"I can't believe Bumblebee's coming back to Griffin Rock," Blades excitedly said. "This time everything's gonna be perfect for my BFF!"
"'Boyfriend forever'?" First Aid joked.
"First Aid, we've been over this. He isn't attracted to mechs," Heatwave said for the umpteenth time.
"Bot friend forever," Blades said. "Oh! Is there room on the banner for that?" he asked Dani.
"I think 'Welcome Bumblebee, Hero of the Galaxy' is plenty," Dani said.
"Blades. Optimus Prime's transmission indicated that Bumblebee will not be here for three more days," Chase said.
"Way too soon," Blades took the book Chase was reading and put it back. "I haven't even learned an instrument to play the welcome song yet."
"You're right, Heatwave," First Aid said. "He isn't gay, he's a crazy fangirl."
"Did it ever occur to you that Bumblebee might be coming here for something important?" Heatwave asked.
Visiting me is important," Blades said.
"Yeah. Hah. I wouldn't break out the balloons and part hats yet."
"Here's the helium for the balloons, Blades," Cody said as he dragged in a helium canister.
"Pinkie Pie!" First Aid insulted.
"First Aid!" everyone said.
"Cody. Can you mail this for me?" Dani asked as she handed him a letter. "It has to go out today and I've kinda got my hands full here."
"Sure, sis," Cody said. "You spelled 'welcome' wrong."
Dani gasped as she turned around.
"Kidding!" Cody said as he took off.
"You better run!"
Xxx
"Whoa. Nice kicks, Frankie," Cody said as he ran into is best friend.
"They're Daddy's newest invention," Frankie said as she showed off her shoes. "Ski-Neekers. Waterski shoes."
"Now those are water shoes," Jackie said as she and Wheelie walked Sir Eats Pants.
"We're going to test them today. Wanna come?"
"Absolutely!" Heatwave said as he and First Aid walked out of the firehouse. "As much fun as party planning is, it's times like these I'm glad I can turn into boat." Heatwave went from bot to boat to firetruck.
"That was completely unnecessary," First Aid said.
"Shotgun!" Jackie said as the three humans entered Heatwave and drove off.
"Oh, NOW she wants new shoes!" Wheelie said.
"What's Sir Eats Pants eating? Because it's not pants," First Aid said.
"Oh, just paper."
"Looks like a letter," First Aid's optics then widened. "Wait, DROP IT, SIR EATS PANTS! DROP IT!"
"What is it?" Wheelie ripped the letter from the goat's mouth.
"Dani says it has to go out today," First Aid took the damaged letter from Wheelie and put it in the mailbox. "It must be important."
Xxx
"The science of my Ski-Neekers is simple," Doc Greene said. "The soles take in the surface water and send it out the back, creating propulsion." He put a shoe on the water, pressed the 'on' button, and caught the shoe. "Whoop! You will, in essence, be sea-skating."
The two younger kids jumped in the water and ski-skated like pros.
"Well, Jackie, what are you waiting for?" Heatwave asked.
Jackie activated the Nyaid. "Can you help me with balance?"
Heatwave sighed. "Fine."
Jackie grabbed Heatwave's side and carefully entered the water.
"This is so noble!" Cody said.
"But, THAT isn't!" Frankie pointed at a rogue wave.
Jackie panicked, had the Nyaid go aquatic, and swam away like a dolphin.
Cody and Frankie sped off.
"Hurry! We have to get back to Dad's lab!" Frankie said.
The wave was quickly gaining on them.
Luckily, Doc and Heatwave got them before the wave hit them, but they were still being chased.
"Hang on," Heatwave said. He went through the tunnel of the wave.
"Whoo-hoo!" Cody cheered when they got to safety. "When did you learn to surf, Heatwave?"
"Is THAT what it's called?"
"That and saving our lives," Frankie said.
"For which we are grateful," Doc said.
"Doc, your lab's insured, right?" Jackie asked over the comm.
Xxx
"Where'd that wave come from, Doc?" Cody asked.
"The possibilities of oceanic volatility are myriad," Doc said. "I'll be able to do more comprehensive research once my equipment is repaired. Frankie, I may need to borrow your blow-dryer."
"Rice helps, too," Jackie said.
Xxx
Heatwave, Cody, and Jackie were driving back to the firehouse.
"Heatwave? You and First Aid were boyfriends, right?" Cody asked.
"Ugh. Didn't Jackie tell you?" Heatwave asked.
"Only that you were attracted to guys. Kade told me later that you were bi, and when I saw how you were acting with First Aid until around Valentine's Day, I knew you were dating and Chroma and K-9 confirmed it. Why did you break up?"
"Look… a-after—"
"They weren't mentally ready!" Jackie said. "Heatwave didn't see it, but First Aid did!"
"Really?" Cody asked. "Think you guys might get back together?"
Heatwave let out a sad sigh. "Unfortunately, I don't think it's possible. Our relationship wasn't made of love; it was made because Rotors—"
Jackie whispered: "Oh, fuck's sake, no."
"—Raped me and had molested First Aid."
Cody's face lost all its color. "Wh-wh-wh—"
"He wasn't ready," Jackie rested her head against the steering wheel.
"Uh, Cody? You okay?" Heatwave asked.
"I… don't know," Cody said.
"Congrats, Heatwave!" Jackie said. "You broke Cody! You might need to let that sink in, Cody."
Xxx
Chief Burns noticed that Cody hadn't really eaten his dinner. "Everything alright, son?"
"Yeah, you look pale," Dani put her hand on Cody's forehead. "Are you sick?"
"No… I'm not," Cody said as he played with his food.
"Is it something you found out today?" K-9 asked.
Cody nodded slowly.
"Did… Heatwave tell you something?" Kade asked.
"Rotors raped him and molested First Aid," Cody said.
The dinner table then gained a heavy fog of awkwardness. Cody wasn't supposed to know that until two years had passed.
"D-did Jackie tell you?" Graham asked.
"I just said it was Heatwave," Cody said.
"I'll… let school know that you'll be staying home tomorrow," Chief said.
Xxx
"B-Day is finally here!" Blades clapped his hands. "And things are Bumblebee-autiful."
"Queer!" First Aid called and Heatwave gave him a look.
"First, I do the welcome speech, then the song, then the surprise. Remember, Cody, don't pull the rope until I say 'now'."
"Y-yeah. Got it," Cody said.
"Then we start on my list for Bee to see and do. Bee is—"
"We know," all the bots said.
"Remember, the more awesome we make his visit, the more he'll want to stay."
"Oh, boy," Heatwave rolled his optics.
"I have made some poetry for Bumblebee's arrival," Chase said.
"I-it still needs some more work," Chroma said as she pulled her mate back. 'It's awful,' she mouthed to Blades.
"I made a painting for him," Boulder said. "I call it 'Bumblebee and Optimus'."
"I think I can fit you two in after hiking and scrapbooking," Blades said.
"Ugh. Everyone needs to amp down!" Heatwave said. "Bumblebee's only coming because Optimus sent him. Warrior scouts don't get vacation time."
They heard a muscle car engine.
"He's here. He's here! HE'S HERE!" Blades jumped up and down.
"Dial back on the fangasam," First Aid said as Bumblebee entered the bunker.
("Hey, guys,") Bumblebee said.
"And now, a few words of welcome," Blades said. "It is with great honor, that we—"
("Sorry, Blades. I have work to do. First Aid, how are you?")
First Aid gave a thumbs up.
"Is… that why you're here?" Blades asked.
("When Optimus sends me places, it's because of either energon or relics.")
"Oh, you're here on a mission. What are the chances?" Heatwave sarcastically said in an 'I told you so' way.
Bumblebee got out a hologram of Optimus.
"Greetings, Rescue Bots. My team has discovered a newly-activated Cybertronian artifact on or near Griffin Rock," the recording said. "I am scouting the ocean. Please assist Bumblebee in scouting the island. Contact me if you find it. Only to power of a Prime can turn off this technology."
"An assignment from Optimus himself is truly an honor," Chase said.
"Happy to help, Bumblebee," Boulder said.
"Let's go tell Chief about our new mission," Heatwave said.
"But we can't leave now," Blades said as the team left. He was then sadly covered in balloons and confetti.
Xxx
Chief was on the phone while Bumblebee was telling the humans his mission.
"Fossil hunting for Cybertronian tech? Noble!" Graham said.
"Yeah, so, what do we win in this scavenger hunt?" Kade asked.
"It's not a game, Kade," Heatwave said. "Cybertronian technology is extremely fragile and dangerous."
"Ooh. Well, you shoulda kept better track of it, huh?"
"Keep better track of you," Heatwave muttered.
"There was a war, so both factions hid stuff on other planets," Chroma said.
("My sensor will activate when the artifact is close by,") Bumblebee said, which Cody then translated.
"Okay, then let's start searching," Dani said.
"Not so fast, Dani," Chief said. "I just got a call from the mainland that your helicopter license expired."
"What? No way. I sent in my renewal three days ago."
"Well, actually, I sorta did," First Aid said. "It fell out of Cody's pocket and Sir Eats Pants started to, well, you know what goats do."
("Who named that goat?")
"Wheelie did. I used my EMPs to get it out of his mouth and put it in the mailbox. Sorry, Dani, I didn't know they wouldn't accept it."
Cody winced and facepalmed. "I'll do you chores for a week."
"It's alright, Cody. It was my responsibility," Dani said. "But, if you want to clean my room…"
"We'll send another one in," Chief said. "But, until then, you can't be seen flying Blades."
"But we have to help Bumblebee," Blades said. "Besides, I'm the one who does all the flying, so can't she just-?"
"No. If someone sees Dani at your controls, she could lose her license. Rules are rules."
"But, Dani can still drive, right?" Cody asked. "Maybe she can ride with Bee."
("I hope you don't mind, Blades.")
"Why would I mind? It's my two best friends riding together," Blades said. "I'm fine!"
As everyone prepared to leave, First Aid pulled Blades to the side. "You're jealous, aren't you?"
"How can you tell?"
"Body language."
Xxx
The team followed Bumblebee.
("How are you Dani?") Bumblebee asked his passenger.
"I don't know what you just said, but you are one sweet ride, Bumblebee," Dani said. "Powerful, fast, and smooth."
"Oh, Bumblebee, see that field up ahead?" Blades asked. "One time, Dani and I had to rescue a cow that got trapped in a barbed wire fence. Oh, oh, and on the left—"
"Blades? Can we cut the chatter and focus on the mission?" Heatwave asked.
"Let's take that fire road and search the deep forest, team," Chief said.
"Oh, okay. Don't worry about me. I'll—I'll catch up," Blades said. "Eventually."
"It seems like we've covered every inch of this island," Dani said.
("Not all of it,") Bumblebee said.
"Well, Optimus said the relic might be on the island," Heatwave said.
"Perhaps he has located the artifact offshore," Chase said.
"We should probably head back to the firehouse and compare notes," Chief said.
"Yes, finally!" Blades said. "Oh, oh, Bumblebee, once we're Back, we can watch my favorite movie. It's about two best friends who travel together and have wacky adventures."
"Hey, guys," Cody said. "A right whale is swimming really close to the ferry. Too close."
Xxx
Jackie was riding Abby through town with Miko riding Mach.
"Heatwave told Cody what happened to him?! Why the heck did he do that?" Miko asked.
"I don't know, but I tried to stop him," Jackie said. "Cody was SO not ready. Whoa!" Jackie pulled Abby to a stop as her hair and eyes turned blue real fast. She started to unintentionally go dragon.
"What is it?" Miko grabbed Abby's lead rope.
"A whale that's freaking out!" Jackie dismounted as her wings and tail formed.
"I thought you could control your transmutation."
"I can't when I get a strong stress signal! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Jackie began to snarl as her limbs went from human to dragon.
"Why don't you just go full dragon?"
Jackie facepalmed before she did that. She walked to a nearby park and lied down as she panted.
"Jackie? Animal control, respond," Chief said through the commlink.
"Uh, she can't talk right now," Miko said as Jackie yawned and stretched like a cat.
"Tell her we need her to assist us with a sea and air rescue. A right whale just jumped onto the ferry."
"She's on her way," Miko said as Jackie took off. "Look out for a dragon."
Xxx
Kade and Heatwave were the first to arrive on scene. Kade got out of Heatwave and threw a life raft at the overboard passengers.
The whale swam underneath them.
"That's it, everybody, nice and easy. Don't worry. The whale not a man-eater," Kade said. "I think."
People started to panic when a certain dragon flew overhead.
Don't worry! She prefers store bought meat!" Kade said.
Jackie got the whale attention and led it away.
Chief and blades went to handle the ferry.
Blades dropped his winch.
"Down a little, to the left and… bingo!" Chief said as Blades' winch hooked onto the ferry.
"Great. Now we can get back to hanging out with Bumblebee!" Blades said.
"But first we need to tow ship to the dry docks for repairs," Chief said.
"Will that take a long time?" Blades whined.
"Depends on how fast we get started."
Xxx
Ally, Chroma, and Cody were at the Greene's lab.
"First, the rogue wave, now, the right whale," Doc said. "There must be a connection, but my instruments tell me what is known to science as bupkis."
"Cody, have there been any other emergency calls? Weird algae blooms? Funky Ocean tides?" Frankie asked.
"No. Well, last week my dad said that Madeline Pynch tried to get permits for offshore drilling, but the mayor gave her a big thumbs down," Cody said.
"As he should," Doc said. "It's too dangerous to drill so close to the island."
"Hey, since we haven't found the relic on land, it could have been activated by human activity," Chroma said.
"That can't happen," Ally said. "Can it?"
"Ever heard of that big earthquake in San Francisco in the beginning of the 1900's?"
"What was the relic?" Cody asked.
"Some sort of ship destroyer. No one ever figured out who caused it, but we found the device."
"Something tells me that the Pynches don't care," Frankie said.
"We'll let Chief Burns know if we find anything," Doc said before turning to his daughter. "Come my little prawn. We're going fishing for answers."
Xxx
Blades, Chief, and Jackie (who was FINALLY going back to human form) arrived at the firehouse and saw the bots at the racetrack with Bumblebee on the track.
"That was defiantly not on our schedule of activities," Blades said as he transformed.
Bumblebee and Dani did an exciting lap on the track.
"Whoo-hoo! Yeah," Dani cheered.
"Way to go, Dani! You set a new training course record," Graham said.
Bumblebee transformed and high-fived Dani.
"Nice going, partner," Dani said.
"Partner?" Blades said. "But—"
"Enjoy it while you can, sis," Kade said. "Me and Heatwave are about to crush your time."
"Heatwave and I," Jackie corrected as Heatwave transformed.
"Grammar Nazi!"
"What about you, Chase? Wanna take crack at it?" Chief asked.
"As we determined the artifact is not on the island, I believe I have a new mission," Chase said as Chroma, Ally, and Cody returned.
"Looks like the boys are going on a race," Chroma said.
"Can we—"
"No," Ally and Chroma told Cody.
"Good luck beating Bee and Dee, the Dynamic Duo," Dani said as Chase and Heatwave started their race.
"What?!" Blades exclaimed. "But… I'm your original 'B'. And it rhymes with 'me' and it stands for Blades!" Blades stomped his foot.
("Are you okay?") Bumblebee asked.
"Are you upset, Blades?" Dani asked. "This is a driving course. I-I didn't think you would mind it if I teamed up with Bee."
"Mind? Why would I mind? I don't mind," Blades crossed his arms as First Aid put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, I have an idea, you can be our pit crew."
"What does that mean?"
"You do nothing but repairs," First Aid said.
Jackie sighed as Miko and the horses arrived.
"What's going on?" Miko asked.
"Blades, First Aid, and I are going to watch a movie," Jackie said. "Wanna join?"
"Sure."
"I'll get the Insta-Pen," Boulder said.
Xxx
In the bunker, Blades angrily kicked a balloon.
"Bee and Dani are MY best friends!" he said. "Not each other's. Now, they don't even need me—"
"But I do," Optimus said as he entered the bunker.
"AHH!" Blades jumped into First Aid's arms, causing both to fall.
"Seriously?!" First Aid exclaimed as the girls burst into giggles.
Optimus helped the two up.
"Optimus Prime, sir," Blades saluted. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough," Optimus said. "Where are Bumblebee and the rest of your team?"
"At the training course. Um, I can show you how to get—"
"That will not be necessary. You are the only bot I require."
"You want to hang out with me?"
"WE offered to hang out with you!" First Aid said.
"I need you for a mission," Optimus said. "The fate of the island depends on it. Jacqueline, you are free to join us."
"We won't let you down, sir," Blades said.
Jackie flipped the switch to bring the lift to the garage.
"Whoa, Optimus!" Cody said. "I didn't know you'd be coming. Should I get my dad?"
"That will not be necessary, Cody," Optimus said. "Blades and Jackie will be all the assistance I need. Please inform Chief that we will be on a mission."
"He said 'we'," Blades said. "Me and Optimus. We're a 'we'."
Jackie sighed. "Please don't be like this the whole trip."
Xxx
"Ready for our mission, sir," Blades said as he took off with Jackie in his cabin and Optimus on his winch.
Xxx
Now most of the bots were racing on the track.
"Sir, I must admit, legally permitted unfettered speed is rather enjoyable," Chase said.
"Give it all you got, Chase," Chief said. "We can catch up to Bumblebee on this straightaway."
Chase and Bumblebee were neck and neck when a sinkhole appeared in front of them.
Bumblebee managed to jump it, but Chase fell in.
The bots surrounded the hole.
"Chase!" Chroma shouted as she got out her grabbling hook.
Miraculously, he was holding onto the wall.
"I believe this is what humans would call 'hanging in there'," Chase said.
Heatwave got out his hose. "Hold on, Chase. We'll pull you up."
The wall Chase was holding onto began to crumble.
"I apologize, Chief," Chase said. "Boulder assured me our track was 'to code'."
"We'll worry about that later," Chief said. "Assuming there is a later."
The wall crumbled and Chase fell.
Chroma shot her grabbling hook and Chase grabbed it, almost pulling her down. The rest of the bots helped Chroma pull Chase up.
"I guess fishing does have a practical use," Heatwave said.
"Please do not throw us back," Chase said as he let Chief out.
("Whoa, what happened?") Bumblebee asked.
"We're not sure," Boulder said. "Graham, any idea what caused the sinkhole?"
"Yes, but it doesn't make much sense," Graham said. "The ground's soggy. Super saturated with seawater."
"Not what you wanna hear when you live on an island," Chief said. "We better call Doc."
Xxx
"Um, Optimus. What, exactly, is our mission?" Blades asked.
"Retrieval of the Cybertronian artifact," Optimus said.
"It was pretty obvious," Jackie said.
"Some form has activated it. The artifact will liquefy everything in its path: earth, organic matter, metal. If we do not shut it down, it will destroy the island."
"Then, everybody on the island will—"
"Yes," Optimus finished Blades' thought. "That is why I need you to get to the artifact in the ocean so I may deactivate it."
"Wait until I tell Dani and Bee!" Blades said. "So, where to?"
"I am not certain," Optimus said. "The water depth is interfering with my detection device."
"Sorry to interrupt," Cody said, "but I think I know someone who can help."
Xxx
Miko was getting some carrots for the horses when she noticed them acting funny.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I think the artifact's harming the island," Mach said.
"What makes you-?"
A surprise geyser answered her question.
Xxx
"Blades, the artifact should be about three degrees southeast of your location," Doc said.
"Thanks, Doc," Blades said. "We're on our way."
"I am grateful you are willing to temporarily leave your team to assist me," Optimus said.
"Optimus, helping you is like—you-you're bigger than Elvis!"
"I do not know this 'Elvis', nor am I aware of his size, but are you not concerned about your partner felling left out on this mission?"
"No, Dani can't fly right now, and besides, what we're doing is for everyone."
"Indeed."
"How do you not know who Elvis is?" Jackie asked Optimus.
"I haven't had much time to learn about important figures of this planet."
"Well, he's a dead singer."
"Like Michal Jackson?"
"Yep."
"Blades, for a team to reach its full potential, there must be no room for jealousy among peers."
"Okay, this isn't about Dani or dead singers anymore, is it?" Blades asked.
"I believe we have reached our destination," Optimus said as they neared an oil platform. "This mechanism likely activated the Cybertronian relic."
"I'll take pictures of this thing for evidence we can use to put them away," Jackie went T1 and flew out of Blades' cabin as Optimus went into the ocean.
"Cody, are you seeing this?" Blades asked.
"It looks like it belongs to Madeline Pynch," Cody said. "The mayor said she couldn't do any drilling."
"Oh. Somebody's in trouble!"
"Yeah. The whole island!"
Xxx
The team was evacuating people to high and dry ground as they tried to stop the geysers.
Xxx
The twins were helping some tennis players get to safety while First Aid used his EMP's to plug up the geysers with rocks.
"First Aid, stop using your EMP's for a minute or two to conserve your energy," Raychel said.
First Aid nodded as he picked up a rock and shoved it in a geyser. He went to plug another geyser when the one he just plugged dislodged the rock and hit him below the belt. He groaned quietly as he collapsed in pain.
The twins and tennis players all cringed.
Xxx
"Guys, terra firma is becoming less firm by the minute," Graham said.
"Tell me about it," Dani said as she and Ally assisted an elderly couple out of their log cabin.
The couple managed to hop from log to log on their pathway to their car.
"Drive to high-and-dry ground. You'll be okay," Ally said.
The couple waved at them before driving off.
Dani lost her balance on the log she was standing on and fell into the mud/quicksand. "Ugh. Gross." She than started to sink.
("Hold on, Dani!") Bumblebee said as he and Chroma transformed.
"Stay still! I'll get you out!" Chroma activated her blaster and attempted to shoot her grabbling hook, but it got jammed. "Scrap!"
"Dani, I'm coming in!" Ally began to take off her shoes.
"No! Stay back! This is quicksand!" Dani warned.
Xxx
Jackie flew back into Blades' cabin as he reeled Optimus back up.
"Chief, with the Cybertronian artifact deactivated, your island should regain its former solidity by tomorrow," Optimus said.
Xxx
"That's too long to wait," Dani said. "It's called quicksand for a reason."
"Hold on, Dani. We're on our way," Chief said. "Blades, can you reach Dani?"
Xxx
"I'm going as fast as I can!" Blades said.
"I am slowing you down," Optimus said as they reached land. He let go of Blades and landed in his alt mode.
"Thank you, Optimus! Oh. I wish Bumblebee knew how to do an air rescue."
"I have an idea!" Jackie said.
Xxx
"We are NOT using the boa constrictor!" Chroma said.
"Bad move and idea," Ally said.
Bumblebee grabbed the couple's clothing line, tied the lines together with overalls on the end for Dani to grab, and got ready to throw it. ("Grab the overalls!")
The line went over a branch over Dani, he lowered the overalls, Dani grabbed them, Bumblebee pulled her up, and she slid down the line into Bumblebee's hands.
The rest of the team arrived as Bumblebee put her down.
"Dani," Chief said as the humans walked over.
"Way to go, Bee!" Kade said. "Dani, the two of you work great together."
"Thanks for being there for Dani when I couldn't, Bumblebee," Blades said.
("Hey, no problem,") Bumblebee said as they fist bumped.
"I'm guessing he said more than 'beep bloop beep', didn't he?" Kade asked.
"He said, 'That's what it means to be on a team. We're all partners'," Dani said.
"When did you learn Bumblebee?" Graham asked.
"Somethings you just know what they say."
Xxx
"I can't believe Optimus is letting Bee stay!" Blades cheered.
"It's only for a little while, Blades," Chief said. "His son's coming here, too."
"Wait, what?" Heatwave asked.
"The gang's back together!" First Aid fist bumped the air before cringing and grabbing an ice pack.
"'Gang's back together'?" Cody repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Ion, Bee, and I were practically inseparable when we were younger. Well, until Ion and I were moved to a different camp. Heh. One time, we got into a prank war with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe."
Bumblebee laughed at that memory.
"But, why is Ionix coming here?" Heatwave asked.
"He has business with his earadicons," Chief explained. "Helping with this month's reports."
"It'll be okay," First Aid said. "He's coming tomorrow night."
"Guess we have two guest rooms to prepare then," Boulder said.
Xxx
The first day was uneventful, due to the town taking it easy after the liquefier incident of yesterday.
Heatwave was practicing shadow boxing when the lift lowered into the bunker. He turned around and saw Ionix. "O-oh! Hey. I-I thought you had a meeting on the Broadside."
"It ended early," Ionix said as he tossed a small bag to Heatwave.
"What is it?"
"I made some energon snacks."
Heatwave opened the bag. "They look like these exploding candy that made Kade sick."
"Based this batch on this candy called 'Pop Rocks'," Ionix put some of his snacks in his mouth. "Ha ha! Tickles the insides of my mouth!"
"Any news on Rotors?"
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Heatwave nodded.
"We found a signal off the coast of the island. We believe it was some sort of transmission. We know that there was a Cybertronian/human conversation, but we're still investigating it," Ionix said.
The rest of the team entered the bunker.
("No, I don't think I can sing karaoke,") Bumblebee said.
"Why not?" Blades whined.
"Radio doesn't count," First Aid said. He then saw Ionix. "Hey, Ion!"
("Dude, how've you been?") Bumblebee asked.
"Pretty good," Ionix said. "I brought energon snacks for everyone." He handed the 'candy' to the team.
"Do you want to watch a movie?" Blades asked.
"Could it be a foreign animated film? Those are cool."
"W-we have mostly anime," Chroma said.
"But Rango is an excellent film," Chase said.
"How about we have a bracket vote?" Heatwave asked. "We put our movies in a bracket and see which one comes out on top."
"Let's do it," Boulder said.
Soon they had all their animated movies- dating from the 1930's to modern day—in a random bracket.
Ionix looked at two movies for a minute. "I'll choose The Simpsons Movie."
"Good choice. Most of us aren't fans of South Park."
Bumblebee picked Cars.
First Aid was trying to pick between My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. "Whoa!" he put a hand over his chest.
"F-First Aid, are you okay?" Heatwave asked as he walked the medic to a crate to sit on.
"Is-is something wrong?" Chroma asked.
"My… my spark," First Aid said. "It-it's funny again."
"Gestalt funny?" Blades asked.
"U-um, a lot!"
("What do you mean 'a lot'?") Bumblebee asked.
"I mean a LOT!"
"You mean… more than one?" Blades asked.
First Aid started to hyperventilate. "Y-yeah! Make it stop!"
"Take deep, calming breaths," Blades instructed. "When you calm down, they'll most likely stop."
First Aid managed to calm himself down.
"Do you feel better?" Heatwave asked.
"Huh?" First Aid took his hand off his chest. "Actually… I do. Thanks, Blades."
"No problem," Blades said. "I'll get the spark tracker. Hopefully, we'll find the source next time it happens."
"I'll tell my earadicons to extend their search perimeters," Ionix said as he went to make the call.
"First Aid went back over to the brackets and chose Kiki's Delivery Service.
Xxx
A ship had just entered the solar system. Four bots were on that ship: a blue fire-bot leader, twin police-bots-one average build, one thin—and a medical copter-bot.
"Hot Spot, are you sure attempting to communicate with First Aid via spark bond is a good idea?" the copter-bot asked the leader. "He could panic."
"I know," Hot Spot said. "He just calmed down."
"Primus, I swear when we get our hands on Rotors…" the thin twin clenched his fists.
"I'll shoot and stab 'im in his pathetic excuse for mechhood!" the average build twin cocked his blaster.
"Shouldn't we handle this in a civilized manner?" the copter-bot asked.
The thin twin put a knife to the copter's neck. "How 'bout I do what First Aid intended to do to you, Blades?!" he spat.
"Groove, chill!" his twin pulled him back.
"Let me at 'im, Streetwise!"
"Streetwise, take your brother for a walk," Hot Spot ordered.
The two police-bots left.
"You never should'a left!" Groove yelled.
Hot Spot put a hand on Blades' shoulder. "It's okay. He's just mad at himself."
"You, too," Blades said. "I saw your scars."
Hot Spot adjusted his wrist armor. "If anyone should have known about Rotors, it should have been me."
"You saved him before anything worse happened to him."
Hot Spot turned his head to the window. "This time I won't let Rotors get away again."