Hey guys! It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do for this chapter. But I finally did it, and I hope you like it.

Transformers Animated: Different Angle

Chapter 18: What's the Worst that can Happen?

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers Animated

(Jacy's POV)

I tiredly open my optics to see the sun shining through the small dirty window up along the wall, letting me know its morning. I let out a yawn, still feeling very tired. I hadn't been able to sle… er, recharge good. I lay awake for a while until I finally decide to get up.

Looking over to see Kylie and Waldorf still sleeping, I quietly get off my berth and tiptoe to the door. Once there, I open it and go to walk out.

Clunk!

I flinch, remembering my wings cant fit through. Venting, I walk sideways out the door before closing it shut behind me.

I make my way towards the main area, wondering if anyone else is there now. This is confirmed when I see Ratchet there by himself, sitting off to the side with his back slightly facing me and his shoulders sadly drooping down. I notice something in his servo. A small hologram projector showing a holographic image. And judging from the shape of the image, I can already tell who it's a hologram of.

Arcee.

My spark sinks in my chest, my inner fan girl hoping those two end up together.

I go to back away, only for my pede to hit something and make a sound. Flinching, I watch as Ratchet jumps a little. Immediately he turns off the hologram projector and hides it before looking over to see me standing in the doorway.

"Uh… morning," I say with a sheepish smile, "S-sorry if I scared you."

His grumpy face is back on as he gets up and picks up a box beside him. "I don't get scared that easily," he says, taking the box towards the computer.

Nice going Jacy!

Letting out a vent, I ask, "Where are the others?"

"Out doing construction," he answers.

"How come you're still here?"

"Because of all the activity we've been getting, somebot has to keep an optic on the monitor in case something should come up," he says gruffly, "until then, I have work I need to do."

I so badly want to ask him about Arcee, but I don't want him to feel like I'm invading his privacy. Watching him work, I ask, "Uh, do you want some help?"

He looks at me and vents. "Well, since you're offering, you can tidy up around here. If its trash, just chuck it outside."

"Yeah, sure," I say as I start tidying up. As I do this, I look over at the big computer screen showing a map of Detroit with the autobots' energy signatures on one side of the city.

Remembering my lack of an energy signature, I decide to ask the med bot about it. "Hey, Ratchet? I found out a while ago that my energy signature can't be detected. Any idea why?"

"Most likely has something to do with your force field modification," he says, working on something.

"How so?" I ask.

"Simple. Force fields are pretty much shields. Since that said shield is inside of you, it is able to block your energy signature from being detected. I've seen it before."

"Really?" I ask in amazement, "That's… pretty cool." I think for a second then ask, "does it also allow me to shoot it out like a, a... blast? I had that happen a couple times."

"Yep," Ratchet confirms, "depends on how you channel it. Though since you appear to be new at it, I suggest you practice on how to use it. And while you're at it, learn how to fly."

I groan at the flying part.

"And don't give me that!" Ratchet scolds.

Sheesh! I almost forgot how harsh he can be.

Its not long until Sari and Sumdac walk into the room.

"Morning!" Sari greets.

"Morning," I respond.

"Where's Kylie?" she asks as she walks over towards me.

"Still sleeping," I say, "she likes to sleep in. I mean recharge in."

Ratchet just shakes his helm. "Young bots these days. Wasting a solar cycle just to recharge through it all."

"I hope she wakes up soon," Sari says, "she said she would tell me the story about your first night here."

"Oh no," I moan, covering my face with my servo.

"What? She said its funny."

"Yeah, well, that's one camping story I don't want to live through again," I say.

Sari laughs. "That's because you weren't with a pro camper like me."

"But Sari, you've never gone camping before," her dad says.

… Wait what? But she did. Didn't she?

Now confused, I lean over towards Sari while her dad starts asking Ratchet about something.

"Hey, can we talk over there for a second?" I ask her.

"Sure," she says.

We walk to the other side of the room and sit down, her on a tire and me on the floor with my legs crossed.

"Is it true you haven't gone camping yet?" I ask her.

"Well… not really," Sari says sheepishly, "I've seen it in a movie though, so I know how it works."

I frown. "So… you, Bumblebee and Prowl didn't go camping yet?"

She looks at me in confusion. "No, we haven't gone camping."

Now curious, I ask something else. "What about the incident with the Headmaster? Has that happened?"

"The what?" Sari asks, more confused.

"The Headmaster? Invented by Henry Masterson?"

"Who?"

They haven't met Masterson yet either?

"... Okay, um, what was the last incident before the fight at Sumdac Tower?" I ask her.

"Why do you want to...?" Sari's eyes widen in realization, "wait, does this have something to do with those changes you were talking about yesterday?"

I nod. "Yeah. Before the battle, you, Prowl, and Bumblebee went camping where you came across a space barnacle monster. And before that, a guy named Henry Masterson uses his headmaster unit to control Bulkhead's body and nearly destroy Detroit. I gotta know what happened before the fight at Sumdac Tower."

Sari thinks for a second. "I think the last thing before that was when I got kidnapped by Meltdown."

"When he forced the dinobots into helping him, correct?" I ask her.

"Yeah!"

My mind starts going a mile per minute, trying to wrap my head around the fact the time line skipped two events.

"Okay, so the dinobots and Meltdown are still here," I say, mostly thinking out loud before asking the human girl, "what about Soundwave, Nanosec, Lockdown, Blackarachnia... have they shown up?"

"Oh, they have all right," Sari says, not sounding too pleased.

I want to ask her more questions. But before I can ask anymore, I suddenly hear hip hop music playing. My head snaps up as all four of us look around in confusion, the sound getting louder and louder.

"What the slag is that?!" Ratchet asks as both he and Sumdac cover their audio receptors/ears.

Our questions are answered as Kylie dances her way into the room, the loud music coming from her. I can't help but shake my head while Sari laughs at the blue femme's dance moves.

"Morning!" Kylie shouts with the music still playing.

"I see you found out how to work your radio!" I shout at her.

"What?!" she shouts back.

"I said I see you found out how to work your radio!" I shout louder.

"WHAT?!"

"OH FOR SLAG SAKE! TURN IT OFF ALEADY!" Ratchet shouts over the music.

Sure enough, she heard him as she sheepishly turns off her radio. "Sorry," she says.

"How can you even listen to that noise?" Ratchet gruffly asks, rubbing his audio receptors, "my audio receptors are ringing."

"It's called hip hop," Kylie says.

"Well I call it scrap," Ratchet argues. He grumbles for a bit before resuming his talk with Sumdac.

Shrugging, Kylie makes her way towards us.

"How did you figure that out?" I ask her as she sits down next to me and Sari.

"I was sleeping and I turned it on somehow," Kylie says, "it scared me for a second until I figured out it was coming from me. It took me a while, but I think I got the hang of it. You should try using your radio, Jacy."

I look over at Ratchet, thinking he suffered enough. "Maybe another time," I tell her.

Just then an alert goes off on the monitor, gaining all of our attention.

"Where's the fire?" Kylie asks.

"Its an AllSpark reading," Ratchet says, "and its near the park by the looks of it."

"Whoa," I say, slightly surprised, "I wasn't expecting one so soon." I look at the screen and notice something. "Wait, is it moving?"

"Do the cons have it?" Sari asks.

"If they did, it would be moving a lot faster," Ratchet says as he contacts Optimus. "Prime, the scanners picked up an AllSpark reading near the park, but it appears to be moving. I'm heading there right away."

"We'll meet you there," Optimus says over the commlink, "if the Decepticons are there, don't engage."

"Got it," Ratchet says before ending the call. He then looks at us. "You two stay here with the humans."

"What? Why?" Kylie asks, "we'll just be getting a fragment."

"So will the cons," Ratchet argues, "and since you both apparently don't know how to fight, I'm not going to have two offlined femmes on my conscience." He then points up at me, "Not to mention, you are on the Decepticons' wanted list. Now stay here."

He transforms and takes off out the exit, leaving us behind.

"But what if the cons get there when he does?" Kylie asks me, "who will watch his back?"

"Prime and the others are heading to the same area," I tell her, "he'll have help."

"But they're further away from the park," Sari says.

"If the cons do get there first, the others may not make it in time," Sumdac adds.

Kylie looks up at me with sad optics. "Jacy, come on. We should at least follow to make sure nothing bad happens."

I think for a second, not wanting Ratchet to get hurt either. But what if something does happen?

Deciding to ignore my worry, I let out a vent as I nod. "Okay."

"Yes!" Kylie cheers.

"I'll come too!" Sari says.

"Oh no you're not," I tell her, "Ratchet and the others will kill us if we bring you along. Stay here with your dad."

"And please keep an eye on Waldorf for us," Kylie adds.

Sari frowns, folding her arms in the process.

"Lets go!" Kylie says as she transforms and drives out the exit. I go to transform as well... only to stop myself. Remembering my reoccurring transformation moments, I instead run out the exit, and then transform into truck mode outside the factory.

Kylie waits for me as I drive over. "Why didn't you just transform inside?" she asks.

"Cause I didn't want to risk turning into a jet inside the factory," I tell her.

"... Good call."

We both take off and exit onto the road. I vaguely remember where the park is, but I'm mostly relying on the signs we're passing.

We've gotten out of jams with cons before, I think to myself, trying to be positive, and who knows. Maybe it won't be as bad.

(Third POV)

(Decepticon Earth Base 2.0)

With their old base being discovered, the Decepticons had to relocate further into the woods within a cave a lot smaller than the mine. Still having the technology Professor Sumdac was forced to make, they are still able to hide their energy signatures. Though most of their technical equipment still needs proper installment.

An AllSpark alert pops up on the somewhat working monitor, gaining the Decepticon leader's attention. Unable to fully see what's on the fuzzy screen, he slams his fist down on the console, making the screen more clear.

"The others better find the parts to fix this soon," he grumbles.

He looks at the screen, seeing the AllSpark reading located in Detroit's park area. Since he already assigned Airstrike, Starscream, and Blitzwing to do other things, he decides to use his next option.

"Lugnut!" Megatron calls out.

The big con hurries over and immediately kneels down in front of him. "Lord Megatron! I live to serve you!"

"An AllSpark fragment has been detected in the city," the con leader says, "and since the others are occupied, I am assigning you this mission to retrieve it."

"Y-Yes! Of course my liege!" Lugnut says, standing back up, "I will not fail you, oh grand and glorious leader! Nothing shall stand in my way!"

"Just go already," Megatron says in annoyance.

Now with his new mission, the big purple con leaves the room and makes his way towards the exit.

Megatron watches his subordinate leave before the sound of the screen going fuzzy again catches his attention.

"Oh, for spark's sake," he grumbles.

(Detroit)

Ratchet soon arrives at the park and transforms, trying to look for any sign of the AllSpark fragment.

He lets out a vent. "it must have moved away or..."

"Hey! Get back here!"

Ratchet looks over to see a big trash bot rushing rapidly by across the field before it stops and picks up a park bench and tosses it inside itself, revealing also a lamp post and a playground slide inside of it. Running up behind the robot is a big built human with thinning blonde hair and a mustache.

"Hey! Give me back my car!" the man shouts at it.

Turning around, the trash bot spots the human and heads straight for him with its robot arms out.

"Wait! I'm not garbage!" the man shouts as he runs the other way, the towering trash bot now chasing after him.

"Oh for slag sake," Ratchet grumbles as he activates his magnetic modification and uses it on the Trash bot before it could grab the human. As Ratchet holds it still, he notices something sticking in the back of it. An AllSpark fragment.

"Well, that explains why it was moving," Ratchet says as he makes his way over, still using his mod to hold the robot in place. He grabs hold of the fragment and yanks it out of the Trash Bot before turning off his magnetic force. No longer running haywire, the bot shuts down and remains still.

"Huh! That was easy for a change," Ratchet says with a smile.

The human makes his way over with a frown on his face. "Great," he says dryly, "but what about my car?"

Frowning back at the human, Ratchet gives the robot a kick, making it fall forward and spill out all the random stuff it consumed. Among the pile is a small yellow car, now covered in garbage and grime.

"There," Ratchet says gruffly, "Happy?"

"Uuugh... this is why I hate machines," the human grumbles.

Ratchet folds his arms, not happy with the response. "What? No thank you?"

(Jacy's POV)

Kylie and I arrived in time to see Ratchet stop a Trash Bot from chasing a human. Its not until we got close enough behind some trees that I soon recognized the man.

"Oh my gosh, that's Fanzone!" I tell Kylie in excitement.

"Who?" she asks me in confusion.

"Captain Fanzone," I tell her, "another human character who really hates machines because every time he comes near one, something goes wrong."

"Poor guy," Kylie says as we watch Ratchet kick the robot. A bunch of stuff comes out of it, including a familiar looking car.

"Wait, is that Bumblebee?!" Kylie asks, very surprised.

"No, its Fanzone's car," I tell her, "But it's the same car that was scanned for Bumblebee to get his vehicle form. You can tell the difference by the rust on the Captain's."

"Huh," Kylie says, "There like tw- AAAH!"

I'm startled by her scream until something small lands on top of me. But what scares me more is the fact its moving.

Both of us now screaming, we transform and flail around, trying to get whatever is on us off. Its not until they scurry off of us that we realize its just a couple of squirrels, more scared of us than we are of them. We watch them run back up the trees and disappear into the leaves, leaving us feeling very silly.

"Heh, heh, squirrels," Kylie says with a laugh.

It's not until we look over to see that our little panic attack was noticed by Ratchet and Fanzone.

"Uh oh. Busted," Kylie says with a gulp as we step away from the trees.

"Heeeeey," I say sheepishly with a wave as Ratchet approaches us, him not looking happy at all. But then again he hardly does.

"I told you two to stay at base!" Ratchet scolds us.

"We wanted to make sure nothing bad happened," Kylie says in defense, "and... apparently nothing did."

Fanzone makes his way over, looking up at us with dread.

"Oh great," he says with a frown, "you're those two new bots from on the news."

"News?" Kylie asks, "we were on the news? How did I look?"

"Not now, Kylie," I tell her, thinking we most likely were spotted by a news camera bot or something.

She looks up at me and chuckles. "Hehe, sorry." Looking back down at the human, she gives him a friendly wave. "Hi! Fanzone, right? I'm Kylie, and this is Jacy."

"Hi," I say sheepishly, giving him a slight wave.

"Huh. Robots with human names," Fanzone says, his tone still sounding the same, "that's new."

"Well actually we were human," Kylie says casually, "but from a different universe."

I mentally groan as Fanzone just stares at us. He then looks at Ratchet. "Did these two escape from a looney bin or someth'n?" he asks in a quiet voice, but not quiet enough for us to not hear.

Ratchet just lets out a vent of frustration as he looks back at us. "We are heading back to base right now and..."

BOOM!

We all go flying back as something hits the ground nearby, catching us off guard. We painfully tumble to the ground before coming to a stop, looking up to see the source of the impact.

I fearfully freeze when I see who it is.

No! Not him!

I timidly watch as Lugnut stands up to his full height, standing in the crater he made.

"Fools!" he shouts at us, "hand over what rightfully belongs to Megatron, or suffer my wrath!"

My optics widen in horror as his servo shifts back, revealing a blinking red button.

Not good!

Dun dun DAAAAH! Yep, the girls will face off Lugnut. So next chapter is a battle chapter, and hopefully I update that one soon. But seeing how long it took me to figure this one out, no promises. And I hope I've been keeping the characters in character, but if I made a mistake, please let me know.

Also thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story.

In the mean time, if you don't hear from me for the rest of the month, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Take care and God bless! :)