Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
At the Unit E facility, Vee started to get a message from one of the team members on their away mission.
"I'm getting a Ground Bridge request, and it's from Scotland." Vee informed.
"Who's it even from?" Luz asked with Stringbean hissing in curiosity.
Ratchet activated the Ground Bridge and Seaspray then drove out of it by himself, halting near Arcee, Cliffjumper and Ironhide.
"Seaspray?" Cliffjumper asked, a little surprise.
"What happened? Where're the others?" Arcee questioned as the aquatic Wrecker transformed.
"Having a nice time taking the long way home in Ultra Magnus' flying bus, I'm sure." Seaspray replied. "Along with Willow and Boscha."
"I was wondering why those two took so long to go to the bathroom." Gus admitted, remembering the little white lies the two Witch girls said.
"Let's just hope they're not trying to kill each other." Amity said with a sigh.
"Did you secure the Predacon bone?" Ratchet asked Seaspray.
"Uhh, our beast hunt took a bit of a sour turn, Doc." Seaspray answered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Well I just got wind of another Con hot spot, right outside of Taos, New Mexico." Fowler informed, showing up from his office. "Since Prime's unit isn't back from oil country…"
"We're up for the challenge, Fowler." Ironhide replied.
"Vee, set a bridge for the coordinates." Cliffjumper instructed as the Basilisk girl started doing just that.
"You, roll with us." Arcee told Seaspray.
"I'm not really in the mood, right now." Seaspray replied.
"Then maybe I'd outta get you in the right mood." Ironhide said sternly. "We need all the help we can get, here."
"You've got plenty of help with the kids, cannon-head." Seaspray reminded while gesturing to the Hexside Squad.
"We still need to keep searching for other bones." Hunter said.
Ironhide was about to make another retort, but Cliffjumper placed a hand on his chest.
"Easy, Ironhide. Save that temper of yours for the Cons." Cliffjumper told him.
"If you're alright sending us out there alone." Arcee said with a smile.
"Working alone is how I usually roll." Seaspray proclaimed.
"Seaspray, you do not want to make me abandon a complex equation to venture outside my comfort zone." Ratchet warned, a little annoyed.
"I'd listen to Ratchet if I were you." Amity agreed.
Seaspray could only groan in defeat as he turned to join up with Arcee, Cliffjumper and Ironhide.
"Fine." The aquatic Wrecker said as the four Autobots then walked into an open Ground Bridge. "But in case none of you have figured it out, yet…"
(Linebreak)
"I don't like working with…others." Seaspray trailed off when he and the others arrived on the other side and found themselves surrounded by a large group of Vehicons.
"Scrap." Arcee said.
"Four Bots against a whole lot of Cons. My kind of odds." Ironhide commented before pounding his fist into his palm.
"You know what I really like about Vehicon soldiers?" Seaspray asked.
"They're easily distracted." Cliffjumper answered.
Ironhide understood what they meant and lowered his hand down, allowing Arcee to place her foot on it before the red muscular Autobot launched her right into the air. All the Vehicons saw Arcee in the air and Cliffjumper shot down two of them before Seaspray fired his torpedo launcher at a few Vehicons that started shooting. Arcee landed on the ground and shot down some Vehicons before running up to one and kicking it down. She then avoided some attacks from three more Vehicons and kicked them away, with the last one crashing into another. Ironhide blocked some blaster fire with his arms and grabbed two Vehicons by their heads before slamming them right into each other, dropping them and shooting down a few more with his cannons. Seaspray took down a Vehicon with a double-punch and charged at a few more Vehicons before striking them all down with amazing combat skills. Cliffjumper tackled straight into a Vehicon with his horns and stabbed one more in the chest with his blade, punching him right onto the ground before he blocked an attack by three more Vehicons and took them out instantly. Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide regrouped to see that all of their enemies had been defeated.
"That's all of them." Cliffjumper said.
"Next time, they might wanna send a bigger army." Ironhide quipped.
"You three sure you weren't Wreckers?" Seaspray asked, impressed by the damage they caused on their enemies.
"You sure you prefer working alone?" Arcee questioned.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at Unit E, Gus was walking his way up to the new hangout platform and soon spotted Skara, who was currently listening to some Human music on an iPod. Knowing this was his chance to get closer with Skara, Gus started straightening out his cloths and combed his hair with his fingers. Luz and Amity were currently sitting on the couch and watching one of their Good Witch Azura movies as Stringbean and Ghost slept next to them, while the Hispanic girl was talking to her mother on the phone.
"Sure, Mom. I'll make sure we get some time to come over and help, tomorrow. Yo también te amo, Mama." Luz said before ending the call.
"What was your mom saying?" Amity asked.
"She just needed some help with the reconstruction of Gravesfield and I said we'd be happy to help, tomorrow." Luz explained. "Agent Fowler's even been paying for all the new resources for the damaged houses."
"Sounds like a good idea." Hunter replied, standing next to Vee at her laptop.
"Though, she did mention that she and the workers have been hearing strange animal noises coming from the woods." Luz said. "Could be a bear or a pack of angry dogs."
"It's probably nothing too bad." Amity reassured before she and Luz noticed Gus walking up to Skara.
"Hey there, Skara." Gus greeted with a kind smile, earning the Bard Witch girl's attention.
"Hi, Gus. You're looking smart-dressed as always." Skara complimented.
"Heh, thanks for noticing." Gus replied, chuckling a bit. "So, you're listening to a bit of human music?"
"Yeah, they're just as catchy as the music we get back home." Skara said with a smile, turning up the volume on the iPod. "You should try listening to them sometimes."
"Maybe you and I could listen to them together?" Gus suggested.
Luz and Amity could only smile slyly at the scene in front of them, knowing Gus' motives for starting a conversation with Skara. Just then, Vee found something interesting on her laptop.
"Hey, guys, come see this." Vee said, causing her friends to walk up to her as they all saw an image of a fossilised talon at a museum display. "I found this Predacon talon that's currently being held inside a museum. Scientists became really shocked by how unusual it was after it was excavated in 1992. It's been in storage every since."
"But, Optimus and the others are still away on their missions." Luz reminded.
Ratchet let out a loud groan as he knew he was the only Autobot left in Unit E.
"I didn't choose emergency as my vehicle mode for laughs." Ratchet said before Gus thought of something.
"Actually, this little situation doesn't need a Bot. Not when we're all still here." Gus said.
"Didn't Optimus say we had to stay here in case he or any of the Bots needed our backup?" Hunter recalled.
"I'm sure he won't mind if only two of us went to get the talon." Gus reassured before turning his attention to Skara. "Would you like to help me out on this mission, Skara?"
"Me? I don't know, Gus." Skara replied doubtfully. "Maybe we should wait for the Bots. Jackie and Smokey could give us a big hand."
"We've been able to take care of ourselves before back in the Boiling Isles. Who's to say the two of us can't handle getting a Predacon bone from a human museum?" Gus asked with an encouraging smile.
"Well, when you put it that way, it does make some sense." Skara admitted before she shrugged. "Alight, let's do it. Just you and me, Gus."
"Sweet." Gus replied.
"Okay, why is it just the two of you?" Amity asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, Luz and I can come along, too."
"There's no need for that. Skara and I can handle a simple search and retrieval job." Gus answered reassuringly.
"Yeah, we'll be back before you guys even know it." Skara added before walking away. "Come on, Gus."
Gus followed the Bard Witch girl as Luz, Amity, Hunter and Vee looked at each other and shrugged.
(Linebreak)
The Nemesis was currently flying above the clouds as Megatron was praising his beast for a successful job.
"Ah, you have performed well, my pet." Megatron said while stroking the Predacon and holding the fossilised eye it retrieved. "This will be a splendid contribution to the spawning of your Predacon brethren."
"I've gotta say, Lord Megatron, you're very good at handling that beast." Thundercracker complimented as he and Skywarp stood nearby.
"Way better than Starscream ever did. He had to keep avoiding being burned alive or chomped into scrap metal." Skywarp said, laughing to himself.
Just then, Knock Out walked up to his leader from behind.
"My liege, we've located another of Shockwave's Predacon energy signatures." Knock Out informed. "Weak, but steady."
"Excellent. Knock Out, do not return empty handed." Megatron told him.
"Moi? Don't know the meaning of the word." Knock Out replied boastfully.
"Isn't 'empty handed' two words?" Starscream asked as he approached the conversation.
"Here comes the spoil-sport Con." Skywarp said, a bit annoyed.
"You would know. Or did your missing armor turn up?" Knock Out questioned as he marched up to Starscream, referring to how he lost the Apex Armor the Wreckers.
"Why you wheel-bound-" Starscream began to say angrily.
"Starscream!" Megatron shouted, interrupting the argument. "You have failed me enough for one day. Assume the task of monitoring for Predacon energy signatures, at once!"
"Yes, my liege." Starscream replied in defeat, walking away.
"I'm sure you'll find the gig as invigorating as I did, Screamer." Knock Out mocked.
"Just don't loose your brain module by overdoing the job. Your head's rusty enough already." Thundercracker added, causing Starscream to growl frustratingly.
Megatron, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Knock Out began walking back into the Nemesis.
"You sure you can handle a solo-mission, Knock Out? Breakdown and Wildrider are already on another mission to find specimens." Skywarp told the Decepticon doctor.
"I'll be fine. I've just got to stay out of human sigh, grab that bone and drive away before any Autobots can show up to mess up my finish." Knock Out assured.
"What about the progress on Project Predacon, Lord Megatron?" Thundercracker asked.
"Shockwave has initiated the cloning process with the specimens gathered thus far. The Predacon currently among us will be but the first of a new wave of Beast machine super soldiers." Megatron explained.
However, none of them seemed to notice that the Predacon was watching them and listening in on what Megatron said with a curious look.
"What are you lurking about for?!" Starscream questioned, earning the Predacon's attention. "Get back to your kennel!"
The air commander kicked the Predacon's tail and this angered the Cybertronian dragon, causing it to swing its tail right at Starscream and he fearfully avoided it. The tail ended up hitting a nearby communication array and greatly damaged it.
"You mindless brute! Look what you've done!" Starscream scolded as the Predacon starred at the damage array.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide were walking through a cave that most likely had a Predacon bone buried somewhere.
"You're awfully quiet, Seaspray." Arcee said to the aquatic Wrecker.
"I'm not a big fan of chit-chat." Seaspray replied casually.
"You sure sound like a conversationalist." Cliffjumper joked.
"Well, I heard you're the biggest chatterbox on the team." Seaspray said.
"He ain't wrong, Cliff." Ironhide admitted.
"Why do you pretend?" Arcee asked, changing the subject. "If you really wanted to roll alone, you would have hit the open road today, but you didn't."
"Cee's right, you just called for a Bridge back to base and didn't think about trying to find yourself a ship to fly away in." Cliffjumper said, knowing Seaspray had alternate reasons for coming back to base instead of just heading straight off.
"Hey! Don't try assuming you guys know me!" Seaspray retorted defensively, only for Ironhide to roughly pull him back.
"We ain't assuming anything, punk." Ironhide scowled, getting into Seaspray's face. "We're just pointing out how yoh don't exactly wanna stay a loner."
"Now, care to chit-chat about what happened out there?" Arcee questioned as Seaspray remained silent for a bit.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the museum Vee had talked about earlier, Gus and Skara was seen walking away from it with a wooden box in the Illusionist Witch boy's hands.
"See? I told you it would be a simple search and retrieval mission." Gus said.
"With a really grumpy-looking human." Skara giggled.
"That curator? It was easy to sneak past him with a little invisibility illusion spell." Gus replied. "After that, the rest of the job was easy."
"I've gotta say, Gus, your Illusion magic is on a whole other level." Skara complimented kindly. "You could actually get yourself a nice girl with it, one day."
"Actually, I tried getting nice girl with my Illusion magic a few months ago back at the Boiling Isles." Gus admitted, blushing a bit. "She was a Glandus student and invited me to go on this little treasure hunt."
"You fell in love with a Glandus student of all people?" Skara asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, but she turned out to be a manipulative jerk and I ended up teaching her a lesson by scaring her away from a graveyard she tried robbing." Gus explained. "I've been on the hunt for a better soulmate ever since."
"That's good. To be honest, you're not the only one who's had a rough love life." Skara said, rubbing the back of her head.
"You mean with that bat guy from the Beast Keeping track, who you also went to Grom with?" Gus asked.
"Yeah, I found out he just invited me because I was one of the most popular girls in school and wanted to look better than others with me, which wasn't true love." Skara explained with a frown. "I dumped him the second I learned the truth behind his back."
"Sorry about that." Gus said sympathetically.
"It's okay. Like that human saying Luz once told me about, there's plenty of fish in the sea." Skara said as she managed to put on a small smile.
But then, the two of them were blinded by a pair of bright lights and they saw that driving up to them was Knock Out in his vehicle form.
"I have a bone to pick with both of you." Knock Out said before he shifted out a blaster from his left side, powering it up.
"Run, Skara!" Gus stated urgently.
He and Skara attempted to run away with the Predacon talon, but Knock Out fired his blaster and engulfed them both in a bright electrical blast. When Gus and Skara began waking up and groaning later on, they found themselves laying in Knock Out's boot.
"Kick back, relax and enjoy the scenery." Knock Out told the Witches, closing his boot and trapping them inside.
The Decepticon doctor then drove away with his prisoners and their Scrolls were seen laying on the floor behind them. Knock Out soon arrived on a roadway on the sand-coated lands outside of the city.
"Knock Out to Lord Megatron, I have secured one vintage Predacon talon. Plus, two of the Autobots' Witch pets for you to employ as hostages, lab experiments, sources of info for how to use their magic, well anyway you see fit." Knock Out informed on his com-link. "So go on, Big M, tell me you love me more than Starscream."
However, Knock Out's only response was static as Megatron didn't seem to hear him at all.
"My liege? Hello?" Knock Out asked confusingly. "Too familiar?"
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Starscream was currently having two Vehicons fix up the damaged communication array with the Predacon watching nearby.
"Ugh, the primitive mutt demolishes our entire communications network, and Lord Megatron intends to breed more it?!" Starscream asked in frustration before turning to the Vehicons, who were still repairing the array. "Would you two hurry? I want this fixed before our master…is bothered by such distracting menusher."
Once the Vehicons had finished rebuilding the array, Starscream approached the back of it and began typing on a small panel.
"Entering access override code and rebooting now." Starscream said as he was finished typing the code and waited for the array to fully activate, but it ended up malfunctioning and releasing a burst of electricity as Starscream yelped in shock. "No, no, no, no. Ragh!"
Starscream kicked the broken array in anger and the Predacon was still watching with a low growl.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at Unit E, Luz was currently walking back and fourth while Amity and Hunter were sitting on the couch playing video games, with the Palismen asleep near them. Vee was also still working on her laptop.
"They've been gone for a while." Luz said.
"Are you talking about Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide?" Hunter asked, taking his eyes off the screen for a little bit.
"No, I mean Gus and Skara." Luz replied.
"They probably just stopped to get something to eat or drink." Amity assured casually.
"Isn't that what two people do when they have a crush on each other?" Vee questioned.
This causes Luz, Amity and Hunter to look at each other with bewildered expressions, wondering if Gus and Skara really were planning to start dating.
"That's a bit unlikely, Vee." Luz told her adoptive sister before her phone began ringing and she answered the call. "Gus? Skara?"
"Guess again, Luz." Willow's voice replied.
(Linebreak)
As it turns out, the Plant Witch girl was riding in Ultra Magnus' ship with the Wreckers and Boscha on their way back.
"I hope you and the others are in a good mood, because I'm bringing back something much better than a Predacon bone." Willow said, looking at the Apex Armor near her.
"Okay, Willow. We'll be waiting for you." Luz replied.
"Wait, don't hang up! Is Seaspray at the base?" Willow asked quietly as she turned to Bulkhead and Wheeljack, who both seemed a bit depressed. "I think Bulkhead and Wheeljack are worried about him."
After she said that, Willow looked towards Boscha on the other side and the triclops Witch was currently hugging her legs to her chest with a very miserable expressions.
"Even Boscha is looking sad about him leaving." Willow admitted.
(Linebreak)
"Boscha is sad about someone other than herself?" Amity questioned as she overheard everything, not buying it at all. "That doesn't sound right."
"Seaspray's fine, Willow. He went with Arcee, Cliffjumper and Ironhide on another mission." Luz said.
"Seaspray is choosing a new team already? That's not good." Willow commented.
"No, it's just a single mission. They're not permanent teammates." Luz reassured.
"I guess that's fine, then. I'll see you all soon." Willow said before she hung up, allowing Luz to sigh.
"Sounds like Willow and Boscha didn't try to kill each other." Hunter admitted.
(Linebreak)
Knock Out was still driving his way through the badlands roadway and trying to contact the Nemesis, while Gus and Skara were still trapped in his boot.
"I told you we should've waited for Smokey and the others!" Skara told the Illusionist Witch boy in annoyance.
"Well if we did wait for them, Doc Knock would've already stolen that bone and gotten it to Megatron!" Gus argued. "So, excuse me for wanting to keep something important out of a Decepticon's hands!"
"In case you didn't notice, we're currently his prisoners and he still managed to get the talon!" Skara reminded with a glare. "That's not much of a difference!"
"Man, you're starting to sound like the old you that hung out with Boscha!" Gus insulted.
"For your info, I'm not like that anymore!" Skara stated. "I've changed for the better, just like Amity!"
"Hello! How long have you two been dating?" Knock Out questioned, getting annoyed Yu the two Witches arguing. "Because you bicker like an old married couple."
"Wait, what?!" Gus asked in disbelief, blushing madly.
"We're not dating!" Skara protested as she also started to blush.
"Frankly, I find it repulsive. The whole idea of you fleshies…interfacing." Knock Out said before he shivered in disgust. "Knock Out to base, requesting pickup. Again."
But once again, Knock Out only got static.
"Alright, is anyone up there receiving me?!" Knock Out asked in frustration.
Seeing Knock Out was currently busy, Gus silently turned towards Skara.
"Listen to me, Skara. If Knock Out manages to get us and that talon on the Nemesis, the Autobots and our friends aren't gonna have any chance of finding us." Gus whispered.
"Never let a Decepticon take you to the second location. At least, that's what Smokey told me." Skara said.
"First of all, we left Emmiline and Cayenne back at the base. That means we're gonna have to escape on our own." Gus explained.
"I understand that. Our first step should be to get out of this tight boot and let me play a really loud tune for this Con." Skara suggested with a confident smile, earning a nod from Gus.
(Linebreak)
Back in the cave, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide were using drills to dig their way through the cave walls in order to find the Predacon bone.
"Bots like Magnus. I never let them peel my paint, I always peel theirs and leave them in the rust." Seaspray explained.
"So if it ain't the Commander who's grinding your gears…" Ironhide began to say.
"It's Bulk and Jackie, isn't it?" Cliffjumper asked in realisation, earning a sigh from Seaspray.
"It just burns me up when some of my Wrecker buddies turn soft. I just never thought it'd by my two favourite ones." Seaspray admitted while continuing to drill.
"Look, Seaspray, you'll always have the Wreckers as you knew them in here." Arcee told him, placing a hand on where her Spark is.
"Cee's right. No matter how much you try to fight or deny it, thing's always change. Your friends end up becoming different and if you can't adapt to any of it, you'll rust." Cliffjumper explained. "Just like these bones we're digging for."
Seaspray didn't seem affected by these words and continued drilling.
"Don't push Bulkhead and Wheeljack away. If something happened to them, you'd never forgive yourself." Arcee said in sympathy, causing Seaspray to stop as he actually felt remorseful hearing this. "Trust me. I know."
"Besides, didn't you think about three-eyes back there?" Ironhide questioned, referring to Boscha. "The two of you seemed like you were making progress, not that it was a surprise. She actually started being better and it was all because of you."
"I…guess so." Seaspray admitted, remembering how he advised Boscha to try being a better person if she wanted to stop being like her old bullies and Megatron.
"Maybe you should've stayed with her, then. From the way we see it, you're just the kind of Autobot friend she needs." Cliffjumper said.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile on Ultra Magnus' ship, Boscha was seen still sulking in the back and she began hearing footsteps approaching her from behind.
"What do you want?" Boscha asked as Willow stopped where she stood.
"Are you…thinking about Seaspray?" Willow questioned softly, rubbing her arm in an awkward way.
"That's a dumb question." Boscha scoffed. "Why would I be worried about him after he just left?"
"Well, you two seemed to be getting along slowly." Willow said. "Skara told me she saw you two having a conversation back at the base and it sounds like you both started to get along."
"You seriously think that?" Boscha questioned, earning a shrug from the Plant Witch girl. "Well…I guess he's not so bad. He did let me come on this crazy mission instead of saying in that boring human base."
"He did, didn't he? And if Seaspray's still in the base, there's the chance for you two to make up for what happened." Willow assured. "You don't have to lose another friend like you lost Amity and Skara."
"…Why are you even talking to me about this?" Boscha asked, a little curious.
"You helped me beat Starscream and his buddies back at Scotland. I figured it should be fair that I'd make us even." Willow replied with a small smile before she walked away, leaving Boscha with a thoughtful and slightly grateful look.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Knock Out was beginning to drive up towards a railway train station.
"Knock Out to base, requesting a Ground Bridge for the umpteenth time. Come in, base." Knock Out called in irritation as he once again received static, groaning to himself. "I can't drive around all night."
But then, Knock Out used his upper mirror to see that Gus and Skara managed to climb out of the boot from his backseats.
"What the…?!" Knock Out began asking in shock before Skara released a sonic whistle with her fingers.
This caused Knock Out to yell out in pain as he steered out of control and was headed straight towards the railway station.
"Stop that! You're damaging my audio receptors!" Knock Out shouted in agony.
Skara eventually stopped whistling when she ran out of breath and Knock Out pressed on his breaks, coming to a screeching halt as the Bard Witch girl grabbed the box containing the Predacon talon.
"Now! Start running!" Gus stated quickly.
Skara got out of Knock Out with the box in hand and started running away to the right side, with Gus escaping and running the other way.
"Well, isn't that just grand?!" Knock Out asked annoyingly before he transformed.
The Decepticon doctor stomped right towards Gus and grabbed him instantly, bringing him up to his face.
"Did I say grand? I meant…totally rude!" Knock Out growled with a glare.
But then, Gus used his magic to create an illusion of a camera and pointed it at Knock Out's face.
"Say cheese!" Gus shouted before he made the camera illusion snap a bright light, blinding Knock Out.
"GAH! My optics!" Knock Out yelled as he dropped Gus, allowing the Illusionist Witch boy to run away.
Knock Out yelled angrily as he slowly regained his eyesight and looked around the railway station, seeing no sign of Gus or Skara.
"Oh! Are we playing a human game, now?" Knock Out asked, taking a few steps forward in the train-infested area. "Because I would be happy to teach you the Decepticon version, hide and go shriek! Hahaha!"
The Decepticon doctor walked down along one of the trains, not knowing Skara was hiding behind it in worridness. Knock Out kept walking as Gus was seen laying underneath one of the trains and he made an Illusion spell of two boots making loud stomping noises, which earned Knock Out's attention as he walked towards the source and Gus quickly scurried away. When Knock Out looked over another train and saw nothing due to the boot illusions already disappearing, he walked away and Skara took the opportunity to move along with the box. The two Witches continued moving around the railway station and avoiding Knock Out before Gus made it behind another train and thought he was clear.
"Psst! Skara, where are you?" Gus asked in a quiet shouting tone. "Give me a signal."
"Aha!" A voice shouted as Gus saw Knock Out, who spotted him through an open cart door and grabbed him before he could get away.
Gus struggled in Knock Out's grip as the Decepticon doctor glared sinisterly at him.
"Already, little lady, show yourself! Or I turn the master of illusions here into a sloppy stain on the tarmac!" Knock Out called out threateningly.
Skara could hear him from her position and grew very worried, not knowing how she could save Gus.
"I wish Luz and the others were here." Skara whispered.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile, Luz was trying to call Gus on her phone.
"This is Gus Porter speaking. I'll make sure to send a tiny illusion that will explain what I'm up to, soon." Gus's voice said on the voicemail.
"Just the same as Skara." Luz sighed.
"Maybe they both went to see a movie?" Amity suggested as she and Hunter were still playing their video game, getting very competitive about it.
"Or riding a ferris wheel?" Hunter asked, sweating a bit from trying to defeat the Abomination Witch girl in their digital battle.
"You know what? I'm gonna go find out myself." Luz said before she walked away.
(Linebreak)
At the cave, Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide were walking out the entrance as the aquatic Wrecker sighed while hauling a chain behind him.
"Okay, I get it. Driving away from Bulk, Jackie and the girls, turning my back on them like that. It was a bit spineless of me." Seaspray said, feeling a bit guilty.
"Look on the bright side. You've got tones of backbone, now." Ironhide quipped, gesturing to the Predacon spine they discovered as it was connected to the chain.
"And I thought I was the only one with good jokes." Cliffjumper said with a chuckle.
"They're not that good, Cliff." Arcee replied.
Just then, the female Autobot started getting a call and she answered it.
"Arcee, I need you to come where I am." Luz informed on the other side.
(Linebreak)
The Hispanic girl was at the museum and she picked up Gus and Skara's Scrolls, holding her phone towards her ear with a concnerd expression.
"Gus and Skara might be in big trouble." Luz said as she looked at the tire tracks on the ground.
(Linebreak)
At the same time, Knock Out was looking for Skara around the railway station and still had Gus in his hand.
"Last chance, She-Witch." Knock Out called as one of the trains started to activate and move behind him. "If you're not out here with my prize in 2.3 seconds, your boyfriend here…"
Just then, Knock Out turned his attention to the moving train and Skara was revealed to be on the other side when it was fully gone, still holding up the box containing the Predacon talon.
"Okay, first of all, he's not my boyfriend!" Skara stated firmly, causing Knock Out to smirk at Gus in a suspicious way. "And second of all, you're not laying a single robotic hand on him!"
The Bard Witch then tossed the box onto the floor and it broke open, revealing the talon wasn't inside.
"Not if you wanna know where that Predacon bone is!" Skara finished.
Knock Out immediately grabbed Skara before she could run away.
"Where is it?!" Knock Out demanded.
"Put her down, now!" Gus ordered as Skara struggled a bit.
"I've hidden it on one of the trains! If you let us go, I'll tell you witch one." Skara said with a smirk.
Knock Out growled in anger as he looked both ways and focused on the train that was driving away, realising where the Predacon talon was and smirking at his captives.
"Try as you might. You can't con a Con." Knock Out proclaimed.
As it turns out, the Predacon talon was in the train cart containing coal and Knock Out was already driving after it.
"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride." Knock Out said.
Sitting in his backseats were Gus and Skara, who were both restrained by seatbelts and struggled to free themselves as their arms were tied to their sides in order to prevent them from using any magic.
"Oh wait, you can't unfasten your belts. My bad." Knock Out mocked, causing Skara to blow her tongue at him in response.
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Megatron had just found out about the damaged communication array and he was very displeased about it.
"Communications have been down for HOW LONG?!" Megatron asked in rage, stomping right up to Starscream.
"Soundwave practically has the dish repaired, master!" Starscream reassured fearfully as he pointed to the communication Decepticon, who was repairing the array on his own.
"Which is all well and good for Soundwave, but for you!" Megatron scowled, causing Starscream to quiver cowardly.
"Knock Out to Lord Megatron, please come in!" Knock Out called on the com-link, showing that it was now fully repaired.
"See? Heh, all fixed." Starscream said in relief.
(Linebreak)
"Knock Out, do you have the Predacon bone?" Megatron asked the Decepticon doctor, who was still driving after the train.
"In my sights, my liege." Knock Out replied before seeing Arcee and her team driving after him from his mirror. "As are a few Autobots riding my rear."
"Understood. Just make sure you secure the specimen." Megatron told him.
Arcee drove straight ahead of the others and was getting closer to Knock Out, until a Ground Bridge appeared behind them and a bunch of Insecticons flew out of it.
"Aw, scrap!" Ironhide exclaimed. "I hate those bugs!"
The Insecticons fired their horn blasters at Arcee, who avoided them and kept chasing Knock Out as two Insecticons flew over Seaspray. The aquatic Wrecker transformed and jumped into the air before swiftly slicing the two Insecticons with his sickles and transforming again, driving after the others while the Insecticons crashed behind him. Ironhide shifted out his cannons from his sides and aimed them back, shooting at three Insecticons and making them crash down in flames. When another Insecticon fired at him from behind, Cliffjumper transformed and shot it down with his blasters, transforming again with great speed. Knock Out was now much more closer to where the Predacon bone was hidden.
"Now, in which train cart would a deceptive little Witch choose to bury a bone?" Knock Out asked, driving right up to the coal cart. "My money's on the convertible."
The Decepticon doctor increased his driving speed as Arcee was getting much closer, but the remaining Insecticon rammed into her from the right and she crashed against the ground before transforming and coming to a halt. Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide then drive right past Arcee.
"Get Gus and Skara!" Arcee called.
"We're on it!" Cliffjumper replied.
Arcee saw the Insecticon flying towards her for another attack and she simply smirked before bringing out her laser weapon and firing it, instantly exploding the Insecticon upon impact. Cliffjumper drove right behind Knock Out with Seaspray and Ironhide trailing behind them.
"Here's where you get out!" Knock Out told Gus and Skara before he drove up the track hill and transformed in midair, making Gus and Skara fall out of him.
The two Witches yelled out as they were about to crash hard on the ground, only for Cliffjumper to transform and grab them in his palms before he transformed again and came to a screeching halt. Knock Out managed to grab the Predacon talon and transformed back into vehicle form, driving as fast as he could with the Autobots on his tail.
"Lord Megatron, if a Ground Bridge doesn't open tout suite, your specimen will belong to the Autobots!" Knock Out called on his com-link.
Arcee was nearing Knock Out from behind and a Ground Bridge appeared right in front of them before the Decepticon doctor drove into it and the green vortex closed up. Arcee skidded on the ground and transformed with a grunt, coming to a quick halt as Cliffjumper, Seaspray and Ironhide stopped behind her.
"Scrap." Arcee said in defeat.
"Better luck next time." Ironhide muttered as he and Seaspray also transformed.
The three Autobots looked into Cliffjumper's seats and saw that Gus and Skara weren't there.
"Where are they?" Arcee asked her partner.
"In back." Cliffjumper replied before he opened his boot, revealing Gus and Skara inside as they panted in relief.
"Thanks, guys." Gus said.
"Anytime." Seaspray replied.
(Linebreak)
At Unit E, a Ground Bridge opened up and Arcee, Cliffjumper, Seaspray, Ironhide, Gus and Skara walked out of it. Luz and Amity approached the group.
"Gus, Skara, I'm glad you two are back." Luz said in relief.
"Are you really okay?" Amity asked.
"Our search and retrieval mission took a bad turn, but we're fine." Skara reassured.
"For sure. Why don't we just go and sit down, now?" Gus suggested with a smile.
"I'd like that, Gus." Skara replied before he grabbed the Illusionist Witch boy's hand, making him blush even more as they walked away.
"You can see it happening between them, right?" Luz asked while grinning, knowing that Gus and Skara are on the road to a good relationship.
"For sure." Amity giggled.
"All we need to do is be patient and wait for them to make it official." Willow said as she walked up to the group, having just returned with her team.
The girls turned their attention to Seaspray as he was talking with Arcee, Cliffjumper and Ironhide about something. The aquatic Wrecker walked up to Bulkhead and Wheeljack and held his fist out to them, prompting both Wreckers to give him a fist-bump. Seaspray then looked down at Boscha, who was facing the left in awkwardness as she looked towards the aquatic Wrecker and he gave a thumbs-up to her. Boscha simply smiled and gave a thumbs-up in response, showing that they were back on track to slowly becoming friends.
"Looks like all the relationships have been mended." Luz commented.
"Well, ours never needed mending to begin with, batata." Amity replied with a sweet smile, holding her girlfriend's hand.
Willow smiled happily for Luz and Amity before she turned her attention to Hunter, who blushed a bit when he noticed her staring at him and waved kindly before the Plant Witch girl waved back.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile on the Nemesis, Knock Out was on the main deck and presenting the Predacon talon to Megatron on one knee.
"You have served me well today, Knock Out. Which is more than I can say for some!" Megatron said, glaring sternly at Starscream by his side.
"It was the beast that disrupted communications, my liege!" Starscream argued defensively. "I beg you to reconsider Project Predacon. The creature is incorrigible, and void of all but the most rudimentary intelligence."
"Maybe the Predacon wouldn't have accidentally damaged the array if you hadn't impulsively provoked it." Thundercracker replied with a smirk. "That's what happens when you treat an alpha predator like garbage."
"Karma can be a real pain in the tailpipe, Screamy." Skywarp added as Starscream only snarled in response.
However, the Predacon was seen still standing on the hanger and it typed onto a small Cybertronian panel. The panel began showing information about Project Predacon and the Predacon looked at it all in curiosity. It seems there is more to this 'beast' than meets the eye.
Next up is an original chapter. One that will feature the debut of the mightiest Autobot team in the Aligned Continuity
Be sure to leave a review of what you thought :)