In the woodland outskirts of Crown City, Bulkhead was patrolling the forest looking for any sign of prisoners as he then stopped and went into bot mode as he looked around. "Okay, I'm at the coordinates." Bulkhead said through his commlink. "But I'm not seeing any pods around, Fixit. Are you sure you got it right this time?"
"Absosnotly, coffee," Fixit glitched out before smacking sounds could be heard. "Absolutely correct. You should be close to where the stasis pods should be at, Bulkhead."
"Alright, but I seriously doubt there is anything," Bulkhead said as he searched around the forest trying to find anything suspicious. "Huh, the forest is always a maze here. How can something that big and metallic be so hard to find in places like this? But it does remind me of the good old days. Heh, and at least it's something besides guard or construction duty." He said with a chuckle as he kept his search.
Then charging through the trees behind Bulkhead was a large armored figure. "Huh?" Bulkhead asked as he turned, and was tackled by the figure, which made him give a girlish scream as the two rolled around while they wrestled each other, which they knocked over a couple of trees in the process as they rolled down a ledge.
"Get off of me, fugitive!" Bulkhead called as he managed to kick the figure off him, which caused them to crash into a tree below as Bulkhead slid down and marched up to them while readying his hammer. "Okay, pal. Whoever you are, you're about to be Wrecked by a-" He trailed off when he walked up and looked down at who it was as his optics widened in shock. "You?"
What he saw was none other then a familiar armor, it was the Apex Armor that the Autobots lent to their old human friends after restoring Cybertron, but it wasn't the armor that shocked, but who was in it.
"Bulk?" It was Miko, Bulkhead's old human companion, but she was a bit older with her hair down and longer, with her pink highlights and had pink eyeshadow and black lipstick and gold ring on her ear
"Miko?! Is that you?!" Bulkhead asked in complete shock at seeing her, while she look different he recognize the voice.
"Who else wears an Cybertronian suits and wrecks up a Wrecker?" Miko asked with a grin.
"Yep. That's you." Bulkhead said with a joyful chuckle as he helped Miko up and caught her in a bear hug, which made her giggle as Bulkhead shared a laugh. "I can't believe it! It's great to see you again, Miko!"
"Right back at ya, Bulk!" Miko smiled as she deactivated her armor and showed her wearing dark blue ripped jeans, black combat boots with magenta laces, a white t-shirt with the Autobot symbol, a black leather vest with emoji pins on her right side and red fingerless gloves, "What are you doing here? How'd you get here? How many cons have you crushed?" She asked quickly.
Bulkhead laughed and kneeled down to her, "I'd like to tell ya, Miko, but I got a mission to finish and perp to find," He explained.
"Well don't you worry, cause we already found 'im." Miko told him with a smirk.
"Wait, we?" Bulkhead asked in confusion before he realized who she meant. "You mean…?" He started with a smile.
"You know it." Miko said with a smirk as she went to her comm, "Hey boys, come check who I found." She called.
"You sure, Miko?" a familiar voice spoke up.
"Trust me, it will be worth it." Miko said with a smirk. "Now get out before I come back and drag your butts here to show you." She warned with a playful tone.
Just then, a Ground Bridge opened up beside Miko and Bulkhead, which coming out of it was none other than Jack and Raf, who are a bit older as well. Raf was a bit taller, wearing brown pants, black, a beige dress shirt under an orange sweater and red glasses. Jack was a young adult while wearing a dark blue Motorcycle suit, but he had an Autobot logo on the left side of his shirt while having a black t-shirt underneath his. The two stopped and looked in shock at who was with Miko.
"Bulkhead?" Raf asked in surprise and a smile.
"Jack. Raf." Bulkhead said with a smile and a small laugh. "It has been a long time, boys!"
"W-We're doing fine, Bulk. But, wow, it's so great to see you again." Jack said with a smile. "We haven't seen you since the Omegalock mission."
"Heh, well, time sure flies by after rebuilding a whole planet." Bulkhead said with a chuckle. "But I didn't expect Miko to show up in the Apex Armor."
"Are, are you the only one on Earth?" Jack asks slowly as Raf and Miko are wondering the same thing.
Bulkhead then transformed and opened his doors, "Hop in and find out." He told them.
"Rad!" Miko cheered as she hopped in first, which Jack and Raf looked at each other in amusement as they got on as well as Bulkhead drove off with the three old human friends.
At the Scrapyard, Rodimus and the other Autobots were hanging around as Sideswipe and Strongarm were taking turns pulling out washing machines from a tower of them. "Okay, easy now." Strongarm said as she carefully pulled out a washing machine from a spot of the tower as she carefully got it out completely as the tower stood still as she sighed in relief and gave a smirk to Sideswipe. "Let's see you try that." She bragged.
"Ah, please. I can pick it easy." Sideswipe said with a smirk as he walked up. "Mm, I think this." He said as he grabbed a washing machine and took it out, which caused the tower to shake and he gave a yelp as it fell on him, which Strongarm gave a laugh from.
"And that's why you need to take your time before you make a move," Strongarm said with a smirk as Sideswipe gave her a growl.
Grimlock laughed at the sight. "Stack them up and do it again!" He said in amusement.
"Aw, come on, guys! These washing machines are vintage!" Denny cried out in despair.
"Oh relax Denny, it's not like any of them are broken," Sideswipe said, holding up a washing machine before its door fell off, "That much." He corrected himself with a sheepish smile as Denny groaned as he slouched in despair.
"Okay, guys. Go easy on Denny's stuff." Bumblebee said as he, Acree, and Rodimus stepped in. "We don't want any flash floods of tears."
"Again." Acree said with her arms crossed with a dull look.
"Fixit, anyword from Bulkhead yet?" Rodimus asked Fixit who was at the Command center with Russell.
"He checked in five minutes ago but has yet to report back." Fixit informed him.
"Eh, it's only a few minutes." Russell shrugged off. "I'm sure he's okay and still searching."
"Careful kid, even a few minutes can be too late." Arcee advised him.
They then heard engine noises and turned to see Bulkhead driving in, "Guys, didn't find the pod but I found something even better," Bulkhead said excitedly.
"What would that be?" Rodimus asked him.
"Some old friends." Bulkhead answered as he opened up his doors, which Raf, Jack, and Miko came out as they looked at the Autobots in surprise and joy.
"Raf?" Bumblebee said with a smile.
"Jack?" Arcee said in joy.
"Bee!" Raf cheered as he rushed up to Bumblebee and hugged him by the legs, which Bumblebee smiled at him.
"Arcee. Guys, it's great to see you again." Jack said with a smile.
"Wait, you bots know them?" Denny asked in surprise, as was Russell.
"They're the humans who helped us save the Earth from the Decepticons." Rodimus explained to them with a smile, "Rafael, able to hack into Decepticon computers with ease, Miko with the will and courage of any wrecker and Jack, chosen by Optimus himself to carry the power of the Matrix of Leadership."
"Seriously?" Russell questioned in surprise.
"Yep. That's us!" Miko said with a smirk as she noticed the rest of the group before seeing Grimlock. "Yo! Grimlock! How's it hanging?!" She called with a wave.
"Hehe, hey Miko, High-five!" Grimlock said, raising a claw to him.
Miko smirked as she jumped up and slapped her hand on Grimlocks as the two shared a laugh. Raf walked up to Fixit. "Fixit, it's been a while. And I see you're still working on monitor duty." Raf said with a smile to the Minicon.
"Oh, well you know me Rafael. Always here to watch, listen and re-re-re-re-re-re-re," He glitched as Raf gave an amused smile as he walked up to Fixit and smacked his head. "Respond!" He finished.
"Still malfunctioning?" Raf guessed as Fixit gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Uh yes, a consequence of the crash." Fixit said with a sheepish look.
Jack walked up to Rodimus, "It's been a long time," Jack said with a smile.
"It most certainly has, Jack." Rodimus said as he kneeled down to him. "And you three sure have changed."
"Time can do that to you, Rodimus." Jack said with a smile as he then saw Sideswipe and Strongarm arguing and wrestling each other as Strongarm had Sideswipe pinned down away. "Strongarm and Sideswipe still at each other's throats?"
"Unfortunately." Arcee sighed as she walked up next to Jack, "So, how's Sierra?" She asked with a teasing grin.
Jack then blushed in embarrassment. "Uh, well, you know. She's doing okay." He said with a sheepish smile.
"Mmmhmm." Acree said with a smirk.
"Speaking of, what's with the new paint job, Cee?" Jack questioned while noticing Acree's purple paint job. "I'd never take you as a purple girl."
"A lot's happened since we last met." Acree said with a smile while a hand on her hip. "And I needed a new look to move on."
"Glad to hear it," Jack said as he turned to Rodimus, "Rodimus I just wanted to say, I'm sorry." he said with a frown.
"Sorry?" Rodimus said confusedly.
"Ratchet told us what happened to Optimus." Jack said solemnly as Raf and Miko looked just as saddened.
"He was one tough bot." Miko said with a frown.
"And, a brave one." Raf added.
"It's alright. We were all torn for what happened to Optimus." Rodimus said with a small smile. "But he did what he had to do for the sake of Cybertron."
"So, you talked to Ratch, huh?" Bulkhead said with a smile, "How is the old bot?"
"Not sure." Miko said with a shrug, which confused them.
"We haven't heard from Ratchet in a while." Raf answered. "He left to help with some rebuilding on Cybertron, but he hasn't returned or called."
"We figured you could tell us how he's been," Jack told them.
"Actually, we haven't heard from Ratchet either," Rodimus revealed, which surprised the three humans. "It's unlike Ratchet to go off the grid."
"I really hope he's okay," Raf said in concern.
"Hey, don't worry. If Ratchet can survive Megatron and Predaking, he's probably fine." Bulkhead assured them with a smirk.
"Right, Ratchet may be old but he's got some serious moves." Bumblebee added.
"Eh, he's probably out doing some medical emergencies or something." Sideswipe said with a shrug.
"Now that we discuss this, can I ask what brought you three here to our scrapyard?" Denny asked as he and Russell looked at Jack, Miko, and Raf.
"Yeah, what brings you three here near Crown City?" Russell asked.
"Well, we intercepted a Cybertronian signal, which surprised us since it's been a while since we saw one, and we decided to investigate by sending Miko in to scout the area before we contact Fowler about it." Raf explained.
"How did you get here that fast?" Denny asked.
"The Bots lend us some of their tech to track anything Cybertronian and have access to a Ground Bridge to keep up with any rogue Cybertronians or Decepticons since the bots weren't always around." Jack explained. "And we have the Apex Armor to help even the odds if it's a fight."
"So you've captured some of the escaped prisoners?" Fixit asked them.
"A couple," Raf told him, bringing out a tablet and showing a few Cybertronian names on it. "We've been holding them at Unit-E with some Stasis pods we found."
"Clever." Strongarm said with a smile.
"Wow, you guys are good." Russell said in amazement. "And working for the military? Luckies."
"Yep. We're just that good." Miko said with a smirk.
Suddenly the alarms went off and Fixit checked the console, "Sir, I've just detected another escaped Decepticon signal. Sending corridonates." He said, showing them the map and the signal.
"Wow. That's in Nevada." Denny said in surprise.
"Which is pretty far from here." Russell noted.
"And we don't have a Ground Bridge to get us there faster if we have to go on wheels, or in Grimlock's case, feet." Sideswipe said.
"Hey." Grimlock said with a look.
"No worries, guys." Raf said as he took out a tablet. "You can use ours." He said as he pressed a couple of buttons and a Ground Bridge portal opened up beside them.
"Whoa." Russell said in awed while Denny looked in amazement.
"A remote control for the Ground Bridge?" Rodimus asked with a small smile. "Impressive, Rafael."
"Say, you three think you have enough time to join us on a mission?" Bumblebee asked with an interesting smile.
"Just for old time sake?" Jack asked with a smile.
"Alright!" Miko raved.
"I'll stay with Fixit and help monitor things." Raf said as he stood beside the Minicon. "It would be great to catch up."
"Sounds like a plan," Rodimus nodded, "Okay Time to Blaze Out a Journey!" He declared as they all gave him a weird look.
"That's your catchphrase?" Jack asked with a brow.
"What? I'm still trying to find the right rallying cry." Rodimus said in defense. "It's not easy to find one when the 'Autobots Roll Out' phrase was already taken."
"Well, you might need to find one better than that." Miko said with a bored look.
"Let's just go." Rodimus said as the others walked into the Ground Bridge. "Not how I wanted this reunion to be like that." He muttered as he walked into the Ground Bridge after his team.
They soon arrived in Nevada as they exited the Ground Bridge. "Heh, it's been a while since we went through a Ground Bridge." Bulkhead said with a smile.
"Any sign of our fugitive?" Acree asked as Bumblebee took out a scanner.
"Not yet. But the signal says that our fugitive could be close by." Bumblebee informed.
"Where are we anyway?" Sideswipe asked with a brow before they looked around and saw they were in some kind of desert-like forest.
"Well, we're in Nevada, but in a desert forest part of it." Jack said with a shrug.
"Any place a Con could hide out at?" Sideswipe asked them.
"I believe the best course of action would be to split up and cover more ground." Rodimus said to them.
"Sounds like a plan." Miko said with a smirk. "I call Bulk and Grim!" She said as she rushed to her two favorite bots.
"Whoo! Wreckers together again!" Grimlock cheered.
"I'll stick with Strongarm and Sideswipe," Bumblebee said, gesturing to the two rookies.
"Then I guess I'm with you and Rodimus," Jack said, looking at Acree, who just smiled and shrugged.
"Remember, when you find the fugitive, don't engage, call for backup." Rodimus instructed.
"Sure." Bulkhead said as he smashed his fists together. "Let's roll." He said as they all spread out to begin their search for their fugitive.
From the shadows the tree line an orange glowing visor and eight green eyes were seen as the owner gave a snarling hiss and disappeared further into the shadows.
With Miko, Bulkhead, and Grimlock, they were searching around in the forest as Miko spoke. "I can't believe you guys are here! And we're searching for cons! Just like old times!" Miko said with a smile.
"Just remember Miko, follow our lead," Bulkhead told the girl, "We aren't dealing with Starscream or Soundwave anymore, just a Decepticon we know nothing about."
"When has that ever stopped us?" Miko asked with a smirk.
"The time when Astrotrain busted her leg even when you're protected by the Apex Armor?" Grimlock reminded her with a brow.
"Okay, true. But that was one time." Miko assured them with a smile. "And I still have the Apex Armor and Astrotrain isn't here."
"Alright, alright," Bulkhead said as they kept looking for any sign of the con as something whizzed passed from behind them. "What was that?" He asked with a suspicious tone when he heard it.
"What was what?" Grimlock asked.
"I didn't hear anything." Miko said with a shrug.
"I could've sworn I heard," Bulkhead said as the same thing zipped behind them while it tit-tatted against the ground quickly. "Okay, now I know something is up." He said seriously.
"Is it our Con?" Miko asked seriously.
"Could be. I would like to punch him down." Grimlock said with a smirk.
Then they heard more tit-tat sounds as Bulkhead ready his hammer as the three looked around in trying to find the source while they stood back to back. "Alright, pal! Whoever you are, you're outnumbered!" Bulkhead called out. "So why not save yourself the beat down and come out and come quietly!"
"And if not that's cool, cause I'm itching for a beat down." Grimlock said with a smirk.
Then suddenly, a web shot was fired, which hit Bulkhead in the hammer as he looked at it in confusion. "What the-" Bulkhead started out before some more webs were fired and he toppled down. "Whoa!" He yelped as he fell to the floor.
"Bulkhead!" Grimlock called before spider-like legs grabbed him from behind, "What-Hey?!" He called before he was spun around and wrapped up in webs and thrown away with a yell.
"Grimlock!" Miko cried out as she was about to help them, but she was then trapped in a web cocoon as she struggled to break free. "Webbing?!" She asked before she looked up and saw a shadow figure looming over her, which made her eyes widened. "Oh, scrap." She muttered.
With Bumblebee, Strongarm, and Sideswipe, they were searching the area for their fugitive as Bumblebee turned to the two young bots. "Okay, now, I want to remind you two, no fighting while on mission. We need to stay sharp." Bumblebee reminded them.
"Relax bee, we got this." Sideswipe assured with a smirk.
"I mean it." Bumblebee said firmly to them. "Now, if we keep searching, we might find it soon."
"Mayday, Mayday!" Grimlock called on the comms alerting the three as they flinched.
"Grimlock? What's-" Bumblebee tried to ask while at the commlink.
"Bulkhead, Miko and I need help! We're tied up by some kind of Giant Spider-" Grimlock tried to say before everything went static.
"Grimlock? Bulkhead? Hello?" Bumblebee asked in concern while getting no response.
"Uh, did Grimlock just say 'giant Spider'?" Strongarm asked in concern.
"Oh, scrud." Bumblebee muttered in dread as he went to his comm, "Rodimus, Arcee, Jack, come in!"
"Go ahead, old friend," Rodimus said, who placed a hand to his comm.
"Grimlock, Bulkhead and Miko just made contact with the Fugitive!" Bumblebee explained to them.
"Tell them to wait for us and give us the precise location." Rodimus said to them as Acree and Jack listened.
"Too late for that! Sounds like the fugitive got to them! Grimlock mentioned a spider!" Bumblebee explained, which shocked the three.
"I'm sorry, did he just say spider?" Jack asked nervously, wanting to know he heard right.
"He did," Rodimus said seriously.
Jack then looked to Arcee, "Arcee, you don't think…" He trailed off.
"Airachnid," Acree said with a growl while her fists clenched.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Rodimus said to them. "We've seen many fugitives who resemble Earth Animal. It could be any bot with spider-like abilities."
"Y-Yeah. From what you told us, you guys have been facing fugitive bots that are like Earth animals." Jack said with an optimistic smile. "It could just another Con."
Arcee then took a breath and nodded, "Right, right." She said before transforming, "Come on, our team needs us."
"I have the Coordinates," Rodimus said, transforming as well, "Let's Roll." he said as Jack hopped onto Arcee and they drove off.
"Heh, it's been a while since I rode you, Acree." Jack said with a smirk. "I almost forgot those times."
"Heh, I seem to remember I was driving you. And when you first got on, you sure screamed loudly." Acree said with a teasing tone.
"Hey, it was before we learned of robotic transforming aliens." Jack said with a chuckle. "It was completely normal to react like that."
"Yes, and you certainly took advantage of my wheels," Arcee commented, "Sierra certainly liked what she saw."
"Even after all these years and a new paint job, you are still the same old Acree." Jack said with a smirk. "So, what's between you and Rodimus?"
"Uh, what do you mean?" Acree asked with a slight hesitation in her tone.
"Well, I noticed since you came back, you seem to be next to Rodimus from every corner." Jack said with a smirk. "Is there something between you two?"
"Nothing, Jack. It's nothing. We're just friends and teammates." Acree said to him.
"Sure." Jack said with a smirk.
"I can toss you out of that seat and I will do it." Arcee warned him.
Jack stood stiff before he gave a sheepish chuckle. "Uh, good point." He said as he muttered.
"Just remember, you push me, I push back." Arcee told him amusedly.
"Noted." Jack said as they kept driving off.
"Stop." Rodimus said as they came to a stop as he went into bot mode.
"What is it, Rodimus?" Jack asked as Rodimus saw webs between lines and a circular tracks on the grounds. "Oh, that."
"Webbing." Rodimus said with a serious look. "Definitely a spider con. Could be close by if these webs are here."
"We should contact the others to let them know." Acree said as Rodimus nodded and went into his commlink.
"Rodimus to team, we found a trail of webs from where we are." Rodimus explained to them. "We're going to investigate further. Bumblebee, you and your team find Grimlock, Bulkhead, and Miko and help them out. We'll stay in contact but be on your guard. We're dealing with a spider con we don't know yet. And before you think it's Airachnid, we're not sure for certain."
"Roger. We're close to the Wreckers' location. We'll contact you when we find them. Over and out." Bumblebee said to him.
"Okay, looks like we're on a spider hunt." Rodimus said with a serious look as he kneeled down and checked the tracks, "It looks like our quarry when headed north."
"Okay, how did you know that?" Jack asked with a brow.
"Well, first off, I had some training with Bumblebee to scout the area during the war." Rodimus started. "That, and all these webs are pointing in one direction and there are tracks." He explained while gesturing to the trail ahead.
"Then let's get moving," Arcee said as they started walking down the trail.
With Bumblebee's group, they were driving down the dirt path, getting closer to the Wrecker team's location. "I'm sure they're fine. We know those Wreckers and Dinobot are tough metal. And Miko is tough as well." Sideswipe said to them with an assuring tone.
"That's what I'm worried about, Sideswipe." Bumblebee said to him as they got closer. "If they got caught in the middle of a fight and Miko didn't have time to put on the Apex Armor, I doubt they stood a chance without giving time to react."
"How can you be so sure, sir?" Strongarm asked before they stopped when they saw the Wrecker team on the ground while on the web as they struggled to break free as Bee's group transformed into bot forms.
"Call it a hunch." Bumblebee said with a brow as they walked up to the three Wreckers.
Bumblebee went to Bulkhead, Strongarm went to Miko, and Sideswipe went to Grimlock as they began to remove the webbing from their body while also taking out some on their mouths. "Okay, if this con is Airachnid, I'm out of here." Sideswipe said with a look.
"Don't jinx us, punk." Strongarm said with a look.
Grimlock spat out some web that got in his mouth, "That Con was not Airachnid." He said with a frown.
"Phew, that's a relief," Sideswipe said in relief while wiping his brow.
"Yeah, this guy was faster, sneakier, stronger, smarter," Bulkhead listed out, "And, well maybe not uglier."
"Seriously, he even got more spider legs than how Airachnid does." Miko said with a look. "And he stole my suit!"
"Wait, he took the Apex Armor?" Bumblebee asked in concern. "That suit is strong enough to even withstand a Predacon! With it, that fugitive is invincible!"
"We need to warn Rodimus and his team about this!" Strongarm said to them.
"Rodimus come in," Bumblebee called through the comms.
"Go ahead, Bumblebee." Rodimus said on the other end.
"Okay, I got good news and bad news," Bumblebee started, "The Good news is we found the Wreckers and confirmed that our Decepticon is not Airachnid."
"Thank goodness," Rodimus sighed as Arcee and Jack looked just as relieved.
"But the Bad news, we're dealing with a different Spidercon who is a lot stealthier, smarter and who managed to snag the Apex Armor." Bumblebee continued.
"What?!" The Three exclaimed.
"Yeah, that bad." Miko said through the comms.
"That Armor is one of the most powerful Cybertronian Artifacts in history," Arcee said seriously, "In a fugitive hands, especially a smart one, no one on this planet is safe."
"We gotta go after them." Jack declared.
"Agreed but we'll need more information," Rodimus said before he comm the Scrapyard, "Fixit, Raf, you there?"
"Loud and clear, sir." Fixit spoke up in the comm.
"Did you guys find the fugitive?" Raf asked next.
"No. But the Wreckers got ambushed by them, and they stole the Apex Armor." Rodimus said as the two sigh in relief. "Fixit, check the database for any fugitives who resemble an Earth Spider, with High intelligence and stealth."
Fixit hummed for a moment. "I think there is. Let me see." He said as he checked the database before it revealed an image of a Decepticon that looked like a spider with many legs and many eyes on its head while having a purple and red detail on the body. "His name is Tarantulas. He was a Decepticon scientist, specializing in experimenting with highly dangerous Cybertronian and alien technologies to build up the Decepticon army."
"His files say that Tarantulas went rogue after Megatron found out about his scheme to build his own army." Raf added. "After the war, he went underground and performed many illegal experiments to overthrow the government, fortunately the Elite Guard found what he was up to and imprisoned him on the Alchemor."
"Great, so we have a Starscream mix with Airachnid and Shockwave on the loose." Jack muttered with a sigh. "That's a scary combo."
"And if he's got the Apex Armor, Tarantulas will be definitely be trying to figure out how it ticks." Acree said with her hands on her hips with a serious look.
"We need to find him before he has a chance." Rodimus said seriously. "Fixit, Raf, are there any clues to find Tarantulas? Someplace that fits his description?"
"Well, from what we can tell, he prefers to work in solitude in dark creepy places." Raf said to them with an uneasy tone.
"What would fall under that category?" Rodimus asked as Jack looked ahead and his eyes widened.
"Uh, would an abandoned cemetery fit the description?" Jack asked with a slight nervous tone, which made Acree and Rodimus look ahead and saw a webbed and abandoned cemetery where the trail leads as they all gave uneasy looks.
"Okay, this spider is the second creepiest con I ever met." Arcee said with a frown.
"Creepy or not, we have to find him and bring him in," Rodimus said determinedly as they walked towards the Cemetery.
"This reminds me of the time when we first met Airachnid, but we were in the forest." Jack said with an uneasy look.
"I agree. This brings back unpleasant memories." Arcee said with a look as they remain cautious as they walk through the cemetery.
"Keep your guard up, you two." Rodimus said as he stood ready while preparing to grab his Star Saber. "We don't know how Tarantulas does or what he can do. All we know is he shoots webs and has the Apex Armor. So be ready for anything."
The two nodded as they continued to walk around the cemetery cautiously as they looked for any sign of their fugitive con as they didn't notice a spider-like figure was sneaking in the shadows as when they turned to the sources, the figure was already gone.
Acree then sensed something as she turned and aimed her energon whip, but she saw nothing as she lowered her weapon and continued on. "Remember, Jack, if things get too tough, find someplace to hide and let us handle it." Acree advised him.
"Don't worry. We've been through this many times." Jack assured her with a smile.
Just then, they heard a tweeting sound, which Rodimus raised a hand to get the two to stop as they stood in the middle of the cemetery as they heard footsteps getting closer. "Stand your ground." Rodimus said as he pulled out his Star Saber. "I believe our fugitive is coming to us."
Arcee nodded as she ready her weapon as Jack stood ready as the two Autobots kept their guard up. "Come on out, Con! We know you're here!" Acree yelled out.
"There's no point hiding, we will find you!" Rodimus called as on the Crypt behind them, the figure climbed up to the top and stood behind the moonlight while giving a slight hissing sound.
Acree then sensed it as the figure then shot a web line. "Look out!" She called out as she swung her energon whip, which caused it to cut the web in half as she and Rodimus looked up and saw the figure above them. "Nice try, but you're not the first spider I fought who outsmarted a bot."
"Come on out, Decepticon. We know what you have been doing." Rodimus said with a serious look as the figure crawled down from the Crypt and stepped out into the shadow, revealing to be Tarantulas.
"I see you have finally caught up with me, Prime." Tarantulas said with hissing sounds.
"You're not the first who's tried to ambush us," Jack told him, "Typical Dirty Decepticon tactics."
"I am not a typical Decepticon, I am Tarantulas," Tarantulas hissed, "And you are interfering with my work."
"You mean in trying to rule Cybertron?" Acree questioned with a brow. "Hate to tell you this, but you are a long way from Cybertron."
"Ha, I gave my ambitions to rule, all that matters to me now is pushing the limits of Cybertronian science," Tarantulas told her. "Since the crash I have been collecting the scattered components to rebegin my experiments, and once I've found the pieces necessary to construct a space bridge I will search for new technologies to build my own work force here."
"We can't allow you to do that, Tarantulas." Rodimus said with a glare as he ready his Star Saber. "Not as long as we stand in your way."
"Ah, The Star Saber, weapon of Prima himself," Tarantulas noted as he reached behind his back, "Allow me to even the odds." He said as he took out the Apex Armor.
"The Apex Armor!" Acree called out as Tarantulas activated the armor, causing it to form around him as he was inside and stood in a ready position.
"Now, I believe it's time for a field test." Tarantulas said with a smirk as he slammed his fists together as Acree, Rodimus, and Jack looked at him with wide eyes as Tarantulas gave a yell and charged at them.
Rodimus reacted first as he blocked a fist with the Star Saber, but Tarantulas reacted faster as he double punched Rodimus, sending him back with a roll as Arcee charged at him and flipped up to kick him, but Tarantulas caught her leg and tossed her away.
Rodimus got back up as he charged at Tarantulas as he dodged a punch and delivered one of his own to the hips while evading another before Tarantulas caught up to him and managed to deliver a kick, which knocked Rodimus back. "Even a Prime is no match for the Apex Armor." Tarantulas taunted with a smirk.
"I really hate cybertronian relics when the bad guys are using it." Rodimus muttered with a frustrated look.
"Ditto." Acree said as she slashed her energon whip, which didn't do any damage but pushed Tarantulas back.
"You fools, you can't hurt me with the armor." Tarantulas said with a smirk as Rodimus stood up with the Star Saber as it glowed.
"Let's see if the Star Saber can put a few dents in that armor." Rodimus said as he then swung his sword, which sent an energy wave to Tarantulas as the wave hit him, which made Tarantulas be push back some distance before he skidded to the ground to stop.
Tarantulas gave a chuckle. "Seems that this armor is even strong enough to withstand the ancients." He said as he stood up. "With this, I don't need work to continue my experiments."
"You better before we take that armor away from you." Acree said as she charged at Tarantulas as she was about to attack, but Tarantulas grabbed her with one hand, making her drop her weapon as she struggle to break free.
"Ah, Arcee was your name?" Tarantulas asked, "An old friend of mine spoke of you. A fellow Spidercon.."
Acree looked at him in shock. "Y-You knew Airachnid?" She questioned with a look.
"Indeed, she retrieved many components for experiments, as well as 'leftovers' from her interrogations." Tarantulas said as Arcee glared at him, "Ah yes, now I remember, she mentioned you when she brought in some fresh Autobot Metal for me."
"I believe it came from an acquaintance of yours, one who paid the price for your loyalty, what was his name again?" Tarantulas wondered, glancing to the side as Arcee glared harder in anger, "Tailgate?" He said cruelly.
Arcee glared at him from that name, Tailgate's death still haunts her but her glare intensify when she heard that Tarantulas used Tailgate's remains as spare parts for his experiments as she gave a yell and flip kick the faceplate of the helmet as she got free and landed in a crouch.
"I thought his body was lost when Cybertron went dark, but using him as a labrat and telling me about it?! Big Mistake!" Arcee yelled as she charged at Tarantulas, using her agility and speed to move around as she hit the Apex Armor many times as Tarantulas tried to keep up with her, but she was having trouble.
"Grr, this armor is impervious, but it's not good for speed." Tarantulas grumbled as he saw the flaw in the Apex Armor.
Rodimus stood up with a serious look. "And when you mock Arcee's old partners, you made a big mistake." He said while holding the Star Sabers.
"Yep. When you badmouth Tailgate or Cliffjumber, you've awoken the she-beast." Jack said with a smirk.
Acree then got behind Tarantulas as she did a twirling kick, which pushed him forward as Rodimus came in and punched Tarantulas on the head, which made him flip before crashing onto the floor.
"I guess this now makes Spiders your least favorite Earth creature, huh?" Rodimus asked Acree with a teasing smirk.
"Oh, they are in my top ten." Acree said with a smirk as well. "But Airachnid is still number one."
Tarantulas growled as he swatted the two away as he stood back up. "You two are no match against me. I am invincible in this armor." He said with his fists raised.
"Oh yeah," Jack called as Tarantulas turned and saw Jack standing on top of the crypt holding a large rock, "Let's see how tough you are without it!" He called before throwing the rock right at the Armor's button, which he hit directly as the armor then retracted and fell to the ground.
"No! NO!" Tarantulas called out as he was about to pick it up, but an Energon Whip grabbed the armor and latched it away from him as he turned and saw Arcee holding it while she and Rodimus stood together.
"Alright, let's try this again, Long legs." Arcee smirked.
"Let's see how good you are without your armor." Rodimus said with a smirk as Tarantulas glared as he gave a hiss and transformed to a giant spider with eight legs, glowing green eyes, and green glowing .
"Okay, Airachnid was only part spider. But he's a full blown spider." Jack said with a cringed look as he shuddered at seeing Tarantulas beast form.
"Care to take the first round?" Acree asked Rodimus with a smirk.
"No please Femmes first. I insist." Rodimus said with a smirk.
Acree nodded as she charged at Tarantulas, who hissed and lashed his spider legs at her, which Acree dodged as she avoided the webs that were spat from him as she parried a couple of the legs and managed to jump up and landed on Tarantulas, knocking him down as Acree flipped over.
Tarantulas hissed as he got up and charged at Arcee again but halted when laser fire shot in front of him as they turned and saw the rest of the team arriving on the scene, "Mind if we cut in?" Bulkhead asked with a smirk.
"If you prefer to squash some spiders, sure thing." Rodimus said as Tarantulas hissed even more.
"Decepticon, You are under arrest." Strongarm called, aiming her crossbow blaster at Tarantulas.
"Come quietly and we won't use force," Bumblebee told him, taking aim as well.
"Never!" Tarantulas snarled as he brought a leg to his mouth, "Activate emergency Groundbridge!"
"Wait, what?" Sideswipe asked before a Ground Bridge opened up between the group.
"Stop him!" Rodimus ordered as Tarantulas scampered into the Portal as it closed and the Autobots crashed into a pile of each others as they groaned.
"Dang it. We almost had him!" Bumblebee muttered in frustration.
"That hurt." Grimlock said as each of them got up.
"Well, at least we got the Apex Armor back." Sideswipe said as he saw the Apex Armor on the floor as Miko rushed up to it.
"Sweet! I've missed this thing!" Miko said as she held the Apex Armor.
"But Tarantulas still got away." Bulkhead muttered as Rodimus went to his commlink.
"Raf, Fixit, can you still track Tarantulas?" Rodimus asked. "He escaped through a Ground Bridge and we have no clue where he went." He informed them.
"Attempting now." Fixit answered.
Meanwhile, closer to Crown City, Tarantulas's groundbridge portal opened and he exited from and transformed, "Urgh, thwarted by a human, and all my work, lost." Tarantulas snarled before taking a breath, "No matter I'll just continue my search for new devices to continue my experiments, of course there's still the question on how to prevent future run-ins with the Auto-" he was then cut off when something slashed his Decepticon Logo, leaving three claw marks. "Ah! Who dares?!" He questioned as he turned to the source and ready his pincers with hisses.
"Apologies, but you'll thank me for that." The figure said as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing to be none other than Steeljaw. "I have heard much of your work, Brother. And I'd like to help put it to proper use."
"And what would that be?" Tarantulas questioned with a look while still having his pincers ready.
"How would you like to aid me in remaking this planet into a Decepticon Homeworld?" Steeljaw asked with a smirk, which caught Tarantulas' attention as he gave a thought.
After Raf opened a Ground Bridge for the team back at the Scrapyard, he and Fixit were trying to track Tarantulas, but they came up short. "Did either of you manage to find him?"
"Well we had him for a few seconds but then suddenly we lost the signal." Raf explained.
"You think he might be using cloaking tech?" Bulkhead asked. "I mean, he is a smart bot."
"No, I believe his tracker has been damaged," Fixit guessed. "But how, I do not know."
"What's his tracker?" Jack asked him.
"Every prisoner on the Alchemor had trackers programmed into their Autobot or Decepticon logos, allowing us to track them in case of escape." Fixit ." Fixit explained. "We had Tarantulas just a few moments ago, but then he suddenly went offline."
"Wait, don't we know another Con who scratched his logo?" Strongarm asked Bulkhead and Sideswipe.
"Steeljaw," Bulkhead recalled.
"Yeah, he said something by destroying the logo, he destroyed the tracker implanted on him." Sideswipe realized.
"So if I had to guess, Steeljaw must've gotten to Tarantulas first, and slashed up his logo and his tracker to keep us from finding him." Bulkhead said with a frown.
Rodimus sighed in frustration, "Looks like Steeljaw just took the first step to building his Decepticon Kingdom." Arcee told him.
"This is a new development that we must adapt to." Rodimus said with a serious look. "We're gonna need to take extra precautions if we're to find Steeljaw and his growing Pack if they destroy their trackers."
"I will start searching for alternatives immediately, sir." Fixit told him.
"Well, now that mission's over, I think we need to check back to Fowler and inform him about what happened." Jack said to them as he, Raf, and Miko stood beside each other.
"Wait, you guys are leaving?" Grimlock asked in surprise. "We just got the band back together."
"As much as we like to stay and crush some fugitive Cybertronians, me especially, we got responsibilities back at Unit-E." Miko said to them.
"Miko and responsibility?" Arcee said with a grin to Bulkhead.
"Heheh, I think she learned much over the years." Bulkhead said while giving Miko a proud smile, which she returned with a smile.
"But like you bots said, if there's anything you need, we're just a Ground Bridge away." Raf said with a smile. "And we can come back and visit, if that's okay with you guys."
"It's more than okay." Rodimus told them with a smile.
"It's been a blast hanging out with you guys." Jack said with a smile. "It sure feels like old times. And we're looking forward to teaming up again."
"Same here, friends." Strongarm said with a smile.
"We'll see you guys around. And uh, let us know if you capture any more perps. We don't want to be out of the loop, okay." Bumblebee said with a smile.
"You know we will, Bee." Raf said with a smile as he brought out his tablet and pressed a button, which opened up a Ground Bridge behind him, Miko, and Raf. "We'll catch you guys later. And it's great you're back on Earth."
"We'll let Fowler and my Mom know you said hi." Jack said with a smile.
"Appreciated." Acree said with a smile.
"Take care of yourselves, Bots," Miko said with fingers guns and a smirk.
"You know it, Miko." Bulkhead said with a chuckle as Grimlock shared a laugh as Jack, Miko, and Raf smiled at them before they entered the Ground Bridge as it closed once they made it through.
"Wow, those were some great friends you bots have there." Denny said with a smirk while Russell smiled.
"Guess it's gonna be hard to top those guys," Russell admitted, kicking his leg a bit.
"Don't sell yourself short Russell," Bumblebee told him with a smile. "Raf, Jack, and Miko maybe handle themselves in a scrap but so do you."
"Any human who can handle themselves in the field, is already the best of the best." Rodimus added, which made Denny and Russell smile at them from that. Though the Autobots had lost their first Fugitive, they were able to reconnect with their old friends and now had new allies to help them in the future.
Another Chapter finished.
So unlike in the original Canon RID, Jack, Raf and Miko make a return and come to help Rodimus's team to aid in the capture of this new Decepticon.
Bet you all were expecting Airachnid to make an appearance didn't you, well don't worry, like I once said her story isn't done just yet.
Tarantulas is from Transformers Beast Wars but retains his scientific prowess from Earthspark and he is now the First of Steeljaw's Pack.
Stay tuned, for when the Autobots learn that worshippers of a mythological beast are collecting the components for a dangerous device, it'll be a test of loyalty and trust between them to overcome it in "As the Kospego Commands".