A/N: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Transformers MHA! But, more importantly, HAPPY TEARS OF THE KINGDOM LAUNCH DAY! Oh-ho-ho, man, you guys have NO idea how prepared I am to get this game. I'll be beating my latest playthrough of Breath of the Wild this weekend, I ALSO just wrapped up my FIRST playthrough of Persona 5 Royal LAST weekend, and all that's left for me to do is get the game in my hands… which won't be until next week. GAH! Shows what I know for not preordering…

But I'm getting off topic, aren't I? Right now, our focus should be on the story and how the Autobots and heroes are going to handle this new challenge that'll soon be before them. So, without further ado, let's meet our new villains properly, yeah? This is…

Chapter 43: SUV

…..

"Bleh! Gah, I'm fairly certain that I still have some of that charred avian carcass in the crevices of my helm!" This was all Starscream had been able to think about for the past several days since… the incident. Even now, he was scrubbing at the top of his helmet with a detailing brush that was coated with sudsy water, grumbling to himself as he brushed furiously. "Gyah-hah! It's utterly revolting! How can every organic being on this planet be so utterly disgusting?! Swift, do you still have that buffer?"

Keeping in step next to him, the Decepticon air assault specialist pursed her lips in aggravation. This had been all she had heard for the past THREE days now, and it had gotten old after the first ten seconds. "Ugh, YES, I still have it. I've HAD it since you handed it to me only a MINUTE ago. And then the minute before that, and then the minute before THAT—"

"Guh, ALRIGHT, I get it!" Starscream swiped the buffer out of Swift's hand and began using it on his helm for the umpteenth time, making Swift throw her head back with a groan. "Well, YOU try having a dead organic land on YOUR head piece and see how YOU feel about it!" The air commander snapped back.

Swift was about to argue… but her face twisted into a grimace when she found that he had a point. "…You know, I hate that you're right about that."

"You're darn right I am!" Starscream tossed the buffer over his shoulder and stopped in front of a window pane, looking at his own reflection. Thankfully, the halls were dark enough so that he could do that. "Hah, alright… I think I finally got the rest of it out."

"FINALLY!" Swift threw her hands into the air. "Now maybe we can actually start FOCUSING on stuff that's more important. Like, ya know, the fact that Prime took out our freaking TANK!"

Starscream snapped his fingers at that. "Ah, yes, Blastwave. Has Flatline given an ETA on his recovery?"

"Doc's thinkin' it could be a while. Probably not 'til next week." Swift took out her data pad and brought up an image of the injured munitions expert, showing it to her commander. "As you can see, Prime did a number on the poor bot."

"Oh, please, it's Blastwave, how bad could it be—SWEET SOLUS PRIME!" Starscream pushed the pad back to Swift, closing his optics tight. "Put it away, put it away! By Trion's beard, how is he NOT in stasis lock?!"

Swift put the device away with a shrug. "What can I say? Blastwave's not just thick in the head, but thick everywhere else…" Starscream was about to speak up, but Swift cut him off with a raised finger. "Ah-ah, don't bother, realized the moment I said it. Just forget those words ever left my vocal processors."

Starscream hummed as they came up to the main bridge, making a mental note to save that audio clip in his files for his own entertainment. "Well, in any case, the fact that the Autobots have not just three, but FOUR Mini-Cons is depressing in and of itself… but the fact that one is Prime's partner… we must step up our game if we are to keep up. I want as many units as we can expend to comb the globe for Mini-Con panels." The notion made Swift's eyeridges rise up, beckoning Starscream to continue; "We cannot wait for them to appear on our radar on their own, we must be proactive in our search."

"Huh… that's actually a really good idea." Swift admitted. "Just one thing though; where do we even START on this dust ball?"

A conniving grin came to the Seeker's lips. "When you have the best hacker in the Decepticon ranks on your ship, you've basically been given the keys to this world's surveillance systems. We will use those to our advantage in this endeavor…" At that, the bridge door opened and he called inside; "Nightra! I have use for your skills—whaaaaa?"

"HAHAHA!" There, at the main console, sat Nightra herself, the Decepticon hacker laughing uncontrollably at… a video of an organic feline playing some sort of instrument. "Oh-oh-aye dios mio, this planet's got EVERYTHING!" The video then switched to that of another cat… though this one's body was square in shape and colored pink, and it was… flying through space with a rainbow coming out its backside. "AHAHA! Oh, I could watch these ALL day…"

The music that the video was playing quickly grated on Starscream's nerves, baring his teeth as his optic twitched. Swift had to hold herself together, resisting her laughter as Starscream marched up and yanked back on the chair, making it so that Nightra was looking at him upside down. "Agent Nightra…"

"Oh, uh… hey there boss." Nightra seemed a lot less amused now.

"Could you care to tell me why you are in here wasting your time and NOT combing through this planet's electronic infrastructure like I ASKED you to?"

But then, Nightra scoffed and rolled her eyes, swiveling back around to meet him face-to-face. "Relejate, commander, I've been doin' that! Whaddya think these are?" She jerked her thumb toward the cycling feline videos, which now showed a… rather overweight specimen sitting in an odd position. "Been goin' through most of this planet's internet archives for hours now. Gotta say, for a race of fleshies, they come up with some interesting stuff, and not JUST the silly videos."

"Is that so?" Starscream leaned forward, his grin calm yet threatening. "Well then tell me… have you found anything "interesting" relating to Cybertronian artifacts? Mini-Cons? Perhaps even the Ark?"

Nightra put on a confident smile. "Actually… nothing specific came up in the search, but I just intercepted a transmission that I know you'll be interested in…" Starscream narrowed his optics skeptically as Nightra brought up one of her holo-pads, playing the audio she had captured;

"Optimus, begin to initiate Phase 2. Five miles to the south, you will reach the rendezvous point."

Starscream and Swift were left puzzled yet intrigued by the unmistakable voice of the Autobot medic, the latter scratching her helm. "Rendezvous point? The Bots are reconnoitering some place?"

"No doubt a transport mission of some sort." Starscream mused, glancing down to Nightra with narrowed optics. "And you said you had JUST intercepted this?"

"Yep, about thirty clicks ago." Nightra put her hands behind her head, reclining in her seat. "No thanks are necessary—AH!" Without warning, Starscream jerked the chair around and sent Nightra falling onto her aft, leaving her on the floor.

"I expect you to take these IMPORTANT MATTERS to me IMMEDIATELY, agent!" The Seeker growled, storming past her to address six of his Vehicons. "But, no matter. Flight units; prepare to be sent to the Autobots location, and prepare to intercept whatever it is they are transporting." The Vehicons all saluted, addressing their commander before making their way toward the GroundBridge. "Soon, Autobots… I WILL find out what you're hiding…"

…..

Meanwhile, the Autobots had just emerged from the tunnel, parting ways with the train as its track took a turn toward the East. The bots continued on their way south, however, returning to the road while the MECH helicopter continued to follow them overhead. However, said copter was much more hesitant to get close, given that there was now a large dragon lady standing on the top of the semi's trailer. The pilot made sure to keep his distance, asking his leader; "So… did they give an estimated time of arrival?"

"They shouldn't be long." Silas replied, setting his eyes up to the sky. "They've been stationed nearby for this very scenario…" It didn't take long before both agents saw an incoming jumbo jet come flying in over the horizon, with Silas smirking in anticipation. "And now… we watch the bedlam ensue."

Down below, however, Fowler wasn't liking what he was seeing. The fact that a jet that large was flying so close to the ground was NOT a good sign. "Air support? …Ours or theirs?"

On top of the trailer, Ryukyu narrowed her eyes at the aircraft as its rear hatch opened up, allowing four people to leap right out and come falling straight toward them. '…Or, wait four people and… is that a horse with WINGS? Oh no…' Ryukyu spread her wings and jumped off of Prime's trailer, calling out to her fellow heroes; "Disengage from the convoy, people! We've got villains!"

"What?!" Gang Orca, Crust and Edgeshot all craned their heads up, seeing the figures falling toward them at an accelerating rate. Some of them opened parachutes, while the flying horse spread its wings, but the biggest of them all just kept falling down until it CRASHED directly in front of the convoy. The dust managed to mask its hulking frame, but there was no mistaking it; this person was just as big as Ryukyu in her dragon form.

"Oh, I don't like the look of that!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Prime, watch out!"

The massive man came leaping out of the dust cloud… and the sight of him made Fowler's jaw drop. Aside from being absolutely massive, his physical appearance was just as off-putting. His skin was pale and had a weird texture, almost as if an old, wrinkly person had been stretched out around a muscley body. He was bald, wore green-lensed goggles, and had a white handlebar mustache, wearing no shoes or any normal clothing. Instead, he wore a black body suit, which had a pair of green-glowing pistons sticking out of his back.

The hulking brute went to grab Optimus, but was intercepted by Ryukyu, the two tumbling off the road and getting into a scrap immediately. "Ryukyu!" Fowler called out.

"I'm fine, just go!" The Dragon lady called back, slashing her claws at the man as he blocked them with his arms. "The mission comes first!"

Gang Orca climbed on top of Bulkhead's roof, with Crust and Edgeshot leaping off to engage the enemy. "Autobots, keep going! We'll handle things from here!" With that, Orca followed suit, propelling himself off of the green Autobot and into the fray.

"Understood!" Optimus affirmed, driving away from the battle as fast as he could… only to suddenly come to a halt when something fast got in his way.

"Woah, woah, hold on there, big trucker man." Standing in his way was a tall, lanky, athletic man, his hands on his hips while wearing a gnarled smirk. He was in a tight-fitting body suit with black and orange detailing all throughout, complete with a cowl that fit just as snug. Over his eyes he had a visor that resembled pointy glasses, and on his chest was a large, metal piece with a stylized "N" logo in its center. On his back was a pack of some sort that was designed to resemble a motor, complete with intakes and exhaust pipes, and his boots were large and oddly circular, as if they were designed to resemble wheels. "Sorry, but we'll be taking things from here."

Just then, something landed on top of Optimus, startling Fowler before he heard another voice. "Forsooth! Mine comrade speaks verily!" The agent thrust his head out the window and was left utterly confused by what he was seeing. There was another man with a much broader frame standing there… and he was dressed like Robin Hood. No joke, he was dressed in a green and brown getup that wouldn't be too out of place at a Renaissance Fair, and he even had a bow in his hands. Though this bow was FAR from just a piece of wood with a string. No, this bow was made of metal, and its "string" was an energy tether. What's more, his left arm was entirely mechanical, with only three fingers. "This fleet shall meet its end here, good sir!"

"What in the flying fu—OW!" Fowler was cut off when something suddenly hit him on the head, making him pull back into Prime's cab.

"Ah-ah, language!" Much to the agent's surprise, it was the voice of a young girl who chastised him… one who was dressed like she was royalty. She presented herself before him in a striking magenta dress with a short, poofy skirt, her legs donned with pink stockings and a pair of matching magenta boots. Her long gloves were completely black, however, as was her domino mask and the choker around her neck. She wore her blonde hair in a pony tail, which allowed her to wear her silver tiara easier. In her hand, she held a metal wand, which she pointed at him in disapproval. "Swearing like a sailor doesn't solve anything, ya know."

Fowler glared up at her. "Lady, you are NOT in any position to lecture me—whaaaa?" It was only then that Fowler had noticed the most astonishing thing about her; the fact that she was riding on the back of a flying, metal horse robot. It had a long horn sticking out of its head and its wings seemed to be made of hard-light laser technology, which gave it a rainbow sheen. Its mane and tail were also made out of energy tethers, crackling with power whenever it shook. "By Custard's Last Stand!"

The young woman wore a knowing grin as she held her head up high. "Oh, so you finally noticed my dear Powdered Sugar, hm? Yeah, she's like, totes amazing." She reached her insulated gloves to the metal horse's mane and rubbed it affectionately. "Isn't that right, Powdered Sugar? Oh, you make mama so proud, yes you do!" The robotic equine whinnied in response.

"This… is probably the weirded band o' bad guys I've ever seen." Jazz piped up. "No cap."

"HEY!" Gang Orca piped up from behind, garnering their attention. "Step AWAY from the truck, you troublemakers!"

Crust raised his fists as Edgeshot readied himself to use his Quirk. "Who ARE you people?!" the Shield Hero demanded. "Are you with these MECH ruffians?!"

"Ruffians?!" the archer exclaimed, taking offense to the remark. "Such heathenry, good sir! Your words do nothing but offend!"

The speedy guy rolled his eyes and took over from there. "What he MEANS to say is that yes, we're with MECH, and proud of it." He jerked a thumb to himself. "The name's Nanosec, and I'm the fastest man you'll ever meet…" Nanosec then pointed toward his green-clad teammate. "This here is my boy, Angry Archer. And you've already met the brat—OW!"

"Shut it, Nanosec." The princess wacked him over the head with her wand, sticking her nose up at him. "I can, like, introduce myself." With a bright, cheery smile, the girl placed her hand over her chest. "Hi! I'm Professor Penelope Sutton, PhD. But you can just call me…" She leapt off of Powdered Sugar and twirled around in the air, landing in a magical girl-like pose. "Professor… Princess!"

The heroes, and even her own teammates, stared at Professor Princess for a long while before Edgeshot pointed out; "You know, if you're going out of your way to disguise yourself with a mask, announcing your secret identity is a bit counter intuitive."

Nanosec facepalmed at that. "Damn it, Prof, what the HECK?!"

"Well, excused ME for wanting people to know that I actually EARNED that damned degree!" Professor Princess spat back, folding her arms with a huff. "Besides, not like it matters anyway. Normal bad guys nowadays, like, don't even bother trying to hide their identities, so why should we?"

Angry Archer deadpanned and pointed at her. "Then, pray tell, dear lady, why doth thou don the domino mask?"

Princess gave a cheeky smile, winked and made a peace sign over her open eye. "Because it's villain chic and it makes me look cool." There was a collective groan from hero and villain alike, but the mood was quickly brought back to a more serious one when Ryukyu was suddenly tossed straight over Optimus, landing with a yell directly behind the other heroes. "Oh, and would ya look at that! Rhodesy has wiped the floor with your heavy-hitter."

"RYUKYU!" Crust roared before glaring to the villains with a wrathful snarl. "You FEINDS! I'll bring all of you down!" He thrust his arms forward and sent forth a volley of his plate-like shields… only for Angry Archer to suddenly pull out an arrow from his quiver, knocking it in his bow and letting lose in a split-second. The arrow then burst into several pieces and collided with all of the shields, stopping them and exploding in midair. The shields weren't just destroyed… they were disintegrated within seconds. "W-What the… how…"

"AHAHAH! Forsooth! Your Quirk is helpless in the presence of my highly advanced arrows." Archer pulled out another arrow, this one armed… with a punching glove. "Now have at you!" He let the arrow fly and Crust immediately created a shield in front of him to block it… only for Nanosec to then dash right behind him and the other villains all at once.

"Heh, made ya look!" the speedster pulled off a quick roundhouse kick to Crust's face and then zipped off before Edgeshot could even get his hands on him.

Gang Orca went to swipe at him as well, but once more, he sped right out of reach. "GAH! What in the world—how are they do this—" POW! "AUGH!" Without warning, Powdered Sugar suddenly vaulted over Crust's shield and landed right beside Orca, rearing its haunches back and then kicking it with its rear hooves. But, for a more potent affect, the hooves were practically overflowing with energy, which sent him flying across a nearby field.

"Orca!" Edgeshot whipped around and used his Quirk, shifting his body into its razor-thin form. "I'll cut that horse of yours to ribbons!"

Princess, however, had other ideas. "Yeah… no." With a wave of her want, she sent a beam out at Edgeshot, and he made to avoid it… but it just managed to clip him a little bit, and that was enough.

Within seconds, Edgeshot's entire body suddenly collapsed, a numbing sensation going through his thin form. "AH! W-What? Why can't I—eugh…" And just like that, he felt his face and lips go numb as well, his head thumping onto the pavement below.

"Like I said, Mr Edgelord; no." Princess repeated with a smug tone, waving her wand around. "What you've just experienced in that little particle beam is a healthy dose of numbing agent that I mixed up specifically to keep nuisances like you in check." She held her head up high, placing a hand over her chest. "It's, like, totes useful, for sure. But don't worry, it should wear off in about… five minutes? Give or take." She heard Edgeshot give out a sound of incoherent dread from below, to which she cupped her ear and asked; "Oh, I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear ya over the sound of your own lips."

Crust, however, was quick to take notice of something. "W-Wait, the WAND did that—AGH!" While he was distracted, though, Nanosec came in and kicked him from behind, sending him tumbling only for him to land in a crouch. He went to use his Quirk again, but before he knew it, he was picked up by the muscle-bound behemoth, held tight in his grasp. "AGH! Y-You must be the leader… who ARE you people?!"

The large man brought Crust closer to his face, bellowing. "I am called Colossus Rhodes. And WE…" He thrust a hand out to the other members of his group. "…Are the Squadron of Unconventional Villainy."

"…Huh, you know, I've heard worse names for a villain group."

Colossus Rhodes snarled down at Crust. "Is that supposed to be an INSULT?!"

"I mean… you guys are the ones whose name is basically an acronym for "SUV"." Crust gave a shrug, wearing a weak yet cheeky smile. "So, you tell me."

Rhodes growled more, but Nanosec was quick to see Crust's point. "Huh… ya know, he's kinda got a point. I mean, what villain team with an acronym like "SUV" is gonna be taken seriously—mmhp!"

"Be quiet, Sexton, I do NOT want to hear it." Colossus warned.

Fowler piped up, not about to back down from these people even without powers. "So, what exactly makes you mini-van bozos so unconventional, anyway?"

"Hah, is the answer not obvious, chap?" Archer thrust out his robotic hand, while Nanosec turned around and showed off his backpack and Princess gestured to her horse. "Simply observe us, yon Agent Fowler, and you shall see! Rather than relying on the crutches of modern society known as Quirks, we instead prefer a much more technological approach to our brand of wickedness!"

Crust's eyes widened in shock. "B-But… But that means you're all—"

"Quirkless, correct." Rhodes confirmed before SLAMMING Crust face-first into the ground, pressing his hand down firmly onto the Shield Hero's back. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be taking that D.N.G.S. device and—" But he cut himself off when he heard a set of snickers, leading him to glower at his teammates as they all held back their laughter. "…Seriously? We're doing this RIGHT now?"

"Pfft, well hey, man, whaddya expect?" Nanosec questioned. "I mean, just… what were the government even THINKING with that acronym? That's at least WAY dumber than SUV."

Fowler sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "Question of the day, that's for sure."

Crust, despite being pushed down on, wasn't about to give in that easily. "A-Agent Fowler… you must NOT give them the device!" Internally, the hero was smirking. Of course, this was meant as a fib since the D.N.G.S. itself was safe and sound on the train. They had to keep their misleading up, after all. "Just go! We'll hold them off here!"

"Ha! Like you could get a CHANCE to escape." Princess laughed, pointing up to MECH's helicopter. "There's no where to run, Mr. Secret Agent Man. So, let's just skip the pleasantries…" She had Powdered Sugar trot up to the truck window and she pointed her wand at Fowler. "And give us the goods already, would ya? In exchange, we'll let you guys off the hook with only a bruised ego and some broken bones. How's that sound?"

The Sector Seven agent's eyes went from Princess to Crust, the latter sending Fowler a knowing gaze. For the briefest moment, Fowler returned a small smile to Crust before letting out a forlorn sigh. "Well… I suppose I don't have any other choice. Gimme a minute to open everything up, would ya?"

"Just don't take too long." Colossus Rhodes warned. "We don't have all day." The villains stood by and watched as Fowler messed with the controls inside the semi cab, and before long, something surprising happened. The flat top of the trailer split right down the middle and then hinged up on both sides, allowing the inside to be exposed to open air. "Ah, now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. Now bring out the D.N.G.S."

"Don't worry, I'm gettin' to it…" But as he worked the controls, Fowler smirked to himself and whispered; "We've got 'em, Prime." Within moments, a mechanical whirring could be heard in the back of the trailer, as if something were slowly rising out from it. And, as it happened, there was… only it wasn't the D.N.G.S. It was the gun emplacement turret of the Combat Deck, aiming its guns straight down at the villains.

"WHAT THE FU—" PEWPEWPEWPEW! Nanosec didn't even get to finish before the turret began shooting, forcing him to zip off. "Run away! Run away—AUGH!"

However, the speedster wasn't watching where he was going… causing him to run right into Gang Orca's fist. "That… was incredibly satisfying." He nodded toward the Agent and Optimus. "All of you, get out of here! NOW!"

Colossus Rhodes wasn't about to have any of that, though. "Oh no, I ain't lettin' you get outta here THAT easil—ack!" But, without warning, a certain someone's claw came in and batted him out of the way.

"Not if WE have anything to say about it!" Ryukyu growled as the Autobots proceeded to roll out once again, leaving the heroes to confront the tech-based supervillains. "Round Two, big man. And this time, I'm not holding ANYTHING back! GRAAAH!"

Crust was allowed to get back onto his feet, though unfortunately, he was left dealing with both Professor Princess AND Angry Archer, which he didn't see going in his favor. "Gah, dammit, Edgeshot…" He glanced down to the still partially unraveled hero. "Why'd you have to be left like that of all things? Crust received an argumentative groan from Edgeshot in response. "Oh, don't give me that, you KNOW you were too quick on the draw with this one." The groan this time from the ninja hero was much more half-hearted, but irritated nonetheless.

…..

Fowler let out a sigh, his hand moving to his forehead as he watched the heroes and villains fight in the rearview mirror. "Damn… I didn't think that'd happen." He peered at Prime's steering wheel and muttered; "You wouldn't think that an organization that's mostly Quirkless would have villains on their payroll, much less villains that they'd MAKE themselves."

"Hm, agreed." Optimus hummed. "It would seem that this "Silas" is not above stooping to levels that he himself has disparaged."

"Heh, yeah, man goes on an' on about how heroes an' villains are takin' up all the tech resources for support gear… and he just goes an' makes villains to do his dirty work anyway." Fowler huffed and folded his arms. "Talk about bein' a hypocrite…"

…..

Little did Fowler know, however, that the leader of MECH wasn't all that pleased about the situation either. Silas pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Black's enforcers engage in battle with the heroes, instead of focusing on the main objective of the D.N.G.S. "Hah… well, for all their faults, at least they managed to get the heroes off the convoy itself."

"True… but sir, we now know that trailer is heavily armed." The pilot pointed out. "How do we engage from here?"

Silas was about to answer… when the sound of speeding engines suddenly permeated through the area. Then, on either side of their helicopter, the two were met with the sight of six very strange aircraft. Silas could only watch as the purple and black jets zoomed forward, going straight toward the convoy. And, within moments, all of them sent a volley of missiles down at the vehicles, much to his confusion. "The military fired on one of their own?"

…..

"Prime! Up high at twelve o'clock!" Jazz blared through the commlink. Within moments, Fowler's attention was back out the window, and his eyes widened at the sight of the alien jets closing in. "Not to sound redundant, but I'm pretty sure that THIS is more along the lines of the company we were expectin'!"

"Affirmative, Jazz." Optimus stated, seeing the Vehicons bring out several missiles all at once. "Autobots, be prepared to increase speed. And Roller?"

His Mini-Con partner responded immediately; "Read you loud and clear, Prime!"

"Prepare to disengage and activate the Combat Deck." Not a second after he said that, the Vehicons all opened fire upon the convoy, their missiles directed straight for Optimus. "NOW!" Like clockwork, the trailer slipped right off of Prime's hitch and set itself up in the middle of the road, allowing the Autobot leader to speed away with the others. And, within moments, the Combat Deck unfolded and its energy shield came up, the missiles making impact and exploding harmlessly against it.

Roller moved off the Combat Deck as its turret armature raised up again, shooting back at the Decepticon jets. "Back off, Decepti-creeps! We ain't got nothing you want down here!"

…..

Silas, meanwhile, was left stunned by what he was seeing. That trailer was not just meant for transport, it was an entire battle platform. One with both defensive and offensive measures. Just from the construction alone, he figured it HAD to have been created by some sort of great scientific mind. Still, exactly who or what could have made such a thing still escaped him, as did his pilot. "Uh… sir? Do you have any idea what that is?"

"Not completely, no." Silas replied, taking note of the absence of a certain device that was supposed to be in the trailer, regardless of its transformed state. "More importantly, however, I do not see the D.N.G.S. anywhere on that platform…" He narrowed his eyes at the retreating vehicles. "…We've been had."

…..

At that point, Optimus had lead the Autobots off-road, leading the Vehicons away from MECH and the battle between heroes and villains. Unfortunately, they'd emerged at a dead end; a sheer cliff that dropped straight down into a ravine where the train tracks continued westward. Prime, Bulkhead, Jazz, Strongarm and Flare Up all pulled to a stop and the Vehicons all went into formation, transforming in midair only to fall straight to the ground in front of them, blocking their escape.

"Well… ain't this a fine barrel o' oil?" Flare mused before glancing over to her leader. "Whadda we do from 'ere, Prime? Do we engage?"

"…I am afraid that if we are to survive, then there is no other choice in the matter, Flare Up." Optimus concluded before apologizing to the agent riding with him. "Agent Fowler, I'm sorry, but in order for you and us to escape this situation, it had become absolutely necessary to drop our cover. Autobots, transform!" Whrz-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt! All at once, the Autobot team went into their robot modes, with Prime holding a rather queasy Agent Fowler in his hand.

"Urp… a little warning next time would be nice…"

Optimus bowed his head. "My apologies." He placed Fowler upon a nearby rock outcropping, telling him; "Remain here."

Fowler jumped off Prime's hand with a relenting sigh. "Will do."

The Autobots grouped up to confront the Vehicon threat, with Bulkhead taking the front as he stretched out. "After a long road trip, it feels good to get outta the car, stretch my legs…" The bruiser smashed his fists together, giving a ravenous shout before activating one of his wrecking maces. "AND KICK SOME TAILPIPE!" Wasting no time, Bulkhead led the charge, smashing his weapon straight into a Vehicon right off the bat.

"Woohoo!" Flare Up hollered as she engaged with a Vehicon, zipping around it as it tried to blast her at short range. "Woop! Nah-ah! Missed me!" The foot soldier grumbled and was about to shout at her… when Flare Up blinked in directly next to him with a smirk. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Whipping around, the Vehicon went to blast her, only for Flare Up to zoom back into the air and bring out her pistols, firing back while laughing all the while.

Jazz, however, decided to give more style to his form of combat. The first lieutenant charged directly at a Vehicon, weaving around its blaster fire with ease before going into a slide right next to it. "Heads up, home boy!" In a move that caught the Con off guard, Jazz went right into a break dance move, his legs kicking and tripping up his opponent without fail. "HA! Try an' top that, Flare!"

"Lieutenant, please!" Strongarm implored as she stuck with close-quarters fisticuffs with her Vehicon adversary, punching and kicking it relentlessly. "We're in battle, not having fun with the kids!"

"Ah, sheesh, cadet, ya gotta lighten up a little…" Without even looking behind him, Jazz took out his Subsonic Repeater and blasted the Vehicon over his shoulder, taking it straight back to the floor. "After all, if ya can't do it in style, it ain't worth doin'."

"So you've told me." Strongarm deadpanned as she gave a swift uppercut to her Con. "Many times." She glanced over to see Optimus taking on two Vehicons at once, the Autobot leader skillfully dodging attacks while dishing them out as well. 'Well, at least Optimus is focused, that's not a surprise…' It was then, however, that Strongarm felt like there were several sets of eyes staring at them… and that's when she noticed the villains all paused in mid-battle with the heroes, taking a moment to gawk at all of them. "Oh… that's not good—AGH!"

Strongarm had been blindsided by a punch, which made Flare Up wince. "Ooh… you alright there, love?"

"Just… PEACHY." Strongarm yanked her head up from the ground, sighing as she stood back up. "I'm just glad Sideswipe didn't see that." Without wasting time, she swung back around and slammed her arm into the Con's neck, taking it down again. 'Stay focused, Strongarm. Let the heroes worry about those bad guys…'

…..

As much as they knew that they had to keep fighting, however, the Society of Unconventional Villainy were left utterly gobsmacked after seeing what they had just witnessed. Across the field were several large, giant robots fighting one another, with one group being made up of the entire convoy itself. "Well… that wasn't on my bingo card today." Nanosec noted before zipping around and reengaging with Gang Orca once again. "But I ain't about to get distracted!"

"Speak for thineself, speedster." The Angry Archer rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things. "Those are…"

"Bleh! Gas-guzzling, gear-grinding metal munchers is what they are!" Professor Princess spat in disgust. "They look like giant boy's toys—AUGH!" Taking advantage of the distraction, Crust wasted no time in shooting a volley of his shields at the villainous duo, forcing them to cover themselves and backtrack to a safe distance.

The Shield Hero, however, was left grimacing at the outcome of this battle. 'Blast, we couldn't avoid the Autobot's secret being revealed to these people… this is bad.' His attention was brought back up as Professor Princess came flying right back at him on Powdered Sugar, blasting him with her wand, only to be met with disappointment as he blocked every blast. "That's it! I'm through playing games, little miss!"

"Hmhmhm… who's playing games, old man?" Princess countered.

As that was going on, though, Colossus Rhodes continued his struggle with Ryukyu, the two heavyweights pushing against one another in a pseudo-Sumo match of sorts. However, the moment he saw the Autobots and Vehicons transform, he made sure his eyes were locked onto the bots as much as possible while they battled. His special goggles were currently sending a transmission back to his superior, no doubt wanting to share the discovery as soon as possible. "Boss, are you seein' this?"

"Oh… oh, I very much am, Colossus Rhodes!" Mr. Black's voice rang through the other end, exhibiting a much more… carnal tone. "What wonders of technology! Robotics are far from my area of expertise, but even I must admit that whatever these are has left me impressed…" But then, his tone shifted again, this one to a much darker edge. "Which is why we cannot allow Sumdac or his company to find out about these thing's existence. Is that clear?"

Rhodes grinned as he put more muscle behind his struggle with Ryukyu, pushing her back before kneeing her in the stomach. "Of course, sir. Everyone, FOCUS! Do not let these machines distract you and stay diligent!"

Angry Archer leapt right over Crust's shields and knocked back another arrow, aiming for the Shield Hero. "Of course, Sir Rhodes! Leave everything to us!" He let his arrow fly and, as Professor Princess kept him distracted, it hit Crust directly in his side, making him double over before the cylindrical tip exploded with a cold burst. Within a second, Crust was left frozen almost entirely in a block of ice, with only his head left exposed. "Haha! How doth thou feel now, hero? Enjoying the frozen sensation?!"

Crust's teeth chattered as he glared at the archer. "N-N-Not… p-particularly…"

"Oh, really?" Princess strode forth on Powdered Sugar, the mechanical horse's horn beginning to glow with a burning hot energy. "Well, let's fix that, shall we?"

Not far away, Edgeshot could only stare in horror as his comrade was left at the mercy of the fiery spike getting ever closer. 'Dammit… I need to move!' He tried flexing his fingers, and while there was a little movement there, he couldn't quite make a fist. The same went for the rest of his ribbon-like body, which didn't cooperate much better. But the fact that he could move even a little was still a good sign. 'The affects must wear off gradually over time… but for now…' With every ounce of exertion he could muster, Edgeshot called out; "RRCAH! RRCAH!"

Gang Orca perked his head up and spun around, seeing the situation and letting out a gasp. "Ah! Don't worry, I'm on my way—AH!" However, Nanosec was quick to take advantage, delivering a flying kick straight into the man-whale's back.

"Hey, might wanna focus up there, ya overgrown dolphin!" The speedster teased as he dashed around the hero, getting in a couple of cheap shots in where he could. "Ya know, for bein' such "professionals", you heroes sure are easy to exploit. One of ya gets in trouble? Ya immediately try to help 'em out. Not exactly all that practical if ya ask me."

"Last I checked, no body did!" Orca went to swipe at Nanosec, but he just dashed away again. "Thankfully, though, I only need to do one thing to defeat you, and that's to take out that engine on your back. That must be how your suit's making you go so fast, correct?"

Nanosec was a bit bothered that he had figured that out so quickly, but on the other hand, it didn't really matter. "Heh, like you'll ever GET to it, big man. Now, time to finish you off… with my patented Nerve Point attack!" Clocking up into overtime, Nanosec proceeded to rush his way around Gang Orca faster than even the hero could keep up with, and, using two fingers, proceeded to hit every nerve point he knew would bring a person down at a rapid pace. By the time he was done, he landed in a crouch in front of the man-whale, breathing a bit heavier, but still with enough energy to spare. "Hah… hah… and that is how it's—" RRRRIIPP! Nanosec's eyes widened when he suddenly felt a cool breeze on his back… which now felt a lot lighter as well. "…You're kidding—YIPE!"

Holding his engine in one hand and Nanosec himself by the scruff of his neck in the other, Gang Orca brought him up to meet his menacing glare. "No, I'm not." With a hard SLAM, the hero punched Nanosec into the ground, leaving a human-shaped hole in the dirt. "I think you forgot exactly what my Quirk is capable of. I have ALL the aspects of a Killer Whale… including the layer of blubber that comes with it. Thus, my nerve endings are well protected."

"…Crap." Nanosec squeezed out before Orca dropped his engine on his head, knocking him out.

Wasting no time, Gang Orca ran straight over to Crust, batting both Archer and Princess away before striking the ice block as hard as he could. With a single punch, Crust was freed, though he was quite visibly shivering. "Are you alright, Crust?"

"F-F-Fine… b-but I need to tag out for a bit."

"Understood." Orca flexed his neck muscles before taking a combat stance, challenging the other two villains with his frightening scowl. "Now… COME AT ME!"

…..

Up above, Silas watched the carnage unfold below in wonderment. Namely, his focus was on the battle between the Autobots and the Vehicons, the leader of MECH wearing a knowing smile. "So… the rumors are true. Living technology stands before us… though perhaps not for very long."

His pilot, though, pointed something important out. "I'm just as astonished as you, sir, but… if the D.N.G.S. wasn't on the train…"

"Yes, that." Silas tapped into Fowler's communications again and spoke to him with aplomb. "Special Agent Fowler, you lead a charmed life, walking among titans."

"Come on down." Fowler invited, his own self-confidence on display. "I'll introduce you."

"All in good time…" His eyes moving to his display screen, Silas watched as their tracker focused in on the D.N.G.S.'s true location; moving along the train tracks, westward bound. "But I'm too busy wondering how the D.N.G.S. might have vanished into thin air without a trace…" He trailed off, waiting for Fowler to respond… but nothing came, which brought his smirk back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a train to catch."

Down below, Fowler grimaced as MECH's helicopter went right in the same direction as the train. Clutching his communicator, he reconfigured the signal and spoke to Optimus directly; "Prime! Silas got wise to Phase 2!"

Back at the battle, Optimus was busy batting a Vehicon away when he got Fowler's message, pausing to respond. "I understand—" WHAM! "AUGH!" But, from out of nowhere, another Vehicon came back at him, slamming the end of a massive tree trunk right in the side of Prime's head and sending him careening down the cliffside. Prime came to a hard landed on a pile of rocks down below, further rattling him and making his consciousness slip away.

"Prime?" Fowler hollered, fearing the worst after hearing that abrupt yell. "Do you read me?! PRIME?!" Letting out a shaky breath, Fowler changed the signal again to contact both heroes and Autobots. "Attention everyone! Prime is down, I repeat, Prime is DOWN, and Silas is going after the D.N.G.S.! I need at least one of you on this, NOW!"

…..

"I need at least one of you on this, NOW!"

Hearing this, Edgeshot's eyes snapped open, his fingers flexing into a fist. What were once pins and needles returned to feeling normal again, and before long, the ninja forced himself back onto his feet. He literally pulled himself back together before dashing off in the direction of the tracks, intent on getting there as fast as possible. "Leave it to me!"

"Oh no you don't, Mr. Ninja Guy!" Princess aimed her wand at the retreating Edgeshot, this time prepping a more explosive energy beam. "Let's see how you like THIS!" The moment she sent the blast out, however, it was intercepted immediately by a familiar shield, the professor's eyes widening in shock. "What?!"

Hearing heavy breathing behind her, she spun around and was met by the sight of a battered Crust, exhausted yet still ready to fight. "Hah… hah… missed me, Miss Smarty Pants?"

Edgeshot just kept running, pumping his arms to get his blood moving and the rest of his body feeling back to normal again. Once he was sure that everything felt regular, he concentrated on his Quirk and shot himself forward in his ribbon-like state, darting down the cliff and making it to the train tracks. There, he could see the helicopter in pursuit of its target, and one of the agents inside shot out some sort of weapon at the train. When the projectile made contact, it send out an electrical surge throughout the train, and once it was over, the copter went in to make its landing. 'Must've been some sort of tranquilizer. I've got to get there now!' As he picked up the pace, though, Edgeshot decided to call in some additional back-up. "Autobot HQ, I have a visual on MECH and the train! I could use some backup here!"

"Already on the way, Edgeshot." Red Alert replied. "Just look to your left and you'll see."

True to the medic's word, the hero saw a GroundBridge open up at his side, and from out of it came none other than Springer in his Cybertronian armored car mode. "WOO! Alright, now THIS is what I've been waiting for!" He was able to keep up with the ninja's surprising speed, pulling up along side him to offer a ride. "Hey there! Need a lift?"

"Depends, can you catch up to that train?"

"Hehe, oh, you bet I can." Springer opened his cockpit hatch. "Climb in, I'll take you where ya need to go!" Edgeshot followed the Wrecker's instructions and hopped in, taking a seat before the hatch closed up again. "Hold on tight, human!"

"The name is Edge—SHOT!" Whrz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt! Without warning, Springer shifted straight into his Cybertronian helicopter mode and took to the air, leaving Edgeshot with a serious case of whiplash.

"Nice to meet ya, EdgeSHOT!" Springer mimicked, right down to the high-pitched scream. "The name's Springer."

Edgeshot held onto his forehead, clutching the seat's armrest. "I can see why." He shook the unexpected daze out of his head and focused back on the MECH copter, which had just landed on the train. There, he could see several MECH agents making their way across the car where the D.N.G.S. was being held, and they were cutting through the roof. "Springer, let me out. It's time we get to work."

"I hear ya, Edge! Let's go!" Opening up once again, Springer let Edgeshot out and the Foldabody user went darting out immediately, going right for the MECH agents. Within seconds, he blasted through their laser cutter and all of their bulletproof clothes, leaving them absolutely exposed. The agents gave a collective scream as they covered up their skivvies, only to be then wrapped up by Edgeshot nice and tight. "Sorry, but you're NOT getting this device." The ninja reformed his head to glare at Silas in the chopper's cockpit. "And guess what? You're next."

Silas wasn't about to give in… until he saw the blaster fire peppering down at them. "Pull up! Pull up!" The pilot didn't need to be told twice as they veered up and away from the train, where they saw Springer flying backwards and aiming his guns at them.

"Sorry nerds, but this train is under Autobot protection!" Springer announced. "So if you know what's good for ya, you'll surrender immediately. Or else I… and our leader will have to get rough on ya."

Shifting his eyes out the window, Silas could see Optimus Prime approaching the train as well, the Autobot leader having recovered from his fall. The man sneered as Prime transformed to catch up to the train, to which he ordered his pilot; "Retreat. No D.N.G.S. is worth this amount of trouble."

"Mr. Black won't be happy that we wasted his resources." The pilot informed regrettably.

But Silas didn't pay any mind as he reached for his comm. "It's either that, or be taken in. And we are vastly outmatched in this scenario. Colossus Rhodes, come in."

…..

"GRAAAAHH!" As all of this was going on, the battle between heroes and villains was still going strong, while the Autobots had just disposed of the Vehicons. Rhodes and Ryukyu were busy pummeling one another relentlessly when the man received Silas' message, taking him off guard and allowing Ryukyu to get in a lucky swipe with her claw. Rhodes grasped his bleeding face in pain, gritting his teeth as he shouted back; "WHAT?! I'm busy, Silas!"

"Take your people and return to your base. We're pulling out."

Colossus Rhodes grit his teeth, biting back; "You can't be SERIOUS! Do you have ANY idea how much of Mr. Black's funding you'll waste if you have us retreat now?!"

Silas wasn't about to take that, though. "Why don't you take stock of your own situation, Rhodes? And then tell me how you think you'll fare against the odds here?"

Taking a quick look around, it was only then that Rhodes noticed that his team was in trouble. Sexton was down and out, Archer was quickly running out of arrows against Gang Orca, Crust was keeping up the defensive against Sutton, and Ryukyu was still ready to throw down. And, what's more, the Autobots were charging directly toward the battle, no doubt ready to lend a helping hand. "Grr… fine." Colossus Rhodes pulled the pistons on his shoulders back in, slowly returning him to his smaller form. "SQUADRON! The mission has failed!" He whipped his head toward the Angry Archer and ordered; "Archer, smoke arrow!"

"Quite right, good sir!" Archer pulled out a special arrow from his quicker, one that had a black bomb on the end of it that he aimed directly at the ground. "Tally ho!" Letting the arrow loose, it exploded the moment it hit the dirt, sending a huge cloud of smoke up into the air.

"Gah! You're not getting away that easily!" Ryukyu raised her wings and flapped them repeatedly, blowing the smoke away… but it was too late. By the time she cleared the area, the villains had all boarded Powedered Sugar, the mechanical horse flying at Mach 1 speed with the unconscious Nanosec in its mouth. Archer hung from its tail while the now diminutive Rhodes sat behind Professor Princess, flying straight over the horizon.

"Well meet again, heroes!" Rhodes warned, shaking his frail fist. "I swear it!"

…But given how fast they were flying, neither hero nor Autobot could make out what he said. "Uh… did you guys catch any of that?" Bulkhead asked.

"I dunno." Flare Up shrugged. "Somethin' about wearin' somethin', I think?"

Crust sighed and felt his legs give out from underneath him, with Orca kneeling down to set a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Bah, who cares? They might've gotten away, but at least we know the D.N.G.S. is safe." He craned his head toward the west and nodded. "Nice job, Edgeshot. You came through for us."

…..

…However, Silas was FAR from done. "First rule of combat;" the former soldier flipped a switch, activating a missile launcher directly under the helicopter's nose, "never leave the enemy with the spoils." He took control of the weapon and aimed directly at the tracks below. He pulled the trigger and the missile went flying straight under Springer and exploded the tracks about fifty yards away, leaving the Triple Changer stunned.

"W-Wha—HEY! You can't just…" Springer wanted to fire on the chopper for what they did… but at the same time, he remembered that, if the train blew up, it'd take the D.N.G.S. along with it. And that was NOT good news for any of them. "Grr…AH! I'll be back for you later!" Swallowing his Wrecker pride, the Triple Changer spun around and booked it as fast as he could to that hole in the track, making sure to call Optimus for good measure. "Prime! MECH blew out the train tracks! That D.N.G.S. thing's gonna take us all out if we don't do somethin'!"

"I'm on my way, Springer! Maximum Overdrive!" The sound of Prime's engines accelerating echoed through the ravine as Springer flew over the train, spotting Edgeshot and the captured MECH agents down below.

The ninja hero shouted up to him; "Please tell me you have a plan!"

"A Wrecker always does!" Springer promised as he zoomed ahead and placed himself directly in front of the train, raised his hands, and stood his ground. CLANG! "AGH! Not the BEST plan, but it's a plan!" The green Autobot's feet ground against the tracks, sparks flying everywhere as he attempted to stop the train by force. "Grr… Sawback, Fangblade, try to put some dents in this thing!" On cue, the two Deployer Mini-Cons launched off his shoulders and began pummeling the front of the trains in their disk modes, putting in some fresh dents, but not doing much in terms of slowing it down.

Thankfully, that's where Optimus came in. The Prime had caught up surprisingly quickly and, without a moment to spare, transformed and grabbed hold of the train's front. Digging in his heels, Optimus pulled back as hard as he could his grunts of exertion matching Springer's own as both bots worked to stop the locomotive. And, eventually, they were… right as Springer's feet slipped into the hole and made him fall backward.

"GAH!" BAM! "Ugh… okay, not fun." The Triple Changer muttered as his Mini-Cons transformed and strolled over to him, concerned for their master.

Optimus let out a sigh of relief as Edgeshot ran up over the train car's rooves with his captives in tow… only for all of them to be met with MECH's helicopter circling back overhead. The two Autobots and the hero glared up to the chopper as Silas stared back, wearing a satisfied grin. "Well played, visitor." he said, focusing specifically on Prime. "But MECH still has home-field advantage, and we will find a way to level that playing field." On his heads-up display, the copter's sensors had just finished scanning both Optimus and Springer, showing their body structures on the screen in great detail. "Even if we have to open you up… to see what makes you tick."

Not a second later, the helicopter turned around and flew off, and Springer was quick to offer his services. "Prime, I can get after 'em. Just gimme a sec and—"

"No, Springer." Optimus held up a hand, stopping the Wrecker from going any further. "This conflict need not continue, not when there is a risk to the D.N.G.S." His optics narrowed after the helicopter as it disappeared from sight. "Better to fight another day than to tempt fate."

"Exactly." Edgeshot gestured to his unconscious captives. "And besides, we have prisoners who we can question later, so not all is lost."

Just then, Red Alert chimed in over the commlink. "Optimus! Are you, Springer and Edgeshot… intact?"

Optimus took an intake as he stared at the scene before him. "Intact, Red. Crisis averted… but the world in which we live is a much different one than previously imagined." He approached the scorched earth where the track had been destroyed, his displeased tone all too clear. "One which has spawned its own Decepticons… in human skin."

…..

A/N: To be continued… also, if Optimus thinks MECH and the SUV are bad, wait until he meets a certain mastermind. No doubt he'll see him and his followers as WAY worse than them.

But for now, we now have some human adversaries for the Autobots to contend with, and indeed, they're all Quirkless! Just like their TFA counterparts, they're all ordinary humans who've enhanced themselves through the use of highly advanced technology, and with the backing of one Mr. Black, it seems that they're able to even give heroes WITH Quirks a run for their money… at least a little bit. Given their technology-based abilities, their weaknesses ARE a bit obvious, as seen with Nanosec getting taken down by Gang Orca, but hey, that's the thing with technology; their gear might be imperfect now, but there's always room to improve upon it.

…Also, yes, you guys might've noticed that I snuck in ANOTHER certain inventor's name from TFA in there. Keep an eye out in the future, because it might just be possible that we'll see that inventor in the future.

Of course, though, Starscream WOULD be intent to see what the Autobots are up to, especially given his recent track record and wanting to make up for it. Also, Nightra just does not know when to quit with her shenanigans. I believe that this is what we call "gremlin" behavior.

Surprisingly, things DID get pretty close there at the end with MECH managing to get to the train… though unlike in the episode this is based on, they didn't make it to the D.N.G.S. and get intercepted by children. Nope, instead, we've got Edgeshot and Springer on the case! …But in the end, Silas is still a sore loser and tries to blow everyone up. If he can't have that D.N.G.S., then no one can! But, once again, it's thanks to the efforts of Prime and Springer that they managed to stop the train… but given that Silas has scanned both of them, one can only imagine what he's liable to do with those schematics… That's something to worry about later, though, because with all of this over…

And now, the Preview! We return our focus to the goings on at U.A. as Kyoka goes to Aizawa before finalizing her decision, asking him about who this "Snake Eyes" person is. The answer she receives is… not one that she's expecting, but it does help her make her choice. As Sunday rolls around, however, Red Alert ends up detecting something of Cybertronian origin entering Earth's atmosphere… and the only ones he has to help him are Flare Up and the Street Action Mini-Con team… oh, and the 1-B kids. …This might not end well. Next time; The Pod. What secrets lie within this strange receptacle? Only one way to find out, so until next time, thanks for reading, everybody! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!