Chapter 13: Can You Dig It?
In a construction site outside Crown City, a backhoe loader was carrying a load of dirt. But then, a strange blue glowing cube fell out of the loader. As the construction worker got out to investigate it, a sinkhole formed in front of him. "Sinkhole!" He cried. Just then, he and the cube started getting sucked into the sinkhole. As the construction workers started pulling himself out, giant claws came out of the sinkhole and grabbed the cube. As the construction worker finally managed to pull himself out, with help from his co-workers, the backhoe loader was sucked into the sinkhole, plugging it up. The workers looked at the sinkhole, wondering what could've caused it.
Meanwhile, that night at the scrapyard, Team Bee was watching a racing movie in the diner. They were outside due to their big size. "Okay, I get that they're fast and make lots of noise. But when are they gonna transform?" Grimlock asked. "Those are just plain old motorcycles, Grimlock. One mode only." Russell said. "Whoa. That is tragic." Grimlock said. "Oh, I don't know, Grim. I've seen things that I consider more tragic that one mode vehicles." Mirage said. "Don't those humans have anything better to do than just riding around all day, causing trouble?" Strongarm asked. "Some humans do play by other people's rules, Strongarm. Sometimes, they don't wanna be like everyone else." Sideswipe explained. "Then do they wear the exact same rackets-*glitch*-packets-*glitch*-jackets?!" Fixit asked. "I don't really know. But I think it's part of their choice of fashion." Sideswipe said. Fixit was confused. "What do you know about human fashion?" Gears asked. "Actually, Sideswipe's recently taken up learning about the different fashion styles humans have on Earth." Arcee said. "He's been looking through the old fashion magazines Denny has here." Annika said. "That's really interesting, Sideswipe." Strongarm said. "Thanks. I'm always up for learning new things." Sideswipe said with a small smile. "There's a surprise." Gears mumbled.
"Come on, Sideswipe. We're up for patrol." Cinderray said as she stood up. "Right behind you." Sideswipe said, standing up and stretching his arms. As they walked off, Denny and Katie came out from their RV. "Russell, time to pack it in." Denny said. "You too, Hank." Katie said. Russell groaned at this. "Don't be like that, Rusty. We'll need our rest for practice tomorrow." Hank said. "Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, guys." Russell said as he and Hank walked off. "Hey, Snake, what say we wash some of that road dust off your lip?" A woman in the movie said seductively before she brought her boyfriend into a passionate kiss. The team was stunned by this scene. "Why are they smashing their mouths together?" Strongarm asked. "It's called kissing, Strongarm." Raf said. "Uh, why do humans do that?" Mirage asked, feeling uncomfortable. "Well, we do that as a sign of affection, love and passion." Jack explained. Arcee looked at Jack and touched her mouth, wondering what a kiss would feel like.
Meanwhile, as they continued their patrol, Sideswipe explained a bit of human fashion to Cinderray. "And that's why a few of the people in England still wear fancy suits and bowler hats." Sideswipe said. "That is fascinating, Sideswipe." Cinderray said. Just then, they heard a noise. Sideswipe and Cinderray turned around and noticed 3 unknown Cybertronians walking on the other side of the shelves. Sideswipe drew his sword while Cinderray split into 2. They crept to the corner and waited as the 3 Cybertronians approached. Sideswipe and the Cinderrays revealed themselves and prepared to fight. Suddenly, the middle Cybertronian fired a soundwave attack, blasting Sideswipe and the Cinderrays into the shelves. Sideswipe's sword was knocked out of his hand in the blast. The middle Cybertronian caught it and walked up to Sideswipe as he started to recover. He flipped on his free hand and kicked Sideswipe off his feet, knocking him down. "Sideswipe!" Autobot Cinderray cried. Just then, the second Cybertronian walked up to her. As she threw a punch, she phased through him. "What the?!" She said in shock. The second Cybertronian knocked her down with a kick. "Hey!" Decepticon Cinderray exclaimed. But then, the third Cybertronian zapped her in the back with a battle spear, knocking her down. The 3 Cybertronians held them at weapons' point, leaving them helpless.
(Intro)
Just then, lights were shone on the scene. "Stop!" Bumblebee exclaimed as he and the team walked up. "Is it time for my solo?" The first Cybertronian asked, revealing himself and the other 2. "Whoa, whoa! Is this how Autobots treat their friends?" The second Cybertronian asked with a familiar voice. "Certainly, wouldn't be a first in my book." The third Cybertronian said, also sounding familiar. "Jazz?" Bumblebee said in surprise. "Smokescreen?" Arcee said also surprised. "Knock Out?" Jack said in surprise as well. "Bee! Cee! What are you 2 doing in this dump?" Jazz asked with a smile, happy to see his old friends again. "Whoa! Watch the language!" Denny exclaimed, covering Russell's ears while Katie covered Hank's ears. "It's a scrapyard, Jazz." Bumblebee said. "And the nicest one on this planet." Arcee said as she and Bumblebee walked up to their old friends. "Careful. Don't get too close. These ones think they're dangerous." Jazz said, gesturing to Sideswipe and the Cinderrays. "These are Sideswipe and Cinderray. They're with us." Bumblebee said. Jazz, Smokescreen and Knock Out helped Sideswipe and the Cinderrays back on their feet. "No harm done. You guys just took us by surprise. What do you call that takedown?" Sideswipe asked as Jazz gave him back his sword. "Don't know. Didn't really plan it. Just kinda flowed." Jazz said, dancing smoothly. "Think you can teach me that sometime?" Sideswipe asked. "Sure. I got a good feeling about you, kid." Jazz said.
"It's so good to see you again, Arcee." Smokescreen said, bringing Arcee into a big hug. "Missed you too, Smokey." Arcee said, hugging him back. Knock Out knelt down as Miko walked up to him. "Knock Out." Miko said, not sounding too pleased. "Miko." Knock Out said, not sounding pleased himself. But then, they both put on huge smiles. "Good to see you again, little Wrecker." Knock Out said, holding out his fist. "You too, bud." Miko said, pounding it. "Oh, so you 2 were part of Bumblebee's old team." Decepticon Cinderray said. "Well, Smokescreen was. I used to fight against them until I decided to join the winning team." Knock Out said. "So, what's your story? You 2 sisters or something?" Smokescreen asked to the 2 Cinderrays. "In a way." Autobot Cinderray said before she and her Decepticon half merged back together. Jazz, Smokescreen and Knock Out were shocked to see that. "An Autocon?! I…I heard rumors about your kind, but I never believed that you actually existed." Knock Out said. "Well, you're looking at one now." Cinderray said.
"Hey, Bee, Cee, you 2 know anything about a prison ship called the Alchemor? The Big Bots on Cybertron sent us to check out a distress call." Jazz said as he, Bumblebee and Arcee walked away to talk. "Actually, we know a lot about it, Jazz." Arcee said. "One day, we're on patrol in Kaon City. The next, we're stranded on Earth with…" Bumblebee explained. "That was Jazz. The Jazz." Sideswipe said. "I know. He's one of the biggest role models on Cybertron." Knock Out said. "Next to Bumblebee, of course." Smokescreen said.
Later, when morning arrived, Denny, Katie, Russell and Hank fell asleep in lawn chairs. "And we've been rounding up the escaped prisoners ever since." Bumblebee said, after finishing the story. "A couple managed to escape, but we're managing to keep an eye open if they ever turn up." Arcee said. "They'll be glad to hear that on Cybertron." Knock Out said. "Yeah. The Council wasn't too happy when you 2 commandeered that Space Bridge." Smokescreen said. "Come on. We'll give your team a lift home. You can smooth things over." Jazz said. "With all due respect, sir, we can't leave the Decepticons to run rough-shaw over this planet." Strongarm said. "She's right. We haven't completed our mission. And we can't let Optimus down." Bumblebee said. "When it comes to not wanting to let Optimus down, I can respect that." Smokescreen said. "As do I." Knock Out said. "You guys are gonna stay for a while, right? You guys could teach us some of your moves." Sideswipe said. "I could stand to learn a few new tricks." Mirage said. "Love to, but we should really get back to-" Jazz tried to say, but then everything started shaking, waking Denny, Katie, Russell and Hank. Just then, another sinkhole formed right in front of the team. "Mom, Dad, sinkhole!" Russell cried. "We get a lot of them around here. Natural occurrence." Denny assured. "Not this one." Fixit said with worry. "This is way worse than natural." Mirage said.
Just then, a giant earthworm-like Decepticon leapt out from the sinkhole, roaring at the team. Denny, Katie, Russell, Hank and Fixit took cover behind Team Bee's legs. But then, the Decepticon turned his attention to a shed filled with the same glowing cubes he found at the construction site. Energon Cubes. As he made his way towards the shed, Fixit scanned the Decepticon, identifying him in the prisoner manifest. "It's a Decepticon. A petty crook named Ped. He burrows underground with those claws and-" He tried to explain. "I got him." Sideswipe said, drawing his sword and charging towards Ped. "No, Sideswipe, wait!" Mirage cried. But as Sideswipe was about to attack, Ped turned around and caught him in his mandibles, zapping him and knocking him back to the team. "And his mandibles can deliver a temporary paralyzing swing-*glitch*-spring-*glitch*." Fixit tried to say, glitching out again. "Sting!" Sideswipe said in pain. "Yes. Thank you." Fixit said. Just then, Ped started spinning. Bumblebee, Arcee, Strongarm and Gears tried blasting him, but he leapt back into the sinkhole. Suddenly, another sinkhole formed behind the Clays and sucked up Russell. "Russell!" Denny cried. Bumblebee quickly rushed over. "Help me!" Russell cried as he sank into the sinkhole. Bumblebee reached in to grab him, but he was getting pulled in too. Arcee and Jazz grabbed his free arm and grabbed onto an old streetlamp. But it started bending from their combined weight. The rest of the team grabbed the streetlamp and held on long enough for Arcee and Jazz to pull Bumblebee out while he pulled Russell out of the sinkhole. Bumblebee placed Russell back on the ground, letting him rush into his parents' arms. "Just like old times, huh, Jazz?" Bumblebee said. "How I miss those days." Arcee said.
"It was a distraction!" Strongarm exclaimed, pointing to the hole in the shed that revealed the Energon Cubes. "That's what Ped came for. Our Energon Cubes." Fixit said. "He didn't get all of them." Russell said, pointing to the many cubes they still had. "That's a good thing, right?" Hank asked. "Well, we hardly have an unlimited supply. Every drop is precious." Fixit said. "He's right. Ped will likely be back for the rest of them. I know this. He won't stop until he gets every last one." Mirage said. "Grimlock, you and the others stay here and guard the rest of the Energon Cubes in case that Con comes back. The rest of you, come with me." Bumblebee ordered. Team Bee gathered around the sinkhole. Just then, Jazz, Smokescreen and Knock Out joined them. "Aren't you forgetting someone?" Jazz asked. "Not going on a bug hunt without us, Bee." Smokescreen said. "Well, I didn't want to just presume." Bumblebee said. "You 3 are always welcome to join us." Arcee said. "You 2 haven't changed." Jazz said. "Alright then. Autobots, let's Rev Up and Roll Out!" Bumblebee called. "Nice rally cry. Really sticks." Knock Out said as they leapt into the sinkhole.
They slid down a tunnel and came into a select network of tunnels. "Bumblebee, I'm getting a faint signal." Fixit said over the com-link. "Where exactly?" Bumblebee asked. "Uncertain. Ped must've realized that we're tracking him and he's taking evasive maneuvers." Fixit said. "We'll have a better chance at finding him if we split into 4 groups." Arcee said. "Mirage, Shawn, Nalu and I will go with Jazz." Sideswipe said. "I'm not sure that's-" Bumblebee tried to say. "Hey, I don't mind. Kid has spark." Jazz said. "Alright. Arcee, Jack, Strongarm and Annika, you take one tunnel. Smokescreen and Knock Out, you take Teresa and Liana. Cinderray, Mariposa and Dominick will come with me. And Sideswipe, be on your best behavior." Bumblebee instructed. "Don't worry, Bee. I may have a problem with authority at times, but I know when to behave." Sideswipe said. "I can vouch for that." Mirage said. Sideswipe and Mirage transformed, and let Shawn and Nalu in. Jazz transformed into a white race car with blue and red racing stripes. All 3 of them drove into their assigned tunnel. The rest of Team Bee transformed, letting their human companions in and drove down their assigned tunnels.
Meanwhile, as they drove, Sideswipe explained his problem with Jazz. "I mean, sometimes, I just feel like I'm pushing myself too hard to show that I can be part of the team. Or maybe I'm just holding myself back. You know what I mean, Jazz?" He asked. "Sure, I do. I was pretty much the same back in the days before the war. You gotta learn to pace yourself. You never know when you're gonna need an extra oomph." Jazz said. "He's got a point, bro. A little extra oomph never hurts." Mirage said. "Yeah. Even we need an extra oomph once in a while." Nalu said. "Thanks, guys. I'll keep it in mind." Sideswipe said as they continued.
Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Cinderray, Mariposa and Dominick continued driving down their tunnel. "What a maze." Cinderray said in awe. "We're under downtown Crown City. These tunnels Ped's dug go from one end of it to the other." Bumblebee said. "And it's not exactly a good thing. All these tunnels could destabilize the entire system and cause a cave-in, taking the entire city with it." Dominick said. "Bee, up ahead." Mariposa said, catching something on Bee's GPS. "That has to be our Con." Bumblebee said. Ped stopped digging, noticing the group chasing after him. He turned and started digging a new tunnel down the left. As Bumblebee's group chased him, rubble started falling. As they followed him into a bigger tunnel, Mariposa and Dominick hopped out of Bumblebee and Cinderray, allowing them to transform, and leapt over the rubble. Just then, they noticed the cave roof about to collapse. "Dominick's right. He'll collapse the ground above us. All of those buildings will come tumbling down!" Cinderray exclaimed. Bumblebee hurried up to the tunnel roof and caught it as it was about to come down, holding it up with all of his strength. "And all those humans with them!" He exclaimed with a strain.
Cinderray, Dominick and Mariposa helped Bumblebee stabilize the cave ceiling. Cinderray split into 2 and hauled big boulders while Mariposa and Dominick assisted Bumblebee with their powers. "Okay, one more boulder should be enough to brace the ceiling until the authorities arrive." Autobot Cinderray said. "Let's get it done so we can go after Ped." Bumblebee said. Just then, Mariposa heard something. "Look out!" She cried. Suddenly, a boulder hit Bumblebee, knocking him down. Ped had leapt out from his tunnel. Both Cinderrays gasped when they saw Bumblebee lying on the ground. "Bee!" They cried as they put their boulders down and ran to help. "The ceiling, Cinderray! No matter what!" Bumblebee ordered as he recovered. "We're not gonna leave you to fight that freak on your own." Autobot Cinderray said as she and her Decepticon half helped him up. "But the ceiling!" Bumblebee protested. "It's alright, Bee! We got it!" Dominick called as he summoned stone pillars to brace the ceiling. Mariposa used her mana powers to help hold it up. Just then, Ped walked up to Bumblebee and grabbed him in his right claw. "You Autobots. You think you're so much better than everyone else? Let me tell you something. There's a new boss bot around here. And no one's ever gonna laugh at me again!" Ped declared. "Let him go!" Autobot Cinderray exclaimed as she and her Decepticon half charged towards Ped. But Ped swatted Autobot Cinderray aside and grabbed Decepticon Cinderray with his mandibles, shocking her.
"Yo, Bee, it's Jazz. We just hooked up with Cee and the others, and found a huge stash of Energon Cubes. Must be Ped's hideout." Jazz called through the com-link. "No!" Ped cried. He tossed Bumblebee aside, transformed into a fuel tanker truck and drove off down the tunnel. "Jazz, Arcee, Ped's coming for you." Bumblebee said through the com-link as the 2 Cinderrays recovered and remerged into one as she helped him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team prepared for Ped's arrival. "Be careful. We need to finish securing our tunnel's roof, then we'll be there to help." Bumblebee said through the com-link. "We hear you, Bee." Jazz said. Just then, a motor was heard down one of the tunnels. "And I hear Ped coming." Nalu said. "Okay. I'm gonna try to use a little oomph." Sideswipe said. "Sideswipe, I don't think you should do that." Jazz said. "He has a point. Ped's not gonna be as easy as you and Cinderray were for us." Knock Out said. "Maybe. But I'm just gonna do it like you guys did. Just let it flow." Sideswipe said. "Good luck, bro." Mirage said with worry. Just then, Ped drove up and transformed. "Here goes." Sideswipe said as he attempted to use the same move Jazz used on him. But as he landed the kick, Ped didn't even flinch. "Oh, scrud." Arcee said with worry. Ped shocked Sideswipe again with his mandibles, knocking him out. "Sideswipe!" Mirage cried. "Move away from my Energon or I will crush him like a tin can." Ped said threateningly. Arcee, Mirage and the Nebula Rangers got ready to fight. "Do what you want. We hardly know the punk." Jazz said suddenly. Everyone was shocked by this. "Yeah. And who says this is your Energon, pal?" Smokescreen asked. "I do. Ever since the Alchemor crashed, I've been finding its scattered Energon Cubes." Ped explained. "But no one Bot or Con needs this much." Jazz said. "You're right. I'm gonna be the one other Cons come to when they need the Energon. And they'll have to do whatever I say to get it." Ped explained. "Is that right?" Knock Out asked, being unconvinced. "Yes. Back on Cybertron, they laughed at me, called me a lousy Botworm. But here is gonna be different. I'm gonna be the biggest thing on this planet!" Ped exclaimed. "Hmm. Sounds like a solid plan. But you're gonna want a second-in-command in case any Cons get out of line." Jazz said. "And you wanna be that muscle?" Ped asked. "Him and the rest of us. Especially Knock Out here. He practically served under Megatron." Smokescreen explained as Knock Out smiled proudly. "I'm listening." Ped said. Arcee's eyes widened, realizing what was about to come.
Just then, Jazz lowered his visor and activated his sound attack, blasting Ped down. "Jazz, stop!" Arcee exclaimed. Suddenly, the waves from the attack were causing the tunnel roof to crack apart. And Sideswipe was right under it! Jazz quickly noticed this and stopped his attack. But boulders started falling from the ceiling towards Sideswipe. "Sideswipe!" Mirage cried as they rushed to help, seemingly getting crushed by the boulders. "See what being selfless gets you?" Ped asked as he recovered, turning to his Energon stash. As the team managed to lift the boulders off of themselves, they saw that Ped escaped with his stash through another tunnel. "For a moment there, we thought you were gonna make a deal with him. The way I messed up, I don't blame you." Sideswipe said, blaming himself for Ped escaping. "Can we say something?" Jazz asked. "Sorry. I know I've been talking too much, but it's only because I-" Sideswipe tried to say, but stopped at the looks Jazz, Smokescreen and Knock Out were giving him. "Sorry." "You're trying too hard, kid. We know what that's like." Jazz said as he helped Sideswipe on his feet. "Yeah. When I first joined Bumblebee and Arcee's old team with Optimus, I tried so hard to fit in, disregarding everything about Earth customs. But I eventually got used to the way the team did things." Smokescreen explained. "And he's not the only one. I tried so hard on joining the winning side, getting the Bots to trust me. But I had to learn the hard way about earning trust." Knock Out explained. Arcee and Jack smiled at each other, remembering all that well. "See? And if Bee and Cee put you on their team, that's good enough for me. Just do what you do." Jazz said. Sideswipe smiled and nodded.
Later, the team all returned to the scrapyard. "Well, we still have some Energon left in our camp." Mirage said. "Yeah, but something tells me that Ped won't be happy until he has every last cube." Smokescreen said. "That's what we were thinking, Smokey." Bumblebee said. "You guys okay?" Arcee asked. "Okay as we can be after battling a Con and propping up a chunk of downtown Crown City." Cinderray said. "Tell me about it. Me and Dominick are still sore from using so much of our powers." Mariposa said. "Ped's going to pay for this." Strongarm said. "And how are we going to do that?" Knock Out asked. "See that big pile of treasure?" Denny asked, pointing to a big stack of Energon Cubes. "We placed a stasis pod inside." Katie said. "That looks like your entire Energon supply. Plus some. Where'd you guys find more?" Smokescreen asked. "Some of the cubes are real, but most of them, we rigged up." Russell said, showing that most of the Energon Cubes were just regular metal cubes painted blue. "Grade A Con bait." Hank said. "Sneaky and deceptive. I like it." Knock Out said.
Later, as night rolled in, the team moved to higher ground and waited for Ped to show up. Denny, Katie, Russell, Hank and the Nebula Rangers stood on the railing while Team Bee stood on an old railcar. "Good call on higher ground." Jazz said. "I want Ped focused on the Energon. Not us." Bumblebee said. Just then, everything started shaking. "Looks like he's going for it." Arcee said. But after a while, the shaking stopped, leaving Team Bee confused. Just then, Hank gasped as her eyes glowed brilliant blue, seeing a vision. "It's a trap!" She cried. Too late, the ground under the railcar formed into a giant sinkhole. Cinderray leapt off the railcar, but the rest of the team fell in the sinkhole. Cinderray, Denny, Katie, Russell, Hank and the Nebula Rangers were shocked by this. Just then, Ped came up from underground, roaring.
"Now hand over the rest of your Energon before you get hurt." Ped demanded. "You're not taking any more Energon, Ped!" Cinderray exclaimed, preparing to fight, splitting into 2. "Very well. I'll just take care of you first, then your little squishy friends." Ped said.
Meanwhile, Team Bee recovered from the fall. "I guess Ped can multitask." Smokescreen said. "At least Cinderray managed to get away." Grimlock said. Just then, they heard one of the Cinderrays grunting as they started fighting Ped. "Cinderray!" Bumblebee cried. Strongarm tried to climb up the wall, but she slipped off. "Those sides are too soft to climb." She said. "Then how are we gonna get out of here?" Gears asked. "Everyone on each other's shoulders." Bumblebee ordered. As the team walked away, Grimlock looked at Fixit and raised his foot. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, WAIT!" Fixit cried. Too late. Grimlock stepped on him. The team looked at Grimlock with deadpan looks. "Maybe we should've tried that the other way around." Grimlock said. "You think?!" Fixit exclaimed angrily.
Meanwhile, Autobot Cinderray dodged every swipe of Ped's claws. "As soon as I destroy you, I'll go down in history as the first Decepticon to ever destroy an Autocon!" Ped exclaimed excitedly. Just then, Decepticon Cinderray leapt on him from behind. "Like that'll happen, buddy!" She exclaimed as Ped tried to shake her off. "Nebula Rangers, go help the team. We'll handle Ped." Autobot Cinderray said. The Nebula Rangers headed over to the sinkhole to help Team Bee. As Ped managed to throw Decepticon Cinderray off his back, Autobot Cinderray transformed and drove towards Ped, bashing him into Denny's shelves. "Hey! I just waxed that section!" Denny cried.
Meanwhile, back in the sinkhole, Team Bee was trying to stack onto each other to reach the ledge. Grimlock was standing on the railcar at the bottom, followed by Gears, Strongarm, Knockout, Jazz, Smokescreen, Bumblebee, Mirage, Sideswipe and Arcee with Fixit on top. But he couldn't reach the ledge. "No good. We still can't reach." He said. Suddenly, Grimlock lost his footing and slipped, causing the team to fall down. They groaned after the fell on top of each other. "Sorry about that." Grimlock groaned. "Great. Now how are we gonna get out of here?" Gears asked. "I think we can help with that." Dominick called. Team Bee looked up to see the Nebula Rangers. Dominick motioned his arms and rocks popped out of the sides, creating a spiral staircase. "Nice. What would you charge for stair building?" Sideswipe asked as the team hurried up the stairs. Ped turned around to see Team Bee charging towards him. As Bumblebee tried to grab him, Ped dived back underground. "Where'd he go?" Arcee asked. Just then, Ped popped up and swatted her with his claws. Grimlock transformed and tried to punch Ped, but he dived underground again. "Come out and fight, Ped!" He called. Just then, Ped popped up and struck Grimlock with an uppercut. As the others tried to attack him, Ped just kept diving underground and popping back up like a whack-a-mole game. "Bee, when I get Ped into the stasis pod, lock it up right away. No matter what." Cinderray said after she rejoined her 2 halves and headed towards the Energon Cubes. "No matter what? What does that mean?" Bumblebee asked in confusion, wondering what she was up to. Just then, Ped came up behind Jazz, grabbed him with his claws and shocked him with his mandibles.
"Hey, Botworm!" Cinderray called. "My name is Ped!" Ped exclaimed. "Oh, I guess I got that confused. Because you know what a worm is on this planet? It's a slimy little stick that spends its life hiding underground until it's stuck on a hook and used for fish bait…Botworm." Cinderray said as she climbed up the Energon Cubes. "I said my name is Ped! And you better get that straight, Autocon! In a few weeks, I'll be running this world!" Ped exclaimed. "Yeah, maybe for a while, Botworm. But after you run out of Energon, you'll be what you've always been to the other Decepticons. The lowest of the low. A lousy stinking scavenger. A Botworm!" Cinderray exclaimed. Ped roared in anger, tossed Jazz aside and leapt towards Cinderray. He grabbed her, but they fell into the stasis pod. Bumblebee ran up as Cinderray and Ped fight inside the pod. "Bee! Now! Close it!" Cinderray exclaimed. "Not with you inside!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "JUST DO IT!" Cinderray demanded. Bumblebee hesitated, but prepared to close the pod. But then, Smokescreen stopped him. "Mind if I pull out an old trick?" He asked, showing a familiar relic on his wrist. He reached out his arm, phasing through the pod, grabbed Cinderray and phased her out of the pod. "I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Ped exclaimed as he popped out of the pod. But then, the crane's magnet came down and struck him on the head, knocking him out. Denny smiled as he operated the crane. Bumblebee closed the pod, sealing Ped inside.
The next morning, after Denny used the crane to pull out the railcar, Nalu filled up the sinkhole with water while Dominick filled the water with limestone. "Alright. That should seal up the sinkholes in no time." Dominick said. "I can't believe you actually kept the Phase Shifter after all this time." Arcee said. "Yeah. This baby was always my favorite toy." Smokescreen said. Just then, Jazz and Sideswipe walked up. "My ship's just a couple of clicks away. When I get back to Cybertron, I'll clean up your mess with the Council. Promise." Jazz said. "Will you come back after?" Sideswipe asked. "Wouldn't mind another road trip. I could learn a lot from you, Sideswipe." Jazz said. "That's usually my line. And thanks for the pep talk from before." Sideswipe said. "You had it in you from the jump, Sideswipe. You just need to stop caring so much about what others think of you. That's something he never learned." Jazz said, gesturing to Ped. "I know. And thanks again." Sideswipe said.
"So, I guess this is goodbye. Again." Miko said, sadly. "No need for goodbyes, Miko. Me and Knock Out aren't going anywhere." Smokescreen said. Everyone was surprised to hear that. "We talked it over with Jazz, and he said it was cool for me and Knock Out to stick around and help you guys." Smokescreen explained. "Yep. It'll be just like old times." Knock Out said. "Good to have you guys back on the team." Arcee said. Bumblebee and Jazz gave their special handshake. "Safe travels, pal." Bumblebee said. Jazz nodded before he walked towards the entrance, transformed and drove off. "Looks like someone found a role model." Strongarm said. "I know. But I could've done worse." Sideswipe said. "I know. You could've gone with Gears." Strongarm joked. "I heard that!" Gears exclaimed.
Later, Russell took a walk in the forest to clear his head. "That was quite the crazy night, dealing with an Energon Stealing Botworm." Russell said. Suddenly, he heard a strange growling noise up ahead. "Who's there?" He called nervously. He followed the sound of the growl, passed through some bushes until saw a strange creature. It was a big two-headed lion with half of its body made of heavenly gold metal and the other half looked like a skeletal robot. "What are you?" Russell asked quietly. Just then, he noticed that its right front leg looked badly injured. As he started to slowly walk towards it, the creature noticed him and grew hostile. "Whoa, whoa! It's okay. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Russell said, showing that he's not a threat. The creature continued growling as Russell slowly approached it. When he got close enough, Russell closed his eyes and looked away, holding out his hand. The creature stared at the hand for a while. Just then, the creature placed both its snouts against his hand and started purring. Russell turned around and smiled at what happened. The creature purred as Russell started gently petting it. "Alright. Let's take a look at that leg." Russell said. He spent the rest of the day bandaging the creature's leg.
Meanwhile, the team was cleaning up the remaining mess left from the fight with Ped. "Come on, guys. The sooner we clean up this mess, the bett-" Bumblebee tried to say, but then he tripped on a loose rock and stumbled forward toward Cinderray, who was in front of him. Just then, their lips pressed together into a kiss. Everyone was surprised by this. "Ooh, that's a kiss?" Strongarm asked. Bumblebee and Cinderray pulled apart, shocked from what they did, before they slowly backed away from each other. "Awkward." Arcee sang as the others smiled and giggled.
Wow! Wasn't that awesome. Team Bee just received unexpected visitors from Bumblebee and Arcee's old friends Jazz, Smokescreen and Knock Out. Just in time too as an elusive worm Decepticon named Ped showed up and stole a bit of their Energon Cubes. But after saving downtown Crown City from caving in, Team Bee came up with a plan to capture Ped, using some false Energon Cubes and placing a stasis pod in the middle of them. When Ped ended up trapping them in a sinkhole, Cinderray escaped and fought Ped herself, getting him inside the pod herself. After Jazz left, Smokescreen and Knock Out chose to stay behind and rejoin the team. Meanwhile, Russell took a walk in the forest and met a big 2-headed lion creature. Where did this creature come from? Will Cinderray remember anything else from her past? Leave a review if you'd like.