My Life as a Teenage Autobot
Chapter 8: A New Member and a New Problem
Starscream had gone back to Las Vegas to search a different abandoned goldmine. After about a half hour of digging, Starscream found something. It was not Energon, well at least not normal Energon. "Red Energon." Starscream observed. "Whoever uses it can travel at incredible speed. This will do just nicely." Starscream said. He brought the crystals back to the Harbinger to refine them into fuel. There was a problem however. Starscream looked at the container in dismay. "4 medium size crystals only produce half a Mega Liter of fuel?" He groaned. "I suppose I can make it work. Now let's go over the plan one more time…"
Meanwhile at the Autobot Base…
"Whew," Jenny sighed. "I'm finally done with the elevator." She flew over to the other Autobots. "The elevator is fully functional again guys." She announced. "I'm sure Agent Fowler will be happy that he doesn't have to Bridge into the base every time he comes." Bulkhead joked. "Yeah, sorry about that again guys." She apologized while sheepishly rubbing her neck. "Hey, I kid. Water under the Ground Bridge." Bulkhead assured.
Over at the computer Ratchet frowned and typed something on the keyboard. He turned and walked toward the rest of the Autobots. "Everyone, I have some news." he began. "Yes Ratchet?" Optimus implored. "As you know I have been in contact with Jenny's mother ever since I was able to trace her transmissions to their source." The medic reminded. "So, when can I go home?" Jenny wondered. "I'm afraid it will be more time than you would prefer." Ratchet admitted.
Jenny's heart sank. "What? Why?" She demanded. "After several painstaking calculations, we have determined that neither of our Bridges posses the power required for inter-dimensional travel." Ratchet answered. "Wait. If that's the case, how did Jenny get here in the first place?" Arcee wondered. "Brrrzzzh, whrrrp blip." Bumblebee whirred in agreement.
"A fluke. A power spike that lasted just long enough to sustain a jump to our dimension." Ratchet replied. "If neither Ground Bridge can get Jenny home, what could?" Optimus wondered. "In order to provide a more stable medium of travel, we would need something on the scale of a Space Bridge." Ratchet said. "And the 'Cons have the only one." Bulkhead remembered. "Not to mention they moved it after the Vector Sigma Affair." Arcee added.
"Could you supercharge the Ground Bridge or something?" Jenny asked in desperation. Ratchet shook his head. "I've already tried that. It's not possible." Bulkhead thought for a moment. "Oh, I know. Why don't we link the Bridges together?" Bulkhead suggested. Ratchet lost it for a moment. "Are you insane?!" He exclaimed. "Linking 2 Ground Bridges together could collapse the entire fabric of time and space!" The other Autobots gave him concerned. Looks. "Ahem. It's not a good idea." He said after regaining his composure.
"So… what you're saying is… I'm stuck here? Forever?" Jenny asked in a downtrodden tone. Optimus knelt down and looked Jenny in the optic. "Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to get you home as soon as possible." Optimus promised. "Yeah don't worry kid, we won't let you down." Arcee added.
That seemed to comfort Jenny a bit. Before she could reply Agent Fowler came over the comm. "Prime. The Pentagon detected Decepticon activity in the Amazon rainforest. Apparently they found a large pod similar to the one Shockwave was in." Fowler reported.
"We'll be there as soon as we can." Optimus assured. "Good luck Prime. Fowler out." The agent signed off. "Autobots, transform!" Optimus bellowed. The Autobots shifted into their vehicle modes and awaited further instructions. "Jenny, you may ride with me if you want." Optimus offered. "Sure." Jenny accepted. She climbed into the driver's seat and buckled the seat belt. "Jenny, might I suggest sitting in the passenger's seat?" Optimus suggested. "Why?" Jenny asked. "Though I am unfamiliar with many of Earth's customs, I do know that most humans are not accustomed to seeing an adolescent female driving a semi truck.
"Fine." Jenny conceded. "But all humans aren't accustomed to a truck without…" She began until Optimus produced a hologram that bared a stunning likeness to Peter Cullen. "… a driver." Jenny finished. "Autobots, roll out!" Optimus ordered. The four vehicles drove through the Ground Bridge and into the Amazon. When they reached the jungle, the Autobots shifted into robot mode. Jenny stood perched on Optimus's right shoulder with her left hand on his right audio receptor. They immediately saw a team of Decepticon technicians trying to open the pod. Dreadwing was supervising the operation."Optimus look. The emblem." Arcee said. He focused his optics on the side of the pod and clearly made out the Autobot Emblem. "We must rescue the Autobot in there." Optimus declared.
"Jenny, you take to the skies and lure Dreadwing away. We will secure the pod." Optimus instructed. "Got it." Jenny replied before blasting off. She flew up to Dreadwing and hovered in front of him. He noticed the Autobot emblem on her arm. "Hey Dreadwing, don't you know not to mess with other bots' belongings?" Jenny teased. Dreadwing narrowed his eyes. "Flyers, to me! The rest of you, defend the pod." Dreadwing ordered. He and a group of four Vehicon Flyers shifted into Jet mode. "Catch me if you can!" Jenny taunted as she bolted away.
The flying Decepticons pursued Jenny away from the work site and Optimus gave the order to charge. He, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee stormed in guns blazing. The initial assault felled several Vehicons and the rest fell back to defensive positions around the pod. A couple of Insecticons were there to provide support. "Autobots, focus fire on the nearest Insecticon." Optimus yelled over the sound of incoming laser blasts. The Autobots lit up the bug like a Christmas tree, causing it to explode in a ball of blue flame.
The second Insecticon shifted into bug mode and charged the Autobot team. "Autobots, disperse" Optimus ordered. All but Bumblebee dove for cover. The scout instead waited until the Insecticon was right in front of him before jumping onto its back. He clung to its horns with an iron grip as it bucked and thrashed like a raging bull. "Bumblebee, what are you doing?" Bulkhead asked in astonishment. "Brrrzzzzh weep bloop breeep." The scout replied. As Bee continued to cling to the flailing beast he noticed a slight gap in the neck armor. He let his right hand go and fired his blaster at the gap. Flames and sparks exploded from the Insecticon's neck as it began to plummet from the sky.
The bug and Bee hit the ground with tremendous force, sending trees toppling and dirt flying. When the dust settled Bumblebee released his grip on the Insecticon and stood on it triumphantly. The bug's optics flickered and went dark. "Yeah Bee! Way to go!" Bulkhead cheered. Back in the skies Jenny just finished dispatching Dreadwing's Vehicon escort and started to attack Dreadwing himself. She went inverted and dove to get on Dreawing's tail, but before she could lock on, Dreadwing pulled up sharply and hit his airbrakes. The move put him directly behind Jenny.
He fired several heat seeking missiles at Jenny along with his Gatling cannons. Jenny broke sharply to the left and deployed flares. The missiles streaked past harmlessly and Dreadwing overshot. Jenny reversed her turn and fired her eye lasers. Dreadwing swerved out of the way and flipped over before rolling around to charge at Jenny head on. The two closed at each other at over 2000 miles per hour firing every anti air weapon they had. Jenny pulled up sharply to avoid the incoming ordinance. Dreadwing dove but couldn't maneuver as quickly. Jenny's missiles struck his right wing, his left intake, and part of his engine. Energon began to leak from some of the holes in his body.
As he struggled to resume the fight, he received a message from one of the Vehicons. "What is it?" he snapped. "Commander Dreadwing! The Autobots brought reinforcements; they're overrunning our position-AAAHHH!" The Decepticon soldier screamed. Dreadwing calculated his next move. He was badly damaged and his ground force was all but wiped out. "Dreadwing to Nemesis; the pod is lost. Requesting a Bridge. A spiraling vortex of energy appeared in front of him. Before Jenny could catch him he limped through and vanished.
"Prime, the skies are clear. What's your status?" Jenny asked. "We've secured the site." Optimus replied. "Copy that, I'm on my way." Jenny reported. The Autobots on the ground approached the pod and searched for the combination lock. They soon found it and Optimus entered the 5 digit pass code which started the pods open sequence. The hatch on the front slid open to reveal a tall white Autobot with red highlights, a spherical helmet, and two large red boosters on his back. He awoke from stasis. "Wha… Optimus, is that you?" The bot wondered in an Australian accent.
"Indeed Jetfire." Optimus answered. "Thank Primus. I was worried you hadn't made it." Just then Jenny touched down and saw Optimus helping the Autobot flier out of the pod. "Who's this?" she wondered. "I could ask you the same question." Jetfire quipped. "Jenny, this is Jetfire, one of the Autobots' best fliers." Arcee introduced. "Aw, please, I'm only a scientist who enjoys taking to the skies and busting up 'Cons every now and then." Jetfire assured. "So, who's the little Sheila then?" Jetfire wondered.
"Global Protection Unit XJ9 Mark II, but you can call me Jenny or Jen." She introduced. Jetfire noticed the emblem on her arm. "I see your sportin' the Autobot Emblem. Were you part of the War for Cybertron?" Jetfire asked. "No. I came here by accident." Jenny explained. "It's kind of a long story." "A story that you will have to tell once we get back to base." Optimus interjected. "The humans will no doubt be coming to investigate this mess. Ratchet, Bridge us home." A Ground Bridge Portal opened and the Autobots stepped through. When Jetfire came through Ratchet immediately spotted him.
"Hello Jetfire." Ratchet greeted. "Pleasure to see you after all this time, mate." Jetfire replied. "Yes it has been far too long, old friend." The medic agreed. Ratchet brought the children to the base just before he brought the Autobots and they eyed Jetfire with awe. "Children, this is Jetfire. Not only is he an Autobot flyer, but also an accomplished scientist." Ratchet explained. "Hi. I'm Jack." Jack introduced. "I'm Rafael, but you can call me Raf." Raf continued. "Miko." She finished. "So what does your alt mode look like? How many blasters do you have? How fast can you fly?" Miko asked in her usual eager way.
"Whoa, whoa slow down there." Jetfire interrupted before she could ask more questions. "Besides, we have more important matters to discuss." Optimus added. "How did you get here, and where are the others?" Jetfire whistled. "Well ain't that a tale…"
Flashback
Location: The Ark, Outskirts of the Cyber System
"Optimus, we're clear of the Cyber System." Jazz reported. "Good. Set the Ark on autopilot." Optimus instructed. "Everyone else, I'm arranging a meeting in the conference chamber. Be there in ten megacycles (side note: cycle=second, megacycle= minute, gigacycle=hour, day=day, stellar cycle= year.) Soon everyone gathered in the chamber to discuss the next move. "As you all know, our Energon reserves will run out in one stellar cycle." Optimus began. "Our next priority is to find new sources of Energon in this galaxy." He continued. He brought up a star map on a monitor as a visual aid. "History confirms that two planets contain Energon deposits that we can use. One is named Earth and the other is named Terax. To cover more ground, we'll split into two teams. The first will be Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Mirage, and I. The second team will be Hound, Ironhide, Jetfire, Sideswipe, and Jazz." Optimus finished.
"My team will take the Ark to Earth, while Team 2 takes the long range stasis pods to Terax. Does anyone have any questions?" Optimus asked. "Yeah I got a question. What happens if the 'Cons follow us to either planet?" Bulkhead questioned. "Then we must fight them off as best as we can." Optimus answered. The meeting adjourned and the Autobots returned to their stations. After a while they began to approach the Space Bridge they stole from the Decepticons in the Battle of Kaon. "We're approachin' the Space Bridge, Optimus." Ironhide repotted.
"Team 2, get to your pods." The Team 2 bots saluted and reported to the pod bay. Suddenly, an alarm went off. "What is it Mirage?" Optimus inquired. "Proximity Alert! Optimus, the Decepticons are hot on our tail!" Mirage reported. "Red Alert! All available Autobots to battle stations!" Optimus ordered. The Nemesis closed on the Ark at great speed. On the bridge Megatron stood eager to destroy his enemy once and for all. "Lord Megatron, we are within firing range." A Vehicon announced. "Commence firing!" Megatron commanded.
The Laser Batteries on the Nemesis targeted the Ark and began to pummel its shields. A battle ensued which resulted in Decepticon teams boarding the Ark from the Transfer Tube on the Nemesis. Unfortunately, Mirage was killed in the fighting. Jetfire got in his pod as soon as Optimus gave the order for Team 2 to launch. When he was putting in the coordinates, a nearby explosion caused his finger to slip and he accidentally input the coordinates for Earth. With no time to change the settings, Jetfire launched the Pod The next thing he knew, he was waking up on Earth.
End Flashback
"Unfortunately, I didn't see where the others went. They could be anywhere." Jetfire admitted. "At least we have you. When Jenny leaves we'll still have a guardian in the sky." Bulkhead observed. "Speaking of which there is one more matter that needs resolving. Jetfire must find an Earth based vehicle mode in order to blend in." Optimus said. "I'll contact Agent Fowler." Ratchet said as he began punching in the Agent's phone number.
Sometime Later…
The Autobots and the children Bridged to a hangar in Nellis Air Force Base in lower Nevada where Agent Fowler had a selection of various fighter jets. Both the Air Force and the Navy provided potential alt mode vehicles. "Take your pick." Agent Fowler said. Jetfire began to examine each aircraft as a jeweler examines a diamond. He took every aspect into consideration whether it was dimensions, top speed, acceleration, or even structural aesthetics. He finally made a decision. "That's the one." Jetfire said confidently while pointing at an aircraft. "The F-14D Super Tomcat. Nice choice." Agent Fowler approved. Jetfire scanned the plane before shifting into his vehicle mode.
The white paint job and red highlights carried over of course and his back boosters became the engines in vehicle mode. There was no Autobot symbol in vehicle mode so as to maintain a low profile. "So whadya think?" Jetfire asked. "Awesome!" Miko complimented. "Yeah you look like you could take the Nemesis by yourself." Bulkhead concurred. After a quick flight, Jetfire returned to the base with the others.
As Jenny was telling Jetfire her story, Ratchet saw something on the main monitor. "Optimus, I'm getting a message." The medic described. "From Doctor Wakeman?" The Autobot leader asked. "No. It is from Starscream." Ratchet answered. The Autobots and the children gathered around Ratchet. "I have information regarding Megatron's latest scheme. All I ask in return is for you to repair some damage I sustained while getting the intel." Ratchet read. "Bumblebee, take the children home. The rest of us will go to Starscream." Optimus ordered. Bumblebee nodded and shifted into vehicle mode.
Optimus then turned to Arcee and told her to activate the ground bridge. The other Autobots came out the other end weapons drawn into a forest and saw Starscream slumped on a tree. Ratchet walked over to take a look. "Optimus, it looks like Starscream has been offline for a few weeks maybe even a month." Ratchet observed. "Now how can that be? He sent them message a few minutes ago." Jetfire questioned. Jenny and Optimus exchanged looks. "Something is very wrong." The teenager stated. "Arcee, close the ground bridge." Optimus ordered.
Indeed something was very wrong. Starscream used one of his dead clones as a decoy. He seized this moment to run into through Ground Bridge so fast that he was imperceptible to the Autobots. In fact, from his perspective, everything moved very slowly in comparison to him. That's Red Energon for you. Anyway, he made his way into the base and found the vault that contained the artifacts. He went up to one door and saw the Apex Armor. "No." He said. He went to another and saw the phase shifter. "No." He went to another and saw Arachnid in her stasis pod.
"So that's what happened to her. If I had the time I'd extinguish her spark." Starscream grumbled. He went up to one last door. "Aha." Starscream declared. He overrode the security lock and opened the door before taking the Immobilizer out. He shut the door and made his way back to the Ground Bridge. "Arcee, could you be a dear and hold the door open a little longer?" he joked. He came out of the ground bridge behind the other Autobots…
Jenny stretched her concentration as hard as she could. She began to detect something. "Optimus, there's something behind us. It's coming in fa…" Jenny began until see inexplicably froze. "Jenny?" Optimus asked with the slightest touch of worry. "Jenny, say something." Ratchet commanded as he waved his hand in front of her. "Optimus, what in Primus's name is going on?" Ratchet wondered. The Autobot leader was liking this situation less and less. The Autobots all felt something whoosh past them and saw it grab Jenny. They tried to aim for it but it was too fast to track…
Starscream snatched Jenny off of her feet and carried her 50 feet away from the Autobots, making sure that he was in full view. "Autobots, we've been deceived!" Optimus exclaimed. Only, to Starscream, Optimus sounded like he was talking in super slow motion. "Bleaugh blugh blah." Scream mocked as he "walked" back toward the Autobots. "Sorry Optimus I can't understand you when you're so slow." Everything snapped back to normal speed and Starscream was faced with four Autobots with their weapons pointed at him.
"Hehe, the Red Energon wore off didn't it?" said Starscream sheepishly. He turned and ran the other way as the Autobots opened fire. With the Immobilizer and Jenny tucked under one arm, Starscream fumbled to bring out his data pad and activated his Ground Bridge. Starscream shifted into jet mode and bolted toward his Bridge while still dodging the Autobots' fire. Jenny wound up in the cockpit.
"Two can play at that game." Jetfire quipped. He shifted into his own alt mode and took off after the Seeker. Though Jetfire was slightly faster than Starscream, the later bot was already too close to his Ground Bridge for that advantage to matter. Starscream disappeared through his Bridge just before it fizzled out. Jetfire returned to the others and shifted into robot mode before touching down. Shame filled his face.
Optimus continued to stare at the spot where the Ground Bridge had been. "RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUU GGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed in anger at himself, Starscream, and Primus. The three other Autobots stood in stunned silence after that. None of them had ever seen Optimus behave like that before. "Jenny's fate, whatever it is… now lies in Starscream's hands." The Autobot leader lamented.
On the Nemesis
"Unacceptable!" Megatron yelled while slamming his fist down on a table. "We are so close to finishing Trypticon's restoration, and our only hindrance is the inability to find a teenager!" The other Decepticons eyed him cautiously. "I mean no disrespect my Lord, but she is very difficult to handle." Dreadwing pointed out. "I suppose you'd know from experience." Megatron remarked. "We have no other choice. We must find the Autobot Base, storm it, and capture Jenny." Megatron decided.
"Been there." a voice said. The Decepticon leadership turned to see Starscream holding Jenny and the Immobilizer. "Done That." He boasted. Megatron allowed a slight smile on his face.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Gasp! What will happen next? In all seriousness I forgot how much I enjoy writing this story. Please tell me what you think, especially my decision to use Jetfire instead of Smokescreen. Don't get me wrong, I like Smokescreen fine, but I think Jetfire is better because he is well liked and the Autobots desperately need a flyer.