The next day at Princeton University, Braedey and Leo were sitting together as they watched their new teacher address the whole room, walking around as if he owned the place.
"Man, look at this guy." Braedey muttered as he and Leo snickered with one another. "Thinks he's King or something..."
"Space. Time. Gravity." The teacher then took a bite out of his apple and lets it drop. One of the female students, who was in love with him, grabs it and mouths 'thank you'. He then continued. "We're going on a journey together, you and I, today. All you, eager, nubile, young minds, on the very cusp of adulthood. And I shall be your consort, your guide, your chaperone, into the heart of darkness."
As the teacher continued with his teachings about any and all about astronomy, Braedey now began to hear a weird high-pitched noise inside his head as he looked at his hand. He could see the same symbols as he saw from when he drew them into the grass. Braedey then shuddered and twitched as he then began to flip through the pages of one of his books, barely looking at each one.
Leo notices him and started to worry. "Hey. Braedey, you okay bro?" Braedey abruptly finished the book and immediately raised his hand. "Put your hand down. Put your hand down. Put your down." Leo hissed to the brunette repeatedly, now getting embarrassed.
"Young man, there are no questions until I've reached the climax of my lecture." The teacher says.
"I just finished your book and there's one problem: Einstein's wrong." Braedey stated abruptly. All the students then laugh at him. Braedey raced up to the podium and takes one of the moveable chalkboards, beginning to write and talk simultaneously. "Energy does equal mass times the velocity of light squared in this dimension, but what about the other seventeen?" Braedey questioned while continuing to write Cybertronian symbols across it. "Clear example. Break down the elemental components of Energon, assume a constant decay rate and extrapolate for each of the- fourteen galactic convergences it took for the Sentinel Prime expedition..."
As Braedey rambled on, Leo and everyone else just watched him in shock and awe. Once he was finished, Braedey held and shook his head, then he was startled to see was up on the podium.
"Young man, I will not be punked in front of the dean." The teacher said with a stern straight face. "No, this is my universe here. Do you understand? I am the alpha and the omega. Get out of my class!" He ordered.
"Yeah, you're the Alpha and the Omega of delusions." Braedey remarked as he walked out, making the class laugh.
Among those that have witnessed this are a young couple that have known one another for about three years, and they were curious about what happened to the blue-eye brunette.
Scorcher Dragonfire is a lean, muscular young man of average height with a slightly tan skin tone, black eyes, spiky pink-colour hair, and has abnormal sharp canines; he has a scar on the right side of his neck, hidden by his scarf. He has on an open-collar, one-sleeved long black overcoat, which is tucked in. The sleeve covers his left arm with a faux leather brown armband, leaving his mark, as well as his entire right arm, consequently exposed, a leather brown belt around his waist with an oval-shaped silver buckle, white knee-length trousers with black ribbon ties, a thick black wristband on his left wrist, and black open-toed sandals.
Sheeva Silverback is a young lady with short jaw-length violet-coloured hair and green eyes with a round face, her skin having a gentle tone. She has a slender yet curvy hourglass body. Her attire consists of a lime green-coloured blouse with a green neckline and trim, complimented by a long, white skirt. She is also wearing green boots.
"What... just happened?" Sheeva wondered.
"Honestly, seems like something is off with that boy." Scorcher mused. He then took note of the markings and symbols the brunette drew. "And whatever he drew on that board must definitely be important."
"Come on. Let's go." Sheeva suggested, and the two get up, leaving the classroom to try and find the brunette and see if he's alright.
Meanwhile, Jasmine pulls up into her father's workshop and now fed her German Shepard dog. Unbeknownst to her or her dog, a remote control monster truck pulls up, scanning her. It then detected the shard of the AllSpark in her purse and drives into the garage, undetected.
This Decepticon is known as Wheelie. He transforms into his robot form and hides behind a motorcycle, looking around to try and find the sliver.
Jasmine now heard her phone ring, and she looked to see who it was. "Yes, Braedey?"
"Jasmine, before you say anything about last night, I'm really sorry about standing you up on our first web chat date. Something had come up." Braedey's voice sounds like he's scared and worried, Jasmine now looking concerned. "But right now, some crazy weird shit has just happened to me that you aren't gonna believe."
"Okay, okay. Braedey, slow down." Jasmine tried to calm him down. "What happened to you?" She asked.
"Remember back in high school, when I talked about my grandfather? How he went on his South Pole mission, where Megatron zapped him and he started seeing those symbols? Now I'm seeing them! I've just read a 903-page astronomy book in just under 30 seconds, and I had a meltdown in the middle of my class! I haven't stopped seeing these symbols ever since..." Braedey's voice now stopped.
"Ever since what?" Jasmine now asked in concern.
"Ever since I shoved the AllSpark into Megatron's chest back in Mission City two years ago, then touched that sliver of the Cube." Braedey muttered in realisation. "Please tell me you still have it?"
Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, I have it. It's locked up in the shop safe. It's fine."
"Jasmine, under any and all circumstances, do not touch that thing whatsoever. Okay?" Braedey warned her.
"I won't touch it, Braedey. It's fine. It's locked away." Jasmine reassured him. "No one knows where it is."
Wheelie then comes out and snickered. "I do. You're a hot one, but you ain't too bright." Wheelie then quietly grabbed a couple of boxes to help him reach the safe. "There we go. That'll work." As he tiptoed, he accidently steps on a mousetrap and cries out in pain, cursing under his breath, trying not to make too much noise. Jasmine's dog grunted, then looked at him. Wheelie hissed in pain, then he saw the canine. "Well, what are you looking at, slobber-puss?" The mini-Decepticon then rook another step and got his wheel caught in some kind of magnetic pad. "What the-? This place is a freakin' house of horrors." He winced as he walked about towards the safe.
Jasmine now started to hear some noises. "Hold on a second, Braedey." She said as she puts the phone down and walked off to find the noise.
Wheelie managed to reach the lock and he started to spins the knob, listening carefully and trying to get the combination right. He then looked over and screams like a girl when he saw Jasmine with a set of iron pliers in hand, now grabbing him.
"Is that the best you got, huh? That the best you can do?" Wheelie sneered, just as Jasmine pins him to the works table.
"What are you doing here, you little blue trucker freak?" Jasmine now growls, blow-torching his left optic.
Wheelie yelped out in pain as his eye was burned and crippled. "OW! That's my eye, you crazy- vitch!"
"Are you gonna talk now?" Jasmine threatened, holding the torch to take it out on him again. "Or do you wanna get burned again?"
"I seek knowledge from the Cube." Wheelie panted as puts his eye back in place. "The Fallen demands me!"
"The Fallen? What knowledge?" Jasmine demanded, lighting the torch again.
"You got the shard, I need the shard. Give me the shard, I need the shard. They're gonna whack me! I'm gonna be dead without that shard!" Wheelie pleaded rapidly, but Jasmine shoved him further against the table. "Hey! Easy, warrior goddess! I'm just a little salvage-scrap drone!" Wheelie tried to calm her down.
"And I am your worst living nightmare." Jasmine sneered, then she threw Wheelie in a steel box and locked him in it.
"Jasmine. What in the hell was that?" Braedey now inquired over the phone as Jasmine picks it up. "I can hear yelling and screaming from the other end."
"Just some little punk of a Decepticon tried to steal the Cube sliver." Jasmine answered.
"WHAT?! Jasmine, you need to get out of there now!" Braedey pleaded. "If they find out you have the sliver, you'll be another target."
"I know. I'm gonna get on a plane right now, and I'll be at the University by this afternoon. Just be careful, Braedey. I love you." With that, Jasmine hangs up her phone, and she starts grabbing her things for New York State.
Meanwhile, over at the Air base in New York State, Piledriver had just moved some materials, with most of the Autobots also here to make sure Braedey is safe. Optimus has gotten concerned since his talk with Braedey, Arcee, Chromia, and Elita-One taking note, and Bumblebee explained to them the brunette has not been like himself.
Piledriver was just about to move another container out of the way, when he noticed something in the distance towards the Atlantic. He narrowed his optics, then they widen once he realised what it was.
Piledriver immediately tapped the right side of his audio receptor. "Piledriver to Optimus. We've got an incoming possible hostile threat, bearing of 090, speed of 300 knots, and descending from 40,000ft towards the base." He reported in. "Please advise."
At once, the other Autobots made their way out to see what Piledriver was seeing. They could see a blue F-22 Raptor jet fighter flying towards the base, but they can see Cybertronian markings across the body, on top of smoke and flames coming from one engine.
"Is that... Thundercracker?" Elita asked in surprise.
"The blue Starscream clone?" Piledriver wondered.
"That's the one, alright." Hotrod answered.
"Why would he be here?" Chromia mused. "Unless he's here to commence an ambush attack."
"All Autobots, keep composure until we are certain of his true intentions." Optimus advised, then nodded back to Piledriver.
However, as the blue jet flew in closer, it shifted and transformed into Thundercracker, the blue seeker with flames and smoke now coming from one of his engines. He also looked to have been in a fight. Thundercracker now comes in to a rough and uneasy landing before the team of Autobots, all except Optimus arming their weapons, the humans all standing back in response.
"Wait, Wait! Please, I'm unarmed." Thundercracker raised his hands in a desperate plea.
"Yeah, and as the humans say, I'm the Queen of England." Chromia scoffed. "Like I'd believe you."
"She's right. After everything you've done to us and fellow Autobots, as well as Cybertron, what makes you think we'd believe you?" Ironhide added, both cannons armed and primed.
Thundercracker looked to Optimus and Bumblebee for help. "Optimus Prime. I have come bearing very important information. It's about Megatron." That got everyone's attention. "He has come back from the dead, and has a newly rebuilt body."
"Impossible. Megatron was killed by Braedey with the AllSpark back in Mission City." Arcee interjected.
"Yes, but the Constructicons and Ravage had obtained the last AllSpark fragment, and used that shard to rebuild Megatron." Thundercracker clarified to them. "Now, Megatron plans to attack, but he's not alone. He is working with the First Decepticon. They plan to attack."
"The first Decepticon?" Bulkhead and Piledriver both questioned.
"That sounds bad, doesn't it?" Hotrod asked.
Optimus' optics seem to show the faintest glint of worry, but nobody could tell, especially when Optimus is very good at masking his emotions. "Are you certain about this information?" He asked, the other Autobots now looking to him in surprise. Was he really asking a Decepticon about information?
"Yes, Optimus Prime. This information is very accurate." Thundercracker slowly got to his feet, his hands still raised. "I even managed to get away from them to tell you all of this. Starscream and Megatron nearly took me apart as I escaped by the mere grip of my teeth."
"Wait. You mean to tell us that you have defected from the Decepticons?" Elita asked in surprise, lowering her cannon. This also got the attention of the other Autobots as they listened. "Why did you?"
"As you know, I'm a scientist. I've been fascinated with scientific endeavours and knowledge." Thundercracker now explained. "I once thought that my science would be the key to salvation, but now, my optics have been widened to the truth: Megatron and the Decepticons have been abusing my knowledge and science to cause chaos and destruction." He clenched his fists in anger. "I also only stayed as a Decepticon to even have a purpose in life. Now... I've decided to abandon them." The blue Decepticon now looked sincere. "I cannot apologise enough for my misleading actions I have done in the past, but I must ask for your forgiveness. If not, then I must prove to you that I can change myself."
The other Autobots looked to Optimus, him now nodding his helm to them, ordering the Autobots to now lower their weapons. They reluctantly do so, Thundercracker showing a sincere smile on his facial plate.
"Anything else you have to tell us?" Bulkhead now asked.
"I also have information about their next plan." Thundercracker informed. "Megatron and The Fallen plan to attack and ambush your human friend. The techno-organic one is their target." He added in next.
"Braedey is their target?" Elita asked in concern.
"Why didn't you tell us that from the start?" Ironhide grunted.
"Doesn't matter now." Piledriver interjected.
"We gotta go, and I mean now!" Bumblebee insisted to Optimus.
"Bumblebee is correct. With every second we debate and wait, the more time we give the Decepticons." Optimus turned to Thundercracker. "For the time being, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. If you prove to be useful, I may consider allowing you to stay online, and consider your position."
"Optimus Prime, I promise you the truth, and I spoke it to you." Thundercracker nodded his helm with a bow.
"Autobots, let's roll." Optimus announced, all of the Autobots now transforming into their vehicle modes, and they begin to drive off, Thundercracker shifting into his jet mode, and he flew into the skies above.
At the same time, back at Diego Garcia, the soldiers were now getting information from Autobots and their S.O.S signals, telling them that something is going down.
"Major, incoming SOS from Autobots!" One soldier called out to Lennox and Ken.
"What's going on?" Ken demanded.
"What's happening?" Jennifer added in.
"Multiple Decepticon contacts in motion. Vicinity, eastern United States, sir!" Another soldier informed back as Lennox, Ken and Jennifer looked at one of the screens.
"The Autobots are on the move, splitting into two teams, sir." One radio officer explained to Lennox and Ken. "They're not answering our calls, and they're heading to New York and Philadelphia."
"All right, full weapons deployment. Wheels up in 20 minutes! Move it!" Lennox announced at once, and almost immediately, everyone began to suit up, arm up, and prepare for mobilisation.
"Let's go!" Ken declared.
Little did they know of what was going to happen...
