Chapter 4: More Than Meets The Eye

Russell looked through special pier binoculars at the amusement park in Crown City. "My old friends. Fun, excitement. So close, and yet so far." He said sadly, missing his old city life. "You know what I did for fun when I was the only conscious bot on the prison ship? Nothing and lots of it." Fixit said, trying to cheer Russell up. But Russell sighed as he climbed down from his viewing platform. "That really didn't help, did it?" Fixit asked. "No, it didn't, Fixit." Raf said as he and Teresa walked up. "Russell, we know that you miss your old city life. My siblings and I used to live in the city too. Sometimes, we miss our old lives too. But after we met Raf, Jack and Miko, we made the best of it and made new memories." Teresa said. "Teresa's right, Russell. If I hadn't met Jack, Miko and the Autobots, I would've just been miserable." Raf said.

Russell looked like he was cheering up, but he wasn't. "We know a cure for boredom." Denny said as he and Katie walked up. "Yes. There's a football field just down the road where the neighborhood kids play. Denny and I watched several games there." Katie said. "So, why don't you check it out?" Denny asked. "Sorry, Dad. No helmet." Russell said. Denny and Katie started to think until they thought of something. They got a helmet from inside the diner and put it on Russell's head. "This thing's a hundred years old!" Russell exclaimed. "I know, right? It belonged to Bronco Kowalski. The Poughkeepsie Piledriver." Denny said. "We used to watch his old game videos when we were young." Katie said. Fixit smelled the helmet. "Wow. It has a…very interesting odor." He said before leaving. "You are gonna rule the turf." Denny said. "Rule it or eat it." Russell said with doubt. "Don't talk like that, Russell. You're gonna be the best." Katie assured. "Yeah. Plus, Raf and I will be with you." Teresa said. "Gee, thanks. Always happy to have friends." Russell said.

Meanwhile, at a local golf course, a man was examining the grass by tasting it. "Nitrate levels perfect. A masterpiece. No, no, no. A grass-terpiece." He said. Suddenly, as he drove away in his golf cart, a red-orange Cybertronian car leapt out of the water and transformed into a lobster-like Decepticon named Bisk. "Yes! 3 bodies of water crossed in 12 nanocycles. This planet's no match for-" He started to say, sounding like a gaming geek. But he was interrupted as Team Bee showed up, transformed and charged towards him. Jack and Miko came along and hid in the bushes. But then, Bisk fired an unexpected energy blast from his mouth at Grimlock, sending him flying on top of Sideswipe. "Sideswipe!" Mirage cried. As Grimlock rolled over, Sideswipe was pretty much flattened. "You okay, bro?" Mirage asked. Sideswipe just groaned.

"Whoo-hoo! 4 more Autobot takedowns and I will own the record!" Bisk cheered. But then Bumblebee, Arcee, Strongarm and Gears aimed their blasters at him. "Hate to ruin your day, Bisk, but that one you just threw was actually a Dinobot." Bumblebee said. "Fine. I can still tie the record." Bisk said. He fired his energy blast at Bumblebee and Arcee, knocking them down. Strongarm and Gears started shooting, but Bisk had tough armor. Bisk turned and hit the cadets with his energy blast, knocking them down. After Sideswipe recovered, he and Mirage charged towards Bisk. But they stopped as Bisk turned his energy blast on them.

(Intro)

Suddenly, as the energy blast was about to hit Sideswipe and Mirage, it was blocked by a cosmic barrier before it disappear. "What?! Who used a cheat code?!" Bisk exclaimed. Sideswipe and Mirage shook off their confusion and started attacking Bisk together, slashing him with their blades. But Bisk blocked each slash with his claws. Grimlock charged in and started swinging his tail at the crustacean Decepticon. "Triple defense mode! I am a master at this!" Bisk exclaimed as he defended himself against the 2 Autobots and Dinobot. Bumblebee, Arcee, Strongarm and Gears recovered. "We helped save the universe from Starscream, Megatron and Dark Energon. I refuse to become the laughing stock of some bug-eyed bot's gaming club." Bumblebee said. "As do I. What's your plan, Bee?" Arcee asked. "Sideswipe, Mirage, cascade with Strongarm, Arcee, Gears and me. Grimlock, splashdown maneuver. Go!" Bumblebee called through the com-link. He, Arcee, Strongarm and Gears started blasting Bisk with their blasters. As Bisk defended himself, Sideswipe and Mirage leapt at him and kicked him in the head. As they landed, they leapt backwards as Bisk tried to stomp on them. "You think I don't know how to beat this attack?! It's just up, up, left, down, claw, claw!" Bisk exclaimed. Just then, he turned his eyes around and saw Grimlock coming towards him. "CANNONBALL!" Grimlock exclaimed as he leapt up, curled up into a ball and started falling towards Bisk. "Oh, no, you don't!" Bisk exclaimed as he turned around and fired another energy blast at Grimlock, messing up his splashdown maneuver and knocking him out. "Grimlock!" Bumblebee cried.

"HA-HA! Score the achievement on blasting a Dinobot in midair!" Bisk cheered. Suddenly, something struck him hard on the head and knocked him out. Team Bee was confused as they gathered around the unconscious Decepticon. "What knocked this Con out?" Sideswipe asked. "Wasn't me." Gears said. "Jack, Miko, did you see what hit Bisk?" Arcee asked as Jack and Miko walked over from the bushes. "No, we didn't see anything." Jack said. "Well, it doesn't matter. Score one more for us. Let's get him into a stasis cell." Bumblebee said. Team Bee picked up Bisk and carried him away. "Do you think we should tell them about our little secret?" Miko asked. "I don't know. I'm worried about how they'll react. Especially Arcee." Jack said. "They'll have to know eventually, Jack." Miko said as she followed Team Bee. Jack put all this to thought before following. By then, the grass guy from earlier returned and was shocked to find the course a mess. "My grass-terpiece!" He cried.

Meanwhile, Russell, Raf and Teresa found the football field and watched from the goal post as 5 other kids were about to play. One of the kids, who was a girl, kept catching Russell's eye. "Hut!" The girl called. She got the ball as 2 of the opposing kids tried to tackle her. But she got away and threw the ball to her teammate. But he missed the ball as it landed near Russell, Raf and Teresa, getting everyone's attention. "Hey, you 3!" The boy, named Butch, called. Russell gestured to himself in question. "It's okay. You got this." Teresa assured. "Don't let being the new kid get you down." Raf said. Russell felt unsure before picking up the ball and walking onto the field. Raf and Teresa walked over to the bleachers to watch. "Yeah, we're a player short and…don't you live in the junkyard?" Butch asked. "Uh, actually, it's more of a Salvage Depot for the…Discriminating…Nostalgias." Russell said, feeling afraid by the cold, threatening stares from the other 3.

"What's with the hat? Looks like it could've belonged to Bronco Kowalski." The girl said, taking an interest in Russell's helmet. "Uh, actually, it did." Russell said as he gave the ball to her. "That's retro brilliant. I'm Hank." The girl, Hank, introduced. "I'm Russell." Russell introduced. "Her real name's Henrietta." Butch whispered. Hank shoved the ball into his gut. "This is Butch. His real name's Cynthia." She teased as she huddled up the team. "Listen up. Ruby-Chicken-Nasty-Fungus on hut. Break!" As Butch and the others took position, she pushed Russell into the game, putting him face to face with the blonde boy with a football helmet, grinning sinisterly at him with a gapped tooth. "Uh, what exactly does that-" Russell tried to ask. "Bagel! Cheeseburger 9! Hut!" Hank exclaimed. As Butch hiked her the ball, the blonde boy shoved past Russell, face-planting him in the grass. Raf and Teresa cringed. As Hank prepared to throw the ball, the blonde boy, blocked it with his helmet. As the 3 boys cheered, Russell rolled over, spat out some grass that got in his mouth and sat up. "Good block, Rusty." Hank said, offering to help him up. But Russell got up on his own. "I knew this was a mistake." He said angrily as he walked away. "And don't call me Rusty!" He threw down his helmet and walked away. Raf and Teresa got up and followed. Hank watched as the 3 left, wondering how she could help.

Later, as Team Bee placed Bisk into stasis, Grimlock was telling Fixit the story about how they caught him. "And then Bisk was tossing us around with his giant claws. I mean, WHOOSH! WHOOSH! But as he managed to stop my Dino Demolisher, something hit him and knocked him out." He explained. "Yeah. It was weird. We didn't see anyone else out there aside from Bisk." Mirage said. "Sounds exciting. I think hearing about what all of you do is the most filling-*glitch*-billing-*glitch*-thrilling part of what I do. Gosh, I'd love to get out into the field. In a strictly non-confrontational compacity of course." Fixit said. "Sorry, Fixit. But according to rule 669-B, Mini-Cons must remain at their duty stations at all times." Strongarm said. "Yeah, no offense, but it doesn't seem like you were built to handle the heavy stuff." Sideswipe said. "I hate to say it, but Sideswipe's right." Gears said. Fixit felt sad. "That's not to say you don't play a key role on our team." Bumblebee said. "Yeah. Everybody has their own key role. Especially our human friends." Arcee said. "Just not as key as lead-tail-fight-kicker. Am I right? Am I right?" Grimlock said. Everyone remained silent. "Well, excuse me." Fixit said before leaving. "Nice going, Dino-doofus." Mirage said.

Just as Fixit left, Russell, Raf and Teresa returned. "How'd it go?" Denny asked. "They've all been playing together a really long time." Russell said. "Where's your helmet?" Katie asked. But before anyone could say anything, a bicycle bell rang. "Rusty! Where are you?" Hank's voice called. "Rusty?" Denny asked. "Oh no!" Russell exclaimed with panic. "Who's that?" Miko asked. "That's Hank from the football field!" Raf whispered. "She must've followed us!" Teresa whispered. "Camo!" Bumblebee whispered. Team Bee quickly took cover as Bumblebee and Arcee transformed and created a dust cloud to cover their escape. "Rusty?" Hank asked as she rode up on her bike. As she waved off the dust, she took off her goggles and saw Russell, Denny, Katie, Jack, Miko, Raf and the Gonzalez Nonuplets standing by Bumblebee and Arcee's vehicle modes. "Wow. Griffin Motor's 1995 Windblazer. Nice." She said, recognizing Bumblebee's design. Bumblebee looked through his side mirror at Hank. "And that's a Kawasaki Ninja 250r. Pretty cool." Hank said, pointing to Arcee's design. "Thanks. She's my special girl." Jack said, patting Arcee's windshield. Arcee secretly blushed. "You ran off after one play." Hank said as she rode up to Russell. "I ate 5 pounds of grass." Russell said. "So, practice in the morning, game in the afternoon. See you later." Hank said, giving Russell back his helmet before leaving. "What a nice girl." Katie said. "So, can I call you Rusty now?" Denny asked. "No!" Russell exclaimed.

Meanwhile, at an airfield, a spider-like Decepticon with 4 yellow eyes walked into the area and smiled sinisterly. Back at the scrapyard, Fixit picked up the signal. "Decepticon. Just a few miles out." He said. "Let's Rev Up and Roll Out! Come on!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

Team Bee arrived outside the airfield and surveyed the area. "That's where the signal's coming from. The Crown City Airfield." Shawn said. "Alright. Sideswipe, Strongarm, Mirage, Gears, let's move in for a closer look. Jack, Miko, Raf, Gonzalez Nonuplets, split up and go with one of each." Bumblebee instructed. "You got it, Bee." Raf said. "Vehicle mode." Bumblebee said as he and his team transformed. Jack hopped on Arcee. Raf and Teresa got in Bumblebee. Miko, Mariposa and Dominick hopped in Strongarm. Shawn and Nalu got in Sideswipe. Liana, Annika and Brook got in Gears. And Henry got in Mirage. "What about me?" Grimlock asked, feeling left out. "You're a little too…Dinosaur-y to be sneaking around, big guy." Sideswipe said. "Just hang back and secure the perimeter, Grim." Arcee said as she and the team drove off towards the airfield. "What's a perimeter?" Grimlock asked in confusion.

"Split up. If you spot the fugitive, contact the rest of the team immediately." Bumblebee said. Strongarm and Gears turned left while Sideswipe and Mirage turned right. Bumblebee and Arcee continued down the middle and turned left, passing an open hanger. "Wait. I think I saw someone in the hanger." Raf said. They backed up and saw the Decepticon ravaging through a plane, looking for something. "Where are you, you stinking-" He started to say until he found what he was looking for. "There you are, you beauty." He pulled out a gyroscope. Just then, Bumblebee and Arcee shined their headlights on him in exposure. Raf, Teresa and Jack got to a safe distance as Bumblebee and Arcee transformed, aiming their blasters at the Decepticon. "Playtime's over." Bumblebee said. "Drop the gyroscope now!" Arcee exclaimed. The Decepticon put down the gyroscope. "You really think you both can take us all on, coppers?" He asked. "We know we can take you, Decepticon." Bumblebee said. But then he and Arcee realized what he said. "Wait, did you say us?" Bumblebee asked. "But we tracked only 1 Deception signal." Arcee said. Suddenly, the Decepticon transformed into 5 separate spiders and started attacking Bumblebee and Arcee with their stinging mandibles.

As Bumblebee and Arcee continue getting stung by the spiders, Jack, Raf and Teresa watched with worry, trying to decide if they should reveal their secret. Just then, the rest of the team arrived, let their human passengers out and transformed. "Having a little trouble there, bosses?" Mirage asked. "See how funny it is after they sting you!" Arcee exclaimed. Just then, the spiders turned to attack Strongarm, Sideswipe, Gears and Mirage, stinging them separately. Bumblebee and Arcee tried to reach for their blasters, but one of the spiders stung their hands. Just then, Grimlock burst through the wall. "OH YEAH!" He roared. But then the spider latched onto his head and started stinging him. Jack, Raf, Miko and the Gonzalez Nonuplets watched in horror as Team Bee were being stung separately by the spiders. "We have to help them!" Miko exclaimed. "How? Reveal our secrets?" Jack asked. "Do we have any other choice?" Liana asked. The head spider chuckled at the scene. "Oy! Bring it in!" He ordered. The spiders ceased their stinging, grabbed the gyroscope and started making their escape. Bumblebee and Arcee tried to follow, but the spiders escaped down a manhole. "Down the hatch." The head spider said before following his teammates. Bumblebee and Arcee saw no way to follow them. "Scrap! He got away!" Arcee exclaimed. "Who is this bot?!" Bumblebee exclaimed.

Back at the scrapyard, Fixit looked through the manifest and found the file on the Decepticon. "He's a Combiner named Chop Shop, a one-man heist crew with a list of crimes as long as Alpha Trion's beard. Have you seen that beard? It's more like a steel carpet actually, the way he just-" Fixit explained, getting off topic. "I'm familiar with Chop Shop. He did a number of jobs for my former employer." Mirage said. "So, Chop Shop's a thief up to his old tricks on Earth." Bumblebee said. "Any ideas on what he's planning?" Arcee asked. "I snacked-*glitch*-whacked-*glitch*-hacked into the local law enforcement databanks and found a list of property stolen within the appropriate radius. At first, there didn't seem to be a pattern. You know. Copper wire, kerosene, space heater, isolation storage tanks, computer chips, and now an aircraft gyroscope." Fixit explained. "But taken together, there's really only one thing Chop Shop would need all those parts for." "A spaceship." Bumblebee realized. "Then that means…" Arcee started. "He wants to get off-planet!" Strongarm finished. "That's not good." Sideswipe said.

"Chop Shop appears to have everything he needs, except fuel." Fixit said. "Where could he go to get fuel for a spaceship?" Miko asked. "A manufacturing plant in the next county that synthesizes liquid oxygen. Security's tight though. Too tight for oversized aliens to just walk into." Denny explained. "So, we don't send in the aliens." Bumblebee said. "Then how do we get past the security?" Annika asked. "Denny, would you be up for…" Bumblebee started to ask. "YES!" Denny exclaimed with excitement. "Fixit, we might need your tech expertise too." Bumblebee said. "Me?" Fixit said in surprise. "You said you wanted to get out into the field. This would be a good opportunity." Arcee said. "Though it is against regulations." Strongarm said. "But when has regulation ever stopped us before?" Mirage asked. "How dangerous are we talking about, say from, I don't know, 1 to 40?" Fixit asked. "If Chop Shop makes it off-planet, who knows what trouble he could cause. He needs to be brought to justice." Bumblebee said. "The team needs you, Fixit. We need you." Arcee said. "I'll do it." Fixit said, ready for his first field assignment. Grimlock transformed and got ready. "BOOM! Let's go bug hunting!" He exclaimed. "Throttle back, Grimlock. You're staying here." Bumblebee said. "Bee's right. Without an Earth-based vehicle mode, you'd stick out like a sore cyber carpel." Arcee said. "But…but Fixit doesn't have a vehicle mode." Grimlock whined. "He's not gonna need one." Denny said. "Bee? Would it be okay if Teresa and I stay here too?" Raf asked. "We want to look out for Russell while he's at football practice." Teresa said. "No problem. We'll call if we need back up." Bumblebee said.

Meanwhile, Chop Shop and his limbs climbed out of the sewers and crawled their way into the plant, climbing on top of the pipes and tanks. "Fill 'er up, boys. Get that liquid oxygen pumping." He ordered as they stood over a tanker truck.

Meanwhile, after Team Bee left, while Russell was at football practice with Raf and Teresa, Grimlock was passing the time by stacking old cars like a house of cards. "That's it, Grimlock. Hold it nice and steady." Katie said as she supervised. Just then, Russell, Raf and Teresa came back from the football field. "Oh, hey, honey." Katie greeted. But as Grimlock turned around, the car stack collapsed. "Where is everyone?" Russell asked. "Off on a mission. Denny and Fixit went with them." Katie said. "How was football practice?" Grimlock asked. "Well, today, I played a position called way back. I'm gonna quit." Russell said with a sigh. "Quit?! But why?" Katie asked. "Rusty!" Hank called. "It's Hank! Hide!" Russell exclaimed. Grimlock tried to find a good place to hide, but there wasn't much time. So, he stood very still and pretended to be a statue. Russell gave a nervous smile as Hank rode in on her bike and stopped right in front of him. "Good practice this morning." Hank said. "Hank, I know the team was making fun of me." Russell said. "They made fun of him?" Katie asked with worry. "Well, except her and Butch." Teresa said. "Oh, everyone plays way back once. It's a rule. Don't worry. You just gotta find your place on the team." Hank said. Just then, she looked up at Grimlock. "Hey, nice dinosaur statue." She said. "Thanks. Denny and I built him when we were younger." Katie said. "Retro brilliant. See you at the game later, Rusty. We need you." Hank said as she rode away. "I like her." Grimlock said. "She's right, Russell. Try to find out what your spot on the team is." Katie said. Russell sighed.

Meanwhile, Team Bee was on their way towards the plant. "We'll keep hidden along the sides of the plant, Strongarm. We'll move in as soon as you flush Chop Shop out." Bumblebee said through the com-link. "Copy that. I will not forget to flush." Strongarm said. As she drove up to the gate with Denny and Fixit in disguise, they were greeted by the gateman. "We're with the Hazardous Utility Bureau." Denny said, holding up a fake badge. Meanwhile, as they waited with the team, Jack gave an unnoticeable nod to Dominick and Brook. Brook closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, the security system shut down. "Hey, what's going on here?" The gateman asked. Dominick closed his eyes and concentrated. Suddenly, a minor earthquake started shaking the plant. All of the security personal evacuated the premises. "Well, that was…peculiar." Strongarm said. "At least all of the security personal have evacuated. Let's move in." Arcee said.

Meanwhile, Russell was just sitting down on an old car, staring at his helmet. Grimlock, Katie, Raf and Teresa walked up to check on him. "Russell, what're you still doing here?" Katie asked. "Aren't you gonna be late?" Grimlock asked. "What's the point? I stink. Just like Bronco Kowalski's helmet." Russell said, throwing down the helmet. "You heard what Hank said. The team needs you." Teresa said. "No, they don't." Russell said. "Yes, they do, Russell." Katie said. "Hank wants you there. She said so." Grimlock said. "Yes. She believes in you. Like the others believe in us and each other." Raf said. "There must be something you could do to help." Grimlock said. "There's NOTHING!" Russell exclaimed angrily, kicking the helmet over an old shed. "Whoa." He, Grimlock, Katie, Raf and Teresa said in amazement. "I think you just found something that could help Hank." Katie said.

Meanwhile, Team Bee started searching the plant for any signs of Chop Shop. "Fieldwork is fun. Let's find more humans we can fool." Fixit said, finding his first fieldwork assignment fun. Suddenly, Team Bee stopped. "Contact." Strongarm said. They saw Chop Shop filling up the tanker with the liquid oxygen. "We've been made! Let's bug out!" Chop Shop exclaimed. The spiders finished loading the fuel, unhooked the hose and prepared to drive off. Team Bee transformed, letting their passengers out, and charged towards Chop Shop. "Don't let Chop Shop get away!" Bumblebee exclaimed. The spiders leapt out and started to transform. First the legs, then the torso, then the left arm. But then, Strongarm and Gears grabbed the spider that makes the right arm, which earned him the name Righty, and pinned him down, much to Chop Shop's shock. "Righty, you no good widget! What am I supposed to do now?!" Chop Shop exclaimed. "What you can do is surrender, Chop Shop." Bumblebee said as he, Arcee, Sideswipe, Mirage and Gears got their weapons ready. But then, Chop Shop noticed Fixit trying to hide himself. "Get away from him!" Sideswipe exclaimed, stepping in front of Fixit. But as he tried to swing his sword, Chop Shop grabbed him and threw him into the others, knocking them out. Chop Shop grabbed Fixit and held him up. "Fixit!" Denny cried. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" Fixit protested before Chop Shop attached him onto his torso, turning him into a temporary right arm. "Oh, scrud." Strongarm muttered.

"No! I'm not supposed to be here!" Fixit objected. "Hang on, Fixit!" Strongarm called. But then, Chop Shop used Fixit to punch Strongarm and sent her flying, knocking her out. "That's gonna leave a mark." Fixit said with worry. "Righty, take the wheel." Chop Shop said. Righty hopped into the driver's seat of the tanker and started driving towards Strongarm as Team Bee recovered. Chop Shop hopped onto the tanker as Strongarm started to recover. She saw the tanker and jumped out of the way. "Strongarm, what happened?" Bumblebee asked as the team ran over to her. "Chop Shop has Fixit. Or Fixit is now partly Chop Shop." Strongarm said.

As Chop Shop drove out of the plant, Team Bee in vehicle mode and their human friends chased after him. "Strongarm, Sideswipe, Mirage, get on Chop Shop's left flank. We'll try a pincer maneuver." Bumblebee said. "You think that's gonna work?" Jack asked. "We ran practice runs on that maneuver back home, Jack. It'll work." Arcee said. "I wasn't built for this!" Fixit cried. But as they prepared to try the maneuver, Chop Shop kicked Sideswipe back towards Strongarm and Mirage. Just then, as they reached an overpass, Chop Shop used Fixit to break through it, causing Team Bee to get buried in chunks of rubble. Luckily, Bumblebee, Arcee and Sideswipe transformed and dug their way out. "Is everyone okay?" Arcee asked. "Yeah, we're okay." Brook said. "Chop Shop got away again!" Gears exclaimed angrily. "Can't win them all." Sideswipe said. "We haven't lost yet, Sideswipe. First rule of perp identification, memorize your suspect's tire tread." Strongarm said, switching her headlights to UV lights to trace the tanker's tire tracks.

They tracked the tire tracks to an abandoned factory in the forest. Team Bee transformed after letting their human friends out. "Trail leads inside, sir." Strongarm said. "Jack, have you called Raf and Teresa for backup?" Bumblebee asked. "Yes. They'll be here in no time." Jack said. "Denny, you stay back." Bumblebee said. "If you say so." Denny said. "Keep your optics open. We're on Chop Shop's turf now." Bumblebee said as they headed towards the factory.

As they reached the factory, they saw Righty and the left arm spider loading the liquid oxygen from the tanker into the spaceship they were building. "Sweet ride. For a spider." Sideswipe said. "Okay. Not so much as turf as mission control." Bumblebee said. But as they hid from the spiders, Chop Shop appeared behind them and marched up to them. "You don't want us on this rock and we don't wanna be here. So, what's the glitch, coppers?" He asked as he got ready to attack. "Mayday!" Fixit cried as Chop Shop started beating Team Bee with him, knocking them down. Jack had enough of this. "Hey! Leave them alone, Con!" He exclaimed as he and the others ran up to him. "Jack. No." Arcee said weakly. "Oh, and just what's a bunch of squishies gonna do against me?" Chop Shop asked mockingly. Jack's eyes glowed red as he motioned his hand and fired a cosmic blast, knocking Chop Shop down. Team Bee was shocked by this.

"Hey. Are we late for the party?" Raf asked as he and Teresa arrived at the factory and ran up to join their friends. "On the contrary, Raf. You're right on time." Jack said. His eyes glowed red as his hands became infused with cosmic energy. Miko's eyes glowed light blue as her fists became powered with chi. Raf's eyes glowed violet as his hands were powered with psychic energy. Mariposa's eyes glowed hot pink as her hands were powered with mana. Shawn's eyes glowed orange as his hands formed little fireballs. Liana's eyes glowed indigo as music formed around her. Dominick's eyes glowed light brown as his fists got covered in rock. Teresa's eyes glowed emerald green as vines sprouted at her feet. Nalu's eyes glowed deep blue as he formed a water ball in his hands. Annika's eyes glowed white as icicles formed in her hands. Brook's eyes glowed yellow as his hands generated electricity. And Henry's eyes glowed purple as he levitated himself off the ground. "Oh, my goodness!" Fixit cried in shock. "But you're mere humans! How?!" Chop Shop exclaimed, shocked of seeing their powers. "We're not just humans, Con. We're the Nebula Rangers." Jack said. Team Bee was surprised.

Chop Shop shouted angrily and charged towards them. "What's the plan, Jack?" Miko asked. "Take down Chop Shop fast. Try not to hurt Fixit or light the fuel in the process." Jack explained. "What a plan. Simple, yet insane. I love it." Shawn said. "Let's go!" Jack exclaimed. The Nebula Rangers broke off as Chop Shop nearly swatted them with Fixit. Annika skated up on a trail of ice and goes to stab Chop Shop with an icicle. But Chop Shop caught her with Fixit and tossed her at Liana and Henry, knocking them down. "Sorry, Annika!" Fixit cried. Dominick, covered in rock armor, leapt up and prepared to kick Chop Shop. But Chop Shop punched Dominick hard with Fixit, shattering his armor. "I'm sure that will heal, Dominick!" Fixit cried. Team Bee helped Jack's team check on the others. "Fixit, fight back!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "I…I can't!" Fixit cried.

The left arm spider combined back onto Chop Shop's torso. Just then, Dominick recovered, motioned his hand and started forming rocks together, creating a giant golem creature. "What is that supposed to be?" Chop Shop asked. "Your worst nightmare." Dominick said. The golem came to life and started attacking Chop Shop. Just then, as Chop Shop dodged the golem's punches, grabbed its head and started stinging it, but he noticed that his stings weren't having any effect on it. The golem broke free of his grip and kept on attacking him.

Nearby, as Righty watched his master fight the earth monster, Denny snuck up behind him and smacked him in the head with a metal pipe. But Righty turned around to face him, unphased. Denny dropped the pipe and smiled innocently. But before Righty could make a move, Miko leapt in between them. "Oh no, you don't." She said, cracking her knuckles. As Righty started to attack her, Miko punched him with her chi-powered fists.

Chop Shop got the upper hand on the golem and destroyed it. "We ain't never going back in no cage!" He exclaimed. Just then, Jack blasted him again with his cosmic powers, knocking him down. "Fixit, you have to fight back Chop Shop's control!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "The team needs you, Fixit!" Arcee exclaimed. Fixit felt hesitant as Chop Shop recovered. Fixit looked around at the team as they recovered. Chop Shop ran towards Jack and prepared to attack with Fixit. "JACK!" Arcee cried as Chop Shop threw his punch. But it didn't connect. Fixit was resisting himself against Chop Shop's control. "You work for me, pally!" Chop Shop exclaimed. "I! Work! For my TEAM!" Fixit exclaimed as he started punching Chop Shop in the face. "Why you hitting yourself? Why you hitting yourself?" As Fixit continued hitting Chop Shop, Annika touched the floor with her hand and created an ice patch under his feet, causing him to slip and fall. "Get off me, you mangy skid!" Chop Shop exclaimed, forcing Fixit off of him. Fixit sighed in relief from feeling free. "You can handle the field work from here, right?" He asked. "We'll manage. Thanks, Fixit." Bumblebee said. As Chop Shop recovered, Bumblebee was about to walk over to him, but Jack, Nalu and Annika stepped in the way. "Leave him to us." Jack said. Nalu motioned his hands, creating a dome of water around Chop Shop. "What is this?!" Chop Shop exclaimed. "Your frosty imprisonment." Annika said as she fired an ice beam from her hands and froze the water, sealing Chop Shop inside. Righty saw this as he fought Miko and escaped. The team smiled at Fixit.

"Wait, wait, wait. You did what?" Grimlock asked in surprise after Team Bee got back and put Chop Shop into stasis. "Yeah, that's right. I punched Chop Shop. A few times. Pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow." Fixit explained, glitching again for a second. Sideswipe gave him a soft kick, snapping him out of it. "It was epic. Though it doesn't need to be repeated, but it was epic." "If it wasn't for Fixit and Jack's team, we never would've captured Chop Shop." Bumblebee said. "Well, most of him. The one he called Righty managed to slip out of my grip." Miko said in disappointment. "Don't worry, Miko. We've had worse days when losing our bad guys." Dominick said. "But the important thing is that Fixit did well in the field today." Arcee said. "Guess you can't spell team without an F. And, uh, um, is it 1 X or 2?" Grimlock asked, not being good with spelling. "I'm pretty sure it's just one." Mirage said. "Oh! That reminds me. There's someplace we have to be." Grimlock said. "Where?" Jack asked. "The football field. Russell's got something to show us." Katie said.

The team arrived at the football field and watched from the binoculars. "Can I see?" Strongarm asked. "Sure. Go ahead." Sideswipe said, handing Strongarm the binoculars. "Hey! It was my turn!" Gears whispered. "Was not!" Sideswipe whispered. "Back off, Gears!" Strongarm whispered. "Shh! Crunch time." Grimlock said. Russell, Hank and Butch were huddled up. "Last play of the game. Down by 2. Any ideas?" Hank asked. "I have one." Russell said, surprising Hank and Butch. After Russell explained his plan, the team got ready to play. "Hut!" Hank called. Butch hiked her the ball and she passed it to Russell. Just then, Hank started clucking like a chicken, making the other 3 confused. Russell dropped the ball and kicked it over the field goal, giving them the win. Everyone cheered. "Hey, you any good at basketball?" Hank asked as she and Russell started to leave. "Well, no. But I'd be willing to learn." Russell said. Hank smiled at that. "Rusty! That's my boy!" Denny cheered with the team.

Later, the team gathered back at the scrapyard. "WHAT?! WHAT?! WHAT?! You guys are the Nebula Rangers?! Crown City's greatest protectors?!" Russell exclaimed in shock. "That's right." Jack said. "But how did this happen after we left 3 years ago?" Arcee asked. "Well, it all started 2 years ago before you guys came back." Jack started to explain.

[Flashback]

Jack, Miko and Raf, after having recently just met the Gonzalez Nonuplets, were all hanging out by the pier. Suddenly, a meteor entered Earth's orbit and plummeted into the bay. Just as they were checking it out, supernatural energy waves erupted from the bay. They tried to run, but the waves hit them, knocking them out. As they woke up, they felt something different about their bodies. Their eyes started glowing and felt their hands surge with different powers, much to their shock.

[Flashback End]

"After that surge, Agent Fowler took us in and trained us in mastering our powers, turning us into the superhero team we are today. The Nebula Rangers." Jack finished. "But why'd you take this long to tell us?" Bumblebee asked. "Well, we thought that you guys wouldn't see me, Miko and Raf as the friendly kids you knew back then." Jack said. "Jack, you're still the same boy whom I rode together with in Griffin Rock no matter how different you are now." Arcee said. "And the same goes for Raf and Miko too." Bumblebee said. Raf, Jack and Miko smiled at that. "And it's nice to have a team of superheroes to help us capture the Decepticons out there." Sideswipe said. "Oh, you guys weren't the only one dealing with bad guys." Mariposa said. "Yeah, we've had our share of villains ourselves." Brook said. "Well, we'd like hear about them." Bumblebee said. For the rest of the afternoon, Jack and the others told Team Bee stories about their heroic adventures throughout Crown City.

Well, how did you like that, readers? Fixit gets his first experience in fieldwork against the Decepticon Combiner, Chop Shop, and Jack and his friends reveal themselves to be Crown City's protectors, the Nebula Rangers. And Russell just struck a new friendship in a local football girl, Hank. What other Decepticons will Team Bee encounter? Will Team Bee encounter enemies of the Nebula Rangers? Leave a review if you'd like.