Author's Notes: I've been meaning to post a new chapter of this fic for months, and I apologize for taking so long. If I'm being honest, the reason was that ever-dreaded disease...writer's block. I don't get it often, but I got it trying to write this chapter. I wanted it to be longer, but you guys have waited long enough. Hopefully I'll be able to kick this story back into gear, as it's concept is too good to allow it to become a dead fic. Thank you all for sticking around, and if you're new here, welcome :)

Chapter 8

Photographs

Arcee awoke after a long yet fitful recharge in the familiar yet unfamiliar Autobot base. Her chronometer read 7:00 AM, which was much later than she was used to being offline. She had been plagued with nightmares about Cliffjumper and Optimus Prime, which she knew was a direct result from her own fears about the situation. She knew Cliffjumper was her friend, and he was pretty much the same in this universe as he had been in her own, but so many other things were too different to ignore. Who was her friend? Who was her enemy? It was all terribly confusing.

Arcee was forced out of her thoughts when she heard the chime on her door, indicating someone was there to see her. Arcee quickly got up and opened the door, reflexes fresh despite her bad night, and saw Sierra standing there with a large blocky looking camera.

"Hey Arcee," Sierra greeted her, "Cliff and I are going out in the desert for a while. Wanna come with?"

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Arcee asked with a wry smile.

"It's Sunday. School doesn't start back up until tomorrow," Sierra explained, "So, you in?"

"Why are you two driving out to the desert?" Arcee inquired.

"Landscape shots," Sierra said as she held up her camera, "The mesas are beautiful this time of day, and I love getting close ups of things like bugs on sandy rocks and birds flying overhead. My scrapbook is full of them. Besides, driving off-road means you don't have to worry about pedestrians."

"True," Arcee replied, "Oh, what the scrap? It's not like I have anything else to do while Ratchet works on that dimensional portal for me. I'm in."

"Great!" Sierra exclaimed, "You're gonna love it! Cliff says you were one of the fastest femmes on Cybertron. Uh, speed-wise, I mean. That sounded like- Oh, man! I'm sorry."

"Why?" Arcee asked.

"Well, a fast woman means something else on earth," Sierra chuckled nervously.

"Wouldn't be the first time I didn't get a reference," Arcee shrugged as she walked down the driveway with Sierra, "Bulkhead and Miko were always making earth-based jokes I didn't get. Honestly, it felt like those two were in their own secret club or something."

"So your Bulkhead likes earth stuff?" Sierra pondered, "Weird. The Decepticons don't seem like the type to laugh at earth jokes, and Miko never seemed like the type to get along with anyone."

"What's your Miko like?" Arcee asked.

"I didn't know her very well," Sierra shrugged, "Well, I mean we talked, but...to be honest, Miko was a bully. She had no respect for anyone or their personal space. She once took my vintage 1973 Leica and threw it up the tree just outside school! She would walk into the boy's bathroom and spray paint phone numbers of girls who had crossed her. If there were guys in there, she wouldn't even leave! Nobody messed with Miko. The idea of her working for the Autobots, well, it just seems absurd."

"Yeah, the Miko in my world isn't exactly an angel either, but she's grown a lot since we met her," Arcee replied, "All of the kids have. Raf is starting to come out of his shell, Miko cares more about other people, and Jack has become such a responsible young man. He was even entrusted with the Matrix of Leadership when Optimus lost his memories."

"How did he carry it?" Sierra asked.

"Carry it?" Arcee repeated in confusion, "The Matrix is a small keycard. Even a human could hold it without difficulty."

"Wow, that is weird," Sierra commented, "I thought the Matrix of Leadership was that giant bubble thing Optimus Prime keeps in his chest cavity. You know, the conduit that gives him all that knowledge of the previous Primes."

"That knowledge is contained within Vector Sigma," Arcee corrected, "The Matrix is just a key card."

"Vector Sigma? That cube that's used to make baby robots?" Sierra asked; puzzled.

"No, that's the Allspark," Arcee replied.

"No, the Allspark is where Transformers go when they die; the power that fuels Cybertron. When they're born it's from that other cube; Vector Sigma. The Allspark is gold, and Vector Sigma is silver and blue."

"Where are you getting all this?" Arcee inquired.

"From Optimus," Sierra replied, "He showed us the video of what happened to Cybertron. The Allspark was destroyed, and Vector Sigma was jettisoned off-world to keep the Decepticons from finding it. I have to admit, it's a pretty sad story. The idea that your kind used to have an afterlife, but now...you don't. Without Vector Sigma your species is doomed, and Optimus and Megatron both suspect Vector Sigma is somewhere on earth. That's how this started. Now it's mostly just a scramble for energon and trying to make the best out of your new home."

Arcee and Sierra made it outside, and Arcee transformed into a motorcycle to allow Sierra to ride through the desert so they could meet Cliffjumper. Sierra's information felt off, and Arcee wasn't even sure how much of it the girl was getting right. Still, she had to know more.

"So, who destroyed the Allspark?" Arcee asked; an edge of anger in her tone.

"Who else? The big bad himself. Megatron," Sierra replied, the same anger in her own voice, "According to Optimus, Megatron was into some really shady stuff. He thought he had figured out how to harness the power of a mythical creature they called Unicron. Of course Unicron isn't real, but Megatron had gone mad with power and forced his subjects to find a way to revive the beast. The result of the Decepticons' research was a portal. It was a massive hole that threatened to suck up all life in the universe if it wasn't stopped. Unfortunately, the only object with the right kind of power to close up the hole was the Allspark.

"Optimus tried to use the Allspark's power to close the portal, and Megatron swiped the Allspark away from Optimus to stop him. Then Megatron crushed the cube in his bare claws, which caused a chain reaction. The portal sucked up the broken cube and Megatron, which closed the portal. Megatron managed to return from wherever that portal led, with his appearance slightly changed, and then the Decepticons continued to try to destroy the Autobots."

"Sounds like Megatron alright," Arcee concurred, "I don't know if Unicron is real for you guys, but in my dimension he is very much alive."

"No way!" Sierra shouted, "Is he as dangerous as the legends?"

"Yeah," Arcee replied, "He's actually a planet. Planet earth."

"What?" Sierra asked incredulously, "Unicron is earth?"

"In my dimension. I can't speak for yours," Arcee clarified, "There are a lot of things in your dimension that don't work the same way as mine. At least not exactly. The good news is that Unicron's power is limited. Optimus was able to stop him by using the Matrix of Leadership. It cost him his memories however, so Jack and I had to go to Cybertron to get them back."

"Did it work?" Sierra asked.

"Yeah, it worked. It feels like no matter which dimension we talk about, Megatron is always there to ruin everything."

"No kidding," Sierra agreed, her grip tightening on Arcee's handlebars, "The Autobots have to stop him, or else he'll kill everything on earth just like he did on Cybertron."

Arcee drove to a sandy clearing where a shiny red Cadillac was already waiting for them. That Caddy transformed into Cliffjumper, and Sierra hopped off the motorcycle to greet him. Arcee transformed as well, and Cliffjumper's easy smile warmed Arcee's spark. After everything he had been through, everything their world had been through, Arcee still didn't understand how Cliff could enjoy the little things in life with such carefree abandon. To be fair however, she had the same questions about her own Cliffjumper when he was alive.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot base, Optimus and Ratchet received a call on the main computer, priority one.

"Uh oh," Raf muttered quietly to Bumblebee, "I hope that isn't my mom. I was supposed to be home this morning to help with chores."

[Sounds rough,] Bumblebee replied sympathetically.

"Shh!" Ratchet admonished them, "The call is from Hoshi Co. Laboratories."

"The lab we volunteered for three months ago," Optimus recalled, "Answer it."

Ratchet turned on the video call, and they were greeted by the worried face of a scientist with messed up black hair and glasses practically drooping from his nose. He ran a hand over his hair once again, likely indicating how it became so frazzled in the first place.

"Prof. Nakadai," Optimus greeted the man, "To what do I owe this communication? Has there been any trouble from the Decepticons?"

"More than trouble, Prime, sir," Prof. Nakadai moaned, "The Decepticons have taken files from one of our most confidential and dangerous experiments. I am sure you remember the work we did for Project: Nightbird?"

"Yes, I remember," Optimus growled, "Are you telling me Megatron has the plans for the Nightbird prototype?"

"Yes, and that is not all," Prof. Nakadai replied, and then to the surprise of the Autobots, he began to sob, "It is my daughter! Most of the security footage was lost, but one camera from the back gate showed two Decepticons grabbing my daughter and the files. They...they have kidnapped my only child! I warned Miko not to loiter around where I work, but she did not listen! Now she is likely being experimented on by those monsters! Prime sir, you have to do something!"

"We will," Optimus vowed, "Rest assured that we will do everything in our power to rescue your daughter and retrieve the Nightbird files. In the meantime do not panic, and do not inform anyone outside of Hoshi Co. Labs about what has transpired. If knowledge of a Decepticon kidnapping gets out it could cause a worldwide panic."

"Of course. I understand," Prof. Nakadai nodded, "Just please get them back! If Nightbird is used by the Decepticons it will mean the end of our world, and if anything happens to Miko, it will be the end of my world."

"Understood. Optimus Prime out," Prime said before shutting off the comm.

"What's Project: Nightbird?" Raf asked once the call was over.

"It is a project designed to protect humanity should the Decepticons ever gain the upper hand," Optimus explained, "It is a way for humans to develop their own artificial transforming mecha to fight on their behalf. We Autobots contributed by going through physical examinations and procuring t-cogs from fallen Vehicons for the scientists. They also have their own facilities for creating synthetic energon. They have yet to complete the first prototype, but if the Decepticons beat them to it..."

"We have to get it back," Ratchet insisted.

"I know, old friend. I know," Optimus sighed, "We also must prioritize the safety of the human girl. Prof. Nakadai is a friend, and a leader in the fight against the Decepticon cause. I will not allow him to lose a loved one to our fight."

"Say cheese!" Miko shouted as she held up her flip phone.

"What's cheese?" Breakdown asked.

Without replying, Mika snapped a pic of Breakdown's confused face. It didn't matter how he posed. The important thing was that she had photographic mementos of her super cool robot pals. So far however, Breakdown had been her only willing subject. Bulkhead was delivering the blueprints to Megatron, and Knockout...

"Why are you humoring that pest?" Knockout asked haughtily, "Megatron said no humans on board the Nemesis."

"Aww, c'mon Doc!" Breakdown urged, "It's just a little one. Besides, she's got that rebel spirit that made the Decepticons what we are today."

"Who are you calling little?" Miko asked crossly.

"See?" Breakdown smirked as jabbed a thumb in Miko's general direction, "She's cool."

"Honestly, Breakdown. Do you want to get us in even more trouble?" Knockout asked, "Megatron is already mad at us for our previous blunders, and if he sees you brought a human on board the warship he'll have our plating!"

"Warship? So you guys are invaders?" Miko inquired.

"What business is that of yours, squishy?" Knockout harrumphed.

"I dunno. Most alien invaders in movies go to Tokyo, so it would make sense," Miko shrugged, "Well, I guess they also go to New York sometimes. I've always wanted to see that city. I hear they have great pizza."

"What's pizza?" Breakdown asked, once again not understanding terms for human food.

"Only one of the best tasting foods ever! Well, pizza and I guess mochi," Miko conceded, "Eating them together is not advised though. I once got the stomach ache to prove it. Do robots eat?"

"We refuel on energon," Breakdown explained, "It's in these yellow glowing cubes over by the storage closet. We drain your power plants to make the synthetic stuff, but the real deal tastes much better. Real energon is blue instead of yellow. That stuff is pretty rare though. Energon crystals grew naturally on Cybertron, but it took eons. Kind of like how your planet can make more rocks, but it takes time."

"You guys eat energized rocks?" Miko asked incredulously, "That is so wicked! Do you drink oil like robots on TV?"

"Sometimes," Breakdown replied, "Though it's not like oil on earth. Yours comes from the bones of dead organics. Ours came from the melted, cooled, and thinned slag of dead metallic animals. Predacon bones mostly."

"Predacon? Is that like a dinosaur?" Miko asked.

"Does she ever stop asking questions?" Knockout interjected.

"I dunno. I just got her," Breakdown haplessly replied.

"Why is your doctor so cranky?" Miko snorted.

"He's not just my doctor," Breakdown told her, "He's my boss and my best friend. Well, one of them. You've already met Bulkhead."

"Oh yeah, the mean green guy. I remember," Miko nodded, "He's cool, but not as cool as you. I can tell we're gonna be best friends."

"Well then you will be the luckiest organic alive," Knockout said, smiling for the first time in over an hour, "Breakdown doesn't give his spark away easily, and when he does it's for life. If you're good enough to be his friend, it's forever."

"Ah, Doc. You're making me shed lubricant," Breakdown joked.

Miko laughed at their brotherly antics, and while neither one was looking she took a photo of both of them laughing together. If these were evil alien invaders, then she was glad they were the ones taking over the world. They'd probably make better use of it than the human race had, in her cynical opinion. From the moment she saw Breakdown come alive, she felt an instant connection with him. Miko's ponderings were cut short however when she saw Breakdown grimace. Something was wrong with him.

/Breakdown! To the bridge, now!/ Megatron suddenly roared over Breakdown's comm link.

"Uh oh," Breakdown gulped, "Megatron wants to see me."

"I bet Bulkhead squealed," Knockout smirked.

Breakdown groaned in displeasure, and Miko realized that she often did that when she was in trouble too. Yep, he was definitely going to be her best friend. She just hoped Bulkhead and Knockout would learn to like her too.

"Come on, squishy," Breakdown drawled before abruptly picking her up off the ground, "We're gonna go see Megatron."

"You're taking me to your leader? Awesome!" Miko cheered, unaware of the danger she was in.

Breakdown went to the bridge holding the human teenager, and several Vehicons stopped to stare along the way at the sight. Most never thought they would see a human on board the ship, and they wondered if Breakdown was ransoming her or something. No way would Megatron allow this otherwise.

When they made it to the throne room Megatron was standing beside Bulkhead and Soundwave, and Breakdown could tell from the contrite look on Bulkhead's faceplate that he was in big trouble.

"Sorry, pal. Soundwave recorded us," Bulkhead explained repentantly.

"Breakdown, care to tell me why you and Bulkhead brought a human on board my ship?" Megatron inquired, an edge in his voice.

"Uhh...she asked us to?" Breakdown replied, smiling awkwardly even while he held up Miko for Megatron to inspect.

"Are you Megatron? Breakdown told me all about you. You're even cooler looking in person!" Miko exclaimed, "You're even shinier than Knockout! How many aliens have you killed? Can you strangle a henchman with your mind powers? Can you eat people? I am so happy to be working with you!"

"Working with me?" Megatron repeated.

"Uh...yeah," Miko replied, less confident than before, "I mean, I want to. I heard you're invading earth, and I just want you to know I'm in."

"Optimus Prime set this up, didn't he?" Megatron asked flatly.

"Who?" Miko asked.

"Never mind," Megatron growled, more irritated than outright hostile, "Why do you want to bring about the downfall of your species, exactly?"

"Because humans suck," Miko replied shamelessly, "We caused global warming, we've made several thousand species of animals extinct, and we invented homework! You guys will do a much better job running things."

"What's homework?" Breakdown asked.

"See? He gets it," Miko smiled.

Megatron, not knowing quite what to make of the situation, bored his blue optics into Breakdown's yellow ones. Breakdown would have sweated were mechs capable of such a thing, and he could tell that this was merely the calm before the storm. If he didn't explain himself quickly, Megatron would not only kill the human but maybe him as well.

"She's a spy!" Breakdown blurted, but then realized how bad that sounded.

"A spy?" Megatron asked.

"Uh, for us," Breakdown clarified, "A spy for us. We can send her to the Autobots, and she can scope out their weaknesses for us. You know Optimus Prime and his crew are soft sparks, and we know they have two new femmes on their team."

"Two?" Megatron asked in mock ignorance, "Ah, yes. I remember now. You two lunkheads and that preening scraplet we call a doctor allowed Airachnid to escape!"

Miko, realizing this was a dangerous situation, ducked down into Breakdown's fist in an effort to shield herself. Breakdown, not having such a hideaway, merely trembled before his master.

"We'll find her!" Bulkhead swore, "The human is all a part of our plan. She goes in, records the base and its location, and then we'll be able to rush in there and scrap every last one of them! They'll never expect a human, because the humans rely too much on the Autobots, so wouldn't try to betray them."

Megatron was about to reply, but Soundwave tapped him on the shoulder. Turning to his communications officer, Megatron saw what it was Soundwave was so eager to show them. It was a message...from Optimus Prime.

No one dared speak or even intake too loudly as Megatron read over the transcript of the communication. Even Soundwave, who felt slightly uncomfortable at his master literally reading his face, decided to remain stock still and silent. When Megatron was finished, he was wearing the grin of a shark that had cornered a seal.

"Your name is Nakadai Miko, is it not?" Megatron asked the human girl.

"How did you know!?" Miko gasped in shock, "Can you read my mind? Is this like an ET or Superman thing? Wait, can you invade my dreams? Stay out of my head, dude!"

"Silence!" Megatron boomed, and Miko immediately shut up, "I just received a message from Optimus Prime, and he is very concerned about you. Tell me...have you ever wanted your own country?"

"My own country?" Miko asked in confusion, "Like, I get to rule a country if you take over the world? Heck yeah!"

"Good, because you've been invited to the Autobot base, and I think you should go."

As Megatron said this he steepled his fingers, deep in contemplation. Optimus Prime believed the Decepticons had kidnapped Miko. If she could play her part correctly, then the Decepticon forces could catch the Autobots unawares. He never thought it would happen, but it looked like for once in their pathetic lives the Bash Brothers had actually come up with a good idea.