Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
In a past time before the Hexside Squad ever met the Autobots, the Nemesis was flying into deep space as Starscream stood on the main deck with Soundwave and Brawl by his side. Two Vehicons arrived while carrying an Autobot prisoner towards the air commander, and that prisoner was Arcee.
"They said it couldn't be done. The one called Arcee is too quick, too stealthy to be captured." Starscream said, smirking down at the female Autobot. "Well here you are, with a rare opportunity to make history."
"How's this stupid Autobot supposed to help us?" Brawl questioned with his arms crossed.
"Have you forgotten already, Brawl?" Starscream asked rhetorically before gesturing to Soundwave, who displayed a red Cybertronian message on his screen. "You see, I have intercepted this encrypted Autobot signal. And if it's encrypted, it must be important. Now, Arcee, decode it for me and I will see to it that you perish quickly."
Arcee only mumbled some words that Starscream couldn't make out.
"Speak up!" Starscream ordered. "I can't hear you when you whimper."
"Get…fragged." Arcee replied coldly.
"Well, you sure have a big mouth." Brawl said with a chuckle, cracking his fists for some damage. "I'll be happy to smash it for you."
"That won't be necessary, Brawl." Starscream replied as he placed his hand in front of the brutish Decepticon. "Perhaps Arcee will be more inclined to cooperate when it is not her own well-being at stake."
Just then, Thundercracker and Skywarp showed up on the main deck with their own prisoner.
"Here's the other Autobot we caught spying on our operations, Scream." Thundercracker said.
"It's been a nightmare listening to this blabber-mouth." Skywarp muttered with an annoyed scowl before the two Seekers dropped their prisoner next to Arcee, revealing him to be Cliffjumper.
"Arcee. Been a while." Cliffjumper greeted, while the female Autobot was a bit surprised.
"Give me the encryption code or I will add your comrade, Cliffjumper, to the multitude of Autobots bellow." Starscream ordered threateningly.
"Scrap him. I barely know the guy." Arcee said without a care in the world.
"Ouch. Glad I'm not the sensitive type." Cliffjumper joked.
The Nemesis' main screen started to display Cybertron in it's deceased and baron form for everyone on the main deck to see.
"Cybertron is little more than a graveyard now." Starscream said, turning to Arcee in a threatening way. "Give me the code!"
"I'm not afraid of you, Starscream." Arcee declared. "You're no Megatron."
Starscream shouted out furiously before he slashed his claws straight at Arcee, making everything go white.
(Linebreak)
In the present, Arcee snapped out of her little flashback and saw Bulkhead laying on the ground with a weak groan. Willow marched up to him while the other Autobots, Luz, Amity and Hunter were either watching or minding their own buisness.
"Really, Bulkhead? You only managed to do this steps, this time?" Willow questioned with a frown.
"I'm sorry, Willow. My legs still hurt." Bulkhead groaned as he got back up in a struggling way, still feeling weakened by the critical damage he received from Hardshell yesterday.
"What did I tell you?" Willow questioned firmly.
"No excuses." Bulkhead said with a sigh.
"That's right. Now, try again." Willow told him. "Ten steps, this time."
As Bulkhead continued with his little exercise and the others watched, Optimus was busy working on decoding the Iacon database on the main console.
"It's nearly been a day and Bulkhead's still handicapped." Amity said as she, Luz and Hunter sat on the platform.
"Do you two think Willow's being a bit…extreme with helping him recover?" Hunter asked, a little bit concerned.
"Probably. She's still just upset over what happened back then." Luz replied. "I'm sure any of us would be the same way if our Bots got seriously hurt."
"I just hope decoding the Iacon database is going more smoothly than Bulkhead's recovery." Ratchet admitted as he approached Optimus.
"Slow but steady, old friend." Optimus said.
"But so far, we haven't been able to get ourselves a new set of coordinates." Wheeljack reminded with his arms crossed.
"Ugh, human technology." Ratchet muttered. "But your expertise in the field should provide any edge we need to beat the Decepticons at this game, Optimus."
"I fear their access to Cybertronian technology may provide them with an equal advantage." Optimus replied.
But then, everyone heard another crash noise and they saw that Bulkhead has collapsed onto the floor again.
"That's still not good enough!" Willow scolded. "You need to stay stronger if you wanna get better!"
"Okay, I think that's enough intense exercise for today." Wheeljack proclaimed as he and Ratchet approached Bulkhead.
"Time for a break, Bulkhead." Ratchet told the dark-green Wrecker.
"A break? Do you seriously think the Decepticons will give Bulk a break in the middle of a battle?!" Willow asked in disbelief.
"If you push a patient too far, too fast, you risk exacerbating their injuries." Ratchet said, helping Bulkhead up with Wheeljack's help.
"But-" Willow began to say.
"Bulkhead needs to rest." Ratchet interrupted before he and Wheeljack escorted Bulkhead to a medical table.
Willow groaned in frustration as she started to walk away before Bumblebee and Jazz drove into the base, transforming right in front of the Plant Witch girl.
"We're here, boys and girls!" Jazz announced enthusiastically.
"Yeah, I noticed!" Willow shouted, not paying any attention and heading towards the elevator.
"Yeesh. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Jazz muttered.
"Definitely." Bumblebee agreed.
Arcee, Cliffjumper, Luz, Amity and Hunter only watched Willow in worridness, knowing that she still felt some bad things from yesterday.
"Someone needs to talk to her." Cliffjumper said, earning nods from the other four.
"But who?" Amity questioned.
"I might know what to say." Arcee replied as she could really understand what Willow's going through.
(Linebreak)
At the base's roof, Willow was seen sitting over the edge with a very sad expression as tears were threatening to leak out her eyes.
"Willow?" Arcee asked, approaching her from behind.
"Oh. Hi, Arcee." Willow said as the female Autobot sat next to her. "I didn't notice you. I'm just…"
"Aren't we a little close to the edge?" Arcee asked.
"I'm not that scared of heights." Willow replied.
"Bulkhead's coming along just fine, thanks mostly to your efforts." Arcee said reassuringly. "But he needs a friend right now, not a drill sergeant."
"No offence, but I came up here so I could have some alone time." Willow said, getting a bit annoyed now. "Shouldn't you be with Luz and the others?"
"They're busy with their own things. I understand what you're going through." Arcee admitted in sympathy. "If you ever want someone to talk to-"
"I'm fine, alright? I'm not the one Hardshell was trying to kill." Willow retorted, turning away from the female Autobot.
"Willow, it's rough when someone you care about gets hurt." Arcee said sincerely. "Closing yourself off from feeling…won't help anyone."
"I guess you'd know, wouldn't you?" Willow asked in sarcasm, not knowing she opened an old wound.
"Yes. I would." Arcee replied while looking down in depression.
Willow seemed to soften when she heard this and thought back to something Luz told her and the others about. The Hispanic girl said that she had an Autobot partner before meeting Cliffjumper and that Airachnid killed him just for the joy of it. Willow began to feel awful for what she said.
"Arcee, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." Willow apologised.
"It's okay. I've just been thinking about the past lately." Arcee said while looking into the sunset. "After I lost my first partner, Tailgate, I pushed everyone away. Until Cliffjumper came along."
"I remember that story." Amity's voice said as she, Luz and Hunter approached them to hear the conversation. "It started with the two of you getting captured by Starscream."
"And he interrogated you to get the encryption for some secret code." Luz added.
"That's right. Back then, I wasn't really fond of being around Cliffjumper." Arcee admitted. "He kept getting on my nerve and I pretty much did everything to ignore him."
"Hehe. That kinda sounds like me and Luz back when we first met." Amity commented, thinking back to her and Luz's encounters in the Abomination incident, the convention and the library.
"Guess that means the two of us are a lot similar to you and Cliffjumper." Luz told her Autobot Guardian.
"That's one way of putting it." Arcee chuckled.
"So, what was Cliffjumper like back then?" Hunter asked curiously as he sat next to Willow.
"The same as today. Quite the conversationalist." Arcee replied, thinking back to the time when she and Cliffjumper truly became partners.
(Linebreak)
Arcee was seen inside a detention cell on the Nemesis before the doors opened, allowing two guards to toss Cliffjumper inside. The red Autobot groaned a bit as Arcee approached him.
"Cliffjumper?" Arcee asked, a little bit concerned. "Are you…?"
"I…I can't…I can't believe you actually cared." Cliffjumper chuckled, looking up at Arcee with a smile.
Arcee was surprised at first, but put on an annoyed frowned as she backed away while Cliffjumper stood up.
"The only thing I care about is wether you talked just now." Arcee muttered.
"You always this nice to your rescuers?" Cliffjumper asked jokingly, stretching his arms around before approaching the cell walls.
Arcee then walked up to Cliffjumper, who pounded the walls to inspect any weaknesses.
"You didn't answer my question." The female Autobot reminded.
"I got bored with Starscream's little workout, so I idled my engines and fake shut down." Cliffjumper said. "Scream bought it."
"How did you wind up here?" Arcee asked.
"Intercepted some chatter about a Decepticon operation on the old home planet. So, I follow the trail and find Starscream shipping massive amounts of Energon here to Cybertron." Cliffjumper explained. "What's your story?"
"Same." Arcee said simply.
"You're quite the conversationalist." Cliffjumper commented, still keeping on his signature smile.
(Linebreak)
On the main deck, Starscream paced around in frustration from not being able to get his prisoners to talk, while Soundwave, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Brawl stood by.
"Ugh, I've tried every interrogation technique and nothing is working!" Starscream scowled. "I would just eliminate them, but the code they carry is too valuable. If only I could break them open and just take it."
"I'll just rip open their minds and find out the encryption code myself." Brawl declared eagerly.
"That won't work, Brawl. The only thing that can get us that code from the Autobots' is a Cortical Psychic Patch." Thundercracker said.
"True, but none of us are properly experienced in using it." Starscream replied in disappointment.
"Actually, there is one Con with the logic to use the Psychic Patch." Skywarp reminded, while Soundwave pointed down to Cybertron.
"No, I will not take the prisoners to the surface." Starscream argued as he held a slight grudge against the Decepticon they were talking about. "Why should I let him have all the glory?"
"The code they carry is too valuable." Soundwave said with a recorded message of Starscream.
"What Soundwave said." Brawl added.
"Alright. Since I must deliver the Energon to him anyway." Starscream said in defeat.
"You do that while we wait up here." Thundercracker replied.
(Linebreak)
On Cybertron's surface, Starscream and a bunch of Vehicons were seen walking through the ruins of their home planet with Arcee, Cliffjumper and some crates of Energon in tow.
"So this is Kaon, Huh? Love what you Decepticons have done with the place." Cliffjumper said, wanting to lighten things up. "The ruins are especially picturesque."
"Silence!" Starscream ordered in irritation, causing a Vehicon to shove Cliffjumper from behind.
(Linebreak)
Starscream and his two Autobot prisoners soon arrived in some kind of laboratory beneath the city of Kaon.
"Here we are." Starscream said.
Arcee and Cliffjumper looked down at a nearby table and saw a bunch of deadly tools on it, meaning that whoever works down here was a really dangerous individual.
"That's not a good sign." Cliffjumper muttered worriedly.
"Since I could not compel you to surrender the encryption code, I'm forced to introduce you to someone who's methods are a little more…persuasive." Starscream told the Autobots, holding an Energon taser.
Just then, Arcee and Cliffjumper began to hear some loud footsteps from behind and they turned around to see a large Cybertronian walking his way into the lab from the shadows. When the new Decepticon arrived, he was shown to be purple, had tank-like rails on the back of his legs, a long spinal belt that connects from his back to a big cannon that serves as his left hand, and a single red eye on his head.
"We may be in a little more trouble than I thought." Cliffjumper admitted.
"Autobot, say hello to Shockwave." Starscream introduced as the one-eyed Decepticon stared down at them.
Later on, Arcee and Cliffjumper were hooked up to a lab table separately as Shockwave was working to extract the encryption code from them, while Starscream simply walked around casually.
"Delivering a mountain of Energon, intercepting an encrypted Autobot communique and capturing two key prisoners is impressive, I admit. But Lord Megatron expects nothing less from his first lieu-" Starscream stopped talking when he saw Shockwave staring at him. "I should let you work, right? No doubt you are trying to concentrate. Carry on."
Shockwave grabbed a Cortical Psychic Patch cable and connected one end to the back of his head. While the Decepticons weren't looking, Arcee began using her orange wrist piece to cut through her restraint and Cliffjumper saw this.
"Umm, Shockwave, are you certain you can extract the decryption code without first nullifying our subjects' neural net?" Starscream asked doubtfully, causing the one-eyed Decepticon to get closer in his face.
"I invented the Cortical Psychic Patch. I am familiar with it's idiosyncrasies." Shockwave replied, walking away.
"Eh…of course you are." Starscream stuttered.
Shockwave started approaching Arcee with the other end of the Cortical Psychic Patch wire in his hand.
"Keep that thing away from me, you one-eyed freak!" Arcee shouted.
"Leave her alone! Use it on me!" Cliffjumper called out.
"Do not worry. If her mind does not survive the procedure, you will be next." Shockwave said.
He used his cannon to hold Arcee's head still and connected the Cortical Psychic Patch cable to her head, making her gasp. Cliffjumper struggled to free himself as Arcee remained still and a bunch of Cybertronian data started appearing on a monitor, which Starscream immediately noticed.
"Ah, the code." Starscream said with a pleased smile.
When Shockwave removed the cable from Arcee's head, the female Autobot muttered in pain and laid motionlessly in her position.
"Arcee! Arcee! I'll scrap you both!" Cliffjumper yelled angrily.
"Shut up! I'm trying to listen." Starscream replied.
The encrypted code then started to play a message for everyone in the lab to hear.
"This is Optimus Prime. To all surviving Autobots who hear this message, I ask you to join me in a remote corner of the universe, on a small planet rich with Energon." Optimus' voice said on the monitor. "I have reason to believe this world will soon become a new target of Decepticon conquest. Our team is small, but strong. Join me at these coordinates so that we might plan our resistance. Safe journeys."
While Starscream and Shockwave listened to the message, Cliffjumper saw that Arcee was awake and faking being unconscious while continuing to break through her restraints.
"Ah, brilliant! Not only do we know where to find Optimus Prime, but he's begging for help. Now is the time to strike." Starscream declared before he activated his com-link. "Thundercracker, prepare the Nemesis for galactic travel. We finally know where to find Optimus Prime and his Autobot followers."
"Sure thing, Starscream." Thundercracker replied.
Shockwave turned his attention to Cliffjumper and approached the red Autobot.
"You are no longer of use." Shockwave declared as he aimed his cannon at Cliffjumper.
"Hey, Scream. Curious, you always let other Cons do your dirty work?" Cliffjumper asked tauntingly, which instantly got the air commander's attention.
"Shockwave, you already disposed of one of my prisoners." Starscream told the one-eyed Decepticon. "Cliffjumper is mine."
"Your reasoning is hardly logical. But indulge yourself." Shockwave said before he left the lab, with two Vehicons following him.
"What do you think, Cliffjumper? Plenty to choose from here." Starscream sneered, smirking deviously as he picked up a tool. "Shall we go with precise dissection or blunt force?"
Cliffjumper looked to his side and saw that Arcee had finally gotten her left arm free, knowing he needed to distract Starscream for just a little bit longer.
"Your choice, Scream. Whatever you pick, I'm just gonna end up using it on you." Cliffjumper proclaimed.
"Very well." Starscream said before he approached Cliffjumper and bared his claws at him. "Why don't we do this the old-fashioned way?"
But before he could kill Cliffjumper, Arcee jumped at Starscream from behind and arm-pinned him before kneeing him in the face. Arcee then knocked Starscream into the lab table and restrained him before he could do anything.
"No! No!" Starscream shouted.
Arcee walked up to Cliffjumper and deactivated his restraints.
"Thanks for the save." Cliffjumper said before Arcee turned her attention back to Starscream.
"Your turn, Starscream. What's with all the Energon?" Arcee questioned.
"As if I would tell you." Starscream retorted.
"Talk, or you're a science experiment. I'm not kidding!" Arcee said with a stern glare, walking towards the lab table.
"You should probably tell her something. I'm not sure how long I can hold her back." Cliffjumper admitted as he leaned against the table Starscream was on.
"I'm no expert with this, but I hear one slip-up can fry a neural net." Arcee explained threateningly, holding the Cortical Psychic Patch cable as Starscream squirmed nervously.
"Shockwave! He's the one you want!" Starscream stated. "He's building a Space Bridge beneath Kaon."
"Impossible. Space Bridge technology's been lost for mega-cycles." Arcee said in disbelief.
"And yet, he managed. Shockwave never left Cybertron precisely so he could scavenge parts and reverse engineer Space Bridge mechanics." Starscream explained.
"And you just delivered all the Energon he needs to power it up." Cliffjumper finished.
"Well, it often pains me, I try to be a team player." Starscream admitted, until Arcee knocked him out and began walking away.
"You going somewhere?" Cliffjumper asked.
"To take down a Space Bridge." Arcee declared.
"Without me?" Cliffjumper questioned.
"This will require stealth, not chatter." Arcee said, still not putting up with his talkative personality.
"Oh, you mean the chatter that distracted Starscream long enough for you to free yourself." Cliffjumper reminded with a smile.
"…Just try not to slow me down." Arcee replied begrudgingly.
(Linebreak)
Once they were out of Shockwave's lab, Arcee and Cliffjumper began running through the underground facility to find the Space Bridge.
"You know where you're going?" Cliffjumper asked.
"My unit used these tunnels during the war. They're part of old Cybertron." Arcee said.
The two of them made a right turn and they came up to a pile of wreckage before climbing over it.
"The sooner we blow the Bridge, the sooner we join up with Optimus Prime." Cliffjumper proclaimed.
"Give him my regards." Arcee replied as they made it to the other side.
"Did you not hear Prime's message? He needs us." Cliffjumper said.
"Teamwork isn't my thing. After we finish this, you and I go our separate ways." Arcee told him, not looking back.
"Whatever you say, partner." Cliffjumper commented, making Arcee immediately turn around.
"Let's get one thing straight, you are not my partner." Arcee stated with a stern glare, which caused Cliffjumper to drop his playful attitude.
"Arcee, I know it's rough. I really do." Cliffjumper said, more sincere this time.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Arcee replied, starting to walk away.
"Tailgate." Cliffjumper told her, making Arcee stop in her tracks and remember when her old partner was slaughtered by Airachnid. "Closing yourself off from feeling won't help anyone."
(Linebreak)
Back in the present, Arcee heard Willow repeat the same thing Cliffjumper said to her on Cybertron.
"That sounds familiar." Willow said.
"Good advice is good advice." Arcee replied.
"So, what happened next?" Hunter asked curiously.
"I'm sure she'll tell us." Luz said as she and Amity looked to Arcee, who smiled in response.
(Linebreak)
Back in the past at Cybertron's underground area, two Vehicons were guarding the door to a large station room before they got taken out by Arcee and Cliffjumper, who dragged them behind the walls. Arcee and Cliffjumper ran into the room and they got behind some cover, looking ahead to see a fully-activated Space Bridge in the distance.
"Shockwave's latest work of art." Arcee whispered.
"Already fuelled and ready to rip." Cliffjumper added before spotting something near the Space Bridge. "Arcee, look familiar?"
Arcee followed his gaze and saw two Vehicons working at an control terminal, which displayed a familiar set of coordinates on Earth.
"The coordinates Optimus provided. They're being used to target the Space Bridge." Arcee said.
"Which means the Cons will ambush Optimus and his team before any Autobot reinforcements can get there." Cliffjumper realised as they both got lower in their cover.
"If the Cons scorch Optimus, the war is as good as over." Arcee told the red Autobot.
"We can fix that." Cliffjumper assured, shifting his hand into a blaster.
"No. We don't have the ordinance to blow the Bridge." Arcee replied. "I'll have to sabotage the control systems."
"What about access? You're just gonna walk up and ask for permission?" Cliffjumper asked.
"No. You are." Arcee answered, much to Cliffjumper's surprise.
The two Vehicons were still working at the control terminal, until someone arrived to interrupt their work.
"Uh, excuse me." Cliffjumper called as he walked down the ramp, earning the Vehicons' attention. "I got separated from the tour group. Does anyone know where I can find the Decepticon base?"
The Vehicons immediately brought out their blasters and approached the red Autobot.
"Wow! Didn't Commander Starscream tell ya? I'm on your side now." Cliffjumper announced.
The two Vehicons looked at each other in confusion, while Arcee secretly got behind them and made her way to the control console before typing some buttons on it.
"That coward, Optimus Prime, turned tail and ran. Left the rest of us Autobots to fend for ourselves. So much for camaraderie, Huh?" Cliffjumper explained. "Figured I'd rather be on the winning team, so I took Starscream up on his offer. Imagine the look on Prime's face when it starts raining Decepticons, me with them."
The Vehicons still had their blasters aimed at him, finding it very hard to believe what he said.
"Really. I know all about Starscream's plan. We can all get along, now." Cliffjumper told them.
But then, the Vehicons looked behind Cliffjumper and lowered their weapons, making him fell uncomfortably suspicious.
"There's someone behind me, isn't there?" Cliffjumper asked before he turned around to see Shockwave.
"Only Starscream could fail to dispose of a helpless captive." Shockwave proclaimed.
However, everyone started to see the Space Bridge build up more energy inside and it made an loud and strange noise while Arcee kept sabotaging it from the control terminal.
"Uh, is it supposed to sound like that?" Cliffjumper questioned, until Shockwave immediately bashed him away and rushed towards Arcee.
"Interloper!" Shockwave shouted, grabbing Arcee and tossing her away as she nearly fell off the platform. "You have overridden the Energon containment protocols, haven't you? Clever, but not irreversible."
As Shockwave worked at the console to get the Space Bridge working properly, the two Vehicons tried keeping Cliffjumper pinned. But the red Autobot managed to push one of them away and kicked the other one before managing to get up. Cliffjumper then managed to take them both out in hand-to-hand combat before he used another as a shield against a fourth Vehicon, taking them out in seconds. He turned his attention to Shockwave and fired his blaster at the control terminal, destroying it. Shockwave began walking towards Cliffjumper as his blaster shots had little effect on him, until Cliffjumper jumped up and kicked down on Shockwave. When he landed on the other side, Cliffjumper stepped back and avoided some physical attacks from Shockwave before swiping the one-eyed Decepticon off his feet and aiming his blaster at him. But then, Shockwave knocked Cliffjumper away and two Vehicons stomped towards him, until Arcee shot them with her blasters. More Vehicons showed up to fire at Arcee, who shot one of them down and destroyed the other three with her wrist blades. Arcee then noticed Shockwave aiming his cannon at Cliffjumper.
"There is more than one way to nullify a neural net." Shockwave said.
"Not this time." Arcee stated before she fired her blaster at the ceiling above them.
The rubble came crashing down and Cliffjumper rolled out of the way, causing Shockwave to be buried in a pile of scrap.
"Cliff?" Arcee asked in concern, rushing up to Cliffjumper and helping him up.
"I knew you cared." Cliffjumper quipped.
Just then, Starscream arrived with two Vehicons by his side.
"It appears Shockwave's arrogance was his undoing. Destroy them!" Starscream ordered.
The Vehicons fired their blasters and Arcee and Cliffjumper quickly took cover behind some of the rubble. Starscream then noticed the Space Bridge was sparking out energy to show it was overloading.
"Autobots, whatever you did to the Space Bridge, undo it now!" Starscream called out.
"They should really stop shooting at us if they want out help." Cliffjumper said to Arcee before they ducked down. "Seeing as our exit is blocked and we have an open Space Bridge portal currently set for Prime's location…you with me?"
Cliffjumper held his hand out for Arcee and the female Autobot stared quietly at him, while he gave her a confident smile. Arcee then accepted Cliffjumper's hand as Starscream and the Vehicons saw the Space Bridge was reaching it's energy limits.
"The Space Bridge! It's going to blow!" Starscream exclaimed as he ran away.
Arcee and Cliffjumper ran straight into the Space Bridge, but the rubble they left behind began to move and Shockwave stood out of it.
(Linebreak)
Inside the Space Bridge, Arcee and Cliffjumper were running straight towards the other end. But then, a powerful blaster shot landed in front of them and they quickly stopped before they saw Shockwave walking up to them and firing another blast.
"Give him everything you've got!" Cliffjumper stated.
He and Arcee fired their blasters at Shockwave, who wasn't damaged at all and fired another shot that sent both of them falling against the Space Bridge surface. Arcee looked back to see Cliffjumper laying on the floor and she glared at Shockwave, who was still advancing towards them. Cliffjumper saw Arcee standing in front of him and facing Shockwave determinedly before the one-eyed Decepticon fired his cannon at her. But then, Arcee leaned to the side and avoided the laser shot, firing her blaster and shooting Shockwave straight in his eye while causing him to shout out in pain.
"Woo! Bullseye!" Cliffjumper cheered before he and Arcee made a run for the Space Bridge exit.
Shockwave was now blinded with his eye destroyed and he fired his cannon aimlessly, causing a bunch of energy explosions to get set off around the Space Bridge with him, Arcee and Cliffjumper still in it.
(Linebreak)
On Earth, the Space Bridge appeared in the middle of a badlands and Arcee and Cliffjumper fell out of it. The Space Bridge then exploded and it faded away, while Arcee and Cliffjumper simply laid on the ground.
"Think Shockwave survived?" Arcee asked without opening her eyes.
"Hope so. I want a rematch." Cliffjumper replied with a chuckle.
He began to stand back up while groaning a bit before Arcee approached him.
"Let's find Optimus…partner." Arcee said, kindly offering her hand to Cliffjumper.
Cliffjumper was pleased to know that he and Arcee had a partnership now and he accepted her hand, standing back up and walking through the badlands with her.
"Heheh, rich with Energon, Huh? Hope the whole rock doesn't look like this." Cliffjumper said while observing their surroundings. "Reminds of the time I was lost in the Sea of Rust back on Cybertron. Except I was separated from my unit with absolutely no one to talk to."
"Talk at?" Arcee questioned jokingly.
"Admit it, you love the company." Cliffjumper replied as this was the story of how these two became true partners.
(Linebreak)
Back in the present, Arcee continued to stare into the sunset with Luz, Amity, Willow and Hunter.
"It's funny. At first, I didn't think I'd ever get used to Cliff's constant chatter. Now, it's one of the things that I like about him." Arcee admitted with a smile.
"That was a great story, Arcee." Willow replied.
"Yeah, it's always nice to know how you and Cliff met each other in the first place." Amity added.
"Did that Shockwave Decepticon really survive?" Luz asked in curiosity.
"He hasn't been mentioned in a long time, so I'm guessing he didn't." Arcee said.
"That's good." Amity commented.
"Well, thanks for the talk, everyone. I'm gonna go back inside and check on Bulkhead." Willow said as she stood up with a smile, showing that she was feeling much better.
"I'll come with you." Hunter replied.
"Thanks, Hunter." Willow said kindly before they both headed towards the lift to head downstairs.
"You did a good job, Arcee. Willow's gonna be feeling a bit better now." Luz told her Autobot Guardian.
"You did the same for me." Arcee reminded.
"She sure did, and you're definitely a good conversationalist now." A new voice said as Arcee and the girls saw Cliffjumper standing behind them.
"How long have you been there, Cliff?" Amity asked.
"Long enough." Cliffjumper replied, sitting next to Arcee. "And I think the four of us really are the same."
"You and Luz made me and Amity into the girls we are, right now." Arcee said kindly. "I guess some people are meant to be together."
"It happens for a reason. Don't you think so, Amity?" Luz asked, smiling at her girlfriend.
"For sure." Amity chuckled as the two of them shared a kiss.
Arcee and Cliffjumper stared at their young friends in approval, while the female Autobot slowly moved her hand onto the red Autobot's palm. The four of them continued staring into the beautiful sunset, enjoying each other's company.
Be sure to leave a review of what you thought :)