Chapter Eleven

June 13th, 2010

Washington, DC

S.H.I.E.L.D. Warehouse

The entire group grew quiet as Stark flashed them a grin. Jack reluctantly looked over to the others and inwardly cringed at the various degrees of shock and disbelief on their faces.

"I usually get that reaction," Stark said. "But not from giant robots."

Optimus turned to the sudden presence of Stark and Rhodes. "What is your business here? This is not a gathering to which you have been invited to."

"Didn't you ever hear the saying: what Tony Stark wants, he gets?" Stark said, peering over his sunglasses at them without blinking.

Jack frowned at the older man. Did Stark know anything about the Autobots before today? Had he been spying on them for some time? He honestly hoped not. Otherwise, this was going to be messy.

"Just hand me over the boy and I'll leave you all be," Stark confirmed their fears. When none of them said a word, Stark took a step towards Jack. Arcee blocked his path and he stopped, but he seemed unaffected by her presence.

"Hey, the kid," Stark said, his tone serious.

"Excuse me? Can I interrupt for a second?"

Everyone whirled around in surprise as Banner approached them.

"I was wondering when we would meet," he said as they shook hands.

"I was asking myself the same thing," Tony replied excitedly. He cleared his throat and continued casually, "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

"Thanks?" Bruce replied awkwardly.

Optimus looked over suspiciously towards the trees before asking, "Did anyone else follow you out here?" His hunch was confirmed by how hard Banner winced.

"Um, actually…" He turned around and jerked his head towards Stark. There was a rustle and crack of twigs in the darkness, and four other human forms took shape.

"All of you? Really?" Arcee said.

"Like I was gonna sit at base when Jack called for you guys," Miko scoffed shamelessly while Raf looked rather sorry.

Thor had rushed over and picked Jack up by the waist. The teenager cried in surprise as he was lifted up.

"This is the mighty warrior that fought those two villains off. You are much rather thin for someone of such fighting finesse."

"Um, thank you?" Jack had no idea how to react to that. He had been caught by surprise at that as the other kids ran over to him.

"Dude, what happened to you?" Miko suddenly asked. "You look like you've been through Hacksaw Ridge and back!"

"I, uh, I had to rough it up a little bit this time," Jack mumbled, shifting nervously in his spot. It wasn't a lie, but he wasn't ready to share the truth with them.

"Cool! Gangster style!" Miko exclaimed before fishing out her phone and aiming it at Jack for a picture. Rhodes had rushed over and brought his hand in front of it just as the flash went off. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"Don't you know bad timing when you see it?" Rhodes scolded her.

"Maybe now isn't the best time, Miko," Bulkhead agreed.

Raf carefully approached his older friend and looked up at him. "Um, hi. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Raf. Just been really busy lately, that's all." Jack placed a placating hand on Raf's shoulder to prove he was okay. That was enough invitation for Sierra to have before she threw her arms around Jack in a hug. Raf clung to his leg as tears formed in his eyes.

"Group hug!" Miko said, wrapping her arms around all three of them. Jack almost laughed at the gesture, glad that they were all still friends.

"Can we focus on the two men who had not only managed to sneak their way here, but they have a reason for Jack?" Arcee said, not taking her eyes off of Stark.

"I just want to talk to him," Stark said, but he got a look from Rhodes.

"Yeah, sure. You have to have a better excuse than that," Sierra said.

Bumblebee warbled a series of beeps, gesturing towards his left.

"I agree with Bumblebee on this. While I would like to discuss more on this man's interest in Jack's being, I do not want to risk the men being gone by the time we arrive there." With a pained look, he added, "I hate to say this, but since you are aware of our existence and the situation, we'll have to bring you all along."

Stark's mouth dropped open, but Rhodes wasn't ready to let him be alone with them.

"Yeah, thanks. But we've got a ride of our own."

"What? But Rhodey—"

"Do not Rhodey me," Rhodes warned him as he dragged his friend behind him.

"Fine. Then I'll just tell Pepper that it was actually you behind the Times Square Fiasco last month."

"That was you?!" Banner exclaimed.

Rhodes glared at him. "You wouldn't dare."

"No? Try me."

"However," Optimus continued as he glared at the children, "I will be sending you back to base."

Miko opened her mouth, but Sierra slapped a hand over it.

"Is that a yes?" Bulkhead said.

"Yes! Yes, that's a yes," Sierra nearly laughed. "Freakin' Machete is going to get us in trouble otherwise."


Schultz and Davis cruised around the ward, keeping their eyes on the streets and above for any sign of Spider-Man. Davis was wailing about the sudden interest Toomes had over the kid and how it made no sense. Schultz just sat in his seat, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Davis glared at him when he didn't answer, but he suddenly jolted in his seat. "Herman, look!"

Schultz looked to where Davis was pointing and did a double take. Sure enough, there was the kid Toomes wanted them to track down, swinging overhead. But he wasn't alone. For a motorcyclist was behind him, followed by a convoy of vehicles. The windows were tinted on all of them, so it was hard to see who were in them. Although, he could have sworn the drivers appeared as if they weren't driving them at all.

"Uh, you wanna call the boss or should I?" Davis asked.

"I think I'll handle this one," Schultz said as they followed the convoy. "Hey, boss? We've got a strange sight right here."


The small convoy raced down the highway, reaching the destination Jack had described. There was no sign of Toomes or any member of his crew, but that didn't mean they weren't there. They came to a halt alongside by pathways lined by flowers before they disembarked to the old storage buildings by the Tidal Basin.

"Odd," Arcee started as she held up her wrists. "The satellite scans are picking up a Cybertronian signature, but without a surge."

"How is that possible? Not even subterranean energon deposits could create that kind of a surge," Bulkhead said.

"Probably a flux created by a signal triggered by a systematic programming."

Jack had stayed close to Arcee upon arrival. That meant making sure Stark had stayed behind. The thought of them there left them to forget about him up until he had spoken. But what he said caught them by surprise.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked, glaring at him.

"Approach with caution," Optimus ordered quietly. They drew out their weapons as they came near the buildings. Their objective wasn't to shoot at the humans, but to fire as close as possible in case they became hostile. However, when they reached them, there wasn't a sign of any of the men anywhere.

Optimus switched one of his blasters in favor of his hand before directing them forward. They kept close to the shadows to avoid detection. But once Jack took a peek inside, he was barely surprised that some of the equipment was still there. Since no one was there, they were free to wander inside.

"Sheesh. This looks a place MECH would want to shack up in," Bulkhead stated.

Jack ran his fingertips along the edge of a counter. He had been glad when Banner went back with the others, but it had been hard to drag Thor back with them.

He tentatively felt something wet as his fingers skimmed over a countertop. He lifted them up and took a whiff, the faint scent of copper hitting him. Shivers racked over his back as he had an idea as to whose blood it could have belonged to. Was Hilliard still breathing, or did he really kill him?

His heightened state of fear made him unaware of the shadow overhead.

After cutting Silas off, who seemed pissed off at the fact Jack was still running free, Toomes had geared himself up. He expected Schultz to have found the place Jack was living in, but not about an odd convoy. He was surprised when he showed up with this company instead.

High above in the rafters, he watched as they scoured the warehouse. The Vulture spotted the boy quickly, but he caught sight of Stark as well. That surprised and angered the man. What was Stark doing in his territory? But no matter.

He focused on the group, waiting. He watched Optimus venture into a corner, his glowing blue eyes focused on something. He reached down to rummage in the junk that lay in the corner. "Ah."

Everyone turned around at his voice. They watched as he stood up, holding an object that resembled a shield. He held it in both of his massive hands to reveal a blinking light that suddenly shut itself off.

"Just as I suspected," Optimus said. "An Iacon homing beacon."

"What's a homing beacon doing on that thing?" an incredulous Arcee asked.

"Class-A Decepticon weapons confiscated during the war, among other important relics, were sealed away within the vaults of Iacon," Optimus explained. "Unfortunately, Megatron had made it his main target when we were at our most nadir. It would stand to reason that in anticipation of Iacon being overrun by enemy forces, these weapons were jettisoned off world. To keep them far from Decepticon hands," he speculated.

"Thanks to wonder boy, this one's going into our vaults," Bulkhead stated happily.

Arcee snorted. "Wonder boy? I think we'll need a better description for Jack."

Stark didn't say anything for once. The shield and Optimus's words reminded him of his captivity among the Ten Rings in Afghanistan. His own visitation there forced him to leave behind his own equipment for them to make weapons, even with the aid of Stane. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who thought of it.

"In other words, some of them are on our world as well?" Rhodes surmised.

A troubled look creased Optimus' face. Jack shrank back in his spot, hoping that he hadn't easily been offended. Optimus noticed this and turned to the pair, trying to look sober.

"You have every right to ask that. But I'm afraid that I do not remember much on my time in Iacon's archivist center," he replied. "Nor do I know where each of them could have landed onto."

Toomes heard all of this from his hiding spot. He tried to suppress a smile as he spied on the little group below him. This was definitely good fortune that the kid had escaped with that cylinder. Thanks to the information Silas had provided for him earlier, who had taken captive of what was labeled a Decepticon, they were able to perfect their weaponry.

He silently contacted Schultz, to be ready when he gave out the signal. Yes, he would allow the Autobots to salvage what they believed was theirs. He had something better in mind.


It took some time for them to finally clean up the mess. Optimus was ready to contact Ratchet for a ground bridge. They had to move out of the building for Ratchet to pick up on their signal.

When they moved, so did the shadow in the rafts. Bumblebee was bringing up the rear, so he was able to hear the slight tinkling noise. He turned back around in confusion. The others were already making their way out into the open, but he decided to take a look to see what it was.

That was when he took off. Bumblebee gave out a surprise shout as Toomes zipped past him. The noise caused the others to turn around as he shot towards them. It was so sudden that Jack didn't have time to react. Toomes grabbed him around his waist and carried him off.

"Jack!" Arcee screamed. She quickly transformed and took off after them, not caring to activate her hologram. It prompted Stark to take off after them.

"Oh, come on," Rhodes groaned before running after his friend.

"Quickly!" Optimus transformed and followed. Bulkhead copied and went after the others.

Bumblebee made to follow suit, but before he could, something struck him in the back between his door wings. He let out a warbled cry as something shocked his systems, causing him to power down.

Vale had been left behind to help in case they had to fight. A secret message between him and his boss forced him to stay behind while the others relocated.

Schultz and Davis had pulled in just as the Bumblebee hit the ground. They slowly climbed out of the van and crowded around the young Autobot scout, observing him.

As they were examining Bumblebee, they were being watched by an enormous bird perched high in the trees. It watched as the trio gathered around to claim their latest prize.

"Damn," Davis said.

"Okay. Who wants to call a tow truck?" Vale said.


"Ooh!" Coulson crumpled up the paper in his hands and threw it across the living room.

Romanoff chose wisely not to make a comment and pretended to be engrossed in her novel.

"Have you read this lately?" Coulson half-demanded. "Have you?"

Tiger sniffed as she crossed the floor. No use in revealing her true nature to the unaware agents in the room anytime soon.

Hank ran a hand through his hair. He'd read enough on the Spider-Man news since the incident at Georgetown's Inn. "What are you griping about? Shouldn't Fury not knowing he's here be enough for you?"

"I don't know. He's not doing a shitty job for a beginner," Barton said from his seat.

"How am I supposed to keep Fury from figuring out the truth if he keeps going out like that?" Coulson sat down on the sofa next to Barton and clutched his head.

"Why can't he know about Jack being here?" Romanoff said.

"Because knowing him, a million things can go wrong," Hank said.

"Exactly! But it's going to be hard to when he's out there playing Superman!"

Romanoff lowered her book. "Don't you have a way to keep an eye on him? Like LoJacking his phone?"

Coulson groaned. "Why didn't I think of that?" he said as he pulled out his phone.

Hank gave him a horrified look. "You put a tracker in Jack's phone!?"

"At least I didn't hire someone to stalk his every move," Coulson shot back.

"Um, guys?" Janet gestured at the TV set. On the screen was an image set by the Pentagon. People were walking about when a dark shadow zoomed over them. However, it was the person they saw carrying that caught their attention.

"Oh, no," Coulson whispered.


Meanwhile, Toomes flew until he got to the Arlington National Cemetery. Jack grunted as the older man threw him down to the ground. Toomes loomed over him with a switchblade produced in his right hand. Jack froze, remembering how Airachnid had been poised to kill him after he blew up her ship. No doubt this guy was any different from her, aside from the species difference and their morals.

"Hey, you know it's disrespectful to desecrate a graveyard, right?" Jack said. He pushed himself to sit up, but the blade was pointed at his face. He froze. He was definitely glad he was still wearing his mask. "Wait, I didn't even bring S.H.I.E.L.D. into this!"

"And that's one of the two things I'm glad about tonight," Toomes started, his voice terrifyingly calm. "To answer your question earlier, your buddy Silas never mentioned the giant robots to me. Or that you're in league with Stark."

"Silas isn't my buddy, and I've never met Stark until tonight," Jack retorted.

"Hmm. So, Fury doesn't know he's here then. It'll make this easier. I've got a few secrets of my own, same as you."

"Like your wife? I'm assuming you have children as well. Let me guess: you're doing all of this for them, right? Doing whatever it takes to keep a roof over their heads? Keep them safe and happy?" However, as soon as those words left his lips, Jack wondered if he was being too bold.

Toomes waved the switchblade at him. "Nothing to me is more important than my family. And I know how much family means to you, so I'm going to give you once chance. You ready? You are going to go home, forget any of this ever happened. Don't you interfere with my business, and don't you ever come anywhere near my crew again. Because if you do, I will kill you and your friends. That's what I'll do to protect my family and crew. Do you understand?"

Jack looked at the blade aimed at his face. Having to hear an ultimatum like that just angered him. However, he had been given it once despite how stupid it was. Yet this time, he was gambling with the lives of his friends and family. He had no choice but to begrudgingly accept.

"Good. Then we've come to an understanding." Toomes activated his turbines and took off.

Jack angrily ripped off his mask and screamed in frustration. He hated himself now for what he had just done. Before he would have been too frightened to say anything. Now he was more pissed off for allowing Toomes to get away. He was thankfully pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the roar of Arcee's engines. He looked up to see the cobalt Autobot drive up to him.

"Jack! Thank the Allspark. I thought that man…I thought…" She looked around for any signs of Toomes. "Where—"

"He got away," Jack growled. He barely saw the surprised look flickering in Arcee's optics as he spoke. She never had heard him speak in such harshness, but he had never been this mad before. She was about to speak when a van pulled up abruptly behind her.

"Scrap," she cursed to herself. The passenger's left door opened up, and Coulson jumped out. Hank and Janet stumbled out, not taking their eyes off of Arcee as the senior agent ran towards the pair.

"Jack! Thank God! When I saw that—" He stopped when he noticed the look of displeasure on his godson's face. He had seen it before at Barton's farmyard, of an angry boy upset because he knew he could have done something to prevent a grave disaster. So, he slowly approached to see what the matter was.

"Jack?" But Coulson was cut off by the squealing of tires. Optimus and Bulkhead had shown up and transformed.

"Arcee! Jack! You've gotta—" Bulkhead squeaked at the sight of the adult humans.

"Wow," Janet whispered.

"…Um, hi." Bulkhead nervously waved a hand at them.

"Yep. Surprises," Barton grumbled. He looked at Arcee and waved. "Hi, again."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. knows about these guys as well?" Stark came out from behind Optimus. "Oh, come on. I can understand why you're so popular with them, but robots that are self-aware—"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Romanoff said through gritted teeth.

Coulson groaned, "Tony, go home."

"Okay." Rhodes made to pull Stark away, but he wasn't budging.

"Um, that's not up to you to decide," Stark stated snidely, then looked to Romanoff to see how she would react. He was enjoying the irritated look she was giving him.

"Tony, not a good time," Rhodes hissed.

"Stark, seriously. Leave," Barton warned him.

"Wait a minute," Hank said as he came forward. "Jack, didn't you say there were five of them?"

"Yeah."

"Well, where are the other two?"

They looked around and found that Bumblebee was not there.

"Where did Bee go?" Bulkhead asked.


Toomes regrouped with his men further down the Georgetown Channel, to where it intersected with the Potomac River. In an old building, he stared down at the biggest score they ever had.

He stood on the catwalk that gave him the perfect view of the activity down below. He ordered the yellow and black robot to be opened up as soon as they got him out of the trailer. The sight was fascinating to behold. When they had opened up the robot's chest, they were met with a pulsing blue sphere that resembled reminded him of a nucleus. Vale deduced it as equivalent to a heart, although they were surprised when further examination should that it had a structure similar to a DNA strand. Wires and cables surrounded it, a glowing pale blue orb the size of a basketball, pulsing with light and energy. The entire crew was warned not to touch it in fear of radiation and having it extinguished.

"So, what are you planning to do with it?" Vale asked his boss.

"Not sure, but now we have a lot of possibilities ahead of us," Toomes answered with confidence.

"Yeah, but what if Spider-Man and his crew come find us when they realize he's gone?"

"Why would he? I got him to swear to stop messing with us again."

"I don't think kidnapping a buddy of his will make him keep his word."

"Relax. Once we learn how he works, we'll let him go. We'll just have to catch a drone out there."

The technician that had been working on Hilliard's suit carefully poked at the wiring along Bumblebee's exposed cables by his neck. "This looks like the muscle mass of a living organism."

"Precisely what it is, human."

All of the occupants whipped around at the sudden, rasping voice. The voice belonged to Megatron of all people, as he ducked into the hanger with Soundwave and a grumpy Knock Out behind him.

"So, this is where the magic happens," the Decepticon warlord mused. "How quaint."

All of the crewmen had aimed their weapons at him. However, Megatron didn't seem affected by them.

"Is this really how you treat a guest in your own home? I would have expected better from what my spies have informed."

None of them moved. Either out of fear or to keep their guard up if he tried anything. Megatron rolled his optics.

"Please. If I had wanted to exterminate you all, I would have done it already. Besides, I believe you have a variety of things that belong to our race."

Toomes didn't say a word, and neither did his crew. Megatron wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or amused. For such small, fragile creatures, these men had guts.

"Oh, come now. I only wish to speak with you. You should find as an honor. How often would you find someone who wish for an audience with someone beneath you?"

"Well, don't I feel honored," Toomes said dryly. "What exactly do you want? An alliance?"

"Normally I wouldn't recommend it. I, after all, am a commander like you on a mighty warship. But you seem to have a better grasp on our technology than the average human. It would seem we have much more in common than even I believe."

Knock Out had been bored from the entire time, wondering why Megatron even considered taking him along for the ride. He lazily looked around the room. However, he nearly felt his own spark give out when his optics landed on the table.

"Hey-hey-hey-hey!" he caught the man's attention. "Be careful where you poke. Cybertronian biology may not be like yours, but each part is as delicate as your bones and organs."

Mason held up his hands. "My bad."

Toomes glared at Megatron. "What is there that we can gain from it?"

"Inside knowledge."

Toomes said nothing, but he held up a fist. Megatron smirked as his crew stood down. They did, however, kept their guard up.

"A wise decision." He looked down at the table. "Funny how life works out in the end."

"You know him?"

"An old acquaintance of the past. One who I had the pleasure of ripping his voice-box out of for stubborn pride." Then he added with a smirk, "Which reminds me—there's something else he has that I believe will leave a more permanent reminder."


"How long will it take for you to locate him, Ratchet?" Optimus asked through the communications link.

"It depends. If these men are like MECH, then they no doubt could be disrupting Bumblebee's signal or else I would have found him already.

Optimus glanced down to his left. Jack was sitting at the edge of the road, still in uniform, and Tiger next to him in her cat form. His head was bowed, so the strands of his hair obscured his face. He could see the slight trembles of his shoulders.

Optimus had never seen the boy this devastated before. Grief and anger he understood, but Jack was trembling with frustration. It set the Prime's mind to wonder about Jack's decision to turn to vigilantism. Was it a coping mechanism or was there something more?

"Inform me when you find his signature," Optimus told Ratchet before cutting him off.

An angry Jack Darby stared at the vacant ground. He didn't bother to look at others, not even Tiger. He kept replaying the events of the night which only fueled his anger even more. He couldn't tell on what level he was, but he knew Toomes had taken him up to that point.

He looked up as Coulson approached him. He expected him to start scolding him like the very first time. Instead, his godfather sat down besides him with a sigh. "What am I going to do with you, Tiger?"

"Just lock me up," was all he said. "Every time I get the Autobots involved, someone gets hurt."

"I thought that was Miko's thing," Coulson said.

Jack snorted. "No, she just goes looking for trouble."

"Now, see, that's something I know you can do." He gestured at Jack's outfit. "Care to explain?"

Jack looked up at him. "You're not mad at me about this?"

"Oh, I am. But I am a little curious about this as well."

"Mom has nothing to do with this," Jack blurted out. He grimaced as he realized how quick it came out.

"You'll have to try harder to convince me otherwise."

Bulkhead suddenly appeared besides them. "Guys, can you get Janet to leave me alone? Miko asked me a lot of questions when we first met, but this one's a pro!"

"Ah, come on," Janet whined at his pedes. "Can't you at least tell me something about yourself?"

"Just tell her as little as possible," Hank advised. "She'll eventually leave you alone afterwards."

Janet looked offended when he said that. Jack nearly laughed at the childish display.

"Actually, I want to know how Jack became Spider-Man to begin with," Romanoff spoke.

All eyes and optics were on him now. Jack had at least the decency to look sheepish as he was once more the center of attention. He couldn't really conjure an explanation for his theory, so he just shrugged.

Stark gawked at him. "You don't know?"

"How do you not know?" Barton cackled.

"As of right now, I don't know for sure," Jack retorted. "Because I really have no idea myself."

None of them noticed the grimace on Optimus's faceplates.

"Well, then we'll get to the bottom of this." Stark grabbed Jack's arm, yanking him up to his feet. Tiger jumped back and hissed at that. It got Coulson to scramble up to his feet.

"Stark—" But the older agent was cut off when Arcee stomped a pede in front of the pair.

"And where do you think you're going with him?"

"Um, I forgot," Stark said.

Bulkhead used a digit to separate the pair. "Come on, Stark. Just leave him alone."

Optimus's frequency picked up the trill of an incoming call. He knew who it would belong to, but speculations often cost him greatly in the past. "Hello?"

"I've received a heavily encrypted message, but I can't decipher who it's from."

"Did the message say anything?" Optimus asked.

"It's the coordinates to Bumblebee's location. It also says that…he'll need medical attention."

Jack scowled before saying, "Then let's go get him back." He got up, but Coulson grabbed his shoulder.

"No, you're not. You're going back to the apartment tonight."

"Phil—"

"You expect him to go back after what happened tonight?" Arcee fiercely argued.

"Arcee, stand down now," Optimus ordered her. "Jackson, if you are feeling any hostile sentiments towards the people behind Bumblebee's kidnapping and the one who had taken you into the night, then you are to do as you are told. And I do not wish to see you injured in any form, much less have you perform such a dangerous activity when there are those who are after you."

Jack frowned. "Yeah, how did you guys find out where I was? Did you like put a tracking device on me?" When none of them said anything, he cried out in disbelief, "YOU LOJACKED MY PHONE?! No wonder why it looked like it had been messed with that day!"

"I think we just gave him a different reason to hate tonight," Bulkhead mumbled.

"He's sixteen years old! No adult in their right mind would have them running around in tights fighting people considered a threat to the public, even if they are responsible," Rhodes said.

"I don't know," Hank shrugged at this. All eyes were on him at this statement.

"W-what?" Rhodes sputtered.

"Oh, come on now. How often do you see something like this? Besides, who knows how much longer we'll have to wait before S.H.I.E.L.D. is given the okay."

"We're actually going to go through with it?" Barton exclaimed, and Romanoff glared at him.

"While I would admire your eagerness and candor, I do not believe bringing more humans into our base is the best idea. Not when your government and security organization are debating still."

"But they're taking forever," Janet grumbled.

Romanoff said with little regret, "No government is perfect, but yours has been shit lately, especially when it comes to secrets."

"No better way to say it than that," Arcee smirked.

"I wasn't actually trying to bash the government here," Romanoff said. "I only meant that I don't think anything should be withheld, no matter what." She looked intently at Jack. "Anything." And he realized she had guessed his plans and would not stop him.

Optimus called for a ground bridge from base, and the familiar vortex opened up. The trio made their way towards it, allowing Jack the chance to surge forward.

"Jackson!" Optimus cried, but by then he had disappeared through the ground bridge. Stark's eyes darted between the two groups before he made a mad dash after him. Tiger let out a squeal and ran after him.

"This is bullshit," Rhodes growled.

Barton said with stifled laughter, "Hey, dude. Don't get mad at him just because Jack's more popular than you are. Little hater."

"…What do we do now, Optimus?" the femme asked as she recovered her wits.

Coulson shook his head. "I think I'm going to kill him." Then he paused, adding, "Although I think we need to get over there quickly."

"I say we just let him go and once we get Bumblebee back, we send him back here. He probably just needs to blow off some steam anyway; this hasn't been the easiest week for any of us," Bulkhead said.

"No. If he has likely gone through it, he will evidently try to locate Bumblebee himself and put his life in jeopardy. I will not take any more risks," Optimus said.

"So, does that mean we can go through?" Janet asked timidly.

Optimus did not answer straightaway, so she took it as a yes. Grinning, she skipped over to the portal. Hank shook his head, but he, along with the others, followed the three Autobots through.