TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED
Re:Animated
Rewrite of 'Grey Matter, Silver Lining'. At the same time as Megatron reawakens, a woman falls to earth and Sari manages to convince her father to let her become her nanny. Emma doesn't talk much, and certainly isn't saying she knows them from a cartoon! But when the All-Spark shatters, it makes her question everything . . .
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Build A Space Bridge And Get Over It!
Oh, life goes on,
And it's only gonna make me strong,
It's a fact, once you get on board,
Say goodbye 'cause you can't go back,
Oh, it's a fight,
And I really wanna get it right,
Where I'm at is my life before me,
And this feeling that I can't go back . . .
— LeAnn Rimes
"I'm telling you," Isaac said. "That thing is staring at me . . . " He gazed uneasily at the slightly mangled but still basically intact remains of a Headmaster unit. "It's as if it's eyes are following me," he added, dancing from side to side in front of it. "Wherever I go . . . "
"It's offline." Bulkhead pointed out.
"That is what I thought about Megatron's head — " Isaac began, but then stopped at the look on Bulkhead's face. "Perhaps I should not have mentioned that . . . " He realised.
"Forget it." Bulkhead said briskly. "We got bigger stuff to worry about. Like rebuilding the Space Bridge so we can warn Cybertron that the head of intel. is a Decepticon spy who's perfectly capable of murder."
Isaac shuddered. Seven days had passed since they had learned what might very well have happened to Blurr; Emma still wasn't talking about it (although, her voice was much better now) but it seemed to them all that Sari was telling the truth about her weird, prophecy-like dream.
Isaac had barely spoken about Saipriya's death in years. He knew that it would take Emma time. At least she had Prowl to help her through it.
In the mean time, Isaac was keen to think about something else. "At least the top of a tower is a better place to build a Space Bridge than the bottom of a mine."
"Yeah," Bulkhead scoffed, with a slight smile. "What was Megatron thinking, huh? Even a basic bot knows that heavy mineral deposits mess up wave transmissions!"
He and Isaac enjoyed a small chuckle at Megatron's expense.
"Oh, tell me about it!" Isaac nodded, as he finished installing another component. "I'm just happy that I can finally sleep in my own bed again." He added, as he picked up the blowtorch and welding mask.
"Well, you're not gonna get much sleep if we don't rebuild that plasma dynamic thruster." Bulkhead told him pointedly.
"All right," Isaac responded, annoyed. "Don't rush me! Aurgh, you are worse than working for Megatron . . . "
Bulkhead gave him another annoyed look.
Isaac flinched. "I mean … not in the evil, ruthless, threaten my life sense, but — "
"I know what you meant." Bulkhead said shortly.
"Besides," Isaac went on. "I just spent the past many sleepless nights overriding the Decepticon signal dampeners I was forced to create … I just hope your friends are able to track them down now . . . " His phone suddenly rang from on the nearby table. "Hold on, I have to get that … it is Sari!" He protested, seeing the look on Bulkhead's face for the third time. He answered the phone. "Hello? . . . Yes . . . Oh, it is going fine . . . What? . . . Oh, yes, your birthday . . . What? . . . Five hundred dollars? I don't see why not . . . Yes, yes, just make sure that you get some nice shoes to go with it . . . Okay, have fun shopping, Sari . . . Bye." He hung up the phone and sighed. "Brahman forbid you should ever have any daughters, Bulkhead." He added with a slight wave of his hand, and Bulkhead just blinked.
"Your birthday's not 'til November, so why did we go shopping now?" Miko wondered all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?"
"Knowing full well that we might change our minds about what to wear by next week?" Miko stopped walking.
So did Sari.
She no longer had to look up when she was talking to Miko, since they were about the same height. But, she still wore all yellow - from her yellow knee length boots, to her pale yellow stockings, to her long sleeves yellow dress with the pale yellow stripe in the middle, and even her yellow hair clips. She still wore her hair in pigtails (they were just a little bit shorter, now).
And, she had a very Sari-like expression on her face now, when she said: "Would I exploit the fact that I now don't have to worry about money again?"
As she said this, she swung out her arm. The shopping bags swung with her.
"Watch it!" Cried a random passerby.
"Sorry!" Sari said hastily.
Miko raised an eyebrow.
Sari looked at the bags, and then back at Miko. "Okay, I see what you mean."
They both giggled, and continued walking through the outdoor mall.
"I'm not exploiting it, though, I'm just happy about it." Sari told Miko.
"I know." Miko smiled.
"How's Em going back at work though?" Sari wanted to know.
"You don't know?" Miko sounded surprised. "Doesn't she go home every night?"
"Well, sometimes she's there, and sometimes she's at the base." Sari shrugged. "Which is weird, because Dad said she can come back anytime … so, how's she going at work?"
"Good, as usual." Miko shrugged slightly. "Sam was asking her why she was still working, now that the Professor's back . . . "
Sari suddenly gasped.
"What is it?!" Miko exclaimed, nearly dropping her own shopping bags (most of which contained manga and dog treats for Brutus).
"Maybe it's connected?!" Sari said, turning to look at Miko with wide, Autobot blue eyes that matched the pendant on her chest that silhouetted her Autobot pendant. "Think about it … I hardly see her … she's only been at home for three nights since she got the choice to choose … she's still working at Mamma Fuyano's … Miko, she doesn't wanna be my nanny anymore!"
Miko tried not to laugh at this. She could see that Sari was suddenly mortified. But, she had to point something out. "Sari, you're fifteen going on sixteen - you don't need a nanny anymore!"
"Yeah, but I still need her in my life." Sari insisted. "Especially now that I just found out about you-know-what … I mean, look!" She held out the shopping bags again. "I have no self-control! Again!" She added, before she could stop herself, and Miko suddenly stopped again and turned to her.
"Okay, girl," she said. "What is this really about?"
Sari didn't say anything.
"Because," Miko went on. "If this is about what happened and then Honeybee and Sky Dancer leaving for a bit, then don't let it be! Sky Dancer explained; Honeybee doesn't blame you for what happened." She suddenly grabbed Sari's hand, and began dragging her through the mall. "Come on, we're going on the roller coaster!" She said firmly. This girl needs a serious distraction!
"B-but — " Sari protested, as she was dragged along. "What about all our stuff?!"
"I'm on it." Pira said calmly, making herself visible; she had been with them all morning, but she seemed mostly content to just let the two girls shop. She swiftly used her powers to shift all of their bags into the drawer on her stomach, and into her subspace.
Miko and Sari stared at her as she closed the drawer again.
"Umm … Pira?" Sari said faintly. "Are you gonna be able to find all our stuff again?"
"Don't worry." Pira told them. "You're probably worried because of how it is with Capi's subspace. Well, you see, his is like a vast expanse of endless space; occasionally you might come across something random, like a stray carton of milk just floating around. We call that 'jugger-naut'. Meanwhile, my subspace is organised by size, colour, type, date, and how dangerous it is. I'll find it all again in no time."
Sari just stared at her.
Miko, however, grinned and said: "Come on, Sari! You got to choose the last thing we did, so now it's my turn and I say we're going to the Lost City Of Gold!"
"Grr . . . " Cappy said, not at all intimidated by the Rottweiler who was standing over him in the dog park.
The Rottweiler didn't understand why this little robotic creature wasn't afraid of it … until Brutus the schnauzer trotted up behind Capi, and growled deeply.
The Rottweiler whimpered, and then turned and ran off.
Sitting on a bench nearby, Emma turned to Prowl, who was in his holoform, and said: "They look like an odd pair of friends in a movie."
"Doesn't one of them usually require saving by the end of it, though?" Prowl mused.
"In this case, it'll probably be Capi." Emma remarked, and she and Prowl both smiled.
"There's something … very interesting … about people and their dogs . . . " Prowl remarked suddenly, looking around them.
"Mmhmm . . . " Emma agreed, resting her head against his shoulder. She then looked over at a particular dog. "Like that one … that's not a dog, that's a pony." She nodded towards the brindle Great Dane.
Prowl chuckled.
"Come along, Fifi!" An elderly woman in an expensive suit said as she walked by them. She was leading a fluffy cream-coloured standard poodle with a fancy haircut, who was wearing a rhinestone (diamond?) studded collar and had painted nails.
Emma and Prowl watched the two of them walk by a large easel, next to which sat a red Afghan Hound. A second later, a woman with auburn hair, glasses, and a beret peered out from behind the easel, before she went back to her painting.
A man nearby was struggling to get a group of Dalmatian puppies under control. "Spotty!" He cried out, over the puppies' yipping, as he pulled on the leads. "Dotty! Polka! Patches! Blotches! Speckles! Jarlsberg!"
"He must have been a professional dog-walker, to have so many dogs on one lead." Prowl commented.
Emm nodded. "Also, Jarslberg is an awesome name."
They watched as the man tried to get some help from his assistant. "I know that it's your break now, Robowalker, but seriously — !" He was suddenly cut off when he lost his footing - the Dalmatians had spotted a squirrel and now they gave chase, dragging their handler along in the ground after them.
Nearby, a robot dog-walker was reclining in a deck chair. It moved its sunglasses down to peer at what was going on, before putting the sunglasses back up and leaning back in its deck chair.
Emma rolled her eyes, and then smiled down at a small, adorable Shetland Sheepdog that had just come up to her and put its front paws on her leg. "Hello . . . " She looked at the dog's lacy pink collar. "Daisy."
"Daisy!" Called a gravely voice, and the dog turned, before jumping down and trotting over to a big burly man wearing jeans, a ripped t-shirt, and a leather jacket.
Emma and Prowl watched as the man picked up Daisy and happily hugged her.
"Never judge a book by it's cover." Emma muttered.
"Indeed." Prowl agreed, and then watched as Emma caught sight of something, and he sensed a slight change of emotions in her.
He looked, and saw that she was watching a family of four - what appeared to be a mum, a dad, and two young girls - who were playing with their black Labrador-Retriever puppy.
"I grew up with a dog like that." Emma said quietly. "His name was Ranger."
"Hmm?" Prowl glanced at her.
She had a faraway look in her eyes. "He died on my twenty-fourth birthday."
Prowl tried not to flinch.
"Then, on my thirtieth birthday," Emma went on, not taking her eyes off of the family of four and their dog. "I had to go to a funeral … and, of course, on my thirty-third birthday, I got hit by a car in Bali … you know, I'm starting to see a pattern here . . . " She trailed off, and then watched as the youngest daughter took something out of her backpack.
"I wonder what that dog's name is . . . ?" Prowl wondered carefully, wanting to steer the topic of conversation away from the fact that Emma had had some not very good birthdays.
"Probably Lucky, or Shadow, or something . . . " Emma shrugged.
"Go get it, Cobber!" The youngest daughter suddenly cried out, in a clear Australian accent, and she threw an actual boomerang for her dog to get.
Emma's eyes opened wide, as Cobber ran and jumped up, catching the boomerang in his mouth before it could arc back. He trotted happily back to his family.
"Eww!" Both of the young girls shrieked, because the boomerang was now covered in dog slobber.
Prowl felt Emma's shoulders shaking with silent laughter then, and smiled.
"Hey," they suddenly heard a kid say from nearby. "Look, Mum, Tito found something!" He held up whatever it was that his little grey chihuahua had just uncovered.
"Throw it away, that's glass!" The mum replied, and the kid threw the shard over his shoulder.
Luckily, neither he nor his mother were watching what happened next, although Tito the chihuahua saw it when the blue fragment suddenly flew straight towards Emma, stopped in front of her chest and then, because it was an All-Spark fragment, it was absorbed into her chest in a small shower of blue sparkles.
Prowl looked at Emma, who appeared to be concentrating. What had she remembered?
Nearby, Capi had gone very still, as he could also see the memory.
And, elsewhere in Detroit, as she watched Sari and Miko get showered with golden glitter at the end of the Lost City Of Gold roller coaster, Pira was also remembering.
"The first time I ever saw a planet that had been decimated by the Vampires," Emma suddenly said quietly, and Prowl waited. "I was by myself … I didn't know what had happened to it … how could the planet be so devoid of any life . . . ?" It seemed like everything had gone still and quiet around them, and Prowl could almost picture what she was seeing. "There was just … nothing. It wasn't even like the moon … this was … different. It was … it was like the planet had been drained of its very life energy … it wasn't until Starscream explained to me later on, that I realised what I saw — " She suddenly broke off abruptly, and moved back from Prowl a bit, looking apologetic as everything seemed to return to normal. "Oh! I'm sorry! I shouldn't be mentioning my ex!" She exclaimed.
"It's fine." Prowl told her gently. "In a way, I . . . " He hesitated, and then he continued with: "I'm glad that somebody was there for you back then, to teach you how to fight against the Vampires." It was true. He just wished that it hadn't been Starscream but, as they said, beggars couldn't be choosers.
"Really?" Emma blinked.
Prowl nodded. "Really."
"Well … I'm just glad that you're here with me now . . . " She blushed slightly, and Prowl had the sudden impulse to kiss her.
But, just as he was about to, somebody came up to them.
"Uh, excuse me?!" It was Yacinta's friend with the copper-coloured hair, Casey. She had on an expensive-looking jogging suit, and was holding the lead of a blueish-tinged fawn-coloured French Bulldog. "If those things belong to you," she pointed at something to her left. "Then could you get them to stop scaring everyone else's dogs?!"
Emma and Prowl looked, to see that Capi and Brutus were standing on a little hill, and a group of dogs were cowering all around them.
Emma cringed, and then they heard both heard a horn honk from the street nearby.
Looking now, they saw a very familiar-looking yellow car with no driver.
"We got a mission!" Bumblebee called to them. "Prime said, like, now!" He added.
Prowl and Emma both nodded, and stood up.
Prowl whistled for Brutus, who came bounding over to them with Capi in tow.
As Prowl transformed, Emma told Casey: "Sorry, but business calls, and so do my fellow Autobots."
"You're not an Autobot!" Casey snapped.
"I'm the reincarnation of a member of the Autobot Elite Guard so I am too." Emma muttered, as she stalked towards Bumblebee's alt. mode. "Yeah … that's what I should've said."
"So, what's the assignment?" Emma asked Bumblebee as they moved through the streets.
"Uh, yeah," Bumblebee said hesitantly. "About that … uh, why don't you … uh … stay at the tower and … help Bulkhead?"
"What?" Emma blinked. "But … Bee, I always go with you guys lately . . . "
He muttered something that sounded like: "Yeah, and the Decepticons have been avoiding us like Cosmic Rust . . . "
"Huh?" Emma paused. Have I been … holding them back? Are the Decepticons really avoiding them because I've been with them?
Capi was silent as he listened to this. He didn't say anything but, when they got to Sumdac Tower, the little tapir made a point of slamming the door of Bumblebee's alt. mode incredibly hard.
"Ow!" Bumblebee complained, transforming and rubbing at his left arm. "What was that for?!"
"You must've done something to make my brother annoyed." Said Pira, appearing right next to him, as Sari and Miko and their twenty-two shopping bags piled out of Ratchet's alt. mode that had just pulled up. "Also," she went on. "I suggest that you figure it out, otherwise it's just gonna get worse."
"Worse?" Bumblebee didn't like the sound of that.
"Way worse." Pira confirmed.
Bumblebee gulped.
"And then he saved Suzanne from the out of control Vacuum-Bot but not me?!" Bumblebee practically wailed, later on that night. "What did I do to deserve this?!"
"Bumblebee," Optimus sighed. "Like I said before, could you please stay focused?"
"I mean, he doesn't even like Suzanne! Nobody likes Suzanne!"
"Signal's moving due north," Optimus said over the com. link, deciding to ignore Bumblebee for now. "But, we're closing in fast."
"That'll be nice to have the element of surprise for a change." Bumblebee admitted, trying to forget about his problem with Capi.
"Signal's slowing down . . . " Optimus suddenly said. "Now it's heading due south . . . "
"He's heading right for us!" Bumblebee realised, and he, Optimus, Prowl, and Ratchet immediately transformed.
"So much for the element of surprise." Prowl commented. "Also, it could be a she."
"If it's Clear Air Turbulance or that femme Starscream clone, I'm leaving!" Bumblebee declared.
Just then, Lugnut dropped out of the sky, using his devastating punch attack, and they all leapt out of the way just in time, as the punch created a huge crater in the road.
"Where is Ember?!" Lugnut demanded to know.
"She's not here!" Bumblebee quickly yelled back. To his fellow Autobots, he added: "See? I was right - he only showed up because Em's not with us."
"That doesn't actually make much sense, when you think about it." Ratchet commented.
Prowl had a sudden thought. "Wait … Bumblebee — " He didn't get a chance to say what he was thinking, though, because Lugnut was attacking again.
"THEN WHERE IS MEGATRON?!"
"He's not here either!" Bumblebee cried.
Emma walked into the area where Bulkhead and Isaac were constructing the Space Bridge. She took note of the interestingly-coloured forklift that Isaac was driving, and of the Headmaster unit nearby, before she watched Capi focus his power like he had done with Omega Supreme, to transfer some of the All-Spark's power into the power core.
"A little more . . . " Bulkhead said, and then he noticed Emma. "Oh, that's okay, Em, Capi was here, so we used him instead."
"Yeah, yeah." Emma sighed. "Story of my life." She muttered. Story of my life . . .
Capi glanced at her, and then at Bulkhead, and narrowed his optics slightly.
"A little more . . . " Bulkhead said.
"Be careful, Bulkhead!" Isaac suddenly scolded him. "We don't want to overload it!"
"Relax." Bulkhead told him, rolling his optics, as he leaned against the front of the forklift and the power core. "When it comes to Space Bridges, I know what I'm doing."
The floor beneath the forklift and the power core suddenly began to shake, and then crack.
"But I'm not so hot at structural integrity." Bulkhead quickly admitted.
That area of the floor then caved in.
Isaac, the forklift, and the power core all fell down.
Emma, who was clinging to the closest thing - which happened to be Pira - gasped, despite herself, and then she watched as the Headmaster unit tipped over and fell in as well.
"Hang on, Prof.!" Bulkhead called, and was about to use his wrecking ball to provide a rope for Isaac to grab onto, but Capi beat him to it and just used his psychic powers to levitate Isaac back up to where they were.
"Sorry!" Bulkhead called down, as Isaac was raised back up again. "I guess there are some drawbacks to being in a tower."
"Are you okay?!" Emma exclaimed, once Isaac was back on solid ground.
"I mentioned my bed earlier . . . " Isaac said wearily. "And, I think I need to go and lie down on it now."
He walked shakily out of the room.
"I'm gonna need some help cleaning this up . . . " Bulkhead realised, and then he trailed off when he noticed that Pira was looking at him. "I mean, I'm gonna need some structural experts to help clean this up." He stressed, and then he brightened. "And I know just how to find them!"
"Ooh, you mean the Constructicons?!" Emma spoke up, and Bulkhead nodded. "Can I come too, please?!" She asked him.
"No way," Bulkhead now shook his head. "You know what those guys are like."
"But, Sari took care of them by herself!" Emma reminded him.
"They weren't official Decepticons back then." Bulkhead pointed out.
"What, so … I'll just wait for you to bring them back here?" Emma stared at him.
"That's correct." Bulkhead replied, glancing back at her, and then he tripped over a steel beam because he wasn't looking where he was going. "Ow!" he complained. "Capi," he asked the tapir, who was right there. "Why didn't you warn me?!"
Capi didn't say anything.
Pira's optics suddenly widened. "Ohhh . . . " She realised.
After Bulkhead had left, Emma dared to creep closer to the hole in the floor.
"Be careful, Em." Pira warned her. "If you fall down there, you're not getting back up with all your bones intact." She paused, and then added: "Not that we'd let you fall."
"That's right." Her brother agreed.
Emma put on her glasses, and peered down there. "So … do we just pretend we didn't see that?" She asked quietly, pointing down there.
"Is it coming alive even without the physical All-Spark fragments?" Pira was also speaking very softly.
"It must have been because I gave the power core power from the All-Spark." Capi said, in a whisper.
"I wonder if Dirt Boss will still be the same now." Emma whispered.
"He couldn't possibly be any worse." Capi whispered back.
"Okay, but why are we whispering now?" Pira wanted to know.
"Ssh!" Capi hissed.
Mix and Scrapper, who were enjoying the 'show' at a disassembly plant for luxury cars, weren't exactly pleased to see Bulkhead.
"How'd you find us?!" Scrapper demanded to know, slamming Bulkhead up against a wall.
"Urgh… your … energy signatures . . . " Bulkhead explained.
"You ain't taking us down without a fight, you got that?!" Mix told him.
"Wait!" Bulkhead said quickly. "It-it's not like that! I just want to offer you a job! A big job!"
"A job?" Scrapper repeated. He suddenly increased the pressure on Bulkhead's throat. "We don't work for no cranking Autobots no more! We're Decepticons now."
"Yeah," Mix added. "Didn't you see the stamp," he puffed out his chest. "On the grill?"
Yup, it's official. Bulkhead thought. "So how come I don't see your buddies anywhere?" He asked them, managing to look around a bit. "They didn't … run out on you, did they?"
"They'll be back." Scrapper informed him.
"Oh, sure they will." Bulkhead said, with as much fake sympathy as he could muster.
Just then, his com. link rang. He blinked.
"Ain't you, uh … gonna get that?" Mix asked him.
"Uh … I wasn't … planning on it . . . " Bulkhead responded. He managed to clear his throat. "So, your friends … you're just gonna sit here and rust while you wait for them, good plan!"
"Hey, hey, hey," Mix narrowed his optics. "What are you getting at, Bulky?"
"I've got a job for you," Bulkhead re-explained. "It's good, honest work. Who's gonna know?" He added, with a wink.
"I guess there ain't no rule against moonlighting." Mix admitted, trading a glance with Scrapper, as Bulkhead's com. link continued to ring.
Scrapper then looked back at Bulkhead. "Aurgh … but … I-I dunno, I mean … how could we keep this off the books? Because if Megatron ever found out he would blow a head gasket . . . "
Bulkhead's com. link actually sounded impatient, as it continued to ring away. "Right," he said, rolling his optics. "'Cause me and Megatron, we talk all the time . . . " Great, now what do I do?
"Well, why don't you start by talking to whoever's calling you?!" Mix suddenly suggested, as if reading Bulkhead's mind, and then took the liberty of reaching up, and answering the com. link for Bulkhead.
"Bulky?" Came Emma's voice.
"Em?"
"Is that your missus?" Mix asked Bulkhead.
Bulkhead glared at him.
"Just asking." Mix replied, holding up his hands.
"Okay, so you're there, so … how'd it go?" Emma asked Bulkhead. "What did they say?"
"Uh . . . " Bulkhead glanced at Mix and Scrapper, who were listening. "Well … no … they said they can't do it . . . "
"What?!" Emma sounded horrified by this revelation. "B-but … if they can't do it, then … then who can?!"
"I dunno." Bulkhead sighed.
"We'll have to settle for … second-rate workmanship!" Emma told him.
There were two audible gasps from in the background. "Oh no!"
"I mean," Emma went on, still sounding horrified. "If the Constructicons can't do it, who can?!"
"We'll have to do it ourselves!" Pira cried.
It was starting to sound like a TV commercial. Bulkhead half expected to hear a 'DUN-DUN' sound effect after Pira suggested that.
"DIY!" Capi added. "I mean, what could go wrong?!"
"Oh, you gotta be — " Mix began.
"I put together a cabinet once." Emma mused suddenly. "I could do construction . . . "
"Hold it!" Mix and Scrapper both cried in unison, unable to take it any longer.
"Unless there's someone who can help . . . ?" Emma suggested.
"We can do it!" Mix informed her. "I mean, it ain't our usual gig, but, we'll make an exception!"
"You will?!" Emma exclaimed, sounding shocked.
"Y-yeah," Scrapper added. "Look, little lady, just don't do nothing until we get there, okay?"
"Okay!" Emma, Capi, and Pira all said in unison.
Scrapper finally let Bulkhead go.
Bulkhead watched as the two Constructicons began to walk off, and then he muttered into his com. link: "We'll be back soon. Oh, and, seriously - thank you."
Emma giggled. "Anytime."
Emma, now in her Cybertronian form, led Mix and Scrapper over to the hole.
Scrapper whistled. "Whoa." He glanced at Bulkhead. "You weren't kidding. That's a big job."
"How'd that happen, anyway?" Mix asked Emma, as Scrapper transformed and began lowering his hook into the hole to begin drawing up the debri.
Capi, who was perched by Emma's shoulder, jabbed his trunk at Bulkhead. "He did it."
"Figures." Mix rolled his optics, as Bulkhead looked sheepish. Mix then turned his attention to what Scrapper had just hoisted up from within the hole. "Shoulda had triple reinforced steel." He commented. "This is gonna run you some serious overtime, Bulky."
"I never have a clue what they're talking about with stuff like that." Muttered Pira, from Emma's other shoulder.
"Me neither." She admitted. "Still, they constructed that Space Bridge that flung me halfway across the galaxy, so you know they're good at what they do!"
"Take all the time you need, guys." Bulkhead told the Constructicons. "You know, it's not too late to paint some new logos on your chest." He said suddenly. "I mean, just look at Pira."
Mix glanced up at the tapir in question, and then looked back at Bulkhead. "Yeah, I guess … I mean, Megatron had good oil and all, but his management skills stink."
Emma glanced at Pira.
"I would shrug if I could, but I can't so I won't." She replied. She then froze slightly. "Oh . . . "
Scrapper appeared to be having trouble hoisting something up from the hole.
Mix noticed, too. "Yo, Scrap! What was that?"
"I don't know, Mix," Scrapper replied. "But it's putting up a fight . . . " He transformed back to robot mode, which made the fact that he still had the hoist very … strange-looking.
Either way, Mix helped him out. "Hey, hey, ease up on the clutch!"
And, quite suddenly, whatever it was came flying out of the hole and landed with a couple of bounces behind them.
"What the slag is that?" Scrapper wanted to know, as he retracted his hoist.
And, that was when whatever it was transformed.
"If I had to guess," Bulkhead said flatly. "A forklift and a Headmaster unit, embedded with All-Spark power and a whole lot of trouble."
"What are you cogs looking at?" The new Transformer was even shorter than Emma, but he looked and sounded like he meant business, as he marched up to them. "You want a piece of me? Try it, and you'll be going to to the scrapyard in a cranking box!" He added.
"Whoa!" Bulkhead said, as he, Mix, and Scrapper all recoiled slightly. "Someone's got a big chip on his engine block!"
"You ever try working for a living, tiny?" The new Transformer wanted to know.
"Yes." Emma said flatly.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." He nodded curtly to her. "The ingrates never appreciate ya and then they whine when you're not there." He then went back to his ranting. "Taking orders from the man … 'move this, move that'!" He turned, and began marching back the way he'd come. "Well, forget about it! I'm in charge now!"
Scrapper chuckled, and muttered to Mix: "Who stalled and made him boss?"
"That's Dirt Boss to you!" The new Transformer was now facing him. "You got a problem with that?!" He added, and fired a shell from the disc in the centre of his hard hat-like helmet.
It embedded itself into Scrapper's forehead, and the result was that Scrapper was made to repeatedly hit himself because he was under the control of Dirt Boss, who marched circles around him and repeated: "You got a problem?"
Emma stood to one side with Bulkhead, as he made a call.
"Bulkhead and Emma to Prime . . . " Bulkhead said quietly, as Emma cringed at what was happening with the Constructicons. "I think we've got a problem."
"It can't possibly be as big as the one we've got here." Optimus replied, and Emma envisioned him, Bumblebee, Ratchet, and Prowl lying injured on the road.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MEGATRON AND EMBER?!" A new voice suddenly shouted in the background of Optimus's side of the call.
"Was that Lugnut?!" Emma whispered urgently. "Guys, let me come help, and one of you — !"
"No," Optimus told her. "It's - it's fine, we'll manage . . . "
"As long as he doesn't set fire to everything with that punch of his!" Bumblebee's voice piped up.
"WHERE ARE THEY?!" Lugnut could be heard shouting.
"We'll manage!" Optimus told Emma.
"Yeah, sure you will." Emma said, somewhat flatly, as Bulkhead disconnected his com. link and glanced at her. "Okay, fine!" She said, crossing her arms. "Let them roast! Then they'll see how much they need me! Let them roast!" She repeated, and that was when she suddenly realised what she'd actually said. "Roast . . . ? Ohhhh . . . "
"Don't worry about them, they'll be fine." Capi reassured her, and then noticed that Bulkhead was listening. "I mean … probably … let's just hope that Isaac doesn't wake up at the moment . . . " He added, looking over at the Constructicons again.
"What are the odds of that happening?" Bulkhead wanted to know.
"Now that you two have said that," Pira said flatly. "A hundred percent."
Dirt Boss had just finished establishing his position in the pecking order with the Constructicons, and then he turned to Bulkhead, to make sure that he didn't have a problem with what was going on, either (Mix had already basically surrendered).
Bulkhead and Emma exchanged a glance … and that was when Isaac really did come in.
"Bulkhead!" He called out. "Emma! What is all this commotion?" He then took another look at the scene - namely at the Constructicons. His tone changed. "What are they doing here?! Get them out of here at once!" He waved his hand pointedly. "And, Emma," he added, and she jumped. "Would you go and check on Sari? She's having a sleepover with Miko and it is getting very loud . . . "
"Uh - I - uh — " Emma stammered.
Dirt Boss began walking forward. "Yo, where's this pip squeak get off ordering us around?" He demanded to know. "Why, I have half a mind to — "
"Wait!" Bulkhead said, rushing to stand between Isaac and Dirt Boss. "I - I mean — " He glanced at Emma, who was biting at her lip. "He doesn't order us around - I order him around!" He then turned to face Isaac and said, in what he hoped was a commanding voice: "Now get cracking on that plasma dynamic thruster before I give you a face full of wrecking ball!" He winked, but that wink was completely missed by Isaac, who was thoroughly perplexed by Bulkhead's sudden attitude.
"Bulkhead," he began. "Is this some kind of — "
"I said move it human!" Bulkhead snapped. "I want it done yesterday!"
He winked again and, once again, Isaac completely missed it in his sleep-deprived state - the professor went hurrying from the room, saying: "Yes sir! I take back what I said before!" He added. "You are worse than working for Megatron!"
"Whew . . . " Bulkhead muttered. "At least he's safe now." Dirt Boss turned to look at him. "I mean … huh, guess I showed him!"
Pira flew back into the room.
"How're the girls?" Emma asked her quietly.
"They're fine." Pira replied simply.
"No, no … don't do it," Sari whispered, staring wide-eyed at the screen over her pillow. "Don't go in there!"
Miko was munching on popcorn, looking fascinated.
The woman on the screen opened the basement door, and the bloodthirsty monster leapt out at her with a ferocious roar.
Sari and Miko both screamed.
It was the start of a long night, as Dirt Boss convinced Mix and Scrapper to help take back the city that machines helped build - by stealing oil, which was absolutely something that Mix and Scrapper could get behind!
"I have to stop them!" Bulkhead realised.
"You mean we have to!" Emma said firmly, grabbing his arm. "I'll be your eyes in the sky, just like police air-wing support! We'll find them!"
"You sure about that?" Bulkhead asked her. "I mean … your alt. mode is … more of a beast mode . . . "
"The people will have to get used to it eventually." Emma shrugged, before she transformed. "Now, come on, they're already way ahead of us!"
It wasn't long before Emma spotted the Constructicons on an almost deserted highway, and directed Bulkhead to where Mix and Scrapper had just taken possession of a tanker, on Dirt Boss's orders.
They tipped out the terrified driver, who was only saved from roughly meeting the asphalt because he was grabbed by Emma.
He seemed stunned, as he was held in the talons of her bird-like alt. mode, and Bulkhead tried to convince the Constructicons to not do this.
Mix responded by cementing Bulkhead's feet to the road.
He and Scrapper then left, taking the tanker with them.
Dirt Boss approached Emma, who was perched on one clawed foot on the guard rail, and looked at the human who was still held in her other claw.
"Tell them there's a new boss in town!" He told the man. "Dirt Boss!" He then laughed, before transforming and taking off again.
Only once he was gone did Emma transform, and place the human carefully on the ground.
He stared up at her. "First one of your friends wailed on my truck," he told her. "And now this?!"
"I'm so sorry this happened." She apologised to him.
"Again." Bulkhead added.
Emma cringed, and then turned to try and help him get free of his new cement shoes.
Things only seemed to go from bad to worse, as even with eyes in the sky it was almost impossible for Emma and Bulkhead to keep up with the Constructicons, although those three also left a clear trail of destruction for them to follow.
It ended briefly at one point with Bulkhead having to answer questions from both Fanzone and Mackenzie, while Emma circled in the skies above.
"Who's the bird?" Fanzone asked, pointing upwards.
"Uh … that's Emma." Bulkhead responded.
"Well, people are surprised, of course," Mackenzie said briskly. "But, are grateful for you two for helping all the same. This is still not good, though." She added pointedly.
Bulkhead sighed. "We know."
"We got a description of the perps," Fanzone explained to Bulkhead. "Thirty-foot tall, robotic, rude." He gave Bulkhead a steely look. "Friends of yours?"
"Not really." Came Emma's voice over Bulkhead's com. link.
"Sorta." Was Bulkhead's response, and then he elaborated: "But, they're good bots, captain," he glanced at Fanzone, and then at Mackenzie. "Officer … just … misprogrammed."
"Well, if you see your 'good bots'," Fanzone said. "You tell them I don't take kindly to machines acting up in my town."
"Don't worry." Bulkhead said, sighing again. "I'll tell them … if I — "
There was a low-pitched, bird-like call from above him.
"If we ever catch them . . . "
Somehow, Emma was able to spot where the Constructicons had gone, and she and Bulkhead discovered a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Detroit just seemed to be full of them. They made the perfect places for Vampire attacks, meetings with bounty hunters, and … whatever Dirt Boss and his cronies were now planning.
However, before Emma and Bulkhead could really get the scope on things, they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Isaac, and they both jumped.
"Oh, thank goodness I found you!" Isaac said.
"How did you find us?!" Emma whispered.
"Suzanne was saying something about a giant golden bird, and so I just watched to see where you would land." Isaac explained to her. "Don't worry, she doesn't know it is you." He added.
"Oh thank Primus." Emma said immediately.
"More to the point," Isaac suddenly looked slightly fearful, and that was when Emma and Bulkhead both realised that he was carrying the plasma dynamic thruster. "Here! You said you wanted it yesterday and then you weren't in the lab but I didn't want you to get angrier so I figured — " He looked even more terrified when Bulkhead held out one claw to try and get him to keep his voice down. "Please don't hurt me! I am a father!"
"Isaac, it's okay!" Emma said, quietly but somewhat urgently.
"Yeah," Bulkhead said, in a low and calm voice. "I was just playing along before so those guys wouldn't hurt you."
Emma nodded quickly, and then she jumped again, because the Constructicons had just come outside.
"Who you talking to, big guy?" Dirt Boss asked Bulkhead.
Bulkhead turned back to Isaac, and said briskly: "I don't want to hear your lame excuses, human! Now fix it right this time and make it snappy!"
"Yes sir!" Isaac exclaimed, and scampered off again.
"Humans, huh?" Bulkhead said, turning back to the Constructicons and shrugging. "What can you do?"
"'What can you do?'." Dirt Boss mimicked him. "I'll tell you what we can do! We can squeeze them for every last drop of oil they got!"
"We can?" Scrapper sounded shocked.
"The fossil fuel refinery has the biggest oil supply in the city." Dirt Boss explained. "But if we take them offline, we'll have the biggest supply. The city will have no choice but to come to us for oil! No one can stop us!" He added, laughing.
The three Constructicons turned to go.
Emma was looking at Bulkhead, who was looking at her, and then he kind of nodded for her to stand back.
Only the fact that she was ninety-nine percent sure of what was going to happen, and also because she knew that she wasn't going to be able to take on two (possibly three) Constructicons at once, made Emma content to not interfere with what happened next.
She still wasn't exactly happy about it, though.
"No one except me!" Bulkhead told the three Constructicons, who all turned back.
"Oh?" Mix said. "And how are you gonna stop us, huh? Bulky?"
"Like this!" Bulkhead attacked with his wrecking ball … which then got jammed in Mix's arm-cannon.
"I don't think so!" Mix told him, and yanked his arm back; the wrecking ball stayed jammed, and Bulkhead toppled over.
"Didn't think this through, did you, tough bot?" Dirt Boss remarked, and then he looked at Emma, who was just standing there. "Looks like you're gonna have to learn to get tough with that human assistant on your own, ain't you, golden girl?"
Emma gulped. "W-wait, you c-can't just take him — " She motioned somewhat helplessly towards Bulkhead.
"Don't worry, you'll get him back!" Dirt Boss told her. "Maybe . . . " He motioned to the other two Constructicons. "Let's go, boys!"
And, Bulkhead was dragged away, despite his protests.
"Okay … seriously . . . " Bumblebee sighed, staring down at a stasis-cuffed Lugnut, who glared up at them all from at the bottom of the crater. "We have tried everything! Except an airlift!" He shook his head. "Maybe I was wrong … maybe we did need Em after all!"
"Bumblebee," Prowl came over to him, looking very serious all of a sudden. "You didn't actually tell her that you thought the Decepticons were avoiding us in battle because of her … did you?"
"What?!" Bumblebee took a step back. "It's not like everyone else wasn't thinking that as well!"
"I actually said that it doesn't make any sense!" Ratchet called from the bottom of the crater.
"Besides," Bumblebee protested. "What if she gets hurt?! Or - or, captured, or sent through a Space Bridge again or something?!"
"Bumblebee," Optimus said quietly. "I don't suppose you mentioned that part to her though, did you?"
Before Bumblebee could answer, Lugnut decided to have his input, too.
"Fools!" He yelled. "Ember is stronger than all of you pathetic Autobots combined!" He then paused, and added: "Not that I would risk hurting her, though, as per. Lord Megatron's orders!"
"Ya see?!" Bumblebee cried in frustration. "Ya see?!"
Dirt Boss actually had to groan, when they got to the oil refinery and found Emma waiting for them.
"Not another step!" She said, shaking her head.
"Okay, are you seriously gonna do this?!" Dirt Boss demanded to know.
"You just dragged one of my closest friends all the way here, what do you think?!" She cried.
Dirt Boss sighed. "Alright, have it your way." He nodded towards Scrapper. "Get her out of the way."
Scrapper cringed. "Uh . . . " He looked at the femme bot that was less than half his height, and then back at Dirt Boss. "I … uh … don't think that's … possible . . . "
"I'll decide what is or isn't possible!" Dirt Boss told him angrily and then, to Bulkhead's horror, fired his body-controlling shell into Scrapper's forehead.
"No!" Bulkhead called out in desperation. "Please, don't do this!"
"Yeah, wait!" Scrapper cried, even as the shell took control of his body and made him start to walk towards Emma. "Why … me? Why didn't you just . . . ?"
Dirt Boss sighed again, realising what Scrapper meant. "It doesn't work on femmes." He explained to them. "They're too strong-willed. You'll never get anywhere if you don't realise that." He added.
"Oh, okay, yeah, makes sense." Bulkhead, Scrapper, and Mix all said.
Bulkhead then added: "Em! Whatever you do, don't use your fire powers!" He hated having to tell her that - how else was she gonna fight off a thirty-foot tall Constructicon?
Apparently, she could do a lot more than just use fire in battle.
Which is when Dirt Boss realised that Scrapper was actually going to have to fight back.
Bulkhead's spark practically stopped when he watched Emma take that first hit and, despite the fact that Scrapper seemed to be apologising and Emma was continuing to fight, Bulkhead suddenly felt the need to speak up again.
Even though the more he watched her, the more he felt like he had seen that kind of fighting style before, he still had to put a stop to all of this!
"You can't blow up the refinery!" He tried to tell Mix. "It's dangerous!"
"Oh, and this ain't?" He gestured to Emma, who had just used a broken steel pole to vault over Scrapper, before tripping him up with that same pole.
"Good, innocent people are gonna get hurt!" Bulkhead protested.
"You tryin'a tell me that she didn't call ahead and evacuate this place?!" Mix snapped.
Dirt Boss was getting more and more frustrated. "Hey, you!" He called to Mix. "Go and help him, we got work to do!"
"And, besides," Bulkhead said, as he dug his other clawed servo into the ground. "If you blow up the refinery, where will you get more oil?!"
"Oh." Mix stopped. "We didn't think of that."
"No … I do the thinking around here!" Dirt Boss said angrily, drawing his body-controlling shell back from Scrapper suddenly.
Scrapper immediately stepped back from Emma. "I am so sorry about that!" He told her.
"Don't worry!" She said, although she was breathing somewhat heavily. "I've been to space and I've been to war! I've got more gumption than a tub of multi-purpose cleansing paste!"
They then both turned, to see that Mix had just been made to do battle with Bulkhead, despite the fact that Bulkhead's wrecking ball was still jammed in Mix's arm-cannon.
"Seriously?" Emma sighed.
"I know, right?" Scrapper shook his head. "Wanna get a drink sometime? As friends?" He added, because he suspected that she was taken and he didn't want to get slagged by her partner.
She actually smiled. "Ha … yeah, sure. We'll see what happens, mate."
The other Autobots were still busy trying to haul the stasis-cuffed Lugnut out of the crater, when Bulkhead opened up a com. link to them and they realised at once that he was fighting a tough opponent.
"Let's get a fix on his signal," Optimus said. "And move!"
"What about the Decepticon?" Prowl asked.
"Our friends are more important!" Optimus stated.
"That's right … Em was with Bulkhead, wasn't she?" Ratchet groaned.
Prowl looked shocked.
"Just finish the job and take him offline, will ya?!" An unfamiliar voice was saying gruffly from Bulkhead's side of the com. link. "And you! If you've got time to ask the harpie lady out for a drink then you're not working hard enough!"
Prowl gasped. "Em is not a harpie lady!" He said indignantly.
"That's right!" Lugnut angrily agreed. "Let me go, and I shall smite whoever said she was!"
"No, you're not going anywhere!" Optimus called to him.
The Autobots then all let go of the steel cables - Lugnut toppled back down to the bottom of the crater.
"Transform and roll out!"
Not long after that, the Constructicons figured out that Bulkhead had an open com. link.
Emma, who was leaning against a nearby wall and breathing heavily, likened it to when the bad guys in a movie discovered that somebody was wearing a wire … or, even in real life, when that happened . . .
She knew that she mustn't get too involved, but … it was becoming harder and harder not to. Especially when Dirt Boss grabbed the body-controlling shell out of Mix's head and then jammed it into Bulkhead's forehead.
Emma couldn't help but gasp. She knew that Megatron had threatened to use the Headmaster unit to take control of Bulkhead's body and use it to destroy his friends … and, now, the implications of this situation, in which a being formed from a forklift and that very same Headmaster unit and the powers of the All-Spark was about to try and do just that, felt all too real for her.
Poor Bulkhead!
She barely even noticed when Mix and Scrapper took advantage of the holes that had been made in the nearby oil tank.
Dirt Boss would not allow them to guzzle for very long, however, and declared that the oil was not for drinking - it was for torching the place, and Bulkhead was the one who was gonna do it!
Mix suddenly wasn't too keen on the idea. "What about me? I mean … we're, kinda attached, you know?" He reminded them, as Bulkhead began to walk slowly up to the oil tank.
Scrapper and Dirt Boss were hiding behind a nearby wall, but they peeked out.
"Can't build a house without busting a few bricks." Dirt Boss explained.
"It's just business, Mix." Scrapper assured him. "Nothing personal."
"Yo Scrap, get back here!" Mix complained, as he was powerless to stop Bulkhead from walking towards the oil tank. "Come on!"
"Stop!" Emma suddenly cried, all rational thought and that ninety-nine percent of her that was sure the cartoon would be accurate flying straight out of her mind. Something was slightly different … she could feel where Prowl's energy signal was, and it was too far away to make it on time."You don't need him." She nodded towards Bulkhead. "They don't call me Ember for nothing." She added, as she stepped forwards and created a teeny, tiny little flame in her palm, which illuminated her face. "I'll do it."
Optimus, Prowl, Ratchet, and Bumblebee finally sped into the oil refinery, where they nearly ran over Isaac when he leapt out from an alleyway with the plasma dynamic thruster.
"Optimus Prime!" He said, as the four Autobots transformed. "Thank goodness I found you!"
"Professor Sumdac . . . " Optimus looked at him. "How did you get here?"
"I soared majestically like an eagle, as I was carried here by a giant golden bird." He explained, sounding slightly in awe. "Well, of course, it was really Emma, but still!" He suddenly turned serious again. "It is those horrible Constructicons! They're going to blow up the fossil fuel refinery!"
"And Bulkhead's also with them?" Prowl asked him, since he could already tell that Emma was there, and not just from Isaac's slightly overly-dramatic story (from which he had left out all the parts where he had been screaming for mercy from Garuda).
"Yes," Isaac nodded. "But, don't worry - he's just pretending to be with them to protect me."
It was at this point that Bulkhead came towards them and attacked (with both his wrecking ball and Mix) and that was when they discovered that somebody was controlling him.
Dirt Boss made his appearance then, and Bumblebee was quick to leap into action when Scrapper was told to attack.
"Will you slag that annoying little pipsqueak already?!" Dirt Boss yelled to Scrapper, as Bumblebee continued to dance circles around the bigger bot.
"Hey!" The little yellow speedster called back, before Scrapper could say anything. "Who're you calling 'pipsqueak', short stuff?!"
"Yeah, speaking of 'short' . . . " Dirt Boss suddenly half-turned, and called over his shoulder: "If you don't get to torching that oil, then we go back to the first plan where your bulky friend does it instead!"
"You did not have to cement my wings to this thing!" Emma yelled back suddenly, and the four Autobots who had just arrived looked over in horror.
Prowl then noticed something about Bumblebee's fight with Scrapper, and warned him to be careful about the sparks, because there was oil everywhere.
Thankfully, Ratchet seized the opportunity when it arose, and used his electro magnetic powers to remove the body-controlling shell from out of Bulkhead's forehead.
While he then worked on getting his wrecking ball free, Prowl made his way over to Emma with all the stealth of a cyber ninja.
"It's okay," he told her quietly. "Bulkhead's free."
Emma looked relieved. "Thank goodness … but … what about me — ?" She broke off abruptly, and then she and Prowl exchanged a look. They had both just realised something.
"That's what's special about you." Prowl told her softly, as she returned to her human form, and fell into his waiting arms.
"Nah, you guys can do that, too." She reminded him.
"Ours are just borrowed forms." Prowl replied, as he carried her back over to the others. "But you … are both."
"Hmm . . . " She hadn't thought about it that way.
As it transpired, Prowl had managed to get Emma out of there just in time; when Bulkhead threw Mix back to land on Scrapper, it caused a few sparks that immediately ignited the oil that was all over the place.
Emma was very thankful that none of her loved ones were touching the oil when that happened.
Scrapper's hand had become stuck in Mix's chest drum, and the two Constructicons immediately wanted to try and get out of there.
Dirt Boss wasn't having that, and leapt onto Scrapper's head to try and take manual control of him.
Or, something.
"I so don't have time for this." Optimus suddenly said, as the flames continued to spread and the three Constructicons continued to basically fight amongst themselves.
The Autobots worked to get closer to the oil tank, which the three Constructicons climbed to the top of when they saw the Autobots approaching.
It soon became apparent that the fire was uncontainable and they were not going to be able to get it under control.
"Perhaps we can transport it!" Isaac suggested, running up to them with the plasma dynamically thruster.
"The plasma dynamic thruster!" Bulkhead nodded. "Great idea, Professor!"
"Wait!" Bumblebee spoke up. "Isn't that the thing that sent Megatron Transwarping randomly around the galaxy?!"
"Well, yeah," Bulkhead took the plasma dynamic thruster off of Isaac. "But I think I can reprogram it for a shorter distance." He began quickly fiddling with something on the device.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Bumblebee told him.
"Of course he does!" Emma exclaimed, and Bumblebee glanced at her.
But, they had no time to say anything else, as they all moved back.
Bulkhead then threw the plasma dynamic thruster up to the top of the oil tank, much to the surprise of the three Constructicons.
Just then, the flames finally travelled up the steady stream of oil and into the oil tank itself … just as the plasma dynamic thruster Transwarped the whole oil tank, and the three Constructicons away.
The explosion was still big enough to be seen from the oil refinery, although it was right in the middle of Lake Erie, much to the shock of the Dinobots.
"It's over." Bulkhead said with a sigh, once the explosion had died down and the light had returned to normal.
"Not quite." Optimus reminded him. "We still have a Decepticon to haul away."
"I can help with that." Emma spoke up, jumping down from Prowl's arms, and transforming back into her Cybertronian mode.
"But, then," Bumblebee quickly said, before anybody could stop him. "Who's gonna take Professor Sumdac home?"
Emma turned to him, and the look in her optics said it all. She swiftly transformed without so much as a word, flew over to Isaac, and picked him up in her claw.
"Meree madad keejie!" The terrified professor yelled, as he was carried away into the air. "Garuda!"
Ratchet took the opportunity to smack Bumblebee upside the head. "Didn't you learn anything over the past deca-cycle?!"
"What?!" Bumblebee rubbed the back of his head.
"Femmes don't like to be made to feel useless!" Ratchet scolded him.
"Yeah, and Em's anything but useless!" Bulkhead added. "You should've seen her when she took on Scrapper … hey, now I know!" And, he looked right at Prowl. "When Em was fighting Scrapper, I thought that what she was doing looked really familiar! The training that you guys do is one thing! But, she fights like you, Prowl! That cyber ninja stuff! Ember Prime is a cyber ninja!"
Prowl looked startled.
The Autobots arrived back at the crater, to discover that Lugnut was no longer there.
Prowl quickly checked his scanner, and proclaimed: "Wherever Lugnut is now, he's out of scanning range." No sooner were the words out of his mouth, when he got a call from Emma. "Em?"
"I just thought you'd all like to know," she said, and it was impossible to read her tone of voice. "That I've just seen Lugnut heading upwards through the cloud cover, alongside Ramjet, aka the white Starscream clone who couldn't tell the truth to save his life."
"Em!" Bumblebee practically leapt at Prowl to get closer to his com. link, to get his point across. "Do not engage! I repeat! Do not engage!"
Optimus rolled his optics.
"I have Isaac with me!" Emma reminded Bumblebee.
"Well, good!" He said firmly. "Because, I don't want you to get hurt!"
There was a moment of silence, and then Emma said: "Bee … you don't have to worry so much about me, I am fine. But, thank you. I really appreciate it. I guess that I'm still finding my place in the team when it comes to each of you. We'll get there." She disconnected the call.
"Well, obviously she didn't mean that with you, Prowl." Bumblebee said. "She probably meant you, Ratchet." He went on, walking away from Prowl and not really looking at where he was going. "Or, maybe you, Prime, I mean … you are both Pri — i — imes — !" He suddenly yelled, as he fell into the crater, and went tumbling all the way down to the bottom of the hole.
The others just stood there for a moment, and then they all looked at each other.
"Let's just leave him there, shall we?" Ratchet suggested. "He'll get out eventually."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Meree madad keejie! - Help me!