In New York, Hot Rod and his team went back to the same alley as a Ground Bridge opened up and they drove in it while rock music was being played in Bumblebee while Miko was playing an air guitar. "We got the Phase Shifter! And we mess up Knock Out fa-aaaa-aace!~" She exclaimed as she enjoyed her rock music before Bumblebee shut it off. "Hey!" She exclaimed.
"Sorry, Miko, but loud heavy metal isn't my preferred radio setting." Bumblebee told her.
"Let me guess, you and Raf spend all your drive times listening to chiptunes?" Miko guessed with a brow.
"Of course not, that's only on Saturdays." Bumblebee corrected.
"Honestly Miko, is what you want all you ever think about?" Prowl questioned, driving next to Bumblebee. "Don't you ever consider your actions could put others in danger?"
"Psh, I got that answer when she got us trapped in another dimension with a zombie decepticon and almost crushed in an abandoned mine by Megatron," Jack commented from Hot Rod.
"Seriously?" Hot Rod questioned. "And she still thinks it's fun? Heh, try being in a war for countless cycles, then she'll get the point."
"Eh, I'm sure it's not all that bad." Miko waved off. "Well, it's been fun, but I'm ready to get back to my regularly scheduled partner, Bulk-AAAAHHH!" She screamed in shock at what she saw as they exited the Ground Bridge.
"Holy Onyx Prime!" Jazz exclaimed in complete shock as he and the others skidded to a stop when they saw Bulkhead on the ground as Miko and Jack exit Bumblebee and Hot Rod as they transformed and saw Ratchet using defibrillators to try and wake Bulkhead up.
"Bulkhead, respond!" Ratchet ordered desperately before Fixit placed an Energon device on Bulkhead's forehead.
"Bulkhead, please, stay with us!" Fixit begged.
"Bulkhead?" Miko muttered in dread as Ratchet used the defibrillators again on Bulkhead before he and Fixit began scanning him. "Bulkhead?!" She cried out as she rushed towards him, but Fowler grabbed her.
"What happened to him?!" Hot Rod asked in shock.
"Tox-En exposure, among other things." Fixit said quickly as he and Ratchet continued scanning Bulkhead's spark chamber.
"Bulkhead has suffered a complete systems failure," Ratchet added.
"Hold on, Tox-En?" Arcee repeated surprisingly.
"How much exposure?" Prowl questioned.
Ratchet and Fixit looked at their scanners and saw Bulkhead's energon levels are severely low. "Enough that his energon is low. Critically low." Fixit said grimly.
"B-But you can save him, right?" Whirl asked hopefully.
"We'll do what we can." Ratchet said as he turned to the Autobots. "Help me get him back to base to the medical bay, now!" He ordered.
"No, you can use the one here, its equipment will better help stabilize him," Elita told him before she turned to Grimlock and Firestar. "Help Bulk to the medical bay, hurry!"
"Don't worry, Bulk," Grimlock said, putting Bulkhead's left arm over his shoulders.
"We got you," Firestar added, doing the same with Bulkhead's other arm as they started carrying him out of the Groundbridge room.
The humans watch as Bulkhead is dragged away and Miko sees the large dent where Hardshell shot him. "No!" Miko cried out as she got free from Fowler as she rushed a bit before she stopped in despair. "If I hadn't gone to New York…" She muttered.
"You would've gotten roasted from the volcano," Crosshairs told her.
"Besides, there's nothing you could've done." Fowler replied. "Hardshell sucker punched the big lug when he took the blast for Grimlock."
"Who?" Miko questioned.
"Some Insecticon with fierce fighting skills." Crosshairs said while rubbing his side. "Got the scars to prove it. That, and the Tox-En didn't help either."
"It doesn't matter. Point is, it's not your fault, Miko. You got that?" Fowler told her.
"Got it." Miko muttered with a nod, as Hot Rod and the others took the humans to the Medical bay.
Jack and Raf went to console Miko as best they could as they watched Fixit and Ratchet hooked Bulkhead into a life support system while in the medical bay.
On the Nemesis, the Decepticons were all lined up as Megatron approached them, furious with how most of them failed their missions.
"How is this possible?! Five relics, each within our grasp. And yet, only Soundwave and Sky-Byte have returned with something other than an excuse!" Megatron stated angrily before he stopped in front of Hardshell. "Tell me, Hardshell, what is yours?"
"I have none, my lord." Hardshell replied honestly. "We failed to retrieve the Tox-En. But, the large green Autobot has been…terminated."
"…Then perhaps this day is not lost after all." Megatron said, at least pleased that an Autobot had been vanquished.
"If that is true. It has been a while since anyone has extinguished an Autobot spark." Shadow Stiker stated.
"Because it has been a while since an Insecticon warrior has been provided the opportunity to do so." Hardshell retorted.
"Really, now? Because the bug under my recent command was utterly useless." Knock Out said insultingly as Hardshell growled.
"Enough!" Megatron shouted, making his two troops stand down. "Hardshell, are you certain the one called Bulkhead was exterminated?"
"By my very own hand, Lord Megatron." Hardshell declared.
At the Metroplex Medical bay, Ratchet and Fixit continued to work while the other Autobots waited anxiously and with hope. Grimlock however was sitting on another med-bed with his head down, "I'm sorry, if I hadn't dropped my guard…" He said while looking away as Optimus placed a servo on him.
"You have nothing to be blamed for, Grimlock." Optimus assured the Dinobot as Grimlock turn to him. "Bulkhead took a great risk to save your life. And thus, you must honor his sacrifice by continuing to move forward."
"I just hope the big guy can pull through," Grimlock said with a worried look at Bulkhead.
"Bulkhead has survived from worse," Optimus assured but he still looked concerned.
On the other hand, Fowler was busy taking an important phone call. "Yes, sir." Fowler said before he hung up and turned to Optimus. "Turns out highlights of your Big Apple adventure got caught on security tape. The Pentagon needs me to run interference with the mayor." He explained before he sighed as he look at Bulkhead. "I tried to stall, but…"
"Go where you are needed, Agent Fowler. There is nothing more you can do for Bulkhead at this time." Optimus told him.
"Keep me posted, Prime." Fowler replied, heading into the door. "I mean it." He added.
The special agent then walked off to the entrance and out of the medical bay, while Arcee walked into the bay.
"Just got word, Wheeljack's on his way." Arcee informed, which Miko, who was sitting nearby, immediately heard.
"I can't believe you're giving up on Bulkhead already!" Miko shouted in disbelief.
"Whoa, take easy, she didn't say Wheeljack was replacing Bulk," Jazz told her.
"She meant that Wheeljack and Bulkhead are close." Crosshairs said while rubbing his head. "I should know. He should be here soon."
"I know what you meant!" Miko firmly said as she turned around and made her way to the entrance.
"Miko, where are you going?" Optimus asked.
"Home! While Agent Fowler can still give me a lift." Miko muttered with a look as she exited the medical bay as Elita was about to follow before Optimus placed a servo on her shoulder.
"She needs time." Optimus said as Elita nodded.
Later, Bulkhead was still unconscious while Ratchet and Fixit moved away with frowns, "Bulkhead is stable, for the moment," Ratchet said naturally.
"But we had to induce stasis," Fixit added solemnly, "I, cannot be sure when we can begin treatment."
They then heard footsteps and saw Wheeljack walking in, "What's the damage, Doc?" He asked seriously.
"Bulkhead's suffered massive trauma to his central neural conduits." Ratchet answered.
"I've watched you and the Mini-con work. You're both maestros when it comes to repairing." Wheeljack said, standing in front of Ratchet.
"The Tox-En exposure has caused system-wide shutdown on a sub-micronic level." Fixit said solemnly. "If we try and attempt anything now, we could risk worsening his condition."
"We can't even begin to operate until Bulkhead regains some strength." Ratchet added.
Then Wheeljack's face changed to a mad one as he looked to Optimus and Elita. "You're gonna tell me who did this to him?"
"Sorry, Wheeljack, we know that look." Elita said to him with a soft look.
"At the moment I believe it is best to focus our attention on Bulkhead's recovery, rather than revenge." Optimus said to him.
"You do that." Wheeljack simply said before he turned and left the medical.
"Wheeljack will most likely do something rash, you know." Ratchet told Optimus and Elita.
"And I am not sure we could stop him if we wanted to." Optimus said in acceptance.
"Wait, where's Grimlock?" Elita asked, realizing the Dinobot was gone too.
"Okay, he's a two-ton Dinobot," Ironhide said with a brow. "How did we miss him?"
"Huh, he's full of surprises." Windblade commented.
Wheeljack walked up to his ship and was about to leave when he heard footsteps and saw Grimlock approaching with a serious look, "Grimlock, right?" Wheeljack asked, "Prime send you to stop me from going after the pile of Scrap who sniped Bulk?" He guessed.
"No, I'm here so you can help me take Hardshell down hard," Grimlock corrected.
Wheeljack was surprised by this. "What made you suggest that idea?" He asked.
"Bulkhead saved me from that Insecticon, it's time I show those con's what happens when you mess with a Dinobot." Grimlock said seriously as he smashed his fists together.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Wheeljack asked as he walked to the Jackhammer and waved for Grimlock to follow.
Grimlock nodded as he followed after him as he didn't notice a shadow speck rushing into the ship as Grimlock took a seat and Wheeljack started up his ship and took to the skies. "Nice ship you got here." Grimlock commented as he looked around the cockpit. "A bit cramped though."
"The Jackhammer just isn't used to Dinobots," Wheeljack told him as he worked the controls.
"Just be glad I'm not in my dino form. Otherwise, it would've been a lot cramped in here." Grimlock said to him before they heard a sound behind them and turned with their weapons out and saw Miko. "Miko?!" He asked in surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Wheeljack questioned.
"Going after the con who hurt Bulkhead, you two in?" Miko asked seriously.
Wheeljack just gave a look, "I'm taking you back," He said simply.
"No, wait!" Miko pleaded.
"Kid, I get it. You want payback, you and me both." Wheeljack said to her.
"Bulkhead is my partner too!" Miko pointed out.
"Trust me, when we find that con, Grimlock and I will take care of him. My way." Wheeljack reassured pointing his grenade.
"Hold on, Wheeljack." Grimlock spoke up. "Miko could help us smoke out Hardshell."
"How?" Wheeljack questioned with a brow.
"We could use some smaller eyes to scope out some con's turf." Grimlock suggested, which made Wheeljack think for a moment while Miko gave a smirk.
Meanwhile, on the Nemesis, Hardshell and some insecticons were walking down the corridors. "You should have seen the Wrecker's face as his spark expired, knowing that he perished at the hands of a true warrior." Hardshell told his brethren, "Lord Megatron now understands that the difficult tasks are best assigned to an Insecticon." he boasted as they passed two Vehicons, who didn't look happy to see them.
"Pit-bound scavengers." The first said.
"Scrap-eaters." The other added.
But Hardshell stopped and turned at them, probably because he heard them. "What did you say?"
At the same time, Knock Out was fixing the scratches on his paint job with his buffer. Although he had a hard time reaching his backside.
"Detailing was so much easier when Breakdown was around." Knock Out expressed, just before he heard gunfire and noticed a shake coming from out of the room. "What is going on out there?" He went out to check it out. "How am I supposed to concentrate-AAAHHH!"
He had to close the door immediately, just before one of the Vehicons from before clashed against it. When he opened the door, he saw the Vehicon firing at Hardsell, who felt nothing from the shots and charged against him. But he dodged and Hardshell ended hitting Knock Out instead, who was sent against the wall. He looked fine, until he saw a new scratch on his chest.
"I…just…buffed…that!" Knock Out yelled in anger.
Meanwhile, Wheeljack, Miko, and Grimlock were hiding in the edge of a forest and spying on a Vehicon exiting a cave, indicating that inside it was an Energon mine.
"You know where to find Decepticon mines?" Miko asked, slightly surprised.
"You didn't think I've just been sitting on my can since I've been on this rock." Wheeljack replied.
"Real smart, Wheeljack." Grimlock commented.
"But shouldn't we be at an Insecticon hive?" Miko questioned.
"The bugs are bound by a single mind." Wheeljack stated. "Trying to draw just one of them out is nearly impossible. So we're gonna make some noise." He said with a smirk.
"And get the cons to hand over Hardshell." Miko finished.
"Alright, Miko you're better at sneaking around than us, so try scoping out how many Vehicons are inside." Grimlock told her before turning to Wheeljack. "But before we blow up this mine, how about we grab some Energon and send a signal to the others to pick it up? Because I'm down for punching Hardshell, but a waste of Energon, that's just sad."
"Mmm, when you put it that way." Wheeljack said while rubbing his chin. "Okay, but let's make it quick."
Inside the mine, Miko was using her phone while scoping the area to see how many Decepticons are there. "We got five, no six troopers in the main cavern. And two more keeping an eye on things from the second floor." Miko informed.
"Good job, kid. Keep going." Wheeljack said through Miko's phone before Miko gasped when she saw something.
"There's another chamber." Miko whispered before she zoomed in and saw a big stack of Energon. "Looks like they're just using it for storage." She informed them before she heard a beep. "Wheeljack, Grimlock, you two there?" She asked.
"Ya might wanna get to cover," Grimlock told her.
"Why?" Miko asked before she heard an explosion, which made her flinched as a Vehicon was tossed towards her, which she avoided as she turn and saw Grimlock and Wheeljack swiftly taking out many Vehicons at ease while Grimlock was in dino form as he roared while Miko tried to avoid getting squashed as she moved around before the last of the Vehicons was stabbed by Wheeljack as he and Grimlock stood in front of Miko. "Now what?"
"We unload the Energon and give Megatron a shout." Wheeljack answered with a smirk as he and Grimlock then started unloading the Energon.
Back on the Nemesis, Knock Out, Hardshell and his Insecticon soldiers were standing in front of Megatron to discuss the problem they had earlier.
"Just look what they've done!" Knock Out stated, still furious about the damage Hardshell did to his paint job.
"Spare me the dramatics, Knock Out. It's merely a scratch." Megatron replied.
"This isn't about me, Lord Megatron! The Insecticons are creating dissection among the ranks." Knock Out said to him. "These savages are a threat to this warship and its crew. They should be confined, restrained even!"
Hardshell approached the Decepticon doctor from behind with a menacing growl. "You could not produce restraints strong enough to hold us!" Hardshell proclaimed.
"Lord Megatron, we're receiving an emergency transmission from mine TVC-15." A Vehicon informed from a communication terminal.
"What seems to be the problem?" Megatron asked.
"Unclear, my liege. The call will speak only to you." The Vehicon answered.
Megatron approached the terminal and pressed a button to start receiving the transmission. "What is it?" Megatron questioned.
"Nice operation you got here, Megatron." A familiar voice said as the terminal identified who the called was. "Although technically, you might say it's under new management."
"Wheeljack. The one who enjoys explosive devices." Megatron identifies.
"What can I say, chief? I'm uncouth." Wheeljack said with a smug tone. "And right now, Grimlock and I are sitting on top on one of your big juicy mining opts."
"The loss of one asset is hardly a blow to the Decepticon cause." Megatron replied, unfazed by the Wrecker's attempt to spite him.
"Maybe, but we're gonna keep on hitting them, one by one. Until you give me what I want." Wheeljack told him.
"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Megatron asked.
"The Insecticon scum who tried to frag Bulkhead." Wheeljack answered, much to the Decepticon leader's surprise.
"Tried? Are you saying the Autobot lives?" Megatron questioned, turning around to Hardshell.
"He is bluffing!" Hardshell stated.
"Wouldn't bet on it." Wheeljack replied. "And if you want proof, here's a witness."
"That's right, bug brain!" Grimlock spoke up, which surprised the Decepticons. "You almost have Bulkhead, but he's still hanging on. And right now, we're gonna make you wish it was me you shot."
"So here's the deal. We're gonna transmit the coordinates of our next target. If Hardshell cares to meet us there, maybe he can save you from another loss." Wheeljack warned.
"And Megatron, just in case you've ever wondered what three tons of explosion energon sounds like." Wheeljack said with a smirk as Grimlock shared the same expression as Miko watches as Wheeljack fired a couple of missiles at an Energon mine, which caused it to explode as the Jackhammer took flight and away from the giant blue explosion.
Megatron heard everything on the terminal and he was extremely mad, now.
"You allowed the Autobot to live?!" Megatron asked, looking at Hardshell in anger.
"Hmph, bugs." Knock Out scoffed smugly. "Not all they're cracked up to be."
"Lord Megatron, I swear upon the Allspark, the Autobot could not have survived his wounds!" Hardshell said protestingly as Megatron started walking up to him.
"Then you owe me a Spark. And if it's not the one belonging to Bulkhead, it had better be either Wheeljack's or Grimlock's." Megatron replied with a firm glare.
On the ground some distance away from the mine, a Ground Bridge opened up as Acree, Optimus, Elita, Bumblebee, Ironhide, and Jetfire exited it with their weapons ready as they looked around.
"Clear." Acree said before Ironhide saw something.
"Uh, well, almost." Ironhide said as he gestured forward as the Autobots walked forward and saw what's left of the Energon Mine.
"An Energon Mine." Elita muttered.
"What's left of it you mean." Jetfire added. "Looks like somebot beat us to it."
"Guys!" Bumblebee called as they moved towards him and saw him with a large pile of Energon cubes, "Looks like they saved some cubes,"
"Wow, we hit the jackpot." Ironhide said with a smirk.
"And judging by how much there is, if ration, this could last us for a good while." Acree said while seeing this many amounts. "It must've been a big mine."
"And someone left us a message as well with the signal beacon." Optimus said as he saw a note on one of the cubes next to a signal beacon as he looked at it. "'Take these as an early apology for what we're about to do for Bulkhead.'" He read as the Autobots looked at each other, knowing who wrote this and who was responsible for the mine and the Energon and what they were planning.
"Oh dear." Elita muttered in worry.
The Jackhammer flew around the skies while Grimlock and Wheeljack were sitting by while they looked at Miko, who was on Grimlock's legs as she began to fall asleep while trying to stay awake as she yawned. "Maybe you ought to power down for a while." Wheeljack suggested.
"I'm good." Miko said while still trying to stay awake before turning to the two Bots. "He's gonna make it, right?" She asked hopefully.
"I only just met him." Grimlock said as he turned to Wheeljack, "He's gonna make it, right?"
"No question." Wheeljack answered. "Bulkhead's the toughest wrecking ball I've ever known. And Ratchet and Fixit's are great docs, the best."
"Yeah." Miko nodded. "There's no way Bulk could miss all the stuff we had planned. Car sledding, worldwide smash-athon, I've been making a list."
"Like I said: Bulkhead is too stubborn not to pull through. I know it and I bet you do too." Wheeljack said.
"Uh, Wheeljack?" Grimlock spoke up as he turned and saw Miko already fast asleep. "Let her rest a bit before the big throw down." He whispered as Wheeljack nodded.
A bit later, the Jackhammer arrived at the coordinates Wheeljack had set and it landed on the ground, causing Miko to wake up from her nap. "I'm up!" She quickly said as she turned to Wheeljack and Grimlock. "What's the plan?"
"Kid, if anything happens to me and Grim, press this button," Wheeljack said while gesturing to the blue button. "I pre-set the auto-pilot to get you back to Metroplex."
"What?! No way! Grimlock said I could help!" Miko yelled firmly.
"And you did." Grimlock said to her. "But now it's our turn."
"This is my fight too!" Miko stubbornly exclaimed.
"Sorry, kid, but Bulkhead's gonna wake up." Wheeljack said as he and Grimlock walked to the hatch. "And he'll file off our rivets if you're not there when he does."
"So, just watch from inside here." Grimlock said as Miko tried to follow.
"Wheeljack! Grimlock!" Miko exclaimed before the hatch closed before she made her way to the windshield and saw the two walking towards a nearby cave before Wheeljack transformed and drove off while Grimlock went into his Dinobot form and ran after him as they stopped at the entrance of the cave.
"You in there, bug?!" Wheeljack called before they heard buzzing sounds as they looked up.
"Not in there, over it." Grimlock said before they saw Hardshell landed at the top of the cave as he gave a roar and jumped down as Grimlock and Wheeljack moved back as Hardshell stuck the landing.
"We meet again, Dinobot." Hardshell said seriously.
"Yeah, and this time, you're going down!" Grimlock called as he and Wheeljack charged at him and Wheeljack kicked him back to the wall and quickly tossed his grenade some distance from it before Hardshell jumped between the two bots and the grenade before he charged at Wheeljack, knocking him down as he gave a roar.
"Thanks to your cripple friend, I am all too familiar with your Wrecker tricks." Hardshell said before trying to lay a punch on Wheeljack, but Grimlock caught him as Wheeljack drew his sword and charged into the fight as the two started to tag-team as they each hit Hardshell, pushing him back as they go all out while Miko watches from the Jackhammer.
"What's the matter, Hardshell? Not used to fighting two bots who haven't been doused in Tox-En?" Wheeljack taunted as he and Grimlock exchanged blows to the Insecticons while avoiding his strikes.
"Or fighting a bot face to fist!?" Grimlock questioned as he did a tail swing at Hardshell's jaw.
Hardshell staggered back as he gave a growl before grabbing one of Wheeljack's swords. "Talk during battle is a sign of weakness." He retorted before punching Wheeljack back as he avoided another swing from Grimlock's tail as they blocked each strike before they got into a standstill.
"Only when you're too primitive to do two things at once." Wheeljack retorted.
"Or when you don't have the muscle to back it up!" Grimlock said, delivering another punch to him.
Hardshell staggered back before he then transformed into his beetle form and took flight and started attacking the two Bots repeatedly as Grimlock staggered back while Wheeljack fell to the ground.
"Go for the grenade!" Miko urged Wheeljack groaned as he look at his grenade and tried to crawl towards it, but Hardhshell placed a leg down, tossing it away as he transformed to bot form and tried to use one of his pincers to stab Wheeljack, which he avoided before he was knocked back before Hardshell grabbed him and slammed him down repeatedly while holding him by the head.
"Wheeljack!" Both Grimlock and Miko exclaimed as Hardshell delivered a mighty punch to Wheeljack's chassis, which created a small shockwave.
"You let him go!" Grimlock demanded charging at Hardshell.
"If you insist!" Hardshell said he threw Wheeljack aside and then delivered a powerful punch to the Dinobot's head that released another shockwave and sent Grimlock flying back and crashing to the ground.
"Grimlock!" Miko cried out.
Grimlock rolled across the ground as he groaned with his eyes closed as Miko watched helplessly as Wheeljack turned and saw Hardshell growling at him and walked towards him with his fists smashed together.
"No." Miko wept.
Wheeljack groaned as he could barely stand as he turned to Miko. "Go, kid. Get out of here." He muttered as Miko began to tear up and slowly walked towards the controls as Hardshell made his way towards Wheeljack as Miko slowly moved towards the blue button next to the red one as her hands trembled on what to do.
"You're spark will now belongs to Megatron," Hardshell raising his claws to Wheeljack.
Suddenly Grimlock's eye snapped open only glowing yellow and slitted. He began to growl loudly as it brought everyone's attention just as Miko was about to press a button as she turned back to the windshield as Grimlock slowly got up with his head down.
"Do you wish to perish first, Dinobot?" Hardshell mocked.
Soon, Grimlock started panting as he then glared at Hardshell as he gave some grunts. "N… N…Not…just…Dinobot," He growled out in a much different tone.
"Grim?" Miko asked in confusion.
Grimlock's pants became more rapid as he pawed the ground with his foot, "Me, GRIMLOCK!" Grimlock roared loudly as he charged at Hardshell and pounced on him. "GRIMLOCK DESTROY INSECTICON!" He yelled as he stomped Hardshell repeatedly in brutal as Hardshell yelled in pain as he tried to fight back, but Grimlock then bit down hard on Hardshell's arm, slamming him against the ground.
Grimlock then pulled so hard on Hardshell's arm he ripped it clean off, which caused the Insecticon to yell in pain. Hardshell backed away in fear as Grimlock stomped towards him, shadowed by the sun's light with only the glow of his eyes and the Energon dripping from his teeth, "N-No, no please!" Hardshell begged but it was for not.
Grimlock then roared and bit down at him relentlessly, tearing the Insecticon apart as Hardshell kept screaming while his Energon was sprayed out of him while Wheeljack and MIko watched in both awed and horror at what they were seeing as they cringed at horrifying display.
Soon, Hardshell's screams were beginning to faint and his mutilated body went limp as Grimlock towered over him while his claws and muzzle were covered in Hardshell's energon. He panted slightly before he put a foot over Hardshell's corpse, threw his head upwards and gave a mighty T-Rex roar while shockingly, breathing a stream of fire from his mouth and into the sky.
"Holy moly." Wheeljack muttered as he backed away from Grimlock a bit.
"I didn't know Grimlock could breathe fire." Miko muttered in awe.
Grimlock panted as he looked around as he then noticed more Insecticons coming from above the cliffs as they all hissed and growled at seeing the downfall of Hardshell as they glared down at the Autobot and Dinobot.
"Wheeljack, Grimlock, RUN!" Miko yelled to the two.
Wheeljack managed to get onto his feet and limped towards Grimlock, "Grim, there's too many." He grunted as Grimlock just growled lowly as the Instecticons took flight, "Come on, Hardshell's snuffed, we got retreat-"
"Grimlock not retreat, Grimlock DESTROY!" Grimlock roared as he breathed more fire, taking down the Insecticons. While some fell to the ground, burnt and deactivated, some charged at Grimlock but Dinobot fought back relentlessly, destroying multiple bug cons with jaws, tails, and claws; stomping on their heads, ripping off limbs, and smashing their chassis.
Wheeljack and Miko cringed as they watched Grimlock taking down many Insecticons without conscience or mercy while hearing some Insecticons shriek in pain before being taken down by Grimlock.
Wheeljack managed to get back to the Jackhammer and climbed onto his seat, "Thought I told you to hit Autopilot," He told Miko.
"Bad things happen to bots when I leave their side, but I guess it didn't matter," Miko said as they continued to watch Grimlock absolutly destroying the Insecticons, "What's happening to him?"
"I think I saw this before. Or read about it." Wheeljack said in concern. "I think Hardshell did too much on Grimlock. That last hit must've woken up his Beast Rage."
"Beast Rage?" Miko asked in confusion.
"It's when a Bot, like for example, a Dinobot, takes on a beast form, their primal instincts take over, either by being in that form for too long or if you let your anger get away from you." Wheeljack explained before gesturing to Grimlock and his rampage. "And this is the result: A total Energon bath where you rip apart everything in front of ya."
Miko then watched Grimlock rip an Insecticon in half before blowing fire at another, acting like an actual wild animal on the loose, "That's not Grimlock," She said softly before she gave a determined look and rushed to the exit.
"Miko, no!" Wheeljack called but it was too late.
Miko rushed to Grimlock who was standing on an Insecticon with a foot on its chassis and was about to blow fire on its head, "Grim, stop!" She called.
Grimlock then turned his head after hearing Miko as he snorted and slowly walked towards her as Miko slightly backed away but kept her eyes on Grimlock as he leaned down and growled while some flames sparked out from his mouth.
"Grim, I like a Decepticon trashing more than anything, but not like this. You may be a big bot who can break things, but your heart's even bigger, just like Bulkhead," Miko told Grimlock as he narrowed his eyes and moved to open his jaws with the flames ready to blow.
Wheeljack saw this and raised his finger to the weapons, ready to fire.
"This isn't what Bulk would've wanted. Please Grim, come back. Come back so we can tell everything about what happened to Bulkhead." She pleaded tearfully. "Please, you have to come back. For your friends."
Grimlock kept looking at Miko while seeing her tearful face as he began to twitch while his flames began to fade as Miko kept looking at him pleadingly before he then shut his mouth as his eyes returned to normal as flames dissipated as he shook his head while groaning.
"Grimlock?" Miko said hopefully as Grimlock looked at her with a smile.
"'Sup, Miko?" Grimlock greeted.
Miko smiled tearfully before she grabbed hold of Grimlock's muzzle and hugged him, which surprised him as he gave a smile as Wheeljack watched from the Jackhammer with a sigh of relief as he gave a surprised but proud look.
"Nice job kid," Wheeljack said with a smile.
Soon, Grimlock, back in bot-form, came in with Miko into the Jackhammer as Wheeljack smiled at them both. "Welcome to the Wreckers, you two. You both did Bulkhead proud." He complimented as Miko and Grimlock looked down in sadness.
"Then why don't I feel any different?" Miko asked in wonder and sadness.
"And I don't think I made anybot proud by going crazy like that." Grimlock said sadly. "I never knew my inner Dinobot would come out like that. If that happened around the rest of the team…" He said in worry.
Soon, back at the Metroplex, the Autobots were gathered around at a monitor before they heard scraping sounds as they turned to the entrance and saw Wheeljack limping inside with Grimlock and Miko beside him while Miko is sitting on Grimlock's shoulders as the two gave sad looks before they look at Wheeljack in disappointment before looking at Miko.
"Miko, are you okay?" Acree asked the rebel girl.
"She's fine. The girl's a really tough one." Wheeljack replied assuringly.
"I wasn't talking to you." Arcee retorted sternly, quite mad about him putting Miko in a life-threatening situation.
"How is he?" Miko asked.
"Well…" Jazz started to say, not wanting to break her heart.
"Not very good." Bumblebee said while looking down.
"Bulkhead will survive. He may never be fully functional again." Ratchet admitted remorsefully.
"We did all we could, all we can do now is hope for the best." Fixit said as Miko teared up before rushing towards Bulkhead. "Uh Miko I don't believe that's-" He tried to say but Optimus stopped him.
When Miko reached Bulkhead, she climbed up to his chest while the Autobots watched her in sorrow. They then turned their attention to Wheeljack, with most of them having quite mad expressions.
"I'm…not sure I wanna see Bulk, right now. Not like this." Wheeljack said softly as he started to walk away.
"W-Wheeljack, wait." Grimlock said as he watched Wheeljack walk away before he turned to the bots, "Hey, come on, if you're gonna be mad at somebody be mad at me, I was the one who decided to go after Hardshell, take Miko along and nearly got her and Wheeljack smashed," He said while looking down. "Miko just happened to be on the ship because we care for our friend. Wheeljack even wanted her to be out of danger, but I convinced him. She even risked her life to bring me back after I went into Beast Rage."
"Beast Rage?" Acree questioned with a brow. "Yeah, like we believe that."
"You calling me a liar?!" Grimlock yelled as he went into Dino form, his eyes glowing, that made the other Autobots flinch back in fear while some prepared their weapons before Grimlock saw their reaction as he realizes what he was doing as he grunting and shook his head he went back into bot form as he saw the shocked look the Autobots are giving him as he staggered back. "I…I need to be alone. Away from you guys." He muttered as he walked away from the Autobots as they watched Grimlock leave in guilt and worry as the hatched closed behind him.
"I don't think he's lying, Acree." Firestar said in concern as Acree gave a guilty look as they turned to Miko, who was on Bulkhead while she could only look down at Bulkhead's unresponsive face in sadness and guilt.
"I'll never leave you again." Miko whispered, quietly sobbing to herself.
Meanwhile, a few Insecticon survivors had brought the deceased body of Hardshell to Megatron on the Nemesis.
"The two Autobots did this?" Megatron questioned, very outraged to see the Insecticon warrior was no more.
"No, my lord. It was…only the Dinobot." An Insecticon replied. "He even took down many of our brethren with just his bare servos and fire breath and strength we haven't seen before."
This truly surprised Megatron as he stared back at Hardshell's corpse with a curious expression. He was beginning to think the Dinobot was far more powerful than any being he faced before.
And with that, another chapter is complete. Though this one was a bit more extreme.
For those who may not be fully happy with Grimlock. I fixed it up so that Grimlock has a Beast Rage mode where he acts more like some of his other incarnations, complete with Fire Breath and the classic "Me, Grimlock!".
Also, I'd like to add that I visualize Grimlock as he appears in the fan project Transformers Prime: Dinobots Unleashed but with his RID colors, to better fit the hardcore atmosphere of Prime.
Post in the comments your thoughts on this.
Stay tuned, for while Miko and Grimlock are lost in thought, Arcee decides to comfort them with a story about an old friend she had, in "Out of the Past".