Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, The Owl House or their characters
On the Nemesis, Soundwave was continuing his work on decoding the remainder of the Iacon database as Megatron laughed to himself.
"You should have seen Optimus Prime's face when his precious Star Saber shattered like glass, and with it his dreams of an Autobot victory." Megatron boasted victoriously. "Granted, Optimus will be more determined than ever to discover the locations of the remaining Iacon entries before we can."
Just then, Soundwave had finished deciding the next Iacon coordinates as it was shown on the main deck's screen.
"Ah, very good. I see you have decoded the next set of coordinates." Megatron complemented.
"Way to step things up, Soundwave." Knock Out added, walking up to his master from behind. "I do hope this Iacon relic is something less sacred and more profane. Like an electro disrupter cannon, we could use one of those."
"Indeed, Knock Out." Megatron said lowly before he turned to the communicator. "Breakdown, Wildrider, report to the bridge immediately."
"Please, Lord Megatron, allow me the honour of retrieving this relic for you." Knock Out said. "My teammates could use a break from going on missions."
"I'm surprised you would risk your finish, so soon after your accident." Megatron replied, turning to the Decepticon doctor as he closed his eyes frustratingly at the mention of what happened in the subway tunnels.. "Nonetheless, I remain unconvinced that you are the best choice for the task, since you failed to secure the Phase Shifter."
"I lacked the proper tools, but since Soundwave's currently occupied, I can't imagine he'll mind if I borrow this." Knock Out proclaimed, showing the Resonance Blaster in his hand. "So that I might better secure your prize and heap some hurt in the Autobots."
(Linebreak)
At the Autobot base, Optimus was focusing on decoding the next set of coordinates to the next Omega Key as Smokescreen watched him with the other Autobots nearby.
"I'm gonna be a great warrior someday, like Optimus." Smokescreen said to himself.
"We're sure you will, kid." Jazz replied supportively.
"Yeah, train hard and gain some wisdom along the way and I'm sure it'll happen." Bulkhead added.
"Oh, it will. It's my destiny." Smokescreen replied confidently.
"He definitely dreams big." Bumblebee quipped.
"Destiny?" Wheeljack repeated.
"How so?" Arcee asked, unconvinced.
"Well, one minute I'm on security detail at Iacon, the next I wake up on the other side of the universe to find myself under Optimus' command." Smokescreen bragged. "I mean, what are the chances, right? Things happen for a reason."
"We get it, Smokescreen. You're special, we're lucky to have you." Arcee replied in a non-caring tone.
"All I'm really saying is I've come a long way and this is one opportunity I don't plan on messing up." Smokescreen said.
"Autobots, the next Iacon coordinates have been decoded." Optimus told them. "Ratchet, ready the Ground Bridge."
Ratchet approached the Ground Bridge controls and started putting the coordinates into them.
"Last one to the Omega Key has to scrub the Energon tanks for a week." Smokescreen announced enthusiastically, rushing towards the Ground Bridge machine.
"Didn't know we were keeping score." Cliffjumper commented.
"Arcee, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, prepare to roll out." Optimus ordered.
"Finally, a chance for some action!" Bumblebee remarked.
"Wait, what about me?" Smokescreen asked in complaint, until he heard Bulkhead cough in offence. "I mean me, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Jazz."
"The four of you will remain here, in the event I'm able to decode a subsequent database entry before the others return." Optimus explained, turning back to the main console.
"Optimus is right. Considering the very fate of Cybertron is at stake, response time is critical." Ratchet added before he activated the Ground Bridge.
"Keep your engines idling, kid. Come on, boys, destiny awaits." Arcee said smugly.
"I hear you." Bumblebee replied.
"Do you seriously have to say that?" Cliffjumper questioned before the three of them transformed and drove into the Ground Bridge.
"We call it a pit stop." Wheeljack said as he and Bulkhead noticed Smokescreen's disappointed expression.
"We'll get back in the race." Bulkhead reassured after he slapped Smokescreen on the back.
(Linebreak)
At a large dig site that was next to a large lake, the Ground Bridge appeared and Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper drove out of it. The three Autobots transformed into robot mode and looked around, until Arcee spotted the Omega Key resting on it's capsule ontop a large rock.
"Over there." Arcee said, pointing towards the key.
But then, Knock Out walked out from behind the rock with the Resonance Blaster on his arm.
"Well, well. Just the Autobots I wanted to see." Knock Out said.
"Cliff and I will handle the mad doctor, you grab the key." Arcee instructed to Bumblebee.
"Sounds like a plan." Cliffjumper replied as all three of them got their blasters ready.
"Got it." Bumblebee added.
"I've been waiting to thank you three for all the memories." Knock Out sneered before he fired the Resonance Blaster at them.
The first sonic beam blasted Arcee away and Knock Out fired a second one, making Cliffjumper crash against a boulder with a painful grunt. As Bumblebee looked back at his injured comrades, Knock Out shot a sonic beam at him that pinned the yellow Autobot against the cliff wall. Knock Out kept firing the Resonance Blaster as Bumblebee struggled to move, with his chassis getting cracked from the sonic beam's force.
"Who knew that sound waves could be such a…knock out?" Knock Out asked as he suddenly turned around and blasted Arcee, who tried attacking him from behind.
Arcee cried out in pain while being pushed against the cliff by the sonic beam.
"What's that, dear? I can't hear you!" Knock Out called mockingly.
"Bee, Cliff, the relic!" Arcee shouted.
"On it!" Bumblebee replied as Knock Out saw the yellow Autobot recover and rush over to the Omega Key, while Cliffjumper ran straight at the Decepticon doctor.
"Heads up, doc!" Cliffjumper stated before he suddenly knocked Knock Out down and jumped over him.
"Scrap." Knock Out scowled as he stood back up and saw Arcee running for the relic as well, gaining an idea as he looked at the Resonance Blaster. "Hmm, how low can it go?"
Aiming the Resonance Blaster at the ground, Knock Out fired a massive pulse of sound that shook the entire dig site and blasted Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper away before they could reach the Omega Key.
"Soft whooper or death charge?" Knock Out asked with a smirk before the area was engulfed in a large dust cloud.
The dust cloud soon settled away and Bumblebee pushed away a large rock that pinning him against the cliff.
"Okay, that hurt." Bumblebee said to himself as Cliffjumper emerged from a pile of rocks.
"I'm getting really tired of being buried under rocks." Cliffjumper muttered.
Arcee limped towards the relic capsule in an injured state and saw that it was empty, indicating Knock Out got away with the Omega Key.
"Scrap." Arcee said disappointingly.
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Knock Out was presenting the Omega Key to Megatron as the Decepticon leader inspected the key.
"Hmm, it appears identical to the one taken from me by Optimus Prime." Megatron said, taking the Omega Key from Knock Out. "Ah, perhaps it is a decoy the Autobots allowed you to seize as a means of sabotage."
"Unlikely, my liege. They battled too desperately for it." Knock Out replied.
"Then pieces of a larger puzzle, perhaps." Megatron theorised before he turned around and saw Soundwave was already finished decoding the next coordinates. "Excellent, Soundwave. With any luck, these new coordinates will shed some light on the subject."
"Soundwave's on fire, and so am I." Knock Out boasted, walking away with the Resonance Blaster.
"Keep your vanity at check doctor." Megatron told him, making Knock Out stop in surprise and turn around.
"Haven't I proven myself?!" Knock Out asked outrageously.
"Your scientific expertise remains of greater use to me, analysing our latest acquisition." Megatron said while holding the Omega Key. "I must know what this relic is, and what it can do."
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile back at the Autobot base, Bumblebee was getting repaired inside the medical chamber as Ratchet was overseeing him. Cliffjumper was leaning himself against the wall while Arcee sat on a crate as Optimus approached her.
"I'm sorry, Optimus. Knock Out was there, waiting for us." Arcee said, lowering her head. "Seems the Cons are improving their decoding skills."
"To be honest, Doc Knock kinda cheated with that Resonance Blaster." Cliffjumper admitted.
"And it seems that with two keys already separated, no one currently possesses the means to revive Cybertron." Ratchet said.
"While our quest to restore our planet may have reached a stalemate, securing the remaining keys is still the most prudent course of action." Optimus said reassuringly as he headed back to the main console.
"Let's just hope luck's gonna be on our side, next time." Jazz commented with his arms crossed.
"Man, it must have been crazy with Knock Out going all sonic." Smokescreen quipped, not showing any sympathy for his beaten teammates. "Oh, I wish I'd been there. I would have…"
"Would have what? Recover the key like you did the first one?" Arcee questioned with a glare as Ratchet was patching her up.
"Maybe. Who knows? I just want us to be firing on all cylinders. You know, now that the Star Saber's gone." Smokescreen said arrogantly. "And I have a pretty good track record so far."
Arcee simply scoffed in annoyance and stood up before she limped away to have some alone time.
"Look, kid, Arcee, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper are no slouches and Optimus managed just fine for eons without the big sword." Bulkhead told Smokescreen.
"But you wouldn't know any of that since you've been stasis-locked in space for ages and we've been fighting the Cons for nearly seven months." Wheeljack commented.
"Exactly, and I'm ready to make up for lost time." Smokescreen protested.
"When Optimus says you're ready. You got to be in this for the long haul." Bulkhead replied.
"We're only gonna do the best we can if we can be supportive of each other, kid." Jazz said while placing a hand on Smokescreen's shoulder. "Slow and steady wins the race."
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the Harbinger, Starscream and the Mercenaries were overseeing the Red Energon they stole being reformed into liquid inside a canister, with tiny drops falling in every few seconds.
"This is taking eons." Exhaust muttered in boredom, while Starscream growled impatiently.
"Hurry up, already!" Starscream demanded, but it wouldn't work since he was speaking to a machine.
"Can't you make this thing go faster, Soundblaster?" Lockdown questioned his technician Mercenary.
"I'm not the one who designed this thing." Soundblaster retorted.
"How is it possible that speed-enhancing Energon takes longer to process than regular Energon?!" Starscream asked in complaint.
Just a few seconds later, the harvesting machine started beeping to signal it was done. Starscream picked up the canister to see that there was only a quarter amount of Red Energon inside.
"What?! You've gotta be kidding!" Exhaust exclaimed outrageously.
"An entire chunk of Red Energon and this is all we get?!" Starscream questioned.
"There's only enough here for one dose! Two, at best!" Lockdown scowled.
"Maybe if you two hadn't destroyed the rest of the Red Energon, we could have-" Soundblaster was interrupted when Lockdown pointed his hook at his face. "Shutting up now, boss."
However, Starscream and the Mercenaries heard a familiar beeping and they looked at a nearby terminal to see a map of Earth, with a coordinate location being displayed.
"What is it?" Exhaust asked.
"Decepticon movement. It looks like they've discovered the location of another relic." Soundblaster theorised.
"Yes. While speed is hardly a suitable replacement for the might of the Apex Armor, it should provide us with enough of an edge to obtain a more formidable relic." Starscream said with a smirk.
"And I'll make sure we get that relic." Lockdown proclaimed.
(Linebreak)
At the Autobot base, Optimus was done decoding the third location.
"The next coordinates are ready." Optimus announced.
"There remains one set left to decode." Ratchet said, activating the Ground Bridge.
"We're on it, Prime." Wheeljack assured as he, Bulkhead and Smokescreen got themselves ready.
"I'm gonna bring back that key." Smokescreen stated as he did some fighting move, until he calmed down from seeing Arcee's expression.
"Uh, boys? Forgetting something?" Arcee asked, showing a scanner device to them.
"It's all yours, Bulk." Wheeljack told his Wrecker partner.
Bulkhead chuckled nervously and approached Arcee to grab the scanner, but the female Autobot pulled him in closely.
"Make sure you keep an eye on destiny's child, okay?" Arcee whispered, referring to Smokescreen.
"Ha, compared to watching Clover when Willow's not around? Piece of cake." Bulkhead reassured.
He, Wheeljack and Smokescreen ran into the Ground Bridge and vanished once they were in it.
(Linebreak)
In a forest where the orange leaves were falling off from the Autumn-seasoned condition, the Ground Bridge opened up in the center and Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen emerged out of it. The three of them got their blasters ready for any Decepticons.
"Stay close." Wheeljack instructed.
"And stay focused." Bulkhead added.
"Gotcha." Smokescreen replied.
"We mean it." Wheeljack told him firmly.
"Me, too." Smokescreen said assuringly.
Bulkhead shushed them when he noticed how quiet it was and the scanner he was holding began to beep.
"What is that?" Smokescreen asked before hearing a rustle from behind.
Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen turned around to see Dreadwing walk out from the trees on a hill edge.
"One of the last sounds that you will ever hear." Dreadwing proclaimed, smirking at the Autobots.
"Dreadwing." Wheeljack said with a glare.
The second-in-command of the Decepticons transformed and flew straight at the Autobots.
"Scrap!" Bulkhead exclaimed as he, Wheeljack and Smokescreen avoided Dreadwing's air ramming attack.
As Dreadwing flew into the air, the three Autobots began hearing some beeping noises nearby. Bulkhead stood up and was shocked to discover that not one, but a whole bunch of Proximity Bombs were planted on the trees around them.
"We've gotta get out of here, now!" Bulkhead stated urgently as he started running, dragging Wheeljack and Smokescreen with him.
The Proximity Bombs started exploding around the Autobots as they ran through the forest, eventually getting blown down a ledge as Dreadwing flew over the ginormous explosion. The forest was shown to have been demolished with flames around it as Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen fell down a steep cliff and eventually fell onto the ground below.
"Okay, we're letting Optimus get the final key next time." Wheeljack groaned.
Dreadwing flew down to the Autobots' position and transformed, skilfully landing on the ground as Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen stood up.
"Smoke, we'll handle Dreadwing! Go get the relic!" Bulkhead ordered before he tossed the scanner to Smokescreen, who immediately caught it.
"You got it." Smokescreen nodded, rushing ahead into another part of the woods.
Dreadwing saw the Autobot rookie leaving and attempted to pursue him, but he then turned his attention to Bulkhead and Wheeljack.
"We've still got a score to settle with you, fly boy." Wheeljack said, activating his battle mask.
"You love doing your dirty work from a distance, don't ya? Too bad you don't have the ball bearings to fight up close and personal." Bulkhead taunted as he smashed his fists together.
"In this particular case, I will be all too happy to make an exception." Dreadwing replied before he leaped at the Wreckers.
Bulkhead charged at Dreadwing and swung his wrecking ball at him, only for the Seeker captain to knock the attack away and get behind Bulkhead before planting a Proximity Bomb on his back. Wheeljack got his swords out and jumped at Dreadwing in an attempt to slice him from behind. But then, Dreadwing avoided the attack by jumping back and making Wheeljack slide the ground instead before Dreadwing slammed both of his fists onto the swordsman Wrecker. Before Dreadwing could hit Wheeljack again, Bulkhead tackled him into a tree and the Seeker captain immediately kneed him in the gut before kicking the dark-green Wrecker. Bulkhead skidded across the ground as Wheeljack jumped over his partner and delivered a drop-punch to Dreadwing, landing on the ground in front of the Seeker captain. Wheeljack swiftly avoided Dreadwing's punches while striking on certain areas with his swords and swiftly moved to the left, allowing Bulkhead to immediately smash Dreadwing in the face with his wrecking ball. Both Bulkhead and Wheeljack aimed their blasters at Dreadwing and fired at close range, sending Dreadwing crashing through a tree and into a boulder. Dreadwing quickly recovered and stood up to face Bulkhead and Wheeljack.
"An admirable effort, but you obviously forgot how our last encounter ended." Dreadwing said, bringing out his remote and pressing on it to activate the Proximity Bomb.
"No, we didn't." Bulkhead replied with a glare.
"Word of advice…watch your back." Wheeljack said.
When he heard beeping noise very close to him, Dreadwing became shocked to find out that his own bomb had been planted on his back during the fight. Dreadwing reached to his back and managed to pull of the Proximity Bomb before tossing it, only for it to explode too closely to the Seeker captain and blast him back. When the smoke cleared away, Bulkhead and Smokescreen saw Dreadwing laying on the ground unconsciously.
"He really needs to stop using those bombs so much." Wheeljack quipped.
"Smoke, we're on our way." Bulkhead informed on the com-link.
(Linebreak)
Speaking of Smokescreen, he had placed his scanner on the ground and was moving away some rubble before he finally found the relic capsule. Not noticing a quick blur move behind him, the Autobot rookie opened the capsule lid and pulled out the Omega Key while standing tall.
"Destiny." Smokescreen said to himself, smiling proudly.
But then, something very speedy rushed at Smokescreen and hit him on the back of the head, making him crash down and fall unconscious while a familiar figure walked past him to obtain the Omega Key.
"Smokescreen!" Wheeljack's voice called out as Smokescreen saw nothing but darkness at the moment.
"Wake up!" Bulkhead's voice stated.
Smokescreen finally woke up and saw Bulkhead and Wheeljack standing over him. The Autobot rookie groaned softly as he found himself still laying on the floor.
"What happened?" Smokescreen asked.
"That's what we wanna know." Bulkhead replied, helping Smokescreen back on his feet.
"The Omega Key!" Smokescreen realised alarmingly as he looked around, seeing that the key was gone. "I had it! Until…something hit me from behind."
"Dreadwing must've had backup." Wheeljack assumed. "That relic's gotta be long gone by now."
"Ratchet, we need a Bridge." Bulkhead informed on the com-link.
"I…I told Optimus I'd return with that key." Smokescreen said in disappointment before the Ground Bridge appeared near the Autobots.
"Listen, kid, Alpha Trion said we need all four keys to restore Cybertron, remember?" Bulkhead reminded, placing a hand on Smokescreen's shoulder.
"Bulk's right. We just need to hang onto the one we already have and find a way to get the others back from Megatron." Wheeljack added.
The three Autobots then walked into the Ground Bridge, not knowing that Lockdown was spying on them from a nearby cliff.
"The ability to bring Cybertron back to life with just four of these keys, Huh?" Lockdown asked curiously, holding up the Omega Key he stole from Smokescreen with the Red Energon's speed-boosting ability. "That's something Starscream will definitely want to hear about."
The Cybertronian bounty hunter transformed into his vehicle mode and drove away to inform the others of what he learned.
(Linebreak)
At the Autobot base, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Smokescreen were informing Optimus about what happened.
"Smokescreen was sucker-punched. It could have happened to any of us." Bulkhead said as he once again placed a comforting hand on Smokescreen.
"Bulk's right. Everybody screws up, sometimes. It happens to Bots like us a lot." Jazz added reassuringly, approaching them to an attempt to make Smokescreen feel better.
"But it didn't, because I was the one who dropped his guard." Smokescreen retorted with his head down. "I was the one who blew it. Some great warrior I'm turning out to be."
"You still don't get it, do you?" Arcee asked with a frown, marching towards Smokescreen. "A couple of victories aren't gonna make you a legend, and not every mission results in success. Not for me, not for Bee, not for Cliff, not even for Optimus. We've gained relics and we've lost some. We've also lost friends, we've even lost a world, but this is one time we get a do-over. We have a chance to bring back Cybertron and everyone in this room needs to be in sync. This isn't about you or your destiny."
"Arcee, you've made your point." Optimus said calmly, turning away from the main console after hearing the intense conversation.
"Optimus, he needs to hear this." Arcee argued as she kept her focus on Smokescreen. "You might actually become a great warrior one day, and I sincerely hope that you do. But greatness begins and ends with putting the team first, not your personal scorecard."
"There's nothing I would do for you guys." Smokescreen proclaimed defensively.
"Then stop trying to be a hero and start being an Autobot." Arcee replied.
There was a moment of silence in the base as Smokescreen turned to Optimus, who said nothing to the Autobot rookie.
"You know what? Maybe I'm just not good enough." Smokescreen said bitterly, transforming and driving out of the base before anyone could stop him.
"Nice going with that lecture, Cee." Wheeljack commented, crossing his arms in disappointment.
"Next time Optimus advises you to stop, perhaps you should listen." Ratchet added.
"I'll go after the kid." Jazz assured as he attempted to walk out the entrance, only for Optimus to stop him.
"Smokescreen is young, Jazz, and has much to learn. But right now, he needs to clear his thoughts." Optimus told him as he then went back to the main console. "And I need to finish decoding the final Iacon entry."
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Soundwave was busy decoding the final Iacon coordinate himself as Megatron was having a furious talk with Dreadwing.
"You never even spied the relic?!" Megatron asked angrily.
"By the time I reached the location, it was gone. As were the Autobots." Dreadwing replied.
"It would serve us well to not only decode the final Iacon entry before Optimus Prime does, but to recapture those relics currently held by the Autobots." Megatron said before he turned around to Soundwave. "Soundwave, despite your primary task, I trust that you have been making progress pinpointing the location of their base."
Soundwave nodded and he showed surveillance footage from Laserbeak, seeing he was now in the badlands area where the Autobot base was in.
"Good. Given the recent accumulation of evidence, we possess a clear idea of where their Witch colleagues reside. And Laserbeak should soon determine wether the Autobots dwell in proximity." Megatron proclaimed with a smirk.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile at the Noceda residence, Skara was seen sitting on the roof all by herself with a slightly depressed expression. She was thinking about how she was nearly killed when she went on that solo mission with Smokescreen a few hours ago.
"I really hope you're doing okay, Smokey." Skara said to herself while looking at the night sky.
"Are you alright up here, Skara?" A voice asked as Skara turned around to see Gus floating near her on his Witch staff.
"Oh, hey there, Gus. I just came up here for some time to myself." Skara told the Illusionist Witch boy.
"Yeah, it still wasn't a good idea going on a mission alone with just Smokescreen by your side." Gus admitted.
"Don't remind me. Still, he didn't have to just rush off to grab that sword and leave me behind." Skara replied, hugging her legs to her chest. "I really like Smokey, but the way he's always trying to show he's destined to be a hero just gets on my nerves."
"Well I'm sure he never meant to put you in danger. You're the first friend Smokescreen made ever since he crashed on Earth, remember?" Gus reminded.
"I know." Skara said with a sigh. "We already made a great duo against Starscream and Lockdown. It'd be nice if we got the chance to be a real team again."
"In that case, why don't you just go back to the base and tell Smokescreen what's on your mind?" Gus suggested. "Things might get better if you tell him how you feel?"
"You sure he won't be busy on a mission with the other Autobots?" Skara asked.
"You're not gonna know unless you see for yourself." Gus replied with a smile.
As she thought about it for a moment, Skara then stood up and smiled down at Gus.
"You know what? I will tell Smokey what's on my mind." Skara announced. "Thanks for the encouraging talk, Gus."
"Well, I'm not usually good at them. They just come from the top of my head." Gus said embarrassingly.
"It was still really good." Skara commented as her cricket Palisman hopped onto her shoulder. "Come on, Cayenne. Let's go see Smokey."
Cayenne let out a happy chirp before morphing into her staff form, allowing Skara to sit on it.
"See you later, Gus!" Skara called kindly before she flew off into the distance.
"Sure, I'll see you later." Gus said as he began to blush a bit while staring at where the Bard Witch girl had gone.
(Linebreak)
Back at the Autobot base, Optimus was finally done decoding the last Iacon coordinate.
"Ah, the final entry has been decoded." Optimus said with a smile.
"Has it?" Ratchet asked, noticing something was happening on the main console's screen.
Optimus and the Autobots looked at the screen and it started to show a pixelated image, which slowly became more clear.
"Okay, what's that supposed to be?" Jazz questioned.
"Hmm, perhaps it's a layer of secondary encryption." Optimus suggested.
(Linebreak)
Megatron was seeing the exact same thing on the Nemesis.
"The coordinates are forming an image." Megatron said. "Why would the final Iacon entry be different from the others?"
(Linebreak)
The Autobots walked closer to get a better look at whatever was forming on the screen.
"Maybe it's a picture of the relic." Bulkhead guessed.
"Of what possible use could that be to us without knowing it's location?" Ratchet questioned rhetorically.
"I trust that Alpha Trion had his reasons." Optimus replied.
Just then, the image was finally clear and the Autobots were very astonished to see what the image was. Or rather who.
"No way. Is that…" Wheeljack began to ask with his mouth wide open.
"Smokescreen?!" Cliffjumper questioned in shock.
(Linebreak)
"Prime's latest recruit is the final relic of Iacon?!" Megatron asked astonishingly, seeing the image himself on the main deck's screen.
(Linebreak)
"Is this that hotshot's idea of a joke?" Arcee questioned, not buying it for a second.
"I'm not so sure." Bumblebee replied.
"Maybe he knows where the key is?" Wheeljack suggested.
"And never bothered to mention it?" Arcee asked.
"He might've gotten a memory glitch from his crash landing." Jazz admitted.
"A more likely possibility is that Smokescreen himself somehow is the key without knowing it." Ratchet theorised.
"Whatever the case, he could be in grave danger. Smokescreen, return to base immediately." Optimus ordered on his com-link, only to get no response.
"He may have deactivated his com-link." Ratchet said in concern.
"For all we know, the Cons have decoded the final entry and are looking for him." Cliffjumper added.
"Locate his position and prepare the Ground Bridge." Optimus instructed.
(Linebreak)
Meanwhile in the badlands, Smokescreen was seen driving on the roadway by himself. However, Laserbeak started to fly right above the Autobot rookie and his view was being shown on Soundwave's face.
"It seems our side project is already paying off." Megatron said. "Let's hope I sent the right warriors to retrieve him."
As Smokescreen kept driving, he soon noticed Laserbeak on his side mirror and Mini-Con drone fired his laser at him, causing Smokescreen to swerve on the road before transforming and coming to a stumbling halt. Laserbeak flew overhead of Smokescreen, who glared at the Mini-Con drone.
"You picked the wrong day to mess with me, Con." Smokescreen said as he got his blaster out and prepared to fire.
"You've got that the other way around, Auto-scum." A voice replied from behind.
Smokescreen quickly turned around, only to get slashed on the chest by Wildrider and then kicked away by the blade-wielding Decepticon. As Smokescreen crashed on the roadway and tried to get up, he suddenly got grabbed by the back of his head and was held up by Breakdown, struggling to free himself.
"Lights out." Breakdown said with a smirk, punching Smokescreen in the face and knocking him out.
At the same time, Skara was seen flying on her staff towards where she remembered the Autobot base was.
"Really hope Smokey is there. If he's not, then this is going to be a total waste of time." Skara said to herself before spotting three Cybertronian figures on the ground below. "What's that?"
The Bard Witch girl flew down to the ground and hopped off her staff, hiding behind a nearby large rock. When she saw Breakdown and Wildrider picking up Smokescreen by his arms, Skara gasped in total shock.
"Smokey, no." Skara whispered worriedly. "There is no way I'm letting you get in trouble by yourself, again."
Skara jumped over the rock and quietly headed towards the two Decepticons, but they both got distracted by hearing a familiar sound and turning around to see a Ground Bridge in the distance.
"Soundwave, we're gonna need a Ground Bridge." Breakdown said on his com-link.
The Autobots emerged from their Ground Bridge and they got their blasters ready, only to see Breakdown and Wildrider walked towards their own Ground Bridge while dragging Smokescreen with them.
"Smokescreen!" Optimus gasped before he and the other Bots rushed towards them.
"Thanks for leaving your new friend out your base for us, Autobots!" Wildrider mocked smugly as he and Breakdown walked into the Ground Bridge with their captive.
"No!" Bulkhead shouted.
"Let him go!" Jazz ordered.
But they are too late as the Decepticons made it into the green vortex and it closed up. The Autobots could only stand in their positions hopelessly as the Cons now had Smokescreen and the key to finding the last Omega Key, while Laserbeak flew away to get back to the Nemesis.
(Linebreak)
On the Nemesis, Breakdown and Wildrider emerged from the Ground Bridge and into the corridors as Smokescreen was laying on the muscular Decepticon's shoulder.
"How's this Autobot rookie supposed to help us find that last relic, anyway?" Breakdown asked.
"We'll find out once we get him to Knock Out's lab for a little dissection." Wildrider replied, smiling deviously.
The two Decepticons then walked away to deliver Smokescreen to the interrogation room, not noticing Skara peeking out from one of the wall's edges as she had secretly followed the two Decepticons through their Ground Bridge.
"Hang on, Smokey. I'll save you and we'll find a way out of this place." Skara whispered in determination before she started following her Autobot Guardian and the Cons.
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