Hello everyone, I am proud to say that this is the rewrite of my first ever fanfic! I don't own anything but the OC's I introduce. Like Alora for example.
Special thanks to Aurrawings for the drawing of Alora that you made for me so long ago, it will forever remain the cover of this series.
Please enjoy!
-Prologue-
"Come on Alora, run!" Jack yelled as Alora ran past him. He, a young 15 year old named Alora, and their friends Miko and Raf were at the school's track where Alora would run everyday for an hour or so.
"I'm running as fast as I can Jack," Alora huffed as she attempted to run faster.
"Come on Alora, I know you can run faster than that!" Miko exclaimed.
"Jack, Miko, I think Alora's doing her best," Raf reasoned out of concern for his friend.
"I guess you're right Raf," Jack sighed, before turning to the young Japanese girl. "Miko stop the watch."
"Aw," said the girl, pouting as she stopped the timer. "Alora! Break time!"
Alora slowed to a stop in front of them, sweat beading her face. "What? A break?" she asked. "I was doing good."
"You have asthma though," Raf said as he handed her a towel, and her water bottle.
"I know I do Raf, but I have to keep trying my hardest," Alora said, wiping her face with the towel.
"Why do you love to run again?" Miko asked.
"Someone wants to run a marathon apparently," Jack said.
"Twelve minutes, you've done better," Raf said as he checked the watch.
"Twelve?" The redhead frowned. "You seriously stopped me after twelve?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Alora, Raf's right, the last thing we need is you to overdo it and have an asthma attack on us."
She was about to respond back to him when her cell phone cut her off.
"Hello?" she questioned, answering the call, and holding up a hand to show she needed a minute. The three nodded and walked a little ways away so she could have some privacy.
"Alora, Optimus has requested that you return to base, the Autobot's are going on patrol and they need Arcee back," said the very familiar voice of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Alora's sighed and looked over at her friends, offering an apologetic smile. "Right, I'll be home soon."
On the other line, Obi-Wan shook his head. "Out running again were you? You sound out of breath. Just be careful." With that, the master and his padawan said their farewells and hung up.
"You have to go don't you Ally?" Raf asked.
"Yeah, my Dad wants me home," Alora lied. "I'll meet you here tomorrow though!"
The three looked at each other in question before nodding at the auburn haired teen.
"Yeah, same time tomorrow then," Jack said with a wave as everyone went their separate ways.
-Chapter One: Darkness Rising Part 1-
It was a beautiful late afternoon. The sun was setting, the birds were chirping, and there was a gentle breeze. Here we find two Autobots patrolling their respective areas, and enjoying a small chat.
"So, there I am on the lookout when out of nowhere, these high beams light up my rearview. And then it hits me. I'm illegally parked!" Cliffjumper recalled a story to Arcee, via commlink.
"Another parking ticket?" Arcee sighed in exasperation.
"Better. The Boot."
"Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove," Arcee corrected.
"Bingo! So the local police do their thing. I let them get all the way down the block. That's when I kicked off my new shiny shoe and BAM!" Cliffjumper exclaimed.
"New York's finest soil themselves?"
"You know me, Arcee. You mess with Cliffjumper," Cliffjumper started.
"And you get the horns. Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule number one: keep a low profile," Arcee reminded, a smirk evident in her voice.
"What can I say? Patrolling for Energon out here in Dullsville is lonesome. Almost makes me miss the Decepticons, maybe even a droid armada or two."
"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock Cliff."
Cliffjumper was ready to reply back when his sensors started going off, alerting him of something. The screen changed from the road route of the area Cliffjumper was currently traveling to a sonar picture of the area he was traveling in. He picked up something on the radar not far from his current position.
"I'm getting a signal," Cliffjumper announced.
"Need backup?"
"Do I ever need backup?" Cliffjumper replied, before going off-road.
He sped towards the location. When he arrived, he skidded to a stop at the edge of a ditch.
"I just found a whole lot of Energon," Cliffjumper proclaimed before the sky darkened and he suddenly transformed, "Scrap!"
Shots were fired and Cliff found himself being hurled towards the crystallized Energon. With a small groan, he managed to pick himself back up. "Arcee, about that backup…"
"Fair warning, boys. I'm gonna put a few dings in ya," Cliffjumper warned the Decepticons that stood before him before transforming into his vehicle mode.
Revving his engine, he sped up the wall of the ditch, flew off of it, transformed into his bipedal mode once again and began beating those almost mindless Decepticon drones into scrap metal.
"Arcee to Optimus. The 'Cons are back. Cliff might be neck deep in scrap."
"Understood. Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?" The one and only Optimus Prime asked his old friend and trusty medic, Ratchet.
"I've locked on his signal, Optimus. But our team is scattered across time zones. Perhaps someone from Team Jedi could help," Ratchet informed Optimus as he skidded to a stop on the icy road, the other three doing the same.
"Already working on it big guys, no need to worry your pretty metal heads about it!" Chimed in the familiar voice of Ahsoka Tano, who happened to be a very good friend of Alora's. (Do I have to introduce the Star Wars characters, or no?)
"Arcee. Bulkhead. Bumblebee. Rendezvous back at base and prepare to Groundbridge," Optimus instructed before the three Autobots did so.
"We will prepare ourselves so you may receive some assistance," Obi-Wan said.
"And for the love of all things that are good, be careful!" Alora said.
When it comes to things like a fight, there are times where Cliffjumper thought that he wouldn't need backup; that defeating this wave of Decepticons and claiming that Energon supply would be easy as wiping out an armada of Separatist droids. However, there were also times where he wished that his backup would hurry up, but we don't always get what we want, do we? While he was thinking about this, a Decepticon hit Cliffjumper so hard that one of his horns flew off his head and sent him right back into the Energon ditch. At least he was the type that got back on their feet quickly, though, he would mourn the loss of his horn until Ratchet could weld it back on.
"You want the horns? You got them," Cliffjumper said as he charged his cannons and fired.
He took out drone after drone until suddenly a bomb rained down on the Energon supply, engulfing everyone and everything in bright blue flames. The majority of the Energon supply was destroyed, and Cliffjumper was captured by the Decepticons.
Up in the ship above the sight of the fight, the Decepticon Second in Command, Starscream, a teenage girl that was to be the the heir to the Decepticons, and none other than the Sith Lord, Count Dooku, stood by and watched the events unfold. He watched the blue smoke as the Energon supply was blown to nothing that could be labeled as usable.
"The Energon is useless to us now," Starscream sneered. "Wouldn't you say Ivy?" He looked down to the sixteen year old girl that stood by his heeled foot.
Lady Ivy Rose Tron was the perfect blend of the Decepticon Warlord, Megatron and his human mate, a Sith herself, Neve Thettaskiff. Her eyes being blood red, and her pupils a deep black, obviously inherited from her father, and she had long, wavy, jet black hair. The waves being her mother and the color her father. Ivy definitely shared her mother's physical appearance and carried some of her personality traits. Both were pale, and tall, with slimming figures that were pleasing to the eye. However she inherited her father's strength and ability to take control when needed. She trains to be a Sith, but also has special powers due to being a techno organic. Water, ice, super speed, fire, air, lightning, telepathy, and she could mimic voices.
Ivy picked at the chipped black nail polish that covered the tips of her nails with a small sigh. "Bring in the prisoner."
"Finally," Dooku said as two vehicons carried Cliffjumper in.
"Scream, Ives, Count been awhile. So, where's your Master?" Cliff asked as he coughed up Energon.
"Never you mind him, I am my own master," Starscream said as he stabbed Cliffjumper in the chest with his claws "Anymore questions?"
The only response he got was Cliffjumper's strangled moans of pain as the neon blue Energon slowly leaked from his body as death slowly pulled Cliffjumper away from his life and into its dark embrace. He fell to his knees before collapsing in front of the trio completely.
Ivy winced internally at the sight of the dead Autobot, and she silently scolded herself for seeming so weak as she gently placed a hand on Starscream's foot. The other two could care less about the mess it left behind.
"Clean it up," Starscream ordered.
With those words said, Cliffjumper's body was taken away and the Decepticon ship sped away. If it weren't for the destroyed Energon and the slight damage in the ditch where the battle had taken place, it looked as if nothing had ever happened place down there.
Soon after, one by one the Autobots, the Jedi, and the Clones jumped out of the ground bridge, guns and lightsabers drawn.
"An untapped Energon deposit," Optimus observed as they all deactivated their weapons.
"What's left of it," Bulkhead piped in.
"The first Decepticon activity in three years," Ratchet pointed out to his comrades.
"That we know of," Optimus retorted as his face guard was removed, "If the Decepticons are scouting for Energon, they may be preparing for his return."
"Ivy must be stepping up her game to impress her father," Alora commented as she looked around.
Optimus looked down at the padawan and sighed softly, almost silently, but not for the reasons one may think. "Indeed."
Padawan Alora Taline Thettaskiff Pri- no, that was not a name that she could carry yet, it would have to end with her mothers name. She and her siblings, Ark and Anika, Ark being the oldest, were the 'forbidden children' of the late Jedi Knight Nola Thettaskiff and, unfortunately, Count Dooku. Well, that statement was true for two of the children at least. Optimus was at least thankful that the children took after their mother, some in appearance but mostly in personality. Alora especially in both categories.
The middle sibling was slim (and seemingly flat chested due to the chest binder she'd tend to wear from time to time,) and pale with shoulder length auburn hair that almost looked orange which she had separated into sections with large teal beads. A beaded headpiece pulled her bangs out of ice blue and lavender swirled eyes. She wore a gold lined tan top with a brown flowing skirt where one side stopped mid thigh and the other cascaded to just over her knee. Holding the skirt in place were two overlapping maroon belts that usually held her two lightsabers. Tied around her upper arms were small gold ribbons, while her hand and lower arms were covered by fingerless brown gloves. As for her legs and feet, she wore maroon tights and brown boots. Of course she also wore her most prized possession. A gold, diamond shaped necklace that once belonged to her mother. (Just look at the cover photo if you're having trouble imagining Alora.)
Optimus had given it to her for her fifteenth birthday almost a year ago, and it was all of Nola she had left.
He shook his head and watched as Arcee and Bumblebee bounded down the rocks and to the bottom for a closer look. Arcee's observant lavender and blue optics immediately saw something she didn't wish to see. It was the horn Cliffjumper lost during his battle with the Decepticons. She gingerly picked it up, acting as if with one wrong move the horn would shatter. Immediately she locked optics with Optimus.
The last time something like this happened, Nola had died.
"Ratchet, can you track his position?" Optimus asked, fearing the answer would result in the same ending.
Ratchet opened the miniature computer in his wrists. He saw something that could give them hope. That hope soon vanishing, like a flame of a candle being blown out. The medic sighed internally as he realized he would have to deliver the bad news to Arcee. The poor thing had been through so much in her lifetime. However, he knew he had to tell. Besides, everyone else around him had the right to know about this too.
"Cliffjumper's life signal just went offline," Ratchet announced sadly.
Arcee froze. Alora's eyes darkened. Everyone was silent.
"Soundwave. What is it?" Starscream demanded impatiently as the silent Decepticon approached him and Dooku. Ivy had excused herself to the med-bay with the excuse that she felt unwell.
"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock Cliff."
It was a snippet of the last conversation to ever occur between Arcee and Cliffjumper, and it immediately sparked some interest.
"The Princess Arcee," Starscream sneered.
"Why slay one Autobot while we still have the advantage of surprise?" Dooku suggested with a smirk.
"We must not allow our anger over the loss of Cliffjumper to impair our judgement. As of today, only we five Autobots remain on this Earth. We owe it to ourselves; to the memory of Cybertron; to any Autobots in any galaxy seeking safe harbor; to humankind."
On top of the Autobot/Jedi outpost, as the sun set behind them, they held Cliffjumper's memorial. Optimus delivered his usual words of wisdom. During this, Optimus unwillingly remembered when he had to give a similar speech at the funeral for Alora's mother. It was a rather painful memory he did not wish to bring up, but it came on its own bringing deep sorrow and feelings of loss to his spark. While Optimus continued his speech, everyone watched in silence as Arcee walked forward holding Cliffjumper's horn in her hands. Both teams felt deep sorrow for the loss, the Jedi going as far as to wear their robes with the hoods up despite the heat of the desert, and the clones had removed their helmets.
"And we owe it to the memory of our fallen comrade to survive," Optimus continued, watching Arcee place the horn on the ground before she turned to leave. "Arcee…"
"If Cliff's gone, standing around here sulking won't bring him back. So unless anyone minds, think I'll get back to protecting humankind," Arcee decided bitterly before walking away.
"Someone better make sure she's ok…" muttered Anakin Skywalker.
"I got it," Alora said, shedding the robe to reveal that she was now dressed head to toe in a black shirt and pants with her hair sprawled over her shoulders. She shoved it into Arks arms. The brunette scoffing in annoyance for one of his younger siblings.
Alora quickly ran inside to grab a bag to throw her lightsabers in and jogged up to Arcee with her helmet. "Arcee!"
Arcee looked back at her and gave a soft, sad smile before she transformed. "Hop on." And with that, the two of them rode off, leaving everyone to separate.
"Optimus, helping humans will result in more tragedy," Ratchet warned the leader once it was just him, Optimus, and Obi-Wan.
"Your opinion is noted," Optimus nodded before gazing worriedly at the retreating figures.
Obi-Wan pulled his hood down with a sigh. "Optimus, I promised Nola I would never say a thing to Alora, but you really do need to start explaining things to Alora. Like who you really are to Alora. There's going to be a day in the near future where Alora will develop abilities beyond my teaching capabilities. The child is going through things and will go through things that will require your support and attention. I can't be the only one to help Alora."
Optimus looked down at the Jedi Master. "Nola had good reasons to confide such a secret with you, Master Kenobi, so I promise to tell her when the time is right."
"I suggest you do it soon. For Alora's sake."
In the busy part of the small town known as Jasper, Nevada, a sixteen-year-old boy was working at a local fast food restaurant called KO Drive-In. He had slick black hair and blue eyes.
"Welcome to KO Drive-In where the every patty's a knockout. May I take your order?" Jack Darby drawled into the microphone in a very bored manner. This must have been the hundredth time he'd repeated the phrase that day.
"Uh, two super combos, extra fries."
"OK. Deus numerous deus. Anything else?" Jack asked as he prepared the orders.
"Yeah. Some advice. How do I get an awesome job like yours?"
Jack's left eyebrow twitched in annoyance. People these days really got on his nerves when they pulled crap like that. That was when Jack heard the annoying laughter through the speakers of his headset as he laid all the orders out.
"So that's two not-as-funny-as-we-think-we-are combos with a side of bite-me," Jack snapped angrily. He was half tempted to spit in their food.
The response of "What'd you say to me?" gave him some satisfaction in life.
"$5.59, sir, at the window," Jack seethed through his teeth.
He heard the sound of the car pulling up. But they took the order, laughed at Jack and drove away with a screech of their tires.
"Hey! You have to pay for that!" Jack called after them helplessly before he heard the ding through his headset, signaling a new driver at the drive in.
"Welcome KO Drive-In where every patty's a knockout. May I take your order?" he sighed.
"If you don't know my usual by now, I should come through that window and slap you with one of those patties," came the teasing voice of Alora.
Jack couldn't help but grin as he punched in the order. "Okay, so that's a double-cheese burger, a small fry, and a sweet tea." he replied.
"You never fail me, Jack," she said. "Meet me outside. I could use someone to talk to."
Jack walked out with the bag of food to find Alora sitting in her usual spot. He immediately could tell something was wrong. She looked like someone had shot her dog...
"Hey 'Lora! Here's your food," he greeted as he sat across from her.
"Hi Jack. Thanks," Alora greeted.
"Are you ok?" Jack asked gently.
Alora glared harshly. "Do I look like I'm ok?" She snapped, making Jack flinch slightly.
"Well you know you can tell me anything, so hit me with your best shot," he said.
"I lost my family member, Cliffjumper," Alora explained.
"Oh, Alora I am so sorry, I mean first your mom, and now this," Jack's eyes softened in worry. The last time someone in Alora's family died, she and her siblings up and disappeared for four years. He didn't want that to happen again.
"It's fine, really," Alora assured. "It's different this time."
Arcee couldn't help but smile at the fact that Alora had a friend other than her team and the Autobots that really cared. That was until three very bright lights spotted Jack and Alora. "Uh, oh..."
Alora blinked through the brightness of the lights and stood up. "Uh, oh look at the time, so sorry but I'm late for, um, swimming!" She tried to lie, but the glare Jack gave her told her that he wasn't buying it.
"What's up with you Alora? First you disappear off of the face of the Earth for four years, and now that you're back you start ditching me! What's going on?" He asked, gripping her wrist to keep her from leaving. "Doesn't our friendship matter anymore? Or is this about your mother?"
Alora gasped softly. "My mother? You think this is about my mother?" She growled.
"What else could it be?" Jack questioned.
"Jack, I'd love to tell you, I really would, but I can't!" She tried to pull her hand away, but Jack held on tightly.
"Why not!"
"Because-"
"Come on Alora! The Decepticons are getting closer!" Arcee shouted, interrupting the two.
Jack blinked. "D-Did your motorcycle just talk?"
Alora stared at Arcee, her left eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "Just. Get. On."
Jack decided to drop all questions for the moment. She must have been in trouble to get angry so fast. So he climbed on behind her. Though, as he thought about it, he still needed an answer on the whole 'Oh look my best friends' motorcycle just talked' thing. He was about to ask again, that was, until those strange cars that were following them began to shoot. Jack didn't even realize they had been moving until they turned the corner and onto the main road.
"Hold on!" Arcee said, revving her engine and taking off down the road.
"Who said that!?" Jack said, completely freaking out now.
The Decepticons moved to the side intent on trapping them between one another, but then crashed into one another. When they parted, Arcee swerved past them and sped ahead of them. Alora glanced behind her and saw that the Decepticons were gaining speed.
"Commander Starscream, target sighted with a human youth and the young Prime."
"Destroy them both!"
"And bring that wretched child to me!" Dooku demanded.
When Arcee had Jack and Alora safe in an alleyway, she finally stopped and let Jack off. Immediately, Alora knew that Jack was freaking out and demanding some answers.
"What. The. Hell…" he looked at her. "Alora! What the hell?!"
"Calm down and I'll tell you when this is over!" Alora sighed.
"What are you?" Jack demanded of the motorcycle.
"I don't exist. Tell anyone about me and I will hunt you down," Arcee threatened Jack, making the boy gulp.
Alora closed her eyes and frowned. "We need to go. Now!" She opened her eyes again, revealing the fierce eyes of someone who's seen some things, making Jack gulp again. "You, get out of here!" And so he did.
Arcee drove out of the alleyway with Alora still riding. When she saw the Decepticon cars approach her, she immediately noticed that one took off in the direction that Jack had taken off in previously. These two Decepticons weren't after just her and Alora. They were after anyone that could possibly be in association with either female.
Alora looked in the side mirrors and cursed in a language that was alien to Earth. "Arcee, we have to save him!"
"Scrap."
In the process of returning for Jack, she jumped over the oncoming car before turning the corner. In the alley, Jack was running, and silently wishing he ran with Alora after school, he'd immediately look into it after today. When he looked behind him, he saw a Decepticon car chasing him.
"I don't even know them!" He shouted in a vain attempt to get the drone to stop following him.
That was when Arcee drove over the car and sped up so she was directly next to Jack.
Alora looked at him and extended her hand, ready to pull him on behind her. "Hop on!"
Jack hesitated for a moment, but realizing that this was Alora, and how tired his legs were getting, he took her hand and hopped on behind her, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist securely.
As they drove on the highway, the Decepticons activated their guns and started shooting at them. Some shots whizzing past Jack's and Alora's heads.
"Why are those guys shooting at us?" Jack demanded.
"There's no us, kid. And they are no guys," Arcee retorted.
"Alora to anybody who's listening. Arcee and I are having a bit of an issue with Decepticons in Jasper. A native is involved. We need backup at our coordinates ASAP!" Alora spoke, confusing Jack who didn't know that her commlink was actually one of her earrings.
As soon as Alora called in the request for backup, Bumblebee joined them on the highway and rammed into the Decepticons. After skidding across the highway a little, Bumblebee regained control and immediately went to follow Arcee.
"Friend of yours?" Jack guessed.
"Family," Arcee said.
Bumblebee did what he could to keep the Decepticons away from the other three. However, he couldn't keep them away for long. One of them sped up until he was next to Bumblebee and rammed into him the same manner he did to them before.
Under the bridge in Jasper, Nevada, a young boy was racing his yellow Camero around by himself. The car completely resembled a certain black and yellow Autobot the sound just wasn't as throaty and the boy named Raf was the one making the noises. As he had fun with his remote control car, his phone rang, which he immediately answered.
"Hi, mama. Racing right up the street. OK. Just five more minutes?" Raf asked his mother before hanging up and resuming his race.
On the bridge above him, he had no idea of the chase that was going on between Autobots and Decepticons. But he was about to find out. Because Jack and Alora saw that they were approaching roadwork that closed the bridge. And Arcee showed no sign of stopping. Instead, she jumped over the guardrails and flew over the bridge. Both screamed and clung to both Arcee and each other. On her back wheel, Arcee landed on the hill and jumped again to land on the ground in front of Raf who dropped his remote control in amazement.
"Whoa!" Raf exclaimed.
"You have no idea," Jack retorted as he and Alora climbed off with limbs shaking.
Alora looked between both boys, and groaned as the Decepticon cars revved their engines at the edge of the road, and drove down. As they transformed, Alora instinctively got in front of the boys and withdrew her lightsabers from her bag.
"This ends here, 'Cons," Arcee proclaimed as she transformed, she glanced back at the three and nodded at Alora, who took the boys and ran.
That was when the fights started. The Decepticons were firing shots at Arcee as she ran towards them. She kicked one in the chest and knocked it to the ground before flipping and doing the same with the other. Jack and Raf were amazed, while Alora was completely in defense mode.
"What are they?" Raf asked.
"Talking cars that turn into robots…or the other way around," Jack sighed.
Raf looked at Alora a little worriedly, before glancing at her lightsabers. "Ally…?"
Alora relaxed and looked back at both boys with apologetic eyes. "There's so much about this universe that neither of you know about…"
"This! Is! For! Cliff!" Arcee shouted in between punches.
She soon realized that she was in trouble once she said those words. The Decepticon quickly recovered and shot at her. For the first few shots, she managed to backflip away from them, but the last one hit her square in the chest, making her practically fly back as she skidded across the area before stopping completely.
The teens immediately took notice, and Alora shouted in desperation. "Bee!"
Bumblebee immediately drove into the scene and transformed before he started to kick aft. However, he took a step back and there was a very loud crunching sound from beneath his foot. When he lifted his foot, he realized that he stepped on Raf's toy car and shattered it into a pieces.
Alora couldn't help but giggle at the helpless look he gave them as he beeped his apologies.
"No problem. Really," Raf reassured him. Bumblebee perked up at that… but got shot square in the chest immediately afterwards.
All three teens gaped at what just happened before Raf stepped forward. "Leave him alone!" He yelled, catching the attention of both Decepticons. They pointed their guns and started to walk over to the three.
"Bad call," Jack remarked as he knelt next to Raf.
Alora, on the other hand, shoved both of her weapons back into her bag and started to shove at both boys. "Get into the pipe! Pipe means safety! Let's go!"
One of the Decepticon was hot on their tails. Immediately, they ran into a storm drain and climbed in. As they ran, Alora glanced behind them and reached for her weapons yet again. Reaching inside for them was the robot's clawed hands. She stopped and activated both lightsabers, the bright blue lighting up the dark drain. If she had to chop a few fingers off of this Con she would.
Suddenly, the hand was sharply tugged away and the sounds of the Con being beaten to a pulp could be heard. Alora relaxed ever so slightly as Bumblebee came into view.
"Thank you," Raf thanked before Bumblebee beeped and walked away.
Alora turned and pushed them to keep going. "Take this all the way down and don't look back. You didn't see any of this." With that, Alora ran towards where Bee had once been and disappeared.
"What did we just see?" Raf asked as they ran in the opposite direction.
"No idea and I'm not sure I wanna find out," was Jack's answer.
The fight between Bumblebee, Arcee, Alora and the Decepticons continued. Poor Bumblebee took a hit to some rather sensitive parts and went down. As Arcee helped Bumblebee to his feet, the Decepticons slowly approached them ready for a kill. Bumblebee and Arcee were ready to fight. Suddenly, a familiar horn could be heard. The giant AV pickup transformed into Bulkhead.
"Who's ready to rumble?" Bulkhead asked as he stood ready to fight and the Decepticons took one look at each other and drove away.
"What took you?" Arcee demanded as Bumblebee slumped over, the pain of the hit finally getting to him.
"Traffic…" Was the answer she received.
"And the 'Cons would've been scrap metal if I wasn't distracted by the human," Arcee said to Optimus back at the base.
"Human?" Optimus repeated in surprise.
Bumblebee beeped and Alora nodded once.
"Two boys," Optimus sighed.
"I guess a second one caught us in action. I don't know. Was a little busy at the time," Arcee remarked
"I managed to get them to safety though," Alora spoke.
Optimus closed his eyes in thought for a brief moment before speaking again. "If the Decepticons are targeting us, anyone perceived as our ally will be a grave risk."
The next day at Jasper High.
Jack walked out the doors to find Alora sitting next to Miko, who appeared to be drawing.
Today Alora was wearing her hair in a ponytail. She had on a pink blouse with light pink polka dots. She wore deep blue skinny jeans, and pink ballet flats. Normally she wouldn't wear pink but she was feeling rather feminine today and chose the color out of her closet. Of course she also had her prized necklace, and an out of place blue and silver backpack. Her so called 'motorcycle' was parked nearby.
Jack tried not to look at her, but she caught his gaze.
"Hey Jack," Alora said as she waved at him.
Jack ignored her, he was a little mad at Alora for keeping secrets and lying straight to his face for two years. He looked past her and saw Raf standing under a tree, waving at him.
"Raf. Hey," Jack greeted as he walked up to him, "Look. Let's just keep this between us and forget it ever happened, OK?"
"So Jack, rude much?" Alora asked with an annoyed tone, this startled Jack, and Raf was trying hard not to laugh.
"Guys, look!" Raf gushed excitedly as Bumblebee approached them.
"Not again," Jack moaned as Bumblebee opened its door and beeped at them, "It… wants us to get in…"
"No, only me and Ally," Raf said.
"How do you know that?" Jack demanded.
"He said so," Raf shrugged.
"What?" Jack gasped.
"You get to meet my motorcycle," Alora said, still annoyed with him.
"I really don't think that-," Jack started.
"How's it going?" Raf asked as he and Alora climbed in.
"What? Wait! Stop!" Jack called as Bumblebee drove away. He snuck a glance back at Arcee, who was basically staring at him, but he sighed and began to walk away.
"Coolest… bike… ever," Miko practically squealed as she attempted to draw Arcee until she was interrupted by a phone call. She picked up her cell and analyzed the caller. "Host parents? Ignore."
She went to draw the bike again only to discover that it was gone. Mesmerized by the Arcee, she followed her. As Jack walked the alleyways, Arcee stopped in front of him.
"Whoa!" Jack yelled in surprise.
"Relax… Jack, is it? I just wanna talk to you," Arcee reassured him.
"Don't you mean you and your new friend?" Jack said rather bitterly as he eyed her holoform.
Arcee's holoform had medium blue black hair that framed her face, and same colored eyes as Alora. She was dressed practically head to toe in the type of leather you'd see someone who raced motorcycles wear.
"Jack, there's a lot you don't understand," Arcee told him as she deactivated her holoform.
"No. No. I get it. The first part about Robot Fight Club is you don't talk about Robot Fight Club. What you need to understand is I don't want a whole bunch of crazy talking vehicles following me around trying to get me killed!" Jack retorted as Arcee transformed behind him.
"It is your personal involvement is the reason why Optimus Prime and the Jedi have requested your presence," Arcee said.
"Optimus, who?" Jack questioned.
"You may be in danger because you are one of the few – one of the only – who have ever seen us," Arcee told him.
Jack stepped back and let that sink in for as long as he could, until a loud piercing "Dude! What are you waiting for? Go with!" entered the air.
The bot and the human boy both turned to look at where the voice had come from, only to see Miko standing excitedly at the corner.
"Scrap…"
Miko was having the time of her life on Arcee with Jack as they drove through the desert of Jasper, Nevada. Driving in front of them was Bumblebee with Raf riding inside in the back seat and Alora in the front passenger side.
"And why exactly are we taking her?" Jack demanded.
"Rules," Arcee answered.
"Hey. Wait! WHOA!" Jack shouted as they drove past a stop sign and towards the rocky mountain side.
The rocky face soon disappeared and the mechanic doors opened to reveal a secret tunnel of some kind. As soon as Bumblebee and Arcee were inside, the doors shut and the secret entrance was hidden. Miko gasped in excitement as they slowed down and entered the main room.
"Cool," Raf sighed dreamily as he admired the room before them.
"Whoa," Jack and Miko gasped as they faced more of the Autobots and Jedi.
Jack, Miko and Raf saw Ratchet, Ark, Anika, Rex, Cody, Obi-Wan, and Anakin at first.
Youngling Anika Tyra Thettaskiff was the youngest sibling out of the three and had blonde hair that she kept braided, blue eyes with hints of yellow, she was on the shorter side, and, unlike her sister who used a chest binder to hide this fact, was rather flat chested. She wore a purple tunic with grey leggings, black boots, a black belt that held her lightsaber, and grey gloves.
Padawan Ark Terrence Thettaskiff was the strong eldest brother out of the three with brown hair, blue eyes with hints of green. He was tall, and slightly muscular and wore green Jedi robes, and he had a scar that ran over his lips. That scar had a story behind it, nothing tragic, but still a story.
Ahsoka and Bulkhead walked in when Ratchet turned from the computers.
"I thought there were two," Ratchet recalled earlier conversations.
"Don't you know by now? Humans multiply," Arcee stated dryly.
"I'm Raf," Raf Introduced himself.
"I'm Miko," Miko piped in as she ran towards Bulkhead and Ahsoka, "Who are you?"
"Um, Bulkhead…"
"I'm Ahsoka!"
"Are you a car? I bet you're a truck! A monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball for a punching bag?" Miko began asking at the speed of light, making Bulkhead a little dizzy.
Ahsoka laughed and dropped from her perch on the green Autobots should, landing perfectly on two feet. "I like her!"
Miko gaped with sparkling eyes, while Raf and Jack paled considerably at the sight of the Togruta jumping.
"If you guys are robots, who made you?" Raf questioned after he got over the shock.
"Puh-lease," Ratchet scoffed.
"So Jack, Miko, Raf let me introduce you to my 'family'." Alora said, "This is Ahsoka Tano my other best friend and partner, you know my siblings Ark and Anika, this is Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka's master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, my master and most trusted friend, Captain Rex and Commander Cody, this is Ratchet, Jack you know Arcee, Raf you know Bumblebee, that's Bulkhead, and then there's..."
Suddenly, the ground began to shake with loud, heavy footsteps. Jack, Miko and Raf were looking a little nervous. Before the three humans knew it, they were standing before the commander of the Autobot team, Optimus Prime. They looked at him in awe as Optimus bent down and allowed Alora to climb into his hand.
Alora smiled softly and looked up at the robotic leader. "Then there's Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, my guardian, and fatherly figure in my life," the fifteen year old said as Optimus brought her to his shoulder.
Hearing Alora call Optimus a 'fatherly figure' hurt him. The Autobots had been keeping a secret from her since she was born, but there never seemed to be a good time to tell her what it was.
"We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron. Also known as Autobots," Optimus proclaimed.
Obi-Wan walked down the steps from the platform he had previously been standing on, deciding to take this moment to help explain. "While we are the Jedi Knights of the Republic. We being, Alora, myself, her siblings, Anakin and Ahsoka."
"Why are you here?" Jack asked.
"To protect your planet from the Decepticons," Optimus answered.
"As well as the Separatist armada," Obi-Wan said.
"The jokers who tried to bump us off last night," Arcee reminded Jack and Raf.
"Ok, but why are they here?" Jack questioned.
"A fair question, Jack," Optimus complimented as he knelt before the humans, putting Alora back down besides her master, "In part, the Decepticons are here because our planet is uninhabitable; ravaged by centuries of civil war."
"And we're here because we are currently fighting a war," Alora stated.
"Why were or are you fighting a war?" Raf questioned.
"Foremost, over the control of their world's supply of Energon, the lifeblood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. It all started long before you were even created. In the beginning, I fought alongside one I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way," Optimus explained.
"The Clone Wars, also known as the Clone War and the Great Clone War, was the name given to the major galactic conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The war was named after the clone troopers utilized by the Republic against the battle droid forces of the Separatists. These armies, the Grand Army of the Republic and the Separatist Droid Army, were two of the largest ever pitted against each other in galactic history, and the fighting between them rapidly spread to countless inhabited worlds," Obi-Wan explained, "And we fear that Earth may be the next target since it would seem that the two enemies have joined forces." (Thanks to Star Wars wiki for that quote.)
"Is there gonna be a quiz?" Miko sighed, twirling her hair around her fingers.
"So what does Megatron or any of this have to do with us?" Jack demanded.
"Megatron has not been seen or heard from in some time. But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic," Optimus answered.
Jack tried to wrap his head around it all, but one thing finally made sense to him as he turned to look at Alora. "That's why you disappeared? That's why there's all these secrets, and all of your scars…" He grabbed Alora and pulled her in for a tight hug, and gave a relieved laugh. "I thought you had been hurting yourself, but you were off fighting a war!"
Alora blinked in confusion and looked around. "Um, guys, I think we broke Jackson…"
"No, I think you broke Jackson," Ark said, crossing his arms.
"Those transmissions are emanating from deep space. I would hate to waste the Energon," Starscream sighed, "Unless you are absolutely certain."
Soundwave nodded his head to confirm it. That, yes, it was definitely a signal worth checking out. Soundwave's confirmation was enough for Ivy, as she was desperate to pass the role of leader onto someone else. It was nice for the first year, but eventually she realized it was something that at sixteen she was not ready for.
"Then lock on transmission coordinates and activate the space bridge," Ivy requested a little too quietly. She wanted her father to be proud of what she had been able to do in the past three years all alone. Well, alone meaning without a parent.
A Decepticon communications officer nodded obediently and typed in the transmission coordinates. Within moments, the space bridge was activated.
In deep space, what was known as a space bridge was activated. Flying out from the waves of green, blue, purple and white was an alien fighter jet that immediately transformed as soon as it was out. Large build. Angry red optics. A taste for vengeance. This, my dear reader, was the leader of the Decepticons. He was the father of Ivy, and husband of Neve, and he needs no real introduction.
"Decepticons…I have returned!" Megatron proclaimed menacingly.
And there you have it my lovely readers, the official reboot of More Than Meets the Eye. Feedback would be awesome, I'm willing to answer questions! And I'll see you next chapter!