Transformers MHA, Arc 2: Earthrise

by The Omni-Remnant

After a rather intense adventure and the U.A. Sports Festival approaching fast, Izuku and his friends have two important things to do; improve their Quirks in time for the festival… and hide a bunch of giant alien robots. That proves to be easier said than done, especially when enemies on Earth and from beyond the stars end up coming for them…

64. Of Speed and Science, Part 2

A/N: Greetings, everybody! Welcome back to Transformers MHA and the second of what WILL be this three-part mini-arc out in the depths of space with the Kimia crew. Yep, we're definitely going with the 3-act structure, and we've got a LOT to go through with the second act, so I'm not gonna waste much time up here.

That being said, though, I felt like I should address this first; as I mentioned in the last chapter's preview, the Protectobots will be making their proper debuts here. And I'm just gonna come right out and say it; they're straight up based directly off of their Combiner Wars toys. Because to be honest, those are probably the best modern incarnations of the Protectobots that we have… until we get an updated Defensor, which (going off of leaks) Hasbro doesn't seem keen on doing for a while. That being said, I decided to have a bit of fun with their voice cast! See if you can see what I'm referencing here;

Blades – Voiced by Jason Marsden

Groove – Voiced by Max Mittleman

Streetwise – Voiced by D.C. Douglas

First Aid – Voiced by Parvesh Cheena

Rook – Voiced by Imari Williams

And finally…

Hot Spot – Voice by Dan Gilvezan

So, with that in mind, let's get on with the chapter, shall we? This is…

Chapter 64: Of Speed and Science, Part 2

…..

Within one of Kimia Space Colony's several medical bays, six Autobots were currently all laid up in a row upon large lifts, the team lying motionless after their… less than favorable experience. They were the Protectobots, and they had just been rescued from the clutches of an evil space insect… one that they had intended to capture themselves. And while they were in stasis now, that wouldn't remain the case for long, as the largest one began to stir…

He was a tall bot with a sky-blue paintjob and a very "blocky" build, to put it best. His legs were solid rectangles, his shoulders angular, his chest was almost box-shaped and his forearms had thick armor layered on them. The only part of his body that wasn't so square was, oddly enough, his feet, which were curved and had a black windscreen on them with headlights and a grill underneath, indicating that was the front of his alt. mode. His upper arms and legs were black, but there were several red parts to him as well, mainly his entire chest. There was also some red and silver striping detail on his shoulders, chest and the outer sides of his legs as well. He had four sets of tires total; two on each leg, one on the back of each arm, and then one behind each of his shoulders.

However, there were two features to him that made him stand out even more than his blocky frame. One being his appearance, because he was one of many bots who one could say resembled Optimus Prime. His helm was nearly the exact same, though some differences were mainly the antenna on the sides of his head, which were round instead of flat, and his forehead ridge, which resembled a deep scowl. The helm was also the same sky-blue as the rest of him, but his faceplate was a darker shade of cyan.

And the second feature? …He had an entire ladder apparatus folded up on his back, bucket and all. Combine that with the siren lights on his knees and it was evident what his vehicle mode had to be. But at the moment, this bot was beginning to wake up from his deep stasis, and despite the Autobot sigil on his chest, his eyes were a deep crimson, which was usually only seen on Decepticons.

The Autobot went to sit up… and immediately stumbled off the platform thanks to his own ladder. "AUGH!" *CRASH* "Uuugh… of course." Managing to get to his feet, the Protectobot leader, Hot Spot, craned his head around the room in a daze. "W-Wha… What happened? How'd I—ah!" But he gasped in mid-turn when he saw the rest of his team, all laid up on their medical lifts. "E-Everyone! W-What's going—"

"Ah, good, you're up!" The sound of automatic doors and a familiar voice made Hot Spot spin around… where he was met with Brainstorm, Proxima and Glyph. "Welcome back, old friend. Did ya enjoy your stasis nap?" the Kimia Headmaster asked.

"B-Brain?" Hot Spot reached up to his head, trying to calm down. "H-How did we get here? Last I remember, we were—"

"Chasing after the insectoid monstrosity that's been podding people up all over the ship, yes." Proxima interjected. "Yes, about that. Whatever you and your team were going to do to it, you didn't get the chance to. You were podded up like the others."

Hot Spot facepalmed at the news. "Gah, scrap! And we had the perfect plan to capture it!" He slammed his fist against the nearest table, making several medical tools fall to the floor.

Glyph offered the Protectobot a sympathetic smile. "Oh, don't worry, Hot Spot. Everybody has off days."

"…Hah, I know that you're trying to be supportive, Glyph, and thank you." Hot Spot shook his head. "But considering that I'm head of security, I can't afford to have off days. This ship's protection is priority one, and so long as that thing's still lurking around, that protection is at risk of being compromised." He brought up a fist and clenched his fingers. "It's imperative that we capture and destroy that thing once and for—"

"Woah, woah, woah, I'm gonna stop ya right there, my friend." Brainstorm interjected, holding a hand up to the fire engine. "Remember, this is my ship, and what I say goes. And what I say is that we need to capture and contain this menace so that we can perform experiments on it. See if we can't glean anything useful from it."

Optics wide and full of bewilderment, Hot Spot wasn't sure what to make of his commander's idea. "Brain, with all due respect… are you INSANE?!"

With his head held high, Brainstorm placed his hands behind his back and turned away from his friend. "I've been asked that several times throughout my life, Hot Spot. And every singe time, I have the same answer. …No."

"Sir, the threat that this creature presents to our crew and our passengers is unprecedented." the Protectobot stepped in front of Brainstorm as he stressed his opinion. "And its intelligence is also an anomaly for a creature of this type. We need to exorcise the threat it presents immediately."

"And I agree. But think about it, Hot Spot; its ability to pod things up with little effort could be useful to us." Brainstorm countered. "I mean, hell, the fact that it managed to pod the six of YOU up should be an indicator of that. If we could study the material it makes its pods out of, then maybe we could create an artificial version to use against the Decepticons!"

Hot Spot was about to counter his fellow blue Autobot… but the more he though about it, the more the idea made at least a little sense. "I… you know, that may actually not be a bad idea."

A proud smirk made its way to Brainstorm's features. "I rarely have 'em, ya know. Now, let's wait until the rest of your men get back online. Then we can—"

"Hmph… hey, what's all that noise, man?" As if on cue, a new voice brought the group's attention back toward the slabs. "I'm tryin' to get some stasis here."

The five remaining Protectobots all began to stir from their own slumbers, standing up from their respective lifts one by one. The first to stand up was the smallest of the bunch, though while he wasn't as big in stature, he was comparatively quite lanky. He had a primarily black and white color scheme, though his arms and upper legs were sliver, as was his visor. The color of the windshield on his chest as well as his face allowed for a splash of gold as well. His helm was black, as were the handle bars behind his shoulders, and the fact that he had one wheel sticking out his back and another one split between his legs indicated that he transformed into a motorcycle of some sort.

The small bot placed his hands to his hips, gazing up to his larger compatriots. "Seriously, what's with all the arguing going on here?"

"Groove." Hot Spot addressed his comrade. "Maybe you could talk some sense into Brainstorm. He wants to try and contain the insect alien instead of destroy it."

"What?! That's insane!" Groove exclaimed… before putting on an excited smile. "I like it!" His leader immediately slammed his head against the nearest wall. "Ah, c'mon Hot Spot! It's pretty obvious that our plan didn't work, so why not?"

"Mph, because it is a strict violation of ship code, Groove." Standing up next was an off-white bot with a black chest, with bits of red detailing in his midsection, waist, forearms and knees. He also had black vents on his shins, as well as some blue paint on his shoulders and upper back. Said back panel was actually the entire front half of his vehicle mode, having folded up to create a backpack. His head was squarish with a more rounded forehead, complete with a red head crest and blue visor. "It is highly ill-advised to keep such a dangerous creature alive when it poses such a threat to our vessel's occupants."

Hot Spot threw his hands up gratefully. "THANK YOU, Streetwise." he nodded to his second-in-command. "Finally, someone sees sense!"

Kicking up from his lift next was a mostly red bot with white and grey as his secondary colors. His whites were situated in his chest, abdomen, upper legs, and his blocky helm, with some white stripe detailing in his lower legs. His upper arms and the missiles on his wrists were all a dull grey, as was the folded-up propeller on his back. What stuck out, however, was his powder blue face, which highlighted his rather grizzled features. "Hmph, he's not the only one, Hot Spot." the Protectobot vouched in an annoyed tone. "I wanna blow that thing back to the pit it came from SO bad after what it did to us."

"…Well, Blades, if that's how ya feel, then I won't question it." Hot Spot shook his head toward Brainstorm. "Nevertheless, I'm sure you'll find that most of my team agrees with—"

"Ahem." The next Protectobot to stand up was equal parts red AND white, with most of his torso, upper arms and legs being the former while his forearms, lower legs and entire back were the latter. The door panels of his vehicle mode hung off his shoulders, and the entire front end of it was sticking up from behind his head, wheels and all. The head itself was donned with a square-shaped helm, with a silver faceplate and blue visor. Hesitantly, the Protectobot medic came forward to contend his leader's statement.

"Actually, Hot Spot, I believe I vouched for us to try and successfully capture the creature before confining it somewhere else myself." He placed a hand upon his chest. "I realize the danger it could present to the crew, but please consider that as a living organism, it could provide so much for us to learn!"

Hot Spot gave a sigh, remembering the request well himself. Given who was doing the asking, though, it wasn't unexpected. "First Aid, I understand your stance on the matter, but with the liability of this creature being on board the ship, I'd rather not risk it."

"Perhaps so, but whoever said it had to be ON the ship in the first place?" The final voice who spoke up was rather deep, which was fitting, because out of all the "medium-sized" bots on the team, this Protectobot was the biggest of them all. He was burley, barrel-chested and, unlike his teammates, had a much different color scheme. He was mostly white and black, but rather than red, he had blue as his secondary color, being seen in his biceps, legs, pecs and feet. He had six large wheels in total; two on each leg and one situated on each side of his chest. Out of all the Protectobots, he was the most heavily armored, especially on his back and arms. His wrists even had built-in cannons as well.

His helmet, though, was interesting. To the human eye, the protective chinstrap and bar going across his face would resemble a football helmet, and the helm itself would remind them of a certain chess piece. Which was fitting, given the bot's name. "Rook, you too?" Hot Spot winced.

Rook shook his head. "Sorry, chief, but despite being built for war, I always wanna find a peaceful solution first." He craned his head down toward his medic friend. "And I think First Aid here makes a good point. We shouldn't resort to killing a creature that's just trying to survive."

First Aid brightened up at his friend's support. "Exactly, Rook! Thank you. While most may view the insect's actions as malicious, this could very well be simply acting upon instinct to keep living in this new environment." He raised a contending finger. "And given that its natural prey, whatever it may be, isn't on this ship, it's going after people instead."

"…Alright then, answer me this;" Hot Spot folded his arms, "why then did it pod US up if it can't eat us?"

"Because we posed a threat to it." Rook stressed. "I know you're no scientist, chief, but even YOU should know that."

Hot Spot deadpanned, knowing that he probably wasn't going to win this verbal scuffle. "Hah… okay, okay, so we've got three for and three against destroying the alien." The Protectobot commander placed his hands on his hips. "We're going to need a deciding vote…" Out the corner of his vision, he could see Brainstorm sliding in, and that's when he knew that he'd been outclassed. "…Scrap, I forgot."

"Yep, ya did!" Brainstorm pumped an arm victoriously. "This is MY ship, Hot Spot, so what I say goes." He stepped over to First Aid, Rook and Groove, placing his hands on the former two's shoulders. "Gentlemen, I'd like to consult the three of you on how you intended on capturing and containing this beast."

Groove wore a sheepish smile and rubbed his neck. "Oh, uh, I was just goin' along with the plan, boss man." He admitted. "I got no idea 'bout the ins an' outs like these two."

Brainstorm blinked down to the smaller bot before moving on. "Ah, I see. Well then, how do YOU two envision this plan going?"

"I am very glad you asked!" First Aid smiled eagerly. "Come, we'll take you to where we've set things up."

As Brainstorm and the rest of the Protectobots left, Hot Spot remained behind, giving a heavy sigh as Proxima and Glyph came over to support him. "If it's any condolence, Hot Spot, I probably would've booted that thing off the ship myself." Proxima reassured.

"Me too." Glyph affirmed with a grimace. "It's just so… creepy."

"Thank you, ladies." Hot Spot took a deep breath. "But I guess that just comes with the territory of working under Brainstorm. Now let's go. We've gotta at least make sure they don't get themselves killed."

…..

Back on Velocitron, the scene was tense as Apelinq and Tap-Out stared down the three troublesome bots in front of them. They had hoped that this would be a simple rescue mission; get the smaller bots out of there, beat down the two nitwits and then drive off. But the addition of the third bot just threw a whole wrench into their plans. Now, they were outnumbered. Botanica wasn't much of a fighter, and even then, she was tasked with protecting Wildbrake and Clocker. And considering that all three of the thugs were each aiming dual blasters at them, it was safe to say that they weren't lacking in firepower.

So, with that it mind, it was up to Apelinq to play the pacifist. "L-Listen, um… Dirt Boss, was it?" he started. "I couldn't help but notice that you said we interrupted your "business". What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Heh, now it's REAL obvious yer not from around here." Dirt Boss scoffed. "Otherwise, ya would've heard the word by now." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder, pointing between Ransack and Crumplezone. "See, these two an' myself are runnin' some… protection services across the planet. We offer our protection fer a small fee… an' no one gets hurt."

"Hurt by you, I'm assuming?" Tap-Out snapped back. "Your boys literally KICKED the youngling and were about to blast that old man to smithereens!"

Dirt Boss sneered over his shoulder toward Ransack and Crumplezone, who immediately cowered in fear and began refuting it. "D-D-Don't listen to these crummy off-worlders, Dirt Boss!" the red cycle bot asserted.

Crumplezone waved his massive arms back and forth in denial. "Y-Yeah, we didn't do nothin', honest—"

"SHADDAP!" Dirt Boss spun around and blasted his shoulder cannons near their feet, making the twosome yelp and fall backwards on their skidplates. "I saw ya tryin' to shake down our customers from MILES away! How d'ya expect us to convince these bots to invest in our services if ya scare 'em off?!"

The duo scrambled to their hands and knees, bowing for forgiveness. "W-We're so sorry, boss!" Ransack cried.

"I-It won't happen again!" Crumplezone avowed. "We swear!"

Clicking his metallic tongue in annoyance, Dirt Boss brushed off the groveling and got back to business. "Ah, pull yourselves together, ya mooks!" He rounded back toward Apelinq and Tap-Out with his single-eyed glare, the lenses in his other optic adjusting to aim at the two. "We've got bigger fish to fry!"

Apelinq raised his hands imploringly. "W-Wait, please! We're just trying to find parts to repair our vessel's engines! We're not here to—"

"HA! Ya need parts, eh?" Ransack shot up to his feet and aimed his blaster, with Crumplezone following his example. "Good luck with that, Monkey Mech. All the parts fer any interstellar travel are all under lock and key!"

Needless to say, this took the two mechs by surprise. "What?! By who?" Tap-Out demanded.

With a snaggle-toothed smirk, Crumplezone replied; "Nonya!"

"…Nonya?"

"Nonya fraggin' business!" Rearing back, the big, green bot planted his feet and pumped his arms before lurching forward, letting loose a massive pair of blasts from his shoulder cannons. "BARRIER BAZOOKAAAA!" *KACHOOOOM* Apelinq and Tap-Out only just barely managed to get out of the way, the twin beams instead making impact with the ground and leaving a massive crater.

The two Autobots stared slack-jawed at the display of power, and before they knew it, they were being bombarded by laserfire from Ransack and Dirtboss next. "Time to being the heat…" Ransack transformed into his motorcycle mode, his tires screeching even through the sand. "BY BURNIN' SOME RUBBER!" The twin blasters, now on the rear of his vehicle mode, fired off and boosted him forward, ramming him straight into Tap-Out.

Dirt Boss, meanwhile, kept his aim on Apelinq, driving him further away from his comrades. "Big guy! Go get those little scraps an' the femme!" he ordered. "Bring 'em to me an' we'll get this deal settled!"

"You got it, Dirt Boss!" Crumplezone transformed into his three-wheeled vehicle mode, his bazookas still flipped forward as he drove straight toward Botanica and the two Velocitronians.

Kimia's resident botanist was left reeling at the sight of him plowing toward them. "Oh no… sir, how is the child?" she asked Wildbrake in concern.

The elderly bot winced and shook his head. "Eh, he's awake, but still in a daze. We won't be able to move him fast enough!"

"Don't matter, old man!" Crumplezone shouted as his bazookas began charging with energy. "I'M JUST GETTIN' WARMED UP! HAH!" *KACHOOM* Another twin beam attack was launched their way, and while the forcefield was able to take it… that was the only hit it would withstand before being broken through.

Apelinq was understandably flabbergasted. "W-What?! It should've taken more than that—AGH!" Dirt Boss took the opportunity to sucker punch the Maximal in the gut, followed up by a kick straight to the head.

"HEY! Your fight's with me, monkey!"

…And that did it. Apelinq's eyes snapped open and they glowed bright red, surging with energy. "I'm NOT a MONKEY! GRAAUUGHH!" Transforming on the spot, he entered his ape mode with a mighty roar and reached his hand around Dirt Boss' neck, taking him aback. "I'M A SCIENTIST!" Spinning around, Apelinq threw Dirt Boss across the field and managed to hit Ransack with him, the two Velocitronians landing in a heap. "TAP-OUT! HELP THEM!"

The green Mini-Bot snapped his head up and immediately transformed, seeing Crumplezone about to run Botanica and the others over. "I'm on it!" Unfortunately, as he tried to drive faster, he found that his tires weren't suited for the sand, and it was slowing him down. "Gah! C'mon, c'mon, I gotta—huh?"

*SHYOOM*

Just then, something went rushing past Tap-Out and made a beeline toward the action, chasing after Crumplezone. Whatever it was, it was fast and left a glowing blue trail behind it, and it was closing in fast. "Once I'm done with you little scraps, there won't be enough left of ya to make a TOASTER! BAHAHAHA—" *CRASH* "UGH!"

Before he knew it, Crumplezone was left upside down, his tires spinning uselessly as he rocked back and forth trying to get up. It was then that the blue blur stopped, revealing itself to be a bot with his arms outstretched protectively toward Botanica's group. "Okay, wanting to beat up kids, femmes AND the elderly?" the mech said, his voice crisp and youthful. "You really have reached a new low, Crumplezone."

Crumplezone transformed, still on his back, and snapped up in astonishment. He wasn't expecting HIM to be out here. "Y-You?!"

"Ah, man!" Ransack transformed as well. "We're in trouble now!" But, in his seated position, he couldn't help but noticed something lumpy underneath him. He craned his head back… and was met with Dirt Boss' snarling visage. "…Oh, hi!"

"GET OFFA ME!" Dirt Boss unceremoniously kicked the smaller bot and stood up, glaring at the new arrival. "And as for YOU…"

If there was one word that the team could use to describe this new arrival, it would be… aerodynamic. He had a very sleek, very lithe body build and his cool blue color scheme only added to that feel. There were even vents built into his upper arms to help with airflow, and he had curved pieces on his shoulders that covered the thrusters for what must've been his vehicle mode. The canopy of his alt. mode was situated on his chest, and there were a pair of arrow-shaped pieces sticking out of his elbows, each with a flat, black "wheel" in them.

While most of his body was painted light blue, his lower arms, lower legs and the sides of his chest were a navy color, making for a good contrast. Also, his shins, pelvis, heels and chest plate were painted white, as was the wedge-shaped front end of his vehicle mode, which was on his back. Finally, his head solidified his aerodynamic appearance with a wing-shaped helm and a forward-jutting forehead, with what appeared to be a single fin-like piece sticking out the top.

Screeching to a halt and transforming into his robot mode, Tap-Out couldn't believe what he was seeing, his lips curling into a smile. "…No slaggin' way."

"I'm sorry, what was that, Dirt Boss?" the blue bot raised a hand to his head, egging the purple bot on. "I couldn't hear ya over the amount of SCRAP comin' outta your mouth!"

"GRAAAAHH!" Dirt Boss shot off his blasters at the bot… only for him to disappear in another blue blur. But he didn't completely vanish, as his trail could be seen rushing straight toward Dirt Boss without stopping. Quickly growing more and more agitated, Dirt Boss tried firing at him multiple times, only to miss every single one. "GAH! Hold still, you pain in the aft—AH!"

The thug gasped as the blue bot appeared right by his side, leaning against his shoulder. "I know you are, but what am I?" Dirt Boss went for a punch, but the bot flipped away, coming back with a series of quick kicks to his opponent's chest. One final kick to the jaw sent Dirt Boss flying across the way, clattering to the dirt with a hard groan.

"HEY!" Crumplezone stood up, aiming his bazookas at the newcomer. "Step off, ya mook—huh?" Unfortunately, Crumplezone was met with nothing as his weapons powered down and returned to his back, much to his chagrin. "Aw, no, no! Not now!"

"Ooh, Cyber Key's run outta juice." the fast bot smirked, rubbing his hands together. "Which means this is gonna be a fair fight!"

"Grr… I'll show you!" Raising his arms, Crumplezone aimed a pair of small, wrist-mounted blasters at the bot, firing at him as fast as he could.

…That went about as well as could expected. "Nope! Nuh-uh! Sorry!" the bot mocked as each shot missed. "You got NOTHIN'!" Peeking one optic open after a particularly theatric dodge, the quick-witted bot produced a rifle from his back and started peppering shots into Crumplezone, his trigger finger moving at least ten times per second. Before long, Crumplezone was riddled with holes and scorch marks, left on wobbly feet only to fall over a second later.

Ransack, meanwhile, was trembling in place. His Cyber Key Power had been used up and he had to wait for it to recharge… meaning he was defenseless as the blue bot approached. "N-N-Now hold on there, bud, w-we could cut a deal!"

"Hah, sure! Here's the deal;" the blue bot spun his rifle in his hand as quick as a flash before aiming it back toward Crumplezone and Dirt Boss. "You three are gonna get the frag outta here before I call the authorities. Consider this little beat down a warning for you to NEVER come back to this sector again." He lowered himself down so he was staring at Ransack, optic-to-optic. "That sound like a good deal?"

"E-Er, y-yeah, sure! HAHA! W-We'll be outta 'ere in a jiff, no need to tell us twice!" Quickly transforming into his motorcycle mode, Ransack did his best to rally his cohorts into transforming as well. And while he and Dirt Boss were able to roll away well enough, Crumplezone had a visible sputter to his driving path, as if he was limping away on his wheels.

With another quick spin of his weapon, the blue bot holstered it into the storage compartment on his back, only to hear an uproarious cheer from behind. "WOO-HOO! Frag yeah, boy!" The sound of metal hands clapping together brought the bot's attention to Tap Out, who approached him wearing a big grin. "Hahaha! Even after all these stellar cycles, ya haven't lost a single step, my friend!"

The blue bot had to blink a couple times, making sure that he wasn't seeing things. "…Ha! No way! Tap-Out?!" he zipped over and leaned down, darting around the smaller green bot. "Is that really you?!"

"The one an' only, my friend!" Tap Out raised a fist. "Been a long time!"

"HAHA! No kidding! I haven't seen you since the Space Bridges closed between worlds! How're you even here?"

"Eh, I got a new gig on an Autobot science colony." Tap-Out jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward his companions. "Me an' my pals over there are here tryin' to find parts to repair one of its engines. Er, c'mon, you've gotta meet 'em." Apelinq and Botanica glanced to one another in surprise as Tap-Out presented the blue bot to them, giving the mech a pat on the chest. "Guys, allow me to introduce—"

But the blue bot raised a finger and winked down to Tap-Out. "Ah, hold on a sec there, bud, I've got this." He placed his hands on his hips and held his head up high. "So! You two are part of this science colony, eh? I'm guessin' you do a lot of studying up there?"

Apelinq went to respond. "Um, yes, we—"

"Well, you're in LUCK!" the blue bot spun around, thrusting his arms out to his sides. "Because this guy's one HECK of a specimen! His speed is unmatched, his charming good looks are unprecedented, and his charisma is… er, something else that's very "un"! Allow me to introduce myself! I am…" After rushing around them in a zig-zag pattern, the bot slid to a crouching stop and declared his name; "BLURR! The fasted bot on Velocitron!"

Both Botanica and Apelinq couldn't help but stare incredulously, Blurr's over-the-top introduction leaving them baffled. "…Um, that is good and all…" Botanica broke the silence, pointing down to Clocker. "But if you have not noticed, we have a very injured young one here."

"Oh, scrap, you're right." Blurr immediately bolted up next to her and crouched next to Clocker, rapidly patting his cheek to try and wake him up. "Hey! Clocker! Hey!" Eventually, Clocker let out a groan and his optics flickered open, to which Blurr sent him a salute. "Haha! Thought we lost ya here, bud!"

All at once, Clocker's expression brightened up and he hopped to his feet excitedly. "B-Blurr! You're here!"

"Well, of course! I'm pretty much everywhere on this planet when I need to be." Blurr craned his head down toward Wildbrake, giving him a nod. "And how 'bout you, old man? Any broken parts or anything?"

Wildbrake chuckled and shook his head. "Hehe, no, no, I'm about as good as can be, Blurr. Though I gotta say, for a bot who's so fast, you're always fashionably late."

A sheepish grin worked its way to Blurr's face, rubbing his neck anxiously. "Ah, hehe… w-well, I was in the middle of something. Sorry…"

"Lemme guess, training to try and beat Override again, eh?" Wildbrake winked, which earned a groan and a roll of the optics from Blurr. "Hehe, thought so. You might be the fastest bot on two feet on Velocitron, Blurr, but when it comes to burnin' rubber, ya ain't got much to roll on."

"Oh, gee, maybe it's because I'm a HOVER car?"

"Could be." Wildbrake grinned cheekily. "But that never stopped anyone else before." *beep-beep* The sound of a horn garnered the group's attention back toward the road, where they spotted a group of approaching vehicles making their way toward them. "Ah, an' wouldn't ya know it? Here comes the lady's entourage now."

Blurr's head snapped around, his optics wide in concern. "Aw crud, seriously?! They followed me?"

Approaching the group were a trio of vehicles; a teal and miny green space coupe, a crimson red roadster, and a big, navy blue armored truck, the former two taking the lead by a mile ahead of the slower one. The first to transform, though, was the coupe, the bubble-shaped dome over its cockpit retracting to do so.

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt*From there, the car changed into a female bot who was about a head shorter than Blurr, her wheels nestled inside of her shins and behind her shoulders. The front of her alt. mode became her chest and her door panels folded onto her forearms as armor. What's more, some lavender detailing was revealed, namely in her legs, midsection, arms and facial features. Her helm was rounded and, like Blurr, she had a pair of wings molded on either side, though hers were much smaller. Also, she had a small yellow light in the center of her forehead. Her blue optics narrowed at the blue bot as she stormed over to him. "Blurr, what did you do NOW?!"

"U-Uh, hey! Moonracer!" Blurr greeted, smiling in the presence of imminent danger. "Long time no see, I—"

"We saw each other literally yesterday, Blurr." Moonracer reached up and grabbed his collar piece, tanking him down to her level so she could glare straight into his optics. "Now… what happened?" she demanded through gritted teeth.

"Um… I saved an old man, a kid and their friends?"

Moonracer blinked at that and peered past her friend, seeing Wildbrake, Clocker and the Autobots all waving nervously behind him. "…Oh!" With a surprisingly powerful shove, Moonracer pushed Blurr onto his aft and put on a cheery smile. "Well, in that case, everything's fine then!"

Blurr groaned and raised a single finger. "Ugh, thank you!"

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* The red vehicle transformed next, taking the form of a very curvy bot. The front end formed a pair of extravagant shoulder pads while the rear formed the legs, the door panels finding a home on the bot's arms. The bot's body itself was also quite curvy and, in some areas, kind of sharp, especially the fingernails and the tips of the feet. One might mistake the bot for a femme at first glance… but their face would say otherwise. He was assuredly a male bot, as indicated by the black, metal goatee on his chin, which contrasted against his snow-white features. His head was donned with a curved, red helmet with a long, pointed crest in the center of his forehead, his red optics almost blending into it.

The mech put a finger to his chin, regarding the Autobot arrivals with great interest. "Oh, my my… not every day we see some new bots on Velocitron." He said in a raspy yet flamboyant tone. "Especially not with such a diverse background." He pointed to Apelinq in particular. "You there! You wouldn't happen to be a Maximal, would you?"

Apelinq gulped hesitantly, but answered nonetheless. "E-Er, yes, I am."

"Ha! Splendid!" The red bot craned his head down to the large, navy truck that pulled up next to him, placing a hand on his hip. "Breakneck, this is sure to interest Override, I'm positive."

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Finally, the truck transformed into his robot mode, and there was no mistaking HIM for anything other than a mech. He stood head and shoulders above everyone else there, his large, blocky form contrasting against his compatriot's curves. The tires of his vehicle mode had settled in his shoulders and in his calves, with his front end splitting his half to form the shoulders. Popping up from his broad, square chest was a silver-helmed head with blue detailing along his forehead ridge, his yellow optics complementing his orangey-red facial features.

Breakneck placed a hand on the red one's shoulder. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now, Knock Out." he spoke with a gravelly voice. "These people are still complete strangers. Better to ask 'em why they're here first before takin' 'em to the boss lady."

Knock Out rolled his optics, his smile disappearing in slight frustration. "Oh, very well." And, without missing a beat, he strode up to the Autobots while exuding so much confidence that it took them all aback. "GREETINGS, newcomers! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Knock Out…" He gestured up to his partner. "My distinguished life-partner, Breakneck." …and then over to the green femme. "And our charge, Moonracer. Tell me, what brings you here to our humble planet, Velocitron?"

Despite the strong greeting, though, Botanica didn't miss a step. "Gentlemen, allow me to handle this." She met Knock Out halfway, clearing her throat. "Ahem, well good sir, we are Autobots who have been sent here to—"

"A-AUTOBOTS?!" It was only then that Knock Out noticed the red sigils on their chests… and almost immediately, his smile once again disappeared, replaced with a snarl. "You TRAITORS!" He lifted his hands and they retracted into his arms, replaced with a circular saw on one arm and a large, deadly drill on the other. "BREAKNECK! Back me up!"

The larger bot narrowed his yellow optics as a gun emplacement shifted up on the right side of his head, followed by him bringing out a MASSIVE hammer from his arm. He skulked over and glowered down to the Autobots in disdain. "You've picked the WRONG planet to land on, you little scraps!"

"W-Woah! WOAH!" Moonracer cried out as she rushed up between the two parties, facing the armed duo. "Guys, guys! Settle down, please! What's going on here?!"

"…What's going on?" Knock Out's features wrinkled as he scowl deepened. "What is going ON?! Moonracer, these Autobots are the ones responsible for our entrapment on this planet in the first place!"

His answer took everyone by surprise, most of all Moonracer herself. "W-What?! Is that true?!"

"NO!" Tap-Out denied… only to wince while reconsidering his answer. "Er, well… kind of? B-But we weren't directly responsible!"

Blurr quickly stepped in and backed his friend up. "Yeah! Don't hate on these guys just because Optimus Prime shut down the SpaceBridge network!"

"Kid, the natives of this planet have been TRAPPED here, without significant resource flow, for over 70 MILLION stellar cycles!" Breakneck growled, his shoulder cannon charging up as he placed a hand on Knock Out's shoulder. "And THEIR war was the reason for it all! Optimus Prime was so focused on what he COULD do to "help" the other colonies that he didn't take a nanosecond to think if he SHOULD do it."

"Yeah, well, I dunno about you, but I'd take my freedom from Decepticons ANY day." Blurr stood firm on his hill.

Knock Out snapped and stomped in frustration. "GAH! It's thanks to ignorant bots like you that our Titan is being run dry of his resources! And why bots like Dirt Boss are starting protection rackets of all things!" He thrust his drill over toward the roads. "It's the reason why we use every ounce of material he creates to keep these roads in top shape and not much else!" He lowered his head in dismay. "Our energon mines will soon run dry, though… and without more to replenish ourselves, we're finished!" All of a sudden, Knock Out lunged forward, intent on drilling a hole in Botanica's midsection. "AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAU—"

"STOP THIS, NOW!"

The red bot stopped himself short as yet another new voice entered the scene, bringing everyone's sights across the desert sands. There, speeding toward them at terminal velocity, was a red, white and black Cybertronian race car, with gold rims for its clear, red tires. It was very curved and smooth toward the front, especially with the clear red canopy that housed its cockpit. Its blue headlights shined upon all of them as it drew closer, and just as it was about to come to a stop…

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt*

The bot transformed, leaping through the air as it did before it skid to a halt across the sand. Once the dust settled, it was revealed to be a tall fembot, standing head and shoulders above Blurr, but only just slightly making it up to Breakneck's chest. The back of her vehicle mode had moved onto her back as her canopy shifted up to form her chest, her rear wheels spinning inward to bring out her arms. Her shoulders and forearms were mostly black with gold detailing, and her entire front half split to form her legs, her headlight parts flipping out to form her feet.

Finally, her helm was very unique, with a large head crest in the center with blue venting inside of it. She had a pair of red fins on either side of the crest and her face was completely gold painted, her blue optics burning a hole into Knock Out accusingly. "WHAT is going on here?" she said in a firm, commanding voice, placing a hand on her hip expectantly.

His expression falling in fear, Knock Out pulled his weapons back as quickly as he could, trying to cover himself. "O-Override! Funny seeing you out here! Th-These aren't your normal racing grounds, hehe…"

The femme, Override, raised an eyeridge at the bot. "I think you'll find, doctor, that I can go anywhere I want. This is MY planet to lead, after all."

"O-Of course it is! Silly me!" Knock Out waved his hand with a cheeky smile. "So, um… what does bring you out here, then?"

"I WAS trying to follow a lead on all of these shake-ups going on." Override answered, craning her head away from her resident medic toward where the trio of troublemakers had fled. "And judging by the fact that Ransack, Crumplezone and Dirt Boss all drove off that way like they were spooked by something, I get the feeling that they were just taught a lesson."

It was then that Clocker piped up, eager to explain things to his planet's leader. "Oh! M-Miss Override, that'd be their doing!" the little orange and blue bot gestured toward Blurr and the Autobots with a bright smile. "These guys protected me and Wildbrake from those three! Isn't that right, teacher?"

"Hehe, yessir!" Wildbrake chortled, placing his hands behind his back as he hobbled up to the femme. "Miss Override, we've got a buncha genuine heroes on our planet."

"Do we, now?" Velocitron's leader eyed the Autobot trio, regarding them with curiosity only to then shift her attention to her self-proclaimed "rival". "First off, Blurr… why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"Ah, well, you know me, Override." Blurr began running in place so fast that he left a hole in the ground at his feet. "I'm running around this planet so fast that I might as well be everywhere! And that's no exaggeration becauseI'mpracticallyupsidedowninsideoutandallaround—" *SMACK* "OW!"

Override withdrew her hand, chastising the speedster. "Blurr, you're fast-talking again. What've we said about that?"

Blurr frowned and hung his head. "Ugh, sorry. I guess I got nervous again…"

"Hm. Well, in any case, good job." Her focus went back to the newcomers, greeting them with a smile. "And the same goes for you, too! Sorry you had to deal with Dirt Boss and the gruesome twosome. They and their group aren't exactly the most well-respected bots on Velocitron, if you catch my drift." But then, she noticed Tap-Out and her optics widened a little. "Wait a nanoclick… I recognize you."

Tap-Out was taken aback, pointing to himself in shock. "Y-You recognize me, ma'am?"

"Yeah! You came in fifth in our 400th annual Piston Cup!" She leaned forward slightly to look him in the optics. "You're… Tap-Out, right? Good to see you again." However, she also noticed that he wore the Autobot sigil, which made her wince a little. "Ooh… but you all are pretty brave wearing those insignias around here…" She peered past her shoulder, giving Knock Out a nasty glare. "In case SOMEONE hadn't already made it clear, neither Autobots or Decepticons are really popular around here."

"Hm, we have noticed, yes." Botanica bowed her head. "We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused, Miss Override."

But the red and white femme simply brushed it off. "Ah, no need for apologies. If anything, we should apologize to you…" She grit her metallic teeth at Knock Out threateningly. "Isn't that right?" she seethed.

Absolutely frightened, Knock Out sucked up his pride and gave a meek; "…Sorry." to the Autobots.

Thankfully, Breakneck was more genuine in his regret. "Yes, we're very sorry. It's just that… things haven't been easy on Velocitron for the past 70 Million stellar cycles, and…" He placed a comforting hand on Knock Out's shoulder. "We're all under incredible stress because of it."

"That's understandable." Apelinq nodded. "And believe me, we know that Prime's decision to cut off the SpaceBridge network wasn't popular with a LOT of people. I—AH!"

But a gasp escaped the ape bot's throat as Moonracer suddenly popped up in front of him, wearing a bright, happy smile. "Ooh! OOH! You mentioned that you're a Maximal, right? That means you transform into some kinda BEAST?!"

Apelinq coughed into his hand, but answered nonetheless. "E-Erm, yes! Yes, I do. I transform into a cybernetic gorilla."

A happy squeal passed Moonracer's lips as she danced in excitement. "EEEEEE! That is so cool! Can I see?! Can I? CAN I?!"

"U-Um… certainly! Beast Mode!" *Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Within seconds, Apelinq had entered his ape mode, still larger than Moonracer, but with a more hunched stance.

And seeing that only made her dance in place even more. "HAHAHA! So cool!"

Apelinq and the other Autobots were somewhat confused at her behavior until Breakneck explained; "Hah… yeah, our girl is on the younger side. She hasn't really experienced the war or anything. In fact, she was created long AFTER the SpaceBridge network was cut off…" He rubbed Knock Out's shoulder comfortingly. "We took her in and raised her, but she's been eager to see and experience new things outside of Velocitron for a long time now."

"AH! Wait!" Moonracer gasped in realization. "This could be my big chance!" She zipped over to Blurr and stared shaking him by the shoulders. "OUR big chance, Blurr! We can finally MAKE something of ourselves!"

"WOAOAH! Hold on there!" Blurr took hold of Moonracer by her hands, ceasing her incessant shaking. "What the heck do you mean by that, Moon?"

"Whaddya mean, "what do I mean"? I'm saying that we should help them help us!"

Blurr, Knock Out and Breakneck all tilted their heads in confusion. "Uh… sweetheart, I don't think I follow." Knock Out voiced.

"Don't you see? These guys showed up at the right moment!" Moonracer spun on her heel and saluted her planet's leader. "Miss Override, ma'am! I think we should ask these bots to help us in finding out what exactly is going on with all these shake-ups. Maybe we can finally get to the bottom of it!"

Override pursed her lips in thought. "Hmm… well, I dunno, Moony. It's a nice idea, but we can't possibly have our guests—"

"Er, actually…" Tap-Out piped up. "I kinda already got the ball rollin' on that one." With everyone's attention now squarely on him, the Autobot brawler took out a small device from his hip; a silver remote that had a large, beeping red light in the center. And above it was a glowing radar screen with a blip moving up. "During my scuffle with Ransack, I slapped a tracking device on him while he wasn't lookin'. And it looks like he's movin' north as we speak."

A collective "WHAT?!" reverberated through the audience before Knock Out stormed forward and pointed accusingly at him. "And why did you wait until NOW to say something about it, Autobot?!"

Tap-Out glanced around and gave a shrug. "Because nobody asked. Also, you attacked my friend unprovoked." He narrowed his optics at Knock Out. "Consider yourself on my Scrap List right now, sir."

"BAH! Well, I never!" Knock Out folded his arms and turned his nose up at the small Autobot. "Well, if that's the case, then we don't NEED your—"

"Yes. We do." Override overruled.

Knock Out's jaw dropped in disbelief. "W-What?! B-But Override, ma'am, I—"

"Your bias against Autobot and Decepticon alike isn't needed in this situation, Knock Out." the commanding femme admonished with a dismissive swipe of the hand. "Teamwork IS. Sure, am I a bit sour that the SpaceBridge network was cut off? Yes, I am. But I'm not going to go around blaming EVERY Autobot and Decepticon I see." She set her optics back to the Autobot trio. "Tell me, is Optimus Prime still alive?"

Botanica bowed her head to Override. "Yes. It was just recently confirmed. He is part of the reason why we're here in the first place, actually."

"Our space colony, the Kimia, was headed to his location; a planet called "Earth"." Apelinq elaborated further. "But we've been dealing with a dangerous, predatory creature that's gunked up our engines and now we need parts to repair it. That's what we've been hoping to find when we landed here."

Override nodded in understanding. "I see. Well then, this situation is pretty serendipitous." She pointed up north. "If that's the direction those three are headed in, then that's where we'll probably find where their gang's been hoarding all of the engine parts."

"So these guys have a monopoly on 'em?" Tap-Out guessed.

"More like stealing them for themselves!" Clocker tightened his fists angrily. "And the things is, we don't know why! Sure, this gang is made up of a lotta troublemakers, but they've never all come together like this before."

Override placed a hand on Clocker's shoulder reassuringly. "Which is why I wanna get to the bottom of it. So with that said…" She raised an eyeridge toward the Autobots. "You all in?"

Apelinq, Botanica and Tap-Out all looked to one another to confirm, but their unanimous smiles were all the answer any of them needed. "Of course, we will help you, Override." Botanica affirmed with another bow of the head. "It would be our pleasure, in hopes that we can both bring peace to your planet…" Her gaze trailed back toward Knock Out, who simply huffed and turned away again. "…And perhaps ease the friction with some of our harsher critics."

"We appreciate the help." Breakneck lowered his head as well. "And again, sorry for resorting to violence first…" He gazed up to his life partner and nudged him with his elbow. "Right, Endura?"

Knock Out sighed and gave in. "Oh, fine, very well. I suppose if this MUST be done, then I will keep an open mind." Still, he kept a sharp optic on the Autobots. "But be warned; it is hard to earn my trust, Autobots."

"And we'll work hard to do so." Apelinq put a fist to his chest. "Count on it. That said, if we're confronting the enemy head on, it'd be prudent to have some… additional hands on the scene." He reached up to his head and activated his commlink. "Apelinq to TAI. Can you patch me through to the Kimia? I'd like to speak with Railspike…"

…..

Back on the ship in question, Brainstorm was… baffled, to say the least. He had expected many things to come about from the Protectobots' plan to capture the Blark-Barg, but in reality, it was actually something so simple that even HE couldn't believe it. "…Gentlemen, I mean this with the utmost respect, but…" He thrust his hand up toward what appeared to be a giant, spider web-like net that had been strung up between two walls in a wide, open corridor. "What the FRAG is this?"

"…It's a net." Blades replied irritably. "What's it look like?"

"It LOOKS like you put absolutely zero thought or creativity into this whatsoever."

Streetwise, who was busy setting the trap up, peeked his head out from the corner and rebutted; "To be fair, sir, we are not scientists. We are law enforcement and security detail."

Groove backed him up from the opposite side. "Yeah, we're paid to keep the people safe, not be all scientifical."

The Kimia's Headmaster sighed and facepalmed, already feeling exacerbated by the sheer lack of forethought on display. "Listen, guys, I respect simplicity as much as any other bot, but perhaps resorting to the literal OLDEST trick in the book isn't really appropriate for this situation."

"Oh, don't you worry, Brainstorm, sir!" Rook assured with a smile. "I can promise you that this net is no ordinary net! It's been specially designed to ensnare and secure anything that gets caught in it."

"Correct!" First Aid reached out and tugged on one of the strings with two fingers, showing just how strong it was, as well as the fact that it seemed to get tighter with every pull. "This net is FAR more than meets the eye. The material its made out of actually sticks to and confines whatever falls into it, and the more it struggles, the more the net constricts around them. Rook, the spray?"

"Gotcha covered." The guardsman pulled out a spray can from his chest storage and sprayed his comrade's fingers, which allowed him to pull them off the net. "The only way the "Blark-Barg" is gonna be getting out of this trap is with THIS spray."

"Ah… I see!" Brainstorm nodded, giving the duo a nudge to their shoulders. "Well, I gotta say, I very much misjudged your planning. Well done!" Out the corner of his optic, Brainstorm saw the Protectobot leader approaching, to which he gave a nod. "Hot Spot, is everything ready?"

Hot Spot saluted, though he was still visibly hesitant. "It will be very soon, Brain. All that's left is to lure the alien here." He lowered his arm and huffed. "So… there's not much I can do to change your mind, is there?"

Brainstorm shook his head. "Hot Spot, you've been on this vessel long enough to know how hard that is."

"Hah, yeah, just thought I'd try."

*Beep-beep-beep*

The lead scientist was caught off guard when his commlink started beeping, leading him to step away from Hot Spot for a moment. "Oh, excuse me, I've gotta take this…" He lifted his arm and brought up his built-in holoscreen, which projected a visual of his caller. "Railspike, talk to me. What's going on?"

"Brainstorm, sir, we've just received a progress report from Apelinq." The leader of Team Bullet Train answered.

That made Brainstorm brighten up. "Ah, good! I'm assuming some good things are happening?"

"Well, there IS some good news. As it turns out, the planet that we sent them to was actually Velocitron!"

Railspike's words managed to catch everybody's attention, the Protectobots all gathering together in excitement. "Woah, no way!" Groove beamed happily. "The Speed Planet?!"

First Aid let out a breathy laugh, coming to grips with the revelation. "Hah… I-I can't believe that we just happened to stumble across one of the Cybertronian colony planets! This is fantastic news!"

"I agree!" Brainstorm clenched a victorious fist. "That means they MUST have the parts we need to help repair out engines."

However, Railspike coughed into his hand at the mention of the parts, continuing where he left off. "A-Ahem, uh… about that." His tone left every Autobot deflated and concerned as he went on; "It seems that there's a bit of trouble down on the planet itself… namely that a buncha thugs have banded together and are holding a scrap-ton of important parts hostage. Apparently, it's all part of some big "protection racket" going on. Though what these thugs are "protecting" the civilians from is unknown."

Hot Spot's shoulders slumped forward and he let out a groan. "Of course… it can never be easy, can it?"

Brainstorm shook his head. "It never is, unfortunately. …Though the behavior of these thugs IS plenty strange." Despite his inquisitiveness, though, the Headmaster focused on the main task. "So, what've they decided to do? Have they made contact with Override yet?"

"They have, and Tap-Out actually managed to put a tracker on one of those thugs." Rapid Run interjected into the conversation, leaning in on the right side of the screen. "But… they HAVE requested some more back-up."

"It sounds incredibly serious, sir." Midnight Express piped in as well, leaning in from the left. "If we are to repair the ship, then I believe it prudent that we answer Apelinq's request."

"Hm, good point. So, who'd you have in mind to send?" Brainstorm's response was a collection of big, toothy smiles from the trio, to which he grimaced back at all of them. "No."

Almost immediately, his response was met with an echo of disappointment. "AW, C'MON, MAN!" Rapid Run threw his hands up. "Dude, we've been cooped up here for EONS and we've only formed the big guy about FOUR times in the past thousand years! We need to STRETCH!"

Grumbling at the complaint, Brainstorm quickly reminded them; "Aren't you forgetting something important, though? Like, the fact that you three PILOT this vessel?"

"Sir, there's not much to pilot right now if we're just coasting along right now." Railspike pointed out. "And besides, Ironworks and Greaspit can pretty much do our jobs just as well until we get back." He and his teammates all lowered their heads pleadingly. "Please sir, let us go and do what we do best!"

Brainstorm was about to contend against them, but suddenly found his commlink blowing up again, with Proxima entering the conversation on a split screen. "Well, I for one think it's a good idea."

"W-What?! Proxima, whatever happened to being on my side?!" the lead scientist exclaimed.

"Brain, I'm on everyone's side." Proxima deadpanned. "It's my job to keep everyone happy on this vessel, remember? And to do that sometimes involves me making decisions that you're not going to be too hot on." She offered him a soft smile all the same. "Just let the boys go. Let them do their thing and they'll be back with those parts before we know it."

As conflicted as Brainstorm was on the situation… a loud roar from down the corridor caught his and the Protectobot's attention, bringing the latter six all back to their stations. "Oh, Primus, here it comes!" Hot Spot shouted. "Everybody, prepare to subdue the creature! Brain, we need you here!"

"G-Guh… fine!" Brainstorm relented, but pointed at Team Bullet Train sternly. "But I expect results, boys! Don't let me down!"

The trio all saluted as Proxima smiled in victory. "We won't, sir!" Railspike assured. "Thank you very much. Team, get your light rails ready! It's time to roll out!"

And with that, the comm feed was cut… just in time for Brainstorm to feel the floor shaking underneath him. The tremors were intermediate and were synced in time with a series of thuds… that grew louder… and louder. Almost as if something HUGE were closing in on them. "Uh… oh dear." Brainstorm and the Protectobots were left stunned and speechless as a MASSIVE blob of pods in the shape of a humanoid body came stomping around the corner. Its arms and legs were glued together using the same goop that the Blark-Barg excreted, and, sitting on top where the head should've been, was the Blark-Barg itself. It seemed to be controlling the "body" all with its six legs and forceps lodged in the goop, with several veiny extensions having spread out all throughout the pods, within which the Autobots could see civilian bodies in hibernation.

One thing was clear to Brainstorm as the towering behemoth approached. "…Gentlemen?"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir?" First Aid stammered fearfully.

"…We're gonna need a bigger net."

…..

Back on Velocitron, after several hours, the group of Autobots and Velocitronians had finally made it to where the tracer was leading them. It had taken several mega-cycles, to the point where the sun had set… but if anything, that only made it easier for them to see their destination. Because, from their vantage point on a large sand dune, they were overlooking a giant, treaded structure in the middle of nowhere, its high walls supported by four lookout towers, each armed with cannon emplacements. Most interestingly of all, though, was that it was an openair building, meaning that it had no roof. It almost seemed like a giant, moving fortress… which was stationary at the moment as a bright orange glow emitted from its center, along with several plumes of black smoke.

Apelinq, Botanica and Tap-Out were all in awe of the structure's enormous stature, to say the lead. "Woah… what is that?" the Maximal asked.

"That… is a mobile foundry." Override answered, her metal brow furrowed at its stationary status. "These were designed to my specifications for the explicit purpose of handling our cities' garbage and scrap. They'd arrive at a settlement, recycle the junk into fuel, and then leave for another." Her optics narrowed suspiciously. "But why one is out here and NOT moving, I have no idea…"

Peeking past a large rock, Clocker, Wildbrake and Moonracer all peered down at the foundry as well. "Hm… definitely seems suspicious." Clocker remarked, turning toward his mentor. "Wildbrake, how do you think we should proceed?"

"Hehe, well, if it were up to me, we'd all be goin' down there guns a blazin', like the good ol' days." The elderly bot's answer garnered fearful faces from the bots, but thankfully, he passed the judgement off to someone else. "But this IS Override's mission, lad. Best we have her decide what to do."

"Thank you, Wildbrake, sir." Override bowed her head to him, grateful that they wouldn't be going in gung-ho. "As for how we should handle this, though… it's probably best if we go for the stealthy approach before anything else." She pointed out the quartet of gun emplacements. "Namely so we can take out those cannons."

Blurr wasted no time in raising his hand, desperately wanting to be picked for the mission. "Ooh! OOH! Me, me! I can take out those guns in NO time! They won't even know I'm there!"

"Uh… yes, they would." Breakneck deadpanned.

"Young bot, no offense, but while you might be fast, subtlety is NOT your strong suit." Knock Out added.

Blurr instantly deflated in disappointment, but Override reached out and gave him a pat on the back. "I know it's not fair, Blurr, but they DO have a point. We need someone who can be silent for this mission." She craned her head toward the others. "Does anyone here have any cloaking tech on them and is really good at sneaking?"

"Actually, I do." Botanica raised her hand, a smile forming on her features as an idea creeped into her mind. "And far more than that, I have a plan on how we can infiltrate the foundry." Activating her hard light construction powers, Botanica weaved the material in her hands to form a triangular-shaped device that was supported by a tripod. Once she was finished, the device's three prongs began glowing and spinning in her hands, emitting waves of blue energy as she set it down.

"Oooh… what's that?" Moonracer asked, fascinated by the invention.

"This, my dear, is a portable teleportation device." The botanist explained. "It allows bots to be transported from one place to another over short distances. Think of it as a… small, portable GroundBridge unit, only with a more limited range."

This managed to pique Knock Out's interest. "Ah, I see… so if you create another one of these and placed it within the foundry's walls…"

Botanica smiled and tapped the side of her head knowingly. "Then you will be able to teleport inside without issue." Sure enough, not two seconds later, and she made another one, though she tucked this one into her storage unit for safe keeping. "First, however, we must observe whatever it is they are doing inside of those walls, as well as disable the defense systems, of course." *Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Transforming into her drone mode, Botanica took to the skies and said; "Wish me luck.", before disappearing immediately, her VTOL fans only barely audible as she flew off.

"Ho-ho, this plan might just work!" Tap-Out rubbed his hands together intently.

"Let's hope so…" Apelinq raised his arm, activating his holoscreen before typing in a few commands. "Botanica, I'm typing into your camera system so we'll have visual. Copy?"

"Copy. I will do my best to get good footage." Once the camera was properly set up, it wasn't long before Botanica had made it over the foundry walls… and down below was something that none of them could've expected. There, loitering about the place, were several bots all with identical body types, each one sporting a tan, orange and grey color scheme, with some dabbling in yellow. There appeared to be two body-types; a one that seemed to transform into large, spikey trucks, and another that became speedy, spikey motorcycles. All of them had very generic heads as well; brown or orange helmets with red visors and silver faceplates, indicating that they were all cloned drones. "…You all are seeing this, correct?"

"I am…" Override put a hand to her chin curiously. "Why do they seem familiar?"

Apelinq, however, knew exactly what these bots were. "They're… Junkions. But what're they doing here on Velocitron?"

Tap-Out pointed at the screen. "I dunno, but I think we might be about to find out. Look!"

As Botanica drew closer toward the back of the foundry, she came across three Junkions in particular that were standing in front of a kneeling Dirt Boss, Ransack and Crumplezone. Two of these Junkions had the same body types as the generic drones, only they had unique heads to them. The truck bot had a bullet-shaped brown helm with a mohawk in the center, and he had a welded eyepatch over his left optic while sporting a handlebar mustache. Meanwhile, the motorbike bot had a horned, orange helmet, with both horns ignited with flames at their tips. He also stood with a hunch and had a very manic smile about him, his features twitching as he giggled gleefully and his optics darted around erratically.

The third bot, however, was BIG. Much bigger than all of the other Junkions. He was mainly orange with dark brown and tan as his secondary colors, and going by the alt mode parts hanging off of him, the group assumed he must've transformed into a garbage truck of some sort. He also had a massive claw for one hand and his helm was thick and orange, with a huge chin and a spiked mohawk in the center of his head. His red visor made it appear as if he were in a permanent scowl as well.

"…Oh yeah, these guys just SCREAM trouble." Tap-Out remarked.

"Hehe… hehehehehe!" The bike Junkion cackled madly, leaving the bots feeling incredibly offput. "So, l-lemme get this straight, mate." he stammered in a Nebulan accent as he stumbled toward the Velocitronian trio. "You three WEREN'T able to do your job… because a buncha random bots beat the scrap outta ya?"

Dirt Boss raised his head, though he was visibly reluctant to answer. "That is… exactly what we said, yes."

The truck bot scoffed and jutted his chin out at the group. "Bah! Fraggin' disgraceful!" he shouted, also in a thick, Nebulan accent. "Ain't ya s'posed to be some a' the toughest bots on Velocitron?! We didn't hire ya to be a buncha failures!"

"W-We're sorry, Mr. Scraphook, sir!" Crumplezone apologized while he and Ransack bowed their heads profusely.

"Y-Yeah, we woulda stayed to fight, but Override's cronies were on the way an—"

"OVERRIDE?!" the truck bot, Scraphook shouted, cutting Ransack off… with a good kick to the gut. "Override ain't SCRAP compared to us!" he snapped as Crumplezone went to check on his buddy. "Ain't that right, Crashbar?!"

"Hehehe, you're on the money, Scrappy! HAHAHA!" The hunched cycle bot, Crashbar, craned his head up toward the garbage truck bot, his manic grin unrelenting. "Oooh, the Queen's not gonna like this one bit, is she, Trashmaster?"

Trashmaster let out a low, wheezing laugh, all while smoke billowed from his mouth. "Huhuhuh, no kiddin'." He was the only one without a Nebulan accent as well, his deep voice rumbling as he spoke. "Once she gets back, you're all in for… oh, wait, here she comes…"

From the inner workings of the foundry came a new arrival on the scene; a large, navy blue, purple and silver muscle car with twin boosters on the back and an exposed engine block, just as spikey and heavily built as the rest of the Junkions. The bot transformed, revealing herself to be similarly built to Scraphook, but with a more feminine build, though she was still covered in heavy armor like the others. The main difference was in her black helm, which was rounded and had steel plating in the forehead, while her sand-blue facial features and magenta visor popping out against her helmet.

However, the Autobots took one important note of this femme, something that left them ALL astonished. …She had a Decepticon symbol on her chest. "AH! A-Are you seein' this?!" Tap-Out exclaimed.

"I see it… but I don't believe it." Apelinq muttered.

"W-What?" Moonracer and Blurr leaned forward curiously. "What's going on?"

"Something that's made this situation a WHOLE lot more difficult." the Maximal replied before relaying a message to their spy. "Botanica, time to disable those guns and bring us in. This operation has officially entered code red."

…..

Inside the foundry, as Botanica underwent the operation, the blue and purple Junkion approached the troublesome trio with a sneer on her lips. "OI! What's all this, then?!" she shouted, once again in a Nebulan accent. Her voice was probably the loudest of them all. "We just sittin' about with our thumbs up our afts are we?! There's WORK to do, ya bloody knobbers!"

"AAAH!" Crumplezone and Ransack lowered themselves to her in fear and respect. "W-We're sorry, Queen Axlegrease! Please forgive us!" they echoed.

The queen, Axlegrease, scoffed at their pathetic display. "Quit yer whinin'! This place ain't a home for little glitches!" She set her sights upon Dirt Boss, her features softening a bit. "An' Dirt Boss… I honestly had higher hopes for you. But after hearin' all a' THAT, I might be startin' to reconsider." she shook her head disappointedly.

"High hopes? For what?" Dirt Boss stood up and stormed over to her, pointing a finger at her. "Because if you were expectin' me to join your little group of misfits, you can forget about it, lady! I ain't about this teamwork scrap anyways." He turned his back to Axlegrease and went to leave. "I'm better off alo—AUGH!"

But he didn't even get the chance to walk out before something latched into his shoulder and yanked him back. Axlegrease caught him with one hand, spun him around, and glared straight into his optics. "You DARE to turn your back on the QUEEN?! You coulda had a sweet deal goin' on, Dirt Boss! All the riches the galaxy has to offer! A planet of your own to RULE over! You coulda been a REAL boss!"

Her argument didn't exactly endear the monster truck bot to the idea, though. "Pfft, please. Just because you call yourself "The Junkion Queen" doesn't mean you actually are." He nudged his head over to her three actual followers. "The four of you are just a buncha misfits who left the Junk Planet 'cause ya didn't like the way Wreck-Gar ran things—oof!" Dirt Boss suddenly found himself on the floor, with Axlegrease stomping down on his gut.

"SCREW Wreck-Gar!" the femme roared in fury. "That idiot has NO idea how to actually BE a leader! He's a ridiculous fool!" She sneered and kicked Dirt Boss onto his chest, hoisting her hook weapon over her shoulder. "I'm willin' to give ya another chance, though, Dirty. If Crasher, Heatseeker an' Skidmark can earn their keep, then so can you three." She whirled around and slung her hook weapon toward Crumplezone and Ransack, who recoiled as it whipped at them. "AN' THAT GOES FOR YOU KNUCKLEDRAGGERS! Shape up or ship out!"

The gruesome twosome immediately went to Dirt Boss' side to help him up, only for the purple bot to shove them away. "Get offa me, you idiots! Gah, how're you even sure that this plan of yours will work, oh illustrious "Queen"?"

It was Crashbar who answered for him. "Oh, that's REAL easy!" He opened his chest and several small, red balls with fuses sticking out of them fell out, rolling across the floor as he cackled with glee. "HeheheheHAHAHA! BOMBS! Lots an' LOTS a' bombs!"

Trashmaster, Scraphook and even Axlegrease, however, weren't too impressed. "…Crash, do you ever thing about something OTHER than bombs?" Scraphook asked.

"Of course I do! After all, there's TWO things that solve every problem;" Crashbar winked knowingly. "Money… and explosives!"

"Yeah, sure." Axlegrease rolled her optics, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "But let's take things one step at a…" *THUNK* "AUGH! What the—" Recoiling after the unexpected impact, Axlegrease whipped her head around to see what fell on her… and it wasn't long until she saw it. It was some weird, triangular-shaped device that propped itself up on a tripod as it settled on the ground, spinning rapidly in place as if it were charging up.

"…What's that?" Trashmaster questioned.

"How should I know—AH!" Without any warning, the device flashed a bright light throughout the foundry, blinding every bot there. When their vision finally cleared, though, they were met with a shocking sight. "W-What?!"

Standing in the center of the room were ten bots, many of whom had weapons drawn or were preparing to throw hands if need be. "Alright, who ordered the can of whup-aft?!" Moonracer reached behind her back… and pulled out a fairly big hammer with a rocket built into the back of the head, all while sporting a big, toothy grin. "Because I've been ITCHIN' for a good scrap!"

"…Is your friend okay?" Apelinq whispered to Blurr concernedly.

"Eh, yeah, she's just enthusiastic." the speedster replied before unholstering his own rifle and aiming it at the Junkions. "Besides, I'm ready to throw down myself!"

"OH SCRAP, THEY'RE BACK!" Ransack and Crumplezone screamed in unison, hiding behind Dirt Boss again.

Axlegrease, however, was more angry than intimidated. "An' who the bleedin' slag 're you sods?!"

Stepping forward, Override raised her chin, confidently stating; "I am Override, leader of Velocitron." She thrust her finger up at the Junkion leader. "And I want to know exactly why you've been forcing our natives into your employment and having them shake down other innocent Velocitronians, Decepticon!"

However, hearing that word left Axlegrease… confused. "Decepti-what now?"

"Uh, DECEPTICON!" Tap-Out indicated the symbol on her chest. "That sigil you're wearin'? It means you're a Decepticon! Now start talkin'!"

"Wait, this thing?" Axlegrease tapped the icon on her chest. "I just saw a random bot in space wearin' it and thought it looked cool." She gestured to herself up and down her body. "Even changed me whole color scheme to match it. I ain't got no clue what you're goin' on about." Hearing that, the Autobots all fell forward, making Axlegrease roll her optics. "Oh, whatever! Point is, you're tresspassin', so I'm gonna exercise my right to BLOW YOU ALL TO PIECES! Gunners! Aim an' FIRE!" At her command, all of the gun emplacements focused on the group of intruders… but none of them fired. "…Why ain't they blastin'? WHY AIN'T THEY BLASTIN'?!"

Botanica wore a proud grin and placed a hand upon her chest. "Oh, that would be my doing. I disabled all of your weapon systems before we came in… which was also thanks to my teleporter." She picked up the device and made it dissipate into light, only to then create a floating turret that aimed at Axlegrease. "I believe the term is… checkmate."

If anything, though, this only seemed to amuse Axlegrease, the Queen throwing her head back with a loud; "HA! You think you've beaten us just 'cause ya took out our guns? That just means we get to bring out the REAL heavy hitter! Trashmaster, get ready!" At her word, the largest Junkion widened his stance and place his large claw weapon on his back, preparing for… something. "Scraphook, Crashbar, bring in some Junkitrons! It's time to unleash the BEAST!"

"Way ahead of ya, ma'am!" Scraphook waved his arms and two of his Junkitron troopers came in, transforming into their truck modes and driving straight toward Trashmaster.

"Let's go, ya mooks!" Crashbar ordered for his own Junkitron troopers came in, changing into their motorcycle modes all the while. "Let's put some BULK on Trashy, eh? HAHAHAHA!"

The Junkitron troopers drove straight past the Autobots and Velocitronians, who tried blasting at them, but unfortunately found that their shots didn't put a dent in their tough exteriors. Then, as they closed in on Trashmaster… the large Junkion grabbed the two bike drones with each hand, while stomping on the trucks with his heavy feet. Instead of being crushed, however, the drones simply transformed AROUND him, bulking out his body in the process. At the same time, Trashmaster's head tucked into his torso and the claw weapon took its place, making for a massive, eyeless head that had a pair of exhaust pipes serving as "horns" for the monstrous cranium. By the time the transformation was done, the team were left astonished by the ENORMOUS, quadrupedal beast that towered over them. A Combiner of truly mish-mashed, atrocious proportions.

"W-What in the pit is THAT?!" Knock Out exclaimed, stepping back toward Breakneck in fear.

"THIS, my lovelies, is a lil' creation of OURS." Axlegrease proclaimed as she jumped on top of the Combiner's back. "An' now, YOU lot get to witness just how POWERFUL it is! Ladies an' gents, say g'day to…" The beast let out a loud, reverberating roar as she declared its name; "THE JUNKASAURUUUUUSS!"

The Junkasaurus lowered its optic-less head and let out a blast of black smoke from its maw, all while growling out; "GRUUUH… MUST… EAT. MUST… SCRAAAPP!"

"…This might've been a bad idea." Blurr concluded.

…..

A/N: To be concluded… though yeah, this idea turned out to be less than favorable for our heroes. Then again, none of them could've predicted that these guys had a COMBINER, so at least they're not at fault there. But yeah, turns out a bunch of rogue JUNKIONS are behind the shake-downs on Velocitron, having employed a bunch of problematic natives to do the shaking for them… though their reasoning still remains unknown. But we'll find out the exact reason NEXT TIME. For now, though, let's get to know these Junkions… which yes, ARE the ones from the Legacy Evolution toyline. I thought they'd fit perfectly for this role… and judging by my casting, you can probably guess who they're supposed to represent;

Axlegrease – Voiced by Leah de Nisse

Scraphook – Voiced by JB Blanc

Crashbar – Voiced by Christopher L. Parson

Trashmaster – Voiced by Josh Petersdorf

I'll give you a hint; the only outlier here is JB Blanc, who I chose specifically for his portrayal of Kano from Mortal Kombat 11. Needed another strong Aussie—er, "Nebulan" accent here. …Oh, and Junkasaurus would still be voiced by Petersdorf, too.

But that's NOT ALL! For we've also been introduced to more Velocitronian natives, and I know some of these bots are ones that you've been WAITING on. We have;

Override – Voiced by Lisa Ann Beley

Knock Out – Voiced by Darran Norris

Breakneck – Voiced by Adam Baldwin

Moonracer – Voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent

These four above are pretty much considered "the authority" on Velocitron, with Override being a staple of the planet since Cybertron while Moonracer has only been more recently associated with it. But of course, I'm sure you ALL know Knock Out and Breakneck best from their appearances in Transformers Prime… though again, I changed the name of yet ANOTHER bot named "Breakdown" so the Stunticon could keep his name. But hey, "Breakneck" is still pretty close, right?

However… there IS one more bot we need to discuss, and I'm sure you all know who it is.

Blurr – Voiced by Ben Schwartz

The fastest bot alive voiced by the fastest hedgehog alive. I think it's MORE than fitting, don't you? And don't worry, Blurr's not gonna be a one and done character for just this storyline, I've got PLANS for him, that's for sure. But that's a discussion that can be saved for later. Because…

And now, the Preview! The conflicts on Velocitron and the Kimia reach a fever pitch! As Brainstorm and the Protectobots work to subdue this new trick that the Blark-Barg has pulled out, the Autobots and Velocitronians fight against the Junkions… while trying to survive against Junkasaurus for as long as they can. Thankfully for them, though, Team Bullet Train arrives… and you know what that means. Time to show these guys what a REAL Combiner looks like! Get ready for some Triple Power! Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!