Jackie had just finished buying treats for her livestock and mounted Abby. She rode her to the park where Dani and Taylor were on their date.
"Hi," she waved.
Dani, Taylor, and Cody waved back. Blades slightly nodded his head.
"Mini Death Star incoming, 7:00!" Abby said.
Jackie looked behind her. "MINI DEATH STAR, COMIN' IN HOT!" she went T1 and shoved the two as the weird mini Death Star cut through a tree trunk, leaving a circle.
"Whoa, what was that?" Cody asked.
"A mini Death Star!" Jackie chased the machine.
"Oh... sorry, Taylor, gonna have to rain check," Dani Turned to Blades. "Robot, copter mode, now!"
Blades transformed and let Dani and Cody in.
"I'll call the team," Cody said.
Abby sniffed a food and ate it before spitting it out. "That wasn't potato salad OR meat loaf!"
xxx
Jackie pulled out her agsaber, put it on 'lasso', and lassoed the device and was on the ride of her life as it went through one guy's car, crates, and buildings.
She went semi-dragon and kicked off her boots and socks and tried to grab a lamppost or something.
They got into a warehouse and she tried to fly in reverse as she dug her feet and tail into the ground, but she got pulled by the machine outside and was blinded by daylight and lost her grip on the agsaber.
The machine was about to hit Dani and Cody, but Boulder transformed into his vehicle mode and stopped it with his shovel.
"Let it go and I'll smash it!" Heatwave balled up his fist.
"Stop!" a man in what looked like ab old adventurer's outfit, sans hat, ran up to them. He pressed a button on a remote and the machine returned to him and powered down. "That device is irreplaceable!"
"Uncle Woodrow?" Cody asked.
Chief let out a sigh. "Woodrow."
The Burns siblings were excited their uncle had visited.
"'Uncle'?" Blades asked.
"Male sibling of a parent," Chase said.
"In this case-"
"Chief's brother!" Boulder cut Chroma off.
"He never told us he was visiting," First Aid said.
"Or existed," Heatwave said.
"Wonderful," Chief said unenthusiastically.
"Cody, you've grown a foot! Now you'll need three socks," Woodrow joked. "Did you guys get my postcards from Dharma? Or the scorpions from Ecuador?"
"Abby ate those. The scorpions," Jackie accidentally stepped on her agsaber, which sabered First Aid's right foot.
First Aid gritted his teeth behind his mask.
"Woodrow, this, uh, floating menace belongs to you?" Chief asked as Jackie and the Twins got the agsaber out of First Aid's foot.
"Good to see you, too, big brother. Come here, give me a decent hello," Woodrow gave Charlie a big, tight hug.
"Okay, Woody, okay..."
"Wow, high-grade titanium... Laser drill... Self-propulsion and sonar tracking... This is quite a device, Uncle Woodrow," Graham admired as T.J. borrowed Boulder to get a trailer to transport First Aid.
Woodrow released his brother. "That's my deep earth scanner. It can drill thousands of miles underground. You won't believe what it found! Proof alien life forms visited our planet thousands of years ago!" The bots slightly looked at each other. "Well, don't get all excited at once."
"It's not that," Charles said. "I just wish your homecoming was a little less... Destructive."
They looked at the hole in the warehouse.
"Yeah, sorry about that. It must've accidentally turned on when I got off the ferry. But, look at that! Still getting the best toys, Charlie! Where'd you get them?" Woodrow looked at the bots. "Hey, where'd the green one go?"
"They're government issued rescue robots," Jackie said as T.J. and Boulder came back with the flatbed trailer.
"First Aid, get on the trailer," T.J. said as the bot limped and got on the trailer.
"Watch what they can do, Uncle Woodrow! Robots, transform!" Cody and said.
Heatwave, Blades, Chase, and Chroma transformed into their vehicle modes.
"Whoa! Impressive! Hey, what's the mileage like?" Woodrow joked as he entered Chase.
"Now, Woodrow, you c-"
"Hey, what's for dinner?" Woodrow cut his brother off (A/N: totally me when I get home).
Chief sighed again. "All right, Woodrow, go easy. This isn't Dad's old jalopy." Chief buckled in.
Woodrow flipped on the lights and sirens and drove off fast.
"Well... That's Uncle Woodrow," Dani said.
"He's an archeologist... Maybe. And, an inventor... Sometimes. He's been around the world a lot... I think," Cody said.
"He doesn't seem anything like the chief," Boulder noted.
"You clearly haven't seen enough family sitcoms," Jackie said before going T1 and flying off.
xxx
Heatwave poked the DES. "Ugh. I don't get it. Why is Chief's brother so interested in aliens?"
"This planet is so amazing," Boulder said. "Why would anyone want to look for... Us?"
"Because we're awesome!" Blades said. "But who sends scorpions as a gift? No thanks."
"Maybe he brought some with him," Heatwave said as Chroma put a toy scorpion on Blades' shoulder.
"AHH! Not funny."
"All I know is, Woodrow Burns forced me to drive over the speed limit and I was unable to stop it," Chase looked away in shame as Chroma patted his shoulder.
"Most people look for aliens in OUTER space-" the bots went into bot mode when they heard Woodrow's voice as the Burnses entered the bunker. "But my research made me realize that we should be looking in INNER space." He pressed a button on the DES. "Inside our earth. So, I made six DES spheres to look all across our planet. The other five are still out there... But this baby has all the evidence I need. Right in my hometown, or rather under it. An alien civilization in one of the caverns." The DES started to show the images. "Housing structures..."
"Looks like rock formations, to me," Chief said.
"Communication signals..."
"Or water dripping."
"Even aliens themselves."
"Or shadows on the wall."
"That's the difference between us, Charlie. I'm curious to know for sure."
The DES showed a picture of a blue crystal. A curious Heatwave took a picture with his insignia.
"So, I'm going to borrow the town's old driller," Woodrow turned to his family. "You remember, the one at the end of the old tunnels?"
"That old driller? It hasn't been used in years," Graham said.
"I think I can get it running. I'll follow the coordinates from my DES and I'll have my proof."
"That's awesome!" Cody said.
"You can come with me, Cody! All of you! A once-in-a-lifetime journey to the center of the earth!"
The kids thought it would be awesome, too.
"Woodrow! My family just can't drop everything and go with you on an expedition!" Chief scolded. "Especially..."
"Especially with me?" Woodrow finished the sentence.
"Give us a minute, kids."
The two brothers walked out.
"The human sibling relationship seems to be a complex one," Chase noted.
"Don't you guys have siblings?" Cody asked.
"Not traditionally," Boulder said.
"But we do have parents. It's a bit like the One Child policy China has, but not enforced," Chroma explained.
"It kinda depends where you live and the economy," Blades added.
"It must get kinda lonely," Cody said.
"Hey, the most families I've seen only have one or two offspring," Chroma said. "You're the most siblings I've ever seen!"
"Lucky," Dani said in regard of the other families.
xxx
Heatwave showed Optimus Prime the picture of the blue crystal. "I wasn't sure at first, but..."
"You were right to contact me, Heatwave," Optimus said on the screen.
"So, this blue crystal is energon?" Chief asked.
"Yes. It could supply Autobots for years to come. Heatwave, prepare your team. I'll arrive in the morning. And then, we go underground."
xxx
K-9 was nervously whimpering.
"Don't worry, boy," Woodrow said as he worked on the driller, "I'm sure if there are any aliens, they'll be peaceful."
K-9 growled as if to say "Yeah, right."
Cody soon arrived with Boulder.
"Uncle Woodrow!" Cody opened the door. "Uncle Woodrow, what are you doing?"
"Well, I recharged the power cells, now I just need to put in the coordinates for the cavern, and the forger can start digging," Woodrow said.
"But my dad-"
"Your dad thinks my expeditions are harebrained. That I don't think things through."
"No offence, but I'm not sure stealing the forger is the best way to prove him wrong," Cody got in and closed the door.
"You're probably right, Cody. But you have big brothers. You know that a nod from them is the nicest feeling in the world. I just want to show your dad that... I'm capable of doing something that he could be proud of," Woodrow pressed a button and the machine malfunctioned.
"What's happening?"
"Uh oh!" K-9 said.
"The cells must've surged!" Woodrow said. "We're on auto pilot!"
The machine started.
"Robot, get us out of here!" Cody shouted to Boulder.
Boulder transformed and tried to help, but the driller knocked him out.
Jackie arrived with her Nyaid suit on and a camper's backpack. She splashed water on Boulder's face, waking him up. "Did they start the energon extraction already?" She pointed at the hole the driller made.
"No! Cody, K-9, and Woodrow are in trouble!" Boulder got up.
"I'll go after them and you get the others," Jackie put the bag on her front and flew down the tunnel. She used the Nyaid's magnets to hold on to the driller once she caught up.
xxx
Optimus pulled up to the firehouse with Chief Burns and Miko.
"Since when does Optimus have a caboose?" Dani whispered to Kade after she saw his trailer.
"He transforms into a semi. It only makes sense to have a trailer to help his disguise," First Aid explained.
"Looks like the vehicle trailer that car lot in our old town used for the Fourth of July," T.J. stated.
"Greetings, Rescue Bots," Optimus said.
"Nice rig!" Heatwave said.
"The transport is for moving energon to the surface. Once the Rescue Bots, Miko, Jackie, and I harvest it from underground."
"We'd like to help if we can," Chief said.
"I do not wish to endanger your family, Chief Burns."
"Great, yet another trip to the center of the earth we won't be taking," Kade said.
"But, we will need the coordinates your brother found."
"Yeah... about that," Heatwave said. "Bit of a problem."
"Woodrow's kind of... disappeared," Chief said.
"Chief! Heatwave!" Boulder ran in from the garage. "Optimus, good, you're here. Chief, Cody and your brother- the forger took off with them inside! Jackie's going after them!"
"Then, let's roll to the-"
"We'd never reach it, Heatwave. It has too much of a head start."
"It appears our mining expedition is now a rescue mission," Optimus said. "For the entire team. Rescue Bots... onto my transport."
"No offense, Opti-"
"I think I know where this is headed," Chroma cut Heatwave off. "Ally, you're gonna have to ride with Chase. Miko, you're with Kade and Heatwave."
"Okay," both girls said.
xxx
"This is defiantly the trailer!" the twins screamed as everyone else screamed as they crossed the gorge to get into the other half of the tunnel the driller made.
xxx
"Press the red triangle!" Jackie repeated.
"The kill switch! Hit it, Cody!" Woodrow said.
Cody slammed the button and the driller slowed to a halt... well, actually it hit the crystals and Jackie helped the boys out before they were buried.
"So much for our way back," Jackie said as the Nyaid's build-in energon tracker started to go off.
They followed the tracker to a beautiful energon crystal.
"Whoa! Noble!" Cody said.
K-9 licked his lips.
"Whatever that means, I agree," Woodrow said to Cody.
"Let's get to work," Jackie took off the backpack and Nyaid and ate a couple of gummies. She handed her agsaber to Cody.
As Woodrow looked around he realized it was the place the DES photographed, but his brother was right. It wasn't an alien civilization.
"Is that where the DES came in?" Cody pointed at a hole. "It must lead to the surface!"
"We can't fit, Cody," Woodrow said. "We'll probably be stuck here for- what the fuck?!" Woodrow saw dragon Jackie. "Don't tell your dad I said that."
"That's just Jackie's dragon mode. We don't know how she got it."
"She's an X-Man?"
"Kinda."
"Well, that's the only upside to this day," Woodrow sat down. "I didn't get proof of aliens."
"Don't worry. You'll find it someday."
The two heard chittering and albino giant spiders came out of the hole and webbed the two.
Jackie shrieked and swallowed some energon crystals for a sort of stomach pouch she had while K-9 growled and activated his transmetal mode. They attacked the spiders.
The others arrived and helped fight the spiders.
"A new robot! Impressive!" Woodrow said in regards to Optimus as Miko helped them out of the webs.
"And I thought regular spiders were bad!" She shrieked.
Miko, Jackie, and Heatwave used their fire and water to herd the spiders back into the hole.
First Aid used his electro-magnets to shove a stalagmite into the hole.
The bots let their humans out.
"What were you thinking?! Chief yelled at Woodrow.
"It wasn't his fault!" Cody said.
"Yes, it is," Woodrow said. "I never should have gone on this wild goose chase. My 'proof' didn't even turn out to be real. I'm sorry I put those two kids and your dog in danger."
"Apology accepted," Chief said.
"Aliens aren't even real. I've been chasing shadows. As soon as we get to the surface, I'll go home and get out of your family's hair."
Chase didn't get the reference.
"But, Uncle Woodrow... What are you going to do?" Cody asked.
"I don't know. All mythical things- except dragons- aren't real because there was never any proof!"
All the bots and humans looked at Chief.
"What?" He asked.
"You have to tell him, Dad," Graham said.
"You can't let him think he's a failure," Kade said.
"You have to cheer up family," Raychel said.
"Tell him, Dad!" Cody pleaded.
"Tell me what?" Woodrow asked.
Chief turned to Optimus, who nodded to him.
"Woodrow, aliens are real," Chief said.
"You don't have to-OOO!" Woodrow's eyes almost popped out of their sockets when K-9 went bipedal and Lindsy 'dropped' her human skin. "What the fu-fudge?!"
"Uh, team, introduce yourselves."
"Heatwave. Pleased to meet you."
"My name is Chase, and I am proud to be your brother's policing partner."
"I'm Chroma. Ally's work partner and Chase's romantic partner."
Chase blushed a bit.
"First Aid. I work with the twins and I'm an experienced medic."
"Boulder."
"Emerald. Animal and transmutate control. Also, Boulder's femme friend."
"Lindsy. Animal control, including dragons."
"Brains. Tech support," Brains said on Emerald's left shoulder.
"Wheelie. Livestock watcher," Wheelie said on her other.
"I'm K-9. K-9 unit, obviously. I'm a Maximal. There's another one at Jackie's," K-9 went back to dog mode.
"Blades. Not an experienced medic."
"In surgeries," First Aid corrected.
"I am Optimus Prime. And Chief Burns is correct. To the people of earth, we are aliens. Our home planet of Cybertron is most likely unknown to you."
"We'd tell you what galaxy it's in, but you've probably never heard of it either," Boulder added.
"I was right. I was right!" Woodrow cheered. "My DES found them... But you hid them, Charlie. So... 'Cybernites'?"
"Cybertronians," Optimus corrected.
"You've been leaving artifacts on earth for, like, centuries!"
"A long story for another time."
"I knew it! Thanks for trusting me with your secret, Charlie."
"That's what family does. And this!" Chief gave Woodrow a noogie.
"We've got some energon to harvest," Heatwave said.
Then the cave collapsed, separating the team.
Jackie got knocked out and Miko fell through that part of the cave with her.
The police unit escaped in a tunnel before it collapsed.
Optimus and Heatwave also fell through another part of the cave floor.
The rest of the team went into another tunnel before it collapsed.