Dark Energon. Nasty stuff. Fucking shit damn near knocked me out from just touching it.
It was the first time in my life being dizzy. Experiencing nausea.
I think whatever the shit was, it hit my powers hard. My ears were ringing, I could barely hear, and I couldn't see for shit cause my vision wanted to blur. It fucking sucked.
Ratchet had me take a decontamination bath, which is exactly what it sounds like. I didn't have to strip or anything, which was good, caus I was stuck in their with Talida and Arcee
The Dark Energon was fucking potent. Arcee had a small bit, for her anyway, on her hand, and Tally had it all over her chest. I just scooped some up onto my fingers, and the effects hit me like a hammer. All of us.
I don't remember much afterwards. When I woke up the next morning, Amy told me I passed out while Optimus was giving us a ride home. Apparently the big guy was our designated guardian, or something like that. He was outside when I woke up.
Pete had stopped up that morning to pick me up for work, since I hadn't called him. Instead, Amy told Pete about my encounter when he knocked on the door. It was the crack of dawn, and the sun wasn't really up yet, so I slept like a log through the whole thing..
I didn't wake up until the sun was high in the sky, and it felt weird.
I didn't even remember waking up and going to my bed after falling asleep in Optimus cab.
I found out from Amy that I didn't. She carried Krystal to bed, and Optimus used his holoform thing, carried me off to bed.
Amy took another day off work in case this shit hit me worse than I was expecting.
Krystal… well… I guess it was a good thing it was Saturday.
We hung out with the Bots most of the day… but it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
Not only did we end up getting revealed to Fowler, but the poor son of a bitch got kidnapped by the Decepticons not long after.
I went with Bulkhead to rescue him. I wasn't gonna be put down by what happened with Dark Energon.
But… nothing went to plan.
Clark's eyes snapped open, taking in this surroundings. He was in his bedroom.
How did he get here? The last thing he remembered was that purple gunk knocking the wind out of him… he took a decontamination bath at the Bots base… and then Optimus drove them home…
He fell asleep almost the second they left the base.
Was he half asleep when he went to his bed? He didn't remember going to his bed.
He was still in his clothes. His boots were off, as were his socks, but his Kent Konstruction shirt was still on over his red T-shirt, and his belt was still on his pants.
Did Amy drag him?
No… he doubted it. He loved Amy, she had a will to match his and she was really fierce when she wanted to be, but physically, Clark was 150 pounds heavier and a foot and a half taller. Even if she dragged him into the house, she had no way of getting him onto the bed.
But… how?
Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up to his feet, more than a little confused as he stood up.
Despite his fatigue from the night before, Clark felt no different than he usually did now. He felt as if he were at full strength once more.
Whatever full strength was for him.
He looked at the bed.
Amy wasn't there.
Either she never went to sleep last night, or she still managed to wake up before he did today.
Made him wonder how much the purple stuff hit him.
"Amy?" Clark called out, listening for the sound of his girlfriend's heartbeat.
It was something he'd memorized within the first month of dating her, and he made sure to always keep himself updated on Krystal's heartbeat.
The sound of shuffling feet alerted him to a presence in the house as he moved towards his bedroom door. He was an inch away before Amy slid into his view, looking at him in concern.
"Are you okay?" was the first thing she asked. "You passed out on the way home last night, and when you weren't awake when I woke up, I got worried." She explained.
Clark smiled down at Amy, and rested his hand on her shoulder as he leaned down to kiss her. "I'm fine, Amy." He assured her. "I'm back to full strength."
Amy looked up at him for a moment, before sighing in relief. "Okay… good."
"So, how exactly did I get in here?" Clark asked Amy. "I know I passed out in Optimus' cab, but I don't remember squat past that."
"Optimus used his holoform thing to carry you in here." Amy explained. "Since I know I wouldn't have been able to."
Clark nodded. "Alright." He decided to ask another question. "Why isn't Krystal at school?"
"You scared her to death, Clark." Amy said seriously. "When she fell asleep, hugging you the entire time last night. I had to pry her little fingers from you so that I could carry her to bed." She let out a small smile. "Besides… it's Saturday."
Clark eyes widened, before he chuckled. "Oops. I take it you called Pete?"
"Actually…" Amy smiled nervously as she rubbed her neck. "I forgot. He stopped up this morning to pick you up."
Clark's eyes widened. "Shit, I hope I didn't piss him off."
Amy laughed slightly. "He wasn't mad. I told him what happened, and he was worried."
"Does he know about the bots?" Clark asked.
Amy shook her head. "I told him that it wasn't our secret to share, but that your were exposed to an alien substance while hanging out with our new friends." She reassurred. "Pete was understanding, and he told me to call if we needed anything."
Clark smiled. His friend was always on his side. They all were, Pete, Chloe, and Lana.
"I'll have to tell him how much I appreciate it." Clark remarked. "Is the hospital okay with you calling off for another day?"
Amy nodded. "Yeah. I explained the circumstances, somewhat. They told me to make sure I was alright."
"Somewhat?" Clark asked with a smile.
"I told them you had an accident, hit your head a lttle hard." Amy clarified with a small smile. "Probably not a complete lie."
Clark shook his head. "No, it's not."
Suddenly, the sound of truck horn honking caught the couple's attention.
"Is that Optimus?" Clark asked, going to move past her, only for Amy to catch his wrist.
"I'll go talk to him." Amy said, leaving no room for argument. "You need to talk to your daughter."
Clark glanced down the hall, before he nodded. "Alright."
While Amy moved towards the front door to speak to the Autobot leader, Clark made his way to his daughter's bedroom.
Cracking the door open slight, he peeked inside to see if she was awake of asleep.
Krystal sat on her bed, her cover over her legs, her knees pulled to her chest. Her arms were folded over her knees, and her face was tucked into her arms.
"Krystal?" Clark spoke quietly, testing to see if his daughter was awake, or if she'd fallen asleep in that position.
Krystal's head snapped up at Clark's voice, wide-eyed as she stared at her father. "Daddy?!"
She was scrambling off her bed in a second as Clark opened the door completely, smacking into his waist as she wrapped her little arms around him.
Clark hugged her back, looking down at his daughter in concern. "Krystal, are you okay?"
"You scared me." Krystal mumbled quietly, hugging her father tightly. "I thought you were invincible."
Clark looked down at his daughter with a soft smile. "Krystal, look at me." He instructed gently as he pried her arms away from him and crouched down to her level. "What happened yesterday was a one time occurance."
"It was?" Krystal asked, sniffling slightly as she looked at Clark.
Clark nodded. "Yes, it was." He reassured gently. "I'm tough, and I don't think I'll ever encounter that stuff again."
"Promise?" Krystal asked, looking at her father with a quivering lip. "Promise you won't get hurt again?"
Clark smiled. "I promise." He said, pulling his daughter close. "Now come here."
Krystal wrapped her arms around her father's neck as she hugged him tightly, almost afraid to let go. Clark simply hugged his daughter back, comforting her with his presence.
"Clark." Amy's voice caught his attention, and he let go of Krystal so that he could face his girlfriend, who was standing in the doorway, looking at the site with a small smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Optimus says that we need to get to base."
Clark raised an eyebrow at the information, but he nodded nonetheless. "Alright." He turned to look at Krystal with a smile. "I'll tell you what, we can bring the Playstation, hook it up to the TV at the base. We'll have a little game time."
Krystal smiled, almost forgetting her earlier worry. "Really?"
Clark chuckled. "Yes, but you have to get dressed." He ordered, ruffling his daughter's hair.
Clark stood up as Krystal bolted into her room, looking for a set of clothes to change into as he turned and followed Amy out of her room, going to theirs.
"Maybe you should change too, Clark." Amy advised. "You've been in those clothes since yesterday."
Clark nodded with a smile. "Alright, I will." He leaned down and kissed her temple, before walking into the bedroom.
"Thank goodness for peace and quiet. House guests can be such a bother." Ratchet muttered to himself as he studied the purple substance he'd pulled off Talida.
Suddenly, he heard a racket of sorts, causing him to look up in an attempt to find the source.
But he didn't find anything.
A little confused, but thinking nothing of it, Ratchet turned to continue his work.
When the noise echoed again.
This time, it was closer. Louder. More intense compared to the first time.
"Optimus?" Ratchet asked, turning to see if his leader had arrived back to base.
Only to spot the piece of machinery Bulkhead had crushed.
It was moving.
It was alive.
"By the Allspark!" Ratchet gasped as the machinery began jumping around like a scraplet, making attempts to attack the Autobot medic in some way.
Ratchet was able to block many of the attacks, despite being completely caught of guard, before smacking the possessed tool with a metal bar he had lying nearby.
The little devil dodged each consecutive swing, jumping towards the microscope Ratchet had been using to study the unknown purple goop, slicing it in half in the process.
"I needed that!" Ratchet shouted in outrage as the little monster destroyed another if his tools.
Ratchet jumped back in surprise when the monster screeched at Ratchet, preparing to leap at him…
Only to be blasted out of the air and fried on the spot by a pair of red hot beams.
As the now scorched piece of machine dropped to the ground, Ratchet turned to the source.
Clark was standing on the steps to Optimus driver seat, the door open as the red glow of his eyes slowly faded.
"You alright?" He asked the medic as he completely exited the vehicle, his girlfriend and daughter following suit, allowing Optimus to transform.
Ratchet nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Quite. Thank you very much." He said as he looked down at the busted piece of machinary. "This is the diagnostic tool Bulkhead mangled yesterday."
"What happened?" Optimus questioned, looking at around at the minscule amount of damage caused.
"I'm not completely sure." Ratchet admitted. "It might be some of the purple goo that I pulled from Arcee and Talida, but how in the world could it have done that?"
"I have a grave suspicion, old friend." Optimus announced grimly, catching everyone's attention. "Dark Energon."
The Nemesis. The Decepticon warship, the vehicle mode of the former titan, Trypticon.
On board, Megatron was less than pleased.
"You were to blow the mines so that the Autobots did not gain an advantage!" He bellowed, glaring at his daughter and his second in command. "So why in the pits was the mine left untouched?!"
Both Malita and Starscream were admittedly nervous. It definitely didn't help that Megatron seemed to have completely lost his senses, having infused his spark with Dark Energon, the very lifeblood of Unicron, The Destroyer.
"We ran into an unforseen obstacle, father." Malita admitted. "There was someone else there."
"Another Autobot?" Megatron questioned.
"No, my lord." Starscream said with a shake of his head. "Something else. A human of some kind."
"WHAT?!" Megatron roared, outraged at the excuse. "You expect me to believe you were foiled, not by an Autobot, or even Talida, but by an unknown human?!"
"There was something wrong with this man, father." Malita spoke, trying to appease her father's rage. "He possessed abilities far beyond a normal human, and possibly even those of a techno-organic."
Megatron was silent as he marched up to his second-in-command and offspring. "Explain."
"The human male blasted use with red beams from his eyes." Starscream began, raising his arm to show a pair of scorch marks on his upper arm. "He melted the edge of the platform we were on, and did this to me."
"He possessed speed comparable to that of Red Energon." Malita continued for her lover. "And he possessed strength comparable to that of your own or Prime's." Instictively, her hand moved to her throat. "Had I not caught him off guard, he likely would've killed us."
Both kept their gazes down as they bowed to Megatron.
After a few moments of silence, hesitently, they looked up towards Megatron.
"Father?" Malita questioned slightly as she looked up at her father.
Rather than a look of immense anger, or dissappointment, like the two expected, Megatron looked intrigued by their words.
"Really?" He asked. "Do we have anymore reports of such creatures?"
"One." Starscream admitted. "A drone returned after a failed attempt to scrap the one known as Arcee and Prime's offspring." He explained. "However… his arm was gone.
"Completely melted at the upper arm." Malita added. "The drone said that it wasn't a new weapon of the Autobots, but the result of trying to crush the humans."
"We laughed it off, and had the drone scrapped for it's uselessness… but now…" Starscream trailed off.
Megatron looked away for a moment, deep in thought. "Hmm… could it be?"
"My lord?" Starscream questioned curiously.
"How old was the human male?" Megatron asked. "What did his age look to be?"
Both Starscream and Malita looked at each other, confused.
"He looked to be in his early twenties…" Malita answered. "Scruffy beard, short trimmed hair… he said his name was Clark Kent."
"Hmm…" Megatron brought a finger to his chin, thinking about what he'd been told. "Could it be?"
"Father?" Malita questioned curiously. "Might I ask what you are thinking?"
Megatron was silent for a moment, before turning to look at Starscream and Malita.
"What you have just described is not a human, but species of similar looks, known as Kryptonians." He revealed.
Malita looked confused, but Starscream looked horrified.
"But that's impossible!" Starscream cried. "The Kryptonians were wiped out years ago!" He was hoping that what he'd just been told wasn't the case.
"But they were also just as advanced, if not moreso, than even Cybertron." Megatron admitted. "It's possible that one Kryptonian was saved from it's planet's destruction."
"What are the Kryptonians?" Malita asked. Since Krypton had long been gone when she was born, she was completely in the dark.
"A race of organics, resembling humans." Megatron revealed. "However, they were far more scientifically and technologically advanced. Their might rivaled Cybertron's and their technology was only matched by the sheer durabilty of Cybertron's own armies."
"However, their own planet was much harsher than Earth's, my dear." Starscream explained to his lover. "Their gravity was much stronger than Earth's and to survive, they evolved so that they could feed off of the solar radiation of their sun."
"How powerful were they?" Malita asked.
"Under normal circumstances, a Cybertronian trumps a Kryptonian many times over." Megatron explained. "But… the sun of Krypton was red. Should one ever come under a yellow, or a blue sun, they flourish, gaining far more power than anything in the universe."
"Under a yellow sun, a Kryptonian becomes one of the strongest beings in the Universe." Starscream added. "A single Kryptonian is more than a match for an army of Decepticons, or Autobots, if they are under a yellow sun."
Megatron nodded in agreement with his second in command. "And if their is a Kryptonian on Earth, then we haven't a moment to lose."
"Is there a way to bring him down?" Malita questioned, more than a little unnerved. If the Kent man was even half as powerful her father and her lover were describing, then she and Starscream had both gotten lucky. They needed a way to level the playing field.
Because if the Autobots had indeed gained a Kryptonian into their ranks, then all of the advantages the Decepticons had may have been rendered obsolete.
Megatron shook his head. "None that I recall. If this… Clark Kent, has been on Earth as long as I believe he has, then our best course of action is to continue as planned, and hope that my army can overwhelm him."
"Master, perhaps we may have an advantage." Starscream spoke up. "I do not believe the Kent man is fully aware of his own abilities."
"Explain." Megatron ordered, intrigued. Malita was curious as well.
"Rather than fly, he made use of his speed, running up to our position." Starscream told Megatron. "And despite the possible power difference, Malita was able to catch him off guard, and throw him off the platform with her telekinesis."
"Really…" Megatron said in intrigue, looking towards his daughter. "I commend you for your strength, my daughter."
Malita smiled, and bowed. "I hope to please you, father."
"Nonetheless, if the Kryptonian is ignorant to his true heritage, we must take advantage of it. We proceed as planned." Megatron proclaimed. "I feel a pulling… as if I hear Unicron's thoughts." He looked down towards his spark chamber as he spoke. Turning around, he approched the Dark Energon chunk and ripped another shard from it. "I know what I must do."
"How may we assist you, master?" Starscream asked.
"Quit groveling. And await my command." Megatron snarled as he walked away, leaving the two.
"If the residue Arcee and Talida found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead." Optimus explained to everyone present as Ratchet disposed of the destroyed tool.
"That would account for his life signal inexpicitly coming back online. But Dark Energon?" Ratchet questioned in disbelief. "It's so scarce as to be virtually nonexistant! What would it be doing on Earth?"
"It was transported by Megatron." Optimus realized.
"So, what, are talking about some T-Virus bullshit?" Clark questioned seriously.
"T-Virus?" Ratchet asked, confused.
"What I'm asking is if we're dealing with some kind of zombie apocalypse type stuff." Clark clarified.
"That's a fair comparison, Clark." Optimus acknowledged. Clark snorted.
"Great. Fucking wonderful." He muttered with a shake of his head, while Amy held Krystal in her arms, horrified by the news.
"Oh my god…" Amy whispered.
The discussion was silenced by the sound of engines coming down the tunnel. They all turned and saw that the others were returning to base from their own outings.
They were all smiling and laughing to their hearts content, and it lifted the tense and dreary mood some. Most of those present, with the obvious exception of Ratchet, were smiling at the joy.
"That was awesome!" Jack exclaimed as he tackle-hugged Talida, both teens rolling to the ground in their laughter as the Autobots transformed.
"Can we go again?!" Raf excitedly asked Bumblebee/
"Sweet!" Miko squealed in excitement.
Suddenly, Bulkhead groaned, and a rumbling could be heard coming from his chest.
"I think you forgot to take something out, Miko." Talida giggled as she and Jack climbed to their feet.
"Sorry, must've left that in the backseat." Miko apologized sheepishly when Bulkhead pulled her guitar out of his chest compartment.
"Autobots," Optimus spoke, catching everyone's attention. "Prepare to…" Optimus trailed off as his gaze wandered towards his daughter and their new human friends.
"Roll out?" Arcee offered.
"Remain here." Optimus decided. "Ratchet, you'll come with me. Clark, Arcee, we'll be outside of communication range for some time, so I'm putting you two in charge."
"Huh?!" Arcee, Clark, and Talida all exclaimed at one.
"Him?!" Arcee pointed towards Clark.
"Me?" Clark questioned. "I've only been here a day, why am I in charge?"
"Yeah!" Talida exclaimed, glaring at her dad. "You usually put me in charge with Arcee!"
"That's true." Optimus admitted. "But Clark was the one who used to babysit you and Jack when you were younger, Talida. And Arcee is my second in command."
Talida pouted, but she didn't say anything else.
"Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing, babysitting is another. With Talida, I don't mind, but to a kid I don't know? And with a reckless idiot who's only been here a day?"
"Oh, fuck you bitch." Clark snapped, glaring at the femme. "It was your stupidity that got us dragged into this in the first place."
"Excuse me?!" Arcee growled, turning on Clark as everyone stared at him in surprise.
"Clark!" Amy gasped, looking at her boyfriend in shock.
"Enough!" Optimus snapped. "Rude as he is, Clark is correct, Arcee. It was your actions that lead to human involvement."
"Dad!" Talida exclaimed in surprise, while Arcee looked hurt.
"I'm not justifying his attitude, but it is understandable." Optimus continued, looking at his second in command. "I've made my decision. I expect you to abide by it."
Arcee grumbled, but she nodded. "Yes sir."
"Ratchet, bridge us out." Optimus ordered the medic, who nodded.
"If you die out there, I'll revive you so I can kill you myself." Talida threatened as Optimus lifted her up, wrapping her little arms around Optimus' neck.
"I love you, sweetspark." Optimus said.
"I love you too, Dad." Talida said with a smile as Optimus sat her back down, before they watched the two leave.
Arcee and Clark glared at each other one more time, before they turned away from each other.
"Slaglick." Arcee muttered.
"Cunt." Clark growled under his breath.
"Ok…" Jack said nervously, looking between the two. "What's on the activity list?"
"How about some video games?" Clark proposed. "Brought our Playstation so that we could hook it up to the TV up here, dick around for a while."
"Sure!" Raf said.
"I want to play Borderlands!" Krystal shouted with a smile as Amy let her down.
"I don't think I've played that." Bumblebee beeped excitedly.
"Well, I'm going on patrol." Arcee announced.
"But Optimus told us to stay." Bulkhead objected.
"When you're in charge, you can call the shots." Arcee replied. "Bee, with me."
"Aw…" Even to those who couldn't understand him, Bumblebee's disappointment was visible.
"Let the kid stay." Clark spoke up. "Prime said to stay here. You wanna go down the hole, you can do it yourself."
Arcee turned to glare at Clark. "I won't have my orders questioned by a reckless fraghead."
"Arcee!" Talida exclaimed, looking at Arcee in shock.
"Was that necessary?" Bulkhead questioned.
"Actually show that you have some sort of common sense and maybe I'll quit." Clark growled.
"Clark…" Amy whispered, resting her hand on Clark's shoulder. "Calm down…"
Clark looked at Amy for a moment, his lips tightened in a thin line, before he sighed. "Alright. But my point stands. You want to disobey Optimus, do it yourself."
"It's better to have backup on the field." Arcee retorted.
"Groundbridge means we're all literally just a step away." Clark shot back, pointing to the controls. "And you have a com link."
"Arcee." Talida's voice caught the femme's attention. "I know you're not happy with him, especially since Dad just chewed you out, but Clark makes some good points." She reasoned.
Arcee was quiet for a moment, before looking at Bulkhead. "What do you say, Bulk?"
Bulkhead looked a little nervous at being put on the spot, before he let out a sigh. "I think we should let Bee choose, really." Bulkhead admitted, causing everyone's gaze to move to the scout.
Bumblebee looked surprised at all the attention, before he rubbed his helm in nervousness.
"I… I want to stay." Bumblebee decided, looking at Arcee with an apologetic gaze.
Arcee let out a sigh at the decision, but seeing that she was essentially outnumbered, she nonetheless nodded, before taking off on her own.
"What's her problem?" Amy asked, watching the femme leave. "No offense, but it seems like she's got a stick up her ass."
"Since Cliffjumper died, she's been biting for some payback." Talida explained. "Instead… she's been put on watch duty." She gave Clark a look. "Clark's outburst didn't really help much."
"I'm not gonna apologize." Clark said without missing a beat. "She's been a bitch, and she didn't want to take responsibility for the fact that it was her actions that dragged us into this mess."
"Clark…" Amy said, giving her boyfriend a look.
"No, Amy!" Clark said with a shake of his head. "I don't care how out of line I was, I meant every word, and I'm not apologizing for telling the truth."
Amy looked at Clark for a moment, before sighing. "Okay…"
"So…" Bulkhead spoke up. "What was on the activities list again?"
"Video games!" Krystal answered gleefully as Clark turned on the Playstation 5.
However, before the system even booted up, an alarm began blaring through the base as green lights began flashing.
"Don't tell me…" Jack muttered as he and the others glanced towards Bulkhead.
"Proximity sensor!" Bulkhead confirmed. "Quick, hide! Now!" The wrecker instructed. "Bee, get over here."
"Fuck!" Clark grumbled under his breath as he followed everyone down the stops to hide as Bulkhead scooped Talida up onto his hand, settling the teen on his large shoulder just as the elevator doors opened.
"Prime!" Agent Fowler called out with a glare.
"Yo!" Talida responded.
"Prime Senior! Not Prime Junior!" Fowler corrected.
"Agent Fowler!" Bulkhead said somewhat nervously. "He's… uh, he's not here. Nobody's here! Except more me, Talida, and Bee, of course."
"Well, where did he go?" Fowler questioned. "Wait, don't tell me. He's out pancaking a mini-mall!"
"Hey!" Talida snapped. "That's my father you're talking about! A little respect would be nice!" She was glaring at Fowler, none to pleased with his remark.
Fowler completely ignored her.
"Now, I don't know what language you bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised you would handle the Decepticons.
During the tirade, Clark sat in front of everyone, keeping them back and completely out of site as he observed the bots reactions.
But something caught his eye.
An amp, with something hooked into it.
Following the cord with his eyes, they nearly bulged out of their sockets when he saw that it was Miko's guitar… and the cord was stretched!
"Miko!" Clark quietly growled. "Put that down!"
Miko glanced at her guitar for a moment, eyes wide, before smiling nervously. "Uh, sorry." She put the guitar on the ground…
…only to accidentally strum the guitar.
"But blowing a forest in Nebraska sky high is not what the word handle means in English! So you tell Prime-"
The sound of the amp activating as Miko accidentally strummed the guitar cut Fowler off, and he looked down towards the amp.
Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Talida all looked at each other nervously.
Fowler knew for a fact that none of them played guitar.
"Since when are you bots electric?" Fowler remarked.
Fowler was slowly realizing that there were more people in the base.
Clark cursed as he realized that they'd effectively been caught. He turned to look at the others.
Amy looked nervous, Krystal looked scared, and the rest of them looked unsure.
"What do we do?" Amy mouthed towards Clark.
Clark scanned across them once more, before he let out a sigh.
And stepped out into the open.
Fowler's eyes bulged out of their sockets when he saw Clark step out into the open. His shock grew when everyone followed him, effectively exposing themselves.
"Hi." Clark said with a rather uncomfortable look on his face.
"Contact with civilians!" Fowler gasped, glaring at Bulkhead and Talida, Bumblebee's optics wide in shock behind them. "Team Prime has definitely gone off the book this time! Wait, don't tell me. Your running a day care center!" He guessed sarcastically.
"Uh… okay…" Bulkhead stumbled with his words.
"We can explain all this…" Talida trailed off.
"No we can't." Bumblebee whirred dejectedly as he looked towards the the humans, knowing Fowler couldn't understand him.
All of the humans looked to Clark, silently asking him what to do, how they could salvage this. Clark simply looked at Fowler, seeing what he could do.
"Okay, let's move." Fowler spoke as he walked down the steps towards the group. "I'm taking all of you into federal custody, for your own protection." He decided.
Clark narrowed his eyes, but before he could make any sort of move towards the agent, Bulkhead's foot suddenly slammed down between them.
"We're protecting them." Bulkhead said sternly, Talida glaring down at the agent.
"Is that so?" Fowler asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, maybe you can explain that to my superiors at the Pentagon." He challenged as he marched towards a nearby phone, picking it up and beginning to dial a phone.
"Don't use that phone!" Talida shouted as Bulkhead leaned down towards the phone.
"It's out of order." Bulkhead finished as he poked the controls, completely crushing the thing.
"This isn't over!" Fowler growled. "Not by a long shot!"
And with those words, he marched back up the steps, less than happy.
Clark watched the elevator doors close behind the agent, before he cursed.
"Great. Just fucking great." Clark muttered, more than uncomfortable with the circumstances.
It was a dreary place, the destination Optimius and Ratchet were going to. Large rock foundations created archways as the two made their way to their goal, and if they were human, the fog would be suffocating.
"Optimus, what do we hope to find here?" Ratchet asked his old friend.
"The sight of the largest Cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy." Optimus answered simply.
"On Earth?" Ratched asked, unable to belief what he'd just heard. "You must be joking!"
"Do you recall the period late in the war when both sides began hiding their energon spoils off world?" Optimus questioned.
"Of course." Ratchet answered. "It's the reason Energon deposits exist on planets such as this one."
"It's also the reason battles came to rage on planets such as this one." Optimus revealed, his voice turning grave. "And I fear that Megatron's memory is as long as history."
The continued their trek in silence for a moment, before Optimus spoke up again.
"Amy told about your argument with the humans yesterday." Optimus abruptly spoke, catching Ratchet's attention.
"Oh?" Ratchet asked quietly.
Optimus nodded. "She told me about the remark you made. About Talida… and her mother."
"Did she?" Ratchet asked, glancing towards his old friend.
"Do you blame Talida, for being stuck here, old friend?" Optimus asked, looking towards Ratchet.
Ratchet looked at his old friend for a moment, before sighing. "I… I don't. But I suppose I do take my feelings out on her." He admitted.
"I… I see." Optimus said. "And, just so you know, I did love Rose."
Ratchet glanced towards his friend in surprise. "But… you weren't spark bonded with her."
"She was an organic, Ratchet." Optimus explained with a sad sigh. "No matter how much I would've liked to, she has no spark to bond with… just a human heart."
"I see." Ratchet said with a sad nod. "I apologize… for my harsh words."
"Old friend, I understand your longing to return to Cybertron." Optimus admitted. "And I appreciate you staying with us… after Talida was born."
"I do care for the little gremlin." Ratchet remarked with a chuckle. "Though we don't always get along, and admittedly, I can say harsh things, I do care for her as my own."
Optimus smiled. "That's nice to hear."
Ratchet returned the smile. "It's the truth, old friend."
At the top of Autobot Outpost Omega 1, Fowler's helicopter was taking off.
Despite being a government agent, Fowler was a very good pilot. It was the reason why he was able to arrive without anyone accompanying him. He knew how to fly an aircraft. Whether it was a helicopter, or a jet.
"Sir, Agent Fowler." Fowler spoke, activating his built in communicator on his helicopter. "We have a situation. I'm en route from the Autobot base. I'll brief you in person."
Little did he know that the Decepticons were listening in.
"Sir, Agent Fowler. We have a situation. I'm en route from the Autobot base. I'll brief you in person."
"Interesting…" Starscream grinned.
"Autobot base, eh?" Malita smirked.
"Humans… always the weak link." Starscream remarked as he looked at Soundwave. "Fetch us this… Fowler… so that he may brief us instead."
Soundwave didn't respond verbally. But he never did anyway. He simply dispatched Laserbeak from his chest, in order to fulfill it's task.
Time seemed to go by slowly, to Fowler's pleasure. He loved flying… the freedom it entailed. He enjoyed it immensly.
It was one of his favorite parts of these visits, admittedly. He respected Prime big time, and the other Autobots… but whenever he had to visit, it was always because of some sort of destruction.
By the time he got to the base during his visits, he was stressed beyond belief.
Unfortunately, this particular flight wouldn't be as relaxing.
Suddenly, alarms in the helicopter began blaring, to Fowler's disappointment.
"I'm flying here!" Fowler said in annoyance.
And then he noticed the bogey.
A small little drone. One he unfortunately recognized as a Deceptiocn.
"By Uncle Sam's beard!" Fowler cried as he dodged Laserbeak. "First the freeway's not safe, now air travel?!"
It was an intense chase as Laserbeak whirled around, putting himself right on Fowler's tail.
Fowler tried every technique in the book he could think of to shake off the drone, but he realized quickly that the Decepticon drone was not going to be shaken off, due to it's sheer speed and versatility.
Fowler growled at his pursuer, before his eyes landed on the cliff wall… directly in front of him!
But Fowler was a skilled pilot for a reason.
Jerking back on his control stick, Fowler was able to bring the helicopter high enough to avoid the cliff, but unfortunately, so did Laserbeak.
Unfortunately for Laserbeak, Fowler was now behind the Decepticon drone.
"You want to dance, Con?" Fowler asked with a smirk as he flipped up a glass panel on his handle. "I'll lead."
Slamming his thumb down on the now revealed button, a gatling gun under Fowler's helicopter began firing at Laserbeak.
Among Cybertronians, Laserbeak was a relatively weak bot, being only a drone.
But the durable metal of his armor was definitely far beyond anything on Earth.
The bullets only ricocheted off Laserbeak's hide, angering the rather primitive drone.
Unfortunately, ammo isn't infinite, and Fowler's hail of bullets had to come to an end eventually.
And that was when Laserbeak struck.
Turning sharply, Laserbeak flew directly for the tail of the helicopter, his Cybertronian wing annihilating the rotor.
"Never a bot around when you need one." Fowler grumbled as he made a futile attempt to regain control of the helicopter.
And then Laserbeak was on the aircraft, two pairs of tentacles protruding from the bottom of the drone.
Try as he might, Fowler couldn't avoid the tentacles and regain control at the same time. So he went with his last resort.
He hit the Autobot Distress Signal, and then he let the drone take him from the helicopter, just as it exploded.
He could only hope the bots found him before the real torture started.
When the alarms starting blaring through the base, it was immediately abundant that something was different.
"What the hell?" Amy yelled as the loud noise assaulted everyone's eardrums.
"My ears!" Raf groaned in pain as he tried to black out the noise.
"Shut that fucking thing off!" Clark snapped, glaring at the computer.
Bulkhead was quick to silence the alarm, before taking a look at the cause. His optics widened. "It's an SOS… from Fowler." He revealed, looking at the control panel as he tried to figure out what to do.
"Allow me." Talida offered as she typed in a couple of commands.
"Did you trace it?" Raf asked worriedly.
"Location scan was incomplete." Talida said with a shake of her head.
"Oh well." Bulkhead shrugged uncaringly.
"Oh well? Seriously?!" Jack said in disbelief.
"Bulkhead!" Amy yelled in surprise.
"What?" Bulkhead asked. "Fowler's a jerk!"
"Hey, I don't like the guy either, but I'm assuming he sent an SOS here for a reason!" Clark said, marching up to the handrail as he looked at Bulkhead. "We can't leave his ass to the Decepticons!"
"And Agent Fowler knows your location!" Raf piped in, before he realized what that meant. "OUR location!"
"I'm scared, Mommy!" Krystal cried as she ran to her mother, hugging her waist.
"But we lost the transmission!" Bulkhead replied. "I get that we have to find him, but I don't know the first place to look!"
"Well we have to try!" Talida said sternly. "We're Team Prime, Bulk! We don't condone human casualties."
"If I may…" Raf spoke, catching everyone's attention. "I might be able to narrow it down. About five years ago, the government started microchipping their agents. Like owners do with pets." He explained as he pulled out his laptop and began typing in various commands on it.
Meanwhile, the other's looked at him in surprise.
"I'm not even gonna question how you know that." Amy muttered as she looked at the boy, wide-eyed.
"If I can hack the government's mainframe, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates." Raf revealed.
"You know how to hack?" Miko asked in surprise. "But you're like… two years old."
"Twelve." Raf corrected somewhat smugly. "And a quarter."
In the Nemesis, Starscream and Malita watched with sadistic smirks as Fowler was roughly dragged towards them by the Vehicons, as if he were nothing more than scrap.
He may as well be to the Decepticons.
"Welcome, Agent Fowler." Starscream smirked.
"Enjoy yourself?" Malita sneered.
"Oh, just fine." Fowler smiled, glancing towards Malita. "Wasn't aware the giant robots took on human strippers."
Both the Decepticons looked at Fowler in surprise, before Malita growled.
"How dare you!" She snapped. "What is it with this comparison to whores everyone seems to make to me!"
Fowler chuckled. "I don't know…" He said sarcastically.
Malita glared down at Fowler. "You want to play games, fine. Apparently no one told you we have no appreciation for human humor." She growled as her gaze snapped to the Vehicons. "Take this filth to the brig, and make him comfortable." She ordered, a sadistic smirk on her face.
Fowler's gaze turned towards the Vehicons, and though he would never admit it, as they approached…
He was terrified.
"Latitude: 39.5. Longitude: 116.9." Raf read off Fowler's coordinates.
"Got it!" Talida said as she typed the given coordinates into the Groundbridge system.
Clark let out a laugh as he gave the boy a congratulatory pat. "Way to go, Raf!"
"Alright." Bulkhead spoke as he turned to everyone. "Stay with Bumblebee and Talida. You coming, Clark?"
Clark nodded as he moved towards the steps. "Yeah, I'm coming." He said as he moved by Amy, giving her the kiss. "I'll be back."
"Be careful." Amy said with a smile as she patted Clark's arm.
Clark smiled as he began walking down the stairs. "Amy and Talida's in charge!" He called back as he followed Bulkhead through the Groundbridge.
"Yes!" Talida shouted with a fist pump.
"So…" Jack spoke up. "Guess we all have the run of the place, huh?" he asked… before he noticed someone missing. "Miko? Miko?"
"Oh no." Amy gasped as she looked around for the missing exchange student.
"Scrap!" Talida hissed, kicking a balcony railing in anger, only to begin jumping up and down, holding her foot in pain. "OW! SWEET FRAGGING MOTHER OF PRIMUS, THAT HURT!"
At the Groundbridge destination, Clark and Bulkhead exited the portal as they began scanning for their target.
"Fowler?!" Bulkhead called out for the agent.
"Uh, Bulk?" Clark spoke, catching the wrecker's attention.
"What?" Bulkhead asked, turning to look at Clark. Rather than verbally respond, Clark simply pointed towards the sky.
Bulkhead turned his optics towards what Clark was pointing at, and they went wide. "The whole Decepticon she-bang."
Both Clark and Bulkhead moved to hide behind a pair of large rocks as a vehicon guard did his usual rounds. Unfortunately, both of them were about to get a very unwelcome surprise.
"Alright, what's the plan?"
Both Clark and Bulkhead's gazes snapped towards the source of the familiar voice, finding Miko hiding behind the same rock Clark was.
"Miko?!" Bulkhead gasped in surprise.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Clark hissed. "We expressly told you to stay at the base!"
"And miss all this action?!" Miko retorted. "No way!"
"Clark, Miko!" Bulkhead suddenly shouted, but his warning came to late.
A Vehicon guard suddenly whipped around the rock, aiming his blaster at Clark and Miko.
Clark reacted on instict, pulling Miko close and shielding her with his own body as Bulkhead moved with a swiftness that belied his size, tackling the drone away.
Turning towards the scrap happening between the two robots, Clark turned and glared at Miko.
"Stay here." He growled, before turning towards the brawl.
Bulkhead had the Con on the ground, and Clark was going to take advantage of it.
He blasted forward with his speed, digging his hands into the helm of the Vehicon, before ripping it's head completely off.
Bulkhead was a little disappointed that he didn't get a good scrap. "I could've taken him." He grumbled.
"Fowler's the target, Bulk." Clark said. "We need to get in and out as quickly as possible."
Bulkhead was a little disappointed, but he nodded. "Right."
"What should we do?! Bulkhead may not even realize she followed him!" Raf exclaimed in worry.
"But wouldn't Clark?" Taida asked. "With his hearing, wouldn't he detect a human heartbeat among a group of Cybertronians?"
"Clark has selective hearing." Amy explained, shooting the idea down. "It's practically a requirement. He has to focus on what he wants to hear. If he's not expecting her, Miko can easily sneak along with them."
"I'm going after her!" Bumblebee proclaimed, reactivating the Groundbridge. "You all stay here!"
As the Groundbridge swirled to life, Jack's eyes caught something out the corner of his eye.
Something horrifying.
"Krystal!" He shouted, catching everyone's attention.
The child was running towards the Groundbridge… and she was already right by it!
"KRYSTAL!" Amy screeched, complete terror flooding her as she sprinted down the steps, followed by the other humans as Bumblebee ran towards the Groundbridge. Her only goal was to get her daughter back.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Miko?!" Clark growled, glaring at the teen. "Do you realized how stupid this was?!"
"I'm the only one who hasn't seen the Cons!" Miko retorted as she pouted. "I want to help out!"
"Oh god, Prime's gonna kill me." Bulkhead grumbled across from the two as Clark practically shattered the rock as he smacked it in rage. "Arcee, we have a situation…" The wrecker spoke, calling Arcee over the comlink as Clark grilled Miko.
"Goddammit, Miko! A man's life is in danger and that's what you're concerned about?!" Clark snarled, stomping towards Miko in anger.
Miko turned away, crossing her arms. "I just want to help!" She explained. "I don't like just sitting on my butt."
"Sometimes sitting on your ass is the best thing to do, Miko." Clark said with a sigh.
"Uh, Clark…" Bulkhead spoke nervously, catching Clark and Miko's attention. "We have a problem."
"What?" Clark asked as he looked in the direction Bulkhead was looking, where he spotted a Groundbridge.
Just in time to watch Krystal exit the portal!
"KRYSTAL!" Clark shouted in horror, catching his daughter's attention as Bumblebee and the others ran through.
"Krystal!" Amy shouted, crouching down in front of her daughter as the Groundbridge closed behind them. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"I wanted to help Miko!" Krystal cried, pointing towards the teenager.
Miko suddenly felt like she had made the worst decision she possibly could've.
"You there!" A Vehicon exclaimed as a couple of them spotted the group from the warship.
While the others had a different word to use, Clark summarized the situation the only way he knew how.
"FUCK!"
Finally, Optimus and Ratchet arrived at their destination: the site of the largest battle in the Milky Way Galaxy.
To say the dreary site was worrying was an understatement.
"For the first time in my life, Optimus… I'd hoped that you were wrong." Ratchet admitted as he observed the site with horror.
Optimus himself looked rather displeased that he was correct himself.
The sonic sound of a jet's howl echoed through the sky, and Optimus almost immediately knew who it was. His suspicion was confirmed when a gunmetal silver Cybertronian jet transformed and landed on top of a large rock, looking down into the dreary canyon.
"Optimus!" Megatron sneered. "Been well? I see you brought your trusty watchdog. I was certain he'd be convelessing in a scrap yard by now."
"Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?" Ratchet suggested angrily as he punched his fist into his servo.
"I know why your here, Megatron!" Optimus proclaimed, glaring at his foe.
"Hardly a surprise, Optimus. After all, you and I have been at this for a long time." Megatron proclaimed, smirking. "And I've learned that you saw fit to add quite the asset to your little band of Autobots."
Optimus narrowed his eyes at Megatron's words. "I know nothing of what you mean, Megatron."
Megatron's grinned. "Oh? Are you sure?" His face changed to an expression of sarcasm as he pretended to think. "I could've sword my daughter was engaged by one of your newfound friends. A… Clark Kent?"
Both Optimus and Ratchet's eyes widened in horror. Megatron not only knew about Clark… he seemed to be interested in him.
"What do you want with him, Megatron?" Optimus snarled. "He means nothing to you."
"Oh, quite the contrary, Optimus." Megatron retorted, an evil smile on his face. "I'm quite interested in how you've wrangled a Kryptonian into your team."
The decleration stunned Optimus. He'd… he'd never even considered the possibility… Krypton was destroyed!
But Clark's age lined up…
"A Kryptonian?" Ratchet asked in confusion.
Optimus looked at Megatron in horror as realization dawned.
Megatron looked at Optimus for a moment, and he couldn't help the evil amused cackle. "Oh, what a twist! You had no idea!"
"Optimus, what is a Kryptonian?" Ratchet couldn't help but question his old friend.
"One of the few races as advanced, if not moreso, than Cybertron." Optimus revealed. "And under a yellow sun, few things can ever hope to take on a Kryptonian."
"You had one of the most powerful beings in the universe right under your grasp, and you didn't even know!" Megatron cackled. "And what's better, neither does he!"
"Clark is none of your concern, Megatron." Optimus growled. "Leave him alone."
"Oh, the Kryptonian's time will come, Optimus." Megatron laughed. "But unfortunately for you… you won't be alive long enough to see it."
Suddenly, he held up a glowing shard of Dark Energon, which seemed to glow in tandem with the symbol on his chest, and his own eyes.
He threw the shard down, causing it to embed itself into the canyon floor. And the entire canyon floor seemed to glow purple as a result.
"Rise, my army!" Megatron proclaimed as his very veins glowed the same purple shade as the Dark Energon.
Beckoned by his call, Optimus and Ratchet watched in horror as countless number of dead Cybertronians climbed to the surface, pulling themselves out of the ground with only one goal.
Do their master's bidding.
"By the Allspark!" Ratchet gasped as he and Optimus watched the soldiers rise.
"Behold the power of Dark Energon!" Megatron proclaimed, as the army immediately targeted the two Autobots, with only one goal.
Destroy.