Transformers MHA, Arc 2: Earthrise

by The Omni-Remnant

After a rather intense adventure and the U.A. Sports Festival approaching fast, Izuku and his friends have two important things to do; improve their Quirks in time for the festival… and hide a bunch of giant alien robots. That proves to be easier said than done, especially when enemies on Earth and from beyond the stars end up coming for them…

44. The Pod

A/N: Morning, everybody, how're you all doing? Well, I hope everyone's excited, because as of today, we are just TWO weeks out from Rise of the Beasts making its way into movie theaters! Gotta admit, this is the first time in a LONG time that I've been this stoked for a Transformers live action movie, and given what we've seen so far, I'm optimistic about it, for sure. I can at least tell that this director has a lot more respect for what he's making than Michael Bay ever did thanks to a featurette they did about Peru recently, so that's a plus. But that's not what we're here to talk about, is it? No, because it's time we get into this week's new chapter, so let's get into it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 44: The Pod

…..

Kyoka took a deep breath as she arrived at the teacher's office, preparing herself for what would come next. She had gotten to school purposefully early that Saturday morning, being the final day to make her decision on where she'd go for her internship. Having narrowed down her decision to two options, Kyoka had debated on whether to go for the one she knew, Gang Orca, or experience a mystery with one she had no idea about… the enigmatic Snake Eyes. This internal deliberation with herself had gone on for a day and a half, and yet she still had no clue on what to do… so now, it was time to resort to something that she'd been dreading; asking a teacher for help.

…Or rather, asking Aizawa for help, specifically. Her opinion on him as a teacher wasn't entirely positive per se, but she recognized that, being such an experienced and skilled hero, he might be able to help her make her choice. 'I just hope he doesn't give me any crappy advice or anything.' Ultimately, though, she had made up her mind, steeling her nerves as she knocked on the door. Thankfully, a reply came soon after… though not the one she was expecting.

"It's open!" The familiar voice of Midnight made Kyoka blanche, and just like that, she was reconsidering her approach.

'Gah, dammit, I should've figured.' she chastised herself. 'Of course, there WOULD be more teachers here before class.' With a short sigh, Kyoka resigned herself and pulled the door open. 'Well, no going back now.' Thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would when she saw it was only Midnight, Cementoss and Aizawa inside, the latter two at their computers while Midnight leaned against the wall holding a cup of coffee.

"Oh, Miss Jiro, good morning!" Midnight greeted her with a smile, her words garnering the others' attention. "What brings you here before class?"

Kyoka cleared her throat and bowed in respect. "Good morning. I've, um… I came to ask for some help in regards to my choice of internship."

That caught Aizawa's ear rather quickly, swiveling around in his chair to face her. "Hm? What about it?"

"Well, I've managed to narrow it down to two choices…" Kyoka reached into her school bag and pulled out the fliers with the selected heroes' names circled on them. "But I'm having a tough time making my final decision. One is a hero I know and the other… well, I can't really find anything on them even with all the research I did."

"Is that so?" Aizawa quirked a brow and extended his hand, wanting to see the papers. "Here, lemme see…" The punk rocker handed the fliers to him and he trailed his eyes down the pages, humming when he saw her choices. "Hm, so Gang Orca, eh? A bit on the stricter side, but you won't find a better hero to train under if you're looking for discipline. And the other is… oh." In an instant, Aizawa hung his head and sighed; "Yeah… I had a feeling."

"…Yeah, I know, right?" Kyoka scratched her neck awkwardly as Midnight and Cementoss peeked at it as well. "I-I've tried to search up what I could on this guy, but—"

"AH! Oh my goodness!" Midnight gasped, cutting Kyoka off as Cementoss did a double take. Kyoka flinched as Midnight whipped her head around to her in excitement. "So YOU were the one who got him this year! Ha, I would say congratulations are in order, but given past experiences…"

This only served to confuse Kyoka even more. "W-Wait, what's going on? What do you mean I'm the one who got him this year?"

Aizawa, giving her a serious look, set the paper on his table and stood up. "It's just as she said, Jiro, you're the lucky student who managed to catch Snake Eyes' attention this year. I saw it when I printed out your offers, but I was hoping you wouldn't notice it." He peered down at the paper once again. "Guess this is what we get for having a computer sort through most of the offers for us. We let him slip past us."

"S-So, wait… you're telling me that this Snake Eyes guy singles out only one student every year?"

Cementoss nodded to the student. "Yes, exactly. And every year, it's always the same; the student is often one who managed to excel in their Sports Festival performance, often making it to the finals." He picked up the sheet of paper, peering closely at the mysterious name. "Doesn't matter if they win or lose or which year they're in, it's always one who is capable of going the distance."

Kyoka's brow furrowed at that. "…Then why didn't he go for Izuku? He practically dominated the whole thing."

"That's what I was wondering." Midnight concurred. "Midoriya DID do exceedingly well for his first festival… but I think I may know a reason why he singled you out…" With a wink, the R-Rated Hero explained; "Snake Eyes may have been interested in your strategy with teaming up with Izuku through the first two rounds of the Festival, using your abilities in tandem to achieve victory."

Aizawa was quick to add; "Also, Snake Eyes doesn't usually go for students who have loud, flashy Quirks. He seems to be a fan of subtly like that."

"Uh… don't know if you've noticed, but…" Kyoka wrapped one of her jacks around her finger, "my Quirk is kinda the exact OPPOSITE of "subtle". In fact, it's the very definition of loud."

"True… but only when you have support tech to help you amplify your heartbeat." Aizawa pointed to her Earphone Jacks. "Without speakers, your jacks are limited in their use, and I think that's what managed to catch Snake Eyes'… well, eye."

Kyoka titled her head, folding her arms expectantly. "Alright, so is there anything you can tell me ABOUT Snake Eyes? Like, what kind of hero is he?"

"That… is something that we aren't certain about." Cementoss admitted.

"…Huh?"

"It's true." Midnight regrettably confirmed. "Snake Eyes is an enigma to almost everyone, and not just at U.A. All across Japan, not many heroes know anything about him… and if they do, they're keeping quiet about him." The woman crossed her arms as well in frustration. "And no matter how close we are to trying to figure him out, he always seems to disappear, leaving no signs of his presence."

With a shake of her head, Kyoka retorted; "But, that doesn't make sense! He's gotta be registered AS an official hero in order to recruit us, right?"

Aizawa confirmed her words with a nod. "Exactly. And we've even tried to find out more about him through the Hero Public Safety Commission… but aside from his registration, nothing else came up. His file has been redacted to hell and back leaving us without any official information to go off of. No real name, no address, not even his physical appearance." He hung his head, lamenting; "It's as if the world doesn't want anyone to know who he is… and as a result, none of the students who got offers from him have ever gone to his agency, if he has one."

That made Kyoka's jaw drop. "…WHAT?! So you're saying that NO ONE wants to solve the mystery as to who the hell this guy even IS?!"

"That's the thing, Miss Jiro." Cementoss spoke up. "Students see him as TOO mysterious, to the point that they are distrusting of whatever offer he makes. …And honestly, to a degree, we are as well."

"For all we know, "Snake Eyes" could be some sort of organization wanting to recruit young individuals for an unknown means." Aizawa furthered. "Or they could have ties to the mafia or the yakuza, we have no clue." He furrowed his brow to her. "It's why we often advise students NOT to take his offers. We don't know what dangers await you if you do."

Kyoka craned her head down in thought. "…I see. B-But there must've been SOME leads in the past, right? No one can't just… exist one moment and then NOT exist in the next, right?"

Midnight tapped her chin, thinking back to those instances. "Well… there were some moments where we believed we were close." She glanced over to Aizawa and Cementoss, who nodded in approval. "Once, during our investigations, we went to Edgeshot to see if he knew anything, considering he often works in shadows himself."

"…And?" Kyoka asked hesitantly.

"He dodged the question. Multiple times." Aizawa grimaced. "Which means he might be one of the few who knows about Snake Eyes, and he's staying tight lipped about it."

That made Kyoka wince a little. '…And he's the hero that Momo went for. Fantastic.' She shook her head and presented another question. "Okay, so if no one in the know is willing to talk about Snake Eyes, then why hasn't Principal Nezu blacklisted him or something?"

Aizawa scowled further at that. "Believe me, we've tried getting him to… but given that he's conveniently kept forgetting every year, we suspect that even HE knows who this mysterious Snake Eyes is." That made Kyoka's jaw drop like a hammer. "Yeah, exactly. Granted, the fact that both Edgeshot AND Nezu seem to know something we don't might be seen as a positive thing, but still, I strongly suggest that you not take that offer, for your own safety." Aizawa encouraged, handing her back the paper with Snake Eyes' name on it while keeping Gang Orca's. "While Orca's one of the strictest options out there, he's still better than sending you all alone to someone that we as teachers don't know anything about."

Kyoka focused on Snake Eyes' name, a feeling of disappointment churning in her gut. She'd really been hoping that maybe, just maybe, this would result in some sort of awesome adventure involving finding out something barely anyone else knew, especially after hearing all of that from her teachers. 'But… I guess they've got a point. Sending a single student by themselves to a place they don't know is… wait…' Eyes wide and full of confidence, an idea entered Kyoka's head.

"W-Wait a minute! I wouldn't be alone!" she exclaimed, perking the teachers' curiosity. "Maybe this year could finally be the one where we'd get answers!"

"Hold on, what?" Midnight looked at her suspiciously. "What do you mean by "you won't go alone"? You're the only one who Snake Eyes wanted to recruit."

"Maybe so, but I think you're forgetting something…" Kyoka took a quick glance around the room, extending her jack toward the door and plugging it in to make sure no one was outside the room. Once she was certain of that, she whispered; "We have the Autobots."

And just like that, the three teachers understood what the punk rocker was getting at. "Hah… you know, she may have a point." Cementoss rubbed his chin. "The Autobots could not only lead an investigation into Snake Eyes, but also ensure Kyoka's safety in doing so."

The very thought made Midnight tingly. "Ooh, an espionage mission disguised as an internship. Sounds exciting!"

"…You can't be serious, right?" Aizawa deadpanned at both of them. "You're seriously suggesting allowing a student to be put into potential danger just so we can get answers to a years-old mystery?"

"Well, it's better than letting it be, right?" Cementoss reasoned. "I mean, if the principal won't do anything about it, why not take it into our own hands?"

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hah, this is completely irresponsible… but at the same time, I recognize that, for the sake of the student body's safety, it would be prudent to launch some sort of investigation." He reached his hand out to Kyoka and she handed back the paper, to which he narrowed his gaze at Snake Eyes' name again. "But still, we don't even have an address to go off of. No telling what'll happen if we send this offer back with the stamp of approval."

Kyoka steeled herself, holding her head up high. "Well, Mr. Aizawa, part of being a hero is taking risks, right? And I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to solve this mystery." She pulled up her backpack and reached in, taking out a small device. "Besides, Mei's outfitted all of us with special tracers that can lead the Autobots right to us if something happens."

"Hm… fair point." Aizawa hummed. "So, who would you plan on taking to help you in this "mission"?"

The Earphone Jack user winked and raised a finger. "Oh, that's easy! Jazz!" The three adults wore incredulous expression before she explained. "Wait, here me out. I know that Jazz may seem loud and bombastic, but he's also a top tier espionage agent. He even told me that he's been called "Special Ops Jazz" in some circles back on Cybertron."

"That is… an odd nickname to have." Midnight admitted, a bead of sweat dropping from her forehead. "But if you think that he can help you pull this off, then I have full confidence in him." She craned her head down to Aizawa and nodded. "Well, Shouta, it's your call. What do you want to do?"

Eraser Head pursed his lips thoughtfully, considering every option he had before he came to his conclusion with a sigh. Spinning around in his chair, he went to his computer, pulled up Kyoka's offers, and then clicked on Snake Eyes' name. Sure enough… there was nothing aside from the name and a blank image of a generic silhouette. Regardless, Aizawa printed out the blank sheet and took up a large stamp, pressing down with an "APPROVED" marking. He handed Kyoka the sheet, telling her; "Don't die on us, alright? And tell Optimus Prime that this matter is of the utmost importance."

"I will." Kyoka took the sheet and bowed graciously. "I won't disappoint you. And… thanks."

"Hm, sure. Now get to class, I'll be there soon." With that, Kyoka opened the door and left, leaving the teachers to reflect on their decision.

"It's… probably nothing to worry about, right?" Cementoss reasoned. "I mean, if Principal Nezu doesn't mind letting Snake Eyes' name through…"

Aizawa laced his hands together, resting his head on them tiredly. "We'll just have to wait and see. I trust Jiro, and I trust the Autobots, to be sure… but if anything goes wrong, we have to be sure that we step in. The students are our responsibility, after all." He received a unified nod from his colleagues, knowing that he had their solidarity in this. Whatever happened, they would make sure Kyoka would come home after the internships were over.

…..

Little did any of them know, however, that a certain hyper-intelligent, nondescript mammal was listening in on the whole thing. Nezu, having overheard the conversation from the hall, initially approached the door, but stopped short when he remembered that Kyoka would likely hear him. So, he kept his distance and his ears sharp instead, listening in on the discussion. Was it an invasion of privacy to do this? Perhaps, yes, but it was a necessary one in his eyes given the topic. 'So… Miss Jiro is the one who Snake Eyes has selected this year, eh?'

Eventually, the topic shifted to Kyoka's suggestion of an Autobot accompanying her on the internship, which REALLY got Nezu excited. He had been waiting for this day, to be sure. Years of biding time and playing ignorant had finally been paying off, and all because this girl, despite outward appearances, was a firecracker. She had determination, courage, and a will strong enough to want to find out the mystery of Snake Eyes, and when he heard Aizawa give his approval, Nezu had to resist a joyous laugh… especially when Kyoka came out of the room a few seconds later.

At the same time, Nezu proceeded down the hall, making it seem like he had been walking. "Ah, Miss Jiro, good morning!" he waved up to her.

"AH!" Kyoka flinched and gasped lightly, clasping a hand over her mouth with wide eyes. But when she saw who it was, the girl immediately bowed in respect. "P-Principal Nezu, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you."

"Oh, there is no need for apologies, Miss Jiro." Nezu said in understanding. "I realize that my diminutive stature doesn't lend itself well to sudden appearances like that." He gave her a cheery smile, adding; "So, given that you just came out of the teacher's room, I can only assume you've gotten your internship squared away?"

"Heh… yep, sure did." Kyoka chuckled softly, proceeding on her way down the hall. "Can't wait for next week, honestly."

Nezu nodded to her. "Indeed, it's always an exciting time. So, who did you pick?"

Kyoka peered over her shoulder, pausing for thought before replying. "That… is a secret."

The rodent-bear-dog creature quirked a brow at her. "Is it, now? Well, I'm certain I'll find out sooner rather than later. But regardless, I wish you luck in your endeavor. Now, you should get to class, you don't want to be late." Kyoka bowed to him once again and headed off, leaving Nezu to grin to himself. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his tiny cellphone and dialing a number as he took to a small corner in the hall. The other end rang a couple times before someone picked up… but there were no words spoken on that end. "Hello? It's Nezu… we finally have a taker."

…..

It didn't take long for Kyoka to run into her friends on the way to class. Of course, they had arrived the traditional way; with their Autobot escorts, while Kyoka herself had taken the train. So, when she first ran into them, she honestly respected the reaction she got. "Ah-ha! So THERE she is!" Denki proclaimed, thrusting a hand in her direction. "What's the big deal, Jiro? Leavin' us high and dry to take the bullet train like a pleb—GYAAH-HA-HOWCH!"

"Nice to see you too, Jamming Yay." Kyoka snarked after her jack met his funny bone. "And sorry, but I had to straighten something out with my internships before class."

"Ah, excellent to hear, Jiro!" Iida approved, the blue-haired boy visibly quite well that morning. "As your Class Rep, I am quite pleased to see you taking such a proactive approach for your internship." He craned his head toward Denki with a raised brow. "Something which I hope ALL of you are doing."

"Y-Yes sir, Emergency Exit!" Denki saluted, only making Tenya facepalm.

Izuku, seeing Kyoka roll her eyes, walked up next to her and nudge her with his elbow. "S-So tell me, Kyoka, who'd you end up choosing for your internship?"

A small giggle passed Kyoka's lips and she pressed a finger to them, giving a wink. "Hmhm, it's a secret… for now, at least."

"Awww, come on, no fair!" Mina pouted, crossing her arms in protest. "You know all of OUR choices, so why not share yours?"

Ochako placed her hands on her his, pointedly eyeing the purplette. "Yeah… what're you hiding, Kyoka?"

"It's… complicated, honestly." The punk rocker admitted. "It's something that I can't really talk about with you guys… at least not here." She glanced around the hallway before whispering to all of them; "Tomorrow, at HQ, I'll tell you guys everything, promise."

"Er, that may be a bit complicated." Kirishima pointed out. "After all, we won't BE at HQ for long before we head out, remember?"

Kyoka's eyebrows rose up, recalling what he was talking about. "Oh, yeah, that's right! The search for you-know-who starts this weekend, doesn't it?" She tilted her head toward Momo. "So, does Prime have any sort of attack plan on how he wants to approach this?"

The Creation user winced and gave a shrug. "Well… not that we know of yet. He'll probably explain everything once we all arrive at base this afternoon." A short breath passed her lips at that. "Hah, but to think, we're really hedging our bets on finding the Ark by searching for a lost warrior who has been on Earth for millions of years…" Momo's concern was quite noticeable at this point. "I mean, that's quite noble, don't get me wrong, but… what if he's… dead?"

"Well… that's a chance we'll have to take, I guess." Izuku resolved, his brow furrowed as he gazed out the nearby window. "…If Grimlock is out there, somewhere, then finding him is the Autobot's best option they have in finding the Ark."

…..

Sunday morning came sooner than expected for the group of teenagers… mainly because the Autobots made sure they got up bright and early for their meeting. Thankfully, explaining to their parents about WHY they were getting up so early on their day off wasn't an issue, as they had been doing it for several weeks now. After all, just because the festival had come and gone didn't mean they couldn't still "train" with one another. So, with Arcee and Bumblebee as their escorts per usual, the teens were brought right to the Autobot base, were everyone was gathered together outside the warehouse… barring a few notable newcomer exceptions.

As soon as the teenagers stepped out of their rides and the two bots transformed in turn, Tenya almost immediately bowed to the other Autobots. "Everyone, I must apologize for my elongated absence. I know that you must've been concerned about me since what happened with my brother, but rest assured, I am—"

"Tenya." Optimus interrupted, raising a hand to the young man. "There is no need for apologies. Everything is quite alright."

"Yes, exactly." Strongarm concurred. "Everyone here knows exactly what you're going through and how it can't be easy." She gave him a supportive smile, as well as a thumbs up. "We're just glad that you've finally decided to come back after your time away."

Slowly, Iida smiled back and bowed his head. "Hm… thank you, Strongarm. I appreciate the kind words."

Meanwhile, Izuku was quick to notice the absence of their newest allies. "Um… where are Kendo and the others?"

"Flare Up and the Mini-Cons are still retrieving them." Red Alert answered, only to grumble a little. "Mmph, and they're late in addition to that."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Doc!" Springer waved off. "I'm sure they're just—oh wait a sec. Hear that?"

Mei perked her ears up, cupping a hand to her right as the others listened in as well. "Yeah… it sounds like…"

*VRRRROOOOMM*

The bots and humans all set their sights on the forest path where they immediately caught sight of Flare Up and Itsuka racing toward them, with the Mini-Cons and their own human partners right behind them. …And they were ALL going incredibly fast. "WOOO-HOOO!" Tetsu pumped his fists into the air as Grindor's rear thrusters propelled themselves forward. "Come on, we're in the home stretch!"

"We can't lose to them, High Wire!" Setsuna exclaimed as her Mini-Con picked up speed. "Stay on 'em!"

"AAAAHH!" Ibara screamed, clutching to Sureshock's handlebars for dear life. "Can we PLEASE SLOW DOWN?! We're here, we don't HAVE to go fast any—MORE!" Much to Ibara's chagrin, Sureshock obeyed her wishes and stopped on a dime… making the Vine user heave right into the handlebars. "GUH!"

Sureshock gasped and immediately transformed, holding Ibara steady. "AH! L-Lady Ibara, I am so sorry! Are you injured?!"

As the other three continued, however, Flare Up herself couldn't help but laugh at the others' attempts to catch up. "HA! You lot really think you can beat us? Itsuka, you know what time it is?"

The redhead put on a determined grin and shouted; "Right! Go for it!"

Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Flare Up transformed and caught Itsuka in one swift motion, the energy core in the center of her chest starting glow before she blinked out of existence. In a flash of blue light, she reappeared in the center of the gathered bots and humans, taking them all by surprise. "Haha! Ya see?!" Flare Up waved back, with Itsuka standing proudly on her hand. "Told ya you didn't stand a chance!"

"Hey, no fair!" Tetsu jumped off of Grindor as the latter transformed, both somersaulting across the ground before popping to their feet. "That's cheating!"

Setsuna and Grindor skid to a stop, the green-haired girl swinging her leg off the bike before he too transformed. "Yeah, not cool, guys! That wasn't part of the rules—"

"Ahem." Just like that, the 1-B students all zipped their lips, the Mini-Cons and Flare Up standing at attention as Optimus Prime approached them all. The Autobots and 1-A students were left to stare awkwardly at the scene as Prime raised an eyeridge at them. "And what, may I ask, were these "rules" applied to?"

Flare Up winced and immediately set Itsuka down, leaving the redhead to join her now sheepish classmates. "U-Um, yeah… hehe… about that, we were…"

"Disobeying direct orders to contact us and be bridged here and instead take part in a meaningless race." Red Alert pointed out, bringing his hand up to his forehead with a sigh. "Hah… I should have guessed."

Optimus, with a short sigh of his own, looked Flare Up directly in the optic and spoke to her with a firm tone. "Flare Up, I understand that you are still quite new to this world. But you must remember that this is not Cybertron. Racing across human roads is something that cannot be permitted, especially in a dense country such as Japan." He raised a hand and added; "And of course, I don't believe I have to remind you that we are intended to be robots in disguise again."

Flare Up hung her head in shame. "…No, sir."

Prime craned his head down toward the Mini-Cons and the 1-B students, who also appeared rather guilty. "I would hope that all of you exercise better judgement in the future as well." Optimus knelt down so that he had their full attention. "With our secret in further jeopardy following the MECH incident, we need to make certain that our cover is kept."

"Right… sorry, Optimus." Tetsu apologized, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, this was our bad." Setsuna agreed, glancing back at her vine-haired friend. "Guess we should've listened to you when you said we shouldn't do the race, Ibara. Sorry."

Ibara sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "Hah, well, I suppose better late realizing that than never." She made sure to raise an eyebrow at her Class Rep as well. "Of all people, though, I'm quite stunned that you took part in this, Itsuka. I would've thought you'd have opposed this with me."

"I know… I'm sorry." Itsuka bowed, feeling completely disgraced. "I'm supposed to be the responsible one of this group… but I let myself get talked into it because I wanted something exciting to do." She made sure to bow to Optimus as well. "I can't apologize enough for this, Optimus, please forgive my actions."

Prime was quick to reassure her, reaching down and gently resting his hand on her back. "There is no need for your remorse, Itsuka. Your apology is accepted, and I am certain that you have learned from this experience…" He craned his head back up to Flare Up, who shuffled in place uneasily. "As I hope you have as well, Flare Up."

"Yeah… sorry, Optimus." Flare Up put on a serious expression and saluted. "Won't happen again. Promise."

Grindor, High Wire and Surshock all mimicked her in unison. "Right, we'll ALL make sure to do better in the future." High Wire assured. "Right guys?"

"Of course!" Sureshock avowed.

"We'll do our best." Grindor echoed as well.

Optimus stood up to full height once again, giving the group a nod. "Excellent. That is all I can ask of you. Now, with the air cleared, I believe it is time we get on to business." The Autobots and humans all lined up before him as the official meeting commenced. "Now, I believe that there is no need to repeat myself from yesterday in regards to how our latest mission… did not go as planned." He watched as the teens' faces all shifted uncomfortably, no doubt reminded of the unfortunate news they had received the day before. "With the likes of MECH now known to us… and in turn, us to them, things have become undoubtedly much more dangerous."

Izuku in particular was rather tense about this news. Of all the things he could've imagined to exist in this world, an organization of Quirkless individuals who wanted to take over the world with technology was NOT one of them. And what was even more astonishing was that these people had somehow created artificial super powers through the use of said technology… and it caused some rather unpleasant thoughts to enter his mind. 'If All Might hadn't passed One for All down to me… would I have become someone bitter and desperate enough to try and join MECH? I mean, the chances are slim, but… no.' Izuku shook his head vehemently. 'No I am NOT about to let myself think about that.'

"Bzzz-bzz?" Izuku's eyes shot up the moment he heard the questioning buzz come from his best friend and guardian, to which he sent a reassuring smile.

"O-Oh, I'm okay, Bee. Sorry for spacing out like that."

"So what exactly DO we do about these guys, Prime?" Sideswipe piped up.

Sunstreaker scratched his helm, utterly stumped. "Yeah, I mean, it's not like we can actively FIGHT these guys… can we?"

Optimus wasn't about to deny that notion, but he didn't confirm it either. "Of that, I am uncertain of at this point, Sunstreaker. What I do know is that I would highly advise against engaging them on your own." He crossed his arms, considering all of the known factors. "It is obvious that MECH are heavily invested in possessing the best technology the world has to offer… and considering that we are essentially living technology residing on this world…"

A worried expression came to Arcee at that revelation. "Oh… they'd probably have us on the dissection table in a sparkbeat, wouldn't they?"

"Unfortunately, we cannot omit that option." Prime continued, giving his Autobots a serious gaze. "Which is why, when on missions outside of the country, you will now be assigned in pairs. Better to be with someone instead of being ambushed, correct?" The bots and humans all agreed with that sentiment before Optimus proceeded to the next topic. "Very good. Now, in relation to that, the main subject of today's mission is, as you are aware, to locate Grimlock's resting place and bring him back online."

The large group murmured in anticipation while Flare Up was left completely ecstatic by the prospect. "Oh-hoho, YES! Now we're talkin'! Still can't believe that GRIMLOCK of all bots was the only one to escape the Ark when it crashed!" She scratched her chin musingly. "Makes ya wonder where he is on this massive rock."

"That is what we hope to find out." Red Alert reaffirmed, bringing up his arm and typing in a command on his mini-computer, bringing up a holo-globe of the planet that projected from his multi-tool. On it, Japan was highlighted. "Now, after doing a considerable amount of research and taking continental shift over the eons, I have deduced that, unfortunately, Grimlock is not likely to be in Japan. Instead, it's far more probable that he's on one of the much larger continents… aside from Antartica. No bot would be able to survive there."

Bulkhead put a hand to his hip, asking; "Alright, so do we got any sorta lead on Grim's ACTUAL location?"

"I'm getting to that." Red Alert asserted. "Be patient, Bulkhead…" All of a sudden, several smaller dots began peppering across the holo-globe, leaving many parts of the world practically covered with them. "Our strongest leads seem to be North America, as well as Africa and greater Asia. Unsurprisingly, they are the largest landmasses with the most abundant number of fossils, so it's quite likely that Grimlock could be somewhere on these continents."

That detail made the humans scrunch their faces confusedly. "Uh, hold on, what the heck does the fossil record have to do with Grimlock?" Mina asked.

"I would've thought that was obvious. In the background of Grimlock's message, we could hear several loud bellows." Red Alert input a new command on his arm that made a holographic asteroid appear in the image, which careened straight into the Earth near the Gulf of Mexico. "And considering the estimated time of the Ark's crash as well as the context of the message, we can assume that Grimlock was active on Earth during the late Cretaceous period directly before the extinction-level asteroid hit your planet. Thus, we can deduce that Grimlock was likely around dinosaurs when the event happened."

Mina grimaced up at the medic and folded her arms. "Hmph, well ya don't have to be such a know-it-all about it."

Optimus cleared his vocal processors, getting things back on track. "Hmphm, in any case, taking all of these factors into consideration, our best bet would be to begin searching around fossil dig sites, preferably long abandoned ones so as we are not discovered." He faced his team of Autobots once more, bringing up his own holographic image of Earth. "To that end, we will begin our search… here."

On the holo-globe, a small dot appeared over a point in the American southwest, which then zoomed in to reveal their destination. "…Hey, isn't that… er… what state is that, exactly?" Denki asked.

"That is Arizona." Momo revealed with a small nod. "It's one of America's most abundant states when it comes to fossils."

"THE most abundant, actually." Mei confirmed with a raised finger. "In fact, you'll likely find some of the most well-preserved cretaceous creatures in the world in Arizona."

"Well, sounds good to me, then!" Jazz approved with a thumbs up. "So, Prime, when do we head out?"

The Autobot leader deactivated the hologram and continued. "As soon as possible. Once everyone is ready, we'll proceed through the GroundBridge. Once we arrive, we will split off into groups of four; two bots, two humans, and investigate several dig sites all at once." He extended a hand toward Springer. "The only exception will be Springer and myself. We will be investigating a currently active dig site while in disguise. We will be meeting with Agent Fowler there, who has asked permission for us to inspect the location."

Springer gave a salute at that. "Read ya loud and clear, Boss Bot. Won't let ya down."

"So the rest of us can partner up to our own discretion?" Ochako asked.

"Of course." Prime answered. "Once we arrive, feel free to pair off however you like."

Setsuna pumped a fist into the air. "WOO! Alright, now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

"This is gonna be so sweet." Tetsu said while shaking in anticipation. "I've always wanted to travel abroad! Even for a day, this is gonna be—"

"Ah-ah, not so fast there." Red Alert interrupted, curbing their enthusiasm. "I'm afraid that is a no-go, at least for you 1-B students."

All at once, Tetsu, Setsuna, and even Ibara and Itsuka were left slack-jawed in disbelief. "W-Wait, hold on, WHAT?!" the Steel Quirk user shouted. "No way! That's stupid!" He thrust a hand toward the 1-A students, who were all suddenly feeling rather guilty. "How is it fair that THEY get to go and we don't?!"

Red Alert was unwavering in his stance. "Because, last I checked, they were given permission to do so under the pretense that they have fought Decepticons before." He nudged his head toward the larger group of students. "And they even succeeded in a successful raid mission on the Decepticon's ship to rescue their teacher. Whereas you three haven't fought against any Decepticons."

"Uh, last we checked, we DID." Setsuna reminded him. "Like, you know, when we first got INVOLVED in this whole thing?" She pointed to her class rep in particular. "Hell, Itsuka had the gall to insult Starscream to his face!"

The medic gave a shrug. "I will admit, that was impressive, but I hardly call retreating from a battle a proper "fight"."

"Unfortunately, I must agree with Red Alert, children." Optimus added, his tone apologetic. "When it comes to fighting Decepticons, none of you have the experience that the 1-A student have. But, once we train you to be capable in fighting against us, I will put in a good word with Vlad King and see if we can get you approved to go on missions as well."

Ibara hummed in understanding. "Hm, I see… well, if that really is the only way, then we will respect your wishes."

Itsuka humbly bowed to Optimus as well. "Yes, of course. We understand your position on things, Optimus…" She eyed the still disappointed Tetsutetsu and Setsuna with a serious look. "Right, guys?"

"…Yeah." the duo muttered.

Flare Up tried to lighten the mood by sitting in front of them, her legs crossed as she rocked back and forth. "Aw, don't worry, luvs! I know it's not exactly ideal, but there's still plenty of fun things we can do 'ere at HQ!"

High Wire and Grindor attempted to comfort their human partners as well. "Yeah! I mean, it's your day off, so why don't we get a head start on that training while they're away?" the bike Mini-Con suggested.

"Mmph… I guess." Setsuna resigned.

"That sounds like an optimal idea." Optimus concurred as he looked down at his speedy scout. "Flare Up, I trust that you will be responsible in overseeing this training?"

Under his breath, Red Alert added; "Key word being "responsible"."

Of course, the comment was just loud enough for Flare Up to hear, leading her to stick her robotic tongue out at him and blow a raspberry before shooting back up to her feet. "Optimus Prime, sir, you can count on me!" she gave a salute, putting on a stern countenance. "I'll make sure that these kids get in tip-top shape, an' by the next mission, they'll be ready to roll out!"

Optimus smiled beneath his faceplate, setting a hand on her shoulder. "Hmhm, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but be sure not to work them TOO hard. Remember; they are flesh and bone, not metal. Their limits are not as great as ours, so keep that in mind while training."

"Gotcha. Don't push 'em too hard!"

"Excellent…" Prime's focus shifted back to the 1-B students. "I look forward to seeing the progress you've made upon our return, children. Be sure to work hard, and keep in mind that, in time, you will be accompanying us on missions such as these."

Itsuka placed a fist over her chest in solidarity. "Understood, Optimus, sir. We won't let you down."

"Hm, I'm certain that you won't. Now…" The Autobot leader's gaze moved back to his medic. "Red, would you please activate the Ground Bridge?" Red Alert saluted to him and went inside, leaving Optimus to address his team, raising a determined fist. "Autobots, The search for Grimlock begins now. Jazz, if you would?"

"On it!" Jazz put his hands to his hips and began calling out names; "Springer!" At his word, the Triple Changer transformed into his Cybertronian armored car mode. "Bulkhead!" The fellow Wrecker transformed as well, leading Mina to climb in. "Strongarm, Arcee, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Bumblebee!" All five transformed at once, their respective human partners loading in. "Windblade!" The City Speaker wasted no time in picking Momo up and transforming, the Creation user landing in her cockpit. "Autobots… start your engines!" Jazz turned back to his leader as the bots did as they were told. "Ready, Prime."

Extending his arms, Optimus gave the command; "Autobots… Roll Out!" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Transforming into his truck mode, Optimus backed up and hitched his trailer on before making his way into the base, the other Autobots following close behind.

As they passed by, though, the 1-A students attempted to offer some words of comfort to the rather glum 1-B students. "U-Uh, hey, don't be so down about this, guys." Izuku said first, offering a small grin. "There's no need to be discouraged about this."

"Yeah, it's just the nature of the beast and all that." Eijiro added, poking his head out of Sideswipe's window. "You guys're still new and all, so it's only natural that Optimus be concerned about your safety."

Denki pumped a fist out of Sunstreaker's window as well. "Yeah, exactly! And hey, once you guys are all trained up and have experience fighting Transformers, you'll be ready to throw down with Cons in no time!" His words managed to make Ibara perk her head up a little, which was when she saw Denki give a thumbs up. "Guarantee it!"

"…Hmhm." The Vine user chuckled at the blonde's enthusiasm and agreed with his statement. "You make an excellent point, Kaminari. We will exercise patience with this…" Her eyes moved over to Tetsu and Setsuna, who still were less than thrilled about the situation. "…To the best of our ability."

"That's the spirit!" Ochako encouraged. "And hey, once we all get back, let's do something REALLY fun together, huh?"

"Depending on whether we find Grimlock, of course." Arcee pointed out. "If we do locate him, things might take longer depending on how we can bring him online. Either way, we'll be back." Her holoform craned her head toward Flare Up. "And Flare, make sure you train them well, okay?"

Flare Up winked down to her, jabbing a thumb to her chest. "Oh-ho, Arcee, you ain't got nothin' to worry about! Now go on, get to findin' the big lug! We'll be alright 'ere." With that, the Autobots rolled out toward the GroundBridge, leaving Flare Up, the Mini-Cons, and the four 1-B students outside. After a long, awkward silence, Flare Up cleared her throat and suggested an idea. "Ahem, so… who wants to start with a good ol' run on the beach?"

…..

Inside the base, meanwhile, Red Alert and Mei had retreated to the lab, the medic giving a sigh as he went to his work desk. "Hah, thank goodness for peace and quiet. Now, let's get started on some of those projects, shall we, Mei?" However, no response came immediately, which he noted was very unlike his lab assistant. "…Mei?" Red turned around and was met by an unexpected sight; Mei Hatsume with a disappointed frown upon her features, her hands firmly on her hips with an eyebrow raised directy at him. It was evident that she wasn't happy about something, though Red Alert didn't know what. "…Is something the matter?"

"You could say that." Mei extended a hand to the doorway. "Why'd ya have to go an' make the newbies feel bad like that?"

Now that he knew what she was upset about, Red Alert groaned and went back to his desk. "Mei, listen, the "newbies" as you call them, have to learn discipline if they're going to be here. With the risk presented to us now that MECH knows about our existence, we can't be risking anything." He picked up a nearby tool; a hammer head, which he attached to the end of his multi-tool arm in preparation to work. "That and Flare Up SHOULD know better about keeping a low profile. But with all of the recent stunts she's pulled, it's evident that she's STILL about as mature as she was back on Cybertron."

"Hey, she's trying her best!" Mei exclaimed, jogging over to her own personal work desk and standing up on it to get his attention. "Listen, I know that you guys gotta keep your disguise, but speaking as someone who's can get easily distracted and hyped up at every new baby idea, I can kinda relate to Flare Up. She's on an entirely different world, you know? It must be SUPER exciting for her."

Red Alert sighed, setting his arms down on his work table. "I know. But it's still imperative that her excitement not compromise the mission at hand." He stepped around to face Mei once again. "Let me ask you; if our existence were revealed today and Flare Up was the root cause, how would you feel?"

Mei was about to answer… but then considered the thought for a moment. If the secret were revealed now, things would definitely be thrown WAY out of whack. The world's governments would likely come after them, unaware heroes and eager villains alike would make them their number one target, and of course, the Hero Public Safety Commission would likely have a few words as well. "That… is a difficult question."

"I'm sure it is. But would you be disappointed about what would happen?"

"W-Well, yeah, of course."

"Then it's only natural to place higher expectations on Flare Up." Red Alert stated firmly before going back to his desk. "Just because she's new to Earth doesn't give her an excuse to be lax about her disguise. And the 1-B students should realize that as well. They'll learn this once they're more experienced, I'm sure."

With her shoulders sagging, Mei sighed and accepted Red's words. "Yeah… I get you, Red Alert."

The medic knelt down and put a supportive hand on her back. "Remember, Mei; I'm being harsh because I want the best for everyone on this team." He gave her a smile and followed up with; "Now, how about we get started on that project of yours?" All at once, the pink-haired inventor was back at full throttle, talking Red's audio receptors off with her plans involving a set of mechanical legs… which he still wasn't sure what they were exactly for.

…..

Meanwhile, high above the planet Earth itself, a small, sleek vessel was drifting its away along through space, moving about at its own pace. It was a sterling silver with a control panel tucked away on one side, and it had a clear hatch on top of it, revealing its passenger to the emptiness of space. However, this was no ordinary space traveler… in fact, it wasn't even technically a cognitive being, at least not yet. Within this pod was a large humanoid made entirely out of solidified liquid metal, and within its core lied a large, pulsating blue orb of pure energy. This… was a Cybertronian Protoform.

…And it was about to receive a rude awakening. For as it was sailing past the planet, a stray meteor came hurling toward it from the opposite direction. The two only barely made contact… but it was enough to send the pod careening off course, with significant damage done to its protective hull. Silent alarms began going off before a monotone voice spoke through the pod, all while it began speeding down to the planet below.

"STASIS POD DAMAGED. ATTEMPTING TO ACTIVATE EMERGENCY SQUENCE"

…..

About an hour had passed since Optimus Prime and the others had left for Arizona, and in that time… nothing much interesting had happened. Red Alert and Mei stayed inside to work on their projects while the 1-B students tried to do some training with Flare Up and the Mini-Cons. …The key word being "try". In truth, they hadn't done much actual "training" as much as they just… punched stuff with their Quirks. Rocks, trees, the occasional bush, you name it, they punched it. Granted, Ibara and Setsuna got more creative with their attacks, but Itsuka and Tetsutetsu weren't so lucky in that regard. In truth, the teens were bored… and Flare Up could see that.

"Uh… hehe. W-Wow, guys, great effort out there to start off on!" the scout encouraged.

"Start out?" Setsuna repeated as she lounged on a boulder. "Flare, this is all we've been doing for an HOUR."

Itsuka winced and agreed with her friend. "Yeah… no offense, Flare Up, but… do you have any idea on what a proper training session is like?"

"W-Well… not really for humans." Flare Up admitted, rubbing her neck sheepishly. "If this were training in an excersize course back on Cybertron, then this'd be a whole different story. But… well, I don't wanna…"

"Break us, right?" Tetsu smirked as the femme flinched at his bluntness. "Haha, ah, it's okay, Flare, we get it. Ya don't wanna hurt us right off the bat, and that's fine. But honestly…" The Steel Quirk user slammed his fist into his palm. "I could do with a REAL challenge right about now. So come on, don't hold nothin' back!"

Flare Up was hesitant in accepting that offer to say the least. She did NOT want to get in trouble again, especially if it was because of hurting one of her friends. But just as she was about to deny that request…*AANK—AANK—AANK—AANK* Everyone's heads snapped up at the sound of a loud alarm sounding off inside the base. "What the…"

"Oh no, is something wrong?!" Ibara shouted worriedly.

High Wire motioned for everyone to follow him inside. "Only one way to find out! Come on!" With Flare Up taking the lead, the group made their way into the warehouse and headed straight for the main console, where Mei and Red Alert were already waiting and staring up at the screen.

Flare Up skid to a halt and made a beeline for them. "Red! What's goin' on? Is it Decepticons?"

"No, we've received a distress signal from high above Earth's atmosphere." Red Alert explained, typing away rapidly with his one hand. "It just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I—" But, as the planetary sensors came up, Red cut himself off as they projected the general shape of the incoming vessel, leaving him silent for a moment. "…You cannot be serious."

Grindor tried jumping up and down to get a better look at the screen. "Gah! C'mon dude, I can't see! What is it?"

Red Alert motioned for Flare Up to come closer. "Flare Up, here. You recognize that?"

Narrowing her optics at the small vessel as it drew ever closer to the planet, Flare Up saw that it was very ovular and tiny. Thinking back on the many crafts she used to pilot, there weren't many that came to mind… except for one, and her optics widened when she realized; "Hoppin' Helix! It's a stasis pod!"

"Ah! Oh my word!" Sureshock exclaimed. "A-Are you certain? Is it truly a stasis pod?"

"Can't be much else, luv. It's gotta be the genuine article."

Itsuka furrowed her brow and raised her hand. "Uh, okay, question for the mostly uneducated of us here, but what IS a stasis pod?"

"Stasis pods are small vessels that are constructed specifically to allow Cybertronians convenient transportation from planet to planet." Red Alert explained, typing in a command to shift the screen, which now displayed two large pods; one that was spherical and one ovular. "Stasis pods come in two common design; the Sphere, which is used for Cybertronians who need immediate transport, and the Bullet, which is made for much longer periods of transport. So long, in fact, that the Cybertronian is reverted into its protoform state in order to travel easier."

Tetsutetsu put a finger to his chin, nodding along to everything. "Uh-huh, uh-huh… and a protoform is…"

Red Alert sighed and went on. "Protoforms are the building blocks of Cybertronian life. They begin as proto-matter that emerges from pools on Cybertron, where they immediately solidify and then take a more natural shape."

Ibara's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Wait, so… all of you used to be liquid metal at one point?"

"Correct… but back on the topic at hand." Red Alert changed the screen back to the planetary sensors, pointing at the pod's trajectory. "You notice how the pod seems to be entering Earth's atmosphere so quickly? I have a hunch that isn't intentional."

"You think it might've gotten hit before reentry?" Flare Up inquired.

"Precisely. Which is why we need to find out where it's landing…" After a few moments of typing in calculations, Red Alert received his answers as the globe on screen rotated around until it displayed a red X over the pod's estimated landing sight. "Hm… north east on the African continent, eh?"

Setsuna was quick to point something out, though; "Hold on! Isn't that Egypt?" She craned her head up to the bots. "That means the pod's gonna be landing somewhere in the Savannah desert, right?"

That made Flare Up wince a bit. "Ooh, blast! That ain't good. Out in the middle of a barren desert, there ain't much to scan."

"Hm, you're right." Red Alert reached down and pressed the button for the commlink system, intent on contacting their leader. "Optimus, this is Red Alert. We have a situation here, do you copy?" *KKKSSSSHHHHHKKKK* Much to his shock, however, he didn't receive a reply, only a surprising amount of static. "W-What the… signal interference?"

"On their end or ours?" Flare Up wondered.

"…More than likely theirs." Red Alert concluded, setting a hand on the console. "I literally just replaced every bit of circuitry in this computer after the Scraplet incident, so my guess is that something in Arizona is causing the comm signal to be messed up. More than likely a storm of some sort."

Mei crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing her partner. "So, what do we do about this, Red Alert? Without Optimus here, we're pretty much high and dry, aren't we?"

After a few moments thought, Red Alert could only come to one conclusion. "…No." The Autobot stepped away from the console and toward the GroundBridge with purpose in his step. "The only ones who're qualified enough to handle pods such as these are medics, scientists, and engineers. And fortunately, I happen to fall under all three." After entering the coordinates into the GroundBridge controls, he gave Flare Up and the Mini-Cons a nod. "Everyone, you're with me. We need to get this protoform online as soon as possible before the Decepticons can even THINK of stealing it for themselves."

"Woah, woah, hold on…" Mei waved her hands, running up to the bot to make sure she heard him right. "Red… you're leaving the base? But… you practically haven't left the base since you GOT here."

"No other choice, I'm afraid." Red Alert pulled down on the activation lever, bringing the GroundBridge online only to then kneel down in front of her. "To that end, Mei, I'm leaving you in charge of the GroundBridge. Once we bring the protoform online, it'll be your job to bring us back home."

Biting her lip, Mei was beginning to grow quite nervous about all of this. "M-Me? I mean, I know how to work it, sure, but why not Flare Up?"

"Because she's coming with me." Red set his sights on the scout as her eyes widened in surprise. "As are the Mini-Cons. They'll be my only line of defense against the Decepticons, since I'm certain that their scanners must've detected the pod as well." With a serious countenance, the medic stated to Flare Up; "This will be your chance to make up for your recklessness this morning. Can I count on you on this mission?"

As frustrated as she was to hear him say that, Flare Up knew that this was something that they couldn't afford to mess up. With fists clenched and determined optics, she gave Red a resolute nod. "Yes. Of course, you can. I won't fail, not when it comes to saving a defenseless bot."

Hints of a smile came to Red Alert's features as he nodded back. "Good answer. Street Action Team, what about you?"

"We're ready to roll whenever you are, sir!" High Wire saluted, his team following suit.

"Indeed, let's save this bot." Sureshock declared.

Just as Red Alert was about to give the word, though, another certain voice piped up. "Hey!" The bots all looked down to Tetsutetsu and the others humans, him and Setsuna having stepped forward. "Come on, you're not just gonna leave us here, are ya?!"

"We can help, too!" Setsuna stood firm in her words, placing a hand over her chest. "We want to prove our worth to this team!"

"Guys, settle down." Itsuka took to the front and spun around, making her hands larger to stop them in their tracks. "We've already been over this, remember? We can't go until we've had proper experience—"

"And how're we SUPPOSED to get that kinda experience, huh, Kendo?!" Tetsu snapped back, pushing her hand out of his way. "Standing around doin' nothing isn't gonna get us anywhere! I say the best experience to get is out in the field—AGH!"

Before he could go on any sort of rant, the Steel Quirk user was tripped up by a patch of thorny vines that sprung up over his foot. Ibara hardened her gaze down at him and argued back at him. "Are you insane? Do you have a death wish? Because if so, then you're truly asking for it. Remember what Optimus Prime told us. Decepticons are NOT to be trifled with, not without proper combat training."

Setsuna whipped around, contending her classmate's words. "Oh, yeah? And how do you think they got that experience? Because I can sure as heck guarantee it wasn't JUST by sparring with Autobots."

"Everybody, STOP." Itsuka got in the middle of both girls as Tetsu worked on trying to free himself. "I'm not about to let you guys get into a dumb argument about this…" She furrowed her brow to Setsuna. "…But I'm afraid that we still can't go. Being a part of this team ISN'T just about fighting Decepticons, but about taking responsibility. And if neither you or Tetsutetsu will do that, then it's up to me to do it." She turned back up to Red Alert and Flare Up. "You guys go, we'll be alright here."

Red Alert's smile grew slightly at that. "Thank you, Itsuka. I appreciate that." But then, he frowned down to Setsuna and Tetsutetsu. "While I commend you for wanting to prove your worth to this team, however, making rash, foolhardy decisions such as what you just tried won't get you anywhere. If you were to get killed in a Decepticon battle, what then? How would anyone explain that to your parents?"

That point managed to soften Setsuna and Tetsu up a little, their frustration still present, but at the same time, more understanding of the situation. "…You're right. I can't argue with that." Setsuna acknowledged.

"Yeah, I don't wanna leave my mom like that." Tetsu agreed as well. "Alright, we'll stay."

Mei walked up to the two and gave them firm pats on the back, making both double over. "Aw, don't worry, guys! I've got an easy solution that'll make everyone happy!" Receiving confused looks from the 1-B students, Mei pulled out a remote from her back pocket and pressed the center button on it. Then, from down the hall and the next room over, a certain mini-satellite drone came flying out, making the teens gasp before it came to an abrupt halt. "Say hello to one of my greatest babies; the SKY SPY!"

"Woah! Where'd that come from?" Itsuka asked.

"Weeks of non-stop work, experimentation and implementation!" Mei proclaimed as the Sky Spy hovered over to the Autobots. "This little baby'll let us see how things go down over in Egypt right from the comfort of HQ!" She pointed right to Red Alert, wagging her finger. "Just make sure it stays safe, got it, Red?"

A chuckle escaped the medic as he assured his partner. "Heh, don't worry, Mei. I'll keep it safe." He reached out and gently took hold of the Sky Spy, putting it in his storage pack before going back to Flare Up and the others. "Well, now that we've got that settled, we should get going. That pod should be landing any moment. So…" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! For the first time in a long while, Red Alert transformed into his Nissan emergency vehicle mode, rolling up to the GroundBridge portal with the other bots following his example. "It's time we roll out!" With the command issued, the five bots went through the vortex, the humans watching on anxiously.

…..

In an instant, the small group of Autobots arrived at their destination several thousands of miles away from Japan… and the first thing that hit them was the unbelievably sweltering heat. Once their tires hit the hot Egyptian sands, it was all too clear that they'd be dealing with it for the long haul, considering that the sun was still high in the sky and beating down on them. The GroundBridge closed behind them and Flare Up let out a shocked cry at the sudden temperature change. "AH! O-Oh my word! Are you jokin'?!"

"Agh! By Primus!" High Wire and his team were bouncing up and down on their wheels, trying to avoid the sand as much as possible. "What the heck is WITH this place?!"

"It's like, totes harshing my mellow, bro!" Grindor agreed.

Red Alert sighed at their reactions. "Hmph… welcome to the Sahara Desert, I suppose." The medical officer began scanning the area as he released the Sky Spy into the air, keeping his sensors on high alert for the pod. "Now… the stasis pod should be coming down… in that direction." Red turned in the sand so he was facing a group of large rock formations, ones that were almost completely white and shining in the bright sun. And, sure enough…

"Oh, up there!" Mei's voice called out from the Sky Spy above Red Alert, pointing one of its panels straight into the sky. Sure enough, there was their target; the falling stasis pod engulfed in flames. "I-Is it burning up?!"

"No." Red dismissed immediately. "Stasis pods have protective outer coatings for reentries. But…" His focus shifted down toward the large rock outcroppings. "It's headed straight for those rock formations, meaning it'll most certainly land hard. We need to—agh!" The moment he tried to drive forward, though, Red Alert found himself stuck in the sand. And the same could be said for the other bots as well, unfortunately. "Gah, you have to be kidding!" Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chk! Transforming into robot mode, Red motioned for everyone to follow him. "No choice, we'll have to go on foot. Come on!"

Flare Up and the Mini-Cons quickly followed his example, though the scout was quick to volunteer to go ahead. "I'll get over there an' try to intercept! I'll see you in a bit!" And just like that, she blinked in and out of existence, dashing straight to the formations.

"Alright, good." Red Alert knelt down and picked up the Mini-Cons, having them cling onto his back. "As for the rest of you, you're with me." The medic began running through the sands with the Sky Spy following him, though it was tough to gain traction even on foot. That and the heat didn't help much either. 'Hah… any hotter… and my circuits would be melting overheating…'

Before long, sand gave way to a rocky surface, but by then, the pod had already landed with a mighty SHA-KOOM! Red Alert's concern kept growing as he leapt down into a small ravine, where he had seen the pod make its crash. "Red! This way!" He spotted Flare Up immediately, the femme doing her best to clear a bunch of debris that had landing on it. One boulder in particular seemed to be giving her problems. "I-I need a hand 'ere!"

He didn't hesistate to help, and within a couple seconds, Red and Flare had tossed the boulder off. But unfortunately, Red Alert wasn't pleased with what he saw. The hull had been dented quite a bit, and there were some actual scorch marks along its side. The top hatch seemed to be mostly intact… but the fact that it was ajar made him even more concerned. He reached under the lip and pulled it the rest of the way open… and there, his fears were confirmed…

The protoform had reverted to its liquid proto-matter state, and above its head, a small monitor screen to observe its processor was flashing red. Thankfully, the spark was still intact… though it was pulsating irregularly. Wasting no time, Red Alert pressed a button on the side of the pod, bringing up a manual console with a keyboard. He typed in a few commands, taking a deep breath before speaking loud and clear; "…Activate protoform. Begin alternate mode scanning sequence."

Unfortunately, the response from the pod was one he wasn't hoping to hear;

"SYSTEMS DAMAGE TOO EXTENSIVE"

"ACTIVATION PROTOCOL OFFLINE"

"SPARK FADING"

"REPAIR REQUIRED OR SPARK WILL CEASE TO EXIST… IN 8.6 CYCLES"

The Mini-Cons and Flare Up were left horrified, the former gasping and covering her mouth. "…No. I-It can't be…"

"Wait, "cease to exist"?" Mei asked, the Sky Spy hovering over the pod itself. "Red… don't tell me…"

Red Alert tightened his lips and lowered his head remorsefully, confirming Mei's suspicions. "…Yes, Mei. This protoform… is dying."

…..

A/N: And immediately, almost all of you have probably said to yourselves; "…Hey, wait a second, I've seen this episode of Beast Wars". Hehe, well… yeah, you'd be right. In fact, for a lot of you, it's likely one of the first episodes you EVER saw of Beast Wars since it came packed in with the 10-Year Anniversary re-release of Rhinox's toy ALL the way back in 2006. Remember those? Yeesh, I may not have been born early enough to enjoy Beast Wars as it was being released, but discovering it a decade later proved to be an adventure because I was utterly fascinated by it, especially after experiencing the Unicron Trilogy.

But yeah, if you couldn't tell, in preparation for Rise of the Beasts, we're paying tribute to Beast Wars in these next couple of chapters… and if you've seen the original episode this is based on, you probably have an idea of what might happen. But let's not spoil ourselves, shall we? Instead, let's focus on what else happened! …Namely the fact that the newbies seem REALLY eager to prove themselves, specifically the 1-B students. Give them credit, they've got spirit, but charging in headlong into a mission IS kind of foolhardy, especially lacking experience. …But don't worry. Just because they're stuck at base NOW doesn't mean they won't help out LATER.

Also, it's here where we really cement Flare Up's rather impulsive personality. I mean, given who she's based on, that's not exactly unexpected, but she really dials it up. Thankfully, she IS capable of taking things seriously, but she still needs to learn to tone it back when it comes to living on Earth. Especially when it comes to keeping her disguise. Perhaps this mission will prove to help her in regards to that?

But of course, the beginning of this chapter is what a lot of you were hoping to see. We finally get some inkling of what Snake Eyes is all about, and… he's an enigma even to the teachers working at U.A. …All except for Nezu, who seems to be hiding something important. Granted, we all know that Nezu isn't someone to suspect of foul play, but still, why WOULD he be hiding something like this from those who work for him? And what about Edgeshot? How does HE factor into all of this? Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there? Time for a Kyoka-led investigation disguised as an internship! Expect to hear THAT conversation with the Autobots next time. On that note, though…

And now, the Preview! As expected, the Decepticons mobilize to retrieve the stasis pod while Red Alert works fast to make sure that the protoform inside survives. Will he, Flare Up and the Mini-Cons be able to hold them off and succeed? Or will they need some additional help? Meanwhile, as Optimus and the others are on their search for Grimlock, Kyoka brings up her situation to Jazz and he hears her out, though he does have his own concerns. Will she be able to convince him and Optimus to allow this mission? Next time; The Spark. …Wait, is that a vast, predatory bird? Thanks for reading everybody and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!