Hammer Tech
15 miles outside Oakland, CA
It was almost too quiet as four vehicles approached the main warehouse of the facility.
In the middle was a blue SUV with a small satellite upon its roof and a rack on the back. These competents launched off and transformed.
The satellite converting into a small robot, visually resembling a condor and the equipment rack into a robotic panther.
The SUV then itself transformed into the bulky form of Soundwave. His yellow visor scanned the area, he waved Laserbeak and Ravage to the door, ordering them silently to break in.
He then slowly approached the hole in the door, kneeling down as he stepped in.
"Barricade, enter the facility," Soundwave said, his voice robotic and synthisized.
The black police car then transformed, behind him Runamuck and Runabout followed and the three entered.
"In there," Soundwave pointed at a garage door, half open.
Barricade nodded the Battlechargers to it. Runamuck groaned as she approached it and crouched beneath, using her back to push it up enough for the others to easily walk through.
Runabout chuckled at his twin, who nearly dropped the door on him in response.
"That's enough," Barricade turned around swiftly and pointed his fingers at the pair.
"Silence," Soundwave said, he transformed his left hand into a device and inserted it into the wall, attaching to the internet cables.
His visor powered down, and the window on his chest illuminated with data as he started the downloading process.
Barricade readied his rifle and held it over his chest, standing guard.
The Battlechargers did the same at the door. With Ravage by their feet snarling.
"How long is this gonna take," Runamuck asked, nearly throwing her weapon on the floor only after a few minutes.
"No clue," Runabout murmured.
"As long as Soundwave needs," Ravage barked.
"It does speak," Runabout chuckled, kneeling down as if to pet the minicon. Ravage nipped at his hand.
"Why you little!" Runabout yelped, jumping back and aiming his blaster at Ravage, who locked and loaded his hip mounted blaster at him.
"The hell," A voice called out from the other side of the room, the Decepticons turned and saw an adult human female.
The woman jumped as the Cons aimed their weapons at her. She ran to the door as blaster fire surrounded her. She made it to the alarm and sounded it just as a blaster bolt hit her, vaperizing her almost instantly.
"You idiots!" Barricade shouted as the room's lights turned to flash red and white and a siren erupted.
Soundwave then jolted forwards suddenly hitting the ground. Raveage and Barricade ran up to him.
"What happened?" Ravage asked, as Barricade helped Soundwave back to his feet.
"I've been locked out, someone's shutting down the mainframe," Soundwave explained, "But not before I got what I needed."
"That's well and good," Runamuck shouted, looking under the garage door, "But we are gonna have company soon!"
"Soundwave to headquarters, send ground bridge for extraction on my exact coordinates."
The garage door then opened and an array of bullets came for the Decepticons. Each one bounced off the Decepticon's armor.
Laserbeak swooped down and slashed her wings at the human soldiers then flew up to transform and attach to Soundwave's back.
Runamuck and Runabout started firing on the several Jeeps and Hummers the humans arrived in while Barricade and Ravage fired on the humans.
Then finally the ground bridge portal opened behind them. Soundwave, Ravage and Barricade entered first.
Runamuck and Runabout followed right as the bridge was about to close.
Another Hummer arrived after the Decepticons had left the scene. From the passenger seat stepped a white adult man in a white suit.
His banquete had been interrupted by this heist and he was fuming.
"Mr. Hammer," A soldier said, "Nothing's stolen."
Mr. Hammer shook his head, "Wrong." He said, pointing at the hole in the wall with several cables hanging out of it.
Autobot HQ
The next afternoon
"So exactly how long have you guys been at war?" Veronica asked, sitting on the couch with Jamie and Emily.
Bumblebee and Cliffjumper loomed over the raised deck Wheeljack expanded and modified so the human could have a hangout space.
"Roughly 300,000 years," Cliffjumper answered after a moment, almost like he had forgotten how long it had been.
"Actually, we have been at war with the Decepticons for 296,827 years, 10 months and 9 days," Prowl chimed in from the computer console, "154,029 years since we left Cybertron and 31 years since we arrived here on Earth."
"So roughly 300,000 years, Prowl," Bee chuckled.
"Yes Bumblebee, if you want to generalize it. Roughly 300,000 years," Prowl sighed, not caring much for the rounding up or enough to argue.
He walked away from his post at the console and down the hallway, presumably to the Energon cache. The fourth time in the past two days.
"Why is he like that," Veronica asked.
"Cause he's a stiff," Spike chimed in, exiting the restroom.
"300,000 years of war," Bee shrugged.
"Well you guys have been at war just as long, and you're not anything like Prowl," Jamie said.
"He's much older than we are," Cliff answered, "He remembers a time Cybertron was under control of a race called the Quintissons."
"A history lesson for later," Optimus's voice came from behind Bee and Cliff who stood and turned to face their commander.
"Is everything alright Prime?" Bee asked.
"Fowler and Fairborn are here, the two of you accompany me to the helipad please," Optimus said.
"My mom?" Jamie asked.
"Marrissa Fairborn is your mother?" Cliffjumper asked, "Who would've mated with her?"
"I knew she worked with the government, I just didn't know she worked with you guys." Jamie said.
"I'm sure most Skywatch agents' families have no idea about us," Bee said as he and Cliff followed Prime and Prowl to the lift.
Above their heads the roof doors opened and the lift came to a halt. The four Autobots stepped off and approached two humans.
Sergeant William Fowler, and Agent Marrisa Fairborn.
"Pleasure to see the two of you again," Optimus said. "To what do we owe this visit?"
"Last night your enemies made a move, the first one since their ship went down four years ago," Fairborn spat.
Prowl and Optimus exchanged glances. Prowl gave Fairborn a bewildered expression.
"Did you believe that the Decepticons all perished in the Nemesis crash?" Prowl asked, "It was hardly two miles off the ground."
"Besides the point Prowler," Fairborn said, Prowl's optic twitched at her intentional mispronunciation of his name, "They are back."
"They never left," Prowl retorted, "Skywatch got complacent and were blindsided, what happened?"
Fairborn scoffed and stepped behind Fowler, as to not continue the pissing match with an AI.
"They hit Hammer Industrial, outside Oakland last night, broke into the harddrive and downloaded hundereds of files." Fowler said.
"Hammer Industrial, isn't that a weapons manufacturer?" Bumblebee asked.
"One with government contracts," Cliffjumper answered.
"Exclusively government contracts," Prowl added, "What would the Decepticons want with human weaponry?"
"So happens, Hammer Industries has a contract with Skywatch," Fowler said, "They are developing a weapon based on tech derived from the remains of the Decepticon Skyquake."
The Autobots gave each other shocked glances. Prowl and Cliff's faces hardened as they glared at the two humans before them.
"I thought Skyquake's corpse was at the bottom of Lake Superior, where we left it," Cliffjumper crouched down to Fowler's level and looked him dead in the eye.
Optimus placed a hand on Cliff's shoulder and the Autobot fell back behind his leader, still fuming.
"I agree with his sentiment, why was Skyquake's body moved and why were we not informed?" Optimus asked.
"There are some in the US government who don't trust you," Fairborn said, "Or that your enemies are gone, which at least was proven, they want a deterrent."
"Deterrent?" Prowl raised an opticbrow.
"Yes, a device capable of bypassing a Cybertronian's transformation cog, those without military based alternate forms have no weapons in alt mode," Fowler explained, "It is also capable of preventing all motor functions."
"The Cybertronian captive remains online, able to speak. Unable to fire any weapons, move or transform," Fairborn further explained, "The perfect way to restrain one of your kind."
"By taking away our Primus given ability to transform?" Cliffjumper laughed, "And we're the ones in this 'alliance' to not be trusted?"
"Cliffjumper," Optimus boomed, "Did they steal the specs?"
"They did, but that is not all," Fairborn said, "They also stole the schematics for a new Skywatch observation site."
"Observation site?" Prowl inquired. Folding his arms over his chest.
"You mean military base," Bumblebee said.
"It is funded by the US military. Yes, it is a place designed to scan for and observe Cybertronian activity," Fairborn said, "It's location has been compromised."
"Where is it?" Cliffjumper asked.
"Neither of us were made privy of the construction site," Fowler explained, "It's top secret."
"So we need to be worried about the Decepticons having gained a new secret base here on Earth," Prowl looked at Optimus.
"Anything else," The Prime asked.
"We think the Decepticons are setting up a construction project, hence why they'd target a half built military base," Fowler answered, "We have a list of possible next targets that is being forwarded to your database as we speak."
"Thank you William," Optimus said, "Autobots, return inside."
Cliff and Bee hopped on the lift first. Prowl looked at his leader as the humans boarded their helicopter and left.
"Optimus, the mere existence of this observation site," Prowl said, "It's suspicious."
"I agree, but as long as we and the Decepticons both do not have the means to leave this planet, it's something we'll have to live with," Optimus responded.
"We can break off the alliance," Prowl said.
"And lose our current base in the process," Optimus retorted, "It was provided by them after all."
"Jazz and the crew can't come back with our ship soon enough," Prowl muttered.
In n Out Burger, Surprise AZ
Three days later June 10, 2019
8:24 PM
"Man you gotta move on," Jamie chuckled, he sat in Brawn's driver seat with his feet on the dash as he slurped on his vanilla shake.
Spike, in the passenger seat, stared out the window at Veronica. She was talking to a boy. She leaned on the hood of Cliffjumper, speaking to this other teen about the 'really cool' Dodge Challenger she just acquired.
"Who even is that guy," Spike muttered.
"Does it matter?" Brawn's voice came through the car speakers, "The two of you are no longer in that sort of relationship."
"I don't think you'd understand Brawn, I love her," Spike sighed.
"I don't understand the impulse to mate, but I do understand that you have feelings towards her that she does not reciprocate." Brawn said, "You messed up, she'd done. It's sad, time to move along."
Spike almost responded before a chime came on the speaker.
"Brawn here, give it to me Jackie," Brawn said.
*The Cons hit on of Skywatch's potential targets, it's to you two's location,* Wheeljack said, *I'm sending Arcee and Bee to accompany you.*
*Coordinates received Wheeljack, we're on it!* Cliff's voice echoed, Spike looked over at Veronica who climbed into the driver's seat of the red muscle car.
"Rolling out," Brawn said, he reversed out of the parking spot swiftly, nearly hitting a girl and her boyfriend as he did and followed Cliffjumper onto the street peeling out on the way.
"Not dropping us off somewhere?" Jamie asked.
*No time, Arcee can yell at us later,* Cliffjumper chuckled as he weaved between cars in traffic and his engine revved.
"Not worried about what Prime's gonna say?" Spike wondered.
"He'll give a stern talking to, no yelling," Laughed Brawn.
Blackrock Power, Buckeye AZ
A red and white Mazda rolled up in front of a yellow Camaro. Brawn and Cliffjumper in robot mode watched as Arcee and Bumblebee approached and switched forms.
"Are you crosswired?" Arcee asked, gesturing to the three human teens Brawn and Cliffjumper brought with them.
"Had to beat you guys here," Brawn laughed, "Don't worry they'll stay out here while we go in."
Jamie and Spike nodded their heads rapidly while Veronica just sighed and held her temple in her hand.
"The three of you, that station box," Arcee pointed them to a rail station box a few hundred feet away. "Now, boys with me."
Arcee walked to where the fence had been torn down and walked through with her fellow Autobots behind her.
She gestured her right hand and pointed to the right for cover. She and Brawn ducked behind a shipping container in that direction while Bee and Cliff ducked behind a small shed.
Bee threw on his battle mask and visor and peered out, his visor's HUD zoomed in on Barricade, Runamuck, Runabout and Soundwave loading fuel rods and other materials into a tractor trailer.
"Didn't know Motormaster was here on Earth," Bee said, noting that the tractor trailer has a Decepticon sigal and purple stripes.
"What are they doing?" Brawn asked.
"Gathering metal and electrical conductors," Arcee said, "We're gonna have to call Prime for backup."
Arcee looked around. Then sighed. Brown, Cliff and Bee were gone.
"Scrap," Acree muttered. She ran out from cover and fired her blasters at the Decepticons, hitting Runamuck in the back gaining their attention.
"What the!" Barricade shouted, he aimed his blaster at the nimble Acree who dodged his array of blaster bolts.
Barricade then growled and went to attack her, but not before a yellow and black form dropped down from above and tackled him to the ground.
Bee and Barricade struggled for a moment and got back to their feet, Barricade swung left with his right fist, which Bumblebee ducked beneath.
Bumblebee then shot up to upper cut the enforcer who saw this coming and parryed the attack off and rammed his elbows into Bee's shoulders.
"Autobots!" Runamuck shouted, she spun around and kicked Cliffjumper in the chest.
The red mech stumbleed back, holding onto the femme's ankle. Bringing her off balance.
Bam!
He punched her right in the side of the head. He then jumped her and tackled her to the ground.
"I'd stand down!" Cliffjumper boasted as he shoved her face into the concrete and bent one of her arms behind her back.
"I was about to tell you the same thing, twerp!" Motormaster grabbed Cliff by the shoulder and threw him off his subordinate.
Motormaster, keeping his attention on Cliffjumper, grabbed the smaller bot by the arm and threw him at Brawn, knocking both bots off their feet.
"Soundwave to base, groundbridge required," Soundwave shouted into his com, "Autobots intercepted, compromised, mission abort."
Arcee jumped over Runabout's head, flipping over him and using his shoulders as a springboard.
Flipping in the air she extended her right leg and kicked Soundwave in the back.
The taller mech jolted and turned around. He swung his fist at her and fired his blaster at her feet.
Arcee ducked the punch but was caught off guard by the blaster fire. Thrown back into the ground.
She covered her face and chest with her arms and rolled over as Soundwave's foot came crashing down down a top where she lied previously.
She jumped up and fired her blasters at Soundwave and stepped back into Cliff's back as he ducked out of the way of Motormaster's broadsword.
Suddenly a green portal opened. Drawn all attention.
"Decepticons, we've collected enough material," Soundwave called out as Motormaster transformed and reattached his trailer, then raced through the ground bridge.
The battlechargers ran up to the portal, standing on either side and fired their weapons at the Autobots who all took cover.
Barricade and Soundwave ran through the portal and the Battlcharger followed. Groundbridge closing behind them.
Bee was the first to emerge from the cover being the shipping container. He looked around and walked over to the warehouse that the power conductors were taken from.
Every last one.
"What is it?" Arcee asked, noticing Bee picked something up from the floor.
"Soundwave's getting sloppy, or that kick you landed did more damage than you thought," Bumblebee threw the object to Arcee who caught it.
"He never deployed Laserbeak or Ravage." She said, inspecting the object, "Wheeljack, we need a bridge."
Autobot HQ
"It's concerning how close to base this occurred," Prowl said as the Autobots entered the base.
"Not my main issue," Arcee said, tossing the retrieved object at him.
Prowl inspected it for a moment, nodded, then handed it to Wheeljack who placed it on the table in front of the computer console.
"This came off of one of Soundwave's minicons," Wheeljack said.
The mechanic flipped his goggles on and pulled out a small tool and examined it.
"It's Laserbeaks data drive," He said, "Mostly intact."
"Do you think you can salvage anything from it?" Prowl asked.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" Wheeljack asked.
Everyone tilted their heads and mumbled.
Four days ago
"This should be able to recycle any energon waste into fresh energon for our re-consumption," Wheeljack said, unveiling his newest invention.
He then poured a vile of pale pink sludge into it, an energon byproduct from their groundbridge.
He then powered on the device, and for a minute it started to work as intended. Slowly.
Liquid, fluorescent energon dripped into a new vile on the bottom of the redistributor.
Then, it bellowed with black smoke.
"Uh oh," Wheeljack's optics widened.
"Get down!" Ratchet yelled, leaning over the humans as their shield as the other ducked and the device exploded.
Present day
"Yes I can recover data from it, no it won't implode," Wheeljack said, "Least it's unlikely to."
The Nemesis crash site
"You retreated!" Starscream shouted as Soundwave walked past him to the med bay, "Did you at least get enough power conductors?"
"He speaks as though he hasn't flown from a battle," Skywarp leaned over to Thundercracker and laughed.
The blue and silver Seeker nodded then followed Soundwave and Starscream into the med bay.
Soundwave approached the med table, tilted up so Megatron could speak to his men.
Soundwave dropped to one knee and hung his head low, the Seekers behind also took their bows before their master.
"Soun- Soundwave, what news?" Megatron sputtered.
"Easy my liege, don't burn too much energon," Starscream muttered with a smirk on his face.
"Silence you sniveling sycophant," Megatron growled.
"We retrieved the power conductors necessary for the construction, and enough steel to begin," Soundwave said, "Now we just need energon to convert it to Cybertranium armor."
"Soon sir, you'll be back on your own servos," Thundercracker said.
"Excellent," Megatron coughed, he looked down at his missing leg and mangled arms, "Then our true plans commence."
"Shockwave has sent over the final plans for the terminal on Earth, and with Soundwave intel on the human construction project we've found the perfect site," Starscream said.
"Excellent, Soundwave, contact the agent. I have a task for him," Megatron ordered, "And I know the perfect payment."
"Yes my liege, I am also sending The Seekers to our next target," Soundwave responded.
"Thundercracker, do you have the coordinates?" Megatron asked, bypassing the Air Commander who growled at him.
"I do, we're ready to go," The Sub Air Commander answered.
Blackrock Mining, 22 miles outside Las Cruces, NM
Optimus looked up at the starry sky. He walked around the outside of the mine, kneeling down to admire the desert plant life.
A couple of jackrabbits fled from him as he moved. He did not mean to frighten them. Decades on this planet and not fully used to how titanic he was here.
"Alright Autobots let's move in," He said, stepping down into the mine. Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Brawn, Prowl and Arcee followed.
Bee and Cliff led the way, they turned on the headlights on their chest and walked through the mine.
"I hope Wheeljack is right about this being Soundwave's next target," Cliffjumper said, "This place is kinda creepy"
He looked up at the shadow of a spider web and shuddered.
"Let's just extract as much energon as we can before any Decepticons arrive," Prowl said, "And pray we don't blow this mine to high heaven like the last one."
Bee hung his head low and 'breathed' out his air intakes at the jab.
"Least that explosion took out a Seeker Prowl," Brawn patted Bee on the back.
"Cost us 600 units of energon," Prowl muttered, "All for those humans."
"Would you have rather us left Emily to Starscream," Cliffjumper asked.
"Not what I said," Prowl retorted, "That conflict could have and should have been resolved without blowing the mine."
"I do not disagree, and the loss of the energon was a blow, however the taking out of Blitzwing and the safety of the humans mean more to our cause," Prime said, "We cannot dwell on how we could've done better then and just do better now."
"Understood," Prowl walked ahead of the others. He then suddenly crouched down and threw his left hand up.
The others stopped in their tracks.
Arcee could see the green glow of a groundbridge.
"They beat us," She said.
Prowl leaned over and peered around the corner. He watched as Skywarp and Thundercracker loaded energon cubes into Motormaster's trailer.
"Well Wheeljack was right, and they're almost done extracting," Prowl said, turning to Optimus, "Commander?"
Optimus nodded and the six Autobots rounded the corner with their weapons drawn.
"Surrender the Energon," Optimus ordered.
Motormaster's engine roared as he transformed back into robot mode.
"Optimus Prime!" Motormaster chuckled, "You'll have to get it out of the bridge!"
He then jumped over his own trailer then kicked it through the ground bridge.
Starscream fled through the bridge after it. His Seekers fired their Null Rays at the Autobots who took cover immediately.
Motormaster lunged at Optimus with his sword and swung at the Prime. Optimus parried and grabbed Motormaster's arm and bent it backwards at the elbow.
The Stunticon yelped out in pain, dropping his weapon. He then rammed his head into Prime's knocking the Prime nearly off his feet.
He punched Optimus and kneed him in the abdomen.
Optimus spun and rammed his elbow into Motormaster's face. Then kicked him in the chest. He then flipped over and picked up his opponent's dropped weapon.
He then slashed at Motormaster's chest, opening a gash in the middle causing him to stumble back.
*Decepticons return to base,* Soundwave ordered over comms "Energon retrieved."
Thundercracker and Skywarp ran through the bridge. Motormaster attempted to follow but stumbled and fell face first right in front of it as it closed.
He tried to get up to resume the fight anew. But Brawn and Cliffjumper tackled him down. Allowing Prowl to strap cuffs to his ankles and wrists.
"Optimus to base, send a ground bridge, keep the humans at a safe distance, for we are bringing home a Decepticon prisoner," Optimus said.
Prowl and Arcee exchanged glances, they and Prime knew there wasn't really anywhere at the base they could hold Motormaster.
"Power him down," Optimus ordered as the ground bridge opened.
Skywatch, the next day
"Optimus, I must protest," Prowl said, these were created by human hands.
"They were tested, they work," Bumblebee said.
"Not my point, by using them it legitimizes the humans creating them," Prowl said, shoving Motormaster forwards, the Decepticon was able to walk but unable to speak or exert any force.
Wheeljack then approached his comrades with the device.
The mode lock.
"What if I created this Prowl," He asked, handing it to Optimus.
Optimus palmed the mode lock in his hand, he looked at Motormaster and sighed.
"I'd at least trust it's inventor and his reasons for creating it," Prowl said.
"You don't trust this Justin Hammer?" Wheeljack inquired.
"From reputation alone," Prowl said, glancing at Hammer leaving Skywatch in his Lamborghini, "I trust the Fallen more."
"Prowl, I do not like this device either, however we do not have any proper holding cells nor the energon to maintain one," Optimus said, "Allow our prisoner to speak."
"What the frak is that thing!" Motormaster shouted.
"This Motormaster is a mode-lock," Optimus said, "Once attached to your person, you'll be confined to vehicular mode and unable to move."
"You wouldn't dare!" Motormaster snarled.
"I don't want to, so I am giving you the choice, either you corporate now; tell me what Starscream and Soundwave are planning for your own freedom, and go under political asylum with us," Optimus said, "Or we restrain you to alt mode, and interrogate you."
"Get scrapped Optimus, guess you'll have to torture me," Motormaster said stoically.
"As if he'd respond any other way," Wheeljack muttered.
Prowl, Jack and Bee looked away as Prime attached the mode lock to Motormaster's shoulder.
The Stunticon shouted in pain as he lost any and all control of his own motor functions and shifted into a Kenworth semi truck.
He tried to move, the mode lock would not allow him to even turn his wheels to the left or right. Let alone move under his own power.
"You'll burn for this Optimus.
"It has a function to retrain his speech as well," Wheeljack said, Optmuis nodded and Wheeljack pressed a button on his wrist console.
"I cannot believe we've resorted to this," Prowl said, "He'd be better off dead."
"He chose it," Bee said.
"Motormaster, you have the choice any time, I detest using this device, I offer you a chance to do the right thing for the people of this planet," Optimus said, "Whenever you'd like to use it."
"Ratch, bring us back to base." Prowl said, the ground bridge then opened before them.
Prowl and Bee then entered it. Wheeljack transformed into tow truck mode and hooked Motormaster to his crane. And drive through.
"The tough choices," Fowler said.
"It goes against my own core beliefs, Fowler," Optimus said, "Restraining him to one form, unable to speak or move."
"I can get started building proper holding cells, so they don't have to be restrained like that if you'd like," Fowler said, "Have to cut some red tape but I'm sure it can be done, but for now."
"That would be much appreciated Bill," Optimus said, walking through the ground bridge, it closing behind him.
Former Skywatch Construction Site
Nevada
Skywarp and Thundercracker flew down to the construction site and transformed. Landing on their feet.
"Cozy," Skywarp said, taking a look around.
"The Constructicons will be busy," Scrapper said, looking down at his men beginning for their newest project.
"And we will continue to provide the resources," Starscream said.
"You Decepticons provide the energon, my crew is on everything else," A voice called out from behind.
A tall, slender, black and green robot approached. He had a hook for a left hand and bright red optics. He was followed by a purple and pink fembot and a white and red mech the same build as Wheeljack.
"Lockdown, the first assignment is on your ship's drive is it not?" Starscream asked.
"Coordinates are being downloaded now," Lockdown answered, "As long as you can pay."
"Trust me bounty hunter," Starscream sneered, "Should our goals succeed, Megatron intends that you'll never have to take a job again, you'll be paid so well."
Hey guys, this chapter took way longer than I expected it... went through a couple rewrites. How'd you like it?
What is Megatron planning? What's Lockdown's target? Find out next chapter: Episode 3, Circuit Break