Chapter 3: Meeting the Bots

The trio of cars are driving down the streets to the bots' base. Bumblebee has been explaining everything he can. Bentley, being the tech guy he is, is extremely fascinated. Sly meanwhile, worrying about Carmelita is only really paying half-attention.

Sly: So you guys are transforming disguising alien robots who are constantly at war on a far away planet known as Cyberdon?

Bumblebee: Cybertron.

Sly: Me and Bentley once met both a cat alien and robot at the same time, also this elf guy and small orange furball thing and competed with them in this intergalactic tournament. It was weird, let me tell you.

Bentley: I still communicate with Clank regularly through this dimensional communicator thing I found after those events.

Sly: So you the good guys are the Audomabots?

Bumblebee: Autobots.

Sly: And the bad guys who have Carmelita are the Dessamacons? Destrons?

Bumblebee: Decepticons.

Sly: Allspark? I suddenly remember seeing that word a few times in the Thievius Raccoonus, but I never knew what it meant.

Suddenly, a radio signal on all three vehicles transmits a message from a deep, important sounding voice.

Radio Voice: Calling all Autobots. It is time to report back to base for curfew roll call and status updates.

Prowl: Me and Bee have both something and someone important we're bringing back.

Radio Voice: Excellent. Report back as soon as possible.

Bumblebee: Will do Prime.

The call ends

Bentley: Who was that?

Bumblebee: The Bossbot. Our Autobot leader. He's mighty, he's wise, he's the best guy I know. You'll like him.

The Cooper trio then look out their windows and realize more cars driving alongside them, including an orange hot rod and pink and white one that despite traveling around the world, they have never seen any vehicles like them. Soon they drive through a well hidden cave, which leads to a holographic wall that they drive through. Inside is what looks like a humongous interior of an alien spaceship. In his mind, Bentley feels like a kid in a huge candy store with all of the tech. The gang gets out of their vehicles. All of the cars come in and last of all, a red big rig pulling a trailer that suddenly disappears like magic. The truck then has arms pop out of its sides, it's back turns into legs and a head pops out of the top. Looking at him, the trio can immediately tell that he is the leader. The other cars transform and even after seeing it already a few times, seeing even more cars transforming all at the same time still feels majestic to them. Finally the truck leader kneels down to speak to Sly.

Truck Leader: Are you Sly Cooper, World Master Thief and last of the infamous Cooper Clan?

Sly: Uhhh yeah. I've been assuming you've been expecting me?

Optimus Prime: Correct. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, those who fight for freedom, the right of all sentient beings.

Sly: That's ironic, seeing as you're talking to thieves who Law Enforcement has been trying to lock up for years. Anyways, what do you want with me?

Optimus Prime: You may have not known it, but your long family history has a connection to our race. Research indicates that some of your ancestors came across a shard, which radiations caused the creations of beasts out of normally static and non-sentient objects. The Ancestors, ashamed of what they created, we speculate hid their shard where nobody would ever find them.

Sly: Wait! The Allspark?

Optimus: Correct. It was split millenia ago throughout Earth. It was a power source that gave life all throughout Cybertron.

Prowl: Prime. Hate to interrupt, but I keep getting a Spark Radiation reading. Me and Bee investigated where it was coming from, fought Barricade and met the Cooper Gang and I noticed on the way back….. It kept following us… and now it's….right here in the base…

Murray: Wait a minute! The voice I keep hearing while I'm in the Van….could that mean….?

Murray approaches the Cooper Van, tapping its front a few times and then….

?: I've only been alive for a few hours and NOW you notice!?

The Van begins to shift and transform with a familiar "Chu-Chu-Chu-Cha-Chi". Everyone is surprised to see The Cooper Van, now transformed into a big (yet smaller than most in the room) robot with a Raccoon resemblance.

Optimus: Well that is…. Surprising. But please give me a few minutes to sort this situation out. Need to do an Autobot roll call check.

Bentley and Murray start asking their now sentient van many questions while Sly follows Optimus, who's checking if all his soldiers are in the room.

Optimus: Alright. Prowl. Bumblebee. Bulkhead. Ratchet. Jazz. Arcee. Wheeljack. Ironhide. Hot Rod. Okay everyone's here.

Sly: Optimus, I know you want to know more about my heritage right now, but I have a different priority. The love of my life….. Very complicated love of my life has been captured by that Police Decepticon. I'm really worried for her life right now.

Optimus: Barricade? Your love in the hands of the Decepticons? Yeah, that may sound bad, but they usually keep their captives alive and rarely just kill them. I'm sure she's fine and I assure you we will help you save her. Megatron must want the Inspector for some reason.

Sly: Megatron?

Optimus: He's the Decepticon leader. We have been sworn enemies for a very long time. He prefers to achieve peace through tyranny.

Sly: I see.

The Cooper then walks over to his friends and their Cooper Van Transformer.

Murray: Can we keep him Sly? I mean he's our Van we have had for years, we have to!

Sly: Ummm…. Yeah sure…. What should we name him?

Murray: I was thinking "Coopertroopa", but then I realized a certain big and famous Japanese gaming company would strike us with a DMCA nuke.

Bentley: I was thinking "Coopercus". I know not the best.

Sly: No, that sounds great.

Coopercus: Yeah I like it.

Sly doesn't seem entirely interested in the Allspark's newest creation. He has more important things (to him) on his mind.

Sly: Can you give the three of us a minute to talk, Coop?

Coopercus: Sure.

Sly: 'kay gang, huddle up.

The three of them huddle up.

Sly: Starting tonight, we move our safebase here. I mean it's less like a safebase and more like crashing at the house of huge alien robots… BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!

Bentley: Makes sense. But does this mean we're taking a break from thieving for a while?

Sly: I don't think necessarily. Optimus seems adamant about my family's history…. I mean a lot of people are…. I think our skills will be needed if we want to find and retrieve those fragments and….. Save…..

Murray: I know you miss her. We will find and save her, I assure you!

Sly: it's my top priority, but I get the feeling it isn't Optimus'. He seems more concerned with us helping them find fragments. I trust him, but still. Also Murray, I think after this is all over, which I'm praying it will be, we need to give Coopercus a choice.

Murray: What do you mean?

Sly: I think we should give him a choice of either staying with us…. Or letting him stay with his people….

Murray: (looks at Coop) But he's OUR van! We've been on so many- (Sighs) y'know maybe you're right. We should give him time to think and then choose his path in life. I mean he was just born today.

With that, the trio set up their space in the Autobot base and went to sleep. Meanwhile, for Carmelita, things weren't quite as colorful.