Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
In the morning outside of Gravesfield, Luz was sitting on Arcee next to a stop sign. She was also wearing a red biker helmet with yellow stars on her head.
"Tighten your grip, Luz." Arcee instructed.
"Woah!" Luz said in surprise as Arcee immediately began driving on the road with great speed. "What's gotten into you today, Arcee?"
"Thought you might actually enjoy the ride if you weren't getting shot at." Arcee joked.
"That does sound good." Luz replied before she smiled. "Okay, let's do it!"
Arcee then increased her driving speed and she and Luz drove straight down the roadway.
"So, do you think you could tell me about all the things you did in this Boiling Isles place?" Arcee asked in curiosity.
"Sure. I mean, I got into a lot of crazy things back there. Some of it, I'm not too proud of." Luz admitted sadly before she smiled at her Autobot guardian. "But, I'll tell you all about my great events in the Owl House to my insane situations at Hexside."
"I'm listening." Arcee replied.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Amity was riding in Cliffjumper as the red Autobot drove around the outskirts of Gravesfield. The pink-haired witch was explaining everything that had happened back at the Boiling Isles before arriving in Earth, while Ghost sat on the seat next to her.
"And she completely knew about Belos' plan to kill everyone, just because she thought it was 'best for the family'!" Amity explained, sounding quite frustrated. "But from now on, she's completely dead to me. The only ones I need for a family are my siblings and my dad."
"Sounds like a good idea to me, kid." Cliffjumper replied. "If I were you, I'd tell your dad to find yourself a new mom. One that isn't gonna treat you guys like scrap."
"That does sound like a good idea, Cliffjumper." Amity said. "I'll think about it."
Ghost meowed in agreement, meaning that she liked that idea as well.
"Good. You know, I'm glad you're totally different from that wicked witch." Cliffjumper told her.
"Yeah, well I have Luz to thank for that." Amity said with a smile, blushing a little bit. "At first, I was kind of a jerk to her and things only got troubling whenever we met. But, I eventually considered her my greatest friend and then she got to be my girlfriend."
"You two went from hating each other to liking each other, Huh? That sounds pretty nice." Cliffjumper commented. "It actually reminds me of the time I first met Arcee."
"Really? Do you think you could tell me about it?" Amity asked as Ghost climbed onto her lap, becoming interested by this new fact.
"Well, aren't you a big conversationalist?" Cliffjumper asked with a chuckle. "Okay, it all started when I picked up some Decepticon chatter about an operation happening on Cybertron…"
(Linebreak)
On a high rocky cliff, Willow was standing in front of Bulkhead as the Plant witch was holding her staff with Clover perched at the top.
"Okay, Bulkhead, all you need to do is just keep me from getting to the goal with this flag." Willow explained, pointing to a long vine with thorns while holding a green flag. "It's a basic Flyer Derby rule. Okay, here we…"
"Willow, I'm supposed to be protecting you. Not doing these weird witch sports." Bulkhead reminded.
"Bulkhead, I've done this a lot before I ended up getting stuck on Earth." Willow said reassuringly. "I won't get hurt, at all."
"Alright." Bulkhead replied with a defeated sigh.
Willow then got onto her staff and then swiftly flew on it towards the vine. Bulkhead stood in front of the vine and attempted to block the witch girl away from it, but Willow swiftly flew over the muscular Autobot before he could react and then attached the flag she was holding to one of the thorns.
"Yes! I won it!" Willow cheered in delight. "Better luck next time, Bulk!"
"Technically, you had that flying staff of yours. I can't fly at all." Bulkhead admitted.
"True." Willow agreed.
(Linebreak)
Gus, on the other hand, was sitting in the front seat of Wheeljack as the Illusionist witch boy was taking a bunch of informational notes from his new Autobot Guardian.
"So, the powerful being who made the Cybertronians in the first place was called Primus?" Gus asked, while Emmiline rested comfortably on his shoulder.
"Yeah. And the first Cybertronians he made were called the Thirteen Primes." Wheeljack answered.
"Just like Optimus' last name! Man, the history of Cybertron is so awesome!" Gus stated with a grin, writing everything down on his notepad. "I just can't believe that there's more types of beings out there other than humans, witches and demons!"
"I'm sure you're gonna get to learn about a bunch of things that don't come from this marble, kid." Wheeljack told him. "And I'm sure you and I are gonna be having a ton of fun with the Cons, too."
"If you'd ever give me and my friends the chance to show how amazing we are with out magic, that's a definite yes." Gus replied. "You just wait and see, Wheeljack."
"Actually, Gus, you can just call me Jackie." Wheeljack said.
"Okay. That's fine with me." Gus commented with a friendly smile.
(Linebreak)
With Hunter, Flapjack and Bumblebee, the three of them were currently resting next to the road for some interactive fun. Hunter and his Autobot Guardian were playing a first-person shooting game as the former Golden Guard managed with the controls pretty well. But then, the player who Bumblebee was using showed up behind Hunter's and gunned him down within seconds.
"What?! Oh, come on!" Hunter groaned in complaint, while Flapjack flew onto his shoulder and tweeted.
"Yes! I'm the winner!" Bumblebee remarked as he happily spun his steering wheel.
"You sure are, Bumblebee. Congrats." Hunter replied while smiling kindly.
"Thanks. You know, Hunter, I'm quite surprised that you're able to understand me without my old voice." Bumblebee said.
"The others were surprised by it, too." Hunter admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "But besides me studying a lot of different languages during my days as the Golden Guard, I'm just… different from them. I mean, I'm sometimes able to understand Flapjack. I guess it would make sense I can understand you, too."
Flapjack chirped in agreement, nuzzling against his owner's cheek.
"Yeah. We're all special in our own ways." Bumblebee said.
(Linebreak)
Finally, Vee and Jazz were resting on the side of the mountain before the young Basilisk breathed in and out calmly.
"Okay, I'm ready." Vee told her Autobot Guardian, standing up. "Are you sure you want to see the real me, Jazz?"
"I've seen plenty of crazy things during the war, kiddo." Jazz said reassuringly. "You've got nothing to worry about."
Vee nodded silently and then closed her eyes before shifting from her human form to her true Basilisk form.
"Well, this is my real form. The form of something that isn't supposed to exist." Vee said in a nervous tone. "You're really not creeped out by it?"
"Nah. I'm totally cool with how you look." Jazz replied while smiling. "Kid, sometimes you just have to stop thinking about what others are gonna think about you when you show your true colours. If they're really your friends, they'll definitely understand."
Vee was touched by her Autobot Guardian's words and she smiled kindly at him.
"Thanks, Jazz. I thought Luz, her mom and her friends were the only people I could feel comfortable around. But now, I've got you and the Autobots as well." She said.
"You know it, Vee. And we'll always be around for ya." Jazz told her before the two of them shared a small high-five.
(Linebreak)
While all the kids were having some fun with the Autobots, Ratchet was still examining the purple liquid through his microscope.
"Thank goodness for peace and quiet." Ratchet said to himself. "Houseguests can be such a bother."
But then, Ratchet heard some noises in the base and he looked around to see if anyone else was in the base, but saw nothing at all before looking back into his microscope. This was cut short when the Autobot medic began to hear the sounds of something crawling.
"Optimus?" Ratchet asked, only to gasp in shock from seeing what was really approaching him. "By the Allspark!"
The undead spider drone screeched and leaped straight at Ratchet, but he quickly moved out of the way and the drone ended up landing on the panel. The drone tried attacking again, but Ratchet blocked it off and it attached itself to the railing above. Ratchet then grabbed a metal pipe and started swiping at the undead drone with it. The drone avoided all of his swipes before crawling over to the microscope and slicing in in half with one of it's legs.
"I needed that!" Ratchet yelled.
But then, the undead drone leaped at him and caused him to drop his pipe. Seeing Ratchet now backed up into a corner, the drone jumped at him with the intent to kill, only for it to suddenly got blasted away. Ratchet saw the blast came from Optimus, who arrived at a good time. The drone, however, was still operating and attempted to attack them both before Optimus quickly crushed it with his foot.
"And stay broken. Now what could have caused that?" Ratchet questioned.
"I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet." Optimus answered. "Dark Energon."
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Megatron had stopped glowing purple from the Dark Energon that he injected into himself and breathed calmly, while Starscream cautiously approached him with a nervous chuckle.
"Lord Megatron?" He asked.
"It's as if the Blood of Unicron the Destroyer flows through my veins." Megatron said, looking deep into the Dark Energon pile. "As if I hear his very thoughts. I now know what I must do."
The Decepticon leader then pulled out another Dark Energon shard with the intention to do something really bad with it.
"And what can I do to assist you, master?" Starscream asked.
"Quit grovelling. And await my command." Megatron said firmly before leaving the room.
Once he was outside the Nemesis, Megatron transformed into his Cybertronian Jet form and flew off to somewhere else on Earth, while Starscream watched him from the main deck.
"So, what happened in that dark room with you and Lord Megatron, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked as he, Skywarp, Soundwave and Brawl approached him.
"Well, I fear that when our master reached for the unknown space, he came down with a touch of space madness." Starscream explained. "Lord Megatron has not been of sound judgement since his return."
"You're not wrong. All this talk about raising Cybertron's dead to destroy the Autobots hasn't really been making me comfortable, lately." Skywarp admitted.
"If that's the case, what should we do while he's away?" Brawl asked while crossing his arms.
"I suggest we work hard to find out where the Autobots are hiding on this miserable planet." Starscream suggested with a smirk. "Soundwave, increase global surveillance."
However, Soundwave began playing a recording from earlier.
"Quit grovelling. And await my command." Megatron's voice repeated.
"I am not deaf!" Starscream retorted. "But, if Optimus Prime lives, I believe it is in Lord Megatron's best interest that we ensure his enemy's destruction."
"This isn't going to end well for him." Thundercracker muttered to Skywarp.
"That's for sure." Skywarp agreed.
(Linebreak)
Back in the Autobot base, Optimus and Ratchet had placed the remains of the undead spider drone into a glass container to dispose of it.
"If the residue Arcee found on that Autobot brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought that soldier back from the dead." Optimus theorised.
"Hmm, that would account for detecting the Autobot's life signal so recently. But Dark Energon?" Ratchet asked, finding it hard to believe. "It's so scarce so is to be virtually nonexistent. What would it be doing on this planet?"
"It was transported by Megatron." Optimus answered.
"For what purpose?" Ratchet questioned.
"To conquer this world by raising an army of the undead." Optimus said.
Ratchet was silent for a little bit before he let out a chuckle.
"Well, Megatron will have to bring quite a few toaster ovens." He commented. "I mean, where on this world would Megatron find that many Cybertronian dead?"
Before Optimus could answer, he and Ratchet heard some engine noises from the main entrance and they saw the rest of Team Prime driving into the room. Luz, her friends and their four Palisman got out from their seats and were pretty happy from their experience with their new Guardians, while the Autobots transformed back into their robot forms.
"Okay, that was pretty great!" Luz stated with a smile.
"I had a great time!" Gus remarked.
"Can we do it again, one day?" Amity asked.
"I'd like to!" Vee added.
Just then, Bulkhead started hearing buzzing noises from inside himself and he opened up his chest armor to see Clover flying out of it.
"Sorry, Clover." Willow apologised with a sheepish smile as her Palisman flew down to her. "I forget that I left you in the back seat."
"Autobots, prepare to…" Optimus said before looking down at the children and their Palisman, knowing that they'll need to be watched over while he's away.
"Roll out?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Remain here." Optimus answered as he turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, you'll come with me. Jazz, we'll be out of communications range for quite some time. So I'm putting you in charge."
"Wait, Jazz gets to be in charge while Optimus is gone?" Luz asked with a raised eyebrow.
""He's one of the more higher ranking lieutenants in this team. Even higher than me." Arcee explained.
"But you're the biggest Bot, Bulk. You should be in charge." Willow told her Autobot Guardian.
"Uhh, he never picks me." Bulkhead replied.
"Optimus, look, I know there's a whole new responsibility with taking care of these six and I totally get it. I like these kids." Jazz said, gesturing down to the children. "But, I'm not exactly sure I can handle managing the base and babysitting the kiddos while you're away for a while."
"Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war." Arcee admitted.
"My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is sharp as ever." Ratchet retorted defensively.
"For the moment, it's only reconnaissance." Optimus said.
"Still, I don't feel like I'm equipped to handle this kind of thing, Prime." Jazz admitted as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"I understand, Jazz. But much has changed in the last twenty-four hours, and we all need to adapt." Optimus replied. "Ratchet, bridge us out."
Ratchet then activated the Ground Bridge and he and Optimus walked into it before disappearing.
"Well… they're gone." Hunter said after a few seconds of silence.
"So, what's on the activity list, chief?" Cliffjumper asked with a jokingly smile.
"Very funny, Cliff." Jazz replied. "I think I'll just go on patrol. You know, to clear my head for all this."
"You'll be back, right?" Vee asked.
"I always come back." Jazz reassured as he began to leave. "Anyone wanna tag along for the ride?"
"I'll come. I could still burn out my tires a little more." Arcee said, feeling a bit unsure herself with looking after Luz.
"But, Optimus told us to stay here." Wheeljack reminded.
"When you're in charge, you get to call the shots." Jazz replied. "Besides, we'll get back in a few minutes."
"Bee, Cliff, you're with us." Arcee said.
Bumblebee looked down to Hunter and Flapjack before begrudgingly following his comrades.
"Alright." He said depressingly.
"Whatever you say, Cee." Cliffjumper added. "I guess we'll see you guys, later."
"Of course." Amity replied.
"Bulkhead, Wheeljack, you guys are in charge until we get back." Jazz told his comrades.
He, Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper then transformed and drove away through the main entrance, leaving Bulkhead and Wheeljack alone with the children.
"Well, looks like you're the ones in charge now." Gus admitted with a smile, while the Palisman decided to chase each other around the base.
"I guess." Wheeljack replied.
"So, uh, what's on the activities list?" Bulkhead asked.
"Maybe we could show you some magic tricks?" Willow suggested, creating a green magic circle.
"Are we even sure it's safe to use magic in here?" Luz questioned.
"We don't know. Cybertron never had any kind of magic." Wheeljack answered with a shrug. "We've only got tech and science."
"Jackie has a good point." Gus said in agreement. "Robots and magic aren't usually two things that go together."
"Tell that to my dad." Amity replied.
"Hey, Luz, are you able to do any kind of magic?" Bulkhead asked curiously.
"Well, I am able to use these special drawing cards called Glyphs. They work in different ways like crystals, light, ice, fire or plants." Luz explained. "But, I'm not exactly sure they're able to work in the human world."
"You're not gonna know unless you give it a try, kid." Wheeljack said. "Just give it a shot and maybe these Glyphs of yours will work."
Luz put some thought into this as she began rubbing her left arm.
"Probably." She muttered, until the alarm went off and green lights started flashing like with yesterday.
"Oh no, that's not good." Wheeljack said in worridness.
"The loud noise isn't good?" Amity asked rhetorically.
"Nothing's ever good when it involves you Bots." Hunter said. "No offence."
"It's the proximity sensor. Quick, hide!" Bulkhead instructed urgently.
The Hexside kids didn't need to be told twice and they quickly hid behind Bulkhead and Wheeljack's legs, while Flapjack, Ghost, Clover and Emmiline ignored the alarms and kept on roaming around the base. The elevator's doors opened up and Agent Fowler emerged from it, but he didn't look happy.
"Prime!" Fowler called out.
"Agent Fowler. He's not here." Bulkhead told him. "No one's here."
"Except for us, of course." Wheeljack said with a nervous chuckle.
"Well, where did he go?" Fowler questioned, while Luz and her friends tried to get their Palisman to come over to them without the federal agent noticing by quietly gesturing to them. "Wait, don't tell me. He's out pancaking a mini mall. Now I don't know what language you Bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons. And blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska us not what the word 'handle' means. So, you two tell Prime…"
But unfortunately, Fowler looked over the metal fence and noticed Flapjack, Ghost, Clover and Emmiline, who stopped in front of Bulkhead and Wheeljack and looked at him with tilted heads.
"Since when do you Bots have pets?" Fowler asked confusingly. "And why's that bee bigger than a usual one?"
Knowing that the jig was now up, Luz and her friends looked to each other and sighed in defeat before Gus used an Illusion spell on his and the other witches ears to make them look more human-like. They then stepped out from behind the two present Autobots and revealed themselves to Fowler.
"Uh, hola." Luz greeted, smiling nervously.
"Contact with civilians!" Fowler said in frustration. "Team Prime has really gone off the book, this time. Wait, don't tell me. You're running a daycare center."
"It's not exactly that." Gus said while rubbing the back of his head.
"We're… interns." Willow admitted.
"Student interns." Hunter added with a sheepish smile.
"Earning extra credit in auto-shop and robotics." Vee said.
Fowler wasn't amused by their claims and rolled his eyes.
"Okay. Let's move. I'm taking all six of you into federal custody." He said, walking down the stairs and approaching the children. "It's for your own protection."
But then, Bulkhead and Wheeljack stomped their feet between Fowler and the kids.
"We're protecting them, tiny." Wheeljack said with a glare. "Prime's orders."
"Is that so?" Fowler questioned before walking to a nearby phone box. "Well, maybe you could explain that to my superiors at the Pentagon."
But before he could make a call or before Bulkhead and Wheeljack could intervene, the phone box was suddenly yanked out from the ground by a slimy hand. Fowler looked in shock when he saw an Abomination pulling away the phone box and then crunching it up into a ball of metal with ease.
"What in the name of Abraham Lincoln?!" Fowler exclaimed before looking behind, seeing Amity with a purple magic circle on her right hand.
"Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid that phone is out of order." Amity said with a firm frown.
Fowler looked back and forth at Amity and her Abomination for a bit before keeping his attention focused on the pink-haired witch.
"Did you… how in the…?" Fowler asked, lost in his words due to the amount of confusion and shock he was feeling.
"Yeah, I'm the one doing that." Amity answered. "Since you now know about us, I guess we should obviously tell you the truth about our origins."
"Me, Amity, Gus and Hunter are witches from another realm and we live on a place called the Boiling Isles." Willow explained.
"Is this some kind of a joke?" Fowler asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No joke, sir. We're able to use three different kinds of magic." Gus answered. "For instance, I can make illusions like this one."
The Illusionist witch boy made a magic circle and an illusion of an adult tiger suddenly appeared next to Fowler from a puff of light-blue smoke. Fowler jumped in fright from seeing the tiger as it roared at him before vanishing when Gus ended his magic.
"Basically, I can make things that look totally real appear out of thin air." Gus said. "Or, I can just make people look invisible."
"As for me, I'm able to summon huge vines from the ground or even predatory plants." Willow added, making a green magic circle with her finger. "Here's an example."
There was a small crack in the ground and then a huge carnivorous flower with pink petals shot out from the ground and snarled down at Fowler, who was frozen in astonishment before the flower lowered itself back into the ground due to Willow's command.
"Yeah. I'm pretty much a master at Plant Magic." Willow said with a proud smile.
"And as you've already seen, I'm able to summon and control sentient mud creatures that we like to call Abominations. We can even shift them into weapons for self-defence if we want to." Amity explained.
The Abomination she was controlling walked up to Fowler and moaned lightly before patting him on the head, leaving a bunch of purple muck on him as it walked back into Amity's small pot.
"Ugh." Fowler groaned in a grossed-out tone, wiping the muck off his head.
"I can't really do any of the magic they use. Or any other kind of magic." Hunter admitted. "But, I've still got a unique skill of my own."
"And just to add the cherry ontop, I'm not a human either." Vee said with her arms crossed. "I'm a shapeshifting creature that's meant to be extinct called a Basilisk. If you don't believe, than watch this."
She spread out her arms and then revealed her true Basilisk form to Fowler.
"Yeah, this is the real me." Vee said. "And this time, I'm not scared about showing it."
"But you don't have to worry about me. I'm just an ordinary human." Luz said assuringly. "Although, I am able to use magic with these special glyphs I draw on paper notes."
"Anyway, that's basically everything you need to know about us, our nature and where we come from." Willow finished as she and her friends stood by each other.
After he heard all of this info, Fowler could only stare at the children with his jaw slightly down and his eyes wide open in shock. He couldn't believe that alien robots weren't just real, but also magic and witches. He looked up at Bulkhead and Wheeljack with a raised eyebrow after a few more seconds, causing the two Autobots to simply shrug at him.
"I'm gonna need to see a therapist, later." Fowler muttered while rubbing his fingers against his forehead.
"I know, it's really hard to believe." Luz replied. "But we don't need federal custody or even Autobot protection. We can handle ourselves."
"Luz is right. We've been faced with a lot of dangerous stuff before." Amity said in agreement. "Heck, all of us survived giant monsters and even a crazy dictator who planned on killing everyone in our realm."
"Exactly. We're all tough in our own ways and can easily protect ourselves from anything." Hunter added. "Wether it's a Decepticon or something entirely different."
"And we'd prove it if some Bots gave us a chance." Gus said while giving an annoyed look to Bulkhead and Wheeljack.
Fowler was silent for a moment as he thought about this for a moment. His agency code meant that he had to take the kids in due to them knowing about the Autobots, but the Hexside squad seemed capable enough of defending themselves with their magic abilities.
"Well… you kids do seem like you can handle yourselves against something that wants to put you in the dirt. But, I still need to talk about this to my boys at the Pentagon." Fowler told them before walking back up the stairs. "Just stay here until I get back with the results. And try not to cause anything extreme while I'm gone, this time."
He then got back into the elevator and pressed on the button, closing the doors to take him back up to the rooftop. Bulkhead and Wheeljack sighed in complete relief before turning their attention to the kids.
"You six handled that pretty well." Bulkhead complemented.
"I guess you could say that." Willow replied with a smile.
"Things could've gone worse if we didn't do anything." Vee chuckled, shifting back to her human form.
"Yeah, Bulk probably would've done something dumb to make Fowler even more mad." Wheeljack said while smirking at the dark-green Autobot.
"Hey, I'm not that dumb!" Bulkhead protested defensively, earning a few snickers from Luz and her friends.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Optimus and Ratchet were walking through a deserted canyon with dark clouds soaring above them in the sky.
"Optimus, what do we hope to find here?" Ratchet asked.
"The sight of the largest Cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy." Optimus answered.
"On Earth?" Ratchet questioned in disbelief. "You must be joking."
"Do you recall the period late in the war, when both sides began hiding their Energon spoils off world?" Optimus asked.
"Of course. It's the reason Energon deposits exist on planets such as this one." Ratchet replied.
"It is also the reason battles came to be waged on planets such as this one. And I fear Megatron's memory is as long as history." Optimus told him.
(Linebreak)
Back at the Autobot base, Agent Fowler arrived on the rooftop and he got into his helicopter before activating the rotors and flying off.
"Sir, Agent Fowler. We have a bit of a situation. I'm en-route from the Autobot base. I'll brief you in person." Fowler informed on the communicator before turning it off and sighing to himself. "Never thought magic would be a real thing. And those kids didn't even need to say hocus pocus to make it happen."
(Linebreak)
But what he didn't know was that Soundwave had intercepted his transmission on the Nemesis and was playing it to the other Decepticons.
"Autobot base, eh?" Thundercracker asked with a smirk. "It looks like we have a perfect opportunity, here."
"Nice job with your communication skills as always, Soundwave." Skywarp told the tactical Con, who said nothing in response.
"Humans, always the weak link." Starscream snickered. "Fetch me this Fowler, so that he may brief us instead."
A piece of Soundwave's chest then shifted off him and it transformed into his bird-like Mini-Con companion, Laserbeak, before flying off.
(Linebreak)
Back with Fowler, he was still flying his helicopter through the badlands' mountain area before he noticed the scanners started beeping and showing a red icon.
"Hey, big bird, I'm flying here." Fowler said before Laserbeak suddenly appeared in front of him. "What in Uncle Sam's beard?"
Laserbeak tried to ram into the chopper, but Fowler quickly made it fly to the side and avoided the incoming Mini-Con.
"First the freeways aren't safe, now air travel?!" Fowler asked in complaint.
Laserbeak flew behind Fowler's chopper and he knocked it from the side, causing it to temporarily tilt out of control before regaining focus. Fowler saw he was coming to a dead end and piloted the plane upwards with all his might, just managing to make it to the top as Laserbeak flew up after him. Fowler then got an idea and smirked before making the chopper slow down and getting behind Laserbeak. Now it was Fowler doing the chasing and Laserbeak being tailed.
"You wanna dance, Con?" Fowler asked rhetorically. "I'll lead."
The chopper's machine gun opened fire at Laserbeak and managed to land a few successful hits on the Mini-Con. But when the machine gun ran out of bullets to fire, Laserbeak flew over the chopper and then sliced off the tail with his right wing, causing Fowler to lose control as his ride twirled out of control.
"There's never an Autobot around when you actually need one!" Fowler stated, slightly panicking on the inside.
Laserbeak took this opportunity to fly up to the out-of-control chopper and retracted a pair of metallic claws. He then used them to crash the windows open and grabbed Fowler, but the special agent managed to press an SOS button just before he was pulled out. Fowler could only struggle and watch his helicopter explode once it reached the ground before being dragged off by Laserbeak.
(Linebreak)
Inside the Autobot base, the alarms were once again going off and this caused the children and their Palisman to cover their ears.
"My ears!" Willow complained. "I hate that noise!"
"What's going on, now?" Vee asked as Bulkhead and Wheeljack approached the main computer.
"It's an SOS. From Fowler." Bulkhead replied.
He tried working the consoles correctly, but he wasn't good at this like Ratchet and only managed to turn off the alarm.
"Did you trace it?" Hunter questioned.
"No good. The location scan was incomplete." Wheeljack answered.
"Oh well." Bulkhead shrugged as he turned away.
"Oh well? Seriously?" Amity asked in disbelief.
"Fowler's a jerk." Bulkhead protested.
"Wow! Wether you like him or not, the Decepticons might have him!" Luz stated.
"And Agent Fowler knows your location." Gus added before gaining a worried expression. "Our location."
"And did you see the way he backed off when we displayed our magic skills to him?" Willow reminded. "The Cons could make him snap in just a few seconds."
"I hate to say it, Bulk, but the kids have a point." Wheeljack admitted, sighing in defeat.
"But we lost the transmission! Fowler could be anywhere!" Bulkhead stated.
"Maybe I can figure out where he was taken." Vee said as she got out her laptop and rested it on the floor, typing some coordinates into it. "According to the human government lessons I learned at camp, the most important humans put microchips into agents. It's like what normal humans do with pets."
"You seriously learned about that at a camp?" Amity asked, raising an eyebrow at the young Basilisk.
"Well yeah, they told me about a lot of things there." Vee replied before turning back to her laptop. "Anyway, if I can hack into the feds' mainframe, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates."
"You know how to hack, too?" Gus questioned. "Man, Mrs Noceda really did teach you a lot."
"She sure did." Vee said in agreement.
(Linebreak)
Fowler soon found himself inside the Nemesis and was shoved into a room by a Vehicon trooper. The special agent looked up to his left and saw Thundercracker, Skywarp and Brawl leering down at him.
"Looks like we've caught a little vermin, today." Skywarp said with an evil smirk.
"And I doubt any kind of screaming is going to help you, little one." Thundercracker chuckled.
"Who said I was screaming?" Fowler questioned rhetorically before Brawl picked him up by his shirt.
"So this is a human? It's even more puny and weak-looking than I thought." Brawl mocked.
"Why don't you try taking it up with my boys at the White House, metal head." Fowler replied with a glare.
"Ugh! It's talking to me!" Brawl said in disgust. "I'm going to rip it's tiny mouth off and then twist it's fleshy legs!"
"You can do that later, Brawl. We need him alive, right now." Skywarp reminded firmly.
"Fine!" Brawl replied before dropping Fowler back on floor.
"Please excuse Brawl for his attitude, human. He has a bit of a temper." Thundercracker said, narrowing his eyes at the muscular Decepticon. "And I'm afraid spending centuries on this warship after our exodus from Cybertron hasn't done him any favours."
"Noted." Fowler replied. "So, care to explain why you dragged me all the way here?"
"That's for the Con in charge to explain." Skywarp told him before he and the other two stepped back.
Fowler then looked in front of him and Starscream with his back turned against him.
"Welcome, Agent Fowler." Starscream said, turning around to face the special agent.
"You treat all your guests this nice?" Fowler asked, sitting back up and wiping off some dust.
"Hehehe. Any friend of the Autobots." Starscream replied while chuckling.
"Autobot. That one of them coin-operated, wash-my-own-car places?" Fowler questioned with a smile, making Starscream slightly annoyed.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be, hmm? Apparently, no one has told you I have no appreciation for human humour." Starscream said before turning to his allies. "Make our guest comfortable."
"With pleasure." Brawl said maliciously as he approached Fowler.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Vee had finally managed to pinpoint Fowler's location.
"Latitude 39.5, Longitude -116.9." Vee informed.
"Got it. Thanks for the help, kid." Wheeljack replied before he activated the Ground Bridge.
"Okay, wait here." Bulkhead said as they both walked up to the Bridge.
"What? Can't we come, this time?" Gus asked, slightly annoyed and disappointed. "You've gotta say yes for me, Jackie!"
"We keep telling you that we can defend ourselves! Just give us a chance!" Willow stated.
"Sorry, but we could be walking into a whole army of Cons." Wheeljack replied. "We can't take that risk."
"Luz, you're in charge until we get back." Bulkhead told the Hispanic girl.
He and Wheeljack then charged into the Ground Bridge before it shut down.
"Great. They still don't trust us to take care of ourselves." Amity muttered, while Ghost nuzzled against her legs.
"It's basic stuff, Amity. We're a lot more smaller than they are." Luz replied.
"Luz has a point. I mean, they have more deadlier weapons than anything the Emperor's Coven had." Hunter commented while rubbing the back of his head.
"We must seem like puny little bugs to them." Willow added in annoyance.
"True. But I don't think we should let that get to us." Vee replied. "For now, let's just think of something to do until they get back."
"If you say so." Amity said before her eyes widened when she noticed someone was missing from the group. "Hold on, where's Gus?"
(Linebreak)
Bulkhead and Wheeljack leaped out of the Ground Bridge and found themselves in the middle of a stony canyon.
"Fowler?" Bulkhead asked while looking around, only for him and Wheeljack to see something much worse. "Uh oh."
"The whole Decepticon shebang." Wheeljack muttered as both Autobots hid behind a large rock.
The Nemesis was indeed parked in front of them, with a few Vehicons patrolling the area.
"Okay, what's the plan?" A voice asked as Bulkhead and Wheeljack turned to see a familiar witch boy and his Palisman hiding behind another rock.
"Gus!" Wheeljack exclaimed quietly, gesturing to his human friend to stay quiet.
Unfortunately, Gus and Emmiline were immediately spotted by a Vehicon and he aimed his blaster at them, causing them both to pale in fear.
"Oh, Titan." Gus muttered, while Emmiline covered her eyes.
"Gus, get down!" Wheeljack ordered.
Gus yelped and immediately ran out of the way, avoiding an incoming blast from the Vehicon. Before he could get another shot, Bulkhead lunged at the Vehicon and punched him right in the face repeatedly. The Vehicon was able to get him off with a slash from his sharp fingers, but then Wheeljack jumped in front of him and delivered a swift jab to his foe. Bulkhead and Wheeljack kept tussling with the Vehicon until the dark-green Autobot managed to pin him to the ground, while Gus approached him with Emmiline on his shoulder.
"Hold him still, Bulkhead! I'm gonna drop a hammer on him!" Gus stated as he began to make a magic circle, only for Wheeljack to grab him and place him aside.
"Not on my watch, you don't!" Wheeljack told him.
"Seriously, Jackie?!" Gus asked in complaint as Bulkhead and the Vehicon got up and struggled against each other.
"Gus, look away!" Bulkhead ordered.
"But-." Gus began to protest.
"Turn your head away!" Bulkhead repeated before thrusting his hand straight into the Vehicon's chest.
He then pulled out a bunch of mechanical wires and caused sparks to shoot out from the Vehicon. Gus could only stare at the seemingly gruesome scene in front of him in complete awe as the Vehicon immediately dropped dead.
"Bulk, that was cold. Even for you." Wheeljack commented.
"I can't tell if I'm amazed or traumatised." Gus said in a casual tone, while Emmiline simply made some reptile-like noises.
(Linebreak)
"Jazz, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, do you read?" Bulkhead asked on the com-link as the four other Autobots were still driving along the road.
"Loud and clear, Bulkhead." Jazz replied.
"Do you and Jackie have a problem?" Cliffjumper asked.
"More like a big situation." Wheeljack answered nervously.
"Seriously, you two? Those six are just kids, they can't cause that much trouble." Jazz reassured.
"Jazz is right. Sure, most of them have magic abilities and come from an entirely different world, but they're fine. Just handle it." Arcee added, until the other two Bots explained everything and caused them to immediately halt their driving. "You're where?! He's where?!"
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Luz and the others were on the railing and looking at the Ground Bridge.
"I can't believe Gus snuck away from us!" Willow exclaimed. "I am so giving him an earful!"
"Never mind that, Willow. What should we do?" Vee asked in concern. "Bulkhead and Wheeljack might not even know that he followed them."
"Gus hasn't seen the Decepticons in action like we have." Luz said, referring to herself, Amity and Hunter. "He could get really hurt. I wish I'd kept a closer eye on him."
"Don't blame yourself, Luz. We just need to figure out how to get him back here." Amity replied, placing a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Here's the coordinates. Their destination is still locked in." Hunter said as he and Flapjack typed on the nearby computer.
"Okay, Amity and I will go after them." Luz told her friends. "One of you can be in charge until the other Autobots get back."
"No way! We're not gonna let you two go alone when Gus is in trouble!" Willow stated as Clover shifted into her staff form. "We're all in this, together!"
"Not to mention this is our chance to prove ourselves to the Bots!" Hunter added, while Flapjack did the exact same thing.
"But, guys-." Luz said, not wanting to get all of her friends in danger.
"They're right, Luz. We all need to go." Amity said in agreement as Ghost formed into her staff form and she caught her. "Just trust us."
"…fine." Luz said with a sigh. "Let's go."
The others nodded before Vee remotely activated the Ground Bridge using the computer. All five of them then got off the rail and went straight into the Bridge, while Arcee began contacting the base's communicator.
"Arcee to base, come in." Arcee said, only to get no response. "Luz? Amity? Listen up, we need you to bridge us back. Hello?"
(Linebreak)
"I don't think Gus is the only child missing from the base, anymore." Bumblebee told the others when they did not receive an answer.
"Guess we're just gonna have to Bridge there ourselves." Jazz admitted. "Cee, Bee, Cliff, pedal to the metal."
"Right." Arcee replied.
"You got it, Jazz." Cliffjumper added before all four of them drove off to get back at the base.
(Linebreak)
Inside the Nemesis' interrogation room, Fowler was hanging by a couple of chains as Thundercracker, Skywarp and Brawl watched over him.
"Sorry if it's not comfortable enough. We don't exactly have any suitable prisons for creatures like you." Skywarp snickered, while Starscream approached Fowler from behind.
"Agent Fowler, I have one simple request that will save your family the pain of grieving." Starscream said before placing one of his claws under Fowler's neck. "Tell me the location of the Autobot base."
"No problem. But I need to ask you something, first." Fowler replied.
"Yes?" Starscream asked, leaning in to hear better. "I'm listening."
"I've got an issue with the customer service around here." Fowler told him with a jokingly smile. "Can I speak to the manager?"
This made Starscream very mad as he began growling in fury.
"I make the decisions, here! I am in charge!" He yelled in Fowler's face.
"Only when Megatron isn't here." Thundercracker muttered with a smirk.
"I heard that, Thundercracker! Do not mention him while he's busy messing with his rock collection!" Starscream ordered sternly, causing the blue Seeker to only roll his eyes in response.
"Start talking, puny human!" Brawl shouted as he marched up to Fowler and grabbed him by the torso, putting pressure on his hold. "Or I'll crush every bone in your weak little body!"
Fowler began winding in pain from Brawl's tight grip, but then Starscream grabbed the brutish Decepticon by the arm.
"Brawl, restrain yourself!" Starscream demanded. "We need that vermin alive to tell us where the Autobots are!"
Brawl looked at Starscream for a moment before grunting and letting Fowler go.
"You never let me have any fun." Brawl grumbled, shoving Starscream away aggressively and then walking out the room.
"We'll make sure he doesn't cause another temper tantrum." Skywarp said.
He and Thundercracker then left the interrogation room, leaving Starscream alone with Fowler.
"Two words for that jolly Con. Anger management." Fowler said.
"Shut up!" Starscream yelled before turning to a nearby Vehicon. "Bring the prod."
(Linebreak)
Outside the Nemesis, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Gus were taking shelter behind a large rock as they waited for backup to arrive.
"What's taking Arcee and the others?" Bulkhead asked.
"Guys, the Cons could be causing a lot of pain on Fowler. We should just get onto that ship while we have the chance." Gus told both Autobots.
"Not when we're totally outnumbered, Gus." Wheeljack replied.
Just then, the three of them noticed a Ground Bridge appearing near them.
"Ah, they're here." Bulkhead said in relief.
However, the ones who came out of the Ground Bridge were Luz, Amity, Willow, Hunter and Vee.
"Really? They couldn't have waited for their Autobot partners to show up for some tag-teaming?" Gus questioned rhetorically, while Bulkhead and Wheeljack sighed in annoyance.
"Wow, I feel so weird." Amity admitted, shaking her head a bit.
"I didn't know Ground Bridges could do this to living people." Willow said as she sounded a bit dizzy.
"We should keep that in mind next time." Luz replied.
"So, did we make it to the coordinates?" Hunter questioned.
"I think we did." Vee answered in nervousness while pointing in font of them.
When they saw the Nemesis in front of them, a few Vehicons showed up and aimed their blasters at the five children.
"You there! Halt!" A Vehicon ordered, causing Luz and the others to get quite nervous.
"Scrap." Gus, Bulkhead and Wheeljack said.
(Linebreak)
Back in for interrogation room, Starscream approached Fowler with a hateful glare.
"I ask nicely, one last time. The Autobot base!" Starscream demanded, stopping right in front of the special agent.
"Sure thing, buddy. Right after you eat my star-spangled shorts." Fowler retorted.
But then, Starscream brought out a taser-like tool that emitted purple electricity and then used it to zap Fowler, causing him to yell out in pain.
"As I imagined. Energon and human nervous systems don't mix." Starscream said with a sinister smirk.
(Linebreak)
While all of this was going on, Optimus and Ratchet continued to venture down the darkened canyon before they saw the metallic bones of a bunch of deceased Cybertronians ahead of them.
"For the first time in my life, Optimus, I had hoped that you were wrong." Ratchet said.
But then, they began hearing some jet noises and they looked up in the sky to see none other than Megatron flying over them. The Decepticon leader then transformed and landed onto a large cliff, staring down at his old foe and the Autobot medic with his optics glowing purple.
"Optimus. Been well?" Megatron asked with a smirk. "I see you brought your trusty watchdog. I was certain he'd be convalescing in a scrapyard, by now."
"Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?" Ratchet suggested with a provoked glare, punching his fist into his hand.
"I know why you're here, Megatron." Optimus told his old enemy.
"Hardly a surprise, Optimus. After all, you and I have been at this for a long time." Megatron replied. "And your time has come to an end."
He then pulled out the Dark Energon shard he took earlier as it shined brightly in the air before the Decepticon leader tossed it straight into the Cybertronian burial ground. It's dark energy began spreading across the entire ground as Megatron's body began to colour in a bright purple.
"Rise, my army!" Megatron called out before all of the Cybertronian bodies came to life and started emerging from the ground.
"By the Allspark!" Ratchet gasped in utter astonishment, while Optimus reminded silent in shock.
Within mere seconds, Optimus and Ratchet saw every single Cybertronian body become reanimated by the Dark Energon's power and all of the Terrorcons groaned and snarled viciously, with some of them carrying a sword.
"BEHOLD…. THE POWER OF DARK ENERGON!" Megatron yelled in triumph as the Terrorcons began closing in on their prey with the intent to kill.
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