* When in the switched bodies, each person takes the voice of the body. For example, Starscream inside of Rafael's body will sound like Rafael.
This will make it more difficult for the Autobots, Decepticons and humans to adapt, and make it even more confusing and painful. *
"I...will not be taken hostage by your worthless cause!" shouted Megatron, whose young, human voice was doing his threats no promise.
"Unfortunately for you, Megatron," said Optimus Prime, almost impatiently. "That is exactly what will be happening. This decision will not be swayed, and you will be under our orders indefinitely."
"You do not threaten me!" the boy shouted, pointing to his chest. "I may not have my body, but I do have my strengths, Optimus Prime. This is not a permanent arrangement, must I remind you? I will not allow this human to control my body any longer!"
"Eh, as far as anyone knows, we're human. Whether you want to believe this or not, we're cornered, m-my liege. We can't even fight our way out of this nor call for a groundbridge," said Knockout to his leader, while examining the human girl's nails and hands. "Any resistance is moot, and there are no ways to escape the Autobots. We're truly, utterly and completely scrapped, my liege."
Megatron looked at the hard-set expressions of the Autobots, and the Decepticons as well, with their arms crossed. Would the former-humans even want their bodies back given enough time? These thoughts disturbed the aged war lord to his core, and the complete uselessness he felt in the situation was not one he liked, or even had experience in.
"Hello? Wheeljack to Bulkhead, just checkin' in. Haven't heard anything from you guys in a while. May be wonderin' if you lug-nuts need my backup or not, over," said Wheeljack over Bulkhead's comm link.
"Wheeljack?" Bulkhead paused and looked at the small human female on the ground below him, and in front of him the bright red and the larger Decepticon, who was looking at him quizzically at the moment. "We're fine, but we have a small problem..."
"Jack's mom is here and she's checking up on him. Actually, he's in a bit of a scrapheap because he hasn't been answerin' his phone. Is the little guy alright?" asked Wheeljack.
"My mom!?" Jack called, sending a deep, grown voice echoing through the cave. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! She can't know I've become...become...well, Megatron!"
"Oh, slag it all," Arcee muttered to herself. "I completely forgot about June. What're we going to tell her? She's not going to like it when she sees Jack." She looked at Optimus and Ratchet for help.
"But what about my parents? What do we do then?" asked Rafael nervously.
"We will determine how this situation will be relayed to your families in time, however we must forewarn the members inside of the base," Optimus Prime said calmly, obviously cooled from his short discussion with Megatron.
"For the time being, we must evaluate the health of the Decepticons and the children when we arrive. Not only may June not like this, but I worry of Agent Fowler as well. Hopefully Smokescreen, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus can take this news much better than the way I'm anticipating it now," said Ratchet.
"Maybe I may like getting to be a big, red 'Con, Bulk. We could actually race on the road - for reals!" Miko shouted excitedly.
"I don't think that's such a hot idea, Miko," Bulkhead replied sadly. "Your entire body has been changed in just minutes...I think you need more time to adjust."
"Bulkhead is right, Miko! You can't just go driving around now because you can. A T-cog is not a Cybertronian organ that is used unwisely," Ratchet warned. "If it is, much damage can ensue."
"Okay, okay, I get it. No driving 'till I'm sixteen," Miko said, frustrated.
"Ultra Magnus," Optimus Prime said over his comm link. Silence hushed over the group. "I need to report that there has been an...incident."
Optimus' eyes were on the black-haired teenage boy on the ground below him, carefully watching his movements. He quickly bent down and picked up the staff-like relic that has been presumed to have caused this mess and held it tightly in his servos.
"There has been no casualties, and everybody is safe. However, our relic has caused a surprising reaction between the children and the Decepticons. It appears their bodies have been switched, as now the humans occupy the Decepticons' bodies and the Decepticons occupy theirs."
"This is confusing," Miko muttered to herself.
"Ultra Magnus, I request a groundbridge," he concluded, as a large, green swirling vortex opened in front of them. "Bulkhead, I will need you to take Knockout. Bumblebee, you will take Starscream. I will take Megatron myself."
"What? Take who?" said the previously unconcerned and partially blind Starscream.
Bumblebee almost roughly took up the smallest human, who was now swapped with the body of a heartless, but cowardly murderer. He shouted, not knowing who was going to help him, and realized no one would. Upon hearing the Prime's last sentence, Megatron ran in the opposite direction behind Bumblebee, who now held onto a squirming and frightened Starscream.
"Hey, hey, hey! I can walk, you know? Aiighh, put me down, stupid lug!" cried Knockout, as he was grabbed by Bulkhead.
"Knockout, you're coming with us, whether you like it or not," Bulkhead stated firmly.
Megatron carried his now small form to the entrance of the cave, however Optimus Prime ran past him and caught him in a flash. Megatron tried to pry the hand enclosed around him, but it was no use. Megatron, and his men, were now trapped in the bodies of three human children and were being held by the Autobots. When trying to compare the situation, he could only imagine himself better off as dead.
"You will greatly regret this, Optimus Prime," Megatron said with a set jaw. "You all will! You forget that we are not children, but only in their putrid forms! We are strong soldiers, and we will not be taken down easily," he finished, pointing his finger at each Autobot and Decepti-kid.
"Autobots, through the groundbridge," said the Prime, almost wearily.
"I'll walk in with you," said Arcee to Jack, Miko and Rafael.
"As will I, as I'm not responsible for one of the Decepticons as the moment," Ratchet offered.
So, Optimus, Bulkhead and Bumblebee walked into the groundbridge first, all holding the struggling humans. Arcee and Ratchet were behind them, and the children walked behind them cautiously.
June Darby paced on the platforms in the Autobots' new base impatiently. Ultra Magnus has just reported an incident between the children and the Decepticons, yet no one was hurt. Her heart was racing a mile a minute and the tiniest of noises made her jump. Now, the groundbridge was open and she anticipated the worst, but even she didn't expect to see her son, Jack, struggling and fighting in the grasp of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime.
"Optimus!? Jack!?" she cried.
"Miss-" Ultra Magnus began, however the Autobot leader cut him off quickly.
"June, before I let you continue, I must inform you that this is not your son. Megatron and Jack's bodies have been swapped with this relic," Optimus Prime explained, opening his other hand and offered the worried mother the staff. "Miko and Rafael have been affected by this device as well. Unfortunately, before we have more information, we must keep them in these bodies until otherwise."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," said Smokescreen. "The kids switched bodies with the Decepticons?"
"All this switch-a-roo stuff ain't good for my head," Wheeljack replied. "I know the feelin' of being replaced, literally and emotionally. I'm sure everything's going to be okay eventually."
Arcee entered from the groundbridge, and Megatron, Knockout and Starscream's bodies followed her. There was a strange, quick silence exchanged between the Autobots and humans alike. Breaking the silence, Agent Fowler's office door was loudly opened, as he charged out.
"Okay, what in the name of- aayyee!" Agent Fowler squealed, upon seeing the three large Decepticon bodies.
"Agent Fowler," Optimus Prime reported rather quickly. "An uncovered relic has switched the bodies of the children with the Decepticons. The once before and intimidating Cybertronians you see before you are in fact our three companions, Rafael, Jack and Miko. Instead in their respective bodies are the Decepticons."
"The Decepticons?" Agent Fowler confirmed. He was agreed with this statement with a nod from the Prime. He walked up to June, who was holding onto the relic tightly. "Well, just what do we do with the tiny fiends?"
"How about 'let us go'?" Starscream said nonchalantly with a bored expression.
"Hey, I don't want to be stuck in this unfriendly feline physique for much longer, let's get a decision, huh?" said Miko restlessly.
"We can't let them just roam around the base, nor can we let them near June or Fowler," said Arcee.
"We can convert an open area in the base into convenient jail cells," the man suggested.
Megatron began to shift again in Optimus' hand. "I will not-"
"I believe that considering our situation, it may be the most logical and reasonable course of action," Optimus replied to Fowler.
"Oh, no, no, no!" shouted Knockout.
"I will not be contained like some human criminal!" Starscream cried.
"Technically, you guys have done some pretty illegal stuff," said Miko.
Agent Fowler called a quick team of construction workers hired by the United States government for top secret constructions and repairs. They had fixed and replaced a few things in the previous years, when the Autobots were still adapting to humanity's small size. Agent Fowler snapped his phone closed with a small smile.
"They'll be here in an hour. You remember Preston and his crew, right, Prime?" he asked.
"They were a very respectable and amiable work crew," the Prime agreed.
"Are we seriously having a conversation of the work ethics of human stone-pushers?" Starscream moaned.
"You might as well put them down, there's not much they can do without getting themselves into more trouble," said Agent Fowler.
Megatron let out a defiant puff of air through his nose and Optimus hesitantly, but not very gently, put him on the ground below him, with June following the boy with her eyes. She took a few steps back and looked at her feet while subconsciously tapping on the hard relic. In seconds, however, the ancient device began to glow again with its distinctive and trademark blue light.