Back aboard the Harbinger, Raf received a Ground-Bridge request. "Incoming Ground-Bridge request from Scotland." He said. A portal opened, and Wheeljack came into the bridge first. "Wheeljack, what happened?" Arcee asked. "Where are the others?" Chromia asked.
"Having a swell time taking the long way home in Ultra Magnus' boat, I'm sure. Miko included." Wheeljack said. "I wondered what was taking so long with those sodas." Raf said. "Did you secure the Predacon bone?" Jetfire asked. "The beast hunt kind of imploded, fly-boy." Wheeljack said. "Well, I just got wind of another 'Con hotspot. Right outside of Taos, New Mexico. Since Prime's unit isn't baxk from oil country," Agent Fowler said.
"Raf, set a bridge for Fowler's coordinates. You, roll with me." Arcee said. "Not today, alright?" Wheeljack asked. "Don't look at us." Cyclonus said. "If you're alright sending me out there alone." Arcee said. "Alone's how I prefer to roll." Wheeljack said.
"Wheeljack, you do not want to make me abandon a complex equation venture outside my comfort zone." Ratchet said. "Ah, fine. But in case you haven't figured it out," Wheeljack started, and they entered the portal. "Hang on. Wait for us." Jetfire said, and he, Cyclonus, and Chromia followed them. "I don't play well... with others." Wheeljack finished. "Scrap." Arcee said.
They were surrounded by a Vehicon army. "Know what I love most about Vehicon troopers?" Wheeljack asked. "They're easily distracted." Arcee said. Wheeljack lunged Arcee into the air, and the other Autobots shot the Vehicons. Arcee landed and shot more Vehicons and kicked some as well.
Wheeljack helped Chromia kill a Vehicon, and they punched, shot, kicked, and killed the poor Vehicons until there was none left standing. "You guys sure you weren't Wrecker's?" Wheeljack asked. "You sure you don't play well with others?" Arcee asked.
Agent Fowler sat in his office in the warehouse underneath the Harbinger when he heard a car door open and close. He looked out the window and saw June walking into the warehouse.
Due to the terminals being massive and unable to allow human games on the Harbinger, Jack, Elsa, and Anna resorted to playing games inside the warehouse with Ratchet watching them. "Nice shooting, my little snow." June said when she saw Elsa finally beating a game level.
"Hi, Mama!" Elsa said. "What's up?" Jack asked. "Nurse Darby, what brings you here?" Agent Fowler asked. "The medical supplies you so graciously offered to donate that my kids keep forgetting to bring home. The hospital appreciates your generosity, Agent Fowler." June said. "Please, call me William." Agent Fowler said.
Jack looked at them suspiciously. "Guys, I found a Predacon talon in a museum. Scientists were totally stumped when they excavated it in 1922. So it's been in storage." Raf said. "But we're fresh out of beast hunters." Jack said. "I didn't choose emergency as my vehicle mode for laughs." Ratchet said.
"Not sure you need a 'Bot." Agent Fowler said. "Maybe you should all just wait for Optimus." June suggested. "I'll have you know, nurse Darby, I was an Army Ranger and federal agent for Unit-E 3 decades before I ever heard the name Optimus Prime. I'm more than equipped to handle a milk run. In fact, why don't you tag along?" Agent Fowler asked.
"Oh, I don't know about that." June said. "Oh, absolutely not. Mom, I don't want you anywhere near anything 'Con. It's not -" Jack started. "Safe? Is my teenage son serious going to tell me that it's fine for him and Elsa to travel all the way to Cybertron, but his mother can't be trusted to go on a, on a." June trailed off. "Milk run." Agent Fowler whispered.
"Milk run?" June asked. "No, it's just you're lactose intolerant, and I," Jack stopped. "Come on, Agent Fowler." June said. They left the warehouse. Jack and Raf shrugged at each other.
"Ah, you performed well, my pet. This will be a splendid contribution to the spawning of your Predacon brethren." Megatron said as he petted the Predacon and held the Predacon optic. "My liege, we've located another of Shockwave's Predacon energy signatures. Weak but steady." Knockout said.
"Excellent. Knockout, do not return empty-handed." Megatron said. "Moi? Don't know the meaning of the word." Knockout said. "Isn't 'empty-handed' two words?" Starscream asked. "You would know, or did your missing armor turn up?" Knockout asked. "Why, you wheelbound -" Starscream started.
"Starscream, you have failed me enough for one day. Assume the task of monitoring for Predacon energy signatures at once!" Megatron commanded. "Yes, my liege." Starscream said. "I'm sure you'll find the gig as invigorating as I did, Screamer." Knockout said.
Starscream growled and marched away. "Shockwave has initiated the cloning process with the specimens gathered thus far. The Predacon currently among us will be but the first of a new wave of beast machine super-soldiers." Megatron said as he and Knockout entered the Nemesis.
The Predacon hissed to itself. "What are you lurking about for? Get back to your kennel!" Starscream commanded and kicked its tail. It raised its tail and swung it at Starscream. Starscream jumped away, and the tail hit the commutation satellite.
"You mindless brute! Look what you've done!" Starscream said. The Predacon growled.
"You're awfully quit, Wheeljack." Chromia said as they all ventured into a cave. "I've never been one for chit-chat." Wheeljack said. "Why do you pretend? If you really wanted to roll alone, you would have hit the open road today. But you didn't. You called for a bridge back to base." Arcee said.
"Hey, don't assume you know me." The white Wrecker said. "I'm not assuming." Arcee stepped in front of him. "Now, care to tell chit-chat about what happened out there?" She asked.
"Whay did I tell you? Milk run." Agent Fowler said as he and June left the museum with their prize. "With one cranky cow." June said. "The curator acted like he was guarding the Mona Lisa instead of some prehistoric lug nut that's been gathering dust since Harding was president." Agent Fowler said.
"I have to say, Agent Fowler, you handled him well. I was quite impressed." June said. "Nurse Darby, I'd say that put you one step ahead of my ex." Agent Fowler said. "Hmm. Divorced, huh?" June asked.
"Yeah. What about you? What's the story with Mr. Darby?" Agent Fowler asked. "Oh, more like a saga. But one I'm sure you've heard before." June said. Headlights blinded them, and a certain automobile enthusiast in his car mode appeared. "I have a bone to pick with both of you." Knockout said.
A weapon appeared on his side. "Run!" Agent Fowler yelled. Before June could run, they were both blinded by light from the cannon. They later awoke side-by-side together in Knockout's trunk. "Kick back, relax, and enjoy the scenery." Knockout said and closed his trunk. June's phone was left behind and smashed.
"Knockout to Lord Megatron, I have secured on vintage Predacon talon. Plus, two of the Autobots pets for you to employ as hostages, lab experiments, well, anyway you see fit. So go on, Big M, tell me you love me more than Starscream." Knockout said as he was now in the desert and got no response.
"My liege? Hello? Too familiar?" Knockout asked.
"The primitive mutt demolishes our entire communications network, and Lord Megatron intends to breed more of it? As if having ice magic wasn't cold enough, he has to add 3rd degree burns to the frostbite. Would you two hurry? I want this fixed before our master... is bothered by such distracting minutiae." Starscream said.
The Vehicons finished. "Entering access override code and rebooting now." Starscream said and typed in the code. The satellite shut down. "No, no, no, no, no, no!" Starscream kicked the broken machine.
"It's really taking them a while." Jack said. "Arcee, Chromia, Jetfire, Cyclonus, and Wheeljack?" Raf asked. "My mom and Agent Fowler. Oh, maybe they stopped for dinner." Jack said. "Isn't that what grown-ups do when they're dating?" Raf asked. "They're in love! They're in love! Fowler loves Mama! And they're gonna get married!" Anna sang. "No, Anna. It's what grown-ups do when they're hungry." Jack said.
His phone rang. "Mom?" Jack asked. "Guess again, Jackrabbit, and I hope you're not still thirsty because I'm bringing back something way cooler than sodas." Miko said. "I can't talk, Miko. I need to leave this line free." Jack said. "Wait, don't hang up! Did Wheeljack show? I think Bulkhead's really worried about him." Miko said. "Wheeljack is fine. He's on a mission with Arcee, Chromia, Jetfire, and Cyclonus." Jack said.
"Wheeljack's riding with new partners already? That's cold." Miko said. "What? No. It's just one mission. None of them are partners." Jack said. "I wondered how long it would take our lone wolves to hook up." Miko said.
"I told you we should have waited for Optimus!" June said. "There it is. The 'I told you so'. Well, no sale, sister. The 'Con was at the museum. If we had waited, he would have snagged the talon before Prime got there." Agent Fowler countered.
"And given our current situation, what difference would that have made?" June asked. "Hello? How long have you two been dating? Because you bicker like an old married couple." Knockout said. "What?" Agent Fowler asked. "We're not dating." June said.
"Frankly, I find it repulsive. The whole idea of you fleshies... interfacing." Knockout shuddered at the word. "Knockout to base, requesting pickup, again. All right, is anyone up there receiving me?" Knockout asked.
"Nurse Darby, June, if this 'Con gets us to Megatron's warship, the chances of the 'Bots ever finding us decrease a thousand fold." Agent Fowler whispered to June. "Never let a Decepticon take you to a second location." June said.
"He disarmed me back at the museum. Do you have anything we can use as a weapon?" Agent Fowler asked. June grabbed a bottle from her pocket. "Pepper spray?" She asked. "On a 'Bot?" Agent Fowler asked.
"Guys like Magnus, I don't let 'em peel my paint. I peel theirs." Wheeljack said as they drilled into the wall. "So if it isn't the new commander who's grinding your gears, it's Bulkhead." Arcee said. "Just burns me up when a Wrecker goes soft." Wheeljack said. "Look, Wheeljack, you'll always have the Wreckers as you knew them in here. Times change. Players come and go, and if you can't adapt, you'll rust like the bones we're dogging for." Arcee said and motioned to her Spark-Chamber.
Wheeljack pushed the drill in further and ignored her. "Wheeljack, all she is trying to say is don't push Bulkhead away. If something happened to him, you'd never forgive yourself." Chromia said. Wheeljack halted his drilling. "Trust me. I know." Arcee said.
Knockout was near a train yard. "Knockout to base, requesting Ground-Bridge for the umpteenth time. Come in, base." Knockout said. No answer. "I can't drive around all night." The automobile enthusiast sighed, then heard his belt buckle signal and saw Agent Fowler come out of the back seat.
The agent grabbed the wheel and swerved Knockout around. "Watch the rims!" Knockout warned. Agent Fowler stomped on the brake, and Knockout stopped. Agent Fowler and June got out and ran away with the latter holding the Predacon bone.
"Well, isn't that just grand?" Knockout asked. He transformed and grabbed Agent Fowler. "Did I say 'grand'? I meant 'totally rude'!" Knockout sneered. Agent Fowler held June's pepper spray and sprayed Knockout's red optics. "My optics!" He yelled and dropped Agent Fowler, and he ran off.
Knockout rubbed his optics and tried to look around. His cleaning systems cleared away the blurriness, and Knockout regained his vision. "Oh, are we playing a human game now? Because I would be happy to teach you the Decepticon version 'hide and go shriek'." Knockout laughed.
June was hidden next to a train, while Agent Fowler was underneath another. Knockout looked around and continued on as June walked by.
Knockout turned a corner, and Agent Fowler ran between two trains before hiding next to another.
Knockout kept searching as June tip-toed past another train.
Agent Fowler ran from his hiding past when he saw Knockout's shadow.
"June! June, where are you?" Agent Fowler half yelled half whispered. "Aha!" Knockout said as he looked through the train and grabbed Agent Fowler. "Alright, little lady. Show yourself, or I turn the snappy dresser here into a sloppy stain on the tarmac." Knockout said. June was hidden near a train.
"You've reached Special Agent William Fowler. Leave a message at the star-spangled beep." A voice message of Agent Fowler said, and the phone beeped. "Straight to voice-mail, just like Mom's cell." Jack said. "Maybe they went to a movie." Raf said.
"Ah, okay. Running from Bulk, shutting down loke that, pretty spineless of me." Wheeljack said. "Totally spineless." Cyclonus said. "On the bright side, you have plenty of backbone now." Arcee said. They were dragging the Predacon bone.
"Arcee, I need your help. My mom and Fowler may be in serious trouble." Jack said as he picked up his mom's smashed phone, and he and Elsa looked at tire tracks leading away from the museum.
"Last chance, she-human." Knockout said and marched around the train yard. "If you're not out here with my prize in 2.3 seconds, your boyfriend here," Knockout stopped when he saw a train take off, revealing June. "Okay, first, not my boyfriend. And second, you're not laying a metal digit on him." June said and smashed the crate.
It was empty.
"Not if you ever want to see your precious talon again." June said. Knockout picked her up. "Where is it?" He snarled. "Leave her alone!" Agent Fowler said. "I hid it on a train car. Let us go and I'll tell you which one." June said. Knockout growled.
He looked at the departing train. "Try as you might, you can't con a 'Con." Knockout said. The Predacon bone was inside the coal car of the train, and Knockout was catching up.
"Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy ride." The automobile enthusiast said. Agent Fowler and June were trapped in the front seats. They couldn't remove the seat belts. "Oh, wait, you can't unfasten your seat belts. My bad." Knockout said.
"Communications have been down for HOW LONG?!" Megatron snarled. "Soundwave practically has the dish repaired, Master." Starscream said as Megatron raised a servo to strike him. "Which is all well and good for Soundwave, but for you," Megatron started. "Knockout to Lord Megatron, please come in." Knockout interrupted.
"See? All fixed." Starscream said. "Knockout, do you have the Predacon bone?" Megatron asked. "In my sights, my liege." Knockout said when he saw Wheeljack behind him. "As are a few Autobots riding my rear." He said.
"Understood. Just make sure you secure the specimen." Megatron said. A Ground-Bridge opened above the Autobots, and 5 Insecticons came through while howling. Cyclonus shot one out of the air with a missile as the other four fired at Arcee, Chromia, and Wheeljack.
Wheeljack transformed and jumped up, stabbed two Insecticons, and transformed again while dodging the lifeless husks. Knockout was closer to the front. The other two Insecticons shot at Acee, but the Two-wheeler transformed and shot one. It flew into a sign above her and exoded when it hit the ground. The last Insecticon howled and kept chasing her.
"Now in which train car would a deceptive little human choose to bury a bone?" Knockout asked. He noticed it on the coal car. "My money's on the convertible." He said. He picked up speed while Arcee and Chromia were closing in until the Insecticon rammed them both, and they transformed. "Get Fowler and June!" Chromia yelled to Wheeljack as he passed by.
The Insecticon howled again as it flew at them. Chromia grabbed an object and fired. The laser blew the Insecticon to pieces.
"Here's where you get out." Knockout said. He leaped into the air, then transformed and dropped June and Fowler. Wheeljack transformed and grabbed both humans, then transformed again. Knockout snatched the bone and transformed. "Lord Megatron, if a Ground-Bridge doesn't open 'tout de suite', your specimen will belong to the Autobots!" He said.
A Ground-Bridge opened, and Knockout went through. "Scrap!" Arcee cursed as she transformed. Chromia, Cyclonus, and Jetfire joined her. "Where are they?" Chromia asked. "In back." Wheeljack opened his trunk, and Jine and Fowler came out.
A Ground-Bridge opened in the warehouse, and they entered. "Mom!" Jack sighed. "Mama!" Elsa and Anna said in unison, and they hugged their mother. "Are you alright?" Jack asked. "The milk run turned a little sour, but Bill and I are just fine." June said.
"Come on, June. Sit down." Agent Fowler said. "Bill?" Jack asked. "Looks like you've been jacked, Jack. By another Jack." Miko said. Wheeljack marched past him, and he and Bulkhead clashed their servos. "Bromance trumps romance." Jack said.
"Glad to be your bro, bro." Miko said.
Knockout presented his prize to Megatron. "You have served me well today, Knockout. Which is more than I can say for some." Megatron said. "It was the beast that disrupted communications, my liege. I beg you to reconsider Project Predacon. The creature is incorrigible. And void of all but the most rudimentary intelligence." Starscream said.
On the flight deck, the Predacon was examining something on the screen and growled in curiosity.