rebels found his car.
Their hearts were pounding as Carin drove the car up the hill. They were constantly on the lookout for Decepticons. Tigris and Onca gave them silent encouragement as they drove by, but it was Leo who scared them. "OH YEAH! GO SQUEAKIES!" the lionbot roars with encouragement.
The three humans grimace at his volume, hoping he didn't attract the attention of the Decepticons.
Unfortunately, he did.
Quillfire, who had been tasked with guarding the lab, came out to investigate the ruckus. Thinking quickly, Carin veers off the road and just about goes off the cliff. Amy squeaked in fear and clung to Taylor, who had to grip the side of the car to stay in. Fortunately, the Decepticon was too irritated with Leo to notice. "What is this incessant racket?!" he shouts, groaning in annoyance.
Once he was farther down the road, the three climbed out of the car and ran as fast as they could for the lab. They entered through the invisible doggy door—Amy had figured it out months before when her monkey, Tesla, used it to break into the lab—and they found the Burns' and Greene's in the cage.
"Taylor!" Dani exclaims, being the first to notice the newcomers.
"What are you guys doing in here?" Chief asks, standing up as they arrive at the cage.
"It's a rebellion, join us," Carin says jokingly, looking up at the lock.
"It's not a regular lock," Graham says. "Well, not one we would use. There's a particular code you need to input."
"I might be able to crack it," Amy says. "But I won't be able to reach it."
"It might be low enough that we could create a human pyramid," Kade suggests.
Acting fast—there was no telling how long it would take Quillfire to come back—Chief and Kade stand at the bottom while Cody and Dani help Graham up onto their shoulders. The engineer stands shakily on top of his father and brother. "I'll hold you up," he tells Amy.
The woman shakes off her nerves, and allows Carin and Taylor to hoist her up. Kade and Chief support her through the bars and help her reach Graham. Amy has trouble with her footing, and begins to panic.
"Good Lord, take off your heels," Carin says, pulling off the black high heels. "We're not in a movie."
With her bare feet, Amy climbs up the bars easier. She stands next to the padlock and Graham holds her steady through the bars. "It's the Cybertronian number system, 0 through 9," Amy says. "We just need to figure out the combination."
"It's a four number combination," Frankie says. "If I remember correctly, it's the bottom… right button… middle button… left middle button… and the top middle button."
Amy reaches, but she can't hit the bottom right, and could barely hit the middle. Taylor begins to climb up the cage and helps her input the code. The door slides to the side, knocking Graham off the human tower. Amy and Taylor climb down the cage as the Burns' and Greene's escape.
"What's the plan?" Chief asks.
"Contact Bumblebee and his team, and free the Rescue Bots so that they can hold back the Decepticons," Carin explains, racing to the communications tech with Doc, Taylor, and Amy.
"Solid plan," Chief nods as he and his family follow. He was thankful that blunt Chase wasn't around to point out his slight blush.
"We're too small to work those communications," Graham says. "The Decepticons didn't exactly design them for humans like the Rescue Bots did."
Chief takes charge. "All right, Cody, Frankie, you two free Quickshadow. She's somewhere in the lab, if I'm not mistaken. Dani, Kade, and Taylor, you three try to free Blades, Boulder, Salvage, and Blurr. They're farthest from here, and we need your speed to free them. Doc and Graham, you two free Leo, Tigris, and Onca. They're bound to have the most complicated bindings; they were spies after all. Carin, you're with me. We'll head into the square and free Chase and Heatwave. They're the most out in the open and dangerous to free."
"I can help Doc and Graham," Amy shyly offers.
"Right, we need all the help we can get," Chief nods.
"You're really fine with me and Frankie sneaking around in the dark with Quillfire coming back?" Cody asks.
Chief chuckles. "You and Frankie are fifteen now, and we need all the help we can get. Plus, I think Quickshadow might need some encouragement that you two seem to possess."
The group hears Quillfire returning. "Okay, team. Let's go end this tyranny!" Chief says. The group bolts to their tasks as Quillfire enters the lab.
Next chapter: Awake and Alive