I do not own Transformers or Godzilla. They belong to their respective owners.
Enjoy!
Bulkhead and Bumblebee were both very uncomfortable as they drove forward. They were used to there being some sort of communication on drives back to HQ. But right now, Arcee was giving both of them silent treatment.
It wasn't that they misinterpreted her feelings. They knew that she wanted to keep the lizard unhurt. But they had gotten direct orders from both Fowler and Optimus.
The best that they could do now was get back to base and explain the situation.
Speaking of going back to base...
Three vehicles, a blue motorcycle, a yellow and black sports car, and a heavy green truck, all pulled into an abandoned alley.
"Bulkhead to base. We're ready to go back."
The moment the message was sent, a wormhole was created in front of the three. The three Autobots drove inside the groundbridge, ready to report back to their superiors.
What none of them noticed was the scaly head that popped out of the ground just as Arcee and the rest were going inside the portal. A pair of orange eyes saw as the thing that smelled like mother went inside a blinding light and disappeared.
Fearful that he would lose her, the reptilian creature jumped out of its hole and sprinted towards the groundbridge. He made it through just as the portal closed.
On the other end of the groundbride, one Autobot was waiting for his comrades to come through. He didn't have to wait long, as three vehicles came through. The horned Autobot smiled at them.
"How'd the mission go guys?"
The three of them shifted back to their normal forms and walked forward. Cliffjumper moved towards his partner.
"You sounded upset on the coms Arcee. Are you-?"
"Not now Cliff."
Cliff immediately backed off when he heard Arcee's tone. He had worked with her long enough to recognize when she was in a bad mood. And it was always best to not make her mood any worse.
Cliff let Arcee walk past him and turned to Bulk and Bee.
"What happened?"
"She's mad that we shot at the lizard thing," Bulkhead responded.
Cliff frowned. "Wasn't that the point of the mission? Fowler asked us to make sure none of the eggs survived the bombing."
*Beep* *Boop* *Boop*
Cliff nodded as he heard Bee's explanation. Arcee was tough, but she had a big heart. Hell, he'd probably feel the same way under her circumstances.
But orders were orders.
"Let's go see what Optimus thinks."
The three of them took a moment to catch up to Arcee, who was already standing in the main hideout. Optimus and Ratchet had turned away from their monitors to speak with the arrivals.
Optimus was the first to speak.
"You are displeased Arcee."
Optimus Prime's observation was also made by everyone else in the hideout. Given her scowl and hands on her hips, it was clear to see how unpleased Arcee was.
"Yeah. I'm a little upset at being sent on an assassination mission."
"Arcee, your mission was to ensure that none of those creatures would be born and become a threat to the human race," Ratchet said. "This mission was a personal request from them. And one that I happen to have no issues with."
"That right Ratchet? Well, I have an issue. An issue that starts at being ordered to become a killer."
Arcee threw her face towards Ratchet. Both of them were now glowering at each other.
Optimus held his hand between them to separate them.
"Both of you calm yourselves. Yelling and throwing blame will not help us to find a solution to this issue."
Optimus turned to Arcee.
"Perhaps you could explain why you are so determined in this matter Arcee?"
Arcee nodded. "Alright, Optimus. I'll tell you why I'm angry. It's because I found the last egg. And it hatched."
Ratchet's optics widened. "The creature."
"Yeah, it came to life. But I'll have you all know-"
"No Arcee. Behind you!"
Ratchet stepped past Arcee and covered her with his arm. His other arm was now converted to its blaster form, and he aimed it at the only organic being in the Autobot headquarters.
A small (to a Cybertronian) lizard-like creature.
"You came here?" Arcee looked at the creature in genuine surprise. She almost smiled, until she saw how her comrades were reacting to its presence.
"What the- how did that thing get here?!" Bulkhead shouted as he aimed his own blaster at it. Cliff and Bee followed suit.
Based on the reports that the Bots had gotten about the creature's parent, they expected to retaliate upon seeing their weapons. The Bots had never seen the full-grown creature themselves, but the coverage they saw showed natural aggression.
But the smaller creature in front of them was not displaying any such traits. It wasn't baring its claws or fangs. It wasn't making any territorial noises or shouts. It was only displaying one emotion.
Fear.
Its tail was hidden between its legs, and those same legs were quivering. The pupils of its eyes were widened, and its mouth was releasing small distressful sounds.
"Blasters down! It's not going to hurt anyone."
Arcee pushed Ratchet aside and started walking towards the scared creature.
"Arcee! Get back here!" Ratchet shouted.
"Stand down."
Every Bot present turned to look at Optimus. He was the only Bot aside from Arcee who had not unsheathed his weapons. His face was serene, though his order was direct.
"But Optimus," Bulkhead pleaded. "That thing broke in. We need to-"
"Calm yourself Bulkhead. And that goes for all of you as well," Optimus sternly told his subordinates. "We will determine how the creature came here in time. But for now, put your weapons away."
"Optimus?" Ratchet questioned.
"As Autobots, our duty is to fight for peace. But right now, we are the ones choosing direct violence."
The soldier's eyes widened when they realized Optimus was right. So far, the creature hadn't attempted to harm anyone. Honestly, it looked too frightened to hurt anyone.
Arcee turned away from her comrades once their weapons were down. She kept her eyes on the still scared creature, who was now beginning to calm down.
"Hey, it's ok now," Arcee said as she reached her hand out. "No one is going to hurt you."
As soon as the creature saw Arcee's hand, it immediately stopped being scared. It practically jumped forward, nuzzling its head in Arcee's palm. It started releasing the same cooing sound from its throat that it had earlier. Arcee smiled as she petted the creature again.
Behind Arcee, the rest of the Autobots watched in astonishment as Arcee used her other hand to scratch the lizard's chin. The information they had been given led them to believe that the creature was a hostile and feral beast. Not a creature that liked head pats.
Optimus turned to Ratchet.
"Do you have any thoughts on this matter Ratchet?"
The old doctor turned to his friend.
"In all honesty Optimus, no. I don't know what to of all this."
Arcee, her hand still on the creature's head, moved her body to give the reptile a better view of the rest of the Autobots.
"Now do you see why I didn't want to kill it?"
Everyone shuffles awkwardly when Arcee reminds them of how they were acting.
"Uh, sorry Arcee," Bulkhead apologizes.
*Boop* Boop*
Once Bee and Bulk apologize, Ratchet and Cliff do as well. Once she is sure that none of them will hurt the creature, Arcee motions for them to come closer.
Once the other Autobots start walking closer, the creature starts to become a little skittish once again. Arcee has to scratch the back of his head to get him to calm down.
"It's alright. No one," Arcee said sternly, "is going to hurt you. Right?"
"Or course not," Cliff assured as he knelt down himself. He reached his own hand out to the creature. "How's ya doing little fella?"
The creature was hesitant to move forward. It actually tried harder to hang on to Arcee's leg. That was until she assuredly held the back of its head.
"It's alright. Everyone here is friendly."
Tentatively, the big lizard stepped closer to Cliffjumper. It walked until it was close enough to Cliff, at which point it sniffed his arm. Apparently, the scent was a good one, because the creature allowed Cliff to pet it on the head.
Seeing this, Bulkhead and Bumblebee stepped closer. Their presence made the creature more anxious, as they were the ones that shot at it earlier. It took many steps back, this time being more aggressive. It was hissing at Bulk and Bee, telling them not to get closer.
"Relax. All of you," Arcee spook to both her old friends and her new friend. She turned to Bulk and Bee. "Try apologizing. Maybe that can get rid of some bad blood."
The two of them shared a look. Whether or not it would work was doubtful, but it was worth a shot.
"Uh, sorry for shooting you. Little lizard thing."
"Bulk..." Arcee warned.
"What? No one named it. What are we supposed to call it?"
*Beep* *Boop*
Intrigued by the sounds he was making, the creature stepped closer to Bumblebee. Seeing it, Bumblebee smiled (as best he could) at the creature. A smile the creature appreciated.
It turned to Bulkhead. It then promptly turned away and went back to Arcee. The only female Autobot quickly went back to petting her new friend.
The Wrecker sighed. "Gonna take a while for him to like me, huh?"
*Boop* *Beep*
"Yeah, I guess I did fire first. Guess I shoulda expected this."
Having made peace with Bumblebee and a tentative truce with Bulkhead, the creature turned to the only two Autobots he had yet to interact with.
"You keep it busy Optimus. I need to grab my instruments.
"Ratchet..." Optimus spoke with a warning undertone. Arcee's glare only made that warning more pronounced.
"I am not going to experiment on it. But I think we can all agree that we could benefit by knowing more about the creature."
As Ratchet went to grab his tools, the creature walked closer to Optimus. Standing far taller than any of his comrades, Optimus had to look down to get a better look at the creature. Likewise, the creature had to look up and gaze at the Cybertronian that dwarfed him.
As Optimus looked at the creature, he saw it move its mouth. The creature was trying to imitate a facial movement it had seen on Arcee earlier. Its maw opened as the back of its lips curled upwards.
It was trying to smile at Optimus. A smile that the Prime happily returned.
"Here we are," Ratchet said as he stepped forward. In his hands was his trusty scanner, which he was now pointing at the creature. As the machine scanned the creature, it reacted by trying to fight back against the light that the machine emitted.
"Let's see here," Ratchet muttered as he read through the notes his scanner compiled. "Warm-blooded, piscivorous, and... Ah! Well, this answers one question."
"What is it?" Arcee asked as she calmed down the still-cautious creature.
"There is no species name for this creature, but we don't have to call it an 'it' anymore. The scan shows that the creature's gender is male."
"A guy huh?" Arcee wondered allowed as her hand continued to scratch the lizard's scaly skin. "Somehow I figured that myself."
"I guess there are only two questions left," Cliffjumper suddenly said. Everyone looked at him.
"One is, what do we call him?"
Bulkhead scratched his chin. "I mean, he's a lizard. How about Lizzy?"
The creature sneezed.
"I don't think so," Arcee translated.
"We can figure that out later," Cliffjumper said. "That is if we keep him. Are we going to keep him here?"
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet suddenly exclaimed.
"Excuse me? Why not?" Arcee asked affirmatively.
"Two major reasons. One reason being the fact that we were asked to locate and destroy any surviving eggs," Ratchet explained. "The second reason, for those who didn't see the footage, is the size he will inevitably grow to reach."
Ratchet pressed a few buttons on his tablet and then presented it to everyone. On the screen were a photograph and connected video. The photo was a fully matured version of the lizard creature, with back spikes and everything. The video showed this matured creature rampaging through the city of New York, tearing through buildings and humiliating the military.
"This creature will not stay in an infantile state forever. Eventually, it will grow to its adult size. Once it does, hiding it will be out of the question," Ratchet explained.
Everyone had to admit that Ratchet had a point. If the creature was going to grow to that massive a size, then taking care of it would be impossible at the base. And there was a whole slew of issues that could come up just by the creature's existence.
But Arcee wasn't one to give up.
"So we find somewhere else on the planet to hide him. We're not killing him Ratchet."
"I agree with Arcee," Optimus said.
"But Optimus..."
"Ratchet, our duty as Autobots is to protect and preserve all forms of life. And that includes his as well."
The creature looked up at Optimus. Whether or not he understood what the leader was saying was debatable. But there was certainly a look of understanding.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. And that includes this creature."
That settled the matter instantly. The Autobots knew they were not going to harm the creature. It wasn't in their nature.
"So what do we do then?" Bulkhead asked.
The answer was interrupted when the com went off.
"Agent Fowler is here," Optimus noted. He then turned to Arcee.
"Keep him hidden."
Arcee complied with Optimus's order. She guided the lizard towards another section of the base. The creature was more than happy to follow her.
It was only a few moments late when the elevator to the lair became operational. And when it landed on its final floor, a man in a suit walked out.
"Optimus, I need an explanation. What happened at that stadium?"
Agent Fowler was not in the mood for any jokes or idle chitchat. So Optimus obliged him.
"My team went to the stadium as requested. They managed to locate one undamaged egg."
Fowler's eyes widened. "And? Did they kill it?"
"No. The creature escaped before it could be intercepted."
"What?! This is bad."
"Don't worry. We can find the thing soon enough," Ratchet told Fowler. He and Optimus shared the briefest of looks.
"No, no, no, no, no. Soon enough isn't going to cut it. We need to find that monster and terminate it as soon as possible."
"Agent Fowler, I'm afraid I do not understand your concern."
Fowler looked at Prime incredulously. "Are you being serious right now Prime? Did you not see the footage that the Pentagon agreed to share with you?"
"I saw the footage, and I understand your concerns, Agent Fowler. My issue lies in your need to kill it," Optimus explained. "The creature has only freshly hatched. It is in an infantile state. Would it not be possible to find this creature and attempt to tame it?"
"Optimus, we are talking about a baby that would grow up into a massive monster that can walk through buildings with ease. Why would you even suggest something like that?" Fowler inquired.
Optimus looked to Ratchet. In times like this, his old friend's logical approach often proved beneficial.
"Let him know Optimus," Ratchet said. "Showing him may be the only way to convince him."
"Show me? Show me what?" Fowler asked, his hands holding tightly to the balcony.
Optimus answered Fowler by turning away.
"Arcee. You can come back. But make sure to keep him calm."
"Him? Who's him?"
Fowler's question was answered when the blue Autobot returned to the room. By her side was a six-foot-tall lizard that resembled a dinosaur.
Fowler immediately jumped back. "What the hell-?!"
"HRAGH!"
The creature was startled by the sudden intensity in Fowler's voice. Thinking the human was a threat, he was preparing to run forward and pounce the threat. His legs were moving to get ready.
That was when Arcee dropped her foot down in front of him.
"No. Fowler is an ally. Do not attack."
The creature was hesitant to listen. He was trying to find a way past her legs to get to the human. He wanted to protect Mother from what he perceived to be a threat.
"Hey. Listen to me. Right now."
Arcee bent down and held her hand over the creature's face. She had its full attention now.
"We do not attack humans. You can defend yourself if you feel threatened, but there are no threats here. Am I clear?"
Almost reluctantly, the creature settled down. It relaxed its legs and loosened its tail.
Fowler looked at the scene in pure astonishment. The information he had about the creature's birth parent had led him to believe that the creature would kill any human that got close. That was why he had requested Autobot help.
But here was the same creature, being lectured by Arcee like a dog in training. It was listening to her.
"Prime."
The last of the Primes looked to his human confidant.
"Yes, Agent Fowler."
"Explain. Now. Before I change my mind."
Zilla has found Arcee. He's made peace with the Autobots. Now all that's left is to convince Fowler to keep him around.
Also, just a heads up. I'm going to wait a while before Zilla starts growing. I know that in the show he grew to full-size within the first two episodes, but I want to spend more time with baby Zilla. I especially want to spend more time seeing Arcee being a mom.
Just keep in mind, I have no intention of killing off Cliffjumper. I wouldn't feel good if I did. I honestly feel bad for the guy, having to always die. I'll keep him around just for that.
One interesting thing of note. If anyone is confused about the tile, it refers to a nickname that Zilla received after his first movie. He was called G.I.N.O (Godzilla in name only). Not the nicest nickname, but at least Zilla gets more recognition nowadays.
One last thing. If anyone wants to draw any fanart of Arcee and Zilla, or Zilla and any of the Autobots, I'm all for it. All I'll ask for is a link to see it myself.
Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.
Bye!