This was when I met a new Autobot. Not someone who switched sides either, but an actual Autobot.
You see, once a month, I go out into the desert and practice some of my abilities. Usually though, I just end up jumping a couple miles or so. The feeling is exhilarating. Flying through the air, landing, only to jump off once more.
But I ended up stumbling on a crash site. Of sorts.
I watched the Cons shoot down a Cybertronian ship. Dragged some big guy, Wheeljack, through their Groundbridge.
I ended up following through. Helped Wheeljack get off the ship, and right back to the Autobot base.
Starscream sent some imposter, Makeshift, to take his place. Try to either get the location or open a Groundbridge so Starscream could send a death squad through.
Apparently Megatron had taken off again, wanted to see if he could bring his army through without the Navigation beacon, since they were still waiting for it to be repaired. Obviously, that means Screamer was in control.
I ended up coming across Malita who was recovering. We traded a few choice words, and then I knocked her ass out, left her unconscious so I could find Wheeljack.
I can safely say I wasn't the happiest camper when we made it back to base. Makeshift had Krys in his hand, threatening to crush her. I took the fucker's whole arm off.
Me and Wheeljack didn't get to do much after that.
Let's just say… Skyquake sure has a scary temper.
A deep breath left Clark's mouth as he stared ahead.
The vast deserts residing outside Jasper awaited him.
The rocky ground rested under his hands, and his feet dug into it from behind him as he prepared.
Every muscle in his body tensed, and he prepared to take off.
And with a grunt, Clark jumped.
"WOOHOO!"
Every month, without fail. This was his release, of sorts. Every single one of his powers felt different to use, but he held none back more than his strength. He couldn't release his strength like normal people could. Even fighting wasn't a release like this was.
With every push of his legs, he'd make use of his strength and send himself flying into the air. The feeling of the wind rushing past him, the release of so much strength, all of it was exhilarating.
And whenever he'd land, he'd have his momentum backing him, so every consecutive jump sent him soaring even farther, and every landing, every jump would create a shock wave that would crack the ground beneath him.
It was a rush. The closest he'd ever come to an adrenaline rush.
This was also Clark's alone time, you could say. He loved his family, dearly, but everyone needs a little bit of alone time.
This was Clark's, and it only came once a month. And he was fine with that.
Everyone needs alone time, but not everyone needs it all that often.
Clark's jumps were always half baked fun. He never really tried to use too much strength, it was more of a casual jump. But he's learned that should he truly want to, he could clear miles of distance in one leap.
When Clark finally landed on the desert ground, it shattered beneath him as he immediately led his momentum into another jump that sent him flying into the air.
A part of him wondered what it would be like to fly sometimes.
But he was fine with this.
The grin never left his face as he chained his jumps, back to back. What would take a normal car twenty minutes to drive, he could cover in seconds.
He wasn't going out quite that far… but it was still something that could hardly be traversed as quickly as he could.
"Man… sometimes I hate my powers… sometimes I love them…" Clark remarked to himself quietly as he soared through the air.
This was the norm for him. Every single month, without fail, he was out in the desert. It wasn't actually exercise, since he didn't really need to exercise, but it was something, and it was a release of sorts, in a way that not even fighting provided.
It also helped that this release didn't involve someone angering him.
For about five minutes, this continued. When Clark felt he had traveled too far, he'd turn around in a different direction and jump, but he made sure that he would always stay within the safe zone, an area he'd marked with his memory of landmarks.
Clark found himself landing on a large mesa, even larger than the Autobot base, and he gazed out into the desert.
Regardless of anyone's opinions on the conditions, the deserts of Nevada was always quite the beautiful site, and during his exercise days, Clark would find himself many times over standing atop a mesa or rock formation and gazing out into the desert. Sometimes, he'd end up staying till sunset, and in his opinion, that was when the desert looked it's best.
That didn't mean he'd ever want to live in it, by any means. But it was always a site to look at.
It had been a week since the incident with the scraplet infestation. Not much had really happened that was noteworthy in the last week since then, outside of Krystal and Skyquake.
Prime had acted as the guardian when they first met, but Skyquake had slowly found himself becoming more and more of Krystal's guardian than the Prime. Assuming she wasn't occupied by Bulkhead, Bumblebee, or god forbid, Ratchet, Krystal was almost always occupied by Skyqauke. And due to Skyquake's cybertronian biology, he could safely regulate pressure inside his cockpit in vehicle mode.
Which meant that Krystal was the first person in the Kent family to have ever flown in an aircraft.
Granted, a green Blackbird isn't what anyone would expect, but hey, it was still something.
Clark found himself reminiscing on his own thoughts as well. He'd started the job he'd needed to begin saving for wedding expenses. He and Pete had been asked to build a nice sized house, plus a guest house and a barn about ten minutes outside of Vegas, two hours from Jasper. He had just gotten his first paycheck the day before, and not only did it have the five hundred he was guaranteed, but there was an extra hundred from the man as a job well done.
Clark couldn't be thankful enough.
His eyes wandered down to the ring on his finger. It was an engagement ring, but Amy seemed to love it enough that she'd like it to be a wedding ring.
But Clark had other plans.
The wedding rings were going to be special, custom made.
After all, Amy was his world, so she deserved the best he could offer.
He had an idea of what he wanted to do for the rings… but he was still waiting until he had the money for the wedding.
Clark found himself ripped from his thoughts by the sound of a commotion occurring nearby.
Well, nearby being about five miles west… but it was nearby for him.
Tuning in his hearing, his eyes narrowed as he listened to the sounds that entered his ears. The sounds of jet engines filled his ears, the familiar whirring he had become accustomed to within the first few days of meeting the Autobots also accompanied by other familiar sounds.
In particular, the hum of a Cybertronian Spark. Or in this case, many of them.
There was also another, distinct jet engine sound that Clark could hear, buy this one was louder. It sounded larger, more powerful than the roars or whines of a jet engine, both of an Earth vehicle and a Cybertronian alt mode.
Clark listened for a moment, and his eyes widened as the sound of blaster fire could be heard.
And then the sound of a crash flooded his ears.
That was when Clark decided to investigate.
Cutting his exercise short, Clark immediately took off into his super speed, blurring off the top of the mesa and down the side in an instant as he moved swiftly towards the direction he heard the commotion coming from.
In no time at all, he found himself at a crash site, and his eyes narrowed as he hid himself behind a rock, watching the scene that played out in front of him.
As he'd guessed, Decepticons were involved, but rather than an Autobot alt mode, the crash that Clark had heard had come from an actual Cybertronian aircraft.
Two Vehicon aerial drones stood guard outside, and Clark watched intently, his eyes narrowing as he activated his X-Ray vision, searching inside the ship.
Inside, he spotted a large Autobot, similar in size to Bulkhead, though not quite as… wide. The bot was unconscious, with two more Vehicons dragging his limp form behind them. Whether it was the crash or, as unlikely as it is, the cons that knocked out the bot, Clark didn't care.
The bot was unconscious.
He was about to intervene. He could easily destroy the Vehicons who were capturing the Autobot, contact Optimus and the rest of team Prime, and that would be it.
But there was one thing stopping him.
"Megatron spoke your name, Clark."
No matter how confident he was in his own abilities, Clark had never been able to silence the budding nervousness within him. Ratchet's words echoed through his skull over and over, and Clark found himself hating that he was in the dark.
Maybe… maybe he should change that?
This was the perfect opportunity. The Decepticons were most definitely going to open a GroundBridge. Clark could follow them when they took the bot back to base. And then, he could scour the ship, find out any info he could about what Megatron had on him.
Or… if he was lucky…
It was underhanded, sneaky, more than a little twisted… but if he could find Megatron…
Well, Megatron's death would almost certainly help the Autobot cause and-
Wait, what?
What was Clark thinking?!
He wanted to know what info the Cons had on him and save the Bot being captured, not go on an assassination mission!
Because whether he liked it or not, Cybertronians were living creatures. And Clark couldn't bring himself to kill anything when he could help it. Not since…
*Ch-Chk*
"HEY!"
*CRUNCH*
*gurgle*
Clark shook his head, pushing the memory of that horrid night out of his mind.
He would never kill. Never again.
Not even a Cybertronian.
With a sigh, Clark watched and waited.
"This is the Bot we're supposed to capture? He was unconscious when we got inside." One of the Vehicons remarked. That answered that question.
"Be lucky that's the case. From what I've read, Wheeljack here is one of the most deadly members of the Wreckers."
The Wreckers. Bulkhead had mentioned that term in the mines when they'd gone after Cliffjumper, and again whenever he would talk to Skyquake. It was a team of some sorts, from what Clark gathered, but what exactly they were, he didn't know.
But what Clark did know, though, was the Autobots name now. Wheeljack.
Maybe Bulkhead knew him?
One of the Vehicons raised a claw to the side of their helm, before speaking.
"This is the capture squad. We've acquired the prisoner."
There was silence, before a GroundBridge swirled to life a moment later.
Once they'd dragged Wheeljack through, Clark didn't hesitate.
He ran through the GroundBridge once two of the Vehicons and Wheeljack had disappeared from view, his form an unseen blur to the Vehicons left behind as the GroundBridge closed behind him.
And he took it in.
The site of the ship where his family was nearly killed.
"Fucking hate this place." Clark muttered to himself as he looked around. "But, curiosity killed the cat."
A FEW MINUTES EARLIER
"Wheeljack's ship is approaching the landing zone." Arcee informed the rest of team Prime.
Wheeljack had contacted them hours earlier- well, they had contacted Wheeljack after detecting an Autobot beacon.
"I imagine he won't be the most pleased when he sees me." Skyquake couldn't help but remark.
"He'll be nice though!" Krystal said confidently. "He's Bulkhead's friend!"
Skyquake didn't say anything, but he wasn't as confident as Krystal.
"You think he's here to visit?" Raf questioned curiously.
"Maybe he'll stay!" Miko said hopefully, glancing around the base. "Hmm… he'll need to find his own human though."
"What about Amy?" Talida offered, glancing towards the woman, who shook her head.
"Oh no." Amy said, waving her hands in refusal as she shook her head. "I think I'm good. I like Ratchet well enough." She joked, glancing towards the medic, who rolled his eyes.
"Blasted woman." Ratchet grumbled under his breath before looking at the computer. "GroundBridge cycling up." The medic bot proclaimed… before the GroundBridge panel promptly sparked. "Blasted Scraplets!"
Amy looked at Ratchet with a raised eyebrow. "Still fixing the system?" She asked.
Ratchet nodded. "Unfortunately." He admitted with a sigh.
Amy looked at the medic in sympathy. Though they didn't always get along, she found herself respecting him. As much of an asshole as he could be, he was a truly dedicated medic, and he only ever wanted to help.
"So, Wheeljack's gonna land away from the base, and you'll bridge him here." Jack surmised, glancing towards Optimus.
The Autobot leader nodded. "Indeed. We can't risk revealing the location of our base on the unlikely chance that the Decepticons aren't tracking Wheeljack's ship." Optimus explained to the teen.
Meanwhile, Bulkhead couldn't stop moving, the excitement was immense within him. Something Miko took notice of.
"Dude, I've never seen you so stoked." She remarked with a grin as she looked at the big bot.
"You're gonna love Wheeljack!" Bulkhead proclaimed confidently. "We were like brothers! And tonight, we're gonna party!" He whooped excitedly, before glancing down towards his god daughter. "And a certain little princess will provide the music."
Talida shrugged. "Sure, I'll be the DJ."
Jack smirked. "I don't think Bulkhead meant spinning disks so much as he meant holding a mic." He said, glancing towards his girlfriend.
Bulkhead nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Thanks, Jack."
"What?!" Talida shouted, snapping her gaze between both Bulkhead and Jack. "Performing for my birthday is one thing, but for a stranger?"
"But I'm your god father, not a stranger!" Bulkhead retorted with a raised eyebrow. And Jack's your boyfriend!"
"Who knows I won't sing unless I choose, right Jack?" Talida asked, glancing over at her boyfriend. Only for her eyes to widen when he smirked.
"Maybe Clark will sing with you to get rid of the stage fright?" Jack proposed, to Talida's horror.
"Jack!"
"Oh, believe me," Amy spoke up with a grin, leaning against the railing up the steps as she looked at Jack and Talida. "Not much will convince Clark to sing, but Talida is one his few weak spots."
"See?" Jack said, smiling towards Talida.
Raf suddenly found himself looking around at the mention of the resident powerhouse. "Speaking of, where is Clark?"
"Oh, he's out exercising." Amy said with a shrug.
"He needs to exercise?" Miko asked in disbelief. "I thought Optimus said he gets his powers, and everything else he needs, from the sun."
Amy nodded. "He does. It's not the kind of exercise you're thinking of, Miko. It's not really exercise at all, honestly." She admitted. "But once a month, Clark heads out into the desert and cuts loose for a bit. Stops using his speed, starts jumping around, kind of expelling some of his strength."
"A stress reliever, more than actual exercise." Arcee guessed with an eyebrow, to which Amy nodded.
"Exactly."
The conversation was interrupted by the sound of alarms going off in the base, as Arcee looked towards the computers.
"Bogies!" Arcee announced. "Closing in fast on Wheeljack's position!"
"Con scum!" Bulkhead growled.
Clark sped through the halls of the Nemesis. His eyes were peeled, focusing on every little thing he could.
Though the ship was lined with lead, it was still not soundproofed. Considering the fact that the Cons, at the very least, knew of his existence, Clark could safely say that was quite the shocker.
Were the Cons just stupid? Or did they really not care?
Clark didn't know.
What he did know was that he needed to focus on finding what he was looking for.
At first, he was planning on going through a computer to see if he could find anything, but the first computer he found rendered that idea pointless, as he was reminded that he didn't speak the Decepticon language. Or read it.
So, now, he was looking for his target. The Autobot called Wheeljack.
Unfortunately for him, Clark had lost track of the Autobot once he entered the Nemesis, as he immediately broke off in search of a computer.
He would have to search the hard way.
Since the rooms weren't soundproofed, he could focus his hearing to see which rooms had life. Unfortunately, something he'd learned is that unlike a human heartbeat, the hum of a spark never fluctuated in any way. The Vehicons sounded no different from the spark of Optimus, or Soundwave.
Which meant he was looking through the warship for where they might keep prisoners.
As he sped through the ship, he thought he might've found it.
Within a nearby room, a spark was humming. A single one, alone and cut off from the others in the ship.
That must be it.
Clark moved towards the direction of the spark, his eyes narrowing as he got closer. Wheeljack probably was in for one hell of a surprise when he saw who his rescuer was.
Coming across the door that led to his target, Clark's eyes narrowed in determination.
Pulling his fist back, Clark drove it into the door, eliciting a gasp of shock from the room's occupant as it blasted apart.
As he walked into the room, Clark looked around, quickly spotting the occupant of the room.
He froze. And then his eyes narrowed in hatred.
The occupant wasn't Wheeljack.
"You."
It was Malita.
When Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead arrived to help Wheeljack against the Cons, they were expecting a fight.
Instead, the result was a massacre.
The bodies of Vehicons littered the field, and at the end of the crater they landed in was the smoking ship that was Wheeljack's ride to Earth.
And in front of it, was the bot himself.
They watched as Wheeljack finished off a Vehicon, before turning to look at the new arrivals as the corpse dropped to the ground.
"I taught him that." Bulkhead boasted proudly.
"Ever think I might need a hand here?" Wheeljack asked as he put his twin swords back in their sheath
Bulkhead chuckled. "What? And spoil the show?"
"You missed one." Arcee remarked, glancing towards a Vehicon that was struggling to it's feet.
Said Vehicon was promptly offlined by Wheeljack's blaster.
"If this is all you've got, this planet is in bigger trouble than I thought." Wheeljack remarked as his battle mask retracted.
Bulkhead couldn't stand it anymore. With a massive grin on his face, Bulkhead rushed towards his fellow wrecker, catching him in a bear hug. "Jackie!!"
"Watch the finish, you old wrecking ball!" Wheeljack laughed, while Arcee and Bumblebee watched the wrecker have his moment of glee.
"What are you doing here?" Malita spat from her position on the bed, glaring at the Kryptonian who had just entered the room.
Clark's eyes narrowed. "You're pretty ballsy, considering what happened the last time you pissed me off." He growled, taking a menacing step forward.
Malita's left hand was in a cast, and bandages ran all along her arm and chest, covering her shoulder, which had stains on it that Clark assumed was either pus, or some sort of burn treatment.
Malita took a frightful step back, looking at Clark in fear for a moment, but her glare remained. "You scarred me and humiliated me. I will never forget that."
"Good." Clark snapped. "Now you know how it feels."
Malita's lip curled up in disgust. "That little brat had it-"
Before she could finish the sentence, Clark had rushed her.
In the span of a second, she found herself slammed against a wall, Clark's eyes narrowed as they glowed a menacing red. His strong hand was wrapped around her mouth, muffling the pained scream that echoed from her arm slamming into the wall.
Nothing but utter hatred and fury was apparent on his face as he glared at the techno-organic in front of him.
"You better watch what the fuck you say around me, or I'll add another scar." Clark snarled. "I swear to fucking god."
Malita glared at Clark, but she knew better than to anger him any more than he already was. She had no chance and she knew.
"Now," Clark spoke, his face stern. "I'm gonna ask you some questions, and if I don't like the answers, I swear I'll fucking kill you. Got it?"
After a few seconds of silence, Malita slowly nodded.
Clark stared at her for a moment, making sure his point really sunk in, before he slowly lowered her to her feet and let go of her mouth.
"First things first, what do the Decepticons know about me?" Clark questioned, not wasting a minute. He was going to get the info he needed, and then he was gonna get Wheeljack out of here.
Malita raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Exactly what I asked, dumbass. Now answer." Clark responded, glaring at the girl. "What the hell do you dipshits know about me?"
Malita glowered at the insult, but she was smart enough not to try and retort. "Just what we've encountered. Your name, race, and that you're the last Kryptonian." She admitted, no matter how much she hated it. "Believe me, if we knew more-"
"You'd be paste and the rest would be in a scrapheap." Clark interrupted what was most definitely gonna be a pathetic threat. "Secondly, what the hell is Megatron up to?"
Malita's eyes narrowed. "Why in the pits would I tell you that?"
Clark raised an eyebrow. "I know you're not actually stupid. You tell me."
Malita gritted her teeth, refusing to admit he had a point. "He took off. He's looking for a way to speed up the repair of our navigation dish, or find a replacement." She admitted. "From what I hear, he's been doing a good job." She lied in a poor attempt to instill some fear in him.
Clark scoffed. "Your spark's hum gets a little louder when you lie." He informed the techno-organic with a chuckle. "Not something I'd expect from the great daughter of Megatron… but then again, you weren't an intended child, were you?"
No matter how much she knew she was outmatched, Malita would not take that particular insult. "Oh, and I suppose that bratty cousin of mine was?"
Clark's expression was one of cold fury. "Choose your next words carefully."
This time, Malita didn't back down. "You can say whatever you want about my life style, my choices and my actions, but don't you dare assume you know anything about me." She snarled, staring Clark square in the eye. "Not all of us get a cushy little life and a caring family."
Clark's eyes widened at Malita's words, admittedly not expecting such an honest reaction. But he shook himself out of his stupor quickly. He still had one more question.
He could contemplate the words later.
"Where do you keep your prisoners?" Clark asked his final question.
Malita's eyes widened at his words, and she was admittedly taken off guard. "Huh?"
"Your prisoners, where do you keep them?" Clark asked once more. "You have an Autobot her, and I'm getting him out."
Malita's eyes widened, and she looked legitimately confused. "What are you talking about?"
Clark's eyes narrowed, and his hand shot towards Malita in a second, lifting her up off the ground as his eyes began to glow red once more in a rage filled snarl.
"Answer the damn question!" He snapped, glaring up at the woman in his grasp.
"The other end of the ship!" Malita choked out, Clark's grip making it nearly impossible for her to breath, let alone speak. "We interrogate prisoners there and hold them there."
The glow in Clark's eyes disappeared at her words.
He had what he needed.
"Thanks."
Malita would probably have a bruise when she woke up, considering how hard Clark headbutted her, but at least he didn't cave her skull in.
"They're here!" Krystal shouted in excitement as the others came back through the GroundBridge, with Wheeljack in tow.
The very moment the Autobots had fully come through, the GroundBridge malfunctioned, and the portal immediately shut down.
"Hiya!" Miko greeted as she ran down to meet Bulkhead and Wheeljack as they came into the base, looking at the new arrival. "I'm Miko!"
Wheeljack smiled. "You keeping Bulkhead out of trouble?" the Wrecker asked as he looked down at Miko.
"I try." Miko said with a smile. "But trouble finds us anyway."
"Yes, Miko. You keep Bulkhead out of trouble." Talida commented sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.
"Totally not the other way around." Jack added with a chuckle.
Miko pouted at there words, but Wheeljack merely chuckled.
"We're gonna get along just fine." Wheeljack said as Optimus approached the wrecker, causing him to turn towards the Autobot leader. "Optimus Prime. It's a privilege."
"Likewise, soldier." Optimus responded politely. "What have you to report from your long journey?"
"Been bouncing from rock to rock searching for signs of friend or foe. Now I find both." Wheeljack summarized for the Autobot leader, who nodded.
"We are few, but we are strong. We have suffered losses, but we have grown, and we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold." Optimus proclaimed, smiling down at the bot.
Wheeljack smiled. "I'd be honored." He said with a nod, causing shouts of joy and cheers to echo through the room.
"Then let's get this party started!" Bulkhead announced as he and Wheeljack let out a warriors cry and chest bumped.
To Ratchet's chagrin.
"Oh joy."
Meanwhile, Skyquake was standing off to the side. And he was looking at Wheeljack.
Something was wrong.
Wheeljack wasn't acting like a wrecker.
After a quick search of the ship, Clark found his target pretty easily.
Out of all the rooms on the Nemesis, only one had some Vehicons standing guard outside of it. And since he knew for sure it wasn't Malita's room, that could only mean one thing.
"Bingo." Clark muttered to himself.
He didn't waste any time.
The Vehicons never stood a chance. Before either of them could react, Clark rushed them both. He easily ran up the side of one of them, before sending his form through it's head. Using his momentum, he easily pushed off the first vehicon and sent himself flying towards, and through the head of, the second Vehicon.
All in less than a second.
Clark landed with a grunt, and easily sidestepped the Vehicon corpse that would've landed on top of him, before turning towards the door.
"Hmm… loud or quiet?" Clark asked himself, as if pondering the answer.
The noise of the door flying into pieces echoed through the halls.
Inside was the very person he was looking for.
In the middle of the room, the bot hung from a pair of cuffs that seemed to be suspending him with static electricity.
Though, Clark could be wrong, considering it was Cybertronian tech, and he had no clue how to operate it.
The optics of the bot were wide as he stared as his savior, who's diminutive size compared to his own was a little jarring considering what just happened to the door.
"What the- how did you do that?" Wheeljack asked in surprise, trying to comprehend what just happened.
Clark just shrugged. "Eh. If what I'm told is correct, I'm a kryptonian."
That seemed to explain things, Wheeljack almost immediately nodded in acceptance. "Ah, that makes sense." He remarked. "You guys were always tough, especially under a yellow sun."
"You know of Krypton?" Clark asked in surprise. "It seems like only a few Cybertronians know about Krypton." He commented as he easily jumped up onto one of Wheeljack's restrained wrists, tearing the cuff off with ease.
Without the support of it's partner, the remaining cuff easily tore under Wheeljack's weight.
He nodded as he landed with a grunt. "Krypton and Cybertron kind of kept away from each other, barely interacted at all." Wheeljack explained as he rolled his shoulders. Robot or not, he could still go numb. "Only the most notable people from each side were really known to the other, like General Zod, the House of El, Alpha Trion, and Zeta Prime."
Clark's eyes went wide. "Huh… well, at least you all knew enough to help me find out." He remarked as he watched the wrecker move to pick up his weapons. "Up until a few weeks ago, I knew jack shit about what I was."
Wheeljack nodded as he retrieved his swords, giving them a few testy swings before sheathing them. "Well, how about this. You help me get out of here, and warn my buddy Bulkhead, and I'll tell you some more stuff you probably don't know."
Regardless of whether it was useful info or not, Clark planned to help him anyway, but one thing stuck out to him.
"You know Bulkhead?" He asked in surprise, which in turn, surprised the wrecker.
"Yeah. Me and him were in the Wreckers together. He's one of my best buds." Wheeljack explained, glancing down towards the Kryptonian. "How do you know him?"
Clark chuckled. "Uh, me and my family kind of had a fenderbender with a couple of Cons a few weeks back. The only team of Bots on Earth wanted to meet us, and, well, Bulkhead was on the team." He explained. However, his eyes widened and he glanced at Wheeljack in concern when he realized something else. "Wait, what do you mean, warn him?"
Wheeljack immediately began sprinting down the hall, causing Clark to rush to catch up to him, easily matching his pace as the wrecker began to explain.
"I don't know how you found me, but the Cons took me so that they could put a doppleganger in with Bulk's team, find out the location of their base." Wheeljack revealed. "Screamer was bragging about a few minutes before you came in. Said his buddy had successfully infiltrated the base."
Clark's eyes widened, and he felt horror flood him as he realized what those implications meant.
"Krys and Amy are at the base." He whispered to himself, realizing they were at the Autobot base… with a Decepticon. "We have to get to the base! Now!"
"Right behind you." Wheeljack nodded as the two sprinted through the halls. "Starscream has an armada set up on the deck, ready to storm the base once his opens the GroundBridge."
"Then we'll just have to get through first." Clark said, leaving no room for debate.
Not with his family's lives in danger.
"Hey, Wheeljack?"
The voice of the youngest resident in the Autobot base grabbed the wrecker's attention, and he turned to look down at her.
Optimus had gone for a drive, since, in Arcee's words, Primes don't party, though Talida kind of contradicted that statement. Ratchet was in the middle of defragging the GroundBridge, Talida was tuning up her guitar along with Miko so that she could sing, and Bulkhead was telling stories about Wheeljack, which had Jack and Raf's attention, as well as Arcee's. Since Skyquake had disappeared on her, and her mother was busy conversing with Ratchet while the GroundBridge defragged, that left the child to try and talk to the only person who wasn't actually busy.
Which, funnily enough, was Wheeljack.
"Sup, kid?" He asked, looking down at the child with a raised eyebrow.
"How long have you known Bulkhead?" She asked curiously, tilting her head as she looked up at the bot.
Wheeljack chuckled. "A long time, kid."
"How did you two meet?" Krystal asked, never looking away from the Autobot.
Wheeljack looked up in thought. "It was when we joined the Wreckers." He answered. "Me and Bulk met up during the raid on Rattacon."
"Cool." Krystal said, though she admittedly had absolutely no clue what Rattacon was. "How come you two separated?"
"The Wrecker's were disbanded shortly before the planet fell, kid." Wheeljack answered, rather casually.
"But couldn't you have still stayed together?" Krystal asked, catching Wheeljack off guard.
"I mean, we could've, but-"
"So why didn't you?"
"Because we were spread out among the armies after the Wreckers disbanded." Wheeljack answered, somewhat on edge now, which Krystal was oblivious to.
"But couldn't you have joined Optimus' team?" The child questioned, honestly curious. "Like Bulkhead did?"
"I didn't get a choice, kid." Wheeljack answered somewhat aggressively, to Krystal's ignorance.
"But Bulkhead did." Krystal spoke, recalling some of the stories she'd heard from Bulkhead. "Why didn't you?"
"Anyone tell you that you talk too much, kid?" Wheeljack suddenly snapped, rather aggressively, causing Krystal's eyes to go wide. "There are some questions you shouldn't ask."
"I… I'm sorr-"
"If you were sorry, you wouldn't have asked the questions, you little-"
"Is there a problem here?"
Krystal had never been more thankful for Skyquake's appearance than she was now, as he seemed to be the only one to notice Wheeljack going off. How he could move so quietly, in spite of being the biggest bot on the team, no one knew, but Krystal wasn't about to question it.
Wheeljack's eyes were wide as he looked up at the former Combaticon leader who'd snuck up on him. "Uh… no, no problem. Just telling the kid not to ask too many questions." Wheeljack answered.
Skyquake raised an eyebrow. "Though I doubt the aggression was needed, since she is a child, I suppose you have a point that some questions are better left unasked." He responded, before turning to look at Krystal. "Krys, would you like to go play some of those games you enjoy so much?"
Krystal was surprised at the offer. Even though she was always talking to Skyquake, the aerial bot almost never played video games with her. This was the first time he'd ever thought to offer.
"Sure!" Krystal said excitedly, jumping onto Skyqauke's hand in excitement. "I bet I'll beat you at Mortal Kombat!"
Skyquake gave a lighthearted chuckle. "We shall see." He said as he began walking away.
Neither Krystal or Wheeljack were privy to Skyquake's true intentions.
Truth be told, he'd been watching the Wrecker since he'd shown up at base, he'd simply been keeping his distance. As the leader of the Combaticons, he knew how to sneak when he needed to.
He'd been watching the entire exchange, listening as well, and one thing stuck out to him, before the wrecker had snapped at Krystal.
Bulkhead had told Skyquake that he had known Wheeljack since before the war.
"So, that's pretty much it." Miko said, turning to look towards the new arrival, whom had suggested she give him a tour after Bulkhead noticed how different he seemed. "Energon stock pile, powerboard generator, armory, everything you need to blow the joint sky high." She finished of as she wrapped up the tour.
Wheeljack found himself looking around the halls. "Where's this bunker located exactly?" The wrecker asked.
"If I told you, I'd have to rip out your spark chamber." Miko answered in a rather serious tone, causing the bot to give her a weird look, before she immediately giggled. "Just kidding. It's just outside Jasper, Nevada. Though, I don't expect that to mean too much to ya."
"Can't say it does." Wheeljack nodded in agreement. "So, anyway out of here besides bridging?"
"Why?" Miko asked, worried at the question. "You're not planning to leave already, are you?" At the Wrecker's silence, she smiled. "Come on, I'll show you."
"Almost there." Ratchet said as he finished up on the GroundBridge controls.
"Then you'll be able to GroundBridge again?" Amy asked guessed, to which Ratchet nodded.
"Indeed. And hopefully, our GroundBridge system won't have any more problems.
Meanwhile Bulkhead was discussing Wheeljack's seemingly odd behavior with Arcee, Jack, and Talida, while Krystal sat in the human area, looking at them from the railing. Skyquake had told her that he wanted to make sure Miko was alright, so he'd left their game.
Good thing too. Apparently he was a prodigy at Mortal Kombat.
"Look, I know Wheeljack better than anyone." Bulkhead proclaimed, still somewhat put off by his friend's odd behavior.
"Bulkhead, are you sure you're not overreacting?" Jack asked.
"Arcee could be right." Talida remarked. "Centuries stuck in a tin can alone can do wonders to a bot's personality."
"Not Jackie." Bulkhead said stubbornly, shaking his head. "He's survived worse."
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Wheeljack asked as he and Miko returned, Miko moving up towards the human area next to Krystal, ignorant of the fearful glance the child was giving him.
"I was just telling all the guys about you and me… at the battle of Dark Mount Pass." Bulkhead answered, looking at his old friend.
"That's a heck of a story." Wheeljack remarked.
"Yeah…" Bulkhead nodded in agreement, before his eyes narrowed. "Tell it!" He growled, his entire demeanor changing.
The silence was palpable, everyone nervous at Bulkhead's sudden attitude, except Miko, who was oblivious to the tense mood.
"Talk, talk, talk. How about after we go off-roading?" Miko suggested in a bored tone, only to be shut down by a heated Bulkhead.
"Stay out of this, Miko!" The green wrecker snapped, surprising his charge.
"I'm not sure I-"
"Tell it!" Bulkhead ordered once more, getting ready to punch his old friend.
"Fine." Wheeljack relented. "If you wanna live in the past, Bulkhead." He said, turning to look towards the group that was gathered. "The wrecker's were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and a smelting pit. The Cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy. Left them for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as stepping stones to cross the molting metal." He told the entire story in one quick go, before turning to look at Bulkhead. "Isn't that how it happened?"
"Yeah, that's exactly how it happened." Bulkhead nodded, causing Wheeljack to smile proudly. "Except for one little thing."
Bulkhead's next words sent a wave of horrifying revelation through the base.
"I. Wasn't. There."
"What?" Ratchet gasped in shock as he stopped working on the GroundBridge, turning to look towards the group now.
"Don't tell me that means what I think it means." Amy muttered quietly, staring at Wheeljack in horror.
"I'd already left the Wrecker's to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn't know that if all you did was access Wheeljack's public service record." Bulkhead said, finally cementing his point as he poked the imposter in front of him.
"It would appear that your disguise is no longer adequate, Makeshift." Skyquake's voice echoed through the base, causing the Wheeljack fake to snap towards him.
"You knew?" The fake asked, to which Skyqauke shook his head.
"I was suspicious, but Bulkhead was the one who figured it out." Skyqauke admitted, glancing towards the Wrecker. "I suppose what I told you helped you reach your conclusion?"
Bulkhead nodded. "Jackie loves kids, and we've known each other since way before the war, Imposter."
The Wheeljack fake snarled, knowing that he had been exposed.
And then he lashed out.
"MIKO!" Krystal's little voice shouted as she pushed the teen out of the way of the hand that snapped towards her like lightning, causing her to be picked up instead, to everyone's horror.
"Gem!" Bulkhead shouted with worry.
"KRYSTAL!" Amy screeched, horrified at the position her daughter was now in as Arcee and Bumblebee both attempted to catch the imposter and get Krystal to safety.
"Stay back, or I'll squeeze her into pulp!" The double threatened.
Skyqauke let out a snarl as he stepped forward. "Drop the girl!"
"Face us, you Decepticon coward!" Bulkhead growled, glaring at the double.
"Don't fret." Makeshift said with a sinister grin. "Plenty of fighting to come."
Atop the deck of the Nemesis, Starscream and Soundwave stood, with an armada of aerial bots ready to storm the Autobot base when Makeshift finally opened a Groundbridge.
"Are you certain we are at the coordinates I supplied to Makeshift?" Starscream asked Soundwave, to which the silent Decepticon nodded. "Then what is taking him?!" The seeker snarled.
"Maybe they gave your boy such a hero's welcome, he got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides."
The voice of their prisoner had the eyes of all present Decepticons turning towards his direction, where he was approaching without an ounce of fear, mouth guard in place and ready to fight.
"Do you not see you are vastly outnumbered?" Starscream taunted
"Eh, I'd say I like these odds." The very familiar and horror-inducing voice of Clark Kent echoed from on top of Starscream's shoulder, causing the seeker's gaze to snap and finding him standing there with a confident smirk. "You guys are the ones who are outgunned."
Starscream jumped and flailed like a child in an attempt to get the Kryptonian off of him. Clark let out a laugh as he easily landed on the ground, looking up towards the panicking seeker. "And you're supposed to be intimidating, pathetic. What do you say we wreck the place before we take off, Wheeljack?"
Under his battle mask, Wheeljack smirked. "I say you're speaking my language."
And with that, the armada was charged from two different directions. Wheeljack was cutting them up, left and right, as Clark dashed around, smashing Vehicons apart or slicing them to pieces with his heat vision.
The battle had begun.
"About time." Makeshift remarked as he activated the GroundBridge, which had finally finished defragging.
"Do not think you can get away with this, Makeshift." Skyquake growled, to which Makeshift smirked.
"I already have, traitor. You're too late." Makeshift retorted confidently.
Back on the Nemesis, the battle was going about how you'd expect.
Between an experienced veteran of the Wrecker's and the unmatched power of a Kryptonian, the armada was being slaughtered in droves.
Admittedly, the Decepticons had the numbers.
Unfortunately, that was all they had.
For every Vehicon Wheeljack would drive his sword into, Clark would match it with his three kills of his own.
Starscream, horrified at seeing his army being slaughtered, attempted to fire a missile at Clark, hoping to either kill him or incapacitate him.
Instead, Clark easily dodged it as he dashed towards another Vehicon, not even realizing that he was supposed to have been killed in the resulting explosion.
Realizing they were wasting their time, Wheeljack and Clark both moved towards Starscream and Soundwave, ready to deal with them, when they saw the GroundBridge portal open.
And Clark froze.
With the portal open, he could now hear what was happening within the base, since the portal superseded the base's soundproofed, lead lined walls.
Including the events currently unfolding.
"Makeshift, I said let the girl go!"
"Oh, Skyqauke, have you come to care for this irritating little fleshling? Maybe I should just squeeze her anyway, as punishment for your betrayal."
"NO! NOT MY DAUGHTER!"
Krystal was in danger.
The Decepticon infiltrator had her.
"KRYSTAL!" Clark shouted in horror, surprising Wheeljack, as well as Starscream and Soundwave.
He wasted not a second.
He blurred into the portal, Wheeljack close behind him as they barreled through the seekers.
The mood at the base was tense, horrific, and fear inducing, as they were at an impasse. They couldn't intervene in Makeshift's actions without putting Krystal at risk, but Krystal's cries of terror were not helping the atmosphere at all, tugging at the Autobot's heartstrings, though only irritating Makeshift.
"Quiet, you noisy little vermin!" Makeshift snarled.
"She's a child you sick fuck!" Amy growled, glaring at the dopplganger who had her child in her hand. "Let her go!"
"I swear to Primus, I will rip you apart when I get my hands on you, Makeshift!"
"Where's Clark when you need him?" Miko muttered, looking on in horror at the situation the Kent child was in.
And in the next second, the entire mood changed.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"
The familiar and extremely welcome voice of the Kent patriarch was followed less than a second later by a beam of heat vision slicing through Makeshift's arm, causing the Decepticon to scream in pain as a blue form blurred into the base.
And then Makeshift's lost limb was in pieces as Clark had Krystal up in the human area, looking at his daughter in worry as Amy rushed towards them, intent on making sure her daughter was alright.
"Yeah!" Miko said, whooping with glee.
"Clark!" Talida shouted with a grin on her face at seeing the man.
"Thank the AllSpark!" Ratchet muttered in relief, a rare but happy smile on his face.
"How's that feel, you Decepticon coward?" Bulkhead taunted as Makeshift simply wailed in agony.
"Are you okay, Krys?" Clark asked Krystal, who was still crying at the experience she'd just endured.
"My stomach hurts." Krystal said, her voice hiccuping as she spoke.
Hearing the words as she approached, Amy immediately crouched down next to her daughter, lifting her shirt up to see the damage.
A large purple bruise ran across Krystal's stomach from the force of Makeshift's grip, causing Clark to stare in horror as Amy's hand came up to her mouth in shock.
"Krys…"
"Can I have a hug?" Krystal's voice was a whimper as she looked up at her parents, who were more than willing to oblige.
"Come here, Krystal." Amy said, pulling her daughter close to comfort her. "It's okay, you'll be okay." She whispered, kissing Krystal's head as she hugged her, picking her up off the ground.
Clark turned back towards the screaming Decepticon, ready to slaughter him as Wheeljack came through the GroundBridge portal, ready for some action.
Neither one of them had the chance.
"I'LL TEAR YOU APART!"
The site of Skyquake's large form moving at the speeds it had was always a rather terrifying site, no matter who you were.
Skyquake slammed into the screaming Decepticon, smashing him into the wall with enough force to shake the base, pulling his fist back and slamming it into helm of the infiltrator, silencing his screams.
But he didn't stop there.
Every hit dented the Con, whether it was his head or another part of his body. He was very clearly leaking Energon after the first few hits, and Skyquake wasn't anywhere near done with him.
He attempted to knock the larger Bot off of him with a punch, but Skyquake caught the fist with ease, his face morphed into a snarl as he flipped Makeshift over his head and slammed him into the ground, before wrenching the Decepticon's arm off.
"I'LL SEND YOU TO THE ALLSPARK!" Skyquake snarled as everyone watched him make quick work of the Decepticon, literally beating him with his own arm.
Every hit was crushing, powerful and sent a wave of andrenaline rushing through everyone who was present.
"Yeah, kick his butt!" Miko shouted, pumping her fist in victory.
"Tear him apart!" Talida cheered on, smiling the entire time.
"Show him what happens when you hurt a member of Team Prime!" Bulkhead grinned, more than happy to watch the carnage unfold.
It was satisfying to watch the former Combaticon leader tear apart the imposter who'd dare hurt the child on Team Prime.
FInally, Skyqauke stopped, panting in anger as he glared down at what was nearly a corpse that belonged to Makeshift. "Coward."
Wheeljack glanced at the corpse for a moment, before turning to Bulkhead.
"Hey, Bulk," He spoke, catching everyone's attention. "I'd say it's about time to take out the trash."
The GroundBridge remained open, and Starscream had only just know regained his bearings after being flung across the ship's deck from Clark's take off.
Glancing towards the remaining Decepticons, he snarled. "What are you waiting for?! Enter the GroundBridge now!"
Being snapped out of their stupor, the armada immediately complied, or what was left of it anyway.
Starscream thought that he might've seized victory when he saw his armada enter the Groundbridge. Unfortunately, that hope was squashed when the Decepticons came sprinting back, followed shortly by the headless corpse of Makeshift.
Upon seeing the corpse of his spy, Starscream growled as the GroundBridge portal closed.
"Makeshift… you fool…"
Back at the base, the party was in full swing. Optimus had returned to watch his daughter perform a song.
And with enough encouraging from Amy and Krystal, who pulled the puppy eyes card, as well as Talida, Clark found himself joining her.
"I can't believe I got sucked into this." Clark groaned as he stood next to Talida with a microphone, causing the techno-organic to laugh.
"Come on, you'll enjoy it!" She encouraged. "I need someone to suffer with, anyway."
Clark let out a chuckle at her words. "Yeah, yeah."
The other's in the base watched as Miko began strumming her guitar, while the rest of the music was played on Raf's computer, since they didn't have anyone to play the other instruments.
At Krystal's request, they'd agreed to perform a slightly altered version of You're Going Down, by Sick Puppies. One of many songs that Clark would listen to around his daughter. Even though he probably shouldn't.
Clark: Define your meaning of war To me, it's what we do when we're bored. I feel the heat comin' off of the blacktop, And it makes me want it more
Talida: Because I'm hyped up, out of control. If it's a fight, I'm ready to go. I wouldn't put my money on the other guy. If you know what I know that I know
Though it was the first time for many hearing both of them sing, it was apparent that both at least had a knack for it. Talida's voice was light, and beautiful, but for the tone of the song, it still managed to be hardened, serious.
Clark's own mixed well with her's. Rather than alter his voice, he used his own to sing, and it turns out that his own rough voice could articulate lyrics in a swift way that one would not expect.
Both: It's been a long time comin'
And the table's turned around
'Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is going down
I'm not runnin'
It's a little different now
'Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is going down
Clark: Define your meaning of fun. Is it fuckin', druggin' or guns?
Talida: I feel the heat comin' off of the blacktop. So get ready for another one
Clark: Let's take a trip down memory lane (do you remember me?)
Talida: The words circlin' in my brain (look what you did to me)
Both: You can treat this like another, all the same, But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain!
Everyone else was really getting into the song. Jack was smiling wide, clapping his hands as he enjoyed the show. Next to him, Raf and Bumblebee were both dancing up a storm. Optimus watched, his arm around Arcee's shoulder as they both smiled. Ratchet was somewhat irritated at the loss of peace and quiet, but he wouldn' ruin the mood. Amy stood in the Human area, Krystal in her arms as they watched the two perform with smiles on their faces.
Clark: It's been a long time comin'
Talida: And the table's turned around!
Clark: 'Cause one of us is goin'
Both: One of us is going down!
Talida: I'm not runnin'
Clark: It's a little different now!
Talida: 'Cause one of us is goin'
Both: One of us is going down!
Clark: This is hardly worth fighting for!
Talida: But it's the little petty shit that I can't ignore!
Clark and Talida were really getting into the song, turning to face each other with smiles on their faces as they sung, dancing like crazy.
Clark: When my fist hits your face and your face hits the floor!
Talida: It'll be a long time comin'... Bet you got the message now.
Clark: 'Cause I was never goin', Yeah, you're the one that's going down!
Talida: One of us is going down!
Clark: I'm not runnin'
Talida: It's a little different now
Clark: 'Cause one of us is goin'
Both: One of us is going down! Yeah, One of us is going down!
Everyone laughed as Miko hit the final note of the song, signaling its end as everyone else cheered, while Clark and Talida both let out a laugh.
"Woohoo!" Jack cheered, clapping his hands as he ran towards his girlfriend.
"That was awesome!" Raf said with a grin, earning a beep of agreement from Bumblebee.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Bulkhead said with a chuckle as he clapped along.
"Go, Daddy!" Krystal cried out with a smile, throwing her hands in the air as she cheered.
Amy let out a laugh at her daughter's antics, but she cheered as well. "Go, Clark! Go, Talida!"
Even Optimus was cheering along with the bots.
The duo laughed as they walked away from the makeshift stage.
"Hey." Wheeljack spoke, moving towards Clark. "I believe I owe you a story."
Clark smiled at the words. "I appreciate it." He said with a nod. "But it's your party, not mine. You can tell me later."
Wheeljack smiled. "Alright then."
And so, everyone continued on with the welcome party, having the time of their lives with Bulkhead's old friend.