It was nighttime at the Autobot base as the humans were currently at home to get some sleep. However, the Autobots were receiving an angry call from a certain special agent.
"Prime! What in blazes are your people doing out here?!" Fowler demanded, currently flying in a fighter jet. "We had an agreement, no collateral damage!"
"I am sorry, Agent Fowler, but all of Team Prime are present and accounted for." Optimus replied as the other members of Team Prime showed up behind him.
"And the rest of us are all still here on Metroplex," Elita said on the comms as well.
"Then explain why I'm receiving reports of six jumbo-sized Bots mixing it up twenty miles outside Omaha!" Fowler retorted.
"Decepticons?" Ratchet guessed.
"There has been a lot of in-fighting lately. Megatron can't seem to keep his ranks inline." Acree commented.
"Well, I'm just arriving on the scene. Have a look." Fowler said before showing them footage from his jet of a destroyed Decepticon ship with some Decepticons taking cover behind it.
The first Cybertronian below had the exact same appearance as Skyquake, but he was blue and yellow instead of green and red. Along with him was a femme Decepticon with purple and dark blue plating, her left eye seemed to be prosthetic and having three red dots on her head set. The third was a big hulking Cybertronain with black, green and purple details, tri-clawed hands, and one eye. The fourth was a black male Cybertronian with green details, some spikes on his shoulders and struts and a large hook on his right arm.
"Okay, we don't know about the others. But the leader we're familiar with, I don't know." Bulkhead said with a confused look. "Paint job aside, it can't be Skyquake. You and Optimus pounded him into the ground." He said, looking at Bumblebee.
"Before Starscream yanked him back out as some kind of undead Terrorcon." Arcee pointed out. "The question still stands, who's the dance partner?"
The camera then moved over to show a familiar Cybertronian ship parked a few yards away from the Decepticon ship, where a certain Wrecker Autobot taking cover with another Autobot with orange and black Samurai-like armor and a pair of red and black disks on his arms.
"By the Allspark. It is one of ours." Ratchet said in shock as they zoomed in on the Two Autobots.
"Wheeljack?! Haha, Jackie is back!" Bulkhead cheered as he hit the others in the back with joy, causing them to almost fall over.
"But, who's his new playmate?" Arcee questioned.
"Wait, I think I know that other guy." Bumblebee said, recognizing the orange bot.
"I don't care if Abraham Lincoln's knows whoever this new bot is! We have to contain the situation before we all wind up on the eleven o'clock news!" Fowler stated urgently.
On the battlefield, the four Decepticons fired on Wheeljack and the other Autobot while they took cover behind the Jackhammer as Wheeljack returned fire. "You've got nowhere left to run, Cons!" Wheeljack exclaimed.
"Surrender or we shall end this here!" The orange Autobot added a katana as the four Decepticons backed away as the two Autobots charged at them before Fowler descended behind them in his fighter jet.
"This is Special Agent Fowler of-" Fowler was cut off when Wheeljack fired at him and made him turn. "Woah! Stand down, hot head! I'm on your side!"
"Wheeljack, do not stray your mind away from the true enemy!" The orange Autobot told him.
But it was too late as the winged Decepticon fired his cannon at Wheeljack and managed to hit him in the shoulder, sending him flying back while the orange Autobot blocked the shots with his katanas. Fowler started shooting his turrets at the new Decepticons and caused them to take cover behind a warehouse.
As Wheeljack got up with his right shoulder scorched, he then saw a Ground Bridge appear in the distance. "Had a feeling the gang might show." Wheeljack said as he and the orange Autobot turned to the Ground Bridge before he saw another one opened up next to the first one. "Another one?" He asked in surprise.
"I was led to believe there were only five Autobots on this planet," The Orange Autobot said.
Then coming out from the first Ground Bridge was Team Prime while the second Ground Bridge was Elita, Hot Rod, Crosshairs, Chromia, and Whirl as they had their weapons ready before rushing out.
"Looks like the party just got a little bigger." Wheeljack said with a smirk.
"Indeed it has." The orange Autobot said as the Autobots ran off, some heading towards the two while others ran off in another direction as the Autobots hiding behind the warehouse saw backup as they then fired at each group, trying to slow them down as they returned fire as the Decepticons took cover again.
"Jackie!" Bulkhead called as he rushed up to his friend and helped him up.
"Wheeljack, long time," Crosshairs said with a smirk.
"Hey, Crosshair." Wheeljack said with a smirk. "Glad to see another Wrecker still kicking."
They turned and saw the rest of the Autobots firing at the Decepticons, who were slowly being overwhelmed as they fell back. "We can't keep this up! We're outgunned and outnumbered!" The Decepticon with the hooked arm said as they hid behind a building.
"Lockdown's right, boss," The large one-eyed Decepticon told the winged Decepticon in a femme voice.
"Yes. I see a strategic retreat is in order." The lead Decepticon said in agreement. "We must fall back."
"But how?! Our ship is scrapped." The prosthetic eye femme questioned. "And not to mention we don't have vehicle modes!"
The lead Decepticon noticed two cars, the military tank and Fowler's jet and smirked, "Don't we?" He countered.
"Well, they'll do." Lockdown said with a smirk. "Clobber, Shadow Striker, no time to be picky. Start scanning."
The two Decepticon femmes nodded as they rushed up to the vehicles, Lockdown and Shadow Striker scanned the two cars, Clobber scanned the tank, and the winged Decepticon scanned Fowler's jet.
"Aah! Not this, again!" Fowler complained before his controls emitted electricity.
With their new vehicle forms obtained, the four Decepticons began to run away from the area.
"Oh, no you don't!" Wheeljack called out as he ready his blasters.
"Wheeljack!" Optimus shouted.
"Jackie! No!" Bulkhead called out, but Wheeljack fired at them, which hit the gas station as it created a huge explosion before the four Decepticons exited the smoke in their new vehicle forms and took off through the desert as Wheeljack kept firing at them.
"Dreadwing and his pals rigged the place to blow." Wheeljack growled as he put his blasters away.
"Dreadwing?" Bulkhead asked in surprise and confusion.
"Actually, that was your handy work, Sparky." Acree said with a look as the other Autobots regrouped with him.
"It's called a gas station. Kinda like an Energon depo." Bulkhead explained. "Doesn't mix well with blaster fire."
"And I thought you were Captain Trigger Happy," Hot Rod commented to Crosshairs.
"Pfft, I may love a good gun fight, but I wouldn't be stupid to shoot something explosive unless a Con's holding it." Crosshairs said with a pistol on his shoulder.
"Which goes to show you must be aware of your environment and tread carefully." The orange Autobot said to Wheeljack.
"Huh." Wheeljack shrugged off as he began to walk off. "Well our cons are getting away."
"Wheeljack, there are other considerations." Optimus said as he and Elita stood in front of his path. "While upon this world, you will do well to follow our lead."
"Hello, Wheeljack. Still the same as ever?" Elita asked with her arms crossed and a brow.
"Heh, Elita One." Wheeljack said with a smirk. "Nice to see you're still around. And reunited with your Mech, huh?" He joked as Elita gave an unimpressed frown and crossed her arms.
"Not funny, Wheeljack." Elita said with a look. "But can we discuss this somewhere else before the police or news crew gets here? I'm sure they saw you're little explosion."
"Whatever you say, Ma'am." Wheeljack shrugged off.
A bi later at sunrise, the Autobots were in Metroplex as Fixit and Wheeljack were fixing up Wheeljack's shoulder where he was shot from. "Ow! Take it easy, squeaky. I need that arm." Whe
"Just hold still and you'll have it fixed." Fixit said as he continued his job.
"But I must say, I never thought I would see this big lug again." Wheeljack said as he looked around Metroplex while seeing the whole Autobot group. "Or see so many non-cons either."
"A lot has happened since you were last here, Jackie." Kup said to his fellow wrecker.
"And I see you've made some new allies of your own," Optimus said, turning to the Orange Autobot.
"It is an honor to meet you all." The Orange Autobot said with a bow and his hands together. "You may call me Drift." He said, he then detached his two disks as they transformed into two Mini-cons, with red and black armor with orange spikes respectively, "These are my students, Jetstorm and Slipstream." He introduced as Slipstream and Jetstorm bowed in greeting.
"Oooh, wonderful, more Minicons!" Fixit said with a smile. "Finally, I am not the only ton, bond…" He glitched as he hit himself. "One."
"Heh, cute and great to hear." Moonracer said with a smile.
"Heh, we get to meet a Samurai Bot and his two Minicons?" Jazz asked with a smile. "Sweet."
"Yeah, Drift is one of those honorable warrior types." Wheeljack said to them with a wave of his hand.
"And definitely has more self control than you." Elita commented.
"Look commanders, apologies for the fireworks, won't happen again." Wheeljack said to them. "But Drift and I tracked Dreadwing, Shadow Striker, and their two flunkies across a hundred light-years of space."
"We thought you were roaming the galaxy. You know, looking for Autobot refugees." Bulkhead said to them.
"I was, until I found Drift and another. A Wrecker." Wheeljack said with a down look.
"Who?" Kup asked hopefully as Bulkhead and Crosshairs shared the same expression.
"Seaspray." Wheeljack answered, which made three Wreakers laugh joyfully.
"Ha! How is old barnacle butt?" Crosshairs asked with a grin.
"Not well, my friend. He has been returned to the Allspark." Drift answered seriously, making Bulkhead, Kup and Crosshairs' expressions to change from happy to a shocked one.
"What? No." Bulkhead muttered as he, Kup and Crosshairs backed away as the others looked down solemnly at the loss of another Autobot.
"Dreadwing." Optimus realized.
"My flyer, the Jackhammer, picked up Seaspray's signal a couple of light years from Madarin along with Drift's at the same time." Wheeljack started as he explained his story. "We made contact and arranged a rendezvous in an asteroid field. But Dreadwing's gang must have intercepted the transmission, cause he got to Seaspray first. Proximity bomb, supposed to take all three of us out."
"Fortunately, my pupils and I were able to escape our ship before the explosion while the Jackhammer managed to survive the blast radius. Unfortunately Seaspray was not as fortunate." Drift explained as Slipstream and Jetstorm looked down, grieving for Seaspray.
"After Drift and his little pals got into my ship, we partnered up and picked up Dreadwing and his pals ion trail and tracked it to a dozen solar systems before catching up to them." Wheeljack continued. "And they led us back to this marble. Some coincidence, huh?"
"I know of this Dreadwing and Shadow Striker," Optimus spoke up, "Shadow Striker was one of Megatron's greatest scouts and infiltrators during the war, able to quickly move up the ranks in the Decepticon army. And Dreadwing was a captain of the seeker armada. And as such like his twin, Skyquake, fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause." He explained.
"So it's more than likely they along with Clobber and Lockdown will be looking to join up with Megatron," Elita said seriously.
"Hope they're enjoying the visit, it's gonna be their last." Wheeljack said with a determined look as he stood up with his fist raised as Fixit sighed since he wouldn't stand still.
"Wheeljack, this planet is heavily inhabited. Any attack we make against the cons, we make as a group," Ironhide told Wheeljack, "One mistake could put any humans in danger."
"Are you saying we should just sit back and do nothing?" Wheeljack questioned rhetorically.
"You! Loose cannons!" Fowler called to the Wrecker as he entered Metroplex through the elevator. "Your cowboy antics almost blew out cover!"
"Cover?" Wheeljack repeated.
"What is this human referring too?" Slipstream questioned to Jetstorm.
"I don't know." Jetstorm shrugged in confusion.
"We're robots in disguise, you guys." Bulkhead said to the three bots. "You three need an Earth base vehicle mode outside of here."
"That spaceship you three shot down, not Earth-based! I had to jump through some big hoops to get it hauled out of plain sight!" Fowler complained.
"Your human pet has poor manners," Drift told the Autobots.
"Pet?!" Fowler questioned as he stepped forward. "Listen here, Samurai Jack! I ain't nobody's pet! I am the Autobots' agent advisor and have been the one to keep them from blowing their cover!" He then turns to Optimus. "You need to keep a tighter leash on your people, Prime!"
"A tighter leash? Let me clarify, tiny." Wheeljack said annoyed as he walked toward Fowler.
"Jackie." Bulkhead tried to warn.
"I'm not one of Optimus Prime's people." Wheeljack said to Fowler while face to face with him.
"And I am a Bounty Hunter, my loyalty is only to those who have honor," Drift added before turning to Slipstream and Jetstorm, "Slipstream, Jetstorm, undeploy." He ordered.
"Yes, master." The two Minicons said as they turned back into disks and attached themselves to their master's arms as Drift and Wheeljack walked off in a huff.
"Nice on, fleshy. You ticked them off." Kup said to Fowler with a look.
"We'll talk to him," Bulkhead said on behalf of him, Crosshairs and Kup, "Um, with your permission," He quickly added to Optimus and Elita.
"Sure. Go ahead." Elita said as the three Wreckers walked off after the two bots.
"So, the new guys have problems with authority." Fowler stated with a firm look after what Wheeljack and Drift said to him.
"Kup, Crosshairs, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead served with each other in the Wreckers, a combat unit that operated outside the normal chain of command." Optimus explained.
"Hmm, Black Ops." Fowler quipped.
"They accepted missions no one else would. And many of them did not come back." Optimus said, looking at where the four Wreckers and Drift walked off to.
"But what's the story of your Samurai Bounty partner?" Fowler questioned.
"I had my encounter with Drift before." Bumblebee spoke up as the Autobots turned to him. "During the war, Drift was sent to capture me because Megatron put a bounty on my head. I fought him once before, he was the toughest Bounty Hunter I ever met. He even let me take the first shot in a fight."
"What is the muscle car saying?" Fowler questioned with a brow.
"Drift was hired by Megatron to off Bee," Hot Rod translated.
"But that's when I managed to talk Drift about the true honor and question about his job after seeing the state Cybertron was in." Bumblebee continued. "It took some convincing, but I made Drift leave off the job and quit Megatron's bounty as he let me go. But I haven't seen him since Cybertron went dark."
"And what else?" Fowler asked again.
"That Bee managed to talk Drift out of his job and let him go, but wasn't seen after Cybertron went dark." Windblade translated.
"Okay, but why would Megatron pay an Autobot to take out another Bot?" Fowler questioned.
"Remember, Agent Fowler, being an Autobot and Decepticon is by choice." Optimus spoke up. "And there were many others who chose neutrality over one side after another. It stands to reason that Drift is one of those who ."
"Which explains why he chose a bounty hunting job." Prowl said with a frown. "Business."
"But after seeing him partnering up with Wheeljack, something tells me he'll find his place." Chromia said after seeing how Drift respected them.
In a stone area with large mountains, Dreadwing, Clobber, Shadow Strike, and Lockdown were standing on top of one of them and Dreadwing was sending out a red beam into the sky from a device in his hand. Soon, the Nemesis revealed itself from its cloaked form and Dreadwing transformed, flying towards the Decepticon warship while the other three Decepticons waited for pickup.
After a Ground Bridge, Dreadwing, Lockdown, Clobber, and Shadow Striker were at the bridge as they bowed to Megatron. "Lord Megatron." They all said in unison.
"We live to serve." Dreadwing added.
"Arise, Dreadwing, Lockdown, Clobber, and Shadow Striker." Megatron said as the four Decepticons got up. "Loyalty such as you four are a rare commodity."
"Mine runs deep and true, yet it is not loyalty alone that brought me here." Dreadwing replied.
"Oh?" Megatron asked.
"I seek confirmation of the demise of one whom I considered a brother." Dreadwing said, referring to Skyquake.
"How did you learn of his passing?" Megatron questioned curiously.
"My twin and I shared a split Spark. A metal but two halves of the same life force." Dreadwing explained. "Even across the universe, I sensed when he emerged from stasis on this planet. And when his Spark was no more."
Megatron turned his attention to Soundwave, who used his screen face to display recorded footage of Skyquake battling and being destroyed by the Autobots, along with an image of Starscream.
"It is true. Skyquake perished at the hands of the Autobots, thought not in fact under my watch." Megatron said.
"Then by the pit, every last Autobot on this accursed world will pay." Dreadwing declared firmly.
"The Autobots will be punished for their crime, and many others. How and when I see fit." Megatron replied.
"But, master-" Dreadwing began to say in protest.
"Conflicting agendas will only result in chaos and failure." Megatron interrupted. "You'll be wise to remember that, Dreadwing. You are under my command now, and as such you must follow my lead."
"Just tell us what you need us to do, Lord Megatron," Shadow Striker told him.
"Await for my orders and stand ready," Megatron said firmly as he walked off.
"That turned out better than expected." Lockdown commented with a shrug.
"Lord Megatron is known for bringing in his troops." Clobber said as she turned to Dreadwing. "Sorry, Dreadwing. But Megatron's orders. Even you know not to disobey him."
"I know. But I will still avenge my twin." Dreadwing said with a serious look. "Regardless of Lord Megatron's approach or not."
"Heh, only here for two quartets and you're already ready for some action." Lockdown commented with a smirk. "I like that."
"Well, might as well join you." Shadow Striker said as she stepped forward. "I prefer to bring the hurt on the Autobots."
"Eh, might as well join in as well." Clobber said.
"Good." Dreadwing said with a smile. "For the Autobots will pay dearly."
Back at Metroplex, Wheeljack and Drift were at the Jackhammer, which is hiding in a cave, sulking as Drift kept some distance while he was cleaning his swords while Kup, Crosshair, and Bulkhead walked in.
"Jackie, look, even if it weren't for the humans we couldn't take on the Cons right now." Bulkhead said to him. "We're outnumbered."
"Roadbuster, Pyro, Impactor, Rotorstorm, Seaspray, all dust." Wheeljack listed off as he turned to his fellow Wreckers.
"That's what we're talking about: Wreckers are Autobots. There just aren't that many of us left." Crosshair spoke up. "I like one fight after another, but even I know we're at a disadvantage."
"But if we get behind Optimus, we have a chance to end this, once and for all." Kup added, slamming his fists together.
"Guys like Optimus and Elita One, they talk a good game, but when you're in the scrap they don't want to get their hands dirty." Wheeljack retorted.
"Whoa whoa whoa, you don't know Optimus and Elita like we do." Bulkhead said to him. "Being a Wrecker meant everything to me, but I left that behind."
"Because Prime was the real thing, blah blah blah." Wheeljack said sarcastically.
"You should listen to your comrade, Wheeljack." Drift said as he finished cleaning his swords and put them back in his scabbard. "They speak from experience. And you forget that Optimus is a Prime. There is no warrior greater than him."
"Yeah, yeah. Say all the wisdom you want, swordy." Wheeljack waved off. "Be grateful I took you along."
There then a beeping coming from inside the Jackhammer, which made them turn to it as they entered. "Wheeljack, Drift, I know you're both out there, listening." Dreadwing's voice said. "I have a proposition for you."
"Is that…?" Bulkhead asked.
"Dreadwing." Wheeljack said.
"Meet me at these coordinates, if either of you have the Spark." Dreadwing challenged as the coordinates appeared on the ship's terminal.
"We'll be right there, Dreadwing. Just to see you fry," Wheeljack growled as he ended the transmission as he and Drift took seats.
"You two do know it's a trap, right?" Crosshairs questioned.
"I know. But when has that ever stopped me?" Wheeljack questioned.
"If Dreadwing wished to meet for a duel, honor demands we accept his challenge." Drift said with a serious look as Wheeljack started up the Jackhammer.
"You three coming with?" Wheeljack questioned as the three Wrecks looked to each other and find a secure spot.
"Then at least let us call for backup." Bulkhead insisted.
"You know Wreckers don't call for backup." Wheeljack started.
"They call for cleanup!" They all proclaimed in union as they hi-five each other while Drift rolled his eyes with his arms crossed and the ship took off and left Metroplex.
Somewhere in the forest, Dreadwing and Lockdown were standing alone before they turned and saw Wheeljack and Drift walking up to them. "We weren't certain you two would come." Dreadwing admitted.
"I don't like unfished business." Wheeljack commented.
"This time, we end this charade," Drift said, drawing his swords.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lockdown said, raising his hook while smirking.
Just then, Wheeljack and Dreadwing each threw a explosive, which collided with each other as they exploded, causing them to staggered back before Drift and Wheeljack charged in with their swords as they battle cries and slammed the ground with fierce looks as Dreadwing and Lockdown then started running as the two Bots chased after them.
"Stand and fight, cowards!" Drift called to the Decepticons as they slid down into a gorge.
Dreadwing took out his controller with a smirk as some bombs planted on the walls of the gorge beeped, which exploded as Drift and Wheeljack barely moved out to avoid them. "Is that all you got?" Wheeljack taunted as more explosions were made.
Dreadwing and Lockdown kept running until they reached a dead end of the gorge just as Drift and Lockdown came up behind them. "Nowhere to run." Drift said with a fierce look.
"And if you think about flying out of here, Dreadwing…" Wheeljack started.
"Think again." Crosshair said as he, Bulkhead, and Kup were above the gorge with their blasters ready.
The two were surprised before they gave a smirk, which Drift and Wheeljack noticed before they looked up and saw Shadow Striker and Clobber behind the three Wreckers while a bomb was planted where Bulkhead was.
"Bulk, Cross, Kup, watch out!" Wheeljack called but was too late as Dreadwing set off the bomb.
At the same time, Kup and Crosshair were tackled by Clobber and Shadow Striker as the bomb exploded, sending them falling with screams as Drift and Wheeljack were buried under rubble as Dreadwing and Lockdown got out from the gorge and looked down below to where the four Autobots were.
"Now that was fun." Clobber commented as the four Decepticons gave a smirk.
At the Autobot base, Ratchet was displaying Bulkhead, Kup, and Crosshairs' signals on the main console with Optimus standing behind him.
"Bulkhead, Crosshairs and Kup's signals, over a thousand meters from here." Ratchet told the Autobot leader. "And I would have to imagine that Wheeljackis with them."
"Have you attempted contact?" Optimus asked.
"No response." Ratchet answered.
Optimus understood what this meant and knew he had to take action.
Back at the gorge, as the rocks shifted, Crosshairs managed to blast a way out for himself, "Ha! Takes a lot more than a few pebbles to take me out!" Crosshairs boasted as Kup and Drift came out next.
"You bots still in one piece?" Kup asked the two.
"Mostly." Drift muttered as they shook some rocks off them before they heard Wheeljack groaning as they began to remove some before a shadow loomed over them, which made them surprised as it removed the boulders to get Wheeljack out.
"What took you so long guys? Don't tell me with Prime and his lady commander made ya-" Wheeljack stopped himself when he saw Optimus and Elita standing over him. "Soft?" He muttered as Optimus pulled Wheeljack free.
"If you will not take orders from us, that is one thing." Optimus scolded. "But when you place three of our Autobots in danger…"
"With all do respect, Sir, Ma'am, we knew the risks. Every Wrecker does." Crosshairs said in defense for Wheeljack as Kup nodded in agreement.
"Well, you seem to be one Wrecker short," Elita noted. "Where is Bulkhead?" She questioned.
"I'm sure he's just somewhere underneath all this rubble," Wheeljack assured before Optimus received another transmission.
"Optimus, Bulkhead's signal have move from your current position." Ratchet informed, which they all heard.
"Scrap, those cons must've nabbed him while we were offline," Crosshairs griped.
Elita glared at Wheeljack, "Wheeljack, if anything happens to Bulkhead," She started.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm as crushed as a Con," Wheeljack finished before walking away, "You bots, coming with?" He asked them.
"I'll take Kup and the others through the Ground Bridge, you and Wheeljack to the Jackhammer," Elita told Optimus.
"Understood," Optimus nodded before walking after Wheeljack while Elita went to her Comm.
"Ratchet, Ground Bridge me to Bulkhead's coordinates," Elita requested.
A bit later, Optimus was in the Jackhammer, which was a tight squeeze for a bot his size as the others took the Ground Bridge with Elita to Bulkhead's coordinates. Optimus then broke the silence as he turned to Wheeljack. "You and Bulkhead share quite a history, and yet you prefer to work alone." Opimus noted as Wheeljack stood quiet before he spoke.
"The Wreckers scattered a long time ago, and alone is usually a lot less complicated." Wheeljack stated.
They finally reached their destination: a loading port next to the sea and a local city. A Ground Bridge portal opened up next to them as Elita, Drift, Kup, and Crosshairs stepped out as the Jackhammer landed next to them. "Ratchet said that Bulkhead is somewhere here." Elita said while gesturing to the labyrinth of shipping containers as she pulled out a tracker.
"We are close to population," Optimus said as he and the others had their weapons ready while Elita tracked Bulkhead and lead them, "Remember,"
"Blasters and fuelpipes don't mix," Wheeljack answered dully.
"He's just ahead," Elita told them.
"Be alert, Dreadwing and his compatriots are clearly luring us into a trap," Drift warned them.
As they rounded the bend, they saw Bulkhead, shackled to some containers with one of Dreadwings bombs attracted to his chassis, "Hey guys," Bulkhead said nervously.
"Scrap." Wheeljack muttered as Bulkhead groaned as Wheeljack walked up to him. "You really got yourself in a heap of scrap this time, partner." He commented.
"Stay back, Jackie." Bulkhead said as he gestured to the bomb on his chest.
"Better get to work." Wheeljack said as he inspected the bomb.
"Have you ever defused one of these bombs before?" Kup asked as Wheeljack opened up the bomb.
"Failsafes, dummy leads, booby traps." Wheeljack muttered. "It's a work of art."
"Of all the days we could use Proceptor's brains." Crosshairs commented.
On the shipping containers, the four Decepticons looked at the Autobots trying to diffuse the bomb while also taking notice of Elita and Optimus with them.
"Dreadwing, where are you, Lockdown, Shadow Striker, and Clobber?" Megatron questioned through the comms.
"They are merely aiding me in pursuing my destiny, Lord Megatron," Dreadwing reported.
"Did I not order you to stand down," Megatron questioned with Soundwave behind him.
"Forgive me, one true master," Dreadwing told him, "But it is my hope that vanquishing Optimus Prime and Elita One will earn your respect."
"Optimus and Elita are not so easy to dispose of." Megatron said with a look. "As I keep trying to explain to all of those who foolishly attempted."
Meanwhile, Wheeljack continued trying to disable the bomb. "Jackie, if you don't abort, we're both gonna need cleanup."
"Trying to focus here, Bulk." Wheeljack said to him as he focused on the bomb.
Then Bulkhead saw someone was missing. "Where is Optimus?" He asked as the wreckers turned and saw Optimus wasn't the only one gone.
"Drift and Elita are gone too," Crosshairs noted.
Wheeljack simply scoffed. "Like I told you: when the scrap hits the fan blades, the generals are the first to bail." He said. "And Drift must've gone off to keep himself and his little pals from going kaboom."
"No, not Optimus or Elita." Kup told Wheeljack, knowing their leaders had a plan.
"I assure you, master, in but a few moments Optimus and two others will be blown to atoms." Dreadwing assured
"I will allow it, Dreadwing, in memory of your departed twin. But only this once." Megatron said before turning off the com-link.
Megatron shut off the comlink as he looked at Soundwave. "I will be quite surprised if we ever set eyes upon Dreadwing and his companions again."
"Uh Dread?" Lockdown spoke up as Dreadwing turned to him, "Prime, Pinky and Sword bot are gone." he pointed.
"What?" Dreadwing said in surprise.
"Where'd they go?" Shadow Striker wondered as they looked around.
"Dreadwing! If you are anything like Skyquake, I know that you value loyalty and honour!" Optimus' voice called out.
"Is there a point to your bluster, Prime?" Dreadwing questioned.
"Only that Megatron knows nothing of those principles. He lives only for destruction and conquest." Optimus replied while hiding behind a nearby crate. "But there is another path. Deactivate the bomb."
"And why would we do that?" Shadow Striker questioned.
"Because what honor is there to pointless destruction?" Drift's voice spoke up as he hid behind another crate with his swords ready. "I learned that working with Deceptions has no honor. You must see that."
"Megatron only sees you all as expendables." Elita added as she ready her blasters while hiding behind another crate. "He never cares about his ranks. Only sees them as means to win at any risks."
The four Decepticons then ready their weapons and blast at the spots where the voices were heard, only to find no Bot in sight as they search around for the four Autobots.
Back with the Wreckers, Kup and Crosshairs stood guard while Wheeljack continued to disarm the bomb. "Get out of here, already." Bulkhead said to the three.
"No Wrecker left behind, that's our rule," Crosshairs told him.
"I didn't leave you on on Sandokan and I'm not leaving you here." Wheeljack answered as they started hearing more blaster fire.
"Face it: there's only one bot who can defuse this mess and his name is Dreadwing." Bulkhead said before they continued to hear the blasters coming closer.
"Blaster fire is getting closer. Is if the commanders…" But before Wheeljack could continue, Bulkhead hit him suddenly on the head with his now free hand and freed his other hand.
"Bulk! What are you-" Kup tried to ask before he and Crosshairs were knocked out too.
"Sorry guys, it's because I love ya." Bulkhead said as he started running.
In the middle of the shipping containers, Elita, Drift, and Optimus continued to fight four Decepticons as they avoided the blasters shots and dodged each one as the three Autobots continued to jump from one container after another until the four Decepticons saw no sign of them.
"Where'd they go? Where'd they go?!" Lockdown questioned.
"They must be around here somewhere." Clobber said as they looked around for any sign of the Autobots.
"Split up and search for them." Dreadwing instructed as they all went in different directions, keeping their guard up.
Lockdown looked around for any sign of the Autobots not seeing Elita standing over him before she jumped down with her blaster out.
Clobber walked backwards while keeping her optic open for any sign of trouble, but fortunately, she found it when she backed up into Optimus before she turned and got sucker punched by him.
Shadow Striker came to a fork in the shipping container maze, aiming her blaster in each direction before she saw Drift charging towards her. Shadow Striker fired at Drift but he dodged the blasts and launched his Minicons from his arms as they transformed and air-kicked her in the face.
Bulkhead screeched his feet against the floor and made a left turn before he made it out the crate maze, heading straight for the ocean.
"Sorry, fishies!" Bulkhead said worriedly before the other wrecker suddenly jumped in front of him.
"Bulkhead, wait!" Crosshairs stated.
"Out of my way!" Bulkhead ordered, attempting to shove the Wreckers away.
"Will you stop and listen to us, Bulk?!" Wheeljack questioned before his friend stopped in his tracks right before he could fall into the water. "You were right. Dreadwing's the only one can defuse that bomb. And Optimus, Elita, and Drift knows it, too."
The Wreckers saw Optimus climbing up a giant crane, almost as if he was waiting for Dreadwing to arrive.
The Seeker captain himself showed up from the crate maze and cautiously moved around the area, searching for any sign of Optimus. Once he was under a magnet, Optimus got onto it and shouted loudly before trapping Dreadwing under it before he could do anything. Optimus, Bulkhead stood over Dreadwing as Elita and Drift dragged the unconscious Lockdown, Shadow Striker, and Clobber, having knocked them out as they crowded over Dreadwing.
"Dreadwing, defuse the bomb or fall victim to your own device." Optimus ordered warningly as Bulkhead got pretty nervous.
"And the same thing will happen to your buddies, here." Kup said, gesturing to the three Cons.
"I will gladly sacrifice myself to avenge my brother." Dreadwing declared.
"Then we will in turn gladly join the Allspark with our brother." Elita replied.
"And with you. You'll never shake us." Wheeljack added, crossing his arms.
"So, what's it gonna be?" Crosshairs questioned.
Dreadwing stared down his Autobot foes as Bulkhead got even more nervous and closed his eyes to prepare for the explosion, while Lockdown, Clobber, and Shadow Striker were still left unconscious.
"Very well." Dreadwing said in defeat.
Optimus, Wheeljack and Drift lifted the magnet off Dreadwing, who then stood up and pulled a blue wire on the Proximity Bomb. The device deactivated and this made Bulkhead sigh in relief.
"I had it narrowed down to the blue or the yellow. Or the red." Wheeljack commented with a shrug.
However, Dreadwing secretly pressed on his remote device and this made a lot of explosions go off around the dock. This distracted the Autobots enough for Dreadwing to begin running away as Lockdown, Clobber, and Shadow Striker woke up, noticing the Seeker captain leaving.
"Wait for us!" Clobber called out as she and the others rushed towards Dreadwing as they then transformed and took off as the Autobots blasted at them until they were out of range as they watched them go before turning to the destruction the cons left behind.
"So, who do we call for cleanup?" Wheeljack joked while gesturing to the flaming shipping docks.
The four cons returned to the Nemesis and reported everything that happened to Megatron.
"Optimus Prime and Elita One still lives, as do you, Dreadwing. And that is a victory, however small." Megatron said. "That Skyquake so tragically discovered."
"Speak to me not of my twin, Lord Megatron. For I am here on Earth to obey your will, and yours alone." Dreadwing declared softly.
"And we live to serve you, Lord Megatron." Lockdown said with a nod.
"Anything you say go." Clobber added.
"So long as we make those Autobots pay." Shadow Striker said as Megatron looked down at them with a smirk.
Back at the Metroplex, the team returned after being informed as Wheeljack and Drift walked towards Elita and Optimus. "Listen, Commanders, I… just wanted to say it's an honor watching you work." Wheeljack said awkwardly as he rubbed his head. "I uh, think I had the wrong idea about you two."
"And it would seem that you place a greater value on community than you otherwise led on." Optimus said kindly, extending his hand out to Wheeljack.
"Whoa, let's not jump the gun here." Wheeljack said surprised before Bulkhead punched him on the back playfully.
"Come on, Jackie. If you leave, you probably just wind up coming right back again." Bulkhead said to him.
"All that wasted fuel." Hot Rod commented with a shrug.
"And Energon is in short supply." Whirl added.
"We'd really like it if you joined the team." Bumblebee encouraged.
"Two more pairs of servos on deck would be a good thing," Moonracer admitted.
"Then again, we do have limited space." Ratchet said simply, turning away.
"Not sure if I'm ready to give up my freedom just yet. Maybe I could do some exploring, see if this rock suits me." Wheeljack suggested.
"And my students and I are still searching for our place in this conflict." Drift admitted. "And I believe we will find somewhere else on this planet."
"You sure, Drift?" Jazz asked. "It would be pretty handy to have a warrior like you with us."
"Yes. It is tempting, but my students and I must find our own path before making a decision." Drift said to them. "Once we have decided, perhaps one day we will fully join the Autobots. But for now, finding untapped Energon deposits is the most important thing. If we find one, I will contact you."
"Your offer honors us, Drift," Elita said with a smile.
"We hope we meet again." Optimus added as the three bots bow to each other.
"But no offense to the Jackhammer, but you two will need an Earth based vehicle mode." Ironhide suggested. "Remember, we're robots in disguise." He added as Wheeljack and Drift gave smirks.
A bit later, Wheeljack and Drift were standing in the middle of the deserts as they shook hands. "It was great working with you, Drift. Hope we roll into each other again sometime." Wheeljack said with a smirk.
"Until we meet again, Wheeljack," Drift said with a bow before he transformed into his vehicle mode as a die-cast car vehicle as he took off into the desert.
Wheeljack watched him go with a smile as he turned to another direction and ran off before he transformed into his vehicle mode, his mode s a Lancia Stratos Turbo 5 race car and took off into the desert.
New Bots Alert.
Drift, Slipstream and Jet Storm come from the Robots in Disguise 2015 version.
While Shadow Striker, Clobber, and Lockdown hail from the Cyberverse.
While Wheeljack explores Earth, Drift will be searching for Energon caches around Earth for the Autobots, but don't worry, we'll be seeing them again soon.
Post in the comments which Autobots and Decepticons you want to see added to the roster. Stay tuned as things start to get buggy in "Crossfire".