I do not own Transformers Prime or Harry Potter
(Chapter 4)
"Ugh!" Jacqueline slammed her head into the wall. "What am I doing wrong?" She was in her bedroom, standing in front of a doorway she conjured. Levitating next to her was an old spell book focusing on construction spells. However, her results were less than great. "All I want is a nice bathroom. Is that too much to ask?" Now that she was home, she'd wanted to improve her bedroom. Though the goal she had in mind for her bathroom was overly complex. At Hogwarts, she had used the prefect's bathroom and, like many before her, fell in love with it.
"Aw~c'mon!" She opened the door and frowned. The bathroom looked nothing like how she imagined. The tub was shaped weirdly, and the fountain by the edge was gushing colored water. Jacqueline closed the door. "You can do this. Just clear your mind." Pointing her wand at the door, she made circular motions. She could hear the sound of the room rearranging itself. After her final attempt, she lowered her wand and cautiously opened the door. 'Please work already.'
Opening the door, she looked into the bathroom. "Did it work?" She opened the door entirely and stepped into the massive bathroom. The bathroom seemed almost identical to the prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts. There were a few minor imperfections that she noticed, but she was excited nonetheless. Jacqueline lifted her wand and waved it horizontally. There was a loud rattling sound from the fountain. The nozzles turned as water traveled through the pipes… or so she thought.
Jacqueline covered her nose as sludge poured from the pipes. "Ugh! That is disgusting!" She quickly waved her hand, and the nozzles turned, cutting off the flow of murky sludge. "I hate construction spells." It was an unappreciated practice in the magical world. Most wizards don't bother with such spells because they are overly complex. This is why certain buildings in the wizarding world look slanted or rugged. Jacqueline grabbed her spellbook and flipped to the page she was just on. "What to do if you create a black hole. How to stop fire from shooting out of the toilet." She read a little further, "Once you've completed your construction, allow no less than a day for the magic to settle in. Using the room beforehand will cause deterioration or total collapse of the room." Jaclyn looked around the bathroom and quickly rushed out, closing the door. Pressing her ear against the door, she could hear the bathroom shaking. 'I guess that means it is settling in?'
Heading to her bed, she closed the heavy spellbook and tossed it to the side, "That was so exhausting." She turned her head towards her knight stand and grabbed her phone. "What time is it?" Flipping it open, she saw it was only 8AM. Arcee was going to be here in an hour. Jaclyn sighed as she got up and went to her wardrobe, "Okay, what will I wear for today." She didn't have a lot of muggle clothing. Being at Hogwarts for so long, she had plenty of robes, but she technically wasn't allowed to wear them. At least in muggle populated areas. "No… nope… too obvious." She shifted through her clothes, "I guess this will work." Jaclyn pulled out a simple grey outfit. This would be considered 'casual' clothing in the wizarding world, but it looks a bit fancy for muggles. "I'd better go shopping for normal clothes this weekend. I should have thought about this when I came back." Then again, she never thought she'd be caught up in an alien civil war.
(An Hour Later)
Arcee revved the engine of his motorcycle, and Jacqueline peeked her head out the front door. "Are you crazy? This is the only day my Mom has off from work." She stepped outside and walked over. "It's two minutes before nine. Don't wake her up."
Arcee looked at Jaclyn and felt his body go rigid. The outfit she had on was nothing he'd seen other humans wear before. Unlike the baggy clothes she wore when coming to their base, this fit tightly to her body, exposing the femme's feminine figure. Arcee shook his head, "Take this. It's go-time." He presented her with a helmet, "You can watch cartoons back at base with Bumblebee."
Jaclyn grabbed the helmet and looked it over, "I don't watch cartoons." She put the helmet on and got on the motorcycle while wrapping her arms around Arcee's waist, "Thanks for the helmet." She said in a low voice. 'Did he go out and buy this, or is it a spare?'
Arcee heard her and took off, racing back towards base. As they drove through Jasper, Arcee felt a weight being lifted off his shoulders. That itching feeling that plagued the back of his mind was starting to feel relief. 'I'd kill for some high-grade energon 'bout now.' He had some stashed back in his bedroom at the base. He was saving it for a special occasion… but he needed something to numb what he was feeling. His sides were heating up because of the human holding him. 'What is wrong with my servos?'
Jaclyn lifted her head up a little to see over Arcee's shoulder, 'I guess this really isn't a normal motorcycle.' She could see a screen where there would typically be a speedometer. There were a lot of strange symbols she couldn't understand. Jaclyn sighed internally, 'If he's gonna have to watch over me, I might as well make an effort to get to know him.' She tightened her grip on his waist when they hit a bump, "Hey, Arcee. So how fast can this thing go?"
"Why are you asking?" He smirked behind his helmet. He usually went a lot faster than this.
"We're on a naked stretch of road. And my Mom's crappy station wagon has gone faster than this." And she wasn't kidding. She was still haunted by the day her mother had to drive her to the elementary school when she was running late. It was the only time, in June's entire life, she did something risky with her daughter close by.
Arcee slowed down and came to a complete stop, "Tighten your grip, Jacqueline. Nothing can beat my transformer."
"Whoa!" Jacqueline clung to Arcee as he took off.
Wanting to show off, he pulled back, and they started driving on one wheel. "Scared yet?" He was partly expecting her to scream at him to stop or slow down. Back on Cybertron, before the war, he had a few femme ride his bike. He could easily say none of them were brave. He still has a scar on the back of his head when one femme hit him for acting so reckless.
Jaclyn laughed, "Is that it?" Her broomstick could go faster than this. And there was always the risk of plummeting to your death.
Arcee went full throttle. This human was playing with his ego right now, and it felt nice. It has been a long time since he'd been able to show off his skills in front of a femme. The burning of his side soon extended to his entire body. Arcee would never in a million cycles acknowledge it, even to himself, but he felt a little turned on. It felt right to have a pretty femme hold his waist. 'W~what the frag am I thinking? She's not pretty.' Arcee got his motorcycle back onto two wheels but remained silent for the rest of the drive. Did he just think this human was pretty?
He gave an irritated huff and was thankful he was slouched over as his cheeks burned. 'It's nothing. I'm just frustrated… that's all.' His spike was a little hard.
(Desert Stretch)
Bumblebee and Raf were in the former's transformer playing a video game. Bumblebee enjoyed these human games. They didn't have anything like this on Cybertron. At least none that he could remember. He emerged from the Well of Allsparks just as the war between the Decepticons and Autobots started. He spent most of his cycles as an energon scout for the Autobots. Bumblebee was one of the few cybertronians left who could smell energon from miles away. It was now a coveted ability being that energon was so rare.
Raf was leaning forward, "So close!" He was having a lot of fun with Bumblebee. The bot was like the older brother he always wanted. At least… a better brother. His actual brother ignored him. The youngest of five children wasn't fun, especially when you're one of the only wizards. His Dad was a wizard, but he hardly had time to spare for him. His sisters and brother always took their parent's attention, so he gave up fighting for it. Bumblebee made a cheap move and smashed Raf's car out of the way. The man in the seat next to him was cheering. "Awww!" Despite the loss, Raf was still having fun, "No fair, Bumblebee. You've been driving way longer than me."
Bumblebee held up two fingers, signaling for a rematch. "How about another round. No cheap moves this time, I promise." He beeped out.
"Mhm… okay." And so they started another round, "Maybe next time we can get Jaclyn to play with us." He played once with Miko, and the girl was unbeatable. Bumblebee fumbled with his controller when Raf said that, causing his car in-game to crash. "Hah! I'm gonna win now!"
Bee attempted to recover, but Raf won, "Awww." He groaned at his loss.
Raf placed the controller on his lap, "I think Jaclyn would love to do this with us. She's so cool." She may not be as smart as him when it came to technology, but she was a genius when it came to magic. While not a master wizard, she had a vast understanding of almost every concept of magic. The jack of all trades, as her father would say.
Bumblebee put his controller away and started driving back towards base, "S~she sounds nice."
"I can't wait to introduce you two." Bumblebee had yet to actually meet Jaclyn.
Bumblebee's spark was pounding in his chest. That femme's face was engraved into his processor. She was undoubtedly the prettiest femme he'd ever seen; human or cybertronian. 'Scrap, I don't even know her.' He wanted to slam his head onto the wheel. He was feeling progressively jealous of Arcee. Why couldn't he watch over Raf and Jaclyn? It wouldn't be a bother on him in the slightest. At least once he learns to not be so embarrassed around the femme.
"Hey, Bee, can I ask you something?" Raf tapped his fingers against his knees.
"Of course, what is it?" He answered cheerfully.
Raf pushed his glasses up, "What are your parents like? Do you have any siblings?"
Bumblebee went quiet. "Parents?" He carefully responded, "I don't have creators like you humans."
"Oh, uh… really? Then how do you… well… you know~" He was old enough to know about the birds and the bees.
Bumblebee chuckled at Raf's innocence, "We emerge from the Well of Allsparks. Having children like you humans is rare."
"Rare?" Raf didn't understand. And what was the Well of Allsparks?
"Mhm! Sorry, little guy, but I think you should wait a year or two before I explain." He gave his charge a pat on the head. For cybertronians, having children was an infrequent occurrence. If a femme and mech can create their own sparkling, it was considered a prestigious blessing by Primus. Bumblebee would be lying if he said he wasn't jealous of humans. The ability to have a sparkling of your own was the dream of any cybertronian. Even the Decepticons, as twisted as they were, wouldn't dare harm a sparkling. And Bumblebee hesitated to think of Megatron in any positive view, but even he wouldn't hurt a sparkling.
Raf crossed his arms, "Hey, I'm old… enough."
(Autobot Base)
Optimus's optics opened slowly before he jolted away. The events from last night have been virtually erased from his processor. All he remembered was feeling rather heated. Optimus glanced at his nightstand to see he'd slept in. This was fairly uncommon. "Ratchet is likely waiting for me," He said to himself. His bedroom were rather bare, besides a few monitors. In the three years that he'd been on Earth, he had little time to improve it. The only benefit of his bedroom was that it was connected to a private bathroom. But it wasn't too special.
Optimus stepped into the bathroom and turned the knob for the shower. He found himself grateful that both humans and cybertronians believed in proper hygiene. Stepping into the shower, he clenched his teeth and jumped slightly. Out of habit, he pounded his fist at the wall and the water immediately started to heat up. "I must speak with Ratchet about fixing this."
Closing his optics, Optimus sighed as the steaming water poured over his head. Beneath his skin, his circuits and servos were creaking. As technorganics their species were very similar to humans in terms of outward appearance, but their innards were overly complex. Although that is also what Ratchet has stated about humans. 'I wonder if the rest have picked up the three humans.' Optimus allowed himself a moment of rest. A few minutes from his day to not think about the weight of being the Autobot's leader.
Contrary to what most mechs thought, Optimus isn't emotionless. As Bulkhead has said in the past, they've never seen him laugh, break down, or lose his temper. Being in his position didn't allow for him to act normal. He desired to laugh and be social like he once was. But it was his burden to bear, as their leader, to abstain from such normalities.
Lifting his head, he brushed his hair back, 'Perhaps one day.' Optimus had only ever been open with Ratchet about his dreams and ambitions before becoming a Prime. Like plenty of other mechs, he wanted to find a sparkmate and settle down. When he was but a young clerk, he told Ratchet his foolish dream of having a sparkling of his own one day. Ratchet laughed at the idea. He tried to keep his emotions in control, but when he learned about humans and how having sparklings was normal. He was jealous. No other word could describe it. And to discover that some humans abandon their sparklings, this filled him with unparalleled rage. For a creator to leave their own sparkling willingly made no sense in his processor. 'A sparkling is to be cherished. How can a living being abandon their own creation?'
There were a few other things he learned about humans, and it made him sick to his spark. Especially the concepts of rape and pedophilia. Only now did Optimus understand why some human parents were terrified to let the child go to school alone. If he had a sparkling and some mech or femme attempted to harm or touch them… already his energon was boiling to dangerous levels. While he kept it a secret from Ratchet and the other Autobots, Optimus occasionally went to Jasper and watched sparklings at Jasper Elementary from across the street. He liked to make sure nothing happened to them as they left school.
Resting his head against his arm, steam escaped Optimus's mouth, "All I ever wanted was a sparkmate and sparkling." A femme he could be with and not have to act formally around. Someone who could see his actual self. A sour rage slowly filled his spark. It was rare he ever felt such anger. He entered into a relationship with a femme named Elita-One long ago, but before he became a Prime, she decided she no longer saw him as a potential mate. 'She used me to get close to Megatron. I am but a fool.' It was common on Cybertron for a femme to have more than one sparkmate, but that didn't mean a mech couldn't be rejected. Most mechs waited until their spark knew who it wanted for a mate, but some could choose, in a manner of speaking. Optimus attempted to form something that obviously was never meant to be. Ironically, after becoming a Prime and having Elita work under him, she tried to win his spark back. The rage in his spark rose again, "I trusted her, and I was nothing but scrap."
Optimus knew feeling such anger was unnecessary, but having told Elita his hopes of one day finding a mate, he felt like a fool. She led him on for cycles with the promise of them merging sparks, but it never happened. It was even Megatron himself who warned him of the femme's ill intentions. Optimus eventually turned off the shower and started to dry himself off. Standing in front of the mirror, he took in his complexion. He unexpectedly wondered if the human femme from before found him attractive. "My processor must be malfunctioning."
Heading back into his lonely quarters, he started getting dressed. The Autobots had a few articles of clothing that they had brought with them from Cybertron before the great exodus. Slipping on his clothing and a light amount of armor, he went towards the main corridor. Across from his room was Ratchet's own bedroom. "Ratchet, are you there?" He knocked on the steel door before opening it. Peering into his old friend's room, Optimus saw all of Ratchet's medical equipment. The medic was a control freak, and everything was perfectly organized, while in the corner of the room was a small bed. "I should discuss with Agent Fowler the possibility of improving our living conditions." William had asked several times if they needed anything, especially improvements for their beds. Ratchet kept refusing help. He did not like the idea of a human assisting him with such basic comforts of life.
Walking through the massive hallways, Optimus passed by a few other rooms. Forcing open a large bulkhead door, he peered into their energon storage… which just happened to be in the kitchen. Stepping inside, he grabbed himself a small glass of energon. As he refueled himself, Optimus passively looked at the kitchen itself. "What exactly do humans use these for?" He was staring at the stoves and cooking equipment, which had taken on a considerable amount of rust. Optimus had a somber smile as he recalled Cliffjumper trying to use the stove. He ended up causing a massive fire and burned one of his eyebrows. Since then, none of them have attempted to fiddle with this Earth technology. "You will be missed, Cliffjumper."
Optimus drank his glass of energon and heard a loud cry, "I needed that!" Ratchet's voice echoed from the hall. Wanting to make sure everything was alright, he quickly hurried into the main control room.
Ratchet attempted to hit the small claw that had come to life. "Gah!" He stumbled back as the mechanical creature jumped towards his face. A blast hit the creature, causing Ratchet to look over. Optimus was holding his ion blaster, which was slightly more advanced than your average cybertronian weapon. The tiny creature, still clinging to life, shouted when Optimus stomped on it. The ground cracked slightly under his strength. Ratchet frowned, "And stay broken. Now, what could've caused that!?"
Optimus studied the broken tool. "I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark Energon." It was the only substance in the universe that could give a simple piece of technology life. "Only the blood of Unicron could create such an abomination."
Ratchet scoffed at the idea, "Dark energon!? Optimus, you cannot be serious." Grabbing a containment jar, he placed the small creature inside and connected it to the terminal for testing. Ratchet scanned the monstrosity and found the same residue that he was analyzing on the side of the piece of equipment.
Optimus looked over the date, "If the residue Arcee found of Cliffjumper's transformer brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason the very same substance brought Cliffjumper's transformer to life. Likely without him inside."
Ratchet crossed his arms, "That would account for the distress signal coming from his transformer, but dark energon? It's so scarce as to be virtually non-existent. What would it be doing on Earth?" He rubbed his fingers together. "At least that would explain the strange smell." Ratchet shivered as he recalled working with the substance. The blood of Unicron was rumored to be very… intoxicating, especially to cybertronians.
Optimus frowned, "It was transported by Megatron, no doubt."
Ratchet shook his head, "For what purpose?" He inhaled and rubbed his nose, 'I'd best take a decontamination bath.' He was working with that vile substance, and its intoxicating aroma made him want to drink it. 'I'll need Arcee to take another decontamination bath as well.'
Optimus looked at the monitor, "I surmise two reasons. Either to raise an army of discarded transformers or," He looked at his chest, "To corrupt the Matrix of Leadership itself."
Ratchet scoffed and looked taken back, "Now why in the name of Primus would Megatron do that?"
Optimus frowned, "Corrupting me would, in turn, corrupt the matrix." He shivered in dismay at the idea, "Clearly, he has thought of another way to dispose of me."
"Hmmm…" Ratchet frowned with Optimus, "Given your history of battles, it would make sense that he'd attempt another alternative to eliminate you. But dark energon?" Ratchet was horrified by the idea of what Megatron possibly had planned for Optimus. "That idea might seem like a stretch, don't you think, Optimus?"
Optimus brushed his nose, "Not necessarily. Megatron is aware that given status as a Prime, I am vulnerable to such a powerful substance." Sniffing the air, he tried to block the dark energon's powerful scent. 'I… must… remain firm.' He attempted to ignore the corruptive scent that sent pleasant chills down his back. As a Prime, his sense of smell far exceeded the average cybertronians, and Megatron was clearly using this passive ability against him.
Ratchet crossed his arms and dwelled on the situation. He closed his optics and attempted to ignore the irritating visions the dark energon was flooding into his processor. His tongue had a compelling desire to taste the dark energon, but already he knew these thoughts weren't his own. 'Blasted energon.'
Optimus noticed Ratchet's slight change in character, "Old friend, I think it would be best if you take a decontamination shower. Now that we are aware of what this substance is, it is best to minimize our exposure to it." Dark energon was rumored to act as an aphrodisiac in order to lure mechs into drinking it. Even Optimus was not immune to its corruptive fumes. "Let us be grateful this was only a small amount of dark energon."
(Nemesis)
Megatron stood in front of the massive crystal of dark energon. He groaned as he watched the fumes swirl behind the glass shielding. "Ugh~What is it, Starscream?" He could hear the seeker behind him.
"Good evening, Lord Megatron. What can I do to assist you?"
Megatron looked back and frowned, "Quit groveling!" He hissed out. Nothing got under his servo's more than a mech attempting to fake their allegiance to him.
Starscream stumbled back, "Y~yes, My lord. B~but if I might ask. For what purpose do you have so much dark energon?"
"It's purpose is none of your concern, Seeker. Now leave before I have Soundwave throw you from the airlock." Megatron's red eyes struck fear into Starscream. The seeker promptly ran off, leaving Megatron to stare at the massive stockpile of dark energon. Megatron gripped the railing in front of the containment field. His first attempts to control the dark energon were not promising. "That mecha was nothing more than a walking scrapheap." Cliffjumper's transformer was used to test the effects of dark energon, but clearly, it wouldn't be so simple. "The blood of Unicron would need to flow through my very spark before it." His soldiers were of greater value than an army of mindless transformers.
Contrary to what Starscream believes, Megatron held unparalleled pride towards his troops. They were more than just pawns on a chessboard; in his opinion, they were the backbone of keeping the Nemesis running. From miners to scouts, Megatron saw the value in each Decepticon. He would never say it aloud, but he held even higher respect towards his energon miners who work tirelessly. Before becoming a gladiator in the pits of Kaon, he was an energon miner forced to work under the caste system. He knew the struggle and pain of hauling carts full of energon. The only compensation Megatron could give was longer breaks during their work shifts, something he never had. 'Starscream will never become the leader of the Decepticons.' That title would fall to Soundwave, before him. Even Breakdown was a better candidate than Starscream. 'Starscream's arrogance will be his downfall.' As the humans say, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Starscream was the farthest thing from a friend. However, the mech did have his useful side.
Being outside of his transformer, Megatron growled as he thought back to the situation at hand, "An army of pilot-less transformers is useless if I cannot control them." He looked up and studied the dark energon. Purple fumes flowed corruptively behind the containment field. "Optimus may be immune to my weapons, but no mech is immune to the corruptive nature of dark energon." Megatron reached through the containment field and grabbed a shard of dark energon. The mech closed his eyes and grunted as a powerful corruption flooded into his body. Dark energon wasn't particularly useful in its crystallized form and needed to be refined. 'If the great Unicron were truly evil, then why would he create something that grants such immeasurable pleasure and strength?'
Megatron looked over the glowing crystal in his hand, 'Hopefully, that fool Knockout was able to refine the energon like I requested.' He had a large portion of dark energon extracted for personal reasons. 'I'll need more than enough dark energon for consumption.' For him to fully embrace the power of Unicron, it was going to require complete submergence.
As fate would have it, Knockout's voice could be heard in his earpiece, "Lord Megatron, I've refined the dark energon as you've requested… but… are you certain this is a wise idea?" Knockout was well informed of what Megatron wanted to do with the dark energon.
"Just do as I command. If I am to embrace Unicron's strength, then this needs to be done." Megatron was growling, "Pump the dark energon to my personal chambers."
"M~my Lord, is it safe to pump dark energon through the ship's piping?"
"Unless you'd rather carry it by bucket, I can easily have that arranged," Megatron smirked at the idea.
"Yes… well… I'll see to it immediately, My Lord." Knockout cautiously asked his next question, "Are you certain it is safe to bathe in dark energon? Should I prepare the medical bay in case something goes wrong?"
"Safe?" Megatron scoffed, "It is dark energon. There is nothing safe about it. But if I seek to defeat Optimus Prime, then it must be done." He stared at the dark energon before him, 'I'll be certain to leave enough for you, Optimus. You've brought this upon yourself and have left me with no other option.'
(Back at Base)
Jacqueline got off of Arcee once they drove into the main room of the Autobot base, "That was awesome." She got off the motorcycle and looked over towards Optimus and Ratchet. Jacqueline choked, and her face caught fire behind the helmet. Ratchet was stripped down to his boxers as he decontaminated himself. 'For Merlin's sake! Do they always have to take off their clothes when they get in that thing?' As Ratchet stepped out of the decontamination chamber, Jacqueline was able to get a decent view of his physique. Ratchet was about a head taller than her, and his body was littered with muscles, much like Arcee. 'Are all cybertronians buff?' He had a few light scars across his body, but nothing horrible.
As Ratchet dried himself off, he looked over towards the humans and groaned, "Ugh~great." As he dried himself off, he momentarily stopped when he saw Jacqueline. 'What is she wearing?' He coughed as his throat locked up. She wasn't wearing those baggy clothes like before, and it gave him a better view of her body's curvature.
Optimus approached them, "Autobots, prepare to~" He lost his train of thought when he saw Jacqueline. He was taken back by her outfit. It looked left him stunned to see her figure. Optimus was unaware that she possed such prominent features.
Arcee raised a brow, "Roll out?" He finished Optimus's sentence.
Optimus quickly replied with a new plan in mind, "Remain here. Ratchet, you'll come with me." He looked back to see his oldest friend putting on his pants. He seemed a bit rushed. "Arcee, We'll be outside communication range for some time. So I'm putting you in charge."
Arcee clearly seemed irritated, "Optimus, with all due respect," Optimus stopped to look back, "Playing bodyguard is one thing. Babysitting is another."
Jacqueline sighed while rolling her eyes, 'Babysitting… please.' She was half tempted to make his mouth disappear. She went towards Raf. He always put a smile on her face. Nothing irritated Jacqueline more than people looking down on her or seeing her as dead weight. 'I could burn this place to the ground, and they'd never see it coming.' It was times like this that she wanted to show off magic. 'And here I thought we were bonding. I guess Arcee is just a natural jerk.'
"Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war." Arcee waved his hand towards Ratchet.
Ratchet looked back as he adjusted his shirt, "My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is as sharp as ever!" He said with a glare.
Jacqueline looked over towards Ratchet, 'He doesn't look that old.' If anything, he looked the same age as Optimus.
Optimus spoke, "For the moment, it's only reconnaissance."
Arcee crossed his arms, "Then why do I hear an edge in your voice."
"Arcee, much has changed within the last 24 hours." He sounded slightly irritated with Arcee's constant rebel, "And we all need to adapt." Optimus turned his head, "Ratchet, bridge us out." Both Optimus and Ratchet's transformers piloted themselves towards the two men as they walked into the ground bridge.
Jaclyn tapped her fingers together as she stood between Raf and Miko. The atmosphere was thick, "Okay, Chief, what's on the activities list?" She asked with a smile and attempted to lighten the mood.
Arcee glared at her and rolled his eyes, "Pff~I'm going on patrol." Jaclyn frowned as Arcee walked back to his transformer.
"But Optimus told us to stay here," Bulkhead said.
Arcee quickly glanced at the mech and caught his glare, "When you're in charge, you can call the shots." He looked over his shoulder, "Bee, with me."
Bumblebee looked at the humans and groaned, "Ugh… fine. I'm coming." He was hoping for Raf to introduce him to Jacqueline. Going on patrol with Arcee when he was like this was a pain.
"Bulkhead," Arcee patted the larger mech's shoulder, "You're in charge." The three humans and giant Autobot watched Arcee and Bumblebee drive out of the base.
Bulkhead scratched the top of his head, "So, uh… what's on the activities list?" He asked Jacqueline's question.
Jacqueline crossed her arms as she looked at Bulkhead, "I can't believe I'm going to say this. But I think I'd rather be stuck in a room with my ex-boyfriend than Arcee. Is he always such a jerk?"
Miko cringed, "You're ex-boyfriend? Ugh~Arcee must really suck if you want to spend time with that guy again. Wasn't he the one who gave you amortentia for like a month?"
Jacqueline nodded, "Ya… that was fun." Her voice was laced with sarcasm. The wizard she was dating during her final year at Hogwarts was forcing her to take amortentia. She hardly remembers anything from being under the potion's powerful trance. 'I don't think I've ever seen Professor Snape so furious in my entire life.' It took some time, but her potion teacher eventually figured out why she acted so strange. The major red flag was when her boyfriend made her miss her potions exam. 'An entire month's worth of studying gone!'
Bulkhead looked at the two human girls, "Uh~amor~whatia? Hey, Arcee's not a bad guy. He just needs time to get used to you guys. That's all."
"Oh, please." Jacqueline laughed while rolling her eyes, "It's obvious he doesn't like us. Same with Ratchet." While both men were incredibly handsome, they were unnecessarily rude, "Also, why do you let him talk to you like that?"
"It's just Arcee. He's been through a lot." Bulkhead laughed a bit, "But I do know what you mean. There have been a few times I've wanted to sock him in the face, but Prime would probably bar me from leaving the base."
Miko jumped, "Ooh! Where is his room? Give me ten minutes, and I can burn it to the ground." There was a sadistic gleam in Miko's eye at the idea of destroying something.
Jacqueline slapped Miko on the back of her head, "Miko! We've talked about this." She turned to Bulkhead, "Have fun with her."
Bulkhead looked a little concerned but smiled, "Thanks." Miko was undoubtedly strange, but he enjoyed the company. Though when escorting her home, she was quite a lot to handle. Bulkhead awkwardly tapped the tips of his finger together and attempted not to stare at Jacqueline. Miko was friendly, but even he found her a bit overwhelming.
Just before the party could get started, the elevator door opened, "Prime!" Agent Fowler stepped out of the elevator.
Bulkhead's eyes widened, "S~scrap! Why aren't the proximity sensors working?" Was there another bug in the system?
Fowler looked over the railing, "A crater in Nebraska and~ Jacqueline? What the~what!?" The three wizards looked at each other, not knowing what to say. 'What the hell are they doing here!?'
Bulkhead looked between Fowler and the humans next to him, "Uh~Fowler, Optimus isn't here. T~these are uh~I can explain!" He stopped panicking, and something clicked in his processor, "Wait… you know each other?" Bulkhead looked at Jacqueline and Fowler.
Jacqueline shook her head, "N~no. No! Uh~no, right?" She gave Fowler a crazed look of worry.
Fowler shook his head, "Uh~no. Team Prime shouldn't be with these kids. N~now you three come with me! I'm taking you into federal custody."
Bulkhead growled, "Hold it! You just said her name."
Fowler slammed his hand into his face, "You stay out of this, big green. You don't need to mix yourself up with these three." In his mind, Fowler had a panic attack. How could the Autobots possibly run into the three wizards he was supposed to be watching over? His commander was going to kill him if she ever found out. 'Please tell me these three didn't blab about magic.'
Bulkhead put himself between Fowler and the other three humans, "We're protecting them."
"Protecting~what!?" Fowler's eye twitched, "Big green, you have no idea who these three are. Believe me, the last thing you or I want is these three lighting up MACUSA's radar."
Bulkhead raised a brow, "Uh~MACUSA? I thought you worked for the Pentagon… or whatever you call it." Bulkhead felt out of place as all four of the humans groaned, Raf included.
Miko whined, "Oh, c'mon! We didn't tell them."
"Tell us what?"
Jacqueline and Raf covered Miko's mouth, "Miko, shut up!" Jacqueline hissed.
Fowler crossed his arms, "Mhm, I can't trust you not to tell them. Jacqueline, since you're the only one with any brains, obliviate him. Now!" He pointed at Bulkhead.
"Uh~well… I…" Jacqueline felt everyone staring at her. "No." Miko was cheering silently.
Fowler frowned, "Excuse me? You know better than anyone what will happen if MACUSA finds out you blabbed. Obliviate him, or I'll contact MACUSA myself."
Jacqueline groaned, "C'mon, William. Can't you just let it slide? What about your sister? Do you think she likes keeping this a secret? We don't." Bulkhead looked at the humans, completely lost. What secret!? "We haven't even told them."
"Grrr!" Fowler clenched his teeth, "Look, I don't like playing the bad guy here. But you were never supposed to meet Team Prime. I don't care if they exposed their stupid alien existence to you. But I'm not about to have you three sent to Azkaban because you told these stupid bots."
Bulkhead huffed, "I'm right here." He shook his head, "Alright, enough. What the frag are you all talking about?"
Jacqueline and Fowler looked at Bulkhead, "Bulkhead, shut up!" They shouted in unison.
Bulkhead backed up, "O~okay. You don't have to be rude."
Fowler sighed, "That's it! I'm contacting my superior." He looked over and started walking towards the phone mounted into the wall.
Bulkhead panicked, "Don't use that! It's out of order." He came rushing over and slammed his fist into the phone. Completely destroying it.
Miko laughed, "Okay, that was awesome!" She never knew Bulkhead was so strong.
Raf covered his face, "Are we in trouble? I don't wanna go back to Ilvermorny just yet." He looked at Jacqueline for some reassurance.
Throwing the phone line down, Agent Fowler looked furious, "This isn't over, Bigfoot! Not by a long shot!" He looked at the three wizards, "And you three. Just keep these bots in the dark until I get back. I'm doing this for your safety."
Bulkhead lifted his hands, "I just told you we were protecting them!"
"Not from the cons, you moron! Ugh~stupid aliens." He walked up the stairs while muttering under his breath. "I swear I can't catch a break." Agent Fowler got into the elevator and groaned. He didn't want to rat on Jacqueline, Miko, or Raf, but he knew the punishment for exposing magic to muggles. The Autobots may not be human, but they were still classified as muggles. 'I thought at least Jacqueline would see some sense in this.' Fowler groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He was just looking out for these three wizards. Growing up with his sister, William always hated how isolated she felt from the world because she was a witch. There were too many ridiculous laws they had to follow, and frankly, he thought the Statute of Secrecy was ridiculous.
William was always jealous of his sister, especially when his family found out she was a witch. But after seeing how miserable she was about keeping magic a secret, he was eventually grateful he wasn't a wizard. 'These damn bots have no idea what will happen to these three if they expose magic to them.' Unlike the Autobots, who faced no legal punishment for exposing themselves, those three wizards faced imprisonment. At least Jaclyn and Miko. At most, Raf would be expelled from Illvermorny.
Back in the Autobot base, Jacqueline was rubbing her temples, "Can this day get any worse?"
Miko was next to her, "Can we tell them now? Bulkhead will flip!"
Jacqueline gave her a sharp glare, "Have you lost your mind? No! You are not telling him, now hush!"
Bulkhead was staring at the three humans, "Can someone please tell me what's going on? Uh~don't make me tell Optimus." His threat came off as weak.
Jacqueline gave him a sharp glare that rivaled Ratchet and Arcee, "Bulkhead, forget you heard anything. Please just… stop asking questions. I'm begging you."
Miko grumbled, "This is so unfair."
Bulkhead still wasn't letting the conversation go, "But how do you know Fowler?"
"Bulkhead, please. We're already in enough trouble as it stands."
Miko raised her hand, "I don't see why we can't tell them. It's not like they're socializing with other muggles. C'mon! Please, can we tell them!? They told us their secret."
Jacqueline pinched the bridge of her nose, "Miko, I understand. But you know the law." Bulkhead was finding it hard to understand what they were talking about. "I don't like being silent about the whole thing either. However!" She pointed to Bulkhead, "Unlike them, we'll actually get into monumental amounts of trouble if we tell them."
Bulkhead rubbed the back of his head, "Uh~Okay, I'm lost." These three humans were hiding something important but obviously couldn't tell him. "Why don't you just calm down. C'mon, I can keep a secret."
"Bulkhead, it's not that simple. I appreciate that you and the other Autobots told us about your existence. But its~ugh~please can you just promise not to mention this to the others?"
Bulkhead raised a brow, "But Fowler is going to the Pentagon. Optimus is gonna find out."
"I'll deal with Fowler. Let's just say… he owes me a favor." Miko and Raf gave Jacqueline confused stares. "Here is what's going to happen. You two," She looked at Miko and Raf, "Aren't going to mention anything else and we'll all pretend like this never happened. And you," She looked at Bulkhead, "Are going to say nothing."
"What did I do?" Bulkhead had no idea what was going on.
Jacqueline groaned, "It's complicated, okay?"
(Flashback)
William tapped his fingers together, "So, how are you enjoying being back in Jasper?" He was sitting in a park with Jacqueline. They watched as children ran around on the playground across the street.
"It's fine. A little lonely, but fine." Jacqueline said.
"I've had the pleasure of meeting your mother. She is uh~very nice."
Jacqueline looked at Agent Fowler with a smirk. He was flustered, "Oh ya? She mentioned you briefly."
"She did!?" Fowler shook his head and attempted to act unfazed, "What exactly did she say?"
Jacqueline laughed at Fowler's timidness, "Agent Fowler, if you want to ask my mother out for a date, just do it. I'm not going to be mad." If anything, she wanted her mother to be happy. It was painfully obvious the two liked each other. Perhaps not love, but an attraction in the other's complexion.
William was shaking his head. His cheeks were on fire, "N~no! Uh~I don't… Your Mother is a fine nurse. I do not feel that way about her. What I simply meant was~"
Jacqueline grabbed William's hand and pulled the pen out of his coat. She scribbled down a series of numbers onto his hand, "She gets off work at 6:30, and her favorite food is Italian. I love my Mom, and I want her to be happy. She clearly enjoyed meeting you."
Agent Fowler was struggling to breathe, "She~she did?"
"Mhm." She nodded, "Just try not to mention my father. That will always be a tough subject for her. Also… there is a movie she's been wanting to see over at the theater. I think that might be a good place to start."
William was confident he would die of embarrassment. Was it that obvious he found June attractive? "Yes, well… thank you." There was a brief silence between the two of them as they watched the children play. "You are fine with me asking your mother out for the evening?"
"Are you kidding? I think it's fantastic!" Jacqueline was smiling brightly, "She works herself to the bone, and I think it's high time she got back into seeing someone. Besides, I've never heard her ask so many questions about a single man in one evening. Just try to be patient with her. Words of encouragement, if she starts acting sassy, that means she likes you."
"T~thank you! I will keep that in mind." Fowler thought Jacqueline would detest the idea of him seeing her mother, like most girls her age. But he was wrong.
(Present)
Bulkhead was sitting in silence with the three humans. After the fiasco with Agent Fowler, Bulkhead obviously wanted to know their secret and how they knew Fowler. Miko seemed more than adamant about telling him, but he could also see some doubt in her eyes. 'I swore I wouldn't tell, but man, now I'm curious.' Bulkhead thought. They were currently sitting in the recreational area, "So, nice weather we're having, huh?"
The humans looked at each other. Raf shrugged, "I guess." He was filled with anxiety.
Miko threw her head back, "Is Fowler really gonna nark on us?"
Jacqueline raised a brow, "If he wants to keep his date plans with my Mom for the weekend, he'll do what I say."
Miko sat up with a broken jaw, "Fowler and your Mom? EW! He's like… old. And your mom is… oh god! Why am I now just learning about this?"
"Because I knew you'd act like this." Jacqueline said with little emotion, "Hey, leave my Mother out of this. She needs to get out and see someone. I don't care if it's William. Also, you're one to talk. Do I need to mention your parents' age difference?" Miko went silent. There was at least a 100 year age difference between her mother and father.
Bulkhead leaned forward, his hands on his knees, "Yer mother is dating Agent Fowler?" That would explain how she knows him.
"He wants to, yes. Trust me, I say one bad thing about Fowler to my mother, and the chance he had with her will go right down the drain."
"Haha!" Bulkhead threw his head back and laughed, "Oh man, this is too good. That guy is such a jerk."
Jacqueline wasn't laughing, "Uh… he has a lot on his plate. William is justified in being a jerk at times. His job kinda demands it."
Raf nodded, "Agent Fowler is super busy all the time."
Miko threw her legs over the side of the couch, "Ya, he acts as a liaison for us. Pff~I'd hate to have his job."
Bulkhead was getting traces of information, "Liaison for what?"
Jacqueline shook her head, "Miko! Too much information. Bulkhead, please stop asking. If we could tell you, we would. But we can't. You don't need to concern yourself with our silly human affairs. Please don't mention anything to the others."
Bulkhead was smirking, "Sounds pretty important if you ask me." He innocently raised his hands, "Don't worry, I won't say a thing to Prime." That seemed to calm the three humans down. "Is it like witness protection type stuff you humans do?"
Miko threw her head back, "UGH! Please, can we just tell him?"
"No, Miko," Jacqueline said for the hundredth time.
"Seriously? How can you just say no when Arcee and Doc Hatchet look down on us? You could totally kick their asses." Miko was just as annoyed as Jacqueline that the Autobots view them as dead weights. They both knew spells that could leave these Autobots stricken with fear. The conversation came to an end when Fowler's picture appeared on the large monitor. The alarms were going off.
Bulkhead stood up and walked to the master terminal, "It's an S.O.S… from Fowler!" He was surprised. "Uh~uh…" He was overwhelmed by everything on the screen. He was a wrecker, and computers weren't his forte.
Raf stood on his toes, trying to look at the monitor, "Did you trace it?"
Bulkhead watched the window on the screen close, "Location scan was incomplete. Oh well." He shrugged and turned away. "So~where were we?"
Jacqueline shook her head, "Oh well? Seriously?!"
Bulkhead looked over at her, "Fowler is a jerk."
"Wow! Whether you like the guy or not, the Decepticons may have him."
Bulkhead still wasn't understanding the importance of the situation. It was Raf who spoke, "Agent Fowler knows your location."
Miko found herself agreeing with Jacqueline and Raf, "Ya, dude. No offense to Fowler, but for a muggle, he'll squeal like a little girl."
Jacqueline clenched her teeth and sighed internally. 'Miko needs to stop saying that word. Otherwise, they're all going to be asking what a muggle is.' If there is one thing Jacqueline despises, it is having to lie. 'I may keep the truth hidden, but I am not about to be branded a liar.' Even then, lying by omission was sickening to her.
Bulkhead looked at the monitor, "But Fowler could be anywhere."
Raf pulled out his computer, "Maybe I can narrow it down. About five years ago, the government started microchipping their agents. You know… like owners do with pets."
Jacqueline's eyes widened, "Uh… Raf?"
He looked up and noticed they were looking at him, "What? I saw it on TV. Anyways, if I can hack into the fed's mainframe, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates."
Miko knew only a bit about computers, "You know how to hack?"
Bulkhead whistled as he leaned close to Jacqueline, "Uh~do all humans know how to hack? Cuzz… I think Doc is gonna be pretty upset to be outdone by a ten-year-old."
Jacqueline blushed slightly as Bulkhead leaned close to her. "Raf is twelve." She looked down and saw him glance at her. Jacqueline gave a smirk, "And a quarter." She tackled on. As Raf sleuthed his way through the mainframe, Jacqueline took a brief moment to look over Bulkhead. 'I think Miko and Raf lucked out on their charges. Bulkhead seems like an entertaining guy to be around.' He was also the largest Autobot by far. Contrary to his transformer's appearance, Bulkhead was all muscle in his actual form. 'We probably don't have a lot in common.'
Bulkhead briefly glanced at Jacqueline, and a slight blush appeared on his cheeks. While Miko and him seemed to share a lot of interests. He wouldn't deny that Jaclyn was a pretty femme. 'I'm glad I didn't get you as my charge. I'd probably make an aft of myself.' He was accident-prone and constantly broke things.
Off to the side, Miko noticed Bulkhead was staring at Jacqueline. Her jaw slowly fell open when she saw a look of embarrassment flash across the massive wrecker's face, 'No way!' She bit her lip and held back a laugh, 'Bulk is totally checking her out!' Even though Bulkhead was fun to be around, Miko could never foresee herself getting involved with him beyond a friendship. That much was obvious to her. All Miko's life, her parents ingrained into her mind that she needed to be in a relationship and get married to a pure-blood wizard. However, that isn't what she wanted. She longed to be a free bird, not bound to anyone or anything. 'Meh… relationships seem kinda overrated. Too much drama if you ask me.'
Bulkhead tapped his fingers together. He felt the circuits beneath his skin shift, "So~how's it going? Did you find Fowler?"
Raf frowned, "I'm still searching. The system is guarded by triple-layered binary encryption with~"
Already Bulkhead was overwhelmed with everything Raf said, 'I'm so dumb. Even this human has a bigger brain than me.' And he was a cybertronian. His mind was a literal computer far beyond human understanding. At least, that is what Ratchet has said.
Jacqueline looked up at Bulkhead and elbowed his massive arm. She leaned close and whispered, "If it means anything. I don't know a thing about hacking or computers like Raf." Jacklyn noticed the look on Bulkhead's face. Having been doubtful of her own intelligence in the past, she knew that expression like the back of her hand. Jacqueline ironically scratching the back of her hand. 'This itches so much.' There was a slight amount of makeup covering the scar on the back of her hand. Her time at Hogwarts, unfortunately, was not always filled with pleasantries. In her second to last year, she developed an unparalleled distaste for the color pink.
(Flashback)
Jacqueline was agitated. "A week's detention for telling her she was wrong? This is ridiculous!" Standing in front of her new defense against the dark art's teacher's door, Jacqueline sighed, "Here we go." She knocked softly.
"Come in." A gentle voice called from inside.
Jacqueline opened the door and nearly toppled back, 'Too much pink.'
Sitting at her desk, Dolores took a sip of her tea. "Sit." She motioned her head to the chair facing the window.
Jacqueline felt unsettled by Dolores. There was something about her that made her feel… unsafe. "A~alright." She took her seat. She looked at the desk before her and saw a single roll of parchment and a black quill pen.
"You're going to be doing some lines for me today." Umbridge stood up and walked behind her. "Now, I want to make it clear that it is not acceptable for students to throw tantrums or lies in my class."
"I didn't throw a tantrum; I was just telling you~"
"Silence!" She said quickly. Dolores's voice was still gentle. "If you cannot behave properly in my class, then, unfortunately, the consequences will be… severe."
Jacqueline was trying to be professional, "Professor, the readings aren't proper. In the book, you gave us, the spell for protective wards was wrong."
Dolores looked at her with a gentle smile. Jacqueline felt herself shrinking by the second, "I'm afraid that, Miss Darby, is another week's detention."
"W~what!?" She shook her head at the unfairness of the situation.
"Two weeks," Dolores added. Jacqueline went silent. She did not need another week's detention. "Now, I want you to write, 'I must not tell lies.'"
Jacqueline was timid as she spoke, "How many times?"
"Let's say… until the message sinks in. Alright, dear? You'll be using my quill."
(End of Flashback)
Jacqueline rubbed her hand as she recalled that frightening year. 'Three weeks of writing that phrase into my hand.' The black quill pen was a particularly gruesome magical instrument. In addition to scarring her hand, it prevented her from telling any other professors about her situation. Dumbledore was beyond furious when he discovered how Dolores was disciplining his students. It was Professor McGonagall who noticed her shutting down into silence. 'I should just destroy that quill, but I can't.'
After Dolores's barbaric teaching methods were revealed, she stole the vile black quill pen from her office before her belongings were removed. 'I refuse to let that evil quill fall into the wrong hands.' She keeps it as a reminder of how twisted dark magic can be. Occasionally she felt an intense burning sensation in her hand, but the pain lasted less than a minute. She never told her Mother. 'Mom already worries enough about me. How could I possibly tell her a professor was using a dark quill to torture me?' Jacqueline always tried to brush it off, but the lingering pain was unbearable at times. 'No doubt Arcee would just tell me to get over it.'
Bulkhead noticed Jaclyn staring blankly into space, "Hey, you okay? You're looking kinda pale." In his mind, he was panicking, 'Scrap! Uh~do humans need that food they eat, right? I don't know what they need! What if she passes out?'
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine… just… thinking."
"About Fowler?" Bulkhead asked.
Jaclyn didn't respond and just turned to Raf, "How's it going, Raf?"
"Almost there." Raf typed away on his computer, "Wow, there are a lot of agents with the last name Fowler."
Bulkhead was studying Jaclyn and felt uncomfortable. Meeting new people was a little intimidating for him, despite his joyful personality. 'She's~uh~very pretty.' His spark fluttered the longer he stared at the tiny femme. 'Miko never said much about Jacqueline here.' He found it difficult to keep his optics off her slim figure. The outfit she wore exposed the curves that her baggy clothes had concealed. 'I don't even think Elita has a body that hot.' She was the only femme he really knew who had a strong feminine form.
Jacqueline tapped her foot against the ground, 'Man, how does Miko handle being around Bulkhead? I wish he'd wear something other than a tight green shirt.' From the corner of her eye, she felt her cheeks heat up at the sight of Bulkhead's physique. 'B~bulkhead is pretty strong.' Jaclyn had always been silent about her interest in men. Nevertheless, she found it difficult to not stare at handsome men with muscles. The Autobots had very masculine features, and the more she thought about it, the faster her heart began to beat. 'I need to focus on the task at hand. Get a hold of yourself.' She still wasn't able to keep her eyes from raking over Bulkhead's muscular body.
To the side, Miko carefully took her phone out and captured a picture of Jaclyn and Bulkhead. 'I love blackmail.' She closed her phone while giving the two a smirk. Miko nearly fell over laughing as Bulkhead lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head; however, he was clearly flexing his arm. "Haha~Oh, this is too good!" Bulkhead, Jaclyn, and Raf were staring at her.
Bulkhead tilted his head, "What is? What's so funny?"
Miko had a quirky smirk, "Oh… nothing." The young Japanese witch glanced at Jacqueline, 'I've always wanted to play matchmaker.' While she adored explosions and rock music, Miko lived for drama. Especially when she was the one causing it.
Raf smiled, "Got it! Latitude 39.5. Longitude -116.9" Behind him, Bulkhead was typing in the coordinates into the ground bridge's terminal.
Bulkhead pulled the lever for the ground bridge, "Okay, wait here." He rushed over towards the ground bridge as his transformer drove towards him. Bulkhead jumped into his truck, and it transformed around him. Before the three humans now stood the giant green transformer, they met yesterday. Bulkhead looked back, "Uh~Jacqueline, you're in charge!" The ground trembled as he ran through the portal.
Jacqueline nodded, "Okay!" She looked to her left, "I guess we three have run of the place." She only saw Raf, "Miko?" Jacqueline frantically started spinning around, "Uh~Miko!?" The ground bridge closed, and a sinking feeling filled her stomach. "No… she didn't! Miko!" Words could not describe the boiling rage she felt for Miko's ignorance.
Raf hugged his laptop to his chest, "She went in?! What if Bulkhead doesn't notice she went in? Optimus is going to be so mad at us!" He had never broken the rules, and the Autobots would definitely be angry at them for Miko's little stunt.
Jacqueline kneeled down, "Calm down, Raf. You did nothing wrong, okay?" She took a deep breath and sighed, "Here is what we're going to do. I'll go get Miko, hit her over the head, and then bring her back here."
Raf shook his head, "What? No! Then we'll be in double the trouble. And what if Arcee comes back and finds out both of you are gone?" He saw how grouchy he was with Jacqueline and didn't want to be yelled at.
"Hey, hey, calm down." She understood why Raf was worried, "Just stay here. You're in charge, okay?" Jacqueline went towards the ground bridge's terminal and pulled the lever. The ground bridge lit up, opening the portal to its last designated coordinates. Jacqueline closed her eyes and sighed, 'Miko and I are going to be in so much trouble.' They were not making the best first impression with the Autobots. Rushing down the stairs, she went towards the portal. Just as she made it halfway through, Raf was standing beside her.
"Please don't make me stay." Raf did not want to be alone at the base with Arcee if he came back.
Jacqueline sighed, "Alright. But stay close to me." They walked through the ground bridge. Leaving the Autobot base deathly silent.
(Meanwhile)
Arcee drove beside Bumblebee as they went through the desert. 'I'm not a fragging babysitter, Optimus.' He'd fought countless cons, seen his homeworld destroyed, and now had to babysit some human? His grip tightened on the throttle as he grew more irritated by the second. He wasn't necessarily angry at Jacqueline but himself. 'I just had to drive into Jasper, didn't I?'
Bumblebee looked out his window and could tell Arcee was angry. "So, what do you think of humans?" He asked through the comm-link.
Arcee barely looked into the muscle car, "Annoying and loud."
"Really?" Bumblebee raised a brow, "Is your charge that bad?" Jacqueline came off as a friendly femme.
"Not her. She is alright, I guess. Bee, I don't wanna talk about it." Arcee growled out. "I should be out in the field, not babysitting some human." Bumblebee didn't say anything as they drove the naked stretch of road. Turning into a small valley, Bulkhead's voice appeared in the comm-link. "What is it, Bulkhead?" Arcee asked.
"Arcee, we've got a problem," Bulkhead said from the other end.
"Bulk, they're children. Just… do whatever." Arcee shook his head, 'For Primus sake, Bulk. How hard is it to keep them entertained?' He just hoped Bulkhead was keeping them out of his room. Arcee didn't have much, but he didn't want the humans snooping through his things. He could already see that Miko girl trying to touch everything at their base. Bumblebee and Arcee slammed on their breaks when Bulkhead explained his situation, "You're where!? She's where!?" Arcee's energon was boiling, "Damn it, Bulkhead!" How could Bulkhead possibly let this happen?
Arcee switched his comm-link to the base's main computer, "Jacqueline, you there? We need you to open the ground bridge for us." There was no response, "Jacqueline!?" He slammed his hand on the throttle, "Alright, Bee, pedal to the metal." They both did an immediate U-turn and sped back towards base. Why weren't Jacqueline or Raf answering him? "When I get my servos on them, I swear~" These humans were more trouble than they were worth.
(Author Notes)
That is it for chapter 4, I hope you enjoyed reading. As we can see Dark Energon has a particularly desirable trait that makes mechs and femme alike want to consume it. With Optimus and Ratchet I almost wonder what would happen if one of them consumed some. What? We all have dark thoughts we wish to enjoy. "Hopefully" Optimus has enough self restraint to ignore that corruptive substance and the dark pleasure it sends coursing down his spine. ( ̄︶ ̄)↗ I've always wondered. What would happen if Optimus tried some of the synthetic energon? We all know how it affected Ratchet (¬‿¬)
