TRANSFORMERS PRIME: ODYSSEY
Chapter I - Only Human
OPEN ON:
CYBERTRON
[We see the grandeur of a newly awakened Cybertron, the tiny lights of ships darting to and from its surface. In stark contrast to its radiance, we pass over the web of jagged metal and industrial detritus of an orbital shipyard.]
EXT. TRYPTICON SHIPYARDS
[Moored in a floating dry-dock is the dormant warship of the Decepticons, THE NEMESIS.]
INT. BRIDGE
[The Decepticon, Shockwave, navigates the dark corridors of the ship, its panels and innards rearranged in the process of an Autobot retrofit. He arrives at the bridge and starts entering commands into a computer console when he hears the sound of ship engines gathering outside.]
AUTOBOT CONSTABLE (O.S.)
Shockwave! This is Cybertron Planetary Defense! You're surrounded!
[True to the officer's word, Shockwave sees a fleet of small patrol ships gathering around the dormant hulk.]
AUTOBOT CONSTABLE (O.S.)
Submit yourself to custody now and your co-operation will be noted at your tribunal!
[Just before Shockwave moves to take the helm, the ship lurches in its moorings. All the bridge monitors boot-up without Shockwave ever touching the control panels. Confused, he backs away from the helm and braces as the ship breaks out of its docking clamps and comes about.]
AUTOBOT CONSTABLE
HALT! Power down your engines and-
[The ship's gun turrets open fire on the patrol vessels. Several are destroyed as the Nemesis careens away from the shipyards and escapes into deep space.]
AUTOBOT RADIO CHATTER
This is Task-Force twelve- *HISS* -we've taken casualties- *DISTORTION* Suspect is fleeing the scene- *HISS* -we are in pursuit- *HISS* Requesting immediate-*CUTOFF*
[The transmission is abruptly terminated.]
FADE TO BLACK
OPEN ON:
POV DARKNESS
[We hear rushed footfalls, the clatter of gurneys and frantic chatter of nurses. The eyes we are seeing through slowly peel open.]
INT. TRIAGE CENTER - NIGHT
[A wounded soldier is being rushed to the operating room. She rouses awake, confused at the bandages and dressings covering her wounds. Her name patch reads LT. MONTANO.]
LT. MONTANO
(weakly)
H-huh...?
JUNE DARBY
Rest your arms below your heart, hun.
[One of the nurses takes her vitals as they go rushing through the hospital.]
LT. MONTANO
...June...?
JUNE DARBY
(relieved)
Good. You're still lucid. Just take it easy. You may still be in shock.
[They reach a trauma center, coming to rest beside another gurney bearing a wounded soldier. A large marine stands at the side of the grievously injured man.]
SGT. RICHARDSON
Come on, Jack! Stay with us!
LT. MONTANO
...Jack?!
[Wide awake now, the Lieutenant tries to sit up in her gurney, against the head nurse's protests.]
JUNE DARBY
Now, stay calm! Just try to lie down!
[The LT gets a better look at his heavily scarred body. The name patch reads: LT. JACK DARBY.]
LT. MONTANO
(horrified)
NO!
JUNE DARBY
Listen to me! He'll be fine. You won't help him by panicking.
[June keeps her bearing, but can't suppress a hint of dread in her voice. The LT rushes to Jack's side as his body is hooked to monitors and treated by medics.]
JACK
(weak)
...Arcee...?
[She leans in close, her face indeed resembling that of the Autobot, Arcee. Jack reaches out with his scarred and burned hands, grasping hers.]
JACK
(weakly)
Don't worry, partner. We'll get through this...
[With the last of his strength, he pulls her in for a kiss before sinking back in his bed. Her eyes flutter in surprise.
Jack then begins to succumb, his heart monitor flat-lining. The medics scramble to resuscitate him. ]
LT. MONTANO
NO! JACK!
[SGT. RICHARDSON and a nearby doctor, DR. COMBS, hold her back from the operating table, consoling her as she weeps.]
LT. MONTANO
(panicked)
This can't be happening...! How is this happening...?!
CUT TO BLACK:
TITLE CREDITS
OPEN ON:
INT. TRAUMA CENTER - MORNING AFTER
["Arcee" and a marine sergeant resembling Bulkhead both sit outside an operating room, awaiting news of Jack's condition. "Dr. Combs" steps out of the room with his clipboard. ]
SGT. RICHARDSON
What's the word, Doc? Is he gonna make it?
DR. COMBS
Though he remains in a coma, his condition is stable for the moment.
ARCEE
Will he recover?
[The doctor hesitates before answering.]
DR. COMBS
He has incurred severe neural trauma. It is unlikely he will come out of this without...lingering effects...
Arcee braces herself, falling into the waiting room chair.
ARCEE
I...I don't understand...What happened? And why all...this?
[Arcee holds out her arms, inspecting her human flesh with confusion.]
ARCEE
Is this some sick joke? We're not supposed to be human!
SGT. RICHARDSON
We're soldiers, LT. But we need our humanity now more than ever.
[The sergeant kneels down and clasps her hands. ]
SGT. RICHARDSON
Don't close yourself off again, or you won't be able to feel anything at all!
ARCEE
That's not what I mean, Bulkhead!
[She gets up and paces with frustration.]
SGT. RICHARDSON
Come on, Sumalee. We don't have to use our code names on base.
DR. COMBS
(derisive)
Why Director Fowler insists on them in the first place is-*laughing* I mean, do I look like a "Ratchet" to you?
ARCEE
Yes, you do! Those are our names. Our real names, don't you remember?!
[They blink at her with confusion.]
SGT. RICHARDSON
Maybe you should check her out again, Doc. She may be more rattled than she looks...
DR. COMBS
Hmm. Yes...
[The doctor takes out a penlight and begins testing her pupillary light reflex.]
DR. COMBS
Have you been feeling any dizziness? Nausea? Hot flashes-?
ARCEE
(snapping)
-No!
[She slaps the penlight from his hand.]
DR. COMBS
I'll take that as a yes.
[The lieutenant begins storming off with frustration when she suddenly has a thought.]
ARCEE
Wait...Ratchet? Don't you remember the siege of Tyger Pax? You saved Bumblebee after Megatron tore out his voice box.
DR. COMBS
Lieutenant, I don't know what you're babbling abou-...
[He trails off, growing reminiscent.]
DR. COMBS
But those names...they feel familiar somehow...
[Smiling, Arcee turns to the sergeant.]
ARCEE
Bulkhead. Don't you remember Wheeljack? Roadbuster? Seaspray? All your old wrecker buddies? You used to bend our audio-sensors with all your stories!
[The sergeant also pauses, his eyes lighting up in remembrance. Encouraged, Arcee presses them further.]
ARCEE
Come on, guys! You have to remember. This isn't us!
[They both slowly begin recollecting themselves. The doctor examines his hands, finally realizing that they are not his own.]
RATCHET
(panicked screaming)
Wha-What is this? What am I-?1 AHHHHH-!
[Ratchet's screams echo through the hallway, attracting worried stares from the hospital staff. Thinking quickly, Arcee grabs them both and drags them into a nearby supply closet.]
BULKHEAD
What's going on?! How did this happen?!
ARCEE
I don't know...
[Arcee cautiously peers out into the hallway.]
ARCEE
But we need to figure this out somewhere else.
CUT TO:
INT. JASPER, NEVADA, ROADSIDE DINER - MORNING
[The trio are seated at a booth in a busy retro-style roadside diner.]
BULKHEAD
Alright...Let me see if I've got things straight. Arcee, the last thing you and I remember is finally getting a furlough from High Command. We decide to come back to Earth for a visit. We step through the space-bridge portal and then...
ARCEE
And then, this. We wake up this morning like we've been human all our lives.
BULKHEAD
So how did you snap out of it?
[Arcee braces herself again, remembering the sight of Jack on the hospital gurney.]
ARCEE
(disturbed)
I saw some...familiar sights...
BULKHEAD
(contrite)
Oh, right. Sorry...But now that I'm me again, I can't remember my life as a human anymore. What happened, Ratchet? You were here on Earth for the past ten stellar cycles, human or not.
RATCHET
Quite right.
[Ratchet gestures out the window where they see a large military compound a short distance away.]
RATCHET
Agent Fowler was appointed as the director of NEST, a new government task force formed to oppose the remnants of MECH.
BULKHEAD
MECH? Those bozos are still stomping around?
RATCHET
Yes, and stomping all over us. They have reformed their ranks and somehow advanced their technology by a staggering margin.
[Ratchet sounds troubled.]
RATCHET
(grim)
This morning was the result of our most recent attempt to contain their new offensive...
ARCEE
So you think they're behind whatever this is?
RATCHET
At this point, it wouldn't surprise me.
[Arcee dissociates, gripping a cup of coffee with smoldering rage.]
ARCEE
When we do find whoever is behind this nightmare, I'm going to make them PAY-OWW!
[She slams her fist on the table, only to recoil in pain.]
RATCHET
Careful! Our human bodies are fragile.
ARCEE
I hadn't noticed...
BULKHEAD
He's right. We've gotta take care of ourselves until we figure this out.
(excited)
Speaking of...
[A waitress arrives with a trio of steaming plates bearing scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and pancakes. Bulkhead eagerly begins digging in.]
RATCHET
Bulkhead? You aren't serious?
BULKHEAD
What? Humans need fuel just like we do. Eat up.
[At first repulsed, Ratchet grows adventurous after a waft of the delectable aroma.]
RATCHET
Well...one bite couldn't hurt.
[He takes a bite of the pancakes and is slowly enraptured by the taste.]
ARCEE
(curious)
How is it...?
RATCHET
It's...! I never imagined the taste receptors of humans could be so...nuanced!
[Ratchet relishes another bite. And then another.]
RATCHET
Mhmmm...! Mhhhhhhm!
[Arcee looks on with amusement as her companions demolish their meals. She then stares into her mug of coffee.]
ARCEE
(forlorn)
So far, only the coffee's suited my mood...Excuse me...
[She shuffles out of the booth and leaves for the restroom.]
INT. RESTROOM
[Arcee runs the tap and washes her face, leaning over the sink with exhaustion. As she pensively gazes at her own reflection in the mirror, she notices a strange flicker in its surface.]
DISEMBODIED VOICE
C-can-*hiss*-yoU hEearR *distortion* me?
[Arcee backs away. A pool of static and visual feedback grows to engulf the mirror's surface.]
DISEMBODIED VOICE
AutOBototot aRCEE...*hiss* DO you read...?
[She draws closer with curiosity, the interference beginning to clear. The pool of static stabilizes into a dark portal, through which Arcee can see an ominously shining red light.]
SHOCKWAVE
Link established. Requesting status...
ARCEE
Shockwave!
INTERMISSION
INT. RESTROOM
ARCEE
So you're behind all this! I should've guessed. You and your confounded cortical-psychic patch!
[She gesticulates with her fleshy human hands in frustration.]
ARCEE
Why this? This fleshy nightmare?! Is this your sick idea of revenge?!
INT. NEMESIS MEDBAY
[Shockwave communicates with Arcee through a computer console in the ship's medbay. Beside him are Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Arcee's unconscious Cybertronian bodies, resting on medical tables with cortical tethers connected to their skulls.]
SHOCKWAVE
Stimulating conjecture...but you have arrived at the wrong conclusion.
ARCEE
Have I? You really expect me to believe-?
SHOCKWAVE
-If I might explain.
FLASHBACK
[Shockwave plumbs the maze-like depths of the Nemesis as though it were a haunted mansion, its doors and machinery coming to life with a mind all their own.]
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
Several rotations ago, I boarded the decommissioned hulk of the Nemesis, hoping to salvage valuable research data.
ARCEE (V.O.)
"Cover up your crimes against nature", you mean?
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
(heedless)
The ship went rogue. Seemingly with a mind of it's own, the Nemesis broke from it's moorings and plotted a course to Earth where we have remained in orbit for some time...
[He discovers the Autobots lying in the med bay, examining their life-sign readings.]
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
I then discovered you and the other Autobots connected to the ship's mainframe via cortical-psychic patch. My attempts to revive you were...
[As Shockwave reaches for the cortical tethers, an electrical arc shoots out from the computer console, sending him reeling back.]
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
...Unsuccessful.
[Shockwave recovers his senses before continuing to examine the Autobots' waveform readouts.]
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
The computer has since kept you all in a deep R.O.M. state-an intense dream with a meticulously fabricated virtual reality.
ARCEE (V.O.)
But why?
SHOCKWAVE (V.O.)
Unknown. Whatever presence is responsible for this has yet to reveal itself...
END FLASHBACK
ARCEE
I didn't take you as one for ghost stories. But assuming I believe you, why help us?
SHOCKWAVE
We are quite literally "in the same boat"...And having Autobots in my debt may soon be a great asset to me.
ARCEE
Don't get ahead of yourself. High Command will-.
SHOCKWAVE
-Not associate your absence with the ship's disappearance...until it is too late.
ARCEE
*sigh* I get the picture...so what do we do?
[Shockwave regards the data readouts of his computer console.]
SHOCKWAVE
Rendering your dream-scape is heavily taxing the ship's processor cores. Tax them further.
ARCEE
Got it. We split up and make it a not-so-small world after all.
SHOCKWAVE
Do so until you induce a system crash. I can then reboot the mainframe on auxiliary cores and take back control of the ship.
ARCEE
And get us out, right?
SHOCKWAVE
...Of course. Until then I will keep a close watch on your vitals.
ARCEE
(sarcastic)
Great! I can rest easy with the 'Cons' doctor of doom at my back!
SHOCKWAVE
I am sure your facetious banter will see you through.
[With that, the portal disappears in a rush of static and distortion. Arcee is left to ponder her situation...but not alone. She hears the creaking of a bathroom stall behind her and sees a gruff old trucker step out.]
TRUCKER
Uh, pardon me, ma'am. But I think you're in the wrong restroom.
INT. ROADSIDE CAFE
[Arcee marches out of the men's bathroom and heads for the door, dragging Ratchet and Bulkhead away from their meals on her way out.]
ARCEE
Come on. We've got a game-plan.
RATCHET
(protesting)
B-but...pancakes!
ARCEE
Let's move!
CUT TO:
EXT. HIGHWAY - MIDDAY
[Arcee rides a sports bike across the deserts of Nevada, talking to her Autobot comrades over her comms.]
ARCEE
Just ride as far and fast as you can. No brakes. No looking back.
[Bulkhead drives an SUV through the winding roads of the Rocky Mountains.]
BULKHEAD
I'm all for the plan, but are you sure we can trust Shockwave?
ARCEE
We don't have many options. Believe me, I have about as much faith in him as he has depth perception-
(losing her balance)
-whOOOAAH!
BULKHEAD
'Cee? You okay?
ARCEE
I'm fine. Just...not used to this center of balance.
BULKHEAD
Tell me about it! It's like...driving inside your own body.
RATCHET (COMMS)
(moaning)
Please, Bulkhead...!
Ratchet chimes in on the conference call from Las Vegas.
RATCHET
Don't make this ordeal more disorienting than it already is!
He drives down the glitzy Las Vegas strip, delirious from the bright neon lighting.
RATCHET
*sputter* This place is worse than Altihex...
[Arcee smiles and continues her trek through Nevada. What follows is a montage of shots from their journeys.
Ratchet struggles to stay awake in the long car ride and almost dozes off. He snaps awake at the sound of a car horn and corrects course. Bulkhead is waylaid by a flat tire and scratches his head over an auto-care manual for how to install the spare.
Arcee hauls her motorcycle out of a ditch after clumsily running off-road. Embarrassed, she waves off concerned passersby.]
AFTERNOON
[Bulkhead stops to admire the Grand Canyon, amazed at its beauty. Arcee arrives at Sequoia National Park and shows a hint of awe at the towering Redwood Trees. Ratchet samples some spicy food at a Hacienda in Mexico. It's too hot for him, sending him scrambling for a glass of water.]
SUNSET
[Their travels culminate with a shot of Arcee stopped at an overlook with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. She leans over the railing, dejected at their lack of progress. She flips open her cell phone and dials Bulkhead.]
ARCEE
Hey, Bulk? How's the view?
BULKHEAD (COMMS)
Gorgeous!
[Bulkhead is stopped in a field, laying out on a copse of grass and watching the stars.]
BULKHEAD (COMMS)
It'll be nice to see all this stuff for real.
ARCEE
*sigh* If we manage to get out.
[She adds Shockwave to the conference call.]
ARCEE
Shockwave? What's our status? Shouldn't the simulation have crashed by now?
INT. THE NEMESIS, SERVER ROOM
[Shockwave is stretched out beneath a computer console, reconfiguring its wiring and circuitry.]
SHOCKWAVE
I am as mystified as you. The processor cores have far exceeded their computational capacity, yet show no sign of overheating or accruing run-time errors.
RATCHET (COMMS)
Perhaps the program compartmentalized us into three separate instances to save on power?
SHOCKWAVE
I thought so at first, but no.
[Shockwave gets to his feet and consults a computer monitor with several feeds into various locations in the dreamscape.]
SHOCKWAVE
The computer is rendering nearly all of the American Southwest with perfect fidelity.
ARCEE (COMMS)
*growl* Scrap! This was all for nothing?!
[Shockwave's gaze drifts away. He almost looks despairing.]
SHOCKWAVE
I don't understand. The Nemesis wasn't built to operate at these levels, yet it-
[He trails off, coming to a realization.]
SHOCKWAVE
...No. But of course. It wasn't "built" at all.
ARCEE (COMMS)
Shockwave?
EXT. SCENIC OVERLOOK
SHOCKWAVE (COMMS)
...I have some tests to run. Stand by...
ARCEE
Wait. What are you-?
[The connection closes, leaving Arcee kicking the dirt in frustration. A moment later she tenses as someone appears behind her.]
TRUCKER
Penny for your thoughts...?
[It's the trucker from the roadside diner.]
ARCEE
Oh, it's you...How'd you get all the way out here?
[She looks around to see a red-and-blue Peterbilt parked by the road where she hadn't noticed before.]
TRUCKER
I have my ways. Not all who wander are lost.
[Arcee relaxes and leans over the railing again.]
ARCEE
(forlorn)
Well, trust me. You'd get your money's worth.
[The trucker joins her for a few moments of contemplative silence, looking out over the ocean. ]
TRUCKER
How I envy you the chance to see this world through their eyes. How vast the universe must seem to them...
[Arcee looks confused as the Trucker grows more contemplative, his voice going from husky and gruff to deep and sonorous.]
TRUCKER
I was drawn to humanity the moment we discovered this little planet. They seemed vulnerable, fragile...
(smiling)
...yet persistent. Though we are worlds apart-
[Increasingly puzzled by his musings, Arcee looks back at the trucker to see his eyes glowing blue.]
OPTIMUS PRIME
-like us, there is more to them than meets the eye.
ARCEE
Optimus?!
OPTIMUS PRIME
Shockwave is not your only ally in this fight, Arcee. Who better to aid you as a human than your human friends?
ARCEE
But Jack is-!
[Arcee bites back tears.]
ARCEE
How can he help me now? He can't even help himself.
[Optimus gently wipes her tear away.]
OPTIMUS PRIME
Not just Jack. Rafael. June. Fowler. Miko. They can all help you. Seek them out.
[Optimus then marches away and gets in the cab of his big rig, pulling out onto the highway.]
ARCEE
Optimus, wait!
[He continues driving off into the sunset, Stan Bush's The Touch blaring out from the radio. When he reaches the horizon he fades away into thin-air as though having been a mirage.
Arcee watches him leave, a tear still streaming down her cheek.]
CUT TO:
INT. NEST BASE, HOSPITAL - NEXT DAY
[Nurses file in and out of Jack's room, monitoring his vitals and comparing notes. A quailed, twenty-two-year-old Rafael Esquivel solemnly sits by his bedside.
Suddenly, a young woman bursts into the room and draws him into a suffocating bear hug. From her pink highlights and disheveled school uniform, it is unmistakeably an older Miko.]
MIKO
(stern)
Rafael Jorge Gonzales Esquivel! Don't you dare blame yourself for this!
RAF
(straightening his glasses)
I don't see why not! I got sloppy! MECH detected my system probe and the whole raid went pear-shaped from there. This is my fault...
[Raf casts a guilt-ridden glance at Jack's bed. Director Fowler and Head Nurse Darby appear behind him.]
DIRECTOR FOWLER
Don't take all the credit, son. MECH has been advancing their tech so fast they've got our heads spinning. I should've sized 'em up better before authorizing the mission.
JUNE DARBY
He needs us to be strong now, not blaming ourselves.
ARCEE
She's right.
[Arcee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead enter Jack's hospital ward.]
ARCEE
We need you.
INT. EXAMINATION ROOM
[The three "Autobots" sit on a row of exam tables, Raf hooking their bodies up to monitoring equipment. He struggles to get Bulkhead connected as Miko fawns over him.]
RAF
Miko, can I just-
MIKO
Sorry. I was just so scared I'd see your name come up on the casualty list too, Kev. I'm so glad you're okay!
BULKHEAD
Me too...
[Bulkhead gapes at her, astonished at the change from her young teenage self.]
BULKHEAD
But what's scary is seeing how much you've grown! I barely recognize you since the last time I was here.
MIKO
What do you mean? You saw me a few months ago at my graduation party in Japan.
BULKHEAD
Oh, well...uh...
MIKO
Are you feeling alright?
BULKHEAD
I'm fine. I guess explanations are coming...
[As they speak, Raf is seated at a computer console, puzzling over the data readouts.]
RAF
These readings don't make any sense. You aren't showing heart-rate, respiration, bio-electric impulses-anything! The equipment must be faulty.
ARCEE
It's not the equipment, Raf. This is the only way I thought you'd realize that...we're not human.
RAF
What?!
[Both Raf and Miko look at her like she's deranged.]
RATCHET
Arcee, what makes you think the children aren't just part of this simulation we're trapped in?
ARCEE
It's not a simulation! It's something more...a dream, I guess. And they're part of it. I can feel it!
RAF
Whoa, whoa! Back up! Simulation? Dream? What exactly is going on here?
Arcee clasps his shoulders.
ARCEE
I know it sounds crazy. But none of this is real. And you might be the only one who can help us. You have to remember!
[They are interrupted by the sound of explosions erupting elsewhere in the compound. ]
EXT. NEST BASE, DEPOT
[They rush outside to find the base being strafed by mysterious aircraft. Several of the jet-like vehicles descend to the ground and transform into giant robotic soldiers.]
BULKHEAD
'Cons?
RATCHET
No. A MECH counter-attack!
[They all dash for cover as the MECH robots begin ransacking the base. They have the general build of Decepticon troopers, save for a solid black paint-job highlighted with acid green or sulfur yellow. Their face-plates have been replaced with stylized human skulls.]
ARCEE
What are those things?!
RATCHET
MECH has been stripping our old battlegrounds of Vehicon corpses and-
(shuddering)
-rebuilding them into remotely piloted armatures for their soldiers.
[They duck as a flaming military vehicle goes careening past their position and explodes. As they scramble for a new hiding spot, Arcee flips open her phone. ]
ARCEE
Shockwave! We've got a situation!
INT. NEMESIS, SERVER ROOM
[Shockwave is in the midst of disemboweling a circuit panel in the wall of the server room, musing to himself as he works.]
SHOCKWAVE
Of course, you were never truly "built". Merely reassembled from derelict husks orbiting the ancient Trypticon shipyards.
[As he disconnects a circuit, a section of the server-room wall transforms into a threshold, leading into a hidden chamber. Shockwave enters to find a dormant, ancient-looking computer core nested in the bulkheads.]
SHOCKWAVE
But long had Cybertron forgotten from whence those shipyards received their namesake...
[Shockwave's musings are interrupted by a transmission on his wrist computer. He manifests a holographic feed of Arcee's desperate transmission.]
ARCEE (COMMS)
Shockwave! Are you there?!
SHOCKWAVE
Present.
ARCEE (COMMS)
We're under attack!
EXT. NEST BASE, DEPOT
ARCEE
Do something! We're pinned here!
SHOCKWAVE (COMMS)
I have no control over the contents of the simulation...But I may have found the source of our problem.
ARCEE
Great! Don't keep us in suspense!
[She continues to weave through the ensuing battle. Despite her most agile attempts to dodge, she is grazed by shrapnel from an exploding fuel tank.]
ARCEE
Gagh!
INT. SERVER ROOM
[Shockwave sees his wrist screen flashing red.]
SHOCKWAVE
Arcee. Your vitals are fluctuating. Whatever is occurring in the simulation is having a corresponding effect on your physical body.
INT. MEDBAY
[Arcee's Cybertronian body twitches and winces with pain. The monitors beep and flash red.]
EXT. NEST BASE
[Ratchet and Bulkhead drag Arcee's wounded body to shelter under the wing of a destroyed cargo plane. Raf and Miko help her sit up as Ratchet bandages her wounds.
Raf is astonished to see that instead of blood, she seems to leak a glowing blue fluid.]
RATCHET
She's leaking Energon! Bulkhead, I need a tourniquet!
BULKHEAD
A what?
RATCHET
It's like a valve clamp. Here, like this...
[As Ratchet instructs Bulkhead on making a cloth tourniquet, Raf dissociates. He slowly pieces together memories of being held in giant metallic hands.]
RAF
Alright, listen. I don't know what's going on, but if this is some sort of dream there may be something you can do.
ARCEE
(groaning in pain)
I'm all ears.
RAF
When most humans who have dreams become aware of their surroundings, it's called "lucid dreaming". They can control their dream-state and do almost anything they can imagine.
ARCEE
Well, I'm not feeling the power.
[She examines her wounded body, shivering.]
ARCEE
Just...pain...
(pitying)
Is this what it's always like for humans?
RAF
(determined)
If you're not human then what are you?
CUT TO:
INT. SERVER ROOM
[Shockwave finishes some calibrations on the dormant computer core and types some commands into his wrist computer.]
SHOCKWAVE
It is time for results.
[He walks over to a nearby console and grasps a bulky command lever.]
SHOCKWAVE
Trypticon...Awaken!
[For a moment the ship only seems to power down, its lighting flickering off and leaving Shockwave in an awkward darkness. But after a few seconds of stillness, the bridge thrums back to life. A deep, gravelly voice emanates from all throughout the ship's cavernous interior.]
TRYPTICON
Who...awakens me?
SHOCKWAVE
I am called Shockwave, mighty one. I oversaw your transformation from a floating corpse into a vessel of the Decepticon Armada.
TRYPTICON
I remember...I was enslaved...By the one called MEGATRON!
[The ship rattles with Trypticon's rage. ]
SHOCKWAVE
-Who has been vanquished, and by the very Cybertronians you torture. What is your quarrel with them?
TRYPTICON
I know not of what you speak. Another controls me now...bends my systems to his will.
SHOCKWAVE
Whom? I have seen no others aboard?
[Just then, Trypticon manifests a pair of ground-bridge portals in front of shockwave. They combine into a swirling compound portal. ]
TRYPTICON
Do not trust what your lone optic can see.
[Shockwave cautiously steps forward and enters the portal.]
SHADOW ZONE
[He emerges from the portal to see his surroundings unchanged aside from a gray pallor cast over everything. As he ventures further, he finds the bridge overrun with a swarm of metallic tendrils interfaced into every panel and monitor.
They converge in a tangled nexus at the helm, forming a column between the deck and ceiling. Drawing closer, Shockwave discerns the body of a Cybertronian tangled in the morass of cables-A slim-framed Decepticon with a screen for a face. ]
SHOCKWAVE
Soundwave?
[The former Decepticon spy master's body is corroded and twisted in unnatural angles, but his cracked screen face-plate flickers to life in a mess of static, pixels, and alien sigils.]
EXT. NEST BASE
[The MECH armatures continue ransacking the base, facing meager resistance from the NEST soldiers. A pair of the armatures break off from the main-group and head for the triage center. ]
ARCEE
What are they-?
Arcee realizes what they're after.
ARCEE
Jack! We've got to help Jack!
[Arcee struggles against Ratchet.]
RATCHET
You're in no condition to-!
[She wrenches free and limps off in the direction of the armatures.]
RATCHET
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
[Clutching her wounds, Arcee slowly breaks into a run, wincing with each stride but desperate to reach Jack.]
SHADOW ZONE
[Shockwave examines Soundwave's seemingly lifeless body.]
SHOCKWAVE
Soundwave? Colleague, what is your status?
[Nothing but the hiss of static and distortion answers him.]
SHOCKWAVE
Respond!
[After a moment of silence, Soundwave's head eerily cranes to face him. The distortion coalesces into a cadence of agonized, modulated speech.]
SHOCKWAVE
MISSION REPORT: SOUNDWAVE FINAL LOG
...Status: Trapped...
(static)
...Location: Interstitial Dimension...
...Means of Escape: Nonexistent...
...Projected Odds of Survival:...Unfavorable...
[His words are accompanied by lines of Cybertronian text parsing out on his face-plate.]
SHOCKWAVE
...Energon levels: Dwindling...
...Termination: Imminent...
[The cursor on his faceplate pauses, ominously flashing for several seconds before continuing.]
SHOCKWAVE
...New Variable: Contact Established with Foreign Entity...
...Designation: *static*ThE oLD ONesss*static*
[The bridge rattles, it's ambient lighting taking on a sickly yellow pall.]
SHOCKWAVE
(dreading)
"The Old Ones"?
SOUNDWAVE
...Terms Offered: Modify status of Paramater: Allegiance from Faction: {Decepticons} to Faction: {Quintessons}...
...New Mission Parameters: Deliver package {former Decepticon vessel - Designation: Nemesis} to third-party {Designation: MECH}...
...Reward: VENGEANCE!!
[The bridge quakes with Soundwave's rage, his face-plate dissolving into a red error screen before settling back to text.]
SOUNDWAVE
...Terms:...Accepted...
SHOCKWAVE
Soundwave. As trite as it may sound, revenge is illogical-or at least not worth the price of serving the Quintessons again!
SOUNDWAVE
...Input: Unacceptable...
[Several metal tendrils rear up in front of Shockwave.]
SOUNDWAVE
...Do not interfere.
[The tendrils strike, pushing Soundwave back through the portal. He goes screeching across the deck of the bridge in real-space, looking back to see the portal collapse behind him.]
EXT. NEST BASE
[The skies over Nevada darken ominously, flashing with lightning, almost as if consciously setting the mood...
The MECH armatures march up to the trauma center building and tear off the facade to Jack's recovery room. One of them reaches in and begins fishing for his body.]
ARCEE
NO! GET AWAY FROM THERE!
[Arcee comes racing towards them, desperately hurling chunks of concrete and rubble at their legs. They take no notice of her futile attempts.]
INT. BRIDGE
[Shockwave tries to wrest back control of the ship, typing commands into the bridge consoles. One of the consoles explodes in his face, sending him reeling.]
TRYPTICON
That will prove fruitless. He has locked me out of my core systems. But I may be able to furnish an escape pod for you.
SHOCKWAVE
Not yet. If you can, try and fight Soundwave's influence. It may give my cohorts a chance to escape his thrall.
TRYPTICON
A Decepticon aiding Autobots...? These are strange times. I will do what I can.
[Shockwave then turns and sprints for the Medbay while consulting his wrist communicator.]
SHOCKWAVE
Autobots.
EXT. NEST BASE
[Arcee's phone discharges Shockwave's communique.]
SHOCKWAVE
You may have a short window of egress. Whatever cracks appear in the facade of your dreamscape, exploit them!
[Arcee clutches her wounds, leaking glowing blue Energon. Enraged by the sight of the MECH armatures ransacking the Trauma Center, she makes a final desperate attack.
As she sprints forward, her wounds grow into a web of seams across her body, engulfing her in blue light. With a scream of pain she becomes a blur of twisting metal plates and gears, transforming into a motorcycle.
She rides up the back of one of the armatures, launching herself into the sky. She transforms into her robot mode midair and comes crashing down on the armature's head, flattening it. She then finishes off it's counterpart with a quick slice from her wrist blades.]
Raf and Miko watch the spectacle with awe.]
RAF & MIKO
(in unison)
Whooooa...
[Ratchet and Bulkhead trade glances.]
RATCHET
Well? Come on! Let's go!
[With a hearty cry, they rush off into battle, similarly trading their human bodies for their old Cybertronian ones. Bulkhead quickly pummels the other MECH robots while Ratchet surgically dissects them.
Soon the battle is won with all the MECH robots destroyed or routed. Raf, Miko and the NEST soldiers all cheer.
But just as the mood seems to lighten, the skies over Jasper darken. Ground-bridge portals open around the Autobots, out of which a forest of metallic tendrils emerges to restrain them. Raf and Miko are strangled in their grip as well.
A final portal opens, admitting Soundwave into the dreamscape. He silently strides toward his captives.]
RATCHET
Soundwave? This is your doing? Why?!
SHOCKWAVE (COMMS)
As I recall, It was your human friends that consigned Soundwave to a fate worse than death in what you call "the Shadow Zone".
RAF
That's...right! I remember now!
SHOCKWAVE (COMMS)
If I might surmise, he thought it would be a fitting torment for them to witness their Autobot protectors share in the bitterness of their human existence...
(pausing)
I cannot say I would've acted differently in his place...
MIKO
Aww, well tough bolts! That's what you Decepticon creeps get for messing with our planet!
[Soundwave flexes his metal claws, willing the tendrils to constrict around his captives. They all struggle against their bindings, seemingly helpless until...]
BULKHEAD
(defiant)
So...That's what you think you've done to us? *groan* Punished us? Broken our spirit? HA! Not even close!
[Soundwave turns his head and regards Bulkhead with curiosity. He motions for the Autobot's restraints to loosen and let him speak.]
SOUNDWAVE
Elaborate...
BULKHEAD
You've let us see through the eyes of humanity...*pant*...and the view was fine by me!
[Soundwave's faceplate flickers in anger.]
SOUNDWAVE
...Data does not parse...
...Simulation Parameters: Inflict PAIN!
...No other functions possible...
INT. MEDBAY
[Shockwave stands over the bodies of the Autobots in real-space, monitoring their vitals. They stir, as if slowly awakening from their dream.]
DREAMSCAPE
SHOCKWAVE (COMMS)
Autobots! Whatever you're doing, persist. It is having the desired effect.
[Emboldened, Bulkhead continues his tirade.]
BULKHEAD
I used senses I didn't know I had. Felt things I didn't know I could feel. I got to hold Miko in my arms like she was one of my own. Even if it all was just a lie, you gave us a gift...
(earnest)
Thank you.
SOUNDWAVE
WHAT?!
[The Dreamscape rattles with his fury and slowly begins to dissolve into glowing pixels.]
SOUNDWAVE
...Does not parse!...
...System Parameters: PAIN!
BULKHEAD
AND I'D FEEL IT AGAIN!
[That was the breaking point. As Soundwave's dreamscape dissolves into clouds of data, he is sucked into a massive vortex, clawing and flailing.]
SOUNDWAVE
Failure: Unacceptable!...Vengeance Protocols: Unfulfilled!
[Soundwave's stranglehold on his captives loosen and they manage to break free, but now find themselves trying not to be sucked into the vortex as well. As Soundwave struggles to retain his hold over them, a massive shape emerges from the vortex.
It appears in the guise of the Decepticon war-ship, transfigured into a semi-reptilian humanoid shape: behemoth reaches out and seizes Soundwave in his claws, dragging him into the abyss.]
SOUNDWAVE
(forlorn)
Soundwave:...Inferior...
[With that, he vanishes into the vortex.]
CUT TO:
INT. MEDBAY
[Arcee, Bulkhead, and Ratchet all jolt awake, their cortical tethers detaching and falling to the ground. Beckoning them out the threshold is Shockwave.]
SHOCKWAVE
Quickly! We haven't much time!
[They follow him out and sprint down the corridors as the ship is rocked with tremors. All along their path, they are accosted by robotic arms and tendrils bursting out from beneath wall and floor panels.
They eventually make it to the escape pod bay, Shockwave and Arcee filing into one, Bulkhead and Ratchet stuffing themselves in another. They finally jettison, their pods careening down towards Earth.]
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
[Raf and Miko are slumped together on a hospital bench, fast asleep. They suddenly jolt awake, panting heavily. After a few moments collecting their breath, they exchange looks of astonishment.]
MIKO
Did we-?
RAF
-Just have the same dream?!
[They aren't given long to ponder as they see a pair of fireballs shoot across the sky through a nearby window. ]
EXT. JASPER, NEVADA - NIGHT
[The desert sands are marred by two large crater, still smoking from the heat of impact. The door of one pod bursts open and lands on the ground with a thud, followed shortly by Shockwave.]
NEST SOLDIERS
Freeze! Don't move, Decepticon!
[He looks up to see a caravan of human military vehicles surrounding the crash-site, training their weapons on him. He reflexively raises his own blaster cannon, the NEST soldiers priming theirs in response...]
ARCEE
Wait!
[She drops out of the pod and thrusts herself in the center of the stand-off.]
ARCEE
He's with us...for now...
[After a few tense moments, Shockwave reluctantly retracts his blaster cannon.]
MIKO
BULK!
RAF
RATCHET!
[Miko and Raf leap from the back of one of the vehicles and embrace their Autobot friends. The NEST soldiers slowly lower their weapons as the tension diffuses.
Meanwhile, Arcee scans the faces of the assembled NEST soldies, hoping to see...]
ARCEE
(hopeful)
Jack...?
[The soldiers look around, shuffling awkwardly. Raf approaches Arcee with a contrite expression.]
RAF
I'm sorry, 'Cee. It wasn't all a dream...
INT. NEST HANGAR BAY
[A set of bay doors open, admitting the Autobots into a hangar facility. Half the hangar appears to house Ratchet's science laboratory, while the back half is a human medical facility built into a mezzanine deck reaching up to the Autobots' midsections.
Arcee rushes over to a partition where Jack's wounded body is connected to life-support. She clasps the railing in anguish as the Autobots and their human friends console her.]
TO BE CONTINUED...