Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
At the start, the scene began showing Earth from in space as a new kind of enemy started narrating to themselves.
"Earth. A primitive planet that's infested with an indigenous population of organic life forms called Humans." A voice said. "It's also the new home of Optimus Prime, his small team of Autobots, Megatron and his loyal Decepticon army. The Autobots have proven to be very strong as they've managed to destroy an army of undead Terrorcons, but there are other powerful forces that come from the outer rim."
As a satellite was currently orbiting around the Earth, a purple-glowing comet suddenly appeared out of nowhere and crashed straight through it. The comet was then descending down towards Earth as a Cybertronian ship that didn't belong to Autobots or Decepticons was watching from the distance.
Standing inside the ship was a new Cybertronian who was coloured black and green, had some spikes on his shoulders, arms, legs and the top of his head, red optics, a white face and a hook for a left hand as he saw the purple comet beginning to crash land on Earth from the main piloting area. On his chest was a completely different Cybertronian insignia that wasn't Autobot or Decepticon, but was black and had a thuggish appearance.
"You can't stop what's coming next, Optimus." The Cybertronian said as two more approached him from behind.
The first Cybertronian was a complete look-alike of Soundwave, but he was coloured black, had red-glowing outlines and his screen-like face was crimson-red. The second Cybertronian was white with some red highlights and had the same body type as Wheeljack, but his helmet piece was coloured black, there were a pair of turrets on his shoulders he also had a mask with three glowing red lines on it.
"Soundblaster, Exhaust, gather the troops and have them split into multiple squadrons." The black and green Cybertronian ordered, meaning that he was the leader here. "We're heading down to the impact point."
"Of course." Soundblaster replied with a nod as his screen showed waves whenever he spoke.
"But, Lockdown, wh-what in the name Primus was that?" Exhaust asked, still shocked by the purple comet he just saw.
"It is my soon-to-be greatest prize." The black and green Cybertronian, who's name was Lockdown, answered.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile in Gravesfield, the Hexside Squad and Camila were seen packing up some camping equipment inside the Hispanic woman's car for a trip they've been planning. Arcee, Bumblebee and Jazz were watching them on the sidelines in their vehicle mode.
"So, you guys are finally going on a camping trip?" Jazz asked.
"We sure are. I can't even remember the last time I had a camping trip with my mom." Luz answered while placing some sleeping bags in the car boot.
"And this is gonna be our first time camping in the human realm." Gus added.
"Normally when we go camping in the Boiling Isles, we have to put up a barrier spell that keeps out any infectious animals or blood-thirsty animals." Willow explained.
"Or just some Boiling Rain." Amity said simply.
"I'll be really honest, your world sounds absolutely crazy." Bumblebee told the young Witches.
"It's not all crazy, Bee. There's still some nice things about our home." Hunter replied.
"And when we find a way back and take down the Collector, we'll be able to do all those nice things again." Willow added with a smile.
"But not me. I'm a Noceda now, remember?" Vee reminded.
"We haven't forgotten, kiddo." Jazz replied.
"Okay, children, is everything packed in the car?" Camila asked.
"Almost, Camila." Gus answered as he struggled to get the last bag in the car boot.
Willow simply summoned some vines from the ground and used them to shove a few camping equipment that was already in away so Gus would have more space. Gus was then successfully able to fit the bag into the boot.
"Alright! I did it!" Gus cheered proudly.
"Yeah, sure you did." Willow muttered with a humorous chuckle.
"I guess this means we're ready to go, then?" Amity questioned.
"It does. Let's get in the car and head off to the woods." Camila replied.
The front door opened up and the Hexside Squad's Palismen ran or flew out of the house before they leaped into the car.
"They seem excited." Vee chuckled.
"Just don't forget that you three are in charge of taking care of the house while we're gone." Luz said to the three Autobots.
"Don't worry, Luz. We'll make sure the house doesn't get robbed." Arcee assured.
"And we hopefully won't get ambushed by some Decepticons." Bumblebee said.
"I doubt any Cons will show up. They don't know you guys regularly come here." Hunter admitted.
"You can't be too carful, Hunter." Jazz commented.
"Anyway, have a nice day! We'll tell you and the other Bots how it went when we get back, tomorrow!" Amity stated as she and the others started getting into the car.
"Bye, Arcee!" Luz called out.
"Take care, Bee!" Hunter added.
"I'll miss you, Jazz!" Vee stated.
"Make sure to tell Optimus, Cliffjumper, Jackie, Bulkhead and Ratchet we said goodbye to them!" Gus instructed.
"We'll see all of you in the morning!" Bumblebee replied.
Camila drove the car out of the parking area and drove it away from the Noceda residence, heading towards the nearest forest.
"Okay, what do we do now?" Arcee asked after a moment of silence.
"I think all they want us to do is wait here in vehicle mode and make sure no one breaks into the house." Bumblebee answered.
"That's it, Huh? Doesn't sound to hard." Jazz said casually. "And if there's a mission for Team Prime, we can just leave it to Prime and the others. We've got the whole day off."
"Arcee! Bumblebee! Jazz!" Optimus called out on their com-links as they suddenly turned on without warning. "Do you hear me?"
"Way to jinx everything, Jazz." Arcee muttered annoyingly.
"My bad." Jazz replied with an awkward chuckle.
"We hear you, Optimus. What's wrong?" Bumblebee asked his leader.
"The human city of San Francisco is being invaded by a Cybertronian army." Optimus explained, sounding very serious about this. "Agent Fowler and his men are working to evacuate the civilians, but we must neutralise the threat."
"A Cybertronian army? Is it Cons?" Jazz questioned.
"We haven't been able to confirm an identity, yet." Ratchet informed. "I'm sending a Ground Bridge to your location. Optimus, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper and Wheeljack are already in the city and you three will be sent to a different part to cover more ground."
Right after the Autobot Medic was finished with his sentence, a Ground Bridge appeared in front of Arcee, Bumblebee and Jazz.
"Thanks, Ratchet." Bumblebee replied. "We'll make sure these invaders don't harm any humans."
"Make sure you and the others don't blast too many of them, Prime." Jazz told his leader on the com-link. "There wouldn't be enough for us to fight if you did that."
"I'm sure you will have plenty opponents, Jazz." Optimus reassured. "Once you arrive in the city, we'll send the coordinates for our rendezvous area."
"Sure thing, Optimus. We'll get there as fast as we can." Arcee replied. "Let's roll, boys!"
"Just so you know, I think it's best that we keep this a secret from Luz and the others." Bumblebee admitted.
The three Autobots immediately started up their engines and they drove into the Ground Bridge before it closed up.
(Linebreak)
In the city of San Francisco, the Ground Bridge appeared in a moat bellow the main city and Arcee, Bumblebee and Jazz drove out of it before they transformed. The three Autobots brought out their blasters and they saw a bunch of laser shots being shot around the city with some human military forces returning fire.
"Holy scrap. It's a lot worse than I thought." Jazz gasped in shock.
"Why is this attack even happening?" Bumblebee questioned.
"I don't know, Bee. But we're going to find out." Arcee answered with a firm glare.
They began making their way down the moat towards the rendezvous coordinates Optimus sent them. When the three Autobots came up to a bridge, Jazz spotted some Cybertronian soldiers that were coloured black and white walking across it.
"Hold up! We've got bogies incoming!" Jazz told his teammates, making sure his voice was low so their enemies wouldn't hear him. "Take cover!"
Arcee, Bumblebee and Jazz quickly took cover behind some rubble and watched as the Cybertronian soldiers walked across the bridge to the other side of the city.
"Optimus, this is Arcee. We have eyes on the enemy." Arcee informed, activating her com-link. "They have a big advantage in numbers."
"And they are heavily armed." Optimus replied. "This does not bode well."
"Well, they sure don't look like Cons." Jazz said. "That's a slightly good thing, right?"
"They're attacking the humans and that means they're not on our side, Jazz." Bumblebee reminded.
"What about all the humans? Did any of them get injured?" Arcee asked in concern.
"The attack may have been unpredicted, but there were no tragedies." Optimus said reassuringly. "Agent Fowler was able to safely evacuate the civilians by the time we all arrived."
"I guess that just leaves us to do our part." Bumblebee said.
"Yeah. Beating the scrap out of these metal heads." Jazz added.
"We will be waiting for you at the rendezvous point. Good luck, Autobots." Optimus said before hanging up.
"Follow me, boys. I think I know a way we can get there faster." Arcee said before she walked ahead, prompting Bumblebee and Jazz to follow.
When the three Autobots got underneath the bridge and watched the remaining enemy Cybertronians walk to the other side, Arcee saw a nearby sewer entrance and she approached it with Bumblebee and Jazz.
"You're not seriously thinking about going in the sewers, right?" Jazz asked with an uncomfortable expression.
"What's so bad about sewers?" Bumblebee questioned confusingly.
"They stink, Bee." Jazz answered. "It's what Luz told me."
"We're Autobots, Jazz. We can't smell anything." Arcee reminded. "You'll be absolutely fine."
"Alright, but I know I'm still gonna get muck stains on my paint job." Jazz muttered before all three Autobots transformed and drove into the sewer entrance.
As they drove across the green-coloured water that was on the floor, some of it splashed against Jazz and this caused him to groan disgustingly.
"Relax, Jazz. It's not like you're being eaten by a Scraplet." Bumblebee said, trying to cheer up his teammate.
"That's just as bad!" Jazz complained. "Are we almost outta here, Arcee?!"
"Almost. I can see some light, up ahead." Arcee replied as said light got bigger the closer they got to it.
When the three Autobots reached the light, they all drove out of the sewer system and transformed before landing on their feet. They looked at their surroundings and saw they had arrived in a small town area that was next door to the San Francisco city district.
"About time we got out of there. I'd prefer driving in Acid Wastes then take another ride in there." Jazz said while wiping the sewer gunk off himself.
"So is this the rendezvous point?" Bumblebee asked.
"Of course. I got the coordinates Optimus sent and this is it." Arcee answered.
"Then I guess this means we're first." Jazz said.
But then, the three Autobots heard some blasters powering up and they turned around to see some of the enemy Cybertronians standing behind them with their weapons ready to fire.
"Hands up, now!" One of the soldiers ordered.
Arcee, Bumblebee and Jazz knew they were at a disadvantage and they begrudgingly held up their hands.
"Now I wish we weren't the first Bots to get here." Jazz whispered.
"This is a perfect day for us. I'm sure the boss is gonna be pleased to see we've caught some Autobots." A Cybertronian soldier said with a snicker.
"Who's this boss of yours?" Bumblebee questioned.
"None of your buisness, Autobot!" A soldier replied while glaring.
Suddenly, a blaster shot was fired from above and shot one of the Cybertronian soldiers in the head, causing him to fall down and perish. The soldiers began looking around frantically as they were shocked by what just happened, but then they heard a truck horn behind and they turned around to see Optimus Prime driving straight at them. All the Cybertronian soldiers fired their blasters, but Optimus drove around them and transformed before punching one of the soldiers away. He then brought out both his blasters and shot down two more soldiers at the same time.
"Scrap this! I'm out of here!" The last remaining soldier exclaimed fearfully before he began running away.
When they heard some metallic footsteps nearby, Optimus and his three fellow Autobots then looked up at a nearby building and saw Wheeljack rushing right off the roof. When the swordsman Wrecker landed on the ground, he pulled out one of his swords and tossed it straight at the retreating Cybertronian soldier. The soldier stopped running when he felt the sword pierce into his chest and he collapsed onto the floor, allowing Wheeljack to retrieve his sword.
"I'll admit, that wasn't a good enough fight for me." Wheeljack said.
"But we were able to quickly extinguish the threat." Optimus replied.
The Autobots then noticed Bulkhead and Cliffjumper leaping off the building they hid on as the red robot put his blaster away.
"So, how long have you guys been here for?" Jazz asked.
"Just a few minutes. We had to play hide and seek because we kinda knew these guys would plan an ambush." Cliffjumper answered with a smile.
"Next time, you should give us a warning about that." Arcee replied.
"Yeah, we would've been deactivated." Bumblebee added.
"You're still functioning, right?" Bulkhead questioned jokingly, earning a few chuckles from the others.
Optimus approached one of the destroyed Cybertronian soldiers and looked at the insignia on his chest, recognising which faction it belonged to.
"Well, it's safe to assume that these guys aren't Decepticons." Wheeljack told his teammates. "The symbols they're wearing prove it."
"But if they're not Cons, then who are they?" Jazz asked curiously.
"They appear to be Cybertronian Mercenaries." Optimus answered, approaching his team. "If they are here, Lockdown is most likely behind this attack."
"Lockdown? That crazy bounty hunter who helped the Decepticons during the war?" Arcee questioned.
"That sounds like the exact one." Bulkhead replied with a frown. "Why's he even attacking the human?"
"I do not know, Bulkhead. But I intend to find out." Optimus replied.
"Optimus, come in." Ratchet called out on the com-link, earning his leader's attention. "I've just discovered something startling."
"What is it, Ratchet?" Optimus asked.
(Linebreak)
"While you and the others were busy with these Mercenaries, I began picking up a very powerful energy reading that appears to be coming from some kind of crash site. I can't determine what it is due to the large energy waves causing interference with the scanners." Ratchet explained as he was staring at the main console from the base, which was showing some static. "I would advise that you all head to the crash site and see what's there. It may have the answer as to why Lockdown and his Mercenary army are on Earth."
(Linebreak)
"Understood, Ratchet. Continue to monitor our progress." Optimus said before he hung up.
"So, something just crash landed in this city?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Sounds like it, Cliff." Jazz answered.
"And whatever it is, we can't let the Mercenaries get it." Bulkhead added.
"Agreed. Let's follow the coordinates to the crash site and recover whatever has landed there." Optimus said in agreement.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Arcee muttered as Team Prime began to move out towards a lower parking area.
"Me, too." Bumblebee replied.
When the Autobots looked past a metal fence, they noticed a few Mercenary soldiers guarding the top part of the parking building in front of them.
"There sure is a lot of them." Wheeljack whispered.
"When has that ever stopped us?" Jazz asked, shifting his hand into a blade.
"Autobots, open fire!" Optimus ordered.
Within a single second, Cliffjumper and Arcee pulled out their blasters and kicked down the metal fence before shooting down some unsuspecting Mercenaries. All the other Mercenaries looked up in shock before Bumblebee suddenly jumped towards them and kicked one in the head, crushing him into the ground while Jazz struck down three more with his blade. When Bulkhead and Wheeljack landed on the parking building, they brought out their wrecking ball and swords respectively and they both struck down some Mercenaries that attempted to charge at them. Three more Mercenaries revealed some rocket launchers on their shoulders and aimed them at the Autobots, only for Optimus to show up and immediately grab one of the soldiers' rocket launcher before tearing it off. Optimus smacked the Mercenary away with his torn-off weapon and then shot down the last two before they could fire at him.
"The thing about Mercenaries is that they're never good at strategising." Cliffjumper joked.
"Just like Vehicons." Bulkhead added.
But suddenly, Team Prime began hearing the noises of a soaring ship nearby and they all turned around to see the same Cybertronian spaceship from earlier, realising who was in it.
"Lockdown." Optimus said with a glare.
"I was wondering when he'd show up!" Bumblebee scowled as he and the others got their blasters ready to fire.
Inside the main piloting area of his ship, Lockdown was observing the Autobots with a silent expression.
"So, Optimus and his fellow Autobots decided to show up, after all." Lockdown said with his hands behind his back. "It's too bad Megatron isn't here, too. He always did pay me well."
"Should we attack them, boss?" Exhaust asked, approaching his leader from behind.
"No. Let them stroll around until they find our objective." Lockdown answered as his hook shined a bit. "Think of it as a simple game of Cyber-Chess. We're the warlords and they're the scouts."
The Mercenary spaceship then flew away to a different area, much to the Autobots' confusion.
"Well that was weird." Wheeljack admitted.
"Why didn't Lockdown attack when he has the chance?" Arcee asked confusingly.
"We must not be his main targets." Optimus theorised. "Autobots, continue towards the crash point. I have a feeling it is the source of this trouble."
"You got it, Prime!" Jazz replied confidently.
Team Prime then transformed and they drove their way down to the bottom of the parking building. Once they reached the exit, the Autobots began to head towards the crash site that was holding a very powerful weapon in the center.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, the Autobots were seen driving through a certain city area and were close to the crash site.
"Are we nearly there? I'm getting bored without any Mercenaries to beat up." Bulkhead said.
"Don't worry, Bulk. You'll get your chance." Wheeljack assured.
"The coordinates appear to be just ahead of us." Optimus informed as the radar on his seating area displayed a purple dot.
Team Prime transformed into their robot form and they all walked to the right side of the city. But when they got there, they all looked on in shock to see a bunch of buildings and vehicles demolished from what looked like a nuclear explosion.
"By the Primes…" Bumblebee said with a sad expression.
"Look at this place." Arcee gasped.
"No. What could have wrought such destruction?" Optimus asked, very horrified by the damage he was currently seeing.
"I doubt Lockdown and his lackeys could do something like this." Cliffjumper commented.
The Autobots confined to walk through the destroyed street until they noticed a much larger destroyed area of the city, where a purple glow could be seen within the distance.
"There it is. Let's check it out." Wheeljack told his teammates before they advanced towards the destroyed area.
They all reached the top of a hill and looked down to see the crater Ratchet informed them about. It seemed to have something with a bright purple glow in the center of it.
"Look! There's something in the center." Arcee informed, pointing at the glowing object in the crater. "It looks Cybertronian."
The purple flash died down a bit and it revealed that the Cybertronian object was some kind of relic that had two handle pieces on the sides and a purple crystal in the circular piece, looking almost like Dark Energon. When Optimus laid his optics on the relic, he gained a very astonished expression.
"By the Allspark… It cannot be." Optimus whispered in a fearful tone.
"Prime, is that what I think it is?" Jazz asked worriedly as he, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper had the same expressions of their leader.
"I'm afraid so, Jazz. Our greatest fear has returned to us." Optimus replied grimly.
Just then, the Autobots noticed Lockdown's ship flying over to the crater and it landed closely to it before the main hatch opened, allowing the Cybertronian bounty hunter to walk out.
"Autobots, Lockdown is not here for us! He seeks to gain possession of the Dark Spark!" Optimus stated. "We must not let it fall into his hands!"
"What's this Dark Spark? A weapon?" Wheeljack asked.
"Something far worse." Optimus answered.
Team Prime quickly slid down the hill and they began advancing towards the Dark Spark in hopes of preventing Lockdown from getting it. However, a bunch of lasers were shot out of the air and they all landed in front of the Autobots, causing them to quickly stop.
"What was that?!" Cliffjumper asked in surprise.
The Autobots then saw a drone that looked exactly like Soundwave's vehicle mode fly towards them and it transformed before landing on the ground, revealing to be Soundblaster. A red and white car that was the same as Wheeljack's vehicle mode drove up behind Soundblaster and it transformed into Exhaust.
"Hello there, Autobots." Exhaust greeted smugly.
"Exhaust and Soundblaster. I should've expected you two to be here with your boss." Bumblebee said with a firm glare.
"We don't have time for both of you, so get lost!" Bulkhead demanded.
"I'm afraid not. Lockdown has ordered us to keep you away from his prize." Soundblaster replied.
"And we do love it when we get paid for our job." Exhaust added before he pulled out a pair of katanas from his back.
"You're both going to be disappointed." Arcee said, taking out her wrist blades.
"Stand down or face the consequences." Optimus ordered warningly.
"That's not going to happen, Prime!" Soundblaster declared as he shifted his long arms into sonic blasters.
He fired a powerful sonic wave at the Autobots, causing them to roll out of the way as Wheeljack charged at Exhaust with his swords in hand. The two Cybertronians clashed blades with each other and began having a very intense duel. As Exhaust quickly noticed Bulkhead charging up to him with his wrecking ball, the Mercenary swordsman quickly shoved Wheeljack away and delivered a powerful kick to the dark-green Wrecker, making him crash against a boulder. Bulkhead and Wheeljack then got back up and prepared for another fight with Exhaust. On the other hand, Soundblaster brought out two metallic tentacles from his torso and sent them towards Bumblebee and Arcee, who both skilfully avoided them and brought out their blasters to shoot them away. The tentacles were able to avoid the shots and they grabbed Bumblebee and Arcee by their heads and slammed them onto the ground. Before Soundblaster could do anything else, Cliffjumper ran in front of him and bashed him away, causing his tentacles to let go of Bumblebee and Arcee.
"Don't mess with my team, you Soundwave knock-off!" Cliffjumper shouted.
"I'm not a knock-off! I'm superior!" Soundblaster stated angrily.
"As if! Everyone knows you're just a clone and a failed Decepticon experiment!" Bumblebee insulted.
"Not to mention you're more chatty than Soundwave." Arcee said with a smirk. "I guess that's one upside to your programming."
Soundblaster charged at the three Autobots and they all retaliated with quick punches, only for the Mercenary to immediately block their attacks with his long arms. He fired two sonic blasts at Bumblebee, Arcee and Cliffjumper and this caused all three of them to skid back a bit.
"Buzzsaw, attack!" Soundblaster ordered before he ejected a look-alike of Laserbeak that had yellow stripes all over from his chest.
"Shoot it down!" Bumblebee stated.
He, Arcee and Cliffjumper fired their blasters at Buzzsaw, but the flying drone flew around the air and successfully avoided the shots before he fired his own lasers at the Autobots.
"Get down!" Arcee called out before they all rolled out of the way.
Just when Buzzsaw was about to come around for another attack, he was suddenly grabbed by a laser grapple and the group saw that it came from Jazz.
"Time to say bye bye, birdy!" Jazz quipped, reeling Buzzsaw in and throwing him straight at Soundblaster.
The look-alike of Soundwave had no time to react and he was bashed away when Buzzsaw collided with him. The two of them crashed into a nearby destroyed building and this caused Soundblaster's screen face to go black, indicating that he lost consciousness. Bumblebee, Arcee and Cliffjumper panted a bit as Jazz walked up to them.
"What took you so long?" Cliffjumper asked with his arms crossed.
"Had to time it right." Jazz said casually.
Suddenly, the four Autobots heard a loud yell in the sky and they all saw Exhaust flying over to their position. They all quickly stepped out of the way as Exhaust crashed onto the ground and groaned in absolute pain. Optimus, Bulkhead and Wheeljack then showed up and the three of them put away their respective weapons.
"And stay down, scrap-head!" Bulkhead said firmly.
"That was some punch you gave him, Optimus." Wheeljack complemented.
"There are certain situations that require a swift attack." Optimus replied.
"Okay, we've taken care of these two! Let's grab that Dark Spark and get it back to the base!" Arcee stated.
"Indeed! Autobots, follow me!" Optimus instructed as they all rushed straight towards the crater.
They all leaped onto the edge in an attempt to retrieve the Dark Spark, but saw that the dangerous relic was now in Lockdown's hand.
"Autobots. Ineffectual as ever." Lockdown scoffed. "At least Soundblaster and Exhaust managed to do their jobs well."
"Hand over the Dark Spark, Lockdown." Optimus ordered.
"And what price will you pay for it, Optimus?" Lockdown questioned.
"This is not a simple device to haggle over. It is unbelievably dangerous and possesses the power to harm entire galaxies." Optimus explained. "You are meddling with powers that are too much for you to handle. Do the right thing, Lockdown, and simply give it to us."
"Ah, that's the most honourable sentence I've heard from any being in the universe. You really are a Prime." Lockdown admitted. "But unfortunately, I don't see any profit in merely giving you my new prize. Sorry, but I decline."
Lockdown then held up the Dark Spark and thrusted it straight into his chest, causing it to get completely encased within and a bunch of dark energy glowed in the center. As dark energy began coursing across Lockdown's entire body, making the Cybertronian bounty hunter laugh evilly.
"That's it! Take him down!" Wheeljack stated while pulling out his swords.
Bulkhead got his wrecking ball out while Bumblebee, Arcee, Cliffjumper and Jazz readied their blasters. Optimus leaped straight towards Lockdown, only for the Mercenary leader to then stomp his foot onto the ground and release a large wave of dark energy that made everything slow down. Soundblaster and Exhaust, who had both recovered from their battles with the Autobots, walked up to their leader and stood next to him.
"Very nice, boss." Exhaust said, nodding in a pleased way.
"With that Dark Spark, you're more powerful than anyone." Soundblaster commented. "I'm sure you would also be able to defeat Megatron."
"Perhaps. But I have another use for this amazing item. Get the ship ready for departure." Lockdown ordered.
"Sure thing." Exhaust replied with a nod before he and Soundblaster walked back to their spaceship, while Lockdown turned his attention to Optimus.
"Optimus, can't you see? I've already won." Lockdown said as Optimus could do nothing but watch the Cybertronian bounty hunter approach his ship. "You just don't know it, yet!"
Once Lockdown was inside his ship, it began to fly away from the demolished city and the Dark Spark's time freezing-effect wore off. Optimus rolled across the ground and yelled in frustration as he and the other Autobots watched the Mercenary ship escape.
"Coward! Get back here!" Jazz called out.
The spaceship then flew out of sight and this caused Team Prime to gain disappointed expressions.
"I can't believe we just lost to Mercenaries." Bulkhead muttered.
"None of us like it, Bulk." Bumblebee replied.
"Ratchet, we're gonna need you to Bridge us back." Cliffjumper informed on the com-link.
"Understood." Ratchet said.
"…I thought this day would never come." Optimus said to himself in a soft tone.
"Optimus, what was that all about?" Arcee asked. "What's going on?"
"We have just witnessed a dark legend return from the stars." Optimus answered grimly.
(Linebreak)
A few minutes later, Team Prime had arrived back at the Autobot base and they had explained everything that happened to Ratchet, who was very shocked by what Lockdown had used against them.
"The Dark Spark? On Earth?" Ratchet asked with his optics wide open.
"I'm afraid so, Ratchet." Optimus replied. "Lockdown is now in possession of the most dangerous relic that has ever existed in Cybertronian history."
"I didn't think I'd see that thing again after what happened at Megatron's fortress at Kaon." Jazz admitted.
"That big nightmare has come back to haunt us." Bumblebee said.
"Okay, we don't exactly know what's going on here." Bulkhead told everyone while gesturing to himself, Arcee and Wheeljack.
"What exactly is the Dark Spark and what makes it so dangerous?" Arcee asked.
"It's something we don't really like to talk about." Cliffjumper admitted. "But, I'm sure Optimus can explain everything."
"There is legend from ancient times. It describes the existence of the Matrix of Leadership, the legendary power source of Primus. And the Dark Spark, it's sinister and destructive counterpart." Optimus explained. "Many believe that it is the very heart of Unicron, while others thought that it was only a myth. However, that all changed a few days before the Great Exodus of Cybertron when Megatron became obsessed with finding the Dark Spark. He dispatched his forces to it's believed location so that he would claim it as his own."
"But we didn't want that to happen. So me, Bee, Cliff and Prime went with a few other Bots to grab that Dark Spark before the Cons could." Jazz said.
"When Megatron was successful in obtaining it, his plan was to use the Dark Spark to reprogram all Autobots into mindless Decepticons. It would've been the end of the war for all of us." Ratchet added, feeling dread from those memories.
"Fortunately for us, Optimus fought Megatron to a standstill and he was able to blast the Dark Spark right into space before Megatron could put it's power to use." Bumblebee explained.
"That sounds pretty nice. But, how's that thing on Earth now?" Wheeljack questioned.
"It was most likely drawn to Megatron since it was previously owned by him. But, the planet's magnetic field must've thrown it off course to it's intended destination." Ratchet theorised. "That would explain why it crashed in the middle of San Francisco."
"And now, it's got a new holder who's nearly as bad as Megatron." Cliffjumper added while shaking his head.
"I still remember all the things Lockdown did for Megatron during the War for Cybertron." Jazz said. "Like that time he raided one of our Energon facilities like a one-bot army."
"Or that time he stole a bunch of Autobot Intel from our headquarters in Iacon, just so he could sell it for a bunch of Shanix." Arcee scowled.
"Well, me and Jackie never forgot the time he ambushed us and our Wreckers buddies in Praxus." Bulkhead replied.
"He even killed Impactor and took his own Spark as a trophy." Wheeljack added with an angry expression.
"Lockdown has indeed caused many harm to our cause. And now that he has the Dark Spark, he has truly become a danger to all living beings." Optimus admitted. "We must stop him."
"How can we do that if we don't know where he went?" Bumblebee asked.
"Bee's right. Lockdown and the Mercenaries could be anywhere." Arcee said in agreement.
Suddenly, the Autobots began hearing a beeping noise on the main console and Ratchet pressed on a button, causing Agent Fowler to appear on screen.
"Prime! We've got another big problem, here!" Fowler stated urgently.
"We are listening, Agent Fowler." Optimus said.
"Some of my boys at a local Wyoming City just told me they were attacked by a bunch of giant robots with a bunch of huge blasters in their arsenal." Fowler informed. "One of them had a giant fishhook that made him look like a pirate captain from a metal world."
"That's definitely Lockdown." Jazz proclaimed.
"What does he want in that city? He's already got the Dark Spark." Bulkhead said confusingly.
"Whatever he's after, it's most likely in an underground research facility that's loaded with all sorts of classified equipment." Fowler told the Autobots.
"Lockdown's intentions may be unknown, but we must thwart him and his followers. The Dark Spark has the potential to destroy the entire planet with enough time." Optimus said with a determined expression. "Send the city's coordinates to us, Agent Fowler. We will handle the Cybertronian Mercenaries."
"Will do, Prime. I'll make sure the entire place is sealed off so none of those thugs can get out." Fowler replied before hanging up.
"Ratchet, activate the Ground Bridge." Optimus ordered as he and the other Bots turned to their transportation machine. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"
As Ratchet turned the Ground Bridge on, Team Prime transformed into their vehicle modes and drove straight into it. They had to stop Lockdown and the Mercenaries, while also making sure the Dark Spark no longer possess a threat to the universe.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile in the underground research facility that Fowler mentioned earlier, the main entrance was blasted open and a bunch of Mercenary soldiers ran out of it with Lockdown following behind them as the Dark Spark's evil energy emitted from his body.
"I knew it. All the parts I need to build my ultimate plan is all in here." Lockdown said with a satisfied smirk. "The humans have long suspected that they would bring about their own demise. Today, I'm going to prove that suspicion to every species in every galaxy."
Soundblaster and Exhaust then showed up and approached their leader.
"Lockdown, I'm detecting Autobot signals entering the city." Soundblaster informed.
"I guess they didn't like how we beat them in that other place." Exhaust said. "What do you want us to do?"
"Occupy them. I need time to get my machine ready." Lockdown replied. "And, it will allow me to master the Dark Spark's unmatched power even more."
"Sure thing, boss." Soundblaster said with a nod before he and Exhaust left to deal with their foes.
"This is it for you, Optimus. Soon, I'll become more powerful than you and Megatron combined." Lockdown snickered sinisterly before walking ahead to get his big plan ready.
Authors Note: There is still more to come, so be patient
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