Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a sunny afternoon in Jasper, Nevada. The sky was clear and the desert surrounding the town was blistering from the heat. The small quiet town was extra quiet today but it wouldn’t be for long. At Memorial High School, students eagerly waited for the bell to ring and to leave the building.

In one such classroom, there was an 11-year-old girl. She was younger than most of her high school peers except for the 12-year-old boy next to her. Her olive skin and freckles glistened in the light with her long blonde ponytail. She wore red, black, and pink skater clothes with a silver necklace. A robot insignia and a silver bull charm were its only accessories.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, The bell rang. Some students cheered and whooped at the sound while others just began chatting with their friends as they packed up and left. The girl stood up, beginning to pack her things away.

“Man, Today was long! I thought it would never end, Raf!” The young girl said, feeling relieved. The boy next to her, Raf, chuckled before nodding. He had brown eyes, olive skin, and nerdy clothing. His wood-brown spiky hair stood up and back a bit along with red blocky glasses on his face.

“It wasn’t that bad, Heidi,” Raf said. The girl, Heidi, gave him a knowing look, making both kids laugh. Before they could walk away from their seats, a girl in punk-like clothing, black hair, and pink tips sprinted past them. Both kids looked to see the Japanese transfer student who arrived this year. She was sticking her tongue out at the still-sleeping teacher. After making multiple faces at the teacher, she darted out the door, shoving past some of the kids.

“That’s Miko, Right? She’s… spirited.” Heidi said, chuckling. Raf nodded and after a moment, the two walked out of the classroom together. The high school hallway was busier than ever, with teens shoving past each other towards the exit. Raf and Heidi made their way to the lockers and opened them. Each took out and put away stuff from their locker or backpack. Raf then turned to her, closing his locker with a clank.

“So, I was wondering if you were free to hang out at the canal later today? I got a new toy car for my birthday and I want to test it out in a race.” Raf asked, a little shy. Heidi giggled at his shyness as She swung her bag back on her shoulder. She closed her locker before beginning to walk down the hallway with Raf again.

“I need to help mom at the bakery now but I’ll be there later for sure!” Heidi said, winking at Raf. Raf smiled widely, excited by the response. Soon enough, they left the school building, walking down the stairs and past some of the snotty teenagers. Coming to the end of the walkway, the two turned to each other.

“See you later then,” Raf said. Heidi nodded happily before waving goodbye to Raf. He returned it and the two went in opposite directions. As Heidi began to walk away, Another familiar face crossed her view. A tall, skinny teen with messy black hair, fair skin, and comfy clothes. He checked over his old bike which looked ready to fall apart. To be honest, Heidi was surprised it was still in one piece.

“So the old rust bucket lives. Surprise you can still ride it, Jack.” Heidi teased, walking towards him. The boy, Jack, looked at her, locking eyes. He was a little startled but at seeing Heidi, chuckled. He glanced back at his bike before standing up and patting it.

“Har har, Heidi. You’re a riot.” Jack said, sarcastically. Heidi only smirked, shrugging as he got onto it.

“Going to your job again?”

“Yup, gotta earn those paychecks somehow. Especially if I’m gonna get a motorbike soon.” Jack said, scratching the back of his head. Heidi remembered Jack had wanted one for ages. Though his mom wasn’t keen on it.

“Oh right! You did say you wanted one. How’s that going?”

“Pretty well. I just need a little more money along with convincing Mom but otherwise, I’m good to go. How are those clubs of yours going?” Jack asked. Heidi paused, unsure of what he meant until it hit her. He was talking about her cover story with the bots. She had told him and Raf she was going to a science or Robotix club every day after school and on weekends.

“It’s… going okay. Haven’t been doing much lately.” Heidi said, rubbing her arm. With the Decepticons in hiding, Optimus has been trying to get a bot in every timezone to look for them. It hasn’t been easy and she didn’t go to the base much unless she was needed. She hadn’t been able to talk to any of the bots in a long time either. She hadn’t even talked to Cliffjumper in the past couple of weeks.

“Oh, sorry bout that,”

“It's fine. I guess you should get going, huh?” Heidi said, smiling softly. He nodded as he kicked up the kickstand on his bike. A group of girls then walked by in front of them. Heidi saw one of the girls leading the group as they talked with bright smiles. She had red-ish orange hair in a ponytail, green eyes, and schoolgirl-like clothes. It was Sierra, one of the popular girls and the cheer team captain. Heidi only knew her by title and because Jack had the biggest crush on her which he didn’t hide well.

Heidi turned to see Jack staring at her in awe, maybe even a bit of drool hanging out. Heidi couldn’t help snorting and laughing quietly at him. Soon enough, she snapped her fingers near his ear, bringing him back to the real world. He turned to her, a little embarrassed while Heidi just gave a knowing look.

“Don’t you have a job to get to, Romeo? And wipe that drool off your face while you're at it.” Heidi said, raising an eyebrow with a smirk. Jack was surprised, before quickly wiping his mouth. His face went red with embarrassment as Heidi laughed at him. She gave him light pats on the arm before walking back onto the sidewalk. He calmed down and quickly left the scene on his bike. Heidi waved, watching him leave before beginning to walk down the sidewalk.

She had gotten a few yards away from the school when her phone began to buzz violently. She took it out and her eyes widened in excitement. A beaming smile came across her face as she quickly answered it. She placed the phone to her ear and an energetic voice spoke on the other end.

“Howdy, little lady!” The voice said. It was Cliffjumper.

“Cliff, Hey! It’s been a while. How are you?”

“I'm great! Just got off my last patrol and decided to call in.”

“Well, it’s great to hear from you. Everything has been pretty dull in my life without you.”

“Ha! It must've been. You’re living in dullsville after all.”

“First, It’s not that bad. Second, I hadn’t had someone close to talk to about stuff. Other than Raf sometimes.” Heidi explained. She then began walking again as she and Cliffjumper continued to talk.

“Oh yeah! That mini fleshy who you say is a tech wiz, right?”

“Yup. My best friend.”

“Oh really? Well, What am I then? Scrap?” Cliffjumper teased, laughing a little. Heidi rolled her eyes with a smirk as she stopped at a sidewalk corner. She waited, watching the lights to know when to cross.

“He’s my best human friend. You’re my best alien friend.”

“Mind saying that again? Just happens to make my day.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi chuckled as the crossing sign turned on and she was allowed to cross. She was about to cross when a purple car zoomed past her. She jumped back, yelping in surprise. She stood up after a moment, angrily watching the car leave. Before she could yell out something, Cliffjumper spoke up after hearing the commotion.

“Woah! Little Lady, What happened?!”

“Ugh, Don’t worry. Just some road hog almost running me over. I’m okay thankfully.” Heidi said, growling a bit before crossing the street.

“Geez. What a jerk! Want me to get Arcee and hunt him down?” Cliffjumper joked. Heidi smiled and laughed at that. Cliffjumper always knew how to cheer her up. She came to a small parking lot then. On the other side, Kala’s bakery was among the multiple stores in the plaza.

“Tempting but I’m good, thanks,” Heidi said.

“No problem! No one touches my little lady!” Cliffjumper said. Heidi laughed again, wiping a tear away. She began to cross the parking lot, looking around to make sure no cars were there. Suddenly, Cliffjumper spoke up.

“So, I’m about to go on patrol just outside of Jasper. Wanna tag along?” Cliffjumper suddenly asked. Heidi stopped, her grin widening into the biggest smile. She had wanted to hang out with Cliffjumper for a while. This was the perfect chance!

“You bet! As long as you don’t tell Ratchet. I’m over at-”

“Your mom’s bakery, right?” Cliffjumper said. Heidi paused, confused and surprised when an engine revving caught her attention. She looked behind her to see a red Dodge Challenger pulling out of a parking spot. It stopped next to her and the car door swung open. Heidi stood there, surprised as the call dropped.

“Let’s ride, little lady!” Cliffjumper said, confidently revving his engine. Immediately, Heidi’s smirk returned with a cheer as she jumped into the car’s passenger seat. She threw her bag onto the car floor and put on the black leather seatbelt. The car door closed and Cliffjumper sped out of there faster than the eye could see.

Meanwhile, Kala watched through the bakery window, a small smile on her face. She had a feeling she wouldn’t see Heidi until nightfall. Usually, she’d be against it but this time was different so she let it slide. Soon, she turned away from the window and walked deeper into the bakery.

Chapter Text

The birds were chirping and flying through the cloudy sky. However, many Streams of sunlight made their way through, creating a gorgeous blend. Back on the ground was a greener area of the blistering desert. It had a few hills and the grass was a Greenish-yellow. Multiple trees grew in the area, hiding small creatures and giving shade. An old wood fence separated the greenery from the dirt road that crossed the small hills. It was quiet other than the normal chirping birds and whistling wind gusts.

 Suddenly, the red Dodge Challenger, also known as Cliffjumper, came driving down the dirt road as he told a story. Inside his vehicle form, Heidi was sketching away in her journal as she listened. It had been an hour or so since she joined Cliffjumper, but so far, he had been entertaining as usual. 

“So there I am, on the lookout when these high beams light up my rear view! And then it hits me…I’m illegally parked!” Cliffjumper said, delivering the punchline enthusiastically. Heidi chuckled as another voice chimed in through the comlink. It was Arcee who had called in to check on Cliffjumper and Heidi.

“Another parking ticket?” Arcee asked, somewhat unamused. 

“How many is that now?” Heidi chimed in, teasingly. 

“Ha! Actually, I got something better. The boot!” Cliffjumper answered, saying “The boot” as if it were a legendary object. If only Heidi knew what he was talking about. Thankfully, Arcee seemed to, quickly explaining what she knew.

“Big metal tire clamp. Impossible to remove.” Arcee explained. Heidi gave a silent noise of understanding before leaning back in her seat. Cliffjumper jumped back in, acting like a talk show host and continuing the story.

“Bingo! So the local police do their thing and I let them get all the way down the block. That’s when I kick off my new shiny shoe and BANG!” Cliffjumper said, revving his engine a bit after. Heidi sighed, knowing that probably wasn’t the best way to do it. However, she also knew Cliffjumper. Trying to tell him and his ego otherwise would be useless.

“New yorks finest soil themselves,” Arcee said, sounding a bit amused. Heidi chuckled a little, a small smirk returning as she began to sketch again.

“At least it gives us an interesting story,” Heidi said, adding a few last details to her drawing. It was a sketch of the Autobot insignia in a realistic 3D look. Her drawing skills had improved immensely over the years, now being able to sketch realistic portraits and other stuff in record time. She closed her sketchbook, deciding she was done for the day as Cliffjumper spoke.

“You know me, ladies. Mess with Cliffjumper,” 

“-And you get the horns.” Heidi and Arcee said simultaneously. Cliffjumper laughed at hearing it, amused they knew. Heidi gave a knowing look to the rearview mirror and she could feel him returning it somehow. Arcee then spoke up again, continuing the conversation with her usual sass. 

“Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule number one though. Keep a low profile?” 

“Like he ever follows all the rules,” Heidi laughed.

“What can I say? Patrolling for Energon out here in dulls-ville gets lonesome. Almost makes me miss the Decepticons.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi looked at him, cringing at the thought. Based on what she heard from the Decepticons, she’s just glad they're not causing her planet any trouble. Or at least she hoped that was what was happening now.

“Like Jasper Nevada’s a party? We’re alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff.” Arcee said. Heidi grinned as she took the opportunity to lighten the mood. She quickly put on an act of playful anger as she turned to the radio. 

“Uh, hello? Earth to Arcee, I’m right here! How could you be so mean?” Heidi said, acting offended. Cliffjumper was surprised but noticing Heidi’s sarcasm, he decided to play along. He laughed, before speaking up to Heidi.

“You can’t blame her. You’re such a tiny human, little lady. You’re barely noticeable.” 

“Says the bot who’s one of the shortest mechs on the team!” Heidi snapped back. Arcee let out a snort of humor, silently chuckling at the sudden response. Cliffjumper gasped dramatically, acting very offended. 

“Rude! Who taught you to talk like that?” Cliffjumper snapped back, playfully. 

“You did. Thanks to your teasing.” 

“Sounds about right.” Arcee chimed. The trio burst out laughing then, finally breaking character. Looks like Heidi was able to lighten the mood thankfully. Soon enough, They calmed down, Heidi wiping a tear away happily. 

“Anyway, You’re right Heidi. I guess we’re not fully alone.” Arcee said, correcting herself. Heidi hummed in approvement as she placed her sketchbook back in her backpack. Just as she zipped it up, a beep came from Cliffjumper’s scanner. Heidi sat up, her backpack in her lap as she looked at the screen. A map of an area nearby appeared with a large energy signal. Heidi gasped softly, recognizing it from past experiences.

“Energon. A lot of it.” Heidi said The map was a large crater which would’ve been to the left of them soon enough. It was filled with an Energon signature and surrounded by multiple trees and small land formations as well. 

“I’m getting a signal,” Cliffjumper informed, his tone more serious than before. His mirror turned to Heidi who looked at it curiously. 

“You thinking what I’m thinking, Little lady?” Cliffjumper asked happily. Heidi smiled, glancing at the map before leaning in her seat.

“It has Good cover and a large supply. How could we not check it out?” Heidi said. 

“Atta girl!” 

“Need backup?” Arcee asked, a bit more concerned. 

“Do I ever need backup? Hold on, little lady!” Cliffjumper said, confidently. Heidi was quick to grab the sides of the car as he abruptly turned to the left and onto another dirt road. He then entered an area mostly covered with dirt, riding curved-up land formations from the crater. He then sped forward and screeched to a stop on his side tires. Once it calmed down, Heidi let go and looked into the crater. Her curiosity turned into astonishment at the sight. 

“I just found a whole lot of Energon!” Cliffjumper said, confident. Indeed he did. The crater was filled with glowing blue crystals. With this large deposit, they’ll be stocked for months! Heidi patted Cliffjumper’s console as He opened the door. She quickly exited the car, swinging her backpack onto her shoulders. She walked up to the edge of the crater, smiling broadly as she looked down. 

“This is perfect, Cliff! Now we’ll have enough Energon to…” Heidi stopped, her thoughts lingering to a huge shadow from above. It was bigger than the crater and Heidi had a bad feeling that it wasn’t a large cloud. Fear crept into her spine as she slowly turned around, looking to the sky.

“WHAT THE?!” Heidi shrieked, whipping around fully as she stared up. In the sky above them, A giant alien warship was slowly floating in the air. It was black with red and purple outlines and reassembled the shape of a bug-like creature. Cliffjumper then transformed in front of Heidi, glaring at the warship.

“Decepticons!” 

“They’re here?!” 

“Looks like it. Find cover! NOW!” Cliffjumper ordered. Before she could, Heidi noticed a cannon attached to the bottom of the ship. It suddenly moved and aimed toward them. Fear and Adrenaline kicked in and she sprinted toward some rocks for cover.

“WATCH OUT!” Heidi shrieked as A red plasma blast fired out of the cannon, landing right in front of Cliffjumper. A large explosion happened, launching both Cliffjumper and Heidi into the air. Cliffjumper fell into the crater with a crash, thankfully not hitting the energon. Heidi flew behind some large rocks near the trees, hitting the ground and skidding into a tree stump. 

“Ouch!” Heidi cursed as she slammed into it. However, her pain was interrupted by multiple quakes on the ground. At this, Heidi got up and sprinted to the rocks, climbing up and peaking out. To her shock, dozens of Decepticon footsoldiers landed and lined up on the edge of the crater. They looked down at the now-standing Cliffjumper who shifted to a battle stance.

“Oh curses!” Heidi snapped as she quickly got out her phone and tapped into the team's comlink. She needed to call for backup and Thankfully, Cliffjumper had the same idea. As she patched in, Cliffjumper spoke into the comlink to Arcee. 

“Arcee. About that back up…” Cliffjumper said. Heidi quickly spoke up after, putting the phone to her ear.

“Call the others! A giant Decepticon warship is here and dozens of vehicons came out! We need help!” Heidi said panicked.

“Got it! I’ll contact-” Arcee began. However, lots of static suddenly came into the phone before going dead silent.

“Hello?! Arcee?!” Heidi said. She pulled the phone away, only to see the battery was dead. She growled, snapping the phone shut and putting it away. She carefully observed Cliffjumper and the vehicons, worried sick from how many there were. However, Cliffjumper seemed pretty confident in himself.

“Fair warning, boys. I’ll put a few dings in ya.” Cliffjumper growled, his tone becoming more threatening at the end. He then transformed into his vehicle form and sped up from the crater to the vehicons. He ramped up the side, flying straight up into the air and transforming again. As he landed, his fist slammed onto a vehicon with a punch, starting the battle. 

For a while, Heidi watched Cliffjumper beat down multiple vehicons in the battle. He was doing good so far but Heidi could see that he was getting tired. He couldn’t keep this up forever but Heidi still prayed he would though. At least long enough for the others to come and help. 

Multiple vehicons got the best of him then. After many harsh hits, One of them was able to slice off one of his horns after a hit to the face. From the hit's force, Cliffjumper and the horn fell into the crater again. However, Cliffjumper quickly recovered, landing on his peds after the first fall. It didn’t help the heart attack Heidi got from it though.

“Come on, Cliff. Just hold on a bit longer. Helps on the way.” Heidi said quietly. Her fingers clenched into a fist, scraping a bit of the rock. Her worried but firm expression was only watching Cliffjumper as he stood up. The missing horn was easy to see as it shined in the light. Multiple vehicons had jumped down into the crater with Cliffjumper then, ready for another round.

“You want the horns?” Cliffjumper snarled, annoyed from losing his horn. He then quickly changed his servos to cannons, charging up with a humm. A furious expression was on his faceplates as he spoke up again.

“You got‘em,” Cliffjumper then started firing at the vehicons who quickly returned the fire. Heidi covered her ears, making her slide down and onto the ground behind the rock. She squinted her eyes close, curling into a ball as the noises continued. Suddenly, Heidi felt a huge explosion, which shook the ground. She fell to her hands and knees, looking behind to see a blue explosion rise sky-high, almost hitting the warship. It died down quickly though.

“What?!” Heidi exclaimed. She then climbed up past the rock and looked into the crater. Her eyes snapped wider than ever before, dread and horror entering her veins. She sat there, frozen and unable to breathe at the sight. 

The Energon deposit had been destroyed and the crater was engulfed in blue flames. However, what scared Heidi the most was what two vehicons had with them as they left the rubble. A badly damaged Cliffjumper was limp in their arms as they left the crater.

“C-CLIFFJUMPER!” Heidi shrieked without thinking. However, She quickly snapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. The vehicons turned to her, surprised and confused. Heidi felt fear course through her as two bots nodded at each other. One vehicon began advancing to her then, making her panic.

“Curse me!” Heidi snapped, jumping down from the rock. She tried to sprint away but the vehicon was quick. It snatched her off the ground, keeping a tight grip. She banged on his servos to let go but her efforts were fruitless. 

“HEY! LET ME GO, Y-YOU SCRAPHEAP!” Heidi snapped. Usually, she didn’t use cybertronian curse words but this was an exception. An elevator then dropped from the ship as she and the vehicon made their way back. They joined the other vehicon with Cliffjumper’s body on the elevator platform. Heidi felt tears prick her eyes, praying to Cliffjumper to move. Thankfully, a digit moved then, indicating he was alive. Heidi sighed in relief before a scowl returned to her face.

The elevator brought them up into the dark ship as it began to fly away. They dragged Cliffjumper and her through the dark hallways and onto another elevator, leading to the bridge. Cliffjumper became conscious then, looking around confused. He noticed the struggling Heidi, shocked she was here.

However, Before they could talk to each other, the vehicons dragged them out. Cliffjumper didn’t struggle, too exhausted to do anything. Not to mention the pain. Soon, they got to the bridge, and towards the end of the room, they threw Cliffjumper to the floor. The vehicon kept a grip on Heidi though as Cliffjumper got to his knees. They looked up to see a silver, sleek seeker with a red accent and red eyes. He looked familiar to Heidi and Cliffjumper seemed to know him, glaring.

“Scream. It's been a while.” Cliffjumper said, coughing up a bit of energon after. Heidi flinched at that, worried for his safety. She turned back to the seeker, narrowing her eyes before finally recognizing him. It was Starscream!

“Megatron’s second in command…” Heidi mumbled silently. Cliffjumper glanced at Heidi before turning his attention back to the seeker. Starscream seemed pretty proud of himself right now with his smug look. Cliffjumper hated it and so, being the bot he was, decided to tease him.

“So… where's your master?” Cliffjumper asked teasingly. Starscream grunted at that, his smirk disappearing. Heidi was a little surprised by his reaction, a bad feeling beginning to creep up her spine. 

“Never mind him! I am my own master now.” Starscream growled, lifting his servo as if to strike him. However, he caught Heidi’s gaze, surprised and confused as the vehicon stepped forward. His servo lowered as his optics narrowed across Heidi’s figure.

“What is this vermin doing here?” Starscream snarled, glaring at Heidi. Heidi glared back though, grunting.

“Takes one to know one, Screamy.” Heidi snapped. Cliffjumper smirked while Starscream growled. At that, he took Heidi tightly in his servo. Heidi squeaked from the sudden movement, struggling angrily. Cliffjumper gritted his denta, glaring as Starscream held Heidi.

“Leave her alone, Scream!” Cliffjumper snarled. Starscream laughed, rolling his optics as he watched Heidi squirm.

“Of course, you care about this vermin. I should’ve known it belonged to you. Foolish Autobot.” Starscream growled, tightening his grip. Heidi groaned, her bruises screaming from the pressure. Cliffjumper growled, beginning to get up. However, a vehicon kept him on the ground.

“Let her go or else!” Cliffjumper snapped. 

“HA! I’m the one giving orders here. And I’d suggest you obey them. That is if you wish for the vermin to stay…unharmed.” Starscream threatened, squeezing Heidi. Heidi yelped, growling from the continuing pressure. Cliffjumper grunted but complied, staying silent. Starscream chuckled as the doors of the room opened. A sleek, dark purple bot with no face walked in. 

“Soundwave.” Starscream greeted. Heidi turned to the bot, able to recognize him as well. The Decepticon's communications chief. Soundwave turned to her then, staring at her. It was very creepy. Starscream was confused though as he walked up to Soundwave.

“What? Do you know of this human?” Starscream asked. Soundwave stayed silent, his visor flashing to video feed. It showed Heidi and the bots when they first met, during the vehicon battle. He zoomed in on her and Cliffjumper as they watched the fight. A grin came onto Starscream as he realized.

“Ah. I see. So this is the human child that the Autobots have allied with. Then she may be of some use to us…” Starscream said, eyeing Heidi with an evil grin. Heidi tore away from his gaze, glaring at the ground. He then shoved Heidi to one of the vehicons as he gave the orders. 

“Put them in the brig. I will deal with them later,” Starscream ordered. The vehicons nodded, taking Heidi and Cliffjumper somewhere new on the ship. Once they left, Soundwave turned to a Proud Starscream.

“Yes, Yes. I know. Why not kill them when I had the chance? Well, my dear Soundwave, I believe they will be more willing to talk if both are left alive. However, finding ways to make one of them spill will be most pleasing.” Starscream schemed. Soundwave nodded, turning away and walking out of the room. 

Heidi and Cliffjumper were thrown into a large room with a yelp. They grunted as they hit the ground, skidding a bit. They got up, a bit dazed before looking back at the vehicons. However, the soldiers quickly shut the door and locked them in. The two growled, sitting up and turning to each other. Cliffjumper took Heidi in his servos, checking her over for injuries.

“Are you alright?! Screamy didn’t hurt you from the squeeze, did he?!” 

“I’m fine, Cliff! Just a few bruises but most are from earlier. Nothing serious.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper nodded, groaning as he looked at his dents and cuts. Heidi’s gaze lingered on them, worry growing in her mind. Her hand gently grazed one of the injuries, making him flinch.

“I can’t say the same for you though,” Heidi said, looking over the wounds. Cliffjumper chuckled, trying to lighten the mood even though it hurt. 

“Ah, it’s just a few small injuries. Nothing Ratchet can’t fix…I hope.” Cliffjumper said, mumbling the last part. The two looked around, taking in their surroundings. They were in a dark circular room with only one door. Nothing was inside the room other than them and a light above.

“Ugh. No way out. How are we gonna get out of here?” Heidi asked, looking at Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper coughed loudly before sighing in defeat.

“Don’t know. We just have to hope the others can find us.”

“But isn’t the ship cloaked? They won’t be able to track our signals! Not only that, who knows where the ship is going! How will they find a moving object?!” Heidi said, beginning to panic as she paced.

“Hey! Don’t worry. They’ll figure it out. In the meantime, Let’s see if we can make it easier for them to find us.”

“How?” Cliffjumper looked around curiously before seeing a small vent. He smirked, walking towards it with a small limp. Once he got there, he lifted Heidi to get a better look. It looked dark and dusty inside but it was just Heidi’s size.

“Can you fit?” 

“Maybe if one of us could get the grill off,” Heidi said. She was suddenly brought back down as Cliffjumper aimed his cannons for the vent. He blasted it and the grill came crashing down. The two cringed, realizing how loud it was. Immediately, two vehicons entered the room. In a panic, Cliffjumper practically threw Heidi into the vent.

“WAH! CLIFF!” Heidi shrieked. However, the vent was slanted and she couldn’t stop sliding down it. Her shrieks echoed through it along with the sounds of a clashing metal. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper was smashed into the wall, falling to the ground. 

“Ugh. Geez, look who woke up on the wrong side of the berth. Was that because of me?” Cliffjumper teased. The vehicons only growled, charging up their weapons. Cliffjumper chucked, raising his servos.

“Woah!x3 Okay, I get it. Sorry for waking you guys up. I promise it’s nothing personal.” Cliffjumper defended, a small smirk appearing on his faceplate. However, The vehicon suddenly hit him in the helm, making Cliffjumper drop to the ground. Energon leaked from his mouth as he seemingly fell unconscious. The two vehicons grabbed him and dragged him out of the room.

“Fragging Autobots. Always gotta make things harder.” One Vehicon complained.

“Yeah, now we have a loose prisoner on the ship. Commander Starscream is not gonna be happy about this.” the other responded. Little did they know, Cliffjumper had a small smirk on his face. He opened his optics slightly, glancing back at the room and the vent as they left. 

“Stay safe, Heidi.” 

“YOU LET THE VERMIN ESCAPE!?” Starscream snapped, slapping one of the vehicons. The others stepped back, warily at that. A few vehicons and Starscream were on the bridge after the incident. Starscream had just learned that the human had escaped and to say he was displeased was a large understatement.  

“Commander! She’s still on the ship somewhere. We’ll find her soon enough!” The vehicon assured.

“You better! She’s possibly the only negotiation tactic we have on the Autobot scum! As soon as you find her, bring her to me. I’ll deal with her myself!” Starscream snarled. 

“Yes, Commander Starscream!” The vehicons said, saluting Starscream. Starscream growled as he turned back to the bridge’s console. The vehicons quickly sprinted out of the room, running out into the ship. Meanwhile, Soundwave entered after them, walking up to Starscream.

“Soundwave, what is it?” Starscream growled. With that, Soundwave’s visor changed to show a comlink recording.

“Like Jaspers Nevada’s a party? We’re alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff.” a femme’s voice said. The recording switched off as a grin came across Starscream’s face. He turned to Soundwave, an evil plan hatching in his head.

“Ah, the one called Arcee. Why capture one Autobot when we still have the advantage of surprise?” Starscream schemed. 

Heidi stumbled through the vents, the only light being the grills in the vents. Other than that, She mostly saw darkness and dust. She coughed as some dust flew into her face. She backed up, waving her free arm around. She then fell down another slanted shaft, making her silently yelp. She stopped at the bottom, on her belly. She growled, getting back up on her feet.

“Ugh. Curse this.” Heidi snapped, looking down another dark vent. She groaned, walking ahead to find an intersection. She looked around before taking a left and Another intersection came in. She took a right. More twists and turns came and all Heidi would find was the occasional grill on the high end of a wall or a dead end.

“Agh! I’ve been walking for ages! I don’t even know where I’m going!” Heidi groaned, taking another turn as she walked through the vents. However, not noticing the drop below her, she walked right onto it and fell onto the top of a grill, shrieking. She rolled to the side, groaning as everything began growing blurry.

“Ouch.” Heidi snapped, her gaze growing darker. Soon, she couldn’t see anything but darkness as she slipped into unconsciousness. No matter how much she tried to fight it. Only one word escaped as she slipped away into her mind.

“Cliff…”

In a new cell, Cliffjumper is chained to the wall with more dents and scratches than before. It was dark with a flickering light as he leaned against the wall. It had been half a day or more since he sent Heidi into the vents and now he was beginning to regret it. He should’ve thought it through before throwing her in. Heidi may be a smart girl but she’s still a kid. 

“Hope you're okay, little lady,” Cliffjumper mumbled with a sigh. Suddenly, the doors swooshed open and two vehicons walked in. Their weapons were aimed at Cliffjumper’s head but he wasn’t afraid. He smiled at them with a teasing look.

“Well, well. What’s the occasion for the visit? Did Screamy get bored and decide he wants to add more dents to me?” Cliffjumper teased. One vehicon began unlocking his chains while the other decided to keep his blaster on Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper watched curiously as the vehicon spoke.

“Commander Starscream has found no use for you now. We have orders to bring you to him so he can finish you off.” The vehicon snapped. Cliffjumper chuckled as the other finished de-chaining him.

“I hate to be the party pooper but…” Cliffjumper began. Before the vehicons could react, he grabbed the one near him by the head. He smashed him into the ground, knocking him out. The other fired at him but Cliffjumper used the body of the first vehicon as a shield. He then blasted the other vehicon with his cannons, killing him off. 

“I’ve got bigger things to deal with than screamy.” Cliffjumper finished, throwing the body to the ground with the other vehicon. Cliffjumper winced in pain then, holding his shoulder gingerly. It leaked energon, making him groan.

“Geez. Gotta take it easy I guess,” Cliffjumper mumbled. With his cannons ready, he sneaked out of his cell. He carefully made his way through the nemesis hallways, trying to remain unseen. Meanwhile, he’d go near every vent to find the little lady he knew.

“Heidi! Are you there?.. Guess not.” Cliffjumper whispered, before continuing on his way. Little did he know, An unconscious Heidi was slowly becoming conscious in one of the vents. She groaned, looking down to see nobody below. She lightly held her forehead, groaning a bit from dizziness.

“Crud. I must have passed out. I really gotta watch where I step.” Heidi mumbled, getting up. Her tummy then growled, making her clutch her stomach. She sighed, taking off her backpack and rummaging through it. She found a small protein bar left behind. 

“Good enough.” Heidi sighed. She then unwrapped the bar and ate as much as she needed. She wrapped the rest of it up again before placing it back in her bag. She took out her water bottle, taking a quick sip before placing it with her snack.

“Need to save as much as I can. Who knows how long I’ll be stuck in here.” Heidi said, anxiety coming into her thoughts. The chilling darkness seemed more grim to her than before. She took a breath and pushed down her thoughts. She then began to make her way through the vents once more. 

Cliffjumper didn’t know how long he had been walking but his wounds were killing him now. He wandered through the nemesis’s hallways aimlessly, cannons ready in case a Decepticon saw him. He came next to a doorway and looking in, he saw an elevator leading outside the ship. Masses of energon were being transported inside.

“There’s my ticket out of here.” Cliffjumper began. However, a thought suddenly passed through his mind, making him groan.

“Scrap, Heidi’s still in here though. I can’t just leave her…” Cliffjumper mumbled. As he began to turn away, he heard voices from the hallways coming towards him. Realizing his situation, Cliffjumper took one last look before bolting into the room. He hid behind some storage crates, hoping to be out of sight. However, he didn’t realize he was on the elevator until it suddenly began going down.

“Scrap!” Cliffjumper cursed. However, he had no choice but to stay on the platform as it took him out of the ship and down into a huge Energon mine. It was a large cavern with platforms and energon on each one. Not only that, multiple tunnels lead in and out of the cavern. He whistles softly, glancing across the area in awe.

“Woah. This is one big operation…” Cliffjumper mumbled. As he reached the floor, more vehicons began taking the crates. When no one was looking, he got off the platform and hid behind some unused crates. He looked up at the ship, his optics narrowing.

“I gotta get back up there…but how?” Cliffjumper wondered. Suddenly, an idea came to mind as realization hit him. A large smile came across his faceplate as he placed a digit on his comlink.

“I’m outside the ship. They must be able to track my signal and my comlink should work!” Cliffjumper said, activating it. 

“Cliffjumper to base, anybody copy?” a voice said. Everyone stopped in their tracks in shock. It was early afternoon at the Autobot base with Ratchet at the console while the other bots talked. Three curious new humans also were there, young children who had gotten caught in it. 

“CLIFF?!” Arcee gasped, running up to the console with the others behind. A laugh came from the comlink as Cliffjumper’s signal popped up on the screen. A relieved smile came across Arcee as Cliffjumper spoke again. 

“Hey, partner! Miss me?” Some of the kids came up then, confused as they looked at the screen. Bumblebee buzzed multiple times, excited to hear Cliffjumper was alive.

“Haha! Those con-rustbuckets couldn’t get rid of me. After all, you mess with Cliffjumper and you get the horns!” Cliffjumper said proudly. 

“B-But how?! Your signal went offline!” Ratchet sputtered, confused. 

“The cons dragged me and Heidi onto their warship and kept us prisoner. They wanted info but I escaped from the ship.” Cliffjumper explained. A brown-haired boy lit up at hearing the name. Rafael knew that name but…it could’ve just been a coincidence.  He took out his phone, looking over the multiple texts he sent. No response from his best friend Heidi though. 

“Is that another bot?! Whose Heidi? Is she another human?-” Miko rambled. Rafael put his phone away, sighing in defeat. However, his suspicions were secretly blooming inside him. Immediately, Ratchet shushed her as Cliffjumper continued. 

“Unfortunately, I’m stuck inside a giant Energon mine with cons everywhere. The whole warships here too! I’ll need some help to take these guys down and get back on the ship.” Cliffjumper explained. This confused the bots and Bulkhead was quick to to speak up on it.

“Huh? But didn’t you just escape from the ship? Why do you wanna go back?” Bulkhead asked. 

“I didn’t mean to escape from the ship. After breaking free of my cell, I went sneaking around the ship to look for Heidi! But I got cornered and had to hide behind some crates. I didn’t realize I was on an elevator until I started moving down.” Cliffjumper explained. 

“Wait, So Heidi is still on the ship?!” Arcee exclaimed. The bots gasped as the kids looked around confused. This “Heidi” must be super important for the bots to be so worried. 

“That’s why I need your help! Can you track my position?” Cliffjumper asked. Ratchet paused for a moment, typing on the console. 

“Yes!” Ratchet exclaimed.

“Cliffjumper, hold your position. We are coming now.” Optimus explained as Ratchet input the groundbridge coordinates. Arcee walked up closer to the console, seeming more hopeful than before. 

“Be quick guys,” Cliffjumper said.

“We will. Stay safe, Partner.” Arcee said with a small smile on her faceplates.

“I’ll try, Cee,” Cliffjumper said. He then dropped off the comlink with his signal still on screen. Optimus turned to Ratchet, concern laced in his firm expression.

“Ratchet, Prepare sickbay. Cliffjumper may be injured.” Optimus explained, activating his battle mask. Suddenly, A call from below caught his attention. He looked down to see the three human children looking up curiously. The femme, Miko, seemed more enthusiastic, coming to the edge.

“What can we do?” Miko asked. The other boys seemed less interested in helping than she was thankfully. While it was sweet for her to care, he also knew this was far too dangerous for humans, let alone children to tag along.

“Remain with Ratchet,” Optimus said. Miko moaned in annoyance and Ratchet made a similar-sounding grumble after. He then activated the groundbridge as the Autobots lined up in front, Optimus taking the lead. He ran ahead with the others behind as he spoke.

“Autobots. Roll out!” Optimus ordered. At that, all the bots transformed in mid-sprint into their vehicle forms and drove into the vortex. They disappeared into it, arriving at a new location. Meanwhile, The kids were awe-struck by what happened. And confused.

“W-What just happened?!” Jack sputtered.

Cliffjumper waited impatiently in the mine from his new hiding spot. He hid behind some old crates on one of the levels. He anxiously watched the elevator as it went up and down. He groaned, sitting back down as he lightly touched his shoulder. He winced, pulling back angrily.

“Agh! Stupid cons.” Cliffjumper cursed. After a moment, he tapped his comlink, about to call the team. However, something suddenly grabbed his ped. Cliffjumper turned, yelping loudly to see a dead vehicon crawling onto him. Purple residue leaked from all its wounds and not only that, it was missing half its body!

“WHAT THE?!-” Cliffjumper snapped. It suddenly jumped onto him, pushing him out into the open. He wrestled with it angrily, trying to shoot it. It would try biting and ripping out his metal as he did. Not only that, but the purple residue that dripped onto his frame made him feel weaker somehow. 

Meanwhile, vehicons were about to advance on them. However, plasma fire being shot by other vehicons directed their attention to the Autobots who hid behind crates. They fired back at the vehicons, ensuing a long battle. Arcee and the others blasted as many as they could. Finally, after a while, Arcee spotted Cliffjumper after dodging another shot. Something was attacking him and he couldn’t shake it.

“It’s Cliff! I have visual!” Acree said. Optimus glanced at her, nodding as he looked back to the vehicons. Blaster fire raining over everyone, Optimus knew the next move.

“We’ll cover you! GO!” Optimus ordered. With that, Arcee jumped over the crate and ran ahead. She transformed as her teammates shot any vehicons in her way. She drove up a slanted platform, dodging blaster fire as she did. As she got to the end, she ramped up it and jumped into the air, above a few vehicons. 

Arcee swung around a horizontal metal beam before running across a vertical beam. She jumped on multiple other metal pieces and beams before jumping off towards the platform. She grunts as she just barely grabs onto the edge. Meanwhile, the zombified vehicon landed a harsh blow on Cliffjumper, distracting him. Before the Vehcion could deliver another blow though, a blue plasma fire shot hit its back. 

“Get away from him!” Arcee yelled, her blaster still smoking. It suddenly began to rain blaster fire around them. The Autobots tried their best to fire back but the platform beneath Cliffjumper was going loose and was about to fall. Cliffjumper was still in a dazed state, unable to move. As the platform began to fall, Arcee ran forward.

“Cliff!” Arcee yelled, grabbing his servo. She tried her best to pull him up as the Autobots shot down any other vehicons. However, the rocky mine wall was beginning to crumble from it. Arcee shielded herself from rock debris before turning back to her partner.

“Let’s get you home, partner!” Arcee said. Cliffjumper groaned, beginning to wake as Arcee pulled him onto the ledge. 

“Arcee?” Cliffjumper said, dazed. However, the loud shriek of the zombified vehicon distracted both of them. Arcee bounced back as the vehicon pounced onto her. She slammed onto the metal before quickly kicking it off. The vehicon slid back, about to attack again when a blaster fire hit it. It turned around to see a now-standing Cliffjumper. He smirked confidently while one of his cannons smoked.

“Hey, zombie! Come on! Try and get me!” Cliffjumper challenged. The vehicon let a loud yowl before charging at him. Before it could deliver a blow, Cliffjumper grabbed its body, throwing it above him and off the platform. Cliffjumper watched as the vehicon shrieked, bouncing off another platform before landing on the ground below.

Optimus and his teammates gathered at the edge, watching as the vehicon fell. They looked up to see Cliffjumper fall into a kneel, clutching his shoulder. Arcee quickly went to his side, helping him get up. He leaned on to her as the cackle of the silver seeker drew their attention to a higher platform.

“Prime!” Starscream snapped, glaring over the Autobots. His gaze landed on Cliffjumper who glared back at him.

“I see you’ve escaped, Cliffjumper. No matter. Once we find your little pest, we’ll find out all the intel we need. Even if we have to use more gruesome methods on her.” Starscream chuckled darkly. Cliffjumper gasped before anger overcame him.

“If you touch her, I SWEAR I’LL-” Cliffjumper stopped, yelping as a pain in his side overcame him. Starscream laughed while all the Autobots glared at him. He then held up a device over the edge.

“I’d stick around, but I have vermin to catch.” Starscream cackled before activating the device. It let out multiple beeps as he dropped it into the mine. Starscream then jumped into the old elevator shaft, transforming into his jet before flying out through the open-holed ceiling.

“Scrap! The ship’s gone!” Cliffjumper cursed, wincing after. Meanwhile, the device bounced off a few crystals before landing in a cluster. Getting a closer look, the team below realized what it was. Cliffjumper gasped as Arcee stared in shock, realizing as well.

“The joints gonna blow!” Bulkhead yelled. Optimus glanced up to see Arcee and Cliffjumper nodding at each other before transforming. They were already halfway down from the platforms as Optimus barked the order. 

“Autobots! Roll Out!” Optimus yelled, turning and pointing to the way they came in. Immediately, Bulkhead and Bumblebee transformed as Arcee and Cliffjumper came down the ramp. Once they drove past, Optimus followed, transforming behind them. They left the cavern as quickly as they could. 

Soon enough, the device detonated and a huge explosion shot out through every cavern and hole. The bots now had a blue fiery explosion hot on their tails as they tried to escape. Cliffjumper was barely keeping up, staying back with Optimus. 

“Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates…NOW!” Optimus ordered in the comlink. As soon as he did, a groundbridge vortex opened up and the team drove through. Cliffjumper pushed himself to the limits to catch up. He was able to come in after the others, screeching to a halt. Optimus was last to get out, flipping out of the closing vortex as he did. The kids on the platform gasped in awe, amazed by what they saw. 

Optimus then turned to see Cliffjumper transform with a grunt. He stayed on his knees, groaning as Ratchet came to his side. Everyone surrounded Cliffjumper in worry with Arcee kneeling beside him. 

“Cliff! Are you alright?”

“Ouch. Been better.” Cliffjumper groaned, trying to get up. However, he immediately fell back down and was unconscious. Some of the bots gasped or yelped as Ratchet scanned him. Once he got his mini computer working, he quickly read it over before helping the unconscious bot up.

“Quickly. Help me get him to the medbay!” Ratchet ordered. Immediately, Bumblebee and Bulkhead stepped in, taking a side of Cliffjumper while Ratchet headed to the medbay. Arcee began to follow when Miko spoke up.

“What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with you next time?!” Miko asked, excited. However, Arcee was in no mood to deal with her energetic nature. She angrily stepped up to her with her arms crossed.

“Look,-”

“H-H-Hey Miko! Let’s go see what the bots hide in their sock drawers.” Jack interrupted, trying to distract Miko. He quickly led the displeased girl away with him as she spoke.

“Seriously?” Miko said, unconvinced. Meanwhile, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead surrounded a worried Arcee. Ratchet stayed behind, stabilizing Cliffjumper's condition and cleaning off the strange substances on him.

“Arcee, What did you and Cliffjumper see?” Optimus asked. Arcee looked away, sickened by the memory of what they saw. It looked like something spawned from the pits and would likely be lurking in future nightmares. 

“It was a vehicon but it was mutated…butchered. Like something from those con experiments during the war.-” Arcee stopped, feeling lightheaded before falling onto a crate. The mechs flinched, Bumblebee making multiple worried buzzes and beeps as he stepped forward. Arcee, however, held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m Fine! Just…Dizzy.” Arcee explained as the bots helped her onto the crate. Meanwhile, the humans watched from afar, letting their thoughts become words in their mouths.

“Robots who get dizzy?” Miko said, seemingly confused. 

“Robots with emotions,” Raf said, feeling strong about his statement.

“Robots…who can die.” Jack finished, unsure. Meanwhile, Ratchet scanned Arcee with his minicomputer which flashed for a minute before turning it off. Turning to the reason, Ratchet noticed a purple residue on Arcee’s servo.

“What is this?” Ratchet asked, eyeing the residue. Arcee looked at it, holding her helm softly with her other servo.

“Don’t know. Cliff was covered in it. And that…thing was leaking it.” Arcee explained. Ratchet then carefully took Arcee’s hand. He held it steady as he used a surgical knife to scrape off the residue. He held it up carefully, glancing at it before turning back to Arcee.

“Go take a decontamination bath. Now!” Ratchet ordered. With that, Bumblebee led Arcee to the medbay area. The bots began to disperse and before Optimus could follow, Jack called up to him.

“O-Optimus. I-I hate to bug but no bars.” Jack said, glancing at his phone before showing it to Optimus. Optimus turned to them, curiously as he explained.

“A security precaution. The silo walls isolate all radio waves.” Jack glanced down at his phone nervously at that. He sighed, trying to get a message out as he spoke.

“Well if I don’t call my mom, like now, I’m pretty sure the cops will be out looking for me!” Jack said, shrugging nervously. Optimus bent down, a stern expression on his faceplates. The children were a little startled by this but stood still.

“Have you broken a law?” Optimus asked, sternly.

“Uh, Curfew. It’s after 10 pm.” Jack explained. Remembering something, Raf also becomes more nervous and saddened. 

“I better get home too. Or I’ll be grounded for a year.” Raf said, worriedly. Optimus’s expression softened a Tinch, relieved it wasn’t something illegal. If he was right, Heidi had similar customs to her mother. 

“Earth Customs… I hadn’t considered.” Optimus said. He stood up straight then, his gaze still on the children. 

“But the issue of your safety remains,” Optimus concluded, gesturing to them. He then turned to see Bulkhead walk over as he spoke.

“Bulkhead, Accompany Miko home,” Optimus ordered. Miko was thrilled by the idea, grinning as she stepped forward.

“Awesome! My host parents will freak!” Miko celebrated, jumping into the unsure boys' faces. The bots glanced at her before Optimus continued.

“And maintain covert surveillance in vehicle form,” Optimus concluded, glancing at Miko. Bulkhead turned to her, understanding the assignment.

“Curbside duty. Got it.” Bulkhead said. Miko let out a sad groan then. Optimus then turned back to the medbay, calling out to the young scout.

“Bumblebee! You’ll watch over Raf.” Optimus ordered. Bumblebee smiled, turning to Raf who returned the gesture. Optimus then turned to Ratchet who worked at the console diligently. Ratchet could tell Optimus had turned to him. Call it a sixth sense. He held up his hand, interrupting him.

“Busy! Someone has to take care of Cliffjumper!” Ratchet snapped.

“Without a doubt, Ratchet. As such, Arcee, you’ll accompany Jack.” Optimus ordered, looking at Arcee as she exited the decontamination chamber. She looked at him, displeased as Jack just scratched the back of his head awkwardly. After a moment, Arcee began to fake being dizzy.

“Ooh! Still dizzy!” Arcee said. However, Ratchet immediately shut her down, holding up a hand to stop the chatter once again.

“You're fine! Says your physician.” Ratchet snapped. Arcee sighed in defeat before walking to the main tunnel with the others. They all transformed but before Arcee did, she turned to Ratchet with a glare.

“Ratchet, you better keep me updated on Cliff’s condition!” Arcee snapped. Ratchet only scoffed, waving her off with a mumbled “yes.” At that, Arcee transformed and let Jack get on her. Soon enough, all three bots left the base with their new human charges. Now, only Ratchet, Cliffjumper, and Optimus remained. 

“Ratchet, how is his condition?” Optimus asked. Ratchet glanced at him before sighing.

“He’s stable. I haven’t been able to do much but once I finish, I’ll look into the purple residue found on Arcee and him.” Ratchet explained, typing on the console. Optimus hummed, nodding as he made his way to the main console. 

“Your work is appreciated and commended, old friend,” Optimus said, typing on the console. Search patterns pulled up as he tried to hunt down the warship. They needed to find it soon before the Decepticons found Heidi. 

Heidi’s feet dragged behind her as she made her way through the vents. After a while, she sighed, slouching against the wall and sliding down. She placed her backpack next to her as she hugged her knees tightly. Fear flowed through her with her exhaustion. She yawned but stopped short when she heard voices below.

“Didn’t you hear? Commander Starscream let the Autobot go!” the first voice explained. Heidi crawled over a vent shaft nearby, peaking down into the purple hallway. Below, Two vehicons stood on patrol and chatted. 

“Not by his own choice. I heard the Autobots broke into the mine and the scum found his way in there with them!” The other one said. Heidi felt relief overcome her at hearing that. She sighed, chuckling softly as she backed up.

“At least he got out…” Heidi whispered. However, her smile vanished as the vehicons continued talking.

“Whatever! Why wasn’t the human with him? If he was out for so long, why not try to find her?”

“Maybe the Autobot scum decided to ditch that human so he could be free.” The first vehicon snapped. Heidi paused, feeling a dark emotion creep into her spine. She gripped her chest as the voices continued.

“Sounds about right. I mean, why else would he leave without her?” the other Vehicon snapped. Unable to take it, Heidi took out her hearing aids. The silence greeted her as she swam in a pool of her thoughts and worries. She felt herself sit back down, her head plopping down into her arms. Inside, her anxiety made her crumble and rethink a few things. In the end, The same question repeated over and over. Even though she felt she knew the answer.

Did he leave me behind?

Chapter Text

It was morning in Nevada’s desert and a hot morning it was. However, with the cool breeze blowing through, today would be a pretty good day. Bumblebee was in his alternate, parked somewhere in the desert. Inside, Raf and him were competing in a racing video game. Bumblebee connected to Raf’s game and put it on the screen to play. 

Raf fiddles with his controller while Bumblebee uses his wheel to control the cars. Raf was glad to find someone interested in playing with him. Especially since the person he usually plays with was… unavailable. The worst part was that he didn’t know why or how. Getting caught up in his thoughts, he tried to make a risky move in the game.

Immediately, Bumblebee hit his car into Raf’s and Raf’s car spun out of control! It crashed into the side, ending the game. Raf was surprised before letting out a defeated whine. Bumblebee whirred in excitement, bragging a bit from the win. Raf laughed, looking at Bumblebee’s wheel with a smile.

“Haha! No fair, Bumblebee! You’ve been driving a lot longer than I have!” Raf said. Bumblebee buzzed multiple times, mostly talking about how good he was at the game still. Suddenly, a buzz and a ding came from Raf’s phone, causing them to stop. A streak of hope came through Raf as he quickly pulled his phone out. He opened it, a smile beginning to form until he saw it was just a notification for a game.

Raf groaned, disappointed as he placed away his phone. He sighed, turning to look out the window. Heidi hadn’t responded in days which was very unlike Heidi. Whenever someone texted her, she was always quick to respond or at least would call them back the same day. Bumblebee must have noticed his silence and sadness.

Bumblebee let out multiple buzzes and whirls, asking Raf what was wrong. Raf turned to him, pausing before letting out a sigh. He pulled out his phone again, pulling up a picture of him and Heidi together. As he stared at it, he began to explain to Bumblebee.

“It’s my best friend. She usually responds to me but she hasn’t talked to me in the past few days. I went to her house but her mom said she wasn’t there. She didn't even come to school yesterday. It’s like she…vanished.” Raf explained, feeling sadness and worry blossom again. Bumblebee buzzed multiple times curiously, causing Raf to look up.

“Uh, yeah. Here.” Raf said, holding up his phone to the rearview mirror. It turned towards him, looking at the photo of Raf and Heidi. Bumblebee buzzed in surprise, beeping and whirring multiple times as Raf looked at him in shock.

“Wait, you know her?!” Raf asked, pointing at the photo. Bumblebee buzzed in agreement before beeps and whirls came out, explaining to Raf. Raf’s eyes widened in shock as he realized the truth. He looked at the photo, staring at Heidi’s face. Everyone has their secrets but he would’ve never guessed Heidi was hiding something this huge! 

“Done,” Ratchet said, finishing Cliffjumper’s repairs. While he looked new again, he was still unconscious in the medbay. It was silent with no one else being present. Optimus was working somewhere else in the base and The others were with their newest additions. Ratchet grumbled at the thought of having more children and loud noises with them. However, secretly, he had been fairly worried about one noise maker. 

“Cliffjumper and her couldn’t stay safe, could they? If they had listened, they wouldn’t be in this mess.” Ratchet grumbled, turning away. Though he was grumpy, he was secretly more worried than anything. He just hoped Heidi would be okay and get home safe in the end. After a moment, he began walking over to the table where his equipment was, trying to distract himself.

“Thank goodness for peace and quiet,” Ratchet mumbled, stopping at the microscope. A sample slide with the purple residue was already lying inside, ready to be examined. Ratchet leaned down, peeking into the microscope as he mumbled.

“House guests can be such a bother,” He examined the substance, undisturbed when the sound of an object clanging to the ground startled Ratchet. He looked up, looking around when he noticed Cliffjumper groan and his face twitched. Ratchet gasped, running next to him as Cliffjumper woke up, sitting up straight.

“Cliffjumper! You’re awake!” Ratchet said, surprised. Cliffjumper groaned, turning to Ratchet a bit dazed. However, he quickly remembered what happened, a smirk coming onto his face.

“Morning, doc,” Cliffjumper said, rubbing his helm. Ratchet growled at the nickname, making Cliffjumper chuckle. He turned his body so his peds hung off the berth. As he tried to get up, Ratchet stopped him angrily.

“EP! EP! EP! No! You aren’t fully healed. You need to wait until I do a full check on your systems!” Ratchet snapped, beginning to scan Cliffjumper. An annoyed Cliffjumper tried to block it with a sigh though.

“Ratch, I’m fine! Matter of fact, I feel great!-” Cliffjumper began. However, he was interrupted by a loud and sudden skittering. Both bots stopped what they were doing, looking around the base confused. So far, there was nothing.

“Optimus?” Ratchet called, hoping it was just him. Cliffjumper felt a bad feeling come as he got up to his peds. He was sore but he didn't want to just sit around. Especially with the strange activity happening now. Suddenly, the skittering came again but towards them. Both turned to the ground, gasping in shock.

“What the?!-” 

“By the all spark!-” 

Out of nowhere, a small, spider-like machine came running towards them with a glowing purple optic. It jumped in the air, hissing loudly as Cliffjumper and Ratchet dodged with a yelp. It landed on the lab desk as Cliffjumper changed his servos to his cannons.

“What is that thing?!” Cliffjumper yelled, confused. The spider then jumped in the air, about to attack Ratchet but Ratchet blocked it. It jumped off him and onto a platform high above. Cliffjumper tried to shoot it, but it dodged the blaster fire each time. It jumped down and Ratchet grabbed a long metal rod. He tried to smash the spider but it kept dodging or blocking. As the spider continued to dodge, it ran onto the table and sliced off half the microscope.

“I needed that!” Ratchet yelled angrily.

“Pretty sure it doesn’t care, Ratch!” Cliffjumper quickly snapped. The spider growled, jumping up as Cliffjumper and Ratchet dodged again. They backed up, leaning on the human platforms as the spider jumped again. Cliffjumper got ready to blast it but someone did it first. A blue plasma blast hit the spider mid-air, making it crash to the ground in sparks.

“Huh?” Cliffjumper said, looking around before his gaze landed on Optimus. He stood in front of one of the tunnels, his cannon aimed up at where the spider was and battle mask on. After a moment, Optimus deactivated his cannons as Ratchet sagged in relief, huffing. Optimus stepped up as Cliffjumper eyed the spider. Suddenly, the spider sparked and got up, about to go on another rampage. However, before it could, Optimus stomped it into scrap, effectively killing it. 

“And stay broken!” Ratchet snapped. After that, Cliffjumper sagged in relief, deactivating his weapons. Optimus turned to him, deactivating his battle mask. He was surprised Cliffjumper was awake and supposedly doing well.

“Cliffjumper. I assume you are well?” Optimus asked. Cliffjumper nodded, groaning a bit as he stretched out his arms. If they were sore before, then they were in pain now. 

“A little sore but otherwise, yeah. I’m fine.” Cliffjumper explained, continuing to stretch out a bit. Optimus nodded, turning to Ratchet who was examining the spider. Ratchet then looked to Optimus, still confused about what happened.

“Now What could have caused that?!” Ratchet snapped, gesturing to the spider bot. Optimus paused, a grave expression coming onto his faceplates.

“I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark Energon.” Optimus explained

The Decepticon Warship flew unbothered through the air with the Decepticons roaming the hallways. Vehicons searched high and low through the vents, hoping to find something soon. As a set of vehicons moved on, believing one of the vents to be empty, A small shadow zipped by. It stopped beside a vent grill, checking to see who was below. The light reveals it to be Heidi, a little dirty from the vents.

“Another hallway and too high up to jump down. Curses.” Heidi groaned before continuing on the next few grills. Suddenly, the voice of Starscream and another mech caught her attention. She stopped, turning to another vent grill. She came up to the metal wall next to it, looking through carefully. Inside a dark room, Starscream stood behind a large silver mech. The mech stared into a set of purple crystals which illuminated the room in a purple light. His back was turned so she couldn’t see his face. 

“Who…” Heidi began. However, after a moment of staring, she began to feel familiarity rise. Starscream then interrupted her thoughts as he walked up behind the mech. However, he seemed much less confident and more anxious than when she last encountered him. He chuckled nervously before finally speaking up to the mech.

“Heh, Lord Megatron?” Starscream said. Heidi gasped softly at that, looking at the silver mech. Now realizing who he was, it was no wonder he felt so familiar. She'd hear the bots talking about him many times. They were right about him being tall and intimidating. Heck, he may be taller than Optimus! 

“So this beanstalk is bucket-head. Man, he’s creepy.” Heidi mused quietly. The mech, Megatron, paused before speaking up, his gaze fixated on the crystals.

“It’s as if the blood of Unicron the Destroyer… Flows through my veins! As if I hear his very thoughts!” Megatron mused. Heidi gulped, weirded out as Megatron reached into the crystals. He broke off a shard as he spoke.

“I now know what I must do,” Starscream chuckled nervously again as He looked up to Megatron. Megatron turned to him, his scowl making Heidi feel uneasy as Starscream spoke up. He almost sounded genuine in his words.

“A-And what can I do to assist you master?” Starscream asked, practically groveling at Megatron's peds. Heidi had to hold in a snort to see the bot who threatened her earlier grovel like this. However, she didn’t notice her phone beginning to fall out of her bag. Megatron glared at Starscream as he walked past.

“Quit Grovelling! And wait my command.” Megatron snapped, about to leave as Starscream watched. However, Heidi’s phone suddenly fell out, making a loud CLANG! Megatron stopped, both he and Starscream turning to the vents confused. Heidi quickly got her phone, laying flat against a vent wall. 

“Curses!” Heidi whispered, staying quiet. The room was dead silent then, no one making a move or sound. Heidi began to peak out when suddenly, something ripped off the vent cover. A type of purple, metal tentacle dashed into the vent with her. 

Heidi shrieked, beginning to run away but the tentacle was quick. It snagged her by the legs and dragged her out into the open. She spun around before a hand then grabbed her body, keeping her arms pinned. Heidi squeaked in surprise, looking up to see Soundwave holding her. Since when did he get here?!

“Double Curses!” Heidi snapped, trying to wiggle free. However, it was useless as he walked to Megatron and Starscream. Starscream grinned, snatching Heidi from Soundwave. Heidi yelped, glaring at Starscream as he spoke.

“There you are, vermin.” Starscream mused. Megatron stepped up, his gaze fixated on Heidi as he spoke.

“So this is the human Soundwave informed me of. The one who has allied with the Autobots.” Megatron said, stroking his chin. Getting up close, Heidi now knew how truly intimating he was. However, she wasn’t one to usually show fear to giant bullies like him either. She glared at him, her eyes glancing over his figure quickly.

“And you’re the warlord they told me about. The one who went nuts and started a war for power.” Heidi snapped. Megatron raised an optical ridge, a little surprised by this. Was the girl not terrified of him? 

“If that is how you wish to see me. I’m surprised you would speak in such a tone to someone who could crush you.” Megatron said. Heidi rolled her eyes, making an annoyed grunt.

“And? To others, you may be a warlord but in my view, you're just some bully gone nuts. Nothin' special.” Heidi snapped. However, a tight squeeze of Starscream made her yelp softly. Starscream glared at her, gritting his denta.

“Watch your tone, vermin!” Starscream snapped. Megatron paused, slightly amused by the courage of this femme. Of course, it was more likely foolishness.

“Is that what you heard from the Autobots? Well, I wouldn’t trust all that they say. While we Decepticons pride ourselves in deception, we are not the only ones capable of it. After all, you were left behind on this warship by a bot you called a friend, were you not?” Megatron said. Heidi’s eyes widened a tinch before turning into a glare.

“He didn’t leave me! He just…went to get help! Besides, he didn’t know where I was. Your vent shaft is huge.” Heidi snapped. Starscream cackled loudly at this. Heidi snapped a glare at him as he spoke.

“Puh-lease! We all know the truth. He left you for scrap. I even heard him say it myself and that he was glad he did so.” Starscream said, grinning. Heidi only rolled her eyes, looking away from Starscream.

“Yeah, right. And Why should I believe you all? Like you said, Decepticons are known for Deception. It’s even in the name, Idiot.” Heidi snapped. Starscream growled, tightening his grip on her for a second once again. Heidi only groaned slightly, glaring at Starscream before speaking up again with a sigh.

“Even if what you said is true, I still won’t snitch,” Heidi said.

“Oh? And Why is that, pray tell?” Megatron asked.

“Because even if they were as bad as you said, I’m not going to become worse than them by snitching. Especially to bots like you!” Heidi snarled, glaring at the warlord. It was silent for a moment before Megatron chuckled softly.

“You have quite the fire, don’t you?” Megatron said. Heidi narrowed her eyes as he looked at Starscream, his smile vanishing. His ice-cold stare returned as he spoke.

“If you are unable to break her, then alert me. I will happily take on the challenge when I return.” Megatron schemed, glancing at Heidi. Heidi looked away, fear beginning to enter her again. At that, Megatron turned to Soundwave.

“Soundwave, escort her to a cell, and be sure to update me on her progress when I return,” Megatron ordered. Soundwave nodded and Megatron left the room. Starscream held her higher then, using a claw to lift her head.

“This will be entertaining.” Starscream schemed before handing her to Soundwave. Heidi quickly spat at Starscream before Soundwave and her left the room. He kept a tight grip on her but Heidi didn't try to escape. She was reeling from what had just happened. She had kept a brave face on but in reality, she was terrified the whole time. Now, she just hoped things weren’t gonna get worse for her.

Soon, they got to a dim cell with a white light peering down from above. Large chains hung from the ceiling and a console sat on one side of the room. Soundwave brought her to the center, wrapping the chains around her arms. She hung there for a bit, glaring up at Soundwave.

“A little tight, don’t you think?” Heidi grunted. Soundwave only stared out at her for a bit before turning away. He left the room, the door shutting behind him with a shuck! At that, Heidi then began her efforts to wiggle free. However, it proved to be hopeless after a while. She sighed in defeat, her head hung low with fear taking over. After a while, She spoke again, her words in a pleading whisper.

“Please hurry, guys.” 

Back at the Autobot base, Optimus and Ratchet had cleaned up the spider mess and placed the body in a large cylinder tube. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper worked at the console in deep thought as he listened. Ratchet had cleared him from the med bay and he was working on something important. It was silent other than the console and the conversation between Optimus and Ratchet.

“If the residue found on Cliffjumper and Arcee brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought the vehicon trooper back from the dead,” Optimus said, using a metal panel to close off the cylinder tube. Cliffjumper stopped typing and turned to Optimus then.

“That does explain what I saw with the vehicon. Half its body was missing but it was still alive!” Cliffjumper said, shivering from the memories. He turned back to the console, continuing his work as Ratchet nodded. However, he still seemed to have doubts. 

“Yes, but Dark Energon?! It’s so scarce to be virtually non-existent! What would it be doing on Earth?” Ratchet said, confused. 

“It was transported here… by Megatron,” Optimus explained. Cliffjumper stopped typing glancing back in surprise. After a moment, he turned back to the console as the conversation continued between the two.

“For what purpose?” Ratchet asked. 

“To conquer this planet. By raising an army of the undead.” Optimus explained. Cliffjumper silently gulped at the thought of that. He had his experience with the undead and it almost cost him his spark. Ratchet, however, scoffed at the statement. Even chuckling a bit at it.

“Well. Megatron will need to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, Where in this world would he find that many cybertronian dead?” Ratchet said, unconvinced. Optimus, paused, seemingly already having an idea. However, he was interrupted by an annoyed grunt from Cliffjumper. 

“Scrap.” Cliffjumper cursed. Both bots turned then to see Cliffjumper let out a saddened sigh. Ratchet and Optimus glanced at each other, knowing the reason why. Another search pattern must've failed. Ever since Cliffjumper was cleared by Ratchet, he’s been tirelessly looking for signs of the warship in a short amount of time. He was worried about Heidi. Now more than ever. 

After a moment, Optimus stepped up, placing a servo on Cliffjumper’s shoulder. Cliffjumper turned to him, a worried look on his features. Optimus gave a small nod, trying to comfort him as Cliffjumper hummed. The sounds of engines then caught their attention. It was coming from the entrance tunnel.

Optimus joined Ratchet near the tunnel as Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee came in. To Cliffjumper's shock, three human children got out/off from them. Since when did they get new humans?! The humans cheered and laughed as their guardians transformed. 

“That was awesome!” The eldest boy said, looking to Arcee.

“Can we go again?” A younger boy said, looking at Bumblebee.

“Sweet!” The femme cheered, Looking to Bulkhead. Bulkhead was about to stand up straight when something cluttered from inside. He paused for a minute, staying bent as he transformed his chest, opening it and taking out a small, strangely shaped case. 

“Uh…” Bulkhead said, confused before handing it to the femme.

“Sorry. Must've left that in the backseat.” The femme said. Before anyone could speak, Arcee noticed Cliffjumper standing near the console. She gasped in surprise before a smile came across her face.

“Cliff!” Arcee said, running up next to him. Cliffjumper smiled, looking down at her happily.

“Hey, partner. Good to see you!” 

“You too. How are you feeling?” 

“Pretty great! So good that I’m ready to jump back into battle!” Cliffjumper said, pounding his fists together. Arcee gave a suspicious look as the three humans walked over. The bots turned to them as the eldest boy spoke.

“So. Your Cliffjumper, right?” The boy asked. Cliffjumper smiled, bending down as he nodded. 

“Yup! And you are?”

“Jack. Jack Darby.” The eldest, Jack, was introduced. Cliffjumper was a little surprised, recognizing the name. He had heard Heidi mention it before. However, the excited femme then spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. 

“HI! I’m Miko! Nice to meet ya! What type of car are you? How long have you been here? How many bad bots have you taken down?-” the femme, Miko, blurted out. Cliffjumper was a little taken aback by her chatty and energetic nature. 

“Woah!x3 Slow your roll, Kid. It’s nice to meet you too.” Cliffjumper said, chuckling a bit. He then turned to the youngest which he immediately recognized. He had seen him and Heidi hang out many times before. He was Heidi’s best friend, Raf. 

“Hey! I know you! You’re Raf, Aren’t you?” Cliffjumper said, smiling. Everyone was surprised by this, turning to the young boy, Raf, who was also surprised. He stepped up to the bot, confused.

“Y-You know who I am?” 

“Sort of. I’ve heard a lot about you from Heidi. You’re her best friend after all!” Cliffjumper explained. Realization hit Raf as he remembered what Bumblebee told him.

“So Bee was right! You were her guardian! You were the red car that picked her up every day!” Raf said, a bit surprised. Jack and Miko stepped up next to Raf then, looking confused.

“Whoa, back up! Are you talking about Heidi as in Heidi Campbell?!” Jack asked, shocked. Miko seemed to realize it too, recognizing the name. 

“Oh yeah! The prankster kid! I remember hearing about her on the first day! Who would’ve guessed she’d be friends with you,” Miko said, cheerfully. Raf sighed, ignoring her as he looked back to Cliffjumper. He was about to speak when Optimus then stepped up to the bots.

“Autobots, prepare to,-” Optimus began but stopped short at seeing the children run up. Arcee looked at him, confused as she tried to finish his sentence.

“Roll out?” Optimus paused, glancing at the children. With the kids, things seem to be more complicated than before. Besides, he’d rather have them remain here and spend time with their guardians. Coming to that, he decided on a new course of action. 

“Remain here.” Optimus finished, glancing at Ratchet and Cliffjumper then as he spoke.

“Ratchet. Cliffjumper. You’ll come with me.” Optimus said. Cliffjumper nodded, heading with Ratchet near the groundbridge as Optimus quickly turned back to Arcee.

“Arcee, we’ll be outside of communications range for some time so I’m putting you in charge,” Optimus ordered. Meanwhile, Miko looked up to Bulkhead, confused.

“Dude, you’re biggest! You should be the boss.” Miko said. 

“Uh, he never picks me,” Bulkhead explained, partially relieved. Meanwhile, Arcee was displeased by the orders. Why was he making her babysit some humans? Optimus began to walk away but Arcee stopped him.

“Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing. Babysitting’s another!” Arcee snapped. Jack let out a tired sigh, beginning to walk away with Raf as Arcee continued.

“Besides, Cliffjumper just barely escaped the warship yesterday and Ratchet hasn’t been in the field since the war,” Arcee said. Ratchet and Cliffjumper turned to her. Cliffjumper sighed while Ratchet snapped back at Arcee.

“My pistons may be rusty but my hearing is sharp as ever.” Ratchet then turned back to the groundbridge, inputting the coordinates Optimus told him earlier. Cliffjumper smiled as he crossed his arms.

“And I’m feeling fine. There’s no need to worry, Cee.” Cliffjumper said before continuing to watch Ratchet. Optimus then looked back to Arcee, beginning to explain.

“For the moment, it is only reconnaissance,” Optimus explained. Arcee, however, was still unconvinced.

“Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?” Arcee snapped. Optimus narrowed his optics a bit, becoming more serious than before. 

“Arcee, Much has changed in the last 24 hours…and we all need to adapt,” Optimus explained, shutting down the conversation. He looked to Ratchet then as Ratchet finally finished. The groundbridge was ready for use.

“Ratchet, bridge us out,” Optimus said. With that, Ratchet activated the groundbridge. The green vortex appeared as the three bots made their way over to it. Cliffjumper looked to Arcee who glared at him. He smiled, winking before following Optimus and Ratchet into the vortex. Arcee rolled her eyes with a growl as she watched them leave and the vortex disappeared. 

When the three bots left the vortex, all they saw were dark and dreary rock walls. It was cloudy and Cliffjumper, Optimus, and Ratchet were walking through some type of dark canyon now. It felt so dead and unnerving. Both Cliffjumper and Ratchet had no idea why they were here though.

“Optimus, what do we hope to find here?” Ratchet asked. Cliffjumper nodded, looking up to Optimus. Optimus glanced at both of them before beginning to explain. 

“The site of the largest cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy,” Optimus said. Cliffjumper and Ratchet were surprised by this. Ratchet didn’t even believe it at first.

“On Earth?! You must be joking.” Ratchet explained. Cliffjumper shrugged, looking around curiously.

“I mean, it’s not super crazy. The planet’s rich with Energon. It would be crazy if no one came and battled for it before.” Cliffjumper said, beginning to remember something from the war. Optimus nodded, starting to explain his thoughts to the two bots.

“Yes. Now, Do you both recall the period late in the war when both sides began hiding their energon spoils off-world?” Optimus asked. Cliffjumper quickly nodded as Ratchet spoke up.

“Of course. It’s the reason energon deposits exist on planets such as this one.” Ratchet said. Optimus nodded before turning his attention ahead again.

“It is also the reason battles came to be waged on planets such as this one…And I fear Megatron’s memory is as long as history.” Optimus grimly explained. Cliffjumper and Ratchet were surprised by this as they continued to make their way through the canyon. Optimus’s reasoning for coming here was becoming more clear as they continued.

It was dark and silent in Heidi’s cell. Heidi hung limp in her chains, coughing loudly. Meanwhile, Starscream stood not far away, a device called the prod in hand. Heidi could feel the bruises, possibly burns on her stomach from the prod. She was shocked she hadn’t lost her mind yet from what she felt. She looked up as Starscream growled.

“Now, I’m going to ask you this one. Last. Time. WHERE IS THE AUTOBOT BASE?!” Starscream snarled, activating the prod. Heidi glared at him, grumbling. However, this earned the prod getting jabbed into her stomach. She shrieked as she felt the pain swirl through her. He quickly stopped, to which Heidi just sighed in relief. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes but she remained silent. 

“AGH! Fragging Vermin!” Starscream cursed, grabbing her chains and harshly shaking her. Suddenly, the door behind him opened and he let go. Both looked to see Soundwave walk in, his quiet demeanor making the air uneasy. Starscream turned to him, walking up as he spoke.

“What is it? This better be good.” Starscream growled. Soundwvae paused before his visor flickered. An audio file from a radio line was pulled up. Soundwave quickly began playing it and to Heidi’s shock, she recognized the voice. Her head whipped up at it as it played.

“Agent Fowler. I’m en route from the Autobot Base. I’ll brief you in person.” The voice, Agent Fowler, said. Soundwave’s visor flickered off then as Starscream grinned.

“Autobot base, say?” Starscream said, chuckling evilly. 

“Humans. Always the weak link. Isn’t that right, vermin?” Starscream said, turning to Heidi. Heidi growled as Starscream's grin widened at her reaction.

“I have a proposition for you, human. Tell me the coordinates of the Autobot base now and I will leave this Agent Fowler unharmed. Don’t and I will have to try my negotiation tactics on him instead.” Starscream snapped. Heidi was surprised, looking away for a moment as she thought over her options.

Heidi didn't want Agent Fowler to get hurt but she couldn’t tell Starscream about the Autobot base. That would bring an end to her friends and her planet. Also, Agent Fowler knew the risks of being an Autobot Liason just like Heidi did. And she knew what he would’ve wanted her to do in this situation. With that, she looked back to Starscream angrily.

“Get scrapped, Screamy!” Heidi snapped, spitting at his face. Starscream back up, rubbing it off with a growl. He walked up to Heidi, glaring as he put his claw near her face. Suddenly, Heidi felt a fiery pain bust from her cheek as he slashed it. Heidi yelped, looking away as the blood dripped down her cheek. She held back tears of pain as Starscream grinned.

“You’d be wise to remember your place, vermin. I will deal with you later.” Starscream growled before turning back to Soundwave. Heidi watched, with pain and worry as Starscream and Soundwave began to leave.

“Fetch me this Fowler. So that he may brief us instead.” Starscream ordered. Soundwave nodded as the door shut behind them. Heidi was alone now, letting the tears finally escape. Most were just from the pain while the rest was of guilt.

“Sorry, Fowler. I had to…” Heidi whispered, sighing as she felt her body ache and shriek at her. It didn’t help her head was spinning from the prod still. Her backpack was surprisingly still on her and it weighed down on her tired shoulders. She wished the pain and exhaustion would leave her but she knew it wouldn’t.

She sighed, trying to get her body to relax when she suddenly noticed her chains. They used to feel so tight that in the end, she had marks from it. Now they felt weaker and easier to slip out of. Suddenly, a squeaking came from one of the chains. She looked up to see her arms beginning to slip through them. 

“Starscream must've loosened them on accident,” Heidi said, beginning to smirk. After a moment, she yanked one of her arms out and free. She grabbed the edge of the other chain just as her other arm slipped out.

“WOAH!” Heidi shrieked, almost falling to the ground. Thankfully, she grabbed the chain just in time. She looked down nervously at the height. A fall from here wouldn’t end well. After a moment, she climbed onto the chain and steadied herself. Her fingers touched the cut on her cheek, making her wince as she pulled away. The blood rested on her fingers as she growled.

“Ugh. Leave it to Screamy to be a nuisance. Now, how do I get out of here?” Heidi said, before looking around. It was dark but still bright enough to see with the light. The only thing in the room was a console but that was too high for her to reach. The doors were locked as well and likely being guarded. After a while, she looked up to see a vent near the chains. Heidi groaned at the sight, realizing what she had to do.

“Vents. Again. Why am I not surprised?” Heidi grumbled. After a moment, she sighed and began making her way up. Once at the top of the chains, she jumped onto the grill of the vent and tried to yank it off. However, her efforts were fruitless as it was too big and strong.

“Curses! It won’t move!” Heidi snapped, quickly using the grill like a monkey bar to get back to the chain. She jumped back on, holding tight when she heard chatting outside her room. It was likely the two vehicons guarding outside. An idea began to form in her head as she took off her backpack. She found an air horn and smiled, knowing what to do.

Meanwhile, the vehicons were standing guard outside now. The unfazed bots stood silent in the dead hallways. Suddenly, a loud horn sounded from inside the cell. The bots jumped in fear, activating their weapons as they turned to the door.

“What was that?!” One of the Vehicons said. After a moment, the two nodded to each other before entering the room. They looked to see Heidi hanging from the grill of the vent. She smiled, sticking her tongue at the vehicons. The vehicons growled, aiming their weapons at her.

“HEY! Get down, you rat!” a vehicon yelled. Heidi only rolled her eyes, continuing to make silly faces. She also swung around from the grill, smiling as She blew the air horn. After a while of covering their audials, one of the vehicons got tired of it.

“ENOUGH!” The vehicon shouted. As he did, he fired a plasma shot at the Heidi. However, Heidi was quick and jumped onto the other edge of the grill. The shot hit the wrong side, making the grill open and swing down, a part hanging on still. 

“YES!” Heidi cheered, quickly climbing up the grill and towards the vent. The other vehicon then walked up, joining his comrade angrily. He slapped the vehicon and the other winced from it.

“IDIOT! Watch where you're shooting!” the vehicon snapped, aiming his blasters at Heidi. However, Heidi quickly jumped into the vent once she reached the top of the grill. The vent grill gave way just as she made it into the vents. She could hear the vehicons arguing below as she ran through the vents. She had escaped her cell. Now she needed to find a way off this tin can.

Cliffjumper, Ratchet, and Optimus were continuing to make their way through the canyon. It was silent between the bots, each having their guard up. However, Cliffjumper’s mind was less focused on the matter at hand. He was worried about Heidi and if the cons had gotten to her. The girl was tough but she was still young and small. The cons could squeeze her into nothing if they caught her. Soon, Optimus noticed Cliffjumper’s worry.

“Cliffjumper. You seem troubled.” Optimus said. Ratchet looked at him, also noticing Cliffjumper’s silence. Cliffjumper looked up, torn from his thoughts with a sigh.

“Sorry. I’m just so worried about Heidi. I should’ve kept her with me.” Cliffjumper said.

“Oh really?” Ratchet said, sarcastically. Optimus hummed at him before turning back to Cliffjumper.

“While it may have not been the wisest course of action to split up, It was with the right mindset. You continued your duties as her guardian by trying to keep her safe. And we will not rest until she is brought home. I promise.” Optimus said. Cliffjumper gave a small smile before turning ahead.

However, the trio stopped in front of a large valley. A dead end waited on the other side with a large rock wall. However, what caught their attention was the dozens of old cybertronian corpses littering the ground. Cliffjumper and Ratchet were shocked at how many there were.

“Holy scrap,” Cliffjumper said. 

“For the first time in my life, Optimus, I had hoped you were wrong,” Ratchet said, his gaze fixated on the dead. Suddenly, the sound of an engine made them look to the skies. A large silver jet zoomed across the sky and transformed mid-air. The silver mech landed on one of the totems aligning the canyon walls like teeth. He turned to them as he spoke.

“Optimus. Been well?” the mech, Megatron, said as he looked down at the Autobots. Cliffjumper gritted his denta as Ratchet growled softly. However, something felt different with Megatron. His optics were purple and his Decepticon insignia was glowing. A bad feeling crept into Cliffjumper as Megatron noticed Ratchet and him, grinning cunningly. 

“I also see you’ve brought your trusty watchdog and an escaped coward. I was certain they’d be convalescing in a scrap yard by now.” Megatron said. Cliffjumper growled as Ratchet gritted his denta and stepped up.

“Why don’t you invite him down here for a chat?” Ratchet growled, cracking his knuckles. Cliffjumper then joined Ratchet’s side, glaring at Megatron. 

“Works for me,” Cliffjumper growled, activating his cannons. Optimus narrowed his optics, keeping his gaze on Megatron. Seeing Megatron state, something told him that it wasn't the same warlord he knew. Something was wrong.

“I know why you’re here, Megatron,” Optimus said. Megatron was unfazed by this, seemingly expecting it.

“Hardly a surprise, Optimus. After all, you and I have been at this for a long time. And Your time has come to an end!” Megatron said, reaching behind him and taking out a brightly glowing purple shard. However, It felt familiar to Cliffjumper.

After a moment, Megatron threw the shard into the valley below. It hit the ground and after a moment, absorbed into it. Suddenly, giant cracks opened in the valley ground, glowing a bright purple from inside. Ratchet and Cliffjumper stepped back in shock as it finally clicked.

“Oh scrap.” Cliffjumper cursed, staring in shock as he realized what the shard was. Dark Energon. Meanwhile, Megatron could feel the darkness and power flowing through him as his insignia and optics grew brighter. He smiled darkly as he then yelled out.

“RISE MY ARMY!” Megatron ordered, throwing his arms in the air. Suddenly, the bodies of the cybertronian dead began to rise from the ground. The moans and groans echoed through the canyon as their eyes and injuries glowed bright purple.

“By the all spark…” Ratchet said, shocked. Cliffjumper groaned as he aimed his blasters at the undead.

“Not again,” Cliffjumper said, nervously. Optimus stayed silent, watching in horror as the undead rose and gathered. Some had weapons while others just had their fists. However, all seemed just as dark and dangerous. The trio looked up, still in shock to see Megatron’s optics fully purple with power. 

“BEHOLD! The power of Dark Energon!” Megatron yelled. The army of the undead then began making their way toward them. Cliffjumper knew this was gonna be a long battle… and one he’d hoped they would survive in the end.

Chapter Text

As the undead rose around them, Cliffjumper, Optimus, and Ratchet readied themselves for battle. As soon as they got up, The army started making their way to the Autobots, their growls and yowls bouncing off the canyon walls as Megatron watched from above. 

“Megatron has desecrated the resting place of our fallen ancestors and his own!” Ratchet snapped, glaring at the horde. Cliffjumper aimed his cannons at the horde, charging them up with a scowl. 

“Is that such a surprise? He did it to one of his soldiers too! I wouldn’t put it past him.” Cliffjumper growled as Optimus glanced back at them.

“Not even the dead are free from his warmongering,” Optimus said, readying himself for battle with the others. He activated his battle mask, a stern expression on his face. Meanwhile, Megatron's insignia pulsed from the dark energon as well as the power of his army. 

“At last. Symbiosis. I can feel it. I possess complete control over my army. DESTROY THEM!” Megatron ordered. As the undead limped towards the Autobots, Optimus and Cliffjumper began shooting down any that got too close. However, there were so many of them. Also, most would get back up as soon as they were shot down.

“Optimus, if our combatants are already deceased, How can we possibly defeat them?!” Ratchet asked as the undead began to advance on the group. Cliffjumper and Optimus were forced to step back multiple times to not get hit by the zombies. Optimus knew they couldn’t hold them off forever. Realizing this, he made up his mind.

“Ratchet! Cliffjumper! Retreat! Bridge yourselves back to base!” Optimus ordered. Ratchet and Cliffjumper glanced at each other before shaking their helms. 

“Sorry, Optimus but No way! We’re not leaving you here alone!” Cliffjumper snapped as he continued to shoot down the rest of the undead. Ratchet activated his blades as he nodded.

“I am with Cliffjumper. We will stand by you, Optimus!” Ratchet said, stepping up with the others. Cliffjumper and Optimus looked at him as he spoke.

“Besides, you both may need a medic when this is over with it,” Ratchet explained. With that, the trio charged into battle with the undead. Ratchet ran ahead, slicing the undead with his blades. As he finished off another, he noticed something. After a moment, he spoke about his findings.

“I recommend Dissection. The smaller the pieces, the better!” Ratchet explained as he continued to battle. Cliffjumper and Optimus turned to him, surprised before a smile came across their faces. 

“Sound Advice, old friend. Cliffjumper, your aim is impeccable. Use this strength to your advantage and continue blasting the undead into smaller pieces!” Optimus ordered. Cliffjumper nodded, taking extra care to aim this time. With this, he could do multiple blasts that would tear apart the undead creatures. 

Meanwhile, Optimus activated his swords and charged into battle with Ratchet close behind. Optimus was very skilled with a blade so it was no surprise how he sliced multiple undead at once. They finished off the dead around them, staying side by side. Optimus looked up to see Megatron staring back. 

“I have mastered dark energon. When you fall Optimus, you too shall join my army.” Megatron said. Cliffjumper scoffed as Optimus narrowed his optics. He then led Ratchet and Cliffjumper forward, charging at the undead, slicing and blasting down many as they found.

Heidi sprinted through the dark vents of the Decepticon warship, heaving immensely. Heidi used one hand to hold the bloody wound on her cheek as she felt adrenaline pump through her. It was mainly dark and dust was everywhere. 

Suddenly, the loud sound of blaster fire came echoing through. A gust of air came after and made the dust fly up in front of her. She used her hands to block it from her eyes but her wound got irritated by it. She backed up, coughing a lot.

“Stupid dust bunnies! What’s going on out there?!” Heidi growled before continuing to run ahead. Suddenly, she heard the loud stomping of familiar peds nearby. She slowed her pace as it suddenly stopped. A familiar voice came from outside a grill then. 

“Ugh, scrap. Which way?” Heidi felt hope enter her as she ran in front of the grill. She grabbed it, looking down to see a green bot in the hallway, facing away. It was Bulkhead! He was looking around confused at an intersection. She smiled, hope and relief filling her. 

“BULK! UP HERE!” Heidi yelled. Bulkhead looked around, startled before finally catching Heidi’s gaze in the vents. He smiled, seemingly relieved as he partially turned to her.

“Heidi! Are you alright?!” Bulkhead asked, a bit panicked. Heidi sighed, shrugging as he placed something down on the floor. However, Heidi couldn’t see it in time. He then turned to her as she spoke. 

“Been better, Bulk. Listen, I need your help. Can you blast the vent grill open so I can get out?” Heidi asked.

“Y-yeah! Stand back!” Bulkhead said, transforming his servo into his cannon. It hummed with power as Heidi quickly got a far distance from the grill. She flattened herself against the vent wall and covered her ears.

“Alright, Bulk! Blast it!” Heidi yelled. Immediately, Bulkhead shot at the vent grill. A loud but small explosion happened and Smoke filled the area of the vent for a minute. The vent grill fell to the floor, burned and broken. Bulkhead chuckled awkwardly, realizing he put a little too much power into it.

“Uh, oops. Heidi, you good?” Bulkhead asked, lowering his cannon. After a moment, Heidi came out, waving the smoke away. She coughed for a moment, brushing herself off a bit from the dust.

“I’m fine!” Heidi said, giving a thumbs up. She looked down to see it was still a long way down. Thankfully, she had a bot to help her out now. She sat down at the edge, her legs dangling off as she smiled.

“Mind helping a little lady down though?” Heidi said. Bulkhead chuckled, reaching his servo up for her. Heidi immediately jumped on, a little wobbly but staying on her feet. As he brought her down to his level, Bulkhead noticed Heidi’s injury.

“Heidi, your face!” Bulkhead said. Heidi paused, remembering her injury from before. She placed a hand on it to cover it but the contact made her pull back with a wince. She groaned as she saw some blood on her hand, quickly shaking it off.

“It’s fine, Bulk. I can take care of it later. Where are the others?-” Heidi began. However, someone called up from below, interrupting her. Both Bulkhead and her looked down to see a punk, Japanese teen girl standing below. Heidi’s eyes grew wide in shock as she stared at the human. What was she doing here?! The worst part was that she knew her.

“Hey, Heidi! Remember me? It’s Miko!”

“M-MIKO?! What the?-” Heidi began, unsure what to think. After a moment, she turned to Bulkhead angrily who seemed nervous. He began letting her down onto the ground with Miko as Heidi started her rant.

“BULKHEAD! You and the team owe me a what, a why, and a how! Also, where the heck did she even come from?!” Heidi snarled. Bulkhead sighed as Heidi jumped off his servo at the bottom. Miko walked up to her, slightly clutching her stomach as if she were motion sick.

“H-Hey. Chill out, dude. Don't be such a party pooper!” Miko said. However, she quickly covered her mouth as if she’d hurl after. Heidi glanced at her, disgusted, confused, and a bit worried before looking back up to Bulkhead. After a moment, She sighed angrily, crossing her arms.

“You know what, we’ll talk about it with the team after we get out of here. At least it’s only her that knows, right?” Heidi asked, looking back up at Bulkhead. Bulkhead paused, unsure as he hummed nervously. Heidi felt her eye twitch as she stood there. 

“You’re kidding me…. How many are there?” Heidi said, feeling tired of this in the end. Before Bulkhead could speak, Miko popped in. She seemed to feel better as she started on a rant about what happened. It was a little unnerving for Heidi.

“Oh, it’s just me, nerd, and Jackie. First, Jack and Raf met them, then I caught Arcee chit-chatting with Jack-rabbit and-” Miko began. However, Heidi interrupted her, confused and shocked by the names. She knew those names!

“Wait, Jack Darby and Raf Esquivel? They know about it!? Are they on the ship too?!” Heidi asked.

“Uh, maybe? They followed me even though it was me and Bulkheads bonding time! They’re probably just jealous though.” Miko said, crossing her arms. Heidi raised her eyebrow, unconvinced before groaning. She turned back to Bulkhead then, a deeper scowl on her face.

“Bulkhead, At least tell me Agent Fowler has no idea about this,” Heidi said. However, Bulkhead stays quiet, looking away in awkward guilt. Heidi paused, glaring at him before sighing angrily again.

“Any age is the age to be old for this,” Heidi grumbled, glancing at Miko before turning back to Bulkhead.

“Forget it. Let’s just keep moving.” Heidi said, too tired to deal with it. Bulkhead nodded, grateful she wouldn’t yell at him anymore. Usually, Cliffjumper was the only one who could calm her down. With this, he activated both his cannons, transforming his servos.

“Listen, I need you to stay close behind me, alright?” Bulkhead said, beginning to walk ahead quickly. Miko and Heidi followed, Heidi continuing to cover the wound again. It was more irritated than before so it was probably infected. Heidi growled at the thought but it was dismissed as they came to a corner. 

Bulkhead stopped, holding his cannon at the corner's edge. Multiple peds were running up the hallway next to them. However, no one came out of the hallway. The sounds stopped and The sound of transformation happened right next to them then. Someone was there and waiting.

With his revelation, Heidi quickly grabbed Miko and pulled her behind Bulkhead’s foot. Miko was about to snap at her but Heidi pulled her down and slapped a hand on her face. Heidi shushed her as a pause of silence happened. After a moment, a blur jumped in front of them, aiming a blaster at Bulkhead. However, a familiar, femme’s voice surprised them.

“Friendly!” 

“Hello!” Bulkhead said, cheerfully. He immediately recognized her and Heidi knew that voice. It was Arcee. Bulkhead, Miko, and she quickly stepped into the hallway with Arcee who hadn’t noticed Miko or Heidi yet. Arcee sighed, Bumblebee walking up behind her then. 

“Brought the humans, huh?” Arcee said, de-activating her blaster. 

“You try getting them to stay behind” Bulkhead snapped, gesturing to the humans walking out from behind his ped. Arcee’s gaze quickly landed on Heidi, surprise and a bit of relief filling her. She bent down as Heidi walked up, smiling.

“Heidi! Are you alright? You’re-”

“Bleeding, I know. We can worry about that back at base.-”

“Heidi!” Another familiar voice called. Heidi turned to see her best friend, Raf, with Jack Darby standing next to the bots. They stared at her surprised as she sighed, remembering Miko’s explanation. She smiled awkwardly at them before waving.

“Hey, guys,” Heidi said. Just as she said, Raf came running toward her and slammed into her with a hug. Heidi almost fell backward from the strength but she also noticed the small shivers coming from him. He must’ve been so worried about her. With that, she quickly hugged back reassuringly. Jack walked up behind, smiling as he watched the two. He quickly noticed her cheek, about to point out as she and Raf released each other.

“Heidi, your-”

“Yes, I know. I’ll explain later but can we just get out of here now?” Heidi asked, looking up at Arcee. Arcee shook her head though to Heidi’s dismay.

“Sorry, Kid. But we have to find Agent Fowler. Then, get out of here.” Arcee said, glancing at the other bots. Heidi was surprised to hear it but felt guilt plague her after. If she hadn’t snapped at Starscream… Heidi shook her head out of it though. There was no time for that. Thankfully, she was quickly distracted by the two boys stepping up, seemingly knowing something. The bots turned to them as the two boys spoke simultaneously.

“He’s in the brig.” Heidi was surprised and slightly concerned that they knew that. The bots were in the same state, glancing at each other before Arcee spoke.

“Okay then. Follow us and stay close. Understood?” Arcee said, sternly. All the kids nodded and the bots then headed down the hallway with the kids close behind. The silence haunted them for a moment before Miko turned to Heidi.

“So, what’s it like being a secret agent, huh?” Miko asked, excitedly. Heidi was a bit startled by the sudden question. However, since they knew the bot's secret and what was going on, Heidi could tell them. At least, she thinks so.

“Um, I wouldn’t say I’m a secret agent. More a liaison and humanitarian. I teach the bots about our planet and its rules along with anything else they wanna know. I don’t go on missions. Most of the time it’s prohibited to go unless there’s a special reason.” Heidi explained awkwardly. Miko seemed unconvinced as she continued.

“Oh yeah? Then why not tell me, Raf, or Jack about it? Or anyone else? Does your mom even know?” Miko said, a bit snappy. Heidi didn’t like her attitude, slightly narrowing her eyes as she frowned. 

“First off, I don’t know you well enough, Miko. I’ve only seen you around school. And Jack, no offense, but while you are a great friend, we’re not that close.” Heidi said, looking at the two kids. Jack only shrugged, scratching his head awkwardly.

“None taken. The feeling’s mutual anyway.” Jack said, unsure if he cared or not. Miko was still unconvinced, crossing her arms annoyed.

“Well, what about Raf? Aren’t you guys, like, best friends?” Miko snapped. Heidi glared at her while Raf was surprised, rubbing his arm. Miko was right. Heidi and him usually told each other everything. So why did she keep something so big from him? Raf hummed softly, a bit saddened by his thoughts.

“Trust me, Miko. I wanted to! More than anything!” Heidi snapped, taking Raf out of his thoughts in surprise. Heidi glared at Miko before continuing to explain.

“But the government wanted to keep the bots a secret from everyone. I wasn’t even supposed to know about them either!” Heidi explained. This surprised the three kids as Miko continued her interrogation.

“And why is that? What happened?-” Miko began. Suddenly, red plasma shots rained down on them from above. Everyone covered their ears as Heidi looked up. Three vehicon troopers were walking towards them as they fired their blasters. Bulkhead quickly got in front of the kids, activating his cannons. He promptly shot at the vehicons and an explosion happened then. 

All the kids ducked down for a moment as the battle ensued with more vehicons coming up from behind them and shooting. Arcee ran up, tackling one of them to the ground as Bumblebee shot at the other ones with his blasters. Jack and Miko readied themselves to run to the side and Heidi noticed Raf not moving and was lost in a daze. Heidi beat Jack to Raf by grabbing his arm and running to the side wall.

Another blaster fire shot the ground near the kids though, causing them to duck down again. Jack noticed something falling above them and quickly grabbed Heidi and Miko’s hands. Heidi was still holding Raf’s arm as they ran, a vehicon head falling right where they were.

Body parts and corpses of vehicons fell and offlined around them, littering the ground. The kids stopped as another corpse fell in front of them without a head. All of them turned to see Bulkhead get kicked by a vehicon and fall back. He caught himself, one servo slamming to the ground between the kids. They fell not far from him and Heidi felt Jack bring them all together and cover them with his body. 

They all looked up to see Bulkhead glance at them before single-handedly throwing the vehicon above and over him, landing in front. It landed facing away before getting blasted by Arcee. It fell, revealing it to be the last one alive. The bots deactivated their weapons as the kids all stood up. Heidi sighed in relief before turning to Arcee.

“This way!” Arcee orders before continuing to lead them ahead. The kids quickly ran after her and Bulkhead got up, following them from behind. Heidi noticed Raf’s nervousness and quickly went to his side. She nudged him softly, giving him a small smile. He returned it before both focused ahead of them.

In the canyon where the battle of the undead continued, Optimus, Ratchet, and Cliffjumper continued their efforts to close in on Megatron. Optimus and Ratchet sliced the undead while Cliffjumper shot them into tiny pieces. They split up for a minute, slicing, blasting, and punching the zombies around them. Optimus finished one-off before backing up. Ratchet and Cliffjumper joined him, now standing back-to-back with Optimus. They were tired. However, it wasn’t just the combat taking their strength away.

“Optimus. Cliffjumper. This pro-long exposure to Dark Energon… is sapping our strength.” Ratchet said, breathlessly.

“Yeah, definitely feeling it right now,” Cliffjumper said, letting his cannons rest for a moment as they talked. He felt familiarity rise as he thought about when he was fighting the vehicon zombie. Just like before, He was losing strength quicker than normal. Optimus felt the same but knew they couldn’t stop now. 

“We cannot falter now,” Optimus said. With that, the trio charged back into battle. They tried to keep the zombies back as best as they could but things were going downhill. A few zombies got the best of Optimus, forming a dog pile on him and making him fall to the ground. The zombies covered him, making him invisible to the optic. Both Ratchet and Cliffjumper saw this in horror and shock.

“OPTIMUS!” the two bots said simultaneously. However, A zombie suddenly punched Cliffjumper back into Ratchet, causing them both to yelp in pain. A zombie then grabbed Ratchet, and another got Cliffjumper. They both tried to get free but were unsuccessful as more jumped on them. Cliffjumper heard Ratchet yell then, causing fear to enter.

“Ratchet!” Cliffjumper yelled. However, more zombies suddenly jumped onto him, trying to tear him apart. They slammed Ratchet and him together and onto the ground as more surrounded them. Both tried to get free but their efforts became fruitless.

Meanwhile, Megatron grinned from above, chuckling at the sight. He believed the trio had met their end and would soon join his army. However, on the large zombie dog pile, A blade suddenly pierced through the zombie on top. A loud battle cry ensued as sparks flew out with the sound of blaster fire from inside. The zombie pile then exploded, revealing Optimus standing tall with his blade high. 

He threw the zombie he stabbed to the ground as he shot at another. He looked around before spotting the zombies circling his two soldiers. Optimus shot at one of the zombies before grabbing the other two. He smashed the zombies into each other before throwing them aside. Cliffjumper quickly stood up then as he and Optimus helped Ratchet up.

“After all these years, Optimus. Still at the top of your game?” Megatron suddenly said. The bots looked at him as Optimus took the lead. Ratchet clutched his arm and Cliffjumper just readied his cannons once again. Ratchet then activated his working arm's blade while Cliffjumper shot at the undead. Optimus led them, charging into battle with both his blades ready.

“My legion. FINISH THEM!” Megatron yelled as the Autobots continued making their way through the horde, battling as their sparks depended on it.

Heidi and the rest of the kids stood pinned against the wall as The Autobots readied themselves to charge the bridge. They had their guns ready and Arcee used the side of hers to knock on the door. Soon, the door opened with a shuck! And Arcee shot at whoever answered. The bots then charged inside and lots of blaster fire and metal clashing were heard after. The kids covered their ears as the battle continued. Soon, it went silent and Arcee spoke up from inside.

“Clear!” At that, The kids rushed inside with the bots. A few vehicons were limp on the floor, offlined by the bots. Heidi recognized the room immediately as where Cliffjumper and her met Starscream. She shuttered a bit at the memory before she and the other kids turned to the bots. The bots gathered in front of them as Arcee spoke up.

“Wait here,” Arcee ordered. The kids were confused while Heidi and the bots looked at each other, unsure. Heidi was about to say something but Bumblebee beat her to it. He buzzed and whirred but Arcee quickly interrupted him, annoyed.

“They’re slowing us down and they’re easy targets! They’ll be alright in here.” Arcee said, activating her gun. She then turned to the kids, glaring a bit as she walked out.

“As long as they stay put!” Arcee snapped, making sure the message got across. Bumblebee and Bulkhead glanced at each other before looking at Heidi. Heidi sighed before giving a small nod, stepping back with the kids. With that, The bots activated their weapons and ran out the door after Arcee. The door then closed with the humans waiting next to it.

“That was intense!” Miko chirped, placing her hands on her hips. Heidi sighed, annoyed as Raf spoke up.

“Was?!” Raf said, still reeling from the battle. A worried Heidi quickly went to his side, taking his shoulders reassuringly. However, Jack seemed to have snapped, turning to Miko angrily.

“It’s your fault we're stuck in this intensity, Miko! What were you thinking?!” Jack growled. Heidi stepped up, knowing this wasn’t going to end well. Miko glared at him, her snarky attitude coming in. 

“Did I ask you to follow me?” Miko snapped.

“You wanted us to be a band! Doesn’t that usually mean playing together?!” Jack growled. Heidi slapped a hand over her face before trying to get in between the two hothead teens.

“Guys, not the time-” However, Heidi was interrupted by Miko’s comeback at Jack.

“Well, Maybe I decided to go solo!” Jack crossed his arms as he was quick to snap back again. 

“Well, maybe I have some regard for your safety!” Jack said. Heidi then tried again to get in between the two teens, not noticing Raf’s panic. 

“Jack, Miko. Enough!-” Heidi said. However, she was again ignored by the teens as they continued their argument. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Is your name Optimus?!” Miko snapped, her snarky attitude returning. Heidi growled as the argument continued between the two teens. She then noticed Raf’s panic and gasped softly. She went to him as the teens continued the argument, oblivious to them still.

“You can leave my safety to Bulkhead, thank you very much!-” Miko snapped. However, Raf let out a cry, startling everyone and turning their attention to him. Heidi could see the tears pricking his eyes as he spoke

“Stop it! BOTH OF YOU!” Raf snapped before running away and to the edge of some large steps. He crouched down, hugging his legs with his head down. After a moment, Heidi pinched Miko while elbowing Jack, angrily. Both teens yelped, looking down at her.

“Now look what you’ve done!” Heidi snapped before running up next to Raf. Her face softened to a worried expression as she sat down on her knees next to him. He looked up, teary-eyed as Heidi placed an arm around his shoulders. 

“Don’t mind them, Raf. It’s…It’s gonna be okay, alright?” Heidi comforted. After a moment, Raf threw himself onto Heidi, hugging her tight. Heidi was a bit surprised but quickly hugged her best friend back. As they hugged, Jack spoke up from behind.

“Heidi’s right, Raf,” Jack said. Heidi looked up to see Jack and Miko sit down on either side of the two. They seemed calmer and more guilt-ridden than before. Miko took Raf’s shoulder, giving a sweet smile.

“Yeah! We’re gonna be fine.” Miko reassured. Heidi smiled at the two, glad they were setting their anger aside for their friend. Raf looked up at Jack as Jack tried to find the right words to say. 

“Our bots will come back for us,” Jack finally said. Miko and Heidi both nodded at this as they continued trying to comfort Raf.

“Yeah! They’re gonna take us home!” Miko reassured. Raf looked up for a moment, unconvinced still. He released Heidi, turning to look to the ground as he spoke.

“How do you know?” Raf asked grimly. The two teens were at a loss for words, looking away and at each other, unsure. Thankfully, Heidi spoke up after a moment, her arm still around Raf’s shoulder.

“Because I know. I know better than anyone.” Heidi said, smiling softly. The kids looked up to her, curious as she continued.

“Fun fact. The same day I met you and Jack was the same day I met the Autobots. After school that day, I was being followed by the Decepticons because they thought I was an ally of the bots. In reality, I didn’t even know they existed then,”  Heidi explained. The kids stared at her in shock as Raf sniffed.

“Really?”

“Yeah. They chased me out of town and cornered me in the desert. I thought I was a goner…but then Cliffjumper, my guardian, came riding in and saved me. He didn’t have to save me but he did along with the other bots. He even checked on me after the battle to make sure I was okay. Even though we were strangers.” Heidi said. The others were surprised and interested in the story.

“I became the Autobot Liason shortly after and ever since then, I’ve helped the Autobots and they've kept me safe. That was 3 years ago.” Heidi said, grinning widely. Jack, Raf, and Miko only stared in surprise as Heidi continued, chuckling a bit.

“Sure, we have had some rough times and they have some flaws but what living thing doesn’t, right?” Heidi said, nudging Raf teasingly. Raf chuckled as the teens smiled, laughing a bit as well. Heidi smiled brightly before sighing, the kids growing quiet.

“In the end though, one fact remains. They care about the safety of humanity more than anything. That’s how I know that… they’re gonna come back and take us home. You just need to have faith in them.” Heidi said. After a moment, Raf smiled back, wiping away a few tears that formed before nodding.

“Thanks, Heidi,” Raf said. Heidi nodded, giving Raf a fist bump. Jack hummed then, causing the attention to go to him. He was looking at something, trying to figure out what it was. However, he quickly turned back to Raf for answers after a moment.

“Hey, Raf. What do you make of that?” Jack asked, looking ahead. All the kids looked up to see a console with a strange purple screen. It looked like some weird plans were on it but in an alien language. Raf looked at it, curiously before jumping down the large steps. The others quickly followed as Raf came in front of the screen, reading it as best as he could. The others walked up next to him, confused as he spoke, surprised.

“It’s important. Real important.” Raf said. Heidi looked at him, confused. After a moment of staring at the screen though, Heidi began to see it too. It was like a complex math equation of sorts except with Cybertronian letters and words. Maybe even numbers.

“We gotta get this to Optimus,” Raf explained. Heidi nodded as Miko looked at them, unconvinced.

“How do you know it isn’t just a recipe for space nachos?” Miko said. Heidi glanced at her, confused. Where did she even get that from? Raf only glanced at her before looking back at the screen.

“I know math when I see it. And that is one serious equation.” Raf explained. Heidi nodded, quickly defending Raf.

“He’s right. I see it too. It looks like some kind of blueprint or string of schematics. Likely to build something way more complex than anything Earth could offer or create right now.” Heidi explained. Raf nodded as Jack looked at the screen, still confused.

“Well, can you…download it or something?” Jack asked, unsure as he glanced at the two. Heidi paused, turning to Raf who seemed to have an idea.

“I’ve got a flash drive,” Raf said. He quickly hunched down and took off his backpack. He placed it on the floor, dug through it, and took out the device. He stood up looking around before stepping forward to it. During that, Heidi thought she heard something, looking around.

“But I don’t see anywhere to plug it in. This tech is way alien.” Raf explained. Meanwhile, Heidi glared at the door before it suddenly opened. Heidi gasped, gaining the attention of the kids. A vehicon had walked through and now examined a body in front of them. Fear entered the kids and quickly, Miko, Heidi, and Jack ran, Jack grabbing Raf’s arm. However, he lost his grip as Raf turned back. Heidi hadn’t noticed until Miko and Jack were under the console.

“Raf?!” Heidi whispered, panicked as she looked around. The teens joined her before all eyes landed on him. Raf ran back out to get his backpack which was still on the floor. Heidi panicked as she saw the vehicon look over.

“RAF! Get back here!” Heidi whispered loudly. Raf glanced at her as he put on his backpack. However, it was too late as the vehicon spotted him. Once he caught its eye, he yelped, jumping back. The vehicon activated its blaster and aimed at him as he walked closer. 

“NO! RAF!-” Heidi said, about to run out. Jack stopped her though, pushing her back into Miko who caught her. 

“STAY HERE!” Jack snapped as he sprinted to Raf. Heidi got up, watching as Raf began to run away. The vehicon quickly fired, the blaster shots barely missing. One was about to be a direct hit but, Thankfully, Jack tackled Raf out of the way in the nick of time. They landed behind a vehicon corpse, hiding as Jack turned back to Miko.

“Miko! Take a picture!” Jack yelled. Miko smiled, jumping up with her phone as she spoke.

“Great idea!” Heidi nodded as the vehicon turned to Jack and Raf, aiming its blaster. Miko and Heidi ran out of their hiding place then. Heidi turned to the screen, waiting for Miko to take a picture. Little did she know, Miko had other plans.

“HEY YOU!” Miko shouted, making Heidi turn around. What was she doing?! Miko ran up to the vehicon as it turned to her. She lifted her phone to it and CLICK! She took a photo of it. Heidi stared at her in disbelief and annoyance as Miko stared excitedly at the picture. 

“Nice!” Miko chirped. Heidi slapped a hand on her face as Jack shouted, standing up angrily.

“Not of that! Of that!-”

“The space nachos, Miko! Take a picture!” Heidi snapped, grabbing Miko’s arm. Miko let out a soft “Oh” of realization before turning to the screen. She lifted her phone and quickly took a photo of the screen. Miko looked at it, bored by it.

“Not as interesting but hey, it’s something!” Miko said, placing her phone away. Heidi was about to snap at her when she saw the vehicon aim at them again.

“MOVE!” Heidi yelled, tackling Miko to the ground. The plasma shot missed them as Miko and Heidi began sprinting to the boys. Once they gathered, the kids ran up a ramp from the floor to another platform. The vehicon continued to shoot at them but stopped as they got up to the floor. Taking the chance, Heidi whipped out a slime ball and her slingshot from her bag pocket.

“Take this, con!” Heidi snapped. She then used the slingshot to fling the slimeball at the vehicon. It hit the vehicon in the optics, causing it to back up and growl. Heidi then re-grouped with the other humans, running to the door. The vehicon recovered just as they got close to the door. Heidi looked back to see it aiming its blaster once again.

“WATCH OUT!” Heidi yelled just the vehicon blasted at them. There was a loud explosion from the blast and the door opened. The four kids ran into the hallway with the vehicon walking out behind them, some slime still stuck on the sides of its helm. 

“GO!x3” Jack yelled, panicked. The kids sprinted down the hallway as the vehicon aimed its blaster again. Heidi heard the hum of it charging and squinted her eyes shut, preparing for the worst. Suddenly, a familiar horn sounded in front of them. All the kids stopped, looking up to see Bulkhead in his vehicle form driving towards them.

All the kids ducked as he transformed and jumped over them. He ran to the vehicon as it fired at him. Bulkhead tackled it to the ground, picking it up and slamming it into the ground again before transforming and driving back to them. Arcee and Bumblebee then drove up next to the kids, Bumblebee opening his car doors while Arcee leaned towards them.

“I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT!” Arcee snapped. Miko and Raf went with Bumblebee while Heidi was about to snap back at Arcee. However, Jack pulled her onto Arcee, putting her hands around his waist to hold on. She grunted as the vehicles sped forward. Bulkhead joined them and took the front then. A thought crossed Heidi's mind and she peaked from behind Jack to see Arcee.

“Arcee, did you find Fowler?” Heidi asked, worried.

“Don’t worry. Bumblebee has him in his backseat. He has minor injuries but seems a bit…out of sorts.” Arcee said. Heidi looked at her, confused but decided to let it go for now. Soon, they found their way out of the warship and towards the nearest road. Heidi felt relief wash over her as she sighed. Finally, she had escaped the warship.

Cliffjumper, Ratchet, and Optimus were finally winning in the battle of the undead. Most of the army had been defeated with only a few of them left. Finally, Cliffjumper, Ratchet, and Optimus charged forward, slashing or blasting any remaining undead. Soon, all the zombies had been defeated. Cliffjumper sighed in relief, looking back at the now fully dead army.

“Phew, that was a lot,” Cliffjumper mumbled, looking up with his comrades at Megatron. Megatron, however, didn’t seem angry. Instead, He seemed pleased and impressed with their efforts. Morley Optimus’s.

“Bravo, Optimus! Though this is but a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event.” Megatron teased. Cliffjumper and Ratchet glanced at each other confused as Optimus stepped forward to the rock wall, deactivating his blades. He began climbing up it as the others watched, soon to join him in the climb.

“You will not prevail, Megatron,” Optimus said, his voice low and threatening as he climbed up to Megatron.

“Not while energon still flows through my veins!” Optimus said, getting to the top but hanging off the edge. Megatron bends down, his sick grin wider than ever.

“Fitting. For it is Dark Energon which flows through mine.” Megatron snapped. At that, Optimus tried to punch him but Megatron dodged, flipping up into the air. He transformed into his jet as Optimus got onto the ledge, activating his cannons. Megatron flew away as Optimus fired at him until he was out of sight. 

He then de-activated his cannons, staring at the sky until a servo grab onto the ledge. He looked down to see Ratchet trying to get up with Cliffjumper waiting below. Optimus quickly helped Ratchet up onto the ledge and Cliffjumper quickly got up after. The trio looked down at the canyon valley below which was now littered with the limp undead corpses.

“If this wasn’t Megatron’s endgame, What is?” Ratchet asked grimly. Optimus stood quiet, glaring out into the distance. Cliffjumper only shook his head softly before turning to his comrades. They turned to him as he spoke, a bit worried.

“We better get back to base,” 

Heidi tried her best to relax as the bots made their way back to the base. However, Heidi’s mind was still reeling from everything that happened already. Who wouldn’t be after what she experienced? Almost 2 days on the Decepticon warship. A part of her wasn't sure if it was real. But it was and now, Heidi no longer had to run. She was free and she couldn’t be any happier than she felt now. Or so she thought.

Soon enough, they got back to the base. They drove off-road and the rock wall lifted to reveal the entry tunnel. They drove through it, making Heidi smile at the familiarity. It was good to be back. Soon, they came to the main room where Ratchet and Optimus were. The two bots were in the Medbay at the moment. They looked at the others, stern and confused. However, when their gaze landed on Heidi, they were surprised.

“HEIDI?!” Ratchet exclaimed, shocked. Heidi chuckled as Arcee and the other bots stopped. They let the kids get off/out before transforming. After getting off, Heidi used her hand to cover the wound so Ratchet wouldn't freak out.

“Hey, Ratch. Been a while, huh? It looks like you and Optimus got into some trouble though.” Heidi teased. Ratchet grumbled as another bot entered the room, a bit panicked. Heidi turned only for her eyes to widen in shock. Standing in front of one of the hallways was Cliffjumper, a little panicked. However, his gaze quickly landed on the team. He was surprised, about to say something when an ecstatic Heidi called up.

“CLIFF! DOWN HERE!” Heidi said, running up to him. Cliffjumper looked down, only to gasp in shock. A wide smile came onto his face as he quickly placed his servo down for her.

“HEIDI! Thank Primus, You’re safe!” Cliffjumper said as Heidi jumped on. As he brought her up to eye level, Cliffjumper bombarded her with a million questions.

“Oh scrap, Are you alright?! You’re cheek is hurt! Did someone hurt you because if they did-” 

“Hey! Calm down, Cliff. It’s a long story but The others and I will explain everything. I promise.” Heidi said, patting his digits. Cliffjumper sighed before nodding, relief and gratitude overflowing his EM Field. Heidi then noticed some dirt and dents on his frame. She pointed at them worriedly and Cliffjumper chuckled awkwardly.

“That’s…a long story too. Talk later?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi nodded a small smile on her face. They then turned to see Miko and Jack lead Agent Fowler to the couch in the human area. Just as he flopped on, He blurted out a strange thing that caught everyone off guard.

“WaFfLe pIe iS DeLiCiOuS!” Agent Fowler snapped before falling unconscious again. Ratchet, Optimus, Heidi, and Cliffjumper stared in confusion while the others just groaned or snickered. Cliffjumper turned to Heidi who pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned.

“For goodness sake, we just got back.” 

All the Autobots had been back for a while now. Heidi had taken out some medical equipment for Agent Fowler and a medkit she stored there. On a lower platform, Agent Fowler was lying on a stretcher with a white blanket and an IV attached to him. Miko stood by Agent Fowler as Jack helped Heidi with her wound. Raf stood next to her, waiting with Cliffjumper standing behind, bending down to watch. 

Meanwhile, The rest of the bots were waiting for Optimus to finish the sling on Ratchet’s arm. Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee explained everything that happened to the others. Seemed the Decepticons and Miko were the main sources of the chaos. Heidi was just grateful they got back alive. Heidi winced as Jack rubbed a disinfectant cloth on her wounded cheek.

“OW!” 

“Hold still, Heidi. You're lucky it isn't too deep or you would've needed stitches.” Jack said, a bit annoyed. Heidi groaned, trying to hold still as he continued with the disinfectant. After a while, Jack put the cloth away and took out a cheek bandage from the medkit. He placed it over the cut, making sure it would stick.

“Alright, Heidi. You’re good to go. Just be careful with it.” Jack explained. Heidi nodded as she followed the humans to where Agent Fowler was resting now. Cliffjumper then turned to Optimus as he finished Ratchet’s arm sling. The two got up and Ratchet walked over to the kids. The team began to gather as Miko turned to Ratchet. 

“What happened to you guys, anyway?” Miko asked. Ratchet looked at her, quick to answer the question. 

“We engaged an army of undead Cybertronian warriors,” Ratchet explained as Optimus walked up beside him. Heidi looked at them, shocked before turning to Cliffjumper. Were they serious? Cliffjumper nodded before both turned back to Miko. She was surprised but it was overshadowed by annoyance as she spoke.

“Zombies? You fought zombies and I missed it?!” Miko snapped, stomping her foot. Heidi looked at her, confused before sighing tirelessly. It was too late to process that. Meanwhile, Optimus turned to Bulkhead who was kneeling to see Agent Fowler and the humans.

“Bulkhead, you exercised extremely poor judgment in allowing the humans to accompany you,” Optimus said, disappointed. A guilt-ridden Bulkhead stood up, glancing at the humans. Heidi felt bad but she stayed silent. Though Bulkhead didn’t mean to, it still wasn’t a good idea on his behalf.

“It won’t happen again, Optimus. I-I promise.” Bulkhead explained. After a moment, Miko looked around confused before stepping up.

“But it wasn’t Bulkhead’s fault!” Miko said, turning to Optimus. All eyes landed on her and Heidi debated whether she should stop her or not. Bulkhead looked at Miko surprised before quickly trying to stop her from getting wrapped up in this. 

“Miko! Please!” Bulkhead hissed. However, Miko only ignored it, finding her phone in her pocket with a smirk. She stepped up to Optimus from the platform then.

“And check it out! Recon!” Miko said, taking her phone out and opening it up with the picture. Heidi‘s memory flashed as she looked at Miko, surprised. She smiled then as Optimus leaned down, examining the photo. He hummed at it before looking to Ratchet.

“Ratchet. Have a look. It could be of importance to Megatron.” Optimus said. Miko grinned as Heidi reminisced about her encounter with Megatron. Heidi wondered what would’ve happened if she hadn’t escaped. Probably something way worse than she could think of. Meanwhile, Jack stepped up, nervous and surprised by the statement. Megatron was back?

“Woah, Megatron’s back? That’s really bad news, right?” Jack said, joining Miko’s side. Heidi nodded, watching Ratchet then step up. He bent down to look at the photo, curiously. His optics narrowed before confusion took over.

“I don’t understand,” Ratchet said, glancing at Optimus. Everyone was confused as Miko looked to see the photo. It had switched to another photo with the vehicon. Heidi caught a glimpse of her looking at it and a bad feeling formed as Miko spoke. 

“Oops! That’s the con who tried to blow Raf away and that Heidi smacked with a slime ball. At least that was before Bulkhead rearranged his grill!” Miko said, throwing a few air punches. Ratchet, Optimus, and Cliffjumper stared in shock as Heidi slapped a hand on her face. They did not need to know that right now. She removed it just as Jack angrily turned to Miko.

“Miko. Raf and Heidi were almost killed. This isn’t a game! When are you gonna get that through your thick skull?!” Jack snapped. Heidi nodded, stepping up next to the two teens with a glare.

“He’s got a point, Miko. You treated the situation like our lives weren’t on the line and that’s not okay.” Heidi said, crossing her arms. Miko glared at the two before turning back to Jack, angrily. 

“Uh, We were all almost killed Jack. You. Me. Raf. Heidi. Even them!” Miko said, gesturing at the bots. Heidi growled as Jack quickly snapped back at Miko, sick and tired of her and this day. However, Heidi was a little surprised about what he said next. Morley, she didn’t expect it now.

“Well. If this is just an average day with the Autobots, Then I don’t wanna be a part of it! Not anymore.” Jack said. Miko was about to snap back and Heidi was getting ready to stop the fight from getting worse. However, Optimus interrupted them, turning all attention on him.

“Jack, putting you in harm's way was never our intent. However, it is no longer the safety of you four that is at risk but the safety of all humankind. We will respect your decision if you wish to leave.” Optimus explained. Just as he finished, the sound of the groundbridge vortex activating turned all the attention to the controls. Ratchet stood there, quickly turning to the group.

“No point in long goodbyes. Here’s the door.” Ratchet said, a bit too eagerly. Heidi sent a glare his way before turning to Jack. Jack looked down in thought for a moment before turning to Heidi calmly. Heidi knew what he was gonna ask. She raised an eyebrow with a “Really?” look as he sighed.

“Yeah. Kind of expected that from you.” Jack mumbled. Heidi nodded as He then turned to Raf, holding a hand out for him.

“Come on, Raf,” Jack said. Heidi looked at Raf, a bit saddened. If Heidi was being honest, she didn’t want Raf to leave. After all, he was her best friend, and who knows if their friendship would be the same after this. Raf paused, turning to Heidi who looked away. She tried to hide it but she looked sad. She wasn’t the only one as Bumblebee also seemed saddened to see Raf go. After glancing at the two, he made his decision.

“I’ll be okay, Jack. See you at school.” Raf said. Heidi looked surprised before a small, unnoticeable smile, came on her face. She looked to Jack who nodded, understanding and not pushing Raf to go.

“Sure thing,” Jack said, turning and walking down the stairs to the ground floor. Heidi came up next to Raf who smiled at her. She returned it, taking his shoulder sweetly. The two walked to the edge of the platform in time to see Arcee and Jack share a few final words.

“I know. You don’t exist.” Jack said, walking past her and towards the groundbridge.

“Don’t make me hunt you down…” Arcee said. However, something seemed wrong as she watched him go through. Almost as if she wanted to stop him but couldn’t. Soon, he disappeared into the vortex, not once looking back. Ratchet then de-activated it and Heidi noticed Raf’s saddened expression staring at the groundbridge. 

“Hey, don’t worry. Maybe he’ll change his mind… If you want, you can head home now. Bumblebee can pick you up tomorrow.” Heidi said. Raf turned to her, unsure when Bumblebee walked over. He agreed with Heidi, sending a small buzz to Raf. Raf smiled before nodding and heading to the stairs. 

“See you tomorrow, Heidi,” Raf said. Heidi nodded and he then walked down the stairs. Bumblebee transformed, allowing Raf to get in his alternate. Raf walked up, taking one last glance at Heidi before exiting into the car. The two sped out of the base as Heidi watched, waving to them as they left. A tired sigh then turned her attention to Miko who walked up to her. She had finished downloading the photos to the console and finally, seemed tired after the day.

“Man, I’m beat,” Miko said. Heidi hummed, looking back ahead as a silent moment dawned. Secretly, while Miko seemed confident, there was a string of guilt lingering inside her. After a moment, she spoke, finally breaking the silence.

“Look, I’m sorry about today. I guess I got a bit excited about seeing some action.” Miko said, her smile fading. Heidi looked at her surprised before sighing.

“Appreciate it, Miko. But I’m not the one you should apologize to.” Heidi explained. Miko hummed, biting her lip before nodding. 

“Yeah. Well, I’ll visit him later. See if I can get him to come back. I kinda owe him so…” Miko explained, walking down the stairs. Heidi followed, a small smile on her face. At least Miko was owning up to her mistakes. 

“I think that's a good idea, Miko. It’s his decision though. Don’t force it… And while you're at it, no more crazy stunts, alright?” Heidi said, a playful smirk coming on at the end. Miko laughed, looking back at her with a devious smile.

“Pfft! Whatever, HD!” Miko chuckled, skipping the last few steps. Heidi stared at her, a bit surprised by the nickname before laughing. Bulkhead walked up, distracting Miko who immediately began chatting with him. Meanwhile, Heidi saw Cliffjumper walk up to her. He had a small smile on but something felt off. It was like he wanted to talk about something but not with everyone else around. After a small awkward moment, he spoke.

“Do you wanna go for a drive? It’s getting late and we should try to get you home before dinner.” 

For the beginning part, It was dead silent on the car trip back to Jasper. It was late evening and Cliffjumper was driving down the dusty road while Heidi sat in the front seat, a little impatient. Something was wrong and Heidi could tell. Cliffjumper wasn’t talking or listening to their favorite country music like he usually did with her. You’d think after everything they’d been through he’d at least try to talk about what happened. After a while, Heidi couldn’t bear the silence and was about to speak up when Cliffjumper beat her to it.

“I’m sorry, Heidi. I should’ve stuck by you instead of throwing you into the vents… I-I just wanted to keep you safe and…” Cliffjumper paused, sighing in defeat as Heidi turned to his dashboard, a bit worried.

“It was a fight-or-flight response to keep me safe, Cliff. It's fine.-” 

“No, It’s not! I promised to protect you but I failed. I left you on an enemy warship and Because of that, you got injured and almost killed! I wasn’t even the one who rescued you…” Cliffjumper said, guilt plaguing his systems. Heidi was surprised by this, feeling saddened and worried for Cliffjumper. She paused, thinking over his words before speaking up.

“Cliff, did you mean to leave me on the ship?” Heidi asked. 

“What? Of course not! I searched everywhere but I got cornered by cons and stuck on an elevator so-”

“Then I forgive you, Cliff! You’re my best friend and I trust you no matter what. Plus, the only reason you couldn’t help me was because you were busy getting better and helping Optimus and Ratchet.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper still seemed unsure as she continued.

“Besides, Arcee, Bulk, and Bee were able to get me out of there just fine. There’s nothing to feel guilty about. We should just be grateful that we got out of there alive…” Heidi explained, patting Cliffjumper’s car door. Cliffjumper hummed at her words, taking them into account.

“I guess you're right. I just wish I could’ve done more to help you.” 

“You’ve done enough. I was able to stay hidden from the cons for a day and a half thanks to you. Otherwise, they could’ve done a lot worse to me than just a scratch.” Heidi said, pointing at her injury. Cliffjumper hummed, a bit unconvinced still and Heidi noticed.

“Cliff, I promise I don’t blame you. If anything, we should blame Starscream for capturing us. Although, now he has to deal with Megatron. I bet he’s pretty unhappy that I escaped from his warship and that the bots messed it up a bit. Buckethead's gonna wipe that stupid grin off that stiletto-healed loser for that!” Heidi said. At that, Cliffjumper let out a snort, chuckling a bit as Heidi joined in. They calmed down quickly, staying silent for a moment.

“You are okay though, right? I have nothing to worry about?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi nodded, a confident smirk on her face.

“Yup. The worst I got was a few bruises and this scratch. Now that that’s out of the way, I have a very important question for you, Cliffjumper.” Heidi said, pretending to be serious at the end. Cliffjumper saw right through it though, laughing a little.

“Oh yeah? Only if you answer my question first!” Cliffjumper teased. Heidi looked at him, confused before nodding.

“Uh, sure. What is it?” 

“Did you actually hit a vehicon with a slimeball?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi paused before laughing loudly at the question.

“Yup. You should've seen what I did to the other ones though.” 

“Primus, little lady. How bad was it?” Cliffjumper said, barely holding in his laughter. Heidi shrugged innocently as a mischievous grin came on her face.

“Not bad. Unless you count bursting their audial receptors with an air horn and annoying the heck out of them as bad. If so, then I was evil.” Heidi said, proudly. The two then burst out laughing once again. Soon, they stopped with Heidi wiping away a tear. She looked back to Cliffjumper’s dashboard as he spoke.

“Alright, little lady. What did you want to ask me?” Cliffjumper asked, curious. Heidi nodded before bending over eagerly. 

“What was it like battling a zombie army?” Heidi asked. 

“Creepy and weird,” Cliffjumper quickly said. For the rest of the time, Cliffjumper explained the battle more thoroughly, allowing Heidi to get a better idea of what happened. However, She was mainly shocked by Megatron’s crimes.

“I knew Megatron was bad but that's awful! Raising the dead of not just Autobot ancestors, but his own?! After everything, they should’ve been allowed to rest. Also, Did he ever think about the negative effects Dark Energon could have on him too?!!” Heidi snarled, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her seat. Cliffjumper scoffed though at it. 

“Like he’d care about that. That bot only cares about getting power and nothing less. Even if it means hurting those around him.” Cliffjumper growled. Heidi sighed, nodding as she looked out into the window. They had finally gotten to Jasper and the town’s streets weren’t busy since it was past the evening rush.

“Well, I’m glad you and the others got back safely. Who knows what would’ve happened if you hadn't defeated the horde.” Heidi said, her mind thinking of the multiple bad outcomes. Cliffjumper hummed in agreement as he turned onto another road. Soon, they got to Heidi’s neighborhood, driving past the multiple houses. They stopped outside Heidi’s house but Heidi felt hesitant to get out.

“Little lady? What’s wrong?” Cliffjumper asked, noticing Heidi’s hesitance. Heidi glanced at the dashboard before back to the house, saddened and unsure.

“It’s just… I don’t know. I guess a part of me is still scared after what happened. You don't think she’s mad at me, right?” Heidi said, rubbing her arm. 

“Of course not, little lady! She’ll probably be more relieved than anything to see you’re okay. She’s your mom after all!” Cliffjumper said. Heidi smiled, comforted by his words. She took one last breath before exiting the vehicle.

Heidi walked down the walkway, up the few entry stairs, and to the front door. She stared at it, her hand hovering above the doorbell. She glanced back at Cliffjumper who revved his engine softly in support. Heidi smiled before turning back to the door. Gaining the confidence, she rang the doorbell. 

After a moment, She heard footsteps making their way to the door. After a moment, it unlocked and began to open. Her mother, Kala, was at the door. She looked the same other than her eyes which showed she'd been crying a lot. However, she held a smile for whoever was at the door. 

“Hello?-” Kala began. However, when her gaze landed on Heidi, she stopped. She stood in shock as she stared at Heidi. Heidi wasn’t sure what to say, feeling multiple emotions at once. After a moment, Kala crouched down, her hands hovering over Heidi’s face. 

“H-Heidi?” Kala asked, her hands grazing Heidi’s face now. Heidi paused, a bit taken aback before smiling, tears pricking her eyes. She took Kala’s hands as she nodded, barely holding in the relief flooding out of her.

“Hey, mom,” Heidi said. Kala smiled then, breaking down into tears as she pulled her into a hug. Heidi hugged back, feeling relief wash over her. She hadn’t been hugged by her mother in so long. She was so grateful to finally get to feel it again. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper watched from afar, feeling happy that Heidi finally could rest. After a moment, Cliffjumper spoke, his voice low but happy.

“Welcome home, Little lady.”

Chapter Text

It was early morning and Arcee was in the training room. She practiced her form, kicking and punching the air. While her body was in the game, Her mind was elsewhere and oblivious to everything around her. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jack. While he was a strange and awkward kid, it was kind of nice having him around. Arcee wouldn’t admit it but she actually had fun with him. Not that she didn’t have fun with everyone else but… this one felt different. 

Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze, sensing someone behind her. She turned around, about to kick whoever was behind her on reflex. However, he blocked it, holding it in place. She was surprised to see Cliffjumper was holding the leg back from his faceplate. He had a confident smirk as Arcee growled, putting her leg down. 

“What is it, Cliff?” Arcee said, turning away.

“Got something on your mind, Partner?” Cliffjumper asked. Arcee didn’t answer, just walking ahead.

“No.”

“Lying to me? Come on, Cee. You know better than that.” Cliffjumper said, chuckling a bit. Arcee rolled her eyes as she stopped, continuing her punches and kicks in the air. However, now she was farther away.

“No offense Cliff, but I’d like some time alone. Besides, I need to train.” Arcee said, glancing back at Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper grinned coming up behind Arcee and tapping her shoulder. She turned around and suddenly, a punch came at her. She dodged the attack from Cliffjumper, flipping back.

“What the heck, Cliff?!” Arcee snapped as Cliffjumper stood in a fighting stance, bobbing up and down a bit.

“You need to train? How about a little sparring then? It beats kicking and punching the air.” Cliffjumper said. Arcee glared at him, placing her servos on her hips. She gave a skeptical look as Cliffjumper teased.

“What? Too scared that I’ll beat you?” After a moment, Arcee sighed and got into a fighting stance once more.

“Whatever. I need a distraction anyway,” Arcee said, mumbling the last part. With that, she charged towards Cliffjumper. The two began hand-to-hand combat then, sparring with each other easily. However, some of Arcee's hits would miss or be blocked by Cliffjumper. He blocked another punch, keeping it in his grip and pausing the fight.

“So, Are you gonna tell me what’s going on or what?” Cliffjumper asked. Arcee growled as she pulled out of his grip. She sent a kick at him and he threw a punch which she dodged. Arcee flipped back, landing in a kneel.

“C’mon, Cee. Talk to me. Why are you so…” Cliffjumper began before Arcee delivered a kick to his side. Cliffjumper grunted, falling back a bit as he held his side. Arcee glared as she stood in a fighting stance.

“So, what?” Arcee snapped. Cliffjumper paused, looking her up and down before speaking, his smile fading.

“Distracted. Something’s bothering you.” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee rolled her optics as she charged at him again. They both threw a few punches and kicks before Cliffjumper jumped behind her and blocked a kick. Another pause in the fight ensued then.

“I don’t need your pity, Cliff,” Arcee growled.

“It’s not pity! I see it, Cee. You seem lost or something-” Arcee delivered the kick to his back then, sending him stumbling forward. There was a pause of silence as Cliffjumper stood up, looking at Arcee.

“It’s nothing. After all, he’s busy with his own life now.” Arcee said. Cliffjumper paused, trying to understand what she meant when it clicked. The answer to why Arcee was distracted. He stepped up to her with an understanding smile.

“Now, I know why you're so distracted. This is about that human. Jack, right?” Cliffjumper said, raising an optical ridge. Arcee was surprised, looking away for a moment before sighing angrily. 

“Fine. Yes, I guess… he kinda grew on me or something.” Arcee said, standing up straight and walking away. She sat down on a crate nearby, sulking and Cliffjumper joined her, sitting on the crate next to her. 

“Yeah, I can tell. Especially with the look on your face after he left last night.” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee grunted, leaning back on the base wall. Cliffjumper hummed softly, amused before leaning back with her.

“It’s for the best though. He shouldn’t have been involved in this anyway.” Arcee explained.

“Maybe. But Heidi and those two other kids weren’t supposed to be involved and they’re doing great.” Cliffjumper explained, his servos going behind his head as he hummed. Arcee looked at him, annoyed and skeptical of his words. What was he playing at?

“Your point?”

“I’m just saying that just because they weren’t supposed to be here, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be now.” cliffjumper said. Arcee only grumbled, confused about what he was trying to say. After a moment, Cliffjumper continued.

“You all thought Heidi and I were dead for a bit, right?” Cliffjumper asked. Arcee turned to him, confused before humming “Yes.” 

“Yeah. We were wrong. What does that have to do with this?” Arcee snapped.

“I heard from Bee that after my funeral, you were pretty upset.”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? I thought you were dead!” 

“I know. You met Jack after storming off and he was there for you when I couldn’t be. So, my guess is you connected with him through that. That’s why you're missing him.” cliffjumper explained.

“Great Job, Detective. You want a reward for saying the obvious?” Arcee said sarcastically. Cliffjumper laughed a bit as Arcee groaned. 

“Yeah, well, if you miss him, Why don’t you go find and talk to him?” Cliffjumper asked. Arcee narrowed her optics, sighing as she spoke.

“Cliff, He left so that he wouldn’t be a part of this anymore. I doubt he’ll listen, nor want to come back at all.” Arcee growled, her fists clenching. Cliffjumper saw this, turning back to Arcee with a hum. 

“That doesn’t sound like Jack.-”

“And how would you know? You barely know him at all! He’s just some kid I accidentally got caught up with while trying to get a moment of peace.” Arcee snapped, crossing her arms as she looked away. Cliffjumper paused, about to say something but decided against it. Arcee did have a point. Cliffjumper didn’t know him as well as Arcee and… Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. That’s it! He smiled as he looked back to Arcee who was still turned away.

“You’re right. I don’t know him well enough to make that assumption. But I know someone who does! Someone we both know very well and could help you out here.” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee looked at him, quizzically before realizing who he was talking about.

“Oh, no! Not Heidi. If she finds out about this, she’ll never let me forget it. Besides, I’m not gonna go after him just because I…” Arcee paused, turning away with a grunt. Cliffjumper laughed at her, knowing what she meant.

“Aw c’mon, Arcee. Heidi won’t tease you for it. If anything, she may understand where you're coming from and help you out.” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee scoffed as he stood up from the crate. He offered a servo to her as he grinned. 

“Give her a chance, Cee. I promise She’ll help you.” 

“And if she doesn’t?”

“We both know that’s not gonna happen,” Cliffjumper said. Arcee paused, pondering her thoughts before groaning. She took his hand and he pulled her to her peds. The two then walked out of the training room and into the hallway. While Arcee wasn’t fond of the idea, Maybe Heidi could help her… at least get over it. With that, Arcee just sighed and continued her way to the main room with Cliffjumper by her side.

“Hang on, Optimus. I’m not sure I can wrap my head around this.” Heidi said, a hand on her forehead. It was a Sunday morning and Heidi was in the main room with Optimus and Ratchet. The other kids hadn’t arrived yet so while Cliffjumper went to check on Arcee, Heidi decided to talk to Optimus. Turns out, the team discovered something astonishing last night after she left. Optimus had just finished explaining it while Ratchet was busy searching for the Decepticon's space bridge at the console. 

“You’re telling me that Megatron’s planning on resurrecting Cybertron’s dead into zombies and then using that army to conquer Earth? I trust you guys but You do realize how crazy that sounds, right?” Heidi said, skeptical. Suddenly, Agent Fowler's hand went up with inaudible words coming out. He then fell back unconscious as everyone stared in confusion. He still wasn’t back to normal after the run-in with the cons. It was very… weird to say the least. 

“Anyway… Optimus, you can see where I’m coming from, right? This sounds crazy. Even for Megatron. ” Heidi said, crossing her arms. Optimus kept a stern face but he understood Heidi’s reasoning. After all, she wasn’t wrong. It was very strange.

“Yes, I realize this is a lot to process but it is the truth. I urge you to trust us, Heidi. As you have before.” Optimus said, turning to join Ratchet at the console. Heidi sighed but nodded to the statement. After all, she couldn’t really argue with him. She may not fully believe him yet but his theory would make sense with what Cliffjumper told her. Speaking of which, she heard multiple peds making their way down one of the hallways. She looked to see Arcee and Cliffjumper enter through one of the tunnels. 

“Cliff! Arcee!” Heidi said, waving them over. Both bots turned to Heidi, Cliffjumper with his normal beaming smile. Arcee, however, seemed different. Though she was known to not smile as much as Cliffjumper, something felt off about her scowl. It almost looked like she was in a daze. Cliffjumper and Arcee walked over as Cliffjumper greeted her.

“Hey, Little Lady. How’d it go with Optimus?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi sighed tirelessly, crossing her arms.

“I’m still not sure if I believe it but It does make sense with what you told me,” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper nodded, turning to look at Arcee. She sent a glare his way as he softly nudged her forward. 

“Arcee needs to talk to you about something so I’ll let you two ladies chat,” Cliffjumper said, before walking away. Arcee glared daggers at the smiling Cliffjumper while Heidi stood confused. What did Arcee need? After a while, Arcee sighed and turned back to Heidi. Her glare softened as an awkward moment ensued. 

“So…What did you want to talk to me about?” Heidi asked. Arcee paused, choosing her words as she crossed her arms. Finally, she seemed to have decided what to say as she spoke cautiously.

“You know Jack pretty well, right?” Arcee asked, curiously. Heidi paused, smiling as she realized what this was about. Heidi had seen the look Arcee had when Jack left yesterday. She must be missing him.

“You miss him, don’t you?” 

“Well… okay, maybe a little,” Arcee admitted, a bit annoyed. Heidi chuckled a bit, walking to the railing and leaning on it. Arcee sighed, looking away as she spoke.

“But it’s for the best that he left. Now I won't have to worry about him getting hurt or something.” Arcee said. 

“Well, based on what I heard from Cliff, you seemed happier with him. Like he was a partner-”

“He’s not my partner. Cliffjumper is.” Arcee snapped, interrupting Heidi. Heidi paused, a bit startled before sighing. A silent pause ensued as Heidi figured out what to say next. After a moment, a memory from the past resurfaced.

“You know, the same day I met you guys was when I met Jack and Raf,” Heidi said. Arcee turned back to her, surprised as Heidi smirked. She fiddled with her fingers as she carefully chose her next words.

“He helped me out when I got hurt. He’s been there for me ever since then. Sure, he’s awkward and He’ll try to act older than he is, sometimes telling me what to do too! His mom is also a bit…overprotective of him.” Heidi said. Arcee hummed, a bit amused by the statement as Heidi continued. 

“But… He’s always there for you. No matter how much he annoys me, I’m glad to have him by my side as a friend. Besides, though he might not admit it, I think he enjoyed spending time with you and the others.” Heidi said. Arcee paused, thinking over Heidi’s words. Heidi could see she was skeptical though.

“Look, having a human partner doesn’t mean you're replacing Cliffjumper. Heh, We both know that Cliffjumper is impossible to get rid of… You went through a lot and maybe, just maybe, Jack… will be able to help you out of it with Cliffjumper. You’re pretty alike. That’s probably why you miss him.” Heidi explained. Arcee was in deep thought, clearly processing her words deeply. After a moment, determination set on her faceplates as she looked back to Heidi.

“Thanks, kid,” Arcee said, walking away with an unnoticeable smirk. Heidi watched, smiling wide as Arcee walked up to Optimus, talking to him. Cliffjumper came beside Heidi, sending a knowing look before turning to watch Arcee with her. Soon, Arcee transformed and left the base as quickly as possible. The two smiled at each other before Heidi joined Ratchet near the console. 

It wasn’t long before the sound of the engines drew everyone's attention to the tunnel again. Everyone turned to see Bulkhead and Bumblebee in their vehicle forms come into the base. Heidi smiled, making her way down the stairs as their car doors swung open. Miko jumped out of Bulkhead, ecstatic to be there. Raf came out of Bumblebee, his black backpack on. As Heidi got to the bottom, both kids immediately went to her.

“What’s up, Dee!” Miko chirped, running up next to her. 

“Seriously? First HD, now Dee?” Heidi teased as Raf came up next to her. The two fist-bumped as Miko laughed.

“What, I gotta call you something other than Heidi!” Miko said. Heidi rolled her eyes as the bots transformed behind them and walked up to the console. The kids followed, standing with their guardians then. Suddenly, the main console screen beeped with an image pulling up. Ratchet found something.

Cliffjumper brought down his servo for Heidi with a smile. Heidi smiled back, quickly jumping onto it. Cliffjumper lifted her to his shoulder, allowing her to jump on and sit there so she could see. Bumblebee did the same thing with Raf. The two kids noticed each other, smiling and waving when Ratchet spoke up, explaining his findings. 

“Optimus! I’ve pinpointed the location of Megatron’s space bridge… High in earth's orbit.” Ratchet said, defeated as he turned to the bots. Some of the bots sagged in annoyance as Optimus walked up, joining the group with his normal stoic expression.

“Out of our reach…” Optimus said grimly. Heidi let out an angered grunt as she crossed her arms.

“Darn it! We’re so close!” Heidi growled. Cliffjumper turned to her, giving a small reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Little lady. We’ll figure something out.” Cliffjumper whispered. Heidi glanced at him, nodding softly. Miko then spoke up from below, a hand on her hip.

“Okay, so you guys don’t fly. But can’t you just groundbridge there?” Miko asked, gesturing to the groundbridge machine. Heidi shook her head, saddened as Ratchet explained, grumpily.

“The groundbridge has limited range. Stretched all the way into orbit, its vortex could snap! And scatter us to the stars.” Ratchet explained grimly. Miko and Raf stared in shock while Heidi gulped nervously, looking up at Optimus. He had to know what to do now. Unfortunately, Heidi would learn the dangerous plan he had in mind. 

“Since Megatron is likely already in transit, I’m afraid we must take that risk,” Optimus explained, turning to the groundbridge behind him. Heidi gasped softly as The bots followed, standing nearby behind him as he continued.

“Reaching the space bridge first is our only means of stopping him,” Optimus explained. Suddenly, the sound of a beeping came from the entry tunnel. Everyone turned to see Arcee driving in with a familiar person on her. They stopped next to them, the boy taking off his helmet. It was Jack!

“Hey. Guess whose back?” Jack said, smiling. He got off Arcee as Heidi smiled excitedly. Cliffjumper chuckled, glancing at Heidi before looking back to Arcee. Arcee transformed then as Optimus stepped up, giving out the orders.

“Autobots, prepare for departure.” Cliffjumper paused, his smile fading as he held up his servo. Heidi looked at it, a part of her not wanting to let go but… In the end, she sighed in defeat before jumping onto it. Meanwhile, Jack and Arcee were oblivious and confused about what was going on.

“Where to?” Arcee asked. Miko stepped up as Cliffjumper lowered Heidi to the floor, letting her jump off.

“The final frontier,” Miko said. Heidi walked up next to Miko, nodding to the statement with a hum. Jack and Arcee were surprised by this, looking at Optimus in disbelief. 

“Wha- Space? I-I-I thought they didn’t have any way to get there.” Jack explained. Meanwhile, Raf was being lowered in Bumblebee’s servo as he spoke.

“They don’t. Really…” Raf said, a bit worried. Heidi went to his side as he jumped off, taking his shoulder. 

“It’s the only way to stop Megatron from conquering the Earth…” Heidi said, biting her tongue after. With that, Jack turned to Arcee, sharing a few last words before Arcee joined her team. Ratchet opened the groundbridge and Each guardian began sharing their few words with their charges then. Heidi turned to Cliffjumper, who looked at her with a small smile. He crouched down and could see she was stressed. Who wouldn’t be though? This was pretty risky.

“Heidi-”

“You better come back alive, Cliffjumper. Promise me.” Heidi snapped, interrupting him. Cliffjumper paused, a bit surprised. Both he and Heidi knew it was a 50/50 chance but…Cliffjumper would never want to worry her. After a moment, he smiled and held out his servo. Heidi paused, before hugging it tight, fear and worry continuing to grow.

“I’ll see you soon, Little Lady,” Cliffjumper said. Heidi sniffed, nodding before releasing him. He stood up and quickly joined the team then. Heidi paused, watching him leave nervously when she saw Arcee walk by. She called up to her, making her turn to her, curiously.

“You and Cliff stay together, alright? Keep each other safe.” Heidi said. Arcee paused, smiling a bit before nodding. Little did they know, Jack had said the same thing to Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper laughed a bit at Jack’s statement before nodding.

“Don’t worry, Jack. We’ll stick together. I promise.” Cliffjumper said, glancing at Heidi. Arcee walked away as Heidi watched, looking anxious. She began making her way up the stairs as Cliffjumper turned back to Jack. His expression had softened as he spared a few more glances at Heidi.

“Hey, while I’m gone, keep Heidi company. She may act tough but I think she could use some comfort from her friends.” Cliffjumper said. Jack paused, looking to see Heidi’s face. She was on the platform, stuck in her thoughts. She did seem stressed and worried… Jack took one final look before nodding to Cliffjumper.

“S-Sure.” 

“Thanks! I owe you, Jack.” Cliffjumper said, standing up then. Jack smiled before heading to join the other kids. Cliffjumper went to Arcee’s side then as they got ready to leave. As Optimus walked over to the team, Ratchet spoke up.

“Optimus! If you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you.” Ratchet snapped. Heidi turned to him, a small smile on her face. She knew what he really meant to say and Optimus did too.

“Until we meet again, old friend,” Optimus explained before activating his battle mask.

“Autobots, Roll Out!” Optimus ordered. With that, each of the bots transformed into their vehicle forms. Heidi felt herself grip tight on the railings as she watched them start their engines and enter the vortex. Suddenly, she felt a hand plop on her shoulder. She looked up to see Jack standing next to her.

“They’ll be okay. Don’t worry.” Jack reassured. Heidi paused before patting his hand gratefully. She watched as the vortex began to disappear, releasing a breath of stress from it. Heidi was sure Jack was right… She just couldn’t help but worry.

Meanwhile, the vortex around the bots seemed somewhat stable. Still, Cliffjumper couldn’t help but feel uneasy as they drove through it. The sound of electricity sparking around them and the bright light waiting at the end. He might’ve been used to it but knowing the consequences of this one, he couldn’t help feeling a bit fearful of it.

“Maximum Overdrive!” Optimus ordered. With that, all the bots sped up as much as they could. The end of the vortex came closer and soon, they got out. The bots found themselves in deep space, quickly floating towards the giant Spacebridge in Earth's orbit. They made it!

“Autobots! Transform… and Gravitize!” Optimus ordered. Everyone immediately transformed and once they got close enough to the Spacebridge, electricity struck near their peds and pulled them to the surface of the space bridge. Bulkhead almost fell, nervously landing his ped on the floor finally. Cliffjumper couldn’t help snickering a bit at it.

“Whoa! Don’t look down…or up…or left.” Bulkhead said, nervously. After a moment, everyone turned towards Earth. Blocking the planet, however, was the giant nemesis warship, coming towards them. The Decepticons.

“There’s a scrappy sight,” Cliffjumper growled. As he said that, the ship came to a stop in front of the space bridge. Everyone glared at it, Optimus especially as he thought of the next course of action. 

“So Megatron’s packing enough Dark Energon to raise Cybertron’s dead?” Arcee asked, skeptically. Optimus nodded to Arcee, looking back up at the warship. The bots began going next to each other and their leader, knowing what was coming next.

“And since we don’t possess ready means of disabling the space bridge…” Optimus began, activating his cannons. The rest of the bots followed, activating their weapons and aiming for the nemesis as Optimus finished.

“Nothing gets in or out!” Optimus ordered. With that, each of the bots waited, ready for whatever the Decepticons had for them. A platoon of vehicon flyers? Maybe even a commanding officer leading them. However, nothing happened for a while. It was dead silent and still, which caused everyone to be confused and very suspicious.

“Isn’t it a little quiet?” Cliffjumper asked suspiciously as Arcee nodded.

“Yeah, What are they waiting for?” Arcee asked. Optimus lowered his cannons then, his optics zooming in on the ship. After a moment, he seemed to have found something to which he quickly explained.

“It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system,” Optimus explained. Bulkhead paused before realizing what he was talking about. A smile crept on as he looked at Optimus.

“Huh. That’s my handiwork!” 

“Haha! Nice one, Bulk!” Cliffjumper chirped. Optimus nodded, turning to Bulkhead.

“Great Job, Bulkhead. Without the dish, Megatron will be unable to aim the spacebridge at Cybertron,” Optimus explained. Meanwhile, back at the base, Ratchet stood at the console while the kids watched from the computer platform.

“Don’t the Decepticons know where their own planet is?” Raf asked, confused. Ratchet scoffed, turning to the children.

“Naturally. But Cybertron is many light-years away. To reach their target, their aim must be astronomically precise.” Ratchet explained. He turned back to the console as Optimus spoke from the comlink.

“If Megatron went through the trouble of rendezvousing with his Spacebridge, He must have an alternate targeting system. A remote one.” Optimus explained. Raf seemed to get an idea and quickly went to one of the base computers. Heidi turned to him, watching Raf work as Ratchet huffed.

“From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a single radio telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron,” Ratchet explained. Raf then pulled up some images from the Web, explaining his idea.

“What about a whole bunch of linked radio telescope dishes? Like the giant size array in Texas.” Raf said, showing the images of it on the computer. Heidi nodded, turning to Ratchet and the other kids.

“Raf’s got a point. Those things are super powerful on their own but together, It just might be enough to pinpoint Cybertron.-” Heidi explained. Ratchet, however, didn’t believe them and quickly leaned down to their level with a snappy attitude. 

“Zip! Ep! Ep! This is not Childplay.” Ratchet snapped. Heidi growled, about to snap back when Optimus spoke up.

“Good thinking, Raf,” Optimus said. Heidi smirked proudly at Ratchet's surprise as Optimus gave the next orders.

“Heidi. Ratchet. Have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard.” Optimus ordered. Just after he said that, a voice called from the other platform. Agent Fowler sat up straight as he yelled and pointed at Ratchet.

“YOU! SOLDIER! You’re out of uniform! Put on some pants!” Agent Fowler snapped before falling back onto the berth, unconscious. Miko snickered while Heidi slapped a hand on her forehead.

“That may be a challenge,” Ratchet said. Heidi turned then to see Raf working on something else now. It was a dark screen with multiple codes on it. He looked like he was trying to hack into something but it didn’t seem to be working in his favor.

“I can’t get through the array’s firewalls. They’re too thick!” Raf said, his fist hitting the desk angrily after failing. Heidi came next to him, a hand on his shoulder as Ratchet spoke. 

“ You actually think you can keep the Decepticons out?” Ratchet asked, very skeptical. Heidi had enough of this attitude and quickly turned to him. She crossed her arms, glaring at Ratchet.

“Raf’s a tech-wiz. I’m sure he can.” Heidi said, winking at Raf. Raf paused, shrugging slightly as he spoke.

“Well, Maybe…If I could get in.” Raf explained. Jack perked up then, seemingly getting an idea. He walked up to Raf, leaning down to see the screen as he spoke.

“Wait x3, Raf, What if we could get you all the way in? Like inside-the-building in!” Jack explained. Raf and Heidi perked up, glancing at each other as Raf spoke.

“I could log into their internal Network on the other side of the firewall!” Heidi smiled, confidence building up. It was a good plan. However, Optimus thought it was too dangerous and was quick to try and shut it down.

“The risk is too great! The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even on-site.” Optimus explained. The kids all turned to the screen, glancing at each other. After a moment, Jack spoke up with a new set of confidence and determination she hadn’t seen before.

“Optimus, with all due respect, you said it yourself. This is bigger than the safety of four humans.” Jack said, gesturing to the rest of the kids. 

“Yeah! If we let the cons win, We’re fragged! Along with everyone else on our planet.” Miko said. Heidi was a bit surprised she already knew a curse word but quickly brushed it off. She walked up in front of the kids and spoke to the comlink. 

“They’re right, Optimus. This is our best and frankly, our only option in stopping Megatron. If we don’t take the risk, who knows how many people will get hurt… If Raf’s up for it, then we should do it!” Heidi explained, looking at Raf. Optimus paused, thinking over the children’s words before speaking.

“Raf?” Optimus asked. Everyone turned to Raf who was thinking. He wanted to help his planet but… he was a little scared. He looked to Heidi who smiled, nodding reassuringly. Raf knew she’d support him in either decision and she’d do anything to help him and keep the planet safe like this team was doing. So… he made his decision, looking up at the screen.

“I wanna give it a shot,” Raf said, determined. Miko cheered a bit while Jack nodded, with a smile. Heidi ran up to Raf’s side, pulling him into a quick side hug while cheering a bit. Raf smiled before turning back to the computer. He quickly typed on the keyboard, sending the coordinates to the larger console for Ratchet.

“Very well then. Ratchet, Groundbridge the children to the Texas Array. Children, while you are there, I cannot guarantee your safety. If anything arises to hinder you, alert Ratchet to bridge you back to base immediately.” Optimus ordered. Ratchet activated the Groudbridge as each kid got down from the platform, Heidi being last.

“Don’t worry, Optimus. We’ll be careful… Good luck.” Heidi said before going down with the other kids. Optimus hummed as Heidi joined her friends in front of the now-open vortex. Before she and the other kids could walk through, Ratchet turned to them. More specifically, Heidi.

“Heidi! If the Decepticons are there... You were already captured once. By Primus, don’t let this be a second time with them.” Ratchet explained. Heidi paused before sending a smile to Ratchet. She knew what he meant like before. Come back safe. She gave a quick nod before turning back to the vortex, ready to enter.

Meanwhile, back in Space, Optimus was worried for the children's safety. However, He had faith that they’d return safely. Cliffjumper turned to him, curious as to what was going on. However, before they could speak on it, the sound of multiple jets turned their attention to the warship. Multiple Decepticon flyers had just come out to play.

“Here comes the welcoming community,” Bulkhead growled, Just as the Decepticons zoomed towards them. Cliffjumper and Arcee immediately started to shoot them down, the others quickly following their lead. The cons returned fire, flying down close and some transforming mid-air. Some were shot away into space while others were able to land and start hand-to-hand combat with the Autobots. Cliffjumper and Arcee stuck together. Arcee blasted them and Cliffjumper smashed them with his fist. 

“This is gonna be a while. Ready for some bashing, partner?” Cliffjumper said, coming back-to-back with Arcee. Arcee grunted, shooting at one of the vehicons before speaking.

“Just don't get yourself scrapped, Cliff,” Arcee said before running forward. She sliced the Decepticons with her wrist blades while Cliffjumper continued his hand-to-hand combat. Now, everyone just had to survive long enough for Optimus's plan. Hopefully, this will end with a victory.

In the desert of Texas, it was a beautiful but hot day. The desert wind was the only source of coolness, softly blowing through the area. In the middle of that, the Giant Array stood, unbothered by the looks of it. It was fenced in so no trespassers could get into it and mess stuff up… or so they thought.

A green vortex appeared just inside the gate then and Jack, Miko, Raf, and Heidi jumped out. Heidi stepped up, looking at the giant-size array in awe. The pictures did not do them justice with their size. After a moment, she noticed her friends finally joining her after being a bit motion-sick by the looks of it. Heidi held in her chuckles at the sight and just hummed.

“Alright, let’s find a way inside,” Heidi said, changing the topic quickly. The kids nodded and immediately, all of them ran to the building. They found a back door which to their surprise, was unlocked.

“Well, that makes things a lot easier,” Jack said, opening the door for the kids. The other two quickly went in but Heidi was a bit skeptical. Still, she didn’t have time to think about it as she quickly followed the others into it. Jack carefully closed the door behind them before leading the kids down the silent halls. They were expecting a guard or some workers to be around but nothing.

“That’s strange. I would expect someone to patrol the halls here. Or at least some workers.” Heidi whispered, confused. Before any of the other kids could speak on it, Miko ran ahead and down another hall. 

“Miko!” Jack hissed before running after her. Heidi grumbled before she and Raf joined in the chase. Miko didn’t stop until they came to a room. The first room so far. Miko didn’t even think as her hand reached for the door handle.

“Miko, wait!” Heidi snapped but Miko swung the door open without a second thought. The kids froze, waiting for something to happen but nothing did. They looked into the dark room to see it was a small office with a desk and a computer on top. Miko grinned, walking to the side to let the other kids pass.

“After you,” Miko said, bowing a bit as a joke. Jack sent a glare but Raf quickly ran in, sitting down at the computer. Jack joined his side with a sigh as Heidi glared at Miko.

“Miko, you gotta be more careful.” Heidi scolded before entering with the others. Miko made silent mocking gestures before entering the room herself. However, She took one final glance around in the hallway, grinning before closing the door. 

“Security sure is lax in this place,” Miko said. Heidi paused, glancing at her with a hum.

“Yeah, it is a little weird…” Heidi said, suspicion coming into her thoughts. However, she was quickly pulled out of it by the ding of a computer. She looked up to see Raf had gotten into the system.

“I’m in… And so are the Decepticons,” Raf said, looking at the screens. The two teens glanced at each other as Heidi leaned to see the screen. 

“What?!” Jack gasped.

“How can you tell?” Miko asked. Raf typed on the keyboard as the schematics from the warship danced on the screen.

“Schematics.” Raf began. Heidi was quick to recognize the plans from the warship.

“It’s the same angling and math we saw on their ship.” Heidi finished, gesturing to the screen. Raf nodded as the teens looked at the screen, quickly recognizing it from Miko’s photo.

“But this time, I can download them,” Raf said, taking out a USB with a smirk. He quickly plugged it into the computer before continuing to type on it. Heidi watched, leaning on Raf’s chair as Miko spoke.

“It’s gotta be the Spacebridge!”

“The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes but I can sync to them !” Raf said. Heidi smiled, looking down at her genius best friend.

“Brilliant, Raf! This should at least buy the bots some time.” Heidi said. Raf smiled, nodding as Jack voiced his concern, still a bit wary of the situation.

“Will they know?” Jack asked. Heidi looked at him, giving him a shrug as she explained.

“Likely but even if the Decepticons saw that he was in the system-” Heidi began but Raf was quick to finish the sentence with a confident smirk.

“They won’t know I’m in the house.” Raf finished confidently, continuing his work on the computer.

“Exactly. So we should be safe hopefully.” Heidi explained. 

“Ya’ll hang out too much,” Miko said. The two kids ignored her and The two teens then leaned down to watch. Everything became silent then and Heidi turned to the door. She felt suspicion bloom and she walked up to it. Someone should stand guard and keep an ear out in case something were to happen. With that, She leaned onto the wall next to it, keeping guard for anyone coming up the hallways. 

Meanwhile, her mind was in a daze of worry about Cliffjumper. She and him had just gotten out of a very dangerous situation and now he was in another. Heidi sighed as she continued to think about Cliffjumper, whispering a few words then.

“Hope you’re okay, Cliff.”

As the Autobots continued the battle against the Decepticons, things were becoming more tense than ever. They were still on Spacebridge and no one had gotten offlined other than the vehicons but something told them that something big was about to happen. 

Suddenly, the Spacebridge began to move, causing everyone to stumble. Thankfully, all the bots stayed on their peds and regained balance quickly. Arcee and Cliffjumper glanced at each other before Arcee spoke up.

“What just happened?!” Arcee asked. Everyone turned to Optimus who immediately knew what was going on.

“The Decepticons are locking on to Cybertron,” Optimus explained grimly. The battle continued as each bot tried its best to hold off the attack. Optimus wondered if the kids had succeeded in infiltrating the Decepticons. He soon got his answer when the Spacebridge stopped. After a moment, the bridge moved back to how it was before. Bumblebee whirled and buzzed in excitement as Optimus stood up, quickly agreeing.

“Indeed, Bumblebee. This can only be Raf’s doing.” Optimus said.

“Yes! Glad they’re alright, right Cee?” Cliffjumper chirped. Arcee gave a small smirk before charging back into battle. Meanwhile, back at the Texas Array, Raf had just detoured the Decepticons. Heidi couldn’t help cheering a bit at Raf’s accomplishment.

“WOO! Nice one, Raf!” Heidi chirped, giving him a small hug. Raf chuckled as the two teens smiled above. However, a beep from the computer made the smiles vanish. The screen had changed again, reverting to how it was before. Raf got worried as Heidi released him to work.

“The dishes are moving back towards Cybertron. I’ll just undo that again.” Raf said, beginning to type on the computer once again. Heidi grumbled at the stubbornness of the Decepticons as Jack spoke a concern.

“What happens when the cons realize they’re being punked?” As Raf began to explain, Heidi turned back to the door of the room. She thought she heard something. She was quick to walk up to it, no longer listening to the conversation. She put her ear to the door only to hear a weird skittering-like noise on the other end. 

Heidi began to open the door slightly only to gasp at the sight. Panic and dread hit her and Without a second thought, she slammed it shut, placing her body onto it to hold it closed. The kids turned to see her panicked expression as she tried to explain.

“It’s-” Heidi began. However, the door was then propelled open, slamming into her. She let out a pained shriek as she fell at the kid's feet. The other kids yelped at the sight as Heidi sat up, groaning. Above them, one of Soundwave’s tentacles was staring them down. Heidi remembered her last encounter with them all too well.

“It’s Soundwave! He must be the one angling the Spacebridge!” Heidi explained, getting to a kneel. Just as she finished, Soundwave’s tentacle slammed into Jack and Miko and began whipping them around like crazy. Heidi and Raf had ducked just in time though, saving themselves the pain. Heidi stood up, turning to see Raf still working on the computer.

“I won’t let them lock on again…” Raf said, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. Heidi paused, surprised before determination set on her. If he wasn’t gonna give up, then Heidi needed to buy him time. She took off her bag, throwing it aside as she stood next to Raf.

“Then keep going! We’ll keep the bot busy!” Heidi explained, keeping herself between the tentacle and Raf. Finally, the tentacle had whipped around and threw Jack into the wall beside them. Miko still hung on and that's when Heidi spotted a fire extinguisher in the hallway. She sprinted out, grabbed it, and ran back into the room. She came in just in time to see the tentacle whip Miko off and into the wall beside Jack. 

The tentacle then turned to Raf who worked diligently on the computer. Before it could make a move, Heidi jumped in between them and squeezed the handle on the fire extinguisher. The white foam shot out of the nuzzle and onto the tentacle which didn’t react well to it. It whipped around crazily as Heidi laughed, continuing to spray it.

“Take that, sucker! No one messes with my best friend!” Heidi snapped, continuing to keep it back. However, it finally got a grip and smacked the fire extinguisher out of her hands. Heidi gasped before it finally slammed into her, sending her to the ground and away from Raf. It turned to him as he eyed it cautiously. Just as it tried to attack him, Raf jumped onto the table and the tentacle hit the chair instead.

“Whoa!” Raf yelped, grabbing the USB port and taking it out from the computer. He grinned at it before fear returned. The tentacle came around for another attack. Raf jumped off just as The tentacle destroyed the desk and computer. He landed next to Heidi, quickly going to her side and helping her up.

“Nice one, Raf,” Heidi said, standing up straight.

“You too, Heidi,” Raf said. The tentacle turned to them then, making them gasp in shock. Heidi went in front of Raf, shielding him from the worst. Just before it could attack them, Miko ran in with a battle cry and wielding an axe. She swung multiple times, almost hitting it but the tentacle was too slippery. Soon, it landed a hit on Miko, making her drop the axe and slam back into the wall. Heidi and Raf came next to her as Jack was about to help her up. Suddenly, the tentacle picked up the axe, holding it above the kids.

“You handed it an axe?!” Jack snapped, staring in shock as Heidi gulped.

“Not good.” Raf whimpered, staring at the tentacle. Heidi expected it to attack them any moment now. Just as they thought it would attack, the tentacle retreated out the door with the axe. The kids were confused, unsure of its motives. However, whatever it had planned couldn’t be good. Coming to that, Heidi sprinted after it. 

“Come on! Don’t let him get away!” Heidi yelled. Almost immediately, the other kids joined her with Jack taking the lead. The kids burst through the doors of one of the rooms and then, looked around until their eyes set on the roof. A dark purple and black cybertronian stood above the shattered glass ceiling menacingly. The kids stared in surprise and worry as Soundwave turned to him, his visor as dark as ever.

Suddenly, Heidi heard a clicking sound and turned to see Miko taking a photo. Heidi glared at her when the sound of a camera zooming made her turn around. Just as she did, a click came from Soundwave’s visor. For a moment, his screen showed a picture of the four of them frozen in time. Did he just take a picture too? 

Before anyone could contemplate what happened, Soundwave leaped into the air and transformed. He flew into the sky above and far away from them. Heidi let out a breath of relief as the other kids relaxed as well.

“Why is he leaving?” Miko asked, confused. Heidi wondered too only to be interrupted by Raf running ahead. He ran to a broken cable where the axe from before was piercing the wiring of it. Raf crouched down, inspecting the damage as Heidi joined his side.

“He cut the hardline. The dishes are locked onto Cybertron…for good.” Raf said, looking down in guilt and sadness. Maybe if he had been more careful or something, this wouldn’t have happened. Heidi sighed before taking his shoulder softly.

“Don’t worry, Raf. You did your best. At least you got the schematics for the Spacebridge, right?” Heidi said as the two teens joined her side. Raf smiled a bit, nodding as he took out the USB port.

“Yeah, let’s just hope it’ll help the bots in the long run,” Raf explained, examining it. Heidi nodded before walking away from the group. She quickly took out her phone to call Ratchet for a groundbridge…and to tell him everything that happened. Hopefully, the doc won’t be too upset.

The Autobots were holding back the Decepticons as best as they could. However, more of them would just keep coming. Not to mention the random shifts of the Spacebridge that had been making some of them lose their balance a lot. However, all the Autobots knew they couldn’t back down now.

The Spacebridge had stopped at an angle then, heading towards a specific place. As soon as it did, a familiar green and white vortex opened as the bots continued to keep the Decepticons back from it. Cliffjumper gasped, realizing the problem before being distracted by some more vehicons. 

Just as they finished the last of the vehicons, a large purple and glowing object shot above them. Optimus tried to shoot at it but was unsuccessful in detouring its path. The Autobots gathered next to him as he de-activated his blaster. All of them stared at the vortex, unsure what to do.

“Oh scrap.” Cliffjumper cursed.

“So, how do we beat a whole planet of the undead?” Bulkhead asked, turning to Optimus. Suddenly, the comlink burst to life with Ratchet’s voice coming through. Meanwhile, back at base, the kids stood near the console after getting back from the Array while Ratchet worked. 

“Optimus! I’m registering a rapidly expanding mass in their Spacebridge. One with a peculiar energy signature.” Ratchet explained. The kids watched the screen and Heidi noticed Agent Fowler behind her. The two looked at each other, surprised but before either could speak, Optimus spoke up.

“Dark Energon. Ratchet, we must destroy the Spacebridge!” Optimus said. Everyone was either surprised or in utter shock at this. Heidi was first to speak up, quickly coming closer to the console.

“What?! Destroy the Spacebridge?! Can you even do that?” Heidi asked, confused. 

“Yes. There’s enough live energon coursing through it to achieve detonation but we lack the firepower to ignite it.” Optimus explained. Heidi turned to see Ratchet deep in thought, humming a bit.

“If I knew how the Spacebridge was engineered, then I might find a technical way of accomplishing that,” Ratchet explained, annoyed. Raf then remembered something, taking out the USB port from his backpack.

“Um, Would schematics help?” Raf asked, holding up the USB Port for Ratchet to see. Heidi smiled, coming to Raf’s side as Ratchet briefly examined it from above. He paused before turning back to the screen and comlink.

“Optimus, I must say. The Spacebridge is our sole hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain its destruction is the only option?” Ratchet asked. 

“I’m afraid so, Old Friend.” 

“Then, by all means, let us light our darkest hour!” Ratchet said, determination setting in. The humans smiled as Heidi nudged Raf knowingly.

“See? Told you. They care about humanity’s protection a lot. You just gotta have faith in them.” Heidi said. Raf smiled, nodding as Optimus quickly gave out the orders to the team. 

“Autobots, take your position and follow Ratchet’s lead…while I make my stand.” Optimus explained as the other bot’s signals began heading out another way. Suddenly, a dark energy signature came up a few yards from Optimus. A raspy voice then came through Optimus’s comlink. A voice Heidi recognized from a brief encounter. 

“Your fellow Autobots are wise, Optimus. They know when to retreat!” The voice rasped. Heidi gasped softly before a glare came onto her. She stepped back a bit as the other humans turned to her. 

“It’s Megatron,” Heidi said. Some of the humans gasped while others turned to the screen in surprise. Heidi felt memories flash before her eyes as anxiety finally began to cloud. The conversation became muffled with her thoughts being the loudest now. Why her anxiety was bothering her now though was anyone’s guess. Megatron’s presence, her and the kid's encounter with Soundwave earlier, the plan to blow up the Spacebridge, or maybe all of it together. She began to feel a bit dizzy, gripping onto the railings. 

Meanwhile, everyone else was busy with helping the Autobots. Raf sat at the computer, downloading the schematics and sending them to Ratchet. The kids gathered around him while Agent Fowler watched the screen with the Spacebridge. Multiple dark energy signatures were getting closer. 

“These things are getting closer. That’s bad, right?” Agent Fowler said, turning to the others. The comlink came to life again but with Arcee’s voice now.

“Ratchet, we’re in position,” Arcee said. Just as she did, the schematic for the Spacebridge popped up on Ratchet’s screen.

“Arcee, pay close attention,” Ratchet ordered. As the conversation continued, Jack noticed Heidi's absence. He looked around and found Heidi leaning on the railings. She was pale and holding her forehead. She could be dizzy or overwhelmed by everything. Jack remembered Cliffjumper’s request and quickly went to her side.

“Hey,” Jack said, taking her shoulder. Heidi jumped a bit, startled by the contact. She looked up to see Jack’s worried expression before sighing. Her back leaned on the railings as he stood by her side.

“Just a bit stressed but who isn’t right now?” Heidi said, chuckling a bit. Jack hummed, nodding a bit as he leaned on the railings with her.

“Yeah, I’m worried too. But, like you said before. You just gotta have faith in them. They’ll pull through.” Jack explained. Heidi paused, smiling a bit at the line. Jack was right. Heidi just had to have faith like before and everything would be fine… at least she hoped so.

On the bottom of the Spacebridge, Arcee, Bulkhead, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee were doing their part in the plan. Arcee and Cliffjumper followed Ratchet’s directions while Bulkhead and Bumblebee stood guard with their weapons. A fully mechanical area sat on the ground below Arcee and Cliffjumper who crouched down to see it. The two waited as Cliffjumper finished his part of the plan.

“Got it, Ratch. What’s next?” Cliffjumper explained. 

“Follow the line from the flow regulator to the Energon pump. There should be a valve.” Ratchet explained from the comlink. Cliffjumper and Arcee looked around and soon, Arcee found it.

“I see it,” Arcee said. Cliffjumper smiled as she pressed a button. A valve came up, ready to pull as Cliffjumper and Arcee stood up. Ratchet explained the next course of action as Arcee placed her servos on the valve.

“Good. To turn all that power against itself, all you need do is reverse the current.” Ratchet explained. As soon as he finished, Arcee began pulling the valve. She growled as Cliffjumper came to her side, about to help. However, she finally turned it, blue sparks coming off for a moment as she stepped back.

“Current reversed,” Arcee said. Cliffjumper let out a proud laugh as the other mechs smiled at Arcee.

“Nice work, partner. Our work here’s done!”

“I’ll ready the groundbridge,” Ratchet explained. The bots nodded, turning to make their way out of there when something caught Cliffjumper’s optic. He turned to see a large silver jet with purple accents flying towards them. He recognized him immediately, activating his cannons.

“Incoming Warlord!” Cliffjumper yelled, shooting at Megatron as the other bots followed his lead. The warlord dodged though, flying around before returning fire and diving down towards them. There was a loud yelp and the mechs turned to see Arcee get hit, smashing into the ground and falling unconscious. Her body floated up into the vacuum of space as Cliffjumper quickly ran after her.

“ARCEE!” Cliffjumper yelled, running towards her. Megatron flew away then as the other Autobots followed Cliffjumper’s lead. The comlink sparked to life then as they ran ahead to the edge of the spacebridge.

“Optimus, the groundbridge is ready and waiting!” Ratchet said. Cliffjumper was barely listening when he saw a rock formation angled up to where Arcee was. Cliffjumper took a chance as he began running towards it.

“Autobots, JUMP!” Optimus ordered and the mechs were quick to follow, jumping off the edge of the spacebridge and into the vortex below it. Cliffjumper ran up the formation and jumped up to Arcee. He grabbed her, holding her in his arms as he fell into the vortex after the other mechs. Soon, it disappeared for no one to follow.

At the Autobot base, the humming and electrical sounds of the groundbridge vortex haunted the room. The Groundbridge was still on, waiting for the bots to come through. The humans stood on the platform, waiting with worry as Ratchet stood near the controls. It was mostly silent with the group as they waited.

“Do you…think there…” Raf began, worried. Heidi looked down, unable to answer. She felt her hands come together, gripping tight as she prayed for the bots to be alive. Ratchet then pulled up his arm computer, looking at the screen.

“Five life signals…one very faint,” Ratchet said, worried at the end. Heidi felt her heart drop at the statement. Suddenly, the sound of someone leaving the vortex caught the group's attention. Optimus walked out, dented and scratched up from the battle but alive. He glanced at the team before walking to the side. The next to come out were Bulkhead and Bumblebee. They were also a bit dented but not as bad as Optimus. Raf and Miko lit up as they ran down the stairs from the platform and towards their guardians. 

“BULKHEAD!” Miko squealed, running up and hugging his servo. The other kids came down the stairs then while Raf went to Bumblebee. Bumblebee quickly bent down to look at him as Raf stared up, worried.

“Are you okay, Bee?” Raf asked, worried. Bumblebee buzzed and whirled before offering a fist to Raf. Raf smiled before fist-bumping Bumblebee’s large servo. Meanwhile, Heidi and Jack stood nearby, waiting for their guardians to escape the vortex. However, what came out next shocked them to their cores.

Cliffjumper ran out from the vortex, holding a dented and limp Arcee in his arms. Cliffjumper was dented up a bit as well but Arcee seemed more banged up. Heidi gasped as Jack ran up, worried for his guardian. Cliffjumper bent down, looking at Arcee with worry as the bots gathered around them. The kids went to Jack’s side, Heidi hugging his arm as Miko put a hand on his shoulder.

“We almost lost one this week. By the All spark, do not let this one be real.” Ratchet said. Heidi felt herself tear up as Jack walked up to Arcee’s servo which hung limp from her body still. Jack placed his hand in it as Heidi turned away, unable to see anymore. There’s no way she could be gone, right?

“Arcee…” Jack said. Just then, another voice spoke up. Heidi's eyes quickly opened, turning to see Arcee awake as she spoke.

“Jack, really? There are other motorcycles in the world.” Arcee said. Heidi could barely contain the relieved grin that came on her face. Cliffjumper was no different, smiling widely at his partner. Thank Primus she was alive.

“But you’re my first.” Jack finished. Cliffjumper then let Arcee get up to her peds as the other kids walked up to Jack’s side. Heidi took his arm, giving him a warm smile which he returned. Everyone turned to Ratchet then as he spoke to Optimus.

“And Megatron? Is he…” Ratchet asked. Optimus paused as he watched Arcee get onto her peds.

“Not even he could have survived ground zero,” Optimus explained. Heidi felt relief hit her like a freight train as she softly sighed. Jack took her shoulder, giving a quick nod as he did. Heidi smiled knowingly as she patted his hand.

“Prime!” Agent Fowler called. Everyone turned to see Agent Fowler waiting at the elevator. He was straightening his suit, and turned away, thinking. He looked to Optimus, his normal stern glare seeming somewhat softer than before.

“I didn’t get to thank you bots for the save. I owe you one.” Agent Fowler said. He looked to Heidi, giving a sharp nod then. Heidi returned it as The elevator door opened and he quickly walked in. He turned to the bots just before the elevator doors would close.

“We all do.” Agent Fowler finished. The elevator doors then beeped before closing. He left the base as Arcee smiled at the kids. A thought then crossed Miko’s mind, making her turn to Optimus curiously and possibly, a bit worried.

“So…is this the part where you say goodbye and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?” Miko asked, nervously. It was a good question and Heidi wasn’t sure what Optimus would say. Optimus paused, looking around at the nervously waiting team. He deactivated his battle mask, revealing a soft and calm expression under it. After a moment, he spoke the words that would make the team smile. Well, except Ratchet maybe…

It had been a day since the events of the Spacebridge. It was Monday and the end of the school day for that matter. Multiple kids were scattered around the yard, talking or waiting for something or one. Heidi and Raf stood in the shade of a tree as Heidi sketched away in her sketchbook. 

“And…done! Here, Raf.” Heidi said, angling the book to him. Raf took out his phone then, taking a quick picture before smiling. Heidi closed her book and then, placed it in her backpack before throwing the bag over her shoulder.

“Thanks, Heidi,” Raf said, gratefully. Heidi nodded and she then noticed Miko walk out of the school. She had a large sketch pad with a pencil as well. She sat down on the stairs to work on whatever drawing she had. Heidi and Raf smiled at each other before running to join Miko. Miko quickly noticed them, waving excitedly as Jack walked out of the building behind her.

“Hey!” Miko greeted. Heidi waved as Miko jumped up from the steps with her sketch pad and backpack. Jack came to the bottom of the stairs, joining them with a resting smirk. Before anyone could continue the conversation, the sound of a car horn caught their attention. In the parking spaces, four vehicles had just pulled up. A green SUV, A black and yellow Camaro, a navy blue motorcycle, and a red Dodge Challenger. All of them opened their doors and/or flashed their lights for the kids to come.

All the kids smiled, glancing at each other before running up to each of their guardians. Heidi jumped in with an excited laugh as the doors closed. Country music began playing as she felt herself drift off into her thoughts. Cliffjumper drove off then, heading towards the base with the others by his side. It was quiet for a moment before Heidi spoke, reminiscing everything that happened. 

“So much has happened, huh?” Heidi said. Cliffjumper turned his mirrors to her, laughing a bit before agreeing.

“Oh yeah! But it was worth it! So many planets are safe now.” Cliffjumper chirped. Heidi glanced at him with a warm smile, giving a quick nod.

“Yeah, it’s too bad no one else knows about it though. We owe you bots a lot.”

“Ha! Naw, we enjoyed every single bit of it.” Cliffjumper joked. Heidi gave a knowing look as he laughed. 

“Whatever, Cliff… So many things are gonna be different now, huh? Especially with our new teammates.” Heidi said, glancing out at the other vehicles. Cliffjumper hummed, agreeing with Heidi.

“Yeah. Well, that’s just how life is, little lady. Lots of changes will happen, both good and bad. You just gotta keep going.” Cliffjumper explained.

“I know. I’m not worried. I know that as long as this team sticks together, We’ll all be okay in the end. We just gotta have faith.” Heidi explained, her arm resting on a propped-up leg. 

“You got it, Little lady! Everything’s gonna be great. I just know it! And as long as I got you by my side, I know we won’t fail.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi giggled a bit at the compliment, giving a knowing look as she spoke.

“Back at you, Cliff,” Heidi said. The sun began to set on the desert road in front of them then as the team made their way to the base. Heidi looked out the window, confidence and determination setting in. She may not know what the future has in store but she couldn’t wait to find out!

Chapter Text

“Raf, are you sure about this?” Heidi asked, skeptical. In the Autobot Base, Heidi and the other kids worked on science fair projects with their Guardians. Each of them was unique and interesting to look at. Miko was doing a model of the solar system with Bulkhead. Jack was building a motorcycle on the ground below with Arcee’s help. And Raf was making a volcano with a few extra kicks to it. 

Heidi stood on the platform, watching skeptically as Cliffjumper stood nearby, a bit nervous about the project. On the ground, Raf was readying his volcano for the extra chemicals and stuff he would put in. Bumblebee watched, curious as Raf took the vinegar and some other stuff in hand.

“Uh-huh. Why?” Raf asked, finally looking up at Heidi.

“Well… Listen, you have a good idea but with all the other stuff going into it, you might be going a little overboard,” Heidi explained, trying to put it nicely. Cliffjumper nodded as Raf turned back to his project.

“Everyone’s seen a volcano before, Heidi. It’s the most common science project out there. But if I use these extra chemicals, it’ll get me a good grade! Maybe even the best!” Raf explained, excited. Bumblebee let out a string of buzzes, nodding to Raf’s statement. Heidi sighed, sitting down on the floor with parts scattered around. For her project, she would build a wind turbine and use it to make energy. She was halfway done with the turbine itself thankfully. However, it didn’t look like much at the moment.

“Alright, Just be careful,” Heidi said, beginning to work on it. Cliffjumper watched from above, the upside of his servo spread out next to her. It had directions along with a few important parts on top of it so Heidi wouldn’t lose them. He was very interested in the project just like the past projects Heidi did for school. However, this time, Heidi wanted no help on this project other than what he was doing now. He didn’t mind and was proud of how responsible she was for this. 

BOOM! Heidi and Cliffjumper both jumped in fear, surprised by the sudden sound. Smoke filled the air around them, causing Heidi to start coughing. Cliffjumper looked around nervously as he tried not to drop any pieces from his servo. What was that?!

“Decepticons! We’re under attack!” Ratchet yelled, coming around the corner with Optimus beside him. Something told Heidi that wasn’t the Decepticons though. She stood up, waving away the smoke as she turned to the perpetrator–Raf Volcano. An annoyed look came on her face as He waved away the smoke.

“It’s no attack, Ratchet. *cough, cough* It’s my volcano.” Raf explained, continuing to cough as he waved away the smoke. The volcano then made a deflated balloon sound as it melted, slumping down. Raf looked at it, growing a bit sad as he quickly corrected himself.

“ Was,” 

“I told you it was too much, Raf. It’s a good thing you didn’t get hurt. Or that anybody else did for that matter.” Heidi said, narrowing her eyes. Raf scratched the back of his head, sighing in defeat as Ratchet turned to her. He seemed a bit horrified by all the pieces scattered around her feet. His attention was then brought to Miko who was painting the planets of her solar system. Bulkhead held up the model with his digits but seemed a bit shaky.

“Hold still, Bulkhead! Jupiter needs its red spot.” Miko said, dipping her paintbrush into one of the multiple paint cans she had. It dripped onto the floor as she pulled it out, making her cringe a bit at the mistake.

“Whoopsie!” Miko said. Ratchet seemed to lose his cool then, quickly interrupting any other projects.

“What. In the All spark. Is going on in here?!” Ratchet snapped. Jack looked up, quickly explaining to Ratchet.

“Our projects are due tomorrow,” As Jack looked around for another part, Arcee, who was sitting nearby, picked up an exhaust pipe. She showed it to Jack, hoping to help. Though she had no idea what she was holding.

“Maybe it needs one of these doohickeys,” Arcee said. Jack gave her a knowing look then, a bit amused by the comment.

“You’re a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn’t you know how to build a motorcycle engine?” Jack asked. Arcee wasn’t amused by that, making her comeback in a similar to Jack’s manner.

“You’re a human, Jack. Can you build me a small intestine?” Arcee snapped. Cliffjumper laughed as Heidi let out a snort.

“Dang, Arcee! Touche.” Heidi said, turning back to her project with Cliffjumper. Heidi sat down again, beginning to work as Ratchet spoke up.

“Well, you can’t work on these projects in here, you’re… making a mess!” Ratchet growled. Heidi ignored him, grumbling a bit as she continued to work on her project. Raf spoke up instead, saddened by this statement.

“But the Science fair’s a big part of our grade,” Raf explained as Miko stepped up from the platform, taking a break from her project.

“Yeah! If Bulkhead doesn’t help me finish this model of our solar system,-”

“Oh?! And what does Bulkhead know about your solar system? Or Bumblebee of your volcanoes? Or Cliffjumper of your… whatever you're working on, Heidi. And-” Ratchet paused, 

“Arcee of our motorcycles?” Jack said, beating Ratchet to the point. Ratchet quickly nodded, continuing his argument.

“Precisely! We’re not Earthlings! And They’re not scientists.” Ratchet said, placing both servos on his hips. Heidi rolled her eyes as Cliffjumper growled under his breath. That was a little too harsh for his liking. Thankfully, Optimus was quick to step up and take his team's side.

“But the Autobots are their guardians, Ratchet. Would it hurt to learn more about Earth by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?” Optimus explained. 

“Took the words right out of my mouth, Optimus. Only way nicer. Besides, we’ll clean up once we’re done, Ratch.” Heidi said, fixing a part on her turbine. Ratchet grumbled at her before turning back to Optimus.

“Well, maybe our young friends should try learning more about Cybertron. And Heidi could get a refresher. She could use one.” Ratchet snapped, quickly beginning to head back to the console. Heidi mocked him silently for a moment before returning to her work. Cliffjumper held in a snort as Heidi gave him a knowing look and a finger over her mouth.

For a while, The kids worked in peace other than Ratchet grumbling at them sometimes. However, Heidi swore she’d catch him looking at their projects now and then. Soon, Heidi finally finished the turbine, sticking it into a hard cardboard base. Now she just had to do some wiring and connect a lightbulb to it. Along with a few extra decorations.

“Looking good, Little Lady!” Cliffjumper said. Heidi smiled, patting his servo as a “thanks.” She took some wires from his servo with the blueprints she sketched out. With nothing else on it, Cliffjumper retracted his servo, stretching it a bit. Suddenly, an alarm at the console went off. All the bots turned to it, some beginning to join Ratchet as he looked into the cause.

“Exposed Energon! And it’s on the move.” Ratchet explained. Heidi stood up, joining Miko at the railings near the console. Bulkhead walked up next to Ratchet then, narrowing his optics.

“And since we ain’t moving it, guess who must be!” Bulkhead snapped as Arcee and Cliffjumper joined his side.

“Decepticons.” Arcee snapped with Cliffjumper nodding. Heidi was a bit surprised and confused by this. Why were they still causing trouble? Megatron was gone, right? Miko was thinking the same thing, quickly voicing her and unknowingly, Heidi’s thoughts.

“Without Megatron?!” Miko asked. Optimus stepped up then, glancing at the screen.

“Unfortunately, Megatron’s legacy will live on as others rise to take his place,” Optimus explained. Heidi groaned, her arms flopping onto the railings.

“Great. More bots like Buckethead,” Heidi grumbled. Meanwhile, Optimus continued with his orders, deciding who would go on this mission with him. Most of his team seemed indisposed at the moment so the best plan would be for Ratchet to come with him instead.

“Autobots, you have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may require aid.” Optimus explained. With that, Heidi began dragging Miko back so they could finish their projects. And also to keep Miko from running after them. Miko yelped, surprised by the sudden grip strength around her arm as she was pulled back. Meanwhile, Ratchet turned to look at Raf who continued working on his volcano.

“Science Fair is a big part of their grade. Perhaps I am better suited to remain behind and advise.” Ratchet explained. Heidi paused, letting go of a grumpy Miko who went back to her project. Did Heidi hear that right? First, he was against them working on it. Now, he wants to help?

Don’t get her wrong! Ratchet was a nice bot when he wanted to be but Heidi knew this version of him too well. She had seen it once before and learned her lesson. Meanwhile, Optimus either didn’t notice or ignored it, trusting his old friend to help. He knew he had tried to help Heidi in the past. Maybe he could do better this time.

“Very well. Bumblebee! Let us see about this energon in transit.” Optimus ordered. With that, Bumblebee quickly went to Optimus’s side, sending a few beeps to Raf as he did. Ratchet began putting in coordinates as Heidi quickly gathered her project and its supplies. Cliffjumper turned to her, confused by the cleanup.

“Little Lady, What are you doing? I thought you weren’t finished.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi looked up at him as he placed the servo flat next to her. She quickly began putting her project on it as she explained.

“Listen, We both know Ratchet. And I don’t want him touching my project. Especially after the last time he did. So, I wanna head up to the roof to finish and test it. Besides, I think I’ll need to fully focus if I wanna finish on time.” Heidi explained. She then jumped onto his servo, holding onto the project. Cliffjumper lifted her, looking at her surprised before nodding.

“I got you, little Lady. Let’s see if we can sneak out.” Cliffjumper said, beginning to quietly head to the lift. The groubridge vortex opened and most of the attention was on that. Well, except Arcee who caught Heidi and Cliffjumper sneaking out. She gave a skeptical look as Cliffjumper placed a digit over his intake. He winked then with a grin as he got on the platform.

“What was that about?” Jack asked, noticing it too. Arcee paused, taking one final look as Cliffjumper went up to the roof with Heidi. Once they were gone, she only shrugged before turning to Ratchet who had a small grin on his face. Something Arcee didn’t fully trust. 

“Let us get to work.”

It was early evening with the sun beaming across the desert. The desert wind blew ever so slightly as the sky was beginning to change colors and make way for the night to come. Heidi sat on the base’s rocky roof with Cliffjumper sitting nearby. It was mostly silent as Heidi worked on her project, now nearly finished.

Her project now looked more realistic with painted grass, and the wind turbine and created a few decorations. A lightbulb sat on the other end with wires connected to it and the turbine. 

“Alright, now for the final test. Hope this works.” Heidi said, finishing the wiring. She then grabbed a mini cardboard house from beside her and placed it on top of the light bulb. A perfect fit. She could still see the light bulb through the tiny windows as she felt the wind pick up.

“Now or never!” Heidi said, watching her project intensely. The wind turbine began to spin faster and faster then. She could see the light bulb flickering in the house. After a moment, the house finally lit up brightly. Heidi cheered as Cliffjumper laughed triumphantly.

“Amazing, Little lady! Good work!” Cliffjumper cheered as Heidi took out some green tape. Heidi smiled, taping down the wire so that it didn’t look so out of place. She then picked up the project itself, turning to Cliffjumper proudly.

“Thanks. Hope this will get me a good grade.”

“I’m sure it will! Let's head down and show the others.” Cliffjumper chirped. Heidi smiled as he placed a servo down for her. She was just about to get on when the elevator doors opened. Both of them turned to see Raf coming out and looking around.

“Raf?” Heidi said, confused. Raf turned to her, quickly walking up as Cliffjumper crouched to see him. Before Raf could speak, he immediately noticed her project with a curious smile.

“Woah, did you finish it?” Raf asked, adjusting his glasses to look at it. Heidi glanced at it before a proud smirk came on her face again.

“Just did. It works great! How’s your project going?” Heidi asked. Raf paused, scratching the back of his head unsure. His smile vanished to a small frown, concerning Heidi. Something was wrong.

“Well, At first it was fine but then, Ratchet decided to come and “Help” me do it,” Raf explained, playing with his fingers. Heidi immediately understood what he was saying, growling a bit. 

“Doc bot took over again, didn’t he?” 

“Yeah- Wait again?” Raf said, confused at the end. Heidi nodded as Cliffjumper jumped into the conversation, recognizing what Heidi was talking about.

“Oh yeah! Doc Bot took over one of Heidi’s old projects the first year she was here. From what I heard, the thing went bonkers and Heidi got detention for the day.” Cliffjumper explained. Heidi sighed from the memories as Raf stared in surprise.

“Woah, that's what that was? I thought one of your pranks got in it by accident.” Raf explained. Heidi shook her head at that.

“Nope. That's why I came here. I knew Ratchet would try to force his way into taking over my project so I decided to get away while I still could. But I did text Jack to warn you guys about Doc bot.” Heidi explained, looking at Cliffjumper. He shrugged before putting both servos down for the kids. Each got on one as he stood up.

“Well, let’s see the damage,” Cliffjumper said, walking to the platform. They went down into the base but to their surprise, Heidi didn’t see any projects. She looked around, confused as Ratchet walked up, grinning. A sight Heidi could never trust. Before he could speak, Heidi interrupted him.

“No. You can’t help me with my project. I’ve already finished it. See?” Heidi said, holding up her project. Ratchet bent down, examining it gruffly. He then shook his head with a grumble.

“No, no, no. That won’t do. There is no way that You can go out with that! I’ve already finished- I-I mean, the children have already finished their projects with my help. In fact, Their projects are already waiting at the school for them tomorrow. Now, If we hurry, we can-”

“Nu-uh! No way, Ratchet. I worked hard to finish this and I’m not gonna let you ruin it with your stupid advice!” Heidi snapped, holding her project close. Ratchet growled, lifting his servo to do something. Likely take the project or make a point. However, Cliffjumper stepped back, holding the two kids close and out of Ratchet’s reach.

“Woah there, Doc bot. Heidi’s right. She’s worked super hard on this and if she doesn’t want you helping or touching it, then I won’t let you. Got it?” Cliffjumper said, smiling confidently. Heidi stuck her tongue out at Ratchet as he grumbled. After a moment, he waved them off with a huff.

“Fine! It’s too late to start from scratch anyway.” Ratchet said, mumbling a bit as he walked off. Cliffjumper relaxed, letting out a small sigh as he walked to the exit tunnel. He then looked at Raf with a small smile.

“Since Bee and Optimus aren't back yet, I can give you a ride home, Raf.” Cliffjumper offered. 

“Really? Thanks, Cliff!” Raf chirped. Cliffjumper nodded as he carefully placed the two kids down. Once he did, he then transformed and opened the back seat doors, assuming they would sit together. As expected, both kids ran to the backseats, chatting non-stop. As soon as they were in, Cliffjumper closed the doors and drove out of the base. A part of him wondered what Ratchet did to the projects and what would happen tomorrow. However, he put it aside as he focused on driving carefully. So that he wouldn't break Heidi’s project by accident. He just hoped whatever happened tomorrow wouldn’t be too crazy.

The day was… interesting to say the least. Jack, Miko, and Raf’s projects went haywire or just completely failed. Miko got an F for “making up” Cybertron in her solar system model. Jack's machine went on a rampage around the school and Raf’s volcano blew a hole in the ceiling. The three kids had to stay late to help clean up and explain to the authorities + the teachers. 

Heidi decided not to leave and wait for them to come out before heading to base. It was evening with the ombre sky starting to turn dark then. She sat on top of Cliffjumper’s hood, sketching away some of the projects she saw. Including the hazardous ones. Bulkhead and Arcee waited nearby for their charges. Finally, the high school doors swung open and the three kids came out. Most were sad or embarrassed and some were annoyed. Miko. She grumbled as she jumped into Bulkhead's vehicle mode, not saying a word to Heidi.

“So… Is the teacher gonna let you re-do it?” Heidi asked as Jack got onto Arcee. He sighed, nodding as he placed his helmet on. Heidi smiled, glad they would get a second chance. She jumped off as a sad Raf came to the car.

“I can’t believe that happened. My volcano blew a hole in the ceiling!” Raf said, still panicked. Heidi wrapped an arm around his shoulders as she led him to Cliffjumper’s backseats.

“It wasn't your fault, Raf. At least the teacher’s giving you a second chance, right?” Heidi reassured as Cliffjumper opened the doors and Raf crawled inside. He mumbled as Heidi joined him on the other side.

“Easy for you to say. You passed and more.” 

“Yeah, but that’s just because I didn’t let Ratchet touch my project… speaking of which, sorry I didn’t warn you guys about Ratchet sooner. I’ll be more clear in the future.” Heidi explained. Raf sighed, nodding a bit. Cliffjumper and the others then began driving off, heading towards the base. 

For the whole drive, Heidi tried her best to comfort Raf and make him feel better. He quickly felt better as she distracted him with something else. Soon, they reached the base, coming to a stop in front of the entrance tunnel inside. The bots let their charges out/off as Ratchet came to greet them, eagerly.

“Well?! How were my- uh, our Projects received?” Ratchet asked. Heidi held in a laugh as the trio of kids looked at each other, unsure. She couldn’t wait to see Ratchet's reaction to this.

“Well…” Raf began before the kids began explaining how each of their projects failed. Ratchet was shocked and angered by the results he got. He looked at Heidi who gave him a knowing look. He growled before turning back to the other three.

“Well, on our planet, you would’ve been awarded the highest honors! Now, what about you Heidi? Let me guess, you got an-”

“An A. I got an A without your “Advising,” Ratch,” Heidi interrupted. Ratchet paused, sputtering in disbelief as Raf came next to her. He had a large smile on his face as he added on, remembering her and the teacher's chat earlier.

“That’s not all. She got the 3rd highest grade in the class!” Raf chirped, proud of his friend's accomplishment. Everyone looked at her, surprised as Heidi nodded, chuckling a bit. Ratchet was shocked and sputtered before letting out a low growl. He then waved them off, grumbling as he walked back to the console. Bumblebee walked up next to Optimus, letting out a few buzzes.

“Indeed, Bumblebee. Our human friends would’ve been wise to follow Heidi’s lead in straying from Ratchet’s path.”  Optimus explained. Heidi then stepped up from the group, a bit guilty as she explained.

“That's because I didn't warn the others in time about Ratchet. I knew he’d do this.” Heidi said, rubbing her arm. Miko walked up then, bending down in annoyance.

“Wait, you knew this would be an epic fail? Why didn’t you tell us?!” Miko said, punching Heidi in the arm. The boys joined them as Heidi winced, growling a bit from the force. Miko could pack a punch when she wanted to.

“I did try texting Jack a warning but he didn’t see it in time! And I already said I’m sorry!” Heidi snapped, glaring at Miko. Jack then came in between the two, pushing Miko back a bit.

“H-Hey, it’s fine. At least the teacher’s giving us a chance to redo it. This time though, we’ll do it ourselves .” Jack explained. Miko let out a moan of disappointment as Raf nodded. Heidi then jumped in, a small smile on her face.

“And this time, I’ll help you guys. Especially if Rachet decides to butt in again… but for tonight, let's have fun. After today, we could use some.” Heidi explained. The kids laughed then before heading up to the human area. Finally, after a long project, they could rest and have a little fun. And that's exactly what they were gonna do.

Chapter Text

The Freezing Arctic was at its peak, and a storm was blowing through. The wind howled as snow began piling up on the icy ground. In the snow, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper were treading through the storm. Bulkhead led the way, holding a device as they tracked down something. Bumblebee buzzed and bleeped curiously then.

“No, We’re not there yet. But it should be just past this ridge, guys.” Bulkhead assured. 

“Thank Primus. I’m freezing my aft off back here.” Cliffjumper chirped. 

“What? Can’t handle the cold, Cliff?” Bulkhead teased. Cliffjumper rolled his eyes with a knowing smirk.

“Oh, don’t act like you ain’t freezing either, Wrecker.” Cliffjumper snapped back. Bulkhead chuckled as they came to a steep ridge. Immediately, Bulkhead jumped and slid down the ridge and the others followed. Once they got to the bottom, they looked around to find whatever they were looking for but nothing was there.

“Bulk, there’s nothing here,” Cliffjumper said. Bulkhead was about to answer when the device went off. Bulkhead turned back to it, confused as he looked over the scan. Cliffjumper peaked over his shoulder, looking at the scans with him.

“I don’t get it. These readings are off the meter. Cliff, is thing broken or something?” Bulkhead snapped, showing Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper took the device, looking over the scan with a hum. Bulkhead was right about the readings but nothing seemed damaged.

“I’m no expert but I’m pretty sure it’s fine, Bulk. It’s not damaged and I don’t think they’re are any bugs in it.” Cliffjumper explained. Suddenly, Bumblebee spoke up, buzzing and whirring at them. He signaled them to follow him and they walked up to a thick patch of ice on the ground. However, when they looked down into it, something caught their eye. A big something!

“Wait, What is that?” Bulkhead asked. Cliffjumper bent down to inspect the icy ground. Beneath the thick layer of ice was a huge mysterious object. Much bigger than them. It seemed to be Cybertronian but it wasn’t something any of them recognized. After a moment, Cliffjumper held the device over it and new readings came up, indicating they found what they were looking for.

“I have no idea. But this is the thing we’re looking for. We better call in base.” Cliffjumper explained. Bulkhead nodded, stepping away to make the call. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper’s mind spiraled with questions about the object. 

“I wonder what you are…”

“Ugh! I told you Doc. We’re fine!”  Bulkhead complained as he tore off the two tubes connected to him. It hissed as hot air seeped out of them. It had been an hour or so since they returned to base. Team Prime was able to get the mystery object out of the ice and Now, everyone had returned to base. According to Ratchet's orders, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead had to do a de-frosting procedure. Though Bulkhead wasn’t keen on sitting around anymore. As he began to get up, Ratchet came to his side angrily and pushed him back down.

“The only way to be certain you're fine, Bulkhead, is to endure standard de-frosting procedure. You know prolonged exposure to Sub Zero conditions can cause permanent system damage. ” Ratchet snapped. Bulkhead growled but complied with a grunt. Cliffjumper laughed a bit, watching the grumpy Bulkhead as he sat back down.

“Good try, Bulk. But you know the doc. He cares too much.” Cliffjumper said, whispering the last part. Bulkhead cracked a small smile, chuckling softly as Ratchet grumbled. He was about to wack Cliffjumper in the helm when Optimus and Arcee walked in.

“Ratchet, Have you learned anything more about our Arctic find?” Optimus asked, stopping next to Ratchet. Ratchet shook his head, turning to the computers which had a surveillance feed of the mystery object de-frosting in another part of the base.

“Not yet. The Pod can’t be opened while it’s frozen solid.” Ratchet explained. As he said that, The de-frosting machines turned green and deactivated for Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper smiled as he pulled off the tubes. He walked over to the computer, stretching a bit before looking at the screen.

“Looks like it’ll take a while. I’mma head out to curbside duty at Heidi’s. Permission to go, Optimus?” Cliffjumper said, beginning to walk away. He looked at Optimus as Optimus gave a quick nod, approving the request. Arcee smirked at Cliffjumper as he walked by, giving a playful nudge. 

“Don’t get into any trouble, Cliff,” Arcee said. Cliffjumper laughed, giving a quick wink before transforming into his vehicle mode. He started his engine and soon, he left the base. It was dark out and the moon was high. The dusty streets of the desert were empty and dead silent. Though he knew he had to wait a while, he couldn’t wait to tell Heidi about the mystery object. Hopefully, it’ll be de-frosted by the time he gets back with her. Little did he know of the adventures that mystery objects would lead to.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning with the sun high and the birds chirping. In Nevada’s desert, Cliffjumper drove down the dusty road now with Heidi inside. Behind them, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were following. Cliffjumper had just finished explaining the adventure he, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee had earlier this morning in the Arctic. Heidi was very curious about the object and seemed eager to know what it was.

“Woah. So what is it? Do you know yet?” Heidi asked. 

“Nope! Arcee called me in earlier this morning and said that she and Optimus would be heading out to the Arctic later to find any clues about it.” Cliffjumper explained. 

“So that’s why Jack is carpooling with Bumblebee?” 

“Yup! I offered to get him myself but Bee already volunteered.” Cliffjumper explained. Heidi nodded as the bots went off-road and entered the base. Soon, they came to the main room where Ratchet stood by the groundbridge controls and Arcee and Optimus stood by an opened groundbridge. The bots skidded to a stop, opening the car doors for their charges. 

“Miss us, Doc Bot?” Miko chirped, jumping out of Bulkhead. Heidi laughed as Ratchet groaned at the statement. 

“Shouldn’t they be in school?” Ratchet grumbled. Miko walked by Ratchet while Heidi waited for Raf. However, she didn’t miss the smug comeback Miko had.

“On Saturday?! We get the whole weekend off! To spend with you.” Miko said, teasing Ratchet at the end. She quickly headed up the stairs as Jack, Heidi, and Raf walked by. Jack came to Arcee, curiously looking up.

“I wasn’t expecting to carpool. What gives Arcee?” Jack asked. Arcee turned to him, walking up with her servos on her hips and a smirk.

“Tag team, Jack. It’s my turn for exploration duty.” Arcee added. 

“Oh, Too bad. It’s a beautiful day for a ride. Would hate for you to feel guilty for leaving me indoors.” Jack said, smirking. Heidi turned to him, snickering a bit as Arcee gave a knowing look. 

“ Arctic exploration duty,” Arcee explained. Jack switched up, pointing to the stairs as he continued his earlier sentence.

“Indoors where it’s warm!” Jack chirped. He began to walk off as Raf walked up, eagerly. Heidi was confused before quickly following him.

“The Arctic? I’ve always wanted to see snow!” Raf chirped. 

“You’ve never seen snow?” Heidi said, surprised. Raf shook his head as they turned back to Optimus. Optimus would've invited Raf to join but unfortunately, it was too dangerous.

“I would invite you to join, Rafael. But the conditions are much too extreme. Even for we Autobots.” Optimus explained. Raf sagged a bit in disappointment before nodding with a small smile.

“I understand,” Raf said, shrugging. Heidi took his shoulder comfortingly as Optimus began to turn away with Arcee. However, an idea came to mind as he stopped and turned back to Raf.

“But I will bring you back a snowball,” Optimus said. Heidi smiled, looking to see Raf cheer up at that.

“That would be awesome! Thanks, Optimus!” Raf chirped, waving as he headed to the stairs. Heidi gave Optimus a small smile before quickly joining her friend at the stairs. The two bots went through the vortex then as Heidi and Raf started talking. 

“So Have you seen snow before?” Raf asked. Heidi paused, vaguely remembering a few times from the past that she’d experienced it. With that, she nodded with a resting smirk.

“Yeah. My biological family used to move around a lot so once or twice, we’d get wrapped up in a blizzard. Plus, The bots and I experienced it first-hand when I was teaching them about Earth weather patterns and stuff.” Heidi explained. Raf was surprised before a small, curious smile came on.

“What was it like?” 

“Cold but super fun. You’ll see for yourself once Optimus brings back that snowball.” Heidi chirped as they came onto the platform. Raf chuckled, nodding as they finally joined the others in the human area.

“So what do you guys think we should do?” Miko asked, looking up at the bots. Bumblebee seemed to have an idea, quickly buzzing and beeping to explain it. Raf smiled as he quickly translated what he was saying.

“Video game tournament! The last one standing wins!” Raf said. Heidi smiled as Bumblebee nodded excitedly, buzzing and beeping. Cliffjumper laughed, nudging Bumblebee playfully.

“Good thinking, Bee.” Cliffjumper chirped. Raf, Miko, and Jack all sat down on the couch while Heidi sat on the armrest next to Raf. She took out her sketchbook from her bag and a few colored pencils. 

“I think I’ll watch the first round,” Heidi explained, opening her sketchbook to an unfinished sketch. Miko booed her, sticking her tongue out when she was interrupted by Ratchet's yells. 

“Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper! Here, now!” Ratchet ordered. The bots looked at each other confused before beginning to walk over. Bumblebee sent a few buzzes to Raf as Raf waved. He reached for the controller on the table as he did, about to grab it when someone snatched it first. Heidi noticed, turning to the culprit to see Miko holding both controllers.

“Miko! Raf was reaching for that.” Heidi snapped, making Miko turn to her. She rolled her eyes before ignoring Heidi and turning back to Jack. Heidi was about to talk some sense into Miko but Raf held her back, shaking his head. He didn’t want any trouble. Meanwhile, the teens were oblivious or acted oblivious to this.

“Prepared to be destroyed!” Miko challenged, turning to Jack with the controllers. Jack glanced at the controller before sighing with a small smile.

“Yeah, not really my thing, Miko,” 

“Oh? Scared of losing? To a girl? ” Miko teased. At that, Jack sighed in defeat. He snatched the controller with a determined grin.

“Bring it!”

“No mercy!” Miko snapped back before the two teens began the game. Raf sighed, saddened as Heidi took his shoulder, annoyed at Miko. Jack noticed this, feeling a bit sorry for Raf. After a moment, he smiled and offered his controller to Raf.

“Hey, Raf. You wanna take on Miko for me?” Jack asked. Raf glanced at him before shaking his head.

“Nah. I have stuff to do.” Raf said before getting up and walking away. Heidi paused, watching him head to the stairs as Jack and Miko continued the game. Meanwhile, Ratchet looked over the groundbridge controls which had sparks coming off it. He tried to use them but nothing seemed to work. Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee joined his side then, confused or grumpy. Morely, Bulkhead. 

“You can’t boss us around just because the boss is out,” Bulkhead grumbled. Ratchet ignored him though as he continued trying to work the controls.

“I need some heavy lifting. The groundbridge is down!” Ratchet said. Bumblebee was confused, turning to look at the other bots as he buzzed. Cliffjumper nodded, looking back to Ratchet with a bit of concern.

“Yeah, What about Optimus and Arcee? They just went through!” Cliffjumper said. 

“Arcee and Optimus made it through just fine. It’s bringing them back that concerns me. Now, remove those panels. Chop, Chop!” Ratchet said, pointing at the panels. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper paused before quickly getting to work. Cliffjumper wondered what could cause the groundbridge to go down. However, he shrugged it off as he and the others lifted the panel.

The hallway of the Autobot base was silent and empty except for a small human boy. Raf moved down the hallway sluggishly, his hands up in front of him. He imagined he was in a snowstorm, trying to get back to his base. He acted as if he were blocking intense winds from his face and making whooshing noises for the pretend winds.

“Ugh! I need to find a way out. I…need to escape!” Raf said, continuing to make whooshing noises after. Little did he know, someone was watching from behind.

“Hey, Raf!” The voice chirped. Raf whipped around, looking back to see Heidi give a knowing look. His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as He scratched the back of his head. 

“Um, I didn’t see you there. How much did you-”

“Enough to know what you’re doing,” Heidi said, crossing her arms with a small chuckle. Raf covered his face in embarrassment as she walked up. She looked around cautiously, making sure no one was around before smiling. She took off her backpack, took out her phone, and pretended to type on it.

“Beep boop, bop! Raf, we need to get back to base! The storm is advancing!” Heidi said, pulling her shirt collar over her nose and mouth to act as a scarf. Raf paused before realizing what she was doing. He laughed before nodding and continuing to play pretend. He made the wind noises as they pretended to trek through a snowstorm.

“Temperature's sub-zero and dropping! Gotta… Get back… to base!” Raf said. He then acted as if a strong wind pushed him back, landing on Heidi. Heidi grabbed him, helping him up as she spoke.

“Copy, Raf! It’s just…a little farther!” Heidi said, continuing to push through the imaginary winds. Raf snickered a little as Heidi took the lead, continuing the act. She would act so adult when she was with the others or the bots. Raf had almost forgotten she was a kid like him at times. Just as he was about to rejoin the game, the sound of multiple clangs echoed through the hallways. Both of them stopped, looking around confused to see a large bolt on the ground nearby.

“Where’d that come from?” Heidi wondered aloud, following Raf as he went to pick it up. He was examining it when the sound of skittering switched their gaze to above them. Heidi looked up as a small blur zipped across the ceiling between the vents and pipes.

“What was that?!” Heidi snapped, pointing up as Raf joined her. However, whatever it was was gone. Her eyes narrowed as her gaze then switched to different places around the hall. More skittering was heard and Raf turned to see something skitter across the hallway nearby. He adjusted his glasses, trying to figure out if he was seeing things.

“Hello?” Raf called out. Heidi turned, looking in the direction Raf was when another loud clang! came. She turned back, stepping up as she looked for the cause. Suddenly, Heidi heard more skittering and Raf’s yell. She turned to see Raf fall on the floor behind her, facing away.

“Raf! Are you okay?!” Heidi said, quickly going to her best friend's side. She was about to help him when something stopped in front of them. They both looked up to see a small, metal creature looking at them. Both of them shrieked, jumping back and onto their butts. Heidi quickly took a plastic water bottle and pointed it at the small creature like a weapon.

“Stay back!” Heidi snapped. However, Raf quickly put a hand on it, stopping her from using it for whatever she had planned. It hadn’t attacked them yet so he didn’t want to hurt it if it wasn’t a threat. The small creature walked up to them then, its large dark purple eyes scanning them curiously. Though it was weird, Raf couldn’t help thinking it was kind of cute. 

“Heh, where did you come from?” Raf wondered, looking at it curiously with a small smile. It walked closer then and seemed harmless. Still, Heidi eyed it cautiously as she put the bottle down. She and Raf stood up then, Raf laughing a bit as he examined it.

“Heidi, you never told me the Autobots had pets!” Raf said, glancing at Heidi with a gleam of excitement. 

“That’s because they don’t. Trust me, I would know if they did.” Heidi said, backing up cautiously as the little creature ran up below Raf. It was either waiting for him to do something or it wanted something from him. Raf paused before reaching into his back pocket where he put the bolt. He showed it to the creature curiously.

“You wanna play fetch?” Raf chirped. The small creature whirred excitedly at that. It jumped up and down and ran in circles as it waited for Raf to throw it. It acted like a small puppy. Raf smiled before throwing the bolt far in front of him. It bounced on the metal floor as the small creature ran after it.

“Good boy! Go get it!” Raf cheered, laughing as the little creature ran after the bolt. It jumped in the air then and grabbed the bolt with its mouth. However, it then did something neither Raf nor Heidi expected. There were a lot of grinding noises coming from it as well as sparks coming out from its mouth. Was it eating it?!

“No! Don’t eat that! You’re gonna choke!” Raf yelled, worried. However, after a moment, it stopped and turned to them. The bolt was gone and it seemed completely fine. It ran back up to the kids as Raf corrected himself, a bit surprised by what happened.

“Or not…” The creature then went up to Raf and rubbed its head against Raf’s leg, chirping and whirring in admiration. Raf smiled widely before it ran ahead. The two kids followed as it kept turning back to them, running around them playfully. Raf turned to Heidi then, a large smile on his face.

“It’s so cute!”

“Not wrong there but I’ve never seen this thing before. And I’ve been with the bots for years.” Heidi said, glancing back at the creature suspiciously. 

“Maybe the bots kept it a secret from you.” 

“Why would they do that? I’m their liaison!” Heidi snapped, crossing her arms in annoyance. Raf shrugged as he turned to look ahead of them.

“Well, why don’t we go ask them ourselves then? They’re still in the main room, right?” Raf asked. Heidi paused, nodding with a hum. Raf crouched down then to see the creature. He picked it up, holding it gingerly in his arms as he looked back to Heidi.

“Then let’s go. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“We just saw it eat a metal bolt and the bots are metal. If this thing isn’t their pet-”

“The bots wouldn’t keep something like that in the base. I’m sure this is just a big misunderstanding. Besides, where else could it have come from if it wasn’t with the bots?” Raf said, continuing to walk ahead. Heidi paused before sighing in defeat and following Raf. However, she kept a close eye on the creature. Something told her that this creature was more than it appeared. But where could it have possibly come from? 

Back in the Main room, Cliffjumper, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee circled Ratchet. Ratchet was crouched on the floor, looking into the machinery under the floor panel they pulled off. It was mostly silent as Ratchet worked diligently in search of the problem. Cliffjumper noticed Jack and Miko walking over then.

“Hey, kids! Everything alright?” Cliffjumper chirped, his gaze searching around for his charge. Jack shrugged, walking over with Miko beside him.

“We just came to see what’s going on. That last power failure wiped the TV.” Jack explained. Cliffjumper hummed, about to ask about Heidi when he was distracted by Ratchet. Ratchet pulled out a piece of a motherboard from the machinery below them. It was burned and almost looked like it had been… eaten through in some parts.

“We most definitely have a problem… but what could’ve caused this?” Ratchet said as the kids stopped near them. The power suddenly flickered with the lights flashing on and off. Everyone looked up as the power quickly stabilized.

“Or that?” Bulkhead added, confused.

“Might be the main grid. Hopefully, it isn’t a substation malfunction.” Ratchet said, a bit nervous as he looked over the thing. Suddenly, Raf’s voice came into the conversation as the two young kids walked into the main room

“Hey guys! Look what we found!” Raf chirped, stopping in front of the hallway with Heidi. The bots had barely gotten a good look as Ratchet snapped, turning to see them.

“We’re busy!- AH!” Ratchet yelled as he saw the small creature in Raf’s arms. All bots yelled in terror as they jumped back, activating their blasters and cannons. They aimed for the small creature, fear radiating through them. Raf was shocked, staring at them in disbelief as Heidi jumped in front of him, stopping the bots from accidentally shooting Raf.

“WOAH! WOAH! Watch where you point those things, idiots!” Heidi yelled as the other two kids came to her side, placing themselves in front of her confused and shocked by the panic the bots showed. What the heck was going on with them?

“Yeah! What’s gotten into you guys?” Miko said, confused. 

“Scraplet! SCRAPLET!” Bulkhead yelled, panicked. Heidi had never seen him this scared before except on Halloween. However, the name “Scraplet” sounded familiar. Something from Ratchet’s lessons about Cybertron or maybe something from Cliffjumper’s stories? Heidi couldn't remember though. Meanwhile, Raf came next to Heidi, peaking out from behind the teenagers who continued blocking him.

“What’s a Scraplet?”

“The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron. Heidi! I taught you about them!” Ratchet explained grimly, snapping at Heidi. Heidi paused as she finally remembered the lesson. All the kids turned to see the small creature still sleeping in Raf’s arms. That’s a Scraplet? The same murderous beast she learned about a year back or so. They had to be joking, right? She wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“ This? Are you kidding me?” Jack asked, laughing a bit.

“Your giant robots! Scrappy here is teeny.” Miko said, unconvinced. The bots didn’t move or calm down though. 

“Y-you have no idea the damage that teeny thing can do!” Bulkhead said, backing up a bit in fear. 

“Bulk’s right! That thing is a merciless killing machine! A spawn from the pits!” Cliffjumper snapped. Heidi looked at him, unsure as she turned back to the slumbering Scraplet. How could one thing do so much damage? It’s one thing for it to eat a bolt but to hurt a giant robot like them?

“That sounds a little far-fetched, don’t you think?” Heidi said, unconvinced. 

“Yeah! He wouldn’t hurt anything.” Raf said, continuing to stroke the Scraplet. It woke up then, its purple eyes looking around curiously. 

“Oh no, it woke up!” Cliffjumper yelped as the Scraplet’s gaze landed on the bots, examining them. Almost immediately after, its jaw opened wide to reveal shark-like teeth and spinning grinding saws all over the insides of its mouth. Heidi was first to panic, about to slap it out of Raf’s hands.

“AH! DROP IT!” Heidi shrieked just as she tried. However, it jumped out of Raf’s grasp and onto its tiny legs then, causing Heidi to miss. A loud whir was heard from it as its teeth clattered loudly. It sprinted straight for the bots as the bots began firing at it. However, it was lightning fast. The bots missed every time and soon, it got to Bumblebee. It jumped onto his leg, eating the paint off as it left a trail of the grey metal underneath. Bumblebee let out a loud whine as he fell onto his aft.

“BEE!” Cliffjumper yelled as the Scraplet continued eating his leg. Bumblebee tried to grab it but escaped his grasp and started eating his arm. Immediately, Cliffjumper used his cannon to swat the scraplet off Bumblebee. Thankfully, he got it and it flew off onto the ground. 

“Piece of scrap!” Cliffjumper snapped as the Scraplet fell near the kids. It got up again though, about to go in for a second round when suddenly, Raf sprinted by Heidi with a crowbar. He ran up to it and slammed the crowbar onto its head, stopping and denting it badly. Still, He kept doing it multiple times, letting out yells of anger as he did. Even after it was dead, he kept going. After a moment, Heidi and the other kids stopped him, Jack grabbing the crowbar as Heidi pulled Raf back.

“Woah. Easy there, Killer. It’s dead.” Jack said. Heidi nodded as Raf panted a bit, exhausted from the attack. Heidi hadn’t seen Raf this mad before. Or at least in a while. It was kind of scary. Raf gasped then, running over to Bumblebee in a panic. Heidi was quick to follow, coming next to the bots. Ratchet was looking over Bumblebee’s injured leg with the others standing nearby.

“I’m sorry, Bumblebee! I-I didn’t know!” Raf said, feeling guilty. Bumblebee let out a few buzzes and beeps, likely trying to calm Raf. 

“Don’t worry, Raf. Bee’s tough.” Cliffjumper comforted, giving a small smile to Raf. Heidi then turned to Ratchet as she glanced over Bumblebee’s leg. 

“What’s the damage, doc?” Heidi asked, worried. Raf quickly spoke up after, pushing Heidi aside a bit as he looked up at Ratchet.

“Is he going to be okay?!” Raf asked, panicked still. Heidi took his shoulder reassuringly as Ratchet finished his check-up on Bumblebee. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything serious. 

“Only a mesh wound. He’ll live.” Ratchet said, looking at Raf. Raf let out a relieved sigh as Heidi smiled. 

“Thank goodness,” Heidi said, squeezing Raf’s shoulders as she released him. Meanwhile, Bulkhead continued his feared rant from before.

“Now do you believe us?! All Scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal! Especially living metal!” Bulkhead explained, still reeling from the event. Heidi hummed, realizing she should’ve trusted her gut earlier and smashed that thing. Miko and Jack walked up then, joining the group.

“Well, bugs squashed. Game over, right?” 

“No. When it comes to Scraplets, there’s never just one… and I fear I know how they got in here.” Ratchet said, grimly. Cliffjumper had a feeling he knew what Ratchet was talking about then. Soon, the bots stood in front of their Artic find. Also known as the mystery object Cliffjumper told Heidi about. However, it had changed. Now, there was a huge hole as if something ate through it. Ratchet looked into it, using a tool to create light as he searched the dark, hollow object. Everyone else stood nearby, examining it cautiously. 

“So…What is it, Ratch?” Heidi asked, staring at the hole. The emptiness and darkness of the object were all too creepy. She looked over to Ratchet then as he hummed, his optics narrowing as he examined the inside of it. He now knew what the mystery object was.

“It’s a trap. A Scraplet trap.” Ratchet explained. 

“U-Uh. An empty Scraplet trap.” Bulkhead said, very nervous. 

“Most likely ejected into space eons ago… Only to wind up in the Artic where the temperature kept them in stasis,” Ratchet explained. 

“Until we brought the thaw.” Jack finished, stepping up towards the trap.

“And now they’re wide awake and ready to brunch,” Miko added. Raf stepped up from next to her then, nervous.

“So… how many are we talking about?” Raf asked. Ratchet looked at him gruffly, transforming his tool back to his servo as he spoke.

“Thousands. And the power malfunctions and groundbridge damage…are sure signs that their infestation is well underway.” Ratchet explained grimly. Some of the bots shuddered nervously as Heidi stepped up to Ratchet.

“We better tell Optimus. He’ll know what to do.” Heidi suggested. Everyone quickly agreed and soon, made their way back to the main room. Ratchet got on the comlink but something was wrong. It was glitching and lots of static could be heard.

“Base to Optimus. Optimus, please respond! Hello?!” Ratchet said. When it wasn’t working, Heidi decided to try and call Arcee or Optimus herself. She knew it was a long shot but if the comlinks didn’t work, what other option do they have? Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side. She growled as Ratchet tried one last time.

“Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me? We have a situation!” Ratchet snapped. However, only static was heard from the other line. Ratchet gritted his denta as the screen turned into a glitchy mess.

“The Scraplets have gotten into the Comlink system!” Ratchet growled, his fist slamming onto the console. He turned back to the others who waited anxiously. Cliffjumper turned to Heidi, and an idea came to mind.

“Heidi, it’s a long shot but do you think you could call them?”

“I already tried. The Scraplets must’ve gotten into something with the radio lines.” Heidi explained. The other kids quickly checked their phones then, only to realize she was right. Miko moaned in annoyance as Ratchet spoke up, a bit panicked.

“Well, if we don’t eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base into a Scrapheap!” Ratchet snapped. Bulkhead and Bumblebee seemed to have snapped, fear taking over as Bulkhead trilled.

“Well, I say we bug out of here and let’em keep it!” Bumblebee buzzed and whirred, nodding to Bulkhead’s claim. However, Cliffjumper was quick to disagree. His partner was still out in the Arctic with Optimus! 

“No way! Arcee and Optimus are still in the Arctic, remember?! The groundbridge is the only way to get them back and we’ve only got one!” Cliffjumper snapped. Ratchet stepped up next to him, nodding to the statement.

“Cliffjumper is correct. Evacuation is not an option. And If we don’t get the groundbridge back online stat, Optimus and Arcee will perish.” Ratchet explained grimly. Jack stepped up, slightly gasping softly in shock. Arcee could die?!

“They will?” Jack said, fear entering his chest. Heidi quickly ran up to him, her hand landing on his arm as she tried to comfort him. Meanwhile, Miko went up to Bulkhead, fuming at Bulkhead’s cowardness.

“Bulkhead! You never run!” Miko snapped. Bulkhead looked at her, still nervous as he quickly explained.

“Miko, you haven’t seen a swarm of these things devour a bot. I have… They pick you apart from the inside out. Going for the small juicy bits first. Fuse by fuse. Circuit by Circuit till there's nothing left. And I mean nothing! Not even your optics…” Bulkhead explained. Heidi felt bad for Bulkhead since it seemed to have really affected him. But who wouldn’t be affected by something like that? The kids glanced at each other worried as Jack stepped up to Bulkhead.

“You have to let us help,” Jack said, determination coming in. Raf glanced at him before quickly nodding. 

“We’re not made of metal!”

“Yeah! The scraplets can’t hurt us!” Miko added. Heidi nodded, stepping up next to the teens with Raf.

“They’re right! We can give you an edge against the scraplets.” Heidi explained, crossing her arms confidently. Ratchet hummed, making the children turn to him curiously. He stroked his chin as he examined them gruffly.

“Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality… but it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes,” Ratchet explained. Heidi smirked as Jack hummed, quickly looking at the other kids.

“Okay, good. So we pair off. One bot, one human.” Jack explained. He turned back to Ratchet then as he spoke.

“I’ll watch your back while you repair the groundbridge,” Ratchet nodded, grumbling softly as Miko turned to the rest of the bots, smiling confidently.

“And we go on a bug hunt!” Miko suggested. The rest of the bots glanced at each other, groaning fearfully as some shook their heads. All the kids quickly started getting off the platform and towards their guardians or who they would be protecting.

“Alright, we’ll split up to cover more ground and find where most of them are. Cliffjumper and I will take the right hallway near the training room. Raf, you and Bee can take the left hallway near the main power core. Miko, you and Bulkhead take the hallway near the Energon-”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Come on, Bulk! Let’s go!” Miko said, grabbing a tool as a weapon. Bulkhead grumbled, activating his weapons before heading towards one of the base hallways with her. Heidi groaned, looking at Raf who shrugged. He took the crowbar from earlier than before he and Bumblebee made their way to another hallway. 

“Are you sure about this, Little lady?” Cliffjumper asked, walking up next to her. Heidi turned to see him and he was still worried and uncertain. Heidi paused before placing a hand on his ped and sighing.

“We don’t have a choice. We need to figure out where they are. Maybe we can figure out a way to get rid of them all at once then.” Heidi explained, beginning to walk over to see something hanging off the wall but that was out of plain sight. She smiled, taking the object off the wall and walking back to Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper was a little surprised before chuckling.

“Since when was there a hatchet there?” Cliffjumper teased. Heidi smirked, letting the hatchet rest on her shoulders.

“Since I found it earlier on. But once Miko got here, I hid it from plain sight. Just in case.” Heidi said, winking before turning to one of the hallways. Her smile vanished as she let out a small breath of nervousness. Cliffjumper joined her, matching her energy as he activated his cannons.

“Let’s get this over with,” Cliffjumper said. With that, Heidi and him entered the hallway, leaving the safety of the main room to find the dangers of the rest of the base.

Cliffjumper and Heidi walked through the eerily quiet hallway of the base. Cliffjumper had his cannons ready in case some scraplets came out. He was much more nervous than before, looking around every corner as Heidi led the way. She held the hatchet in a tight grip as she looked around cautiously.

“It’s too quiet…” 

“Definitely. Stay close, little lady.” Cliffjumper said, continuing to walk ahead. Heidi was quick to follow, coming to his side. Something felt off with Cliffjumper. Other than the fact he was nervous, he also seemed… stuck in his thoughts about something. 

“You okay, Cliff?”

“What? Oh! Yeah, just…worried about Arcee, I guess.”  Cliffjumper explained. Heidi paused, remembering Ratchet’s words. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about them herself. However, she pushed it down to help her guardian. She smiled at him as they continued down the hallway.

“Don’t worry. They’re tough and We’ll get them back as soon as we sort this out.” Heidi reassured. Cliffjumper looked down at her, a bit surprised before a small smirk came on his face. He nodded as Heidi then led the way into the training room. It was dead silent as the two stayed close to each other's side. After a moment, Heidi heard the familiar skittering echo through the room.

“Somethings here!” Heidi whispered, panicked. Cliffjumper hummed, coming back-to-back with Heidi as they looked around the training room. Heidi leaned against his ped as the skittering continued and soon, the sound of saws grinding made them look to the side of them. In a large vent near the wall, the Scraplets busted through and now, zipped towards them.

Both Heidi and Cliffjumper shrieked as Cliffjumper started shooting at the Scraplets. They’d mainly dodge as they came straight to Cliffjumper. He yelled wildly as they started eating the metal covering off of him. He waved his arms and legs wildly as he tried to shoot or fling them off of him. Heidi hit as many as she could with the hatchet, trying to help but there were so many.

“Agh! We have to go! OW!” Cliffjumper yelled, starting to run to the exit. Heidi nodded and sprinted out before Cliffjumper. She stood near a button beside the door, waiting for Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper threw himself out just as she closed it, locking most of the Scraplets in. Cliffjumper quickly smashed the rest on him, spitting up some energon after.

“Well, that was- Agh! Painful.” Cliffjumper said as he sat up. He had mesh wounds all over his body now as energon leaked from his mouth. He brushed it off as he stood up weakly, wincing in pain. Heidi went to his side, worried.

“We need to get you to Ratchet. Stat!” Heidi said. Cliffjumper nodded, limping ahead as fast as he could. Soon, they met up with others at an intersection. However, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were in similar states to Cliffjumper. 

“Oh god, you guys found them too?” Heidi said, looking up worriedly as the other kids joined her side. Miko immediately noticed the hatchet, angered as she poked at Heidi.

“Uh, how come you get the cooler weapon?!” Miko snapped. Heidi paused, looking down at the hatchet before growling a bit. That’s what she was worried about right now?! Heidi felt like slapping her for that.

“Are you kidding me, Miko?! That’s not- Y’know what? Doesn’t matter. We have to get the bots to Ratchet!” Heidi snapped. Raf nodded as the bots quickly gathered around them, looking at each other's wounds.

“She’s right. He should still be in the main room.” Bulkhead said, leading the way. Cliffjumper followed and Bumblebee helped by giving him support. His legs were pretty banged up from the Scraplets. Cliffjumper groaned before smiling at Bumblebee.

“Thanks, Bee…Hopefully, Doc’s fixed the groundbridge by now.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi nodded as the kids quickly followed beside each of their guardians. Heidi now hoped more than ever that Optimus and Acree would get back soon. Surely, they’d know what to do. Soon, they reached the main room. The kids ran ahead as the bots followed behind.

“Ratchet! Get the Patch kit! We’re leaking Energon like- WHOA!” Bulkhead yelped. The kids came in front just in time to see Ratchet damaged on the floor with Jack beside them, holding a fire extinguisher. Above them, the nightmarish sounds of grinding saws caught everyone’s attention.

“THEY CAN FLY?!” Heidi shrieked, looking up to see hundreds of flying Scraplets above. Soon, the Scraplets noticed Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper and darted toward them as well as Ratchet. The bots tried to shoot them down but it was fruitless as they all began flailing for their lives.

“HURRY! GET THEM OFF THEM!” Heidi yelled, continuing to slash them with the hatchet. The other kids followed as each of the bots fell to the ground, squirming to get the bugs off. Jack came with the fire extinguisher which seemed to get most of them. However, Heidi worried if they would be able to take them all out. 

For the longest time, the bots and the kids all battled the Scraplets. Though it took a long time, soon enough, all the Scraplets were defeated. Their bodies littered the floor of the base as Jack, Miko, Raf, and Heidi finished off the last online Scraplets. Meanwhile, the bots sat on the floor against the platforms and console, groaning in pain. If they had been in bad shape before, they were much worse now. The kids gathered then, Jack turning to the bots in concern.

“Did we get them all?” Before anyone could answer, the sound of saws grinding echoed all around them. Through every hallway and the vents. Though it sounded distant, it was very distinguishable.

“Hardly. These were just scouts.” Ratchet explained.

“Scouts?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Heidi growled, taking the hatchet and keeping it on her shoulder. Bumblebee buzzed and whirred before collapsing in exhaustion. Cliffjumper shook his head as Bulkhead groaned.

“So…the rest of them know we’re in here?” Bulkhead asked, fearfully. 

“Not yet but I bet they’ll figure it out soon,” Cliffjumper said.

“And if we allow ourselves to become their next meal, Optimus and Arcee will never make it home. We must get the groundbridge operational!” Ratchet said, glancing at the groundbridge. 

“Then we can use it to send the Scraplets anywhere on Earth.” Raf proposed. Heidi nodded as Jack spoke up, getting an idea of where.

“Why not back to the Arctic? We already know they don’t do cold.” Jack said, lifting the fire extinguisher. He had a point as most of them were defeated thanks to that. Heidi smiled, nodding to Jack’s idea.

“Oh yeah! That fire extinguisher was the main thing that took them down during our fight with them.” Heidi said, gesturing to the frozen Scraplets behind her. Miko smiled, turning to the bots cheerfully.

“Sweet! One-stop shopping!” Miko chirped. The kids smiled at her before turning back to the bots. Cliffjumper smiled, turning to Ratchet as Ratchet thought it over. It was a good plan and it would be the best place to put the Scraplets given how remote it was.

“Given the body mass of the Scraplets, sub-zero temperature should freeze them on contact,” Ratchet said. The kids cheered softly, turning to Jack. Heidi patted his arm gratefully as they turned back to Ratchet who was mostly talking to himself now.

“So think, Ratchet. Think! If the Groundbridge is still down… There must be a breach in the energon fuel line!” Ratchet said in realization. Some of the bots groaned, Bumblebee falling back down with a buzz. Cliffjumper growled as Bulkhead coughed, sitting up straight and turning to Ratchet.

“If we weren’t breaching, One of us could get back over there and fix it?” Bulkhead grunted. 

“And even if we did somehow fix it, what about all the Scraplets? As soon as one of them saw us, they’d send the whole fleet.” Cliffjumper added, grunting. Heidi smiled then, stepping up with a confident smirk.

“We can do it! The Scraplets can’t hurt us, remember?” Heidi explained. The bots looked at each other, unsure before Ratchet spoke up, grumbling a bit.

“Well…It’s not like we have another option…” Ratchet grumbled. Heidi nodded, turning to see the kids line up next to her.

“Then where do we find it?” Jack asked. 

“And how do we fix it?” Raf added. Soon enough, the kids were tiptoeing their way through the hallway full of Scraplets. They crawled on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. Jack carried a toolbox as Raf and Miko stood close behind, watching their step cautiously. Heidi stayed in the back, carrying the hatchet from before just in case something went wrong. 

“Remember. We’re okay. We’re not metal.” Jack explained. 

“Doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be careful.” Heidi snapped, glaring at the Scraplets. Soon, they noticed the large pipe aligning the wall next to them was leaking a weird liquid from a large hole in it. Jack was the first to spot it, pointing it out to his friends.

“There’s the breach. Come on!” Jack said, running ahead with the others behind. They crouched down, examining the leak. There was a large puddle beneath as the energon spewed out of it. 

“We have to work fast!” Jack said, setting down the toolbox next to him. Heidi came next to Jack, examining the hole closely. She sucked the air through her teeth, cringing as she turned back to Jack.

“It’s pretty bad. We’ll need a large cover to fix it.” 

Meanwhile, back in the main room, The bots were still sitting on the floor. They had mostly stayed quiet, focusing on their wounds. Cliffjumper was worried for not just Arcee but Heidi now too. What if the Scraplets did something to her and the kids? The thought of losing either of his partners was tearing him to shreds inside. Bulkhead suddenly spoke up, taking Cliffjumper from his thoughts. 

“So if we get… When we get the groundbridge open. Do we send the creepy crawlies out or bring our bots in?” Bulkhead asked. It was a good question but Ratchet seemed to know the answer. Although, it wasn’t a good one.

“Optimus and Arcee will be fresh meat. If we bring them in first, the Scraplets will have no reason to leave. We’ll need bait. ” Ratchet explained grimly. Cliffjumper groaned as Bulkhead growled, glaring at Ratchet.

“Where’re we gonna get bait?! The Scraplets already helped themselves to everything in here!” Bulkhead snarled. Cliffjumper sighed, shaking his helm. Meanwhile, Jack, Miko, Raf, and Heidi were just finishing the repairs on the pipe. Soon enough, they finished the patch.

“Nice!” Miko chirped. However, just as she said that the sound of grinding saws started from the Scraplets. All of the Scraplets around flew by then and towards the ceiling. They flew up into an open vent shaft, leaving the kids in an empty hallway now.

“They’re getting ready to feed!” Raf shouted, jumping down from the pipe. Heidi felt fear and worry course through her as she ran ahead.

“Well, come on! We gotta get to the bots!” Heidi yelled and soon, the kids joined her in her sprint. Heidi felt a mix of panic and worry fill her with the adrenaline. The Scraplets could tear the bots to shreds any second now. They had to get back in time before it was too late. Soon, they got back to the main room. The Scraplets were already flying near the ceiling above them, not noticing the bots yet thankfully.

“Ratchet! All systems go!” Jack shouted as the kids ran into the main room. 

“Fire it up!” Miko shouted.

“And fast!” Heidi added. Ratchet, using the platforms for balance, quickly got to the controls. He felt woozy and the pain was almost unbearable. Still, he powered through and grabbed the lever as he spoke.

“Groundbridge… activate,” Ratchet said breathlessly. Just as he did, he fell to the ground, pulling the lever as he did. Cliffjumper panicked, pulling Ratchet up next to him and Bumblebee. He wasn’t sure what to do but the groundbridge was open. Now they needed to figure out what to do. Suddenly, the sound of Bulkhead groaning turned the attention to him. To his shock, Bulkhead was beginning to get up with a grunt.

“Bulk! What the frag do you think you’re doing?!”

“What does it look like!? If those Scraplets need a reason to leave, then I’ma give them one. Agh!” Bulkhead said, getting to a kneel as he winced. He finally stood up then, a bit wobbly as he looked back to Cliffjumper.

“Stay low. I’ll get them out of here.” Bulkhead explained. Cliffjumper paused before a chuckle escaped him. A proud smirk came on his face as he spoke.

“You’re a true wrecker, Bulk,” Bulkhead smirked before limping off towards the Groundbridge. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper turned to see the kids, catching Heidi’s gaze. He shifted to lay down on his front, using his arms to keep his torso up from the ground.

"Kids! Get over here! Quick!" Cliffjumper yelled, gaining the other kid's attention. Heidi paused before nodding and grabbing Raf, leading him and the others to Cliffjumper. The kids skidded under, keeping back as Heidi walked up near Cliffjumper's arm. Soon, she noticed Bulkhead waving at the Scraplets.

“Is he crazy?! What is he doing?!” Heidi asked, looking up at Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper paused before a confident smirk came on his face.

“Getting rid of the Scraplets. Stay low, alright?” Cliffjumper explained, looking up at Bulkhead then. Heidi paused before grabbing Cliffjumper’s arm and staying close. Hopefully, Bulkhead knew what he was doing. Soon, the scraplets seemed to have noticed him as he stopped waving.

“Ready for the main course?” Bulkhead challenged, glaring at the Scraplets. Immediately, the scraplets activated their saws and flew towards him. Bulkhead smirked, backing up to the groundbridge vortex then.

“Come and get it!” Bulkhead yelled, turning and running into the vortex. Just as he did, all the Scraplets flew over the bots and towards the vortex with Bulkhead. Ratchet made sure Bumblebee stayed down on the ground as Cliffjumper kept himself over the kids. The sound the Scraplets made echoed around them as they zipped by, making the air turn into winds as they flew.

Soon, they all went through with Bulkhead, leaving only the dead Scraplet's bodies and the rest of the team in the base. Once it was over, The kids left from under Cliffjumper, going to the vortex curiously. Their minds were spiraling, unsure of what to think after such an adventure. 

“Is it over?” Raf asked. The Kids turned to see Cliffjumper get up, using the platforms for support. Meanwhile, Ratchet helped Bumblebee, letting him lean on him for support. They all looked to the vortex, waiting nervously. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Bulkhead limped back through, and behind him, Optimus helped Arcee through the vortex.

“Arcee!” Jack said, running up next to her with relief. Both she and Optimus were covered in ice and snow but otherwise, they seemed fine. Arcee gave a small smirk as Optimus looked around the base. He deactivated his battle mask, showing a stern and confused expression. There was a pause of silence before Optimus spoke.

“It seems you’ve had many obstacles while Arcee and I were occupied,” Optimus said. Some of the bots sagged and grumbled as Heidi stepped up. The two bots turned to her, seeing her as she chuckled softly.

“You have no idea.”

In the Base, everyone was in the medbay getting fixed up. Arcee and Bumblebee lay on the berths while Bulkhead and Cliffjumper sat on either side of the two berths. All of them had medical equipment attached, either being IVs or something else. Ratchet and Optimus were sitting on some crates as the humans worked below.

Since the team was out of sorts along with Ratchet, the kids took over helping the bots get better. Jack and Raf worked on computers connected to their guardians, keeping an eye on their stats. Miko stood nearby Raf, keeping an eye on Bulkhead's injuries as Heidi stayed near Cliffjumper, checking the patches on his legs.

“Look at you playing doctor.” Cliffjumper teased. Heidi rolled her eyes as she walked over to a computer nearby. She looked over the scans to see Cliffjumper’s legs. They were getting better thankfully. 

“Report Biocircuitry Status!” Ratchet suddenly said. Heidi looked up to see him talking to Jack then. Ratchet had been on them about helping the bots since they got involved. It wasn’t bad though as he wasn’t being too demanding of them. After a moment, Jack spoke up with a thumbs up.

“Levels are rising!” 

“Excellent. Rafael! Keep a close watch on Bumblebee’s electromagnetic pulse monitor. Miko! Check Bulkhead’s interface patch. Heidi! Make sure to check Cliffjumper’s scans on his legs have not worsened from so much physical activity.” Ratchet ordered. Immediately after, Raf turned away from the computer, looking at Ratchet.

“It’s steady!”

“Looking good!” Miko added after a glance at Bulkhead. Ratchet looked to Heidi then as she nodded, gesturing to the computer.

“No problems here!” Heidi added. Ratchet gave a quick nod before Optimus spoke up, turning Ratchet’s attention to him.

“Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend. You saved quite a few lives today.” Optimus said. While Ratchet was grateful for the praise, he also knew he hadn’t done it alone. He turned to look at the humans as they worked hard to help their teammates below.

“It wasn’t all my doing. We’re just fortunate that this infestation happened… on a Saturday.” Ratchet said, musing the ending a bit.

“Our human friends may be small but they are strong,” Optimus explained. As soon as he said that, a loud, high-pitched shriek was heard from below. Everyone jumped out of their skin, turning to see Miko shivering in fear. Immediately, Jack, Raf, and Heidi jumped to their feet, grabbing the hatchet, crowbar, and pipe as a weapon. They stood in front of Miko, looking around for the threat.

“Scraplet?!” Jack said, nervous. Heidi growled at the thought as she looked around. They had just gotten rid of them. Couldn’t they catch a break? However, what Miko said next surprised and frankly, annoyed Heidi a lot.

“Spider! Is it on me?! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!” Miko shrieked before running away from there, jumping around crazily and looking around. Her shrieks continued as Jack, Raf, and Heidi stared in disbelief. Heidi slapped her face, growling as Bulkhead chuckled.

“Did she just scream like a little girl?” Bulkhead asked teasingly. Heidi dropped the hatchet then, crossing her arms with a huff. She then noticed the small spider crawling the ground. She stared at it for a minute before smiling and crouching down. She let it crawl into her hand, admiring it. 

“I’ll take this little guy outside. You guys see if you can calm Miko down.” Heidi explained, quickly turning away and going to the stairs. As she did, she couldn’t help but realize how lucky the team was today. It could have been a lot worse if something went wrong with the Scraplets. She was grateful they all got out alive. She paused as she got to the elevator, smiling at the spider. 

“One heck of a day, huh?”

Chapter Text

It was a calm day at the base. Nothing was going on other than the team doing their chores or just hanging out. Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Bumblebee talked in a corner, laughing at something while Optimus worked in another part of the main room. Ratchet worked diligently at the console, looking for any signs of the Decepticons. On the platform above it, Heidi, Raf, and Jack stood chatting away—more Raf and Heidi.

“Yeah, I’m planning on getting that new video game by the end of the month. Once it goes on sale, that is.” Raf explained. Heidi nodded as she leaned against the railings. 

“Sounds awesome, Raf. Let’s hope this game will challenge you. It’ll make up for all the other ones you’ve beaten.” Heidi chirped. Raf laughed a bit, nodding as Heidi’s gaze began drifting around the base. She then saw Miko and Bulkhead enter, chatting non-stop as usual.

“Looks like trouble’s walked in the room,” Heidi whispered, laughing a bit. Raf gave Heidi a knowing look before turning away. Just then, the console went off with a small alarm. Ratchet quickly looked into it as some of the bots began to gather, Optimus included.

“Optimus! I’m receiving a signal on a restricted band. It appears to be coming from a starship inside this solar system,” Ratchet explained. The console’s screens then showed a map tracking the starship signal. The kids turned to the screen, examining it. After a moment, Heidi gasped softly, realizing what it was. Ratchet realized it too, quickly speaking about it.

“It’s an Autobot identification beacon,” Ratchet explained. 

“So there are other bots out there?” Jack asked, turning back to the bots. Arcee nodded as Cliffjumper turned to Jack.

“Yup. Everyone scattered to the winds when Cybertron finally went dark though.” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee walked up next to him, quickly adding on with a scowl.

“But cons have been known to bait traps with false beacons,” Arcee explained grimly. Heidi gulped silently at that, turning to see Optimus’s stern expression. Optimus quickly turned back to the screen as Ratchet set up contact with the ship.

“Unknown Vessel, This is Autobot Outpost Omega 1. Identify yourself.” Optimus ordered. The comlink fizzed for a second before an interesting but sarcastic-sounding voice broke through.

“I’ve had warmer welcomes from Decepticon combat brigades.” 

“Wheeljack?!” A voice yelled, surprised. Everyone turned to see Bulkhead walk up with the biggest grin. For some reason, the name “Wheeljack” felt familiar to Heidi. However, she brushed it off as Bulkhead came in front of the console.

“You old con-crusher! What are you doing all the way out here?” Bulkhead chirped enthusiastically. The comlink sputtered for a minute before the voice, Wheeljack, spoke again and recognized Bulkhead’s voice.

“Bulkhead? That you? What’s with all the security?” 

“The rock we’re on is crawling with cons. How soon can you get here to even the odds?”

“Sometime tomorrow. If I put metal to the petal!” Wheeljack said. Heidi felt relief that Bulkhead and Wheeljack seemed to be close friends. Miko spoke up, excited by the new bot's knowledge of Bulkhead.

“Another bot’s coming here. How cool is that!” Miko chirped. Heidi smiled, glancing at Raf who also seemed excited by a new bot coming. Though it wasn’t as much as Bulkhead and Miko. Optimus spoke up to them, also seeming to recognize the name Wheeljack.

“Wheeljack… I know him by reputation only. Can you verify his voiceprint?” Optimus said, looking to Bulkhead. 

“He is one thousand percent the real deal, Optimus,” Bulkhead explained confidently. Heidi smiled, looking at Optimus as he paused. After a moment, he turned back to the comlink with a less stern look.

“We will send landing coordinates, Wheeljack. Safe journey.” 

“See you soon, Buddy! I’ll make sure you get a proper welcome.” Bulkhead chirped. At that, the call ended. As Ratchet worked diligently on the console, most of the bots returned to what they were doing. Cliffjumper and Arcee were curious about Bulkhead and Wheeljack's connection. What was their story?

“So who’s the boyfriend?” Arcee teased as she walked up next to Bulkhead. Cliffjumper followed, laughing a bit at Arcee’s comment.

“Yeah, Bulk. what’s his story?” Cliffjumper asked. Bulkhead chuckled, turning the two with a big grin. 

“Me and Jackie go way back. We were part of the same War unit. The Wreckers!” Bulkhead said, pounding his fists together happily. Cliffjumper immediately knew what he was talking about. He had studied some of the Wrecker’s battles after all.

“Right! The Wreckers! I’ve studied some of their battles. They're a tough lot and not the bots you want as an enemy. Ain’t that right, Bulk?” Cliffjumper explained. Arcee hummed as Bulkhead nodded confidently.

“Darn right! Which means the cons are gonna wish he never found us.” Bulkhead said. Cliffjumper and Arcee glanced at each other knowingly before walking away. Heidi went to the computer platform, waving at Cliffjumper with a curious look. Cliffjumper immediately spotted her, walking over with a smirk.

“Excited bout the new bot?” Cliffjumper said, leaning down to see her. Heidi crossed her arms with a smirk.

“You know it. I thought I recognized the name Wheeljack and now I know why. He was a part of the Wreckers. I remember Bulkhead mentioning something about it now and then. But I didn’t know Bulk and Wheeljack were friends.” Heidi said, glancing over at Bulkhead who was putting an excited Miko down on the ground.

“Yup. Ya learn new things every day. But I think this day’s just about over for you and the kids.” Cliffjumper said, knowingly. Heidi paused, looking at him surprised before groaning. She had hoped he hadn’t noticed how late it got. 

“Dang it. I thought you forgot.”

“HA! Keep dreaming, Little Lady.”

It was early evening at the Autobot Base. Everyone other than Bulkhead and Optimus waited eagerly by the console for a special bot to arrive. Miko was probably the most excited out of all of them. She was jumping up and down happily as they watched the signal from Wheeljack’s ship. Finally, Wheeljack’s ship began approaching the coordinates Optimus sent.

“Wheeljack’s ship is approaching the landing zone,” Arcee said. Miko gasped softly, stomping her feet a little in excitement. Heidi couldn’t help laughing a bit at it. She couldn’t blame her though. Even Heidi was excited to meet the new bot. Raf looked up to the teens, just as eager as Heidi was.

“You think he’s here to visit?” Raf asked. 

“Maybe he’ll stay!” Miko chirped. She paused after though, humming in thought.

“Hmm, Have to find his own human though,” Miko said, shrugging. Heidi rolled her eyes with a smile as she walked up to the screen. 

“I wonder what he’s like,” Heidi said, mainly to herself. The sounds of Ratchet typing on the Groundbridge console caught the team's attention. After a moment, it made a whirring sound as it began to power up.

“Groundbridge cycling up,” Ratchet said. Just as he did, sparks flew off from it, causing him to jump back. After a moment, Ratchet slammed his fist onto the console and it started up again. However, Ratchet wasn’t satisfied. He was annoyed more than anything.

“Blasted Scraplets! Equipment hasn’t been the same since the infestation.” Ratchet said. Heidi and Cliffjumper glanced at each other before shuttering a bit at the memories. The bots barely got out alive that day. As Ratchet finished, Jack quickly changed the topic back to Wheeljack's arrival. 

“So Wheeljack’s gonna land halfway around the world and then you’ll bridge him here?” Jack asked. Heidi nodded as Optimus walked up then, looking down at the children.

“Exactly. It’s safer for us and him that way.” Heidi explained. 

“Heidi is correct. We can’t risk revealing the location of our base. Just in case the Decepticons are tracking Wheeljack’s ship.” Optimus explained. Miko ran off then, heading to meet up with Bulkhead. Heidi decided to talk to Cliffjumper, heading to another platform where he was standing nearby.

“So, has Bulkhead said anything else about Wheeljack?” Heidi asked, leaning against the railings. Cliffjumper shrugged, watching as Bulkhead and Miko interacted with a grin.

“He says the two were like brothers and he’s a great guy. We’re having a party tonight to celebrate his arrival.” Cliffjumper explained. 

“Oh, I bet Ratchet’s gonna love that,” Heidi said sarcastically. Cliffjumper smiled but before he could say anything, the alarms went off all around the base. The two turned to see the console screen light up with Wheeljack’s signal and multiple Decepticon signals.

“Uh oh. That's not good!” Heidi said as she ran back up near the console with her friends. Cliffjumper ran up next to Arcee as she glared at the console screen.

“Bogeys. Closing fast on Wheeljack’s position!” Arcee said.

“Con scum!” Bulkhead snarled.

“Should’ve known they’d make an appearance. Let’s ride!” Cliffjumper said. Immediately, all the bots headed to the groundbridge machine, waiting. Heidi and the other kids gathered on the same platform nearby, waiting as well. Ratchet went to the groundbridge controls, putting in the coordinates. 

“Open the Bridge, Ratchet! We’re missing all the action!” Bulkhead yelled. Just as he said that the groundbridge started up. The green vortex appeared in the machine, seemingly stable. Ratchet turned back to the team then as he spoke.

“I’ll prepare sick bay.” Bulkhead laughed at this, turning back to the vortex eagerly.

“Who for? The cons? This is Wheeljack we’re talking about.” Cliffjumper couldn’t help grinning a bit from Bulkhead’s comment. Sounded like a bot he’d like. At that, the bots ran into the vortex with their weapons ready. They jumped out of the vortex into a desert-like area, aiming their weapons outward and ready to battle.

However, instead of a huge battle, they were met with the sight of multiple dead vehicons littering the ground. Nearby, a cybertronian ship had crashed into the ground. In front of it, a white, red, and green bot had just stabbed the last vehicon with one of his two katanas, killing it off. The bot de-activated his weapons as Cliffjumper smirked.

“Well, I’ll be. He’s pretty good.” Cliffjumper said. 

“I taught him that,” Bulkhead said, chuckling. Cliffjumper hummed, turning to see Wheeljack look at them. He sheathed his swords on his back as he spoke, walking towards them.

“Ever think I might need a hand here?” Wheeljack asked.

“What? And spoil the show?” Bulkhead teased. Immediately, Cliffjumper and Arcee noticed a moving vehicon body near Wheeljack. However, they weren’t worried about it. With so many of them around and the fact it was half dead, it wasn’t a threat. Still, Arcee decided to tease Wheeljack a bit.

“You missed one,” Arcee said, placing a servo on her hip. Just as Wheeljack walked past the vehicon, he blasted it with his cannons, killing it off. The bots walked forward then, meeting him halfway and stopping. Wheeljack deactivated his battle mask then, revealing his calm expression.

“If this is all you got, the planet’s in bigger trouble than I thought,” Wheeljack said. Bulkhead grins before running up and giving Wheeljack a huge bear hug. The hug lifts Wheeljack into the air with multiple grunts while Bulkhead exclaims happily.

“JACKIE!” Bulkhead chirped, laughing. Cliffjumper was surprised both by what happened and the fact he hadn’t seen Bulkhead this happy before. Not that he was against it! Cliffjumper and the others smiled, some chuckling a bit at the sight as Wheeljack teased.

“Haha! Watch the finish, you old wrecking ball!” At that, Bulkhead finally set him down and the others then walked up next to Bulkhead. 

“I’m guessing you’re Wheeljack. Bulkhead wouldn’t stop talking about you the moment he knew you were coming.” Cliffjumper teased. Bulkhead laughed as Wheeljack gave a small hum and smirk.

“Is that so? And you are?” Wheeljack asked. 

“Cliffjumper. Behind me is Arcee and Bumblebee.” Cliffjumper said, gesturing to the bots behind him. Bumblebee waved with a buzz as Arcee gave a curt nod. Wheeljack smirked, returning the gestures as he spoke.

“Good to meet you. So, where’s your base? Is it nearby?” Wheeljack asked. 

“No, but Don’t worry. We’ll head back now. I’ll call Ratchet for pick up.” Cliffjumper said. He then turned away and activated his comlink as the others continued to chat with him. Cliffjumper liked Wheeljack so far but… for some reason, he felt a bit odd with how Wheeljack looked at everyone. Especially the dark glances he caught when he looked back at him a few times. However, he pushed it down as he called in base.

In the base, Heidi tapped her fingers on the railing as she waited patiently for the bots to return. Raf, Miko, and Jack were hanging out nearby as Ratchet worked on fixing the Groundbridge. It was mainly silent other than the chitter chatter of the others. Soon, Cliffjumper’s voice broke through the comlink.

“Hey, doc bot! Requesting a Groundbridge. Same coordinates.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi perked up, turning to see Ratchet grumble but comply. He activated the Groundbridge and after a few moments, the vortex flickered open. Soon, the original four bots came through with a new one. That must’ve been Wheeljack. Heidi liked his paint job. 

Immediately after, the Groundbridge controls went haywire and the vortex disappeared, static electricity climbing the machine walls. The machine controls were no different, electricity fizzing around it and frying them. Ratchet grumbled as Heidi sucked a large gulp of air through her teeth, cringing.

“That won’t be easy to fix, will it?” Heidi said. Ratchet glanced at her before grumbling and shaking his helm. Heidi took that as a 'no' with a sigh. She turned back to the bots to see Bulkhead immediately lead Wheeljack to Miko as she came down one platform's stairs. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper came over and leaned against one of the platforms. Heidi walked up next to him, sitting on the railings.

“So, what do you think of Wheeljack?” Heidi asked. Cliffjumper paused, glancing at her before shrugging.

“Seems pretty cool,” Cliffjumper said. Heidi looked at him quizzically, concerned with how he worded it. Not to mention how he kept a close eye on Wheeljack while he talked with the others. Something was wrong. However, before she could say anything, Optimus walked up to Wheeljack. Wheeljack met him halfway, immediately offering his servo.

“Optimus Prime. It’s a privilege” Wheeljack greeted. Optimus took it, shaking it firmly as he spoke.

“Likewise, soldier. What have you to report from your long journey?” Optimus asked, releasing Wheeljack’s servo. Heidi hummed, curious as she leaned a bit closer. Cliffjumper chuckled, taking Heidi in his servos and plopping her on his shoulder. Heidi smiled as Wheeljack began to explain. 

“Been bouncing from rock to rock, searching for signs of friend or foe. Now, I find both .” Wheeljack explained, looking back at the team. Optimus narrowed his optics, nodding softly to the story.

“We are few but strong. We have suffered losses but we have grown and we would relish welcoming a new member into our fold.” Optimus said, a small unnoticeable smile on his faceplates. Heidi turned back to Wheeljack, hoping he’d stay. They could really use another bot on the team. 

“I would be honored,” Wheeljack said. Heidi let out a quiet cheer as Bulkhead walked up behind Wheeljack, grinning.

“Then let’s get this party started!” Bulkhead chirped, slapping Wheeljack on the back. Wheeljack fell forward a bit before a grin came on his face. He stood up and two bots did a chest bump with a loud cheer. Heidi chuckled at the sight while overhearing Ratchet’s grumbles.

“Oh, Joy,” Ratchet said, sarcastically. Cliffjumper walked over to Ratchet as Heidi spoke up.

“Cheer up, Ratch. It’ll be nice to have another bot around.” Heidi said, trying to cheer Ratchet up. She earned another grumble from Ratchet before he continued his work.

“Let grumpy work, Little Lady. It’s time to party!” Cliffjumper cheered. Heidi nodded as Cliffjumper turned to talk with Arcee now. However, Heidi noticed he’d glance over at Wheeljack now and then like before. It was a bit strange but Heidi decided she’d talk about it with him later. After all, who was she to spoil a party?

It was a late night at the Base and everyone was partying. Miko strummed her electric guitar, playing some hardcore metal songs. Bulkhead and Wheeljack played lob ball as Arcee and Cliffjumper leaned on the wall. Jack sat between the two on a small part of the wall as all of them watched the two mechs. 

Bumblebee sat on the ground near Ratchet and Raf sat in front of Miko, watching her play. Meanwhile, Heidi sat on her stomach on the platforms near the Groundbridge controls, sketching the bots around her. Ratchet worked on the groundbridge controls, grumbling about the noises.

“Come on, Jackie! Show me what you got!” Bulkhead challenged. Heidi looked up to see Wheeljack toss a hard lob ball to Bulkhead. He caught it, his peds screeching against the metal as he slid back but stayed on his peds. 

“Haha! Nice Lob!” Bulkhead chirped. He then threw it back again and Wheeljack caught it, also sliding back on his peds from the force. The two went back and forth as Cliffjumper, Arcee, and Jack watched.

“So What’s that about?” Jack asked, watching the lob ball go back and forth between the two mechs.

“It’s called lobbing. Favorite pastime on Cybertron. Especially among the Warrior class.” Arcee explained.

“Yeah, but when Cybertron was still bright, there would be lobbing competitions to see who could do it the best. I never participated but they were always fun to watch.” Cliffjumper explained. Jack hummed, continuing to watch the show. Meanwhile, Heidi was putting the finishing touches on her art. She decided to take a quick break, sighing as she put down her pencil. She looked up to see Raf get up and begin dancing a familiar dance. The robot. 

“Pfft!- What the heck?” Heidi mused, watching as Bumblebee then joined in, following Raf’s movements. Cliffjumper laughed then, running up to Bumblebee’s side and following them in the same movements. Heidi burst out laughing then, falling onto her side as she watched. Finally, the song ended as Heidi calmed down, wiping a tear from her eyes. Cliffjumper sighed, looking over to see Bulkhead hurl it at Wheeljack. However, Wheeljack missed the catch, making the lob ball hit the top of his servos and spiral out of control to Ratchet.

“INCOMING!” Cliffjumper yelled as the lob ball flew up and smashed onto the base wall. It fell straight down towards the Groundbridge controls. Heidi looked up, yelping before rolling away from the controls. Ratchet jumped out of the way, covering himself just as the lob ball hit the groundbridge controls. The lob ball fell to the ground as the console sparked and fizzed with electricity and broken equipment. 

“YOU KNOW, I am attempting to perform sensitive calibrations here! Along with the fact there is a human here!” Ratchet yelled as he stood up. Heidi sighed as she got up, gathering her stuff. Cliffjumper walked over worried as Wheeljack went to get the lob ball, talking to Ratchet.

“You alright, little lady?”

“I’m fine. The worst I got is a bruise from rolling over.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper nodded, a small smile on as Heidi went to join the others. He turned to see Wheeljack walking over past Ratchet, looking at the groundbridge.

“You built this bridge from scratch, huh?” Wheeljack asked, stopping behind Ratchet. Cliffjumper, though it wasn’t his business, decided to eavesdrop on the conversation a bit. Just to hopefully resolve a hunch he had. Ratchet responded to Wheeljack, not turning away from the Groundbridge controls.

“I did.”

“That’s quite a feat of engineering,” Wheeljack said, looking at Ratchet. The look in his optics though threw Cliffjumper off a bit. It seemed a lot darker and colder than before. Ratchet, however, didn’t see as he stayed face away. However, the compliment did make him smirk a little. 

“Yes, it is.” 

“Something… wrong with it?” Wheeljack asked, suspiciously. 

“I didn’t care for the way it sounded this last jump. I put it in shut down.” Ratchet explained. Cliffjumper expected the conversation to be up and done then. He was about to walk off when Wheeljack spoke again, stopping him.

“What if you need to use it?” Wheeljack asked. Cliffjumper glanced over his shoulder at Wheeljack, suspicious. Why was he prying into it so much? And what was with the change of tone? Ratchet didn't notice though, shaking his helm.

“Oh, I can’t disrupt the defrag process without causing irreparable damage.” 

“So, uh…How long will the defrag take?” Wheeljack asked, turning to Ratchet fully. 

“A few hours… if we’re lucky. Maybe longer,” Ratchet said, turning to him sternly. With that, Wheeljack finally turned away and walked back to the others. Ratchet returned to his work, oblivious to Cliffjumper still. As Wheeljack walked by, Cliffjumper and he made eye contact, his cold gaze still there. Cliffjumper immediately broke it, turning away. Suspicion bubbled up inside as he thought about what just happened. Something was up with Wheeljack and Cliffjumper planned to find out.

“Woah, so what happened next?!” Miko chirped.

“Shush! He’s about to say it!” Heidi snapped. As the party continued, Bulkhead was now telling a story about Wheeljack and his time with the Wreckers. He stood turned away as the kids sat below nearby. Raf and Miko sat on a large cube as Jack and Heidi sat on the floor, leaning against said cube. The bots stood spread out around, listening eagerly as Bulkhead continued to tell the story.

“So there we were. No communication, Low on Energon, surrounded by cons! So what does Wheeljack do?!” Bulkhead chirped, turning to look at the kids below. He laughed then before turning to Wheeljack eagerly.

“Tell 'em, Jackie!” Everyone turned to Wheeljack then who sat on a part of another platform nearby. He paused, seemingly unsure before letting out an awkward chuckle.

“What I do best!” Wheeljack excused. Heidi thought it was a little strange but she was quickly distracted by Bulkhead chuckling and turning back to them.

“He chucks his only grenade smack into the primary heat exchanger!” Bulkhead said, acting as if they were throwing the grenade. Wheeljack immediately popped back in, seemingly remembering what Bulkhead was talking about.

“Yeah! Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“The join went supernova!” Bulkhead finished enthusiastically, throwing his arms up into the air above. Some of the others gasped softly in amazement as Miko grinned. 

“Awesome!” Miko chirped. Bulkhead chuckled again, looking down at the children again.

“Yeah, I’m still picking shrapnel out of my backside,” Bulkhead explained, scratching his backside. 

“I’m not surprised. Given the size of your backside.” Arcee teased. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee laughed at her comment as Bulkhead gave a knowing look. As the bots continued talking, Heidi couldn’t help noticing Wheeljack’s gaze be elsewhere. He was focused on Ratchet as he worked on the Groundbridge controls. Heidi found it a bit strange since he had seemed to be a bit lost since the Groundbridge broke. 

“There it is! Jackie’s signature. One grenade, one shot!” Bulkhead explained, coming next to Wheeljack and pointing at his side. After a moment of waiting, He looked to Wheeljack for an answer but he wasn’t listening. He just stared elsewhere, seemingly stuck in his head. 

“Hey, you alright?” Bulkhead asked, waving his servo in front of Wheeljack’s face. Finally, Wheeljack seemed to snap out of it, turning to look at Bulkhead.

“What?”

“You don’t seem like yourself,” Bulkhead said, worried as he stood up. Wheeljack stood up as well then, looking at Bulkhead, curious but also a bit annoyed possibly. It surprised Heidi.

“What do you mean?” Wheeljack asked, seemingly offended. Bulkhead was surprised by this, shaking his helm softly.

“You know, you seem…quiet,” Bulkhead explained. Wheeljack paused, pondering his thoughts before letting out a tired grunt.

“I’ve been stuck in a can too long. I should go topside before I get stir-crazy,” Wheeljack explained. 

“Not a bad idea. Bulk, don’t you have patrol sometime tomorrow?” Heidi said, looking up at Bulkhead curiously. Bulkhead smiled, nodding as he looked back to Wheeljack.

“Yeah! I have patrol in the morning. You can come with me!” Bulkhead chirped. Wheeljack smirked, looking back at the exit tunnel.

“Let’s go now.”

“And break up the party?! Come on! The gangs love you! You gotta tell them about the battle of Dark Mount Pass!” Bulkhead said eagerly. Heidi and the other kids looked up at Wheeljack eagerly but Heidi swore she saw a dark glint in his eyes for a moment. 

“You tell them! You’re better at it…” Wheeljack explained, turning to look at the kids. Heidi felt a dark feeling crawl up her spine as she unnoticeably scooched closer to Jack. Something was wrong. Cliffjumper noticed her uneasiness, stepping a bit closer as Wheeljack’s gaze finally landed on Miko. 

“How bout if Miko here shows me the rest of your base?” Wheeljack asked. Miko smirked confidently, looking at Bulkhead. He paused before smiling and turning to Wheeljack awkwardly.

“Well, yeah! Sure, Jackie. Heh, Go ahead!” Bulkhead said. 

“Tour starts now!” Miko said as she jumped onto her feet. She quickly began walking ahead as she rattled off her hundred questions to Wheeljack. Everyone watched them leave into one of the hallways as the other kids got up. Heidi walked over to Cliffjumper, her gaze continuously checking the hallway Wheeljack and Miko went in.

“You sense it too, don’t you, Little lady?” Cliffjumper said, his voice low. They looked into the hallway, keeping an eye on it as they spoke.

“That somethings not right? Yeah, I do…I wish I didn’t.” Heidi said, feeling guilty. 

“I do too but… something about him just seems-” 

“Off. Like he’s-” 

“Hiding something.” Cliffjumper and Heidi said simultaneously. They looked at each other, surprised before chuckling a bit. After calming down, they turned back to look at the hallway with their smiles vanishing.

“Do we tell Bulk?” Heidi asked, unsure. Cliffjumper glanced at her, also unsure. He didn’t wanna spoil Bulkhead’s happiness because of a hunch. Maybe Wheeljack was still getting used to being with others again or something. However, before either could speak, another voice spoke into the conversation. 

“You don’t have to.” Both turned, startled to see Bulkhead right next to them. Cliffjumper stood straight up as Heidi scratched the back of her head. Both of them felt guilt plague them as they tried to explain.

“Sorry, Bulk. We’re probably just being overly cautious or something.” Cliffjumper explained. Bulkhead shook his helm though, turning back to see the tunnel.

“No, I’ve noticed it too. I’m just glad I’m not the only one to see something off with him.” Bulkhead explained, a bit saddened at the end. Heidi and Cliffjumper glanced at each other before Heidi ran up to Bulkhead’s ped. She placed her hand on it comfortingly as she spoke.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions, Bulk. We could still be wrong.” Heidi said. Bulkhead hummed, nodding as Arcee and Bumblebee walked over. As the bots began talking, Heidi walked over to the two boys heading her way.

“What's going on?” Jack asked, looking to see Bulkhead and Cliffjumper talk to Arcee and Bumblebee. Heidi glanced back at them before turning back to them with a small smile. 

“Just… checking a hunch. Be careful around Wheeljack though.”

“Why?”

“Just in case, alright? Things may not be what they seem.” Heidi explained. Jack and Raf looked at her confused as she turned back to the bots. The boys joined her side, listening to them talk as Bulkhead and Cliffjumper tried to explain their theories. For a while, the bots went back and forth on the topic of Wheeljack. 

“Look, I know Wheeljack better than anyone,” Bulkhead explained, about to continue when Wheeljack and Miko came back into the room. 

“Hey, What are you guys talking about?” Wheeljack asked as he and Miko walked over to the group. Heidi took Raf’s arm, taking him closer to Cliffjumper as the bots talked. Jack followed as he signaled Miko to come over. However, she shook her head while giving them a weird look. Meanwhile, Bulkhead turned to Wheeljack as he explained.

“I was just telling the guys all about you and me. At the battle of Dark Mount Pass?” Bulkhead said, trying to tug at Wheeljacks memory. Wheeljack smirked, stopping in front of him as he spoke.

“That’s a heck of a story.”

“Yep! Tell it. ” Bulkhead snapped. This surprised everyone but Miko who just brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Talk. Talk. Talk. How bout after we go off-roading?” Miko suggested. Bulkhead turned to her, putting his servo up as she gasped, offended. 

“Miko, stay out of this!” Bulkhead ordered sternly. Heidi could see the angered but slightly hurt look on Miko’s face. With that, Miko finally went to the other kid's side. Heidi comforted her while Arcee tried to calm down Bulkhead.

“Bulkhead! Easy,” Arcee said softly. 

“I’m not sure I’d-”

“Tell it!” Bulkhead snapped, interrupting Wheeljack. There was silence for a moment as Bulkhead and Wheeljack glared at each other. The tension made it feel like it was forever though. Finally, Wheeljack gave in to Bulkhead begrudgingly.

“Fine. If you wanna live in the past Bulkhead…” Wheeljack growled, turning to look at the kids. The kids looked at each other nervously before finally turning to Wheeljack fully. Wheeljack then began telling the story as everyone listened closely.

“The Wreckers were trapped between a Decepticon patrol and the smelting pit. The cons were vicious, bearing down on us with everything they had. Me and Bulkhead engaged the enemy. Left them for scrap. Then I made us a way out using their backsides as stepping stones to cross the molten metal.” Wheeljack explained with a smirk. He then turned to Bulkhead who seemed slightly surprised.

“Isn’t that how it happened?” Wheeljack asked.

“Yeah, that’s exactly how it happened…Except for one little thing. I wasn’t there.” Heidi gasped, turning to see Wheeljack’s shock. Everyone turned to Bulkhead confused/surprised while Bulkhead's surprise had been replaced with a dark glare on Wheeljack. Or who they thought was Wheeljack. Wheeljack gritted his denta as Cliffjumper unnoticeably activated his cannons.

“I’d already left the Wreckers to join up with Optimus. But you wouldn’t know that if all you did was access Wheeljack’s public service record.” Bulkhead growled, stepping up to the imposter. All the kids began to back up slowly with Heidi pushing them back but Miko didn’t get the hint yet, walking up.

“Bulkhead, What does that have to do with- WAH!” Miko shrieked. Out of reflex, Heidi ran forward to grab Miko’s hand as the imposter grabbed her but it was too late. The imposter Wheeljack had her in tight in his servo as he speedily stood up.

“MIKO!” Bulkhead yelled as Imposter Wheeljack pushed through the other bots. Heidi gasped as She felt Jack grab her and pull her out of the way of the Imposter's path. He ran past the bots, placing himself between Ratchet and them. All the bots followed, Cliffjumper aiming his cannons as the imposter spoke, his voice more raspy than before.

“Stay back! Or I’ll squeeze her in the pulp.” the imposter threatened, holding up a struggling Miko in his grip. Cliffjumper got in front of the kids then, putting his ped in between them and the imposter.

“You guys stay back,” Cliffjumper whispered. Heidi paused before nodding, taking a few steps back with the other kids. Heidi then noticed Miko still confused as she turned to Wheeljack, panicked.

“Wheeljack! What are you doing?!” Miko asked.

“Decepticon coward! Let the girl go and FACE ME!” Bulkhead snarled. The imposter smirked, the dark look in his eyes returning from all the times before. Cliffjumper knew he should’ve said something sooner or at least blasted him when they found out.

“Don’t fret. Plenty of fighting to come.” the imposter explained, cunningly. Heidi didn’t like the sound of that, humming nervously as a confused Jack spoke up.

“Is there a real Wheeljack?!” The imposter looked at them then with a proud smirk.

“Oh indeed. And I expect Lord Starscream is making sport of him.” The imposter explained. Cliffjumper noticed the worried expression that had come over Bulkhead’s faceplates for a moment as he thought about his friend. However, it was quickly changed to a glare as they looked back at the imposter.

The imposter slowly began making his way to the Groundbridge controls then as everyone watched warily. Ratchet backed up, keeping his servos high as the imposter typed on it. Heidi glanced up at Cliffjumper worried as he kept his eyes on Wheeljack, waiting for the right time. 

“Cliff, can’t you get a shot?” Arcee whispered. 

“Too risky. Ratchet and Miko are too close. Even if I do get a shot, Miko might go flying out of the con’s hands, and with no one to catch her…”

“Shut it!” The imposter ordered. Cliffjumper and Arcee gasped softly before growling a bit at the imposter. The imposter hummed before continuing to type in the Groundbridge. A psst! Caught Cliffjumper’s attention then, making him look down. Heidi showed her phone behind her back, giving a curious look. 

Cliffjumper knew what Heidi was thinking. She wanted to call Optimus or someone for help. However, he knew Optimus or anyone else was likely too far away to get back here in time. With that, he shook his helm with a hum.

“OI! What’s going on over there?” the imposter snapped. All eyes went to Heidi and Cliffjumper as Heidi quickly stashed her phone away. She stayed quiet as she and the imposter glared at each other. After a tense moment, the imposter seemed to recognize her with a smirk.

“Oh, I know who you are. Lord Starscream will be pleased to get his claws on you again.” the imposter said. Heidi was a little frightened by that but pushed it down. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper stepped his ped in between her and the impostor’s gaze with a growl.

“Watch it, con,” The imposter was about to say something when the Groundbridge controls beeped. He turned back to it with a grin as he read over the diagnostics. The Groundbridge was ready for use.

“About time!” the imposter said as he pulled the switch. He then began slowly backing up towards the vortex, keeping himself between the Groundbridge and the Autobots. The bots slowly advanced as the kids stayed close behind them. Miko continued her struggles, grunting and moving around to get loose. The imposter looked at her with a grin as he triumphantly spoke.

“Let’s get this party started!” Everyone expected an army of Decepticons to come racing through the vortex at any moment. However, what came out next surprised everyone. In mid-air, a bot who looked exactly like the imposter came flying out of the vortex with two katanas in hand. He kicked the imposter forward and landed on the ground.

Everything felt as if it were in slow motion as the imposter’s body launched forward and Miko went flying out of his servo. She went straight towards Bulkhead who, thankfully, caught her in his servo before she hit the ground. Meanwhile, the imposter went flying into a platform wall, falling unconscious as soon as he hit it. Bulkhead quickly lowered Miko down as the kids went to her side.

“Miko! Are you alright?!” Heidi asked, worried. Miko paused, looking herself over before giving a thumbs up. Everyone then turned to see another Wheeljack kneeling on the floor. The kids looked up at Bulkhead, unsure, before he nodded and allowed them to go to the other Wheeljack. Heidi guessed this one was the real one. Wheeljack looked down at the humans before standing up as he sheathed his blades.

“I’d shut that hole before the stink comes through,” Wheeljack said. Immediately, Ratchet went to the controls and shut down the Groundbridge. Little did they know, the imposter had got up. He activated his battle mask, taking his katanas out and aiming them at Wheeljack. Wheeljack followed, taking his katanas back out and readying himself for battle. 

“Whoa! Stand back. This could get messy.” Heidi said, pushing the kids back and away from the two Wheeljacks. Some of the bots backed up as well as the two Wheeljacks began circling each other. Like two predators about to engage in a fight to the death. Bulkhead slammed his fists together, about to attack the imposter when Wheeljack held his blade up to stop him.

“Ugly’s mine,” Wheeljack explained. Bulkhead backed up, glancing at the others who returned worried/unsure glances. Cliffjumper, however, smirked as he deactivated his cannons and crossed his arms. 

“This is gonna be good.” Cliffjumper chuckled, softly. The kids glanced at him as Miko laughed a bit, nodding excitedly. However, Heidi and Jack made sure to keep Miko far away from the battle. Just in case the imposter decided to do another snatch with her.

Finally, the two Wheeljacks stopped and lunged towards each other. A fast and epic sword battle commenced between the two as everyone watched. It didn’t take long for Heidi to lose track of the real Wheeljack. The other kids faired no different apparently.

“Which one is the real Wheeljack?” Raf asked, adjusting his glasses. Miko stuttered, her pointed finger switching between the two as she tried to figure out which one was which. 

“U-U-Uh! I lost track!” Miko said.

“If Wheeljack is as good as Bulk says he is, then whoever wins is the real one!” Heidi explained, backing up with the other kids as the battle came closer. The battle then backed up again, near the console controls. One of the Wheeljacks knocked one of the other’s katanas out of his servo. That Wheeljack responded by hitting one of the other Wheeljack’s katanas out of his hand as well. He then grabbed the last Katana from the other, pulling him close and then smashing his knee into the other's chest. The last katana went flying as they did with the other Wheeljack grabbing it before landing. As the other Wheeljack stood dazed, Wheeljack smashed a punch into it, knocking him to the ground. Heidi smirked as the still-standing Wheeljack held a katana at the imposter's throat.

“Looks like we have a winner.” Heidi chirped, assuming the winner was the real Wheeljack. Bulkhead smirked as he looked back at Bumblebee and Arcee knowingly.

“That’s my Jackie,” Bulkhead commented.

“Let’s hope so, Bulk.” Cliffjumper teased. The bots then turned to see Wheeljack sheath his katanas on his back. His battle mask deactivated then, revealing his stern expression. It was identical to the imposter but the look in his eyes made Cliffjumper trust him much more than he did the impostor. Wheeljack then turned to Ratchet as Ratchet stepped up next to him.

“You. Hit the switch.” Wheeljack ordered. Ratchet nodded, glancing at the imposter before turning back to the controls. He began typing as Bulkhead walked up to Wheeljacks side.

“It’s time to take out the trash… All yours, buddy,” Wheeljack said, looking at Bulkhead before backing up. Bulkhead then bent down and picked the impostor's body up from the ground. He held it above his helm as he walked towards the Groundbridge. The vortex opened as Bulkhead looked through it. Bulkhead paused before beginning to spin around with the impostor in servos. Finally, he through the impostor's body through the vortex, quicker than the eye could see.

“Woah!” some of the kids chirped in awe. The vortex quickly disappeared after as Wheeljack walked up next to Bulkhead with a smirk.

“Nice lob,” Wheeljack complimented. Heidi felt herself sigh in relief as she leaned on Cliffjumper’s ped. Cliffjumper glanced down at her, chuckling a bit. He didn’t blame her though. After everything that happened, he was glad everything was back to normal. Well, somewhat at least.

It was morning at the Autobot Base but everyone was still buzzing. Everyone was celebrating the real Wheeljack’s return along with defeating the Decepticons. Miko played her electric guitar as Jack, Raf, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee danced along. Arcee watched, amused by the activity while a grumpy Ratchet worked on something elsewhere. During that, Bulkhead, Heidi, and Optimus talk about the previous night's events. Just then, Wheeljack walked up and Bulkhead immediately turned to him.

“Now that you’re part of Team Prime, We need to pick out a vehicle mode for you. Heidi gave me some options and I have some ideas too.” Bulkhead said, nudging Wheeljack eagerly. Heidi stepped up, about to name some ideas when Wheeljack spoke.

“Uh, about that, Bulk. Now that my ship’s repaired, I’m itching to know…what else is out there.” Wheeljack explained. Heidi was surprised by this, unsure if she should be annoyed or sad. Suddenly, a voice spoke up from behind her.

“Wait, you’re leaving?! Why?!” Heidi turned to see Miko, Jack, and Raf walk up next to her. The other bots joined the group too, equally confused about why Wheeljack wasn’t staying. Wheeljack looked down at the kids, looking a bit guilty when Bulkhead caught everyone’s attention then.

“Well…Because some bots never change.” Bulkhead said, chuckling a bit. Wheeljack smiled gratefully as Optimus stepped up. Heidi sighed as she stepped back with the others and Optimus spoke.

“Wheeljack. Know that you always have a haven here.” Optimus explained. Wheeljack nodded as Bulkhead suddenly slapped him on the back.

“Jackie never stays… but he always comes back,” Bulkhead said, pulling him into a side hug as he did. Heidi smiled, cooing softly at the two bots as they fist-bumped. They really did act like caring brothers. It was too bad that Wheeljack had to leave.

Soon enough, just like Wheeljack said, it was time to say goodbye. The kids and their guardians all gathered together at the spot where Wheeljack’s ship first landed to wish him farewell. The kids stood together with Arcee, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper while Bulkhead and Wheeljack stood together. Everyone watched the Groundbridge vortex they came in disappear then before turning to Wheeljack. 

“There’s room for two, Bulk. Even with a backside like yours!” Wheeljack explained, teasing at the end. Bulkhead turned to him surprised as Wheeljack continued.

“Who knows who we might find out there. Some of the old crew?” Wheeljack said. Bulkhead did seem tempted, looking back at the others and the children. Miko looked away, a bit saddened and nervous. The boys comforted her while Heidi just smiled softly. She wasn’t worried. She knew Bulkhead and because of that, she had a hunch on what his answer would be. After a moment, Bulkhead laughed a bit before turning back to Wheeljack.

“It sounds like fun, Jackie but my ties are here now. With them. With her. ” Bulkhead said, looking back at his charge. Heidi's smile grew as she saw Miko light up in excitement. Wheeljack understood thankfully, nodding and turning to Miko.

“If anything happens to my favorite Wrecker, I’m coming after you.” Wheeljack teased. Miko grinned as she began taking out her phone.

“I’ll take good care of him. Now…” Miko began, whipping out her phone then and pointing it at the two Wreckers. 

“Say cheese,” Miko said, winking before snapping a picture of the two. Wheeljack looked at Bulkhead confused as Bulkhead chuckled. Miko showed the photo to the other kids proudly as the bots said their last goodbyes to Wheeljack. 

“Ooh! That’s a keeper, Miko.” Heidi said. Miko giggled, nodding as she put away her phone. Finally, after a few more goodbyes and banter from the bots, Wheeljack entered his ship. Everyone waved goodbye as the ship started up, hovering above the ground and making sand fly up. Everyone covered their eyes as the ship continued to power up. Soon, it zoomed into the sky and out of view as everyone waved.

Once everyone was sure he was gone, Arcee called Ratchet for a groundbridge. The vortex appeared soon after and one by one, the bots and their charges walked through and back to base. Heidi paused, continuing to look out into the sky when Cliffjumper placed his servo down beside her.

“You alright, Little lady?” Cliffjumper asked. 

“Yeah, It’s just too bad we don’t have another bot joining the team. We could use all the help we could get here.” Heidi explained, stepping onto Cliffjumper’s servo. Cliffjumper hummed, nodding as he stood up.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. We’re doing okay right now. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing Wheeljack again soon. Like Bulk said, he may not stay but he’ll always come back.” Cliffjumper explained. Heidi chuckled, nodding as the two looked out at the auburn morning sky. Cliffjumper was right. They would be okay. Just gotta keep going like they did before. Who knows? Maybe they’ll meet another bot in the future.

Chapter Text

“PRIME!? PRIME!” Agent Fowler yelled through the call. It had been a peaceful day at the Autobot Base until an angry Agent Fowler called in. Heidi and the other kids stood on a platform high above the console, watching as Ratchet dealt with the angry Agent Fowler.  Finally, Optimus joined the group with Arcee close behind. 

“Special Agent Fowler, to what do we owe-”

“What else?! Cons! I chased them off with some hard ordnance but not before they BLEW ME OUT OF THE SKY!” Agent Fowler explained. 

“Again?” Miko said, snickering as the boys gave her a knowing look. Heidi groaned as she leaned on the yellow railings. The conversation continued as Agent Fowler continued his rant about what had happened.

“They tried to smash and grab for the D.I.N.G.U.S.” Agent Fowler explained. 

“Huh?” Jack said, confused. What the heck was he talking about? All the kids turned to Heidi, hoping for an explanation. However, Heidi just shrugged, just as confused as they were. Heidi was pretty sure she would’ve remembered something named D.I.N.G.U.S. 

“The what’s-it?” Arcee said, just as confused as the others. Agent Fowler noticed this, calming down a little bit as he explained.

“Dynamic Nuclear Generation System. A.k.a. D.I.N.G.U.S.” Agent Fowler then pressed a button beyond the camera’s view. The screen then changed to show a photo of a large crate as Agent Fowler explained.

“It’s a prototype energy source I’m porting to the coast for testing.” Agent Fowler explained. Agent Fowler’s screen switched back to him as Heidi hummed, intrigued by such a thing. Why would the Decepticons want something like that? Ratchet, however, was less intrigued as he scoffed. 

“That’s absurd. Why would Starscream bother with such primitive technology?” 

“I’m guessing to make a big fat 'primitive' weapon of mass destruction! If this baby were to melt down, it would irradiate this state and the four next door.” Agent Fowler explained. Heidi was surprised by this, gulping down nervously. 

“Uh, did Agent Fowler say which state he was currently in?” Raf asked, nervously. Heidi took his shoulder reassuringly as the kids turned back to the screen. 

“I’m a sitting duck here, Prime. I need you to spin up your bridge and send the D.I.N.G.U.S. to its destination before the cons come back for it.” Agent Fowler said. Heidi immediately shook her head, knowing it was a bad idea. Sending such a weapon through a groundbridge was way too risky!

“Oh, no. Nope. Bad idea.” 

“I’m afraid that sending such a volatile device through a groundbridge is out of the question. If there were to be an accident during its transmission, the radiation of which you speak could propagate through the groundbridge vortex and harm all fifty states. And beyond.” Optimus explained. Agent Fowler paused, looking down for a moment with a sigh.

“You got any better ideas?” Agent Fowler asked. Optimus paused, thinking it over before seemingly getting an idea. Heidi watched curiously as Optimus explained his idea to Agent Fowler. After hearing it, a smile came on her face as she and the kids began making their way down from the platform above.

It was a beautiful day in the mountains around where Agent Fowler’s jet crashed. Optimus, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper sat in their vehicle forms. Optimus had a large trailer attached to him while Agent Fowler sat inside Optimus's vehicle form. Inside, along with a little extra protection, was the D.I.N.G.U.S. It was ready to be transported. 

Meanwhile, back at base, Ratchet worked at the console while most of the children watched from a platform on top. Heidi sat at the computer platform, typing on the computer. Optimus had charged her with the job of watching the communications and being there if they needed something. After a moment, all the bot's pictures appeared lined up on the screen with audio next to them. 

“Alright. We’re online!” Heidi said, giving a thumbs up to the others behind. Ratchet hummed, nodding as Heidi turned back to the computer. Just as she did, she overheard Agent Fowler huff through Optimus’s comlink.

“It’s gonna be a long trip.” Agent Fowler grumbled.

“You’ll live, Fowler. But y'all better get going if you wanna reach the rendezvous point on time.” Heidi explained.

“Understood. Autobots, Roll out!” Optimus ordered. Immediately, the sound of car engines echoed through the background of the comlinks. Soon, the signals moved away from the sight and onto a road. Optimus seemed to be in front with Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead following behind. Soon, Ratchet’s screen lit up again with their signals.

“We are locked onto your coordinates, Optimus. Barring any complications, you should reach the drop-off point by sundown.” Ratchet explained. Meanwhile, back with the bots, Optimus’s horn was going ballistic. This surprised the bots as no one heard Optimus beep at anyone. Meanwhile, Agent Fowler was losing his cool at an old white pickup truck in front of them on the road. Even after the slow driver in front of them pulled to the side, Agent Fowler didn’t stop until Optimus spoke.

“Agent Fowler, is that really necessary?” Agent Fowler stopped, turning to look at Optimus’s dashboard.

“Ah, don’t tell me you’re one of those textbook drivers.” Agent Fowler said, huffing as he took his hands off the wheel.

“Boundaries, Fowler. Let Optimus drive in peace.” Heidi snapped through the comlink. Agent Fowler grumbled but complied then. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper and Bumblebee were talking in the back about something when Optimus spoke up in the comlink.

“Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, for maximum safety of the device, I believe it would be best for one of you to join me in the front,” Optimus explained. Bumblebee buzzed and whirred curiously to Cliffjumper who laughed a bit.

“HA! Sure, Bee. Go ahead. I’ll stay back with the old wrecker here in case he needs help. Primus knows he might. Ain’t that right, Bulk?” Cliffjumper said, teasingly. Bumblebee buzzed a bit, snickering as Bulkhead chuckled at the comment.

“Whatever, Cliff. Like watching the team’s rearview is that hard.” Bulkhead said sarcastically. Cliffjumper laughed as Bumblebee drove to the side and past the large trailer. He then merged in the same lane as Optimus, staying in front of him. Meanwhile, Heidi continued to listen to the chatter through the comlink.

“You know… You’re saving my bacon here, Prime.” Agent Fowler said, coming from Optimus's comlink. Heidi smiled, glad he seemed to be in a nicer mood now. 

“At least someone’s in a better mood,” Heidi mumbled to herself.

“I am proud to be of service,” Optimus said, appreciating the praise.

“Course, not like I’d need your help if you and the cons had stuck to tearing up your own corner of the galaxy.” Agent Fowler snapped. Heidi’s smile quickly turned into a frown as she sighed. He may not be wrong but did he have to bring it up?

“Spoke too soon,” Heidi mumbled. She was about to snap back at Agent Fowler when Optimus got to it first.

“Are you suggesting that no evil existed in your world before we arrived?” Optimus said. Heidi snorted a bit, surprised before laughing softly at the remark. Agent Fowler paused, surprised by the comeback before stuttering a reply.

“W-Well, it was a…different evil.” 

“Not that different.” Heidi chirped teasingly. 

“Can it, Heidi! Anyway, how bout some radio? You seem like a “Nashville” sound kind of guy.” Agent Fowler said, changing the subject. Heidi only rolled her eyes, a small smirk coming onto her face. Back with the bots, Everything seemed pretty okay as nothing had happened yet. However, little did they know that it was all about to change.

Cliffjumper was the first to notice the sound of helicopter blades coming from above them. He turned his rearview mirror to the sky to see what it was. High in the sky, a dark green helicopter was flying above them. Cliffjumper got a bad feeling and quickly alerted the team.

“Uh, guys? I think we’ve got a tail in the sky.” Cliffjumper explained. Immediately, everyone adjusted their rearviews and saw it as well. Agent Fowler looked into Optimus’s mirror and seemed to recognize the helicopter, anger returning.

“That’s the one! The con who shot me down! Who is he?! Wingnut?! Dingbat?! SKYGUY?!” Agent Fowler snapped. The comlink came to life again then as Bulkhead’s voice came through.

“Watch your rearviews!” Bulkhead explained. Everyone looked behind them to see multiple identical green and black cars drive up beside them. They stayed next to Bulkhead and Cliffjumper, keeping them in a tighter formation than before. Back at Base, Heidi was confused and a bit worried about what she was hearing.

“What’s going on, guys?” Heidi asked. 

“Some bogies just came and surrounded Cliff and me. Feeling a bit constricted without the use of my fists here, boss.” Bulkhead explained. Optimus quickly spoke up in the comlink, reminding the bots of their mission and their cover. 

“Remain in vehicular mode unless absolutely necessary,” Optimus ordered. After a moment, Agent Fowler spoke up again through Optimus’s comlink.

“A whole team of cons!” Agent Fowler snapped. Heidi turned to look at Ratchet and the screen, hoping for an explanation. However, There was nothing other than the bot’s signals on the screen. 

“What?! I’m not picking up anything!” Ratchet snapped. 

“Maybe They’re using some type of cloaking technology. Like on the warship!” Heidi suggested. Ratchet hummed, nodding as he continued to look into it. Meanwhile, the bots continued holding their cover and didn’t do anything to the cars yet. No one was sure if they were Decepticons, especially with the weird paint jobs. One of the green cars pulled up then, past Optimus and in front of Bumblebee. Bumblebee tried to get past them but he couldn’t. The car just blocked him every time he tried to get in front.

Once it did that, Cliffjumper noticed another green car pull up beside Optimus. The bots expected the car to speak and reveal they were Decepticons. However, instead of a voice, the roof of the car opened, and a human in a green army suit and gas mask popped out, aiming a gun at Agent Fowler.

“Pull over!” The man said. 

“Well, I’ll be dipped!” Agent Fowler gasped, shocked by what he had just seen. He wasn’t the only one surprised. Clffjumper saw it all from the back. Meanwhile, Raf and Heidi sat together now, watching and listening to communications at the base. They glanced at each other as Cliffjumper spoke through the comlink.

“Didn’t see that coming,”

“Our Assailants are not Decepticons. They are human.” Optimus explained. 

“Human!?” Ratchet and the kids said simultaneously. Miko quickly scoffed after though, a hand on her hip.

“Please. Taking on our bots? They’re road kill!” Miko chirped. 

“I don’t know, Miko. Something tells me these are no ordinary humans. Cliff, give me a description of the cars and humans.” Heidi said. Immediately, Cliffjumper gave a short description as Heidi typed it down. She was growing suspicious of them but for some reason, after the description, she felt something… familiar with it. Though she couldn’t place her finger on it.

The bots continued to keep up their cover, having not caused any damage yet. However, Cliffjumper was growing wary of them. Suddenly, one of the soldiers in the green cars started activating his gun. Immediately, Optimus rammed him to the side, causing the soldier to fall back as he shot the gun. An explosion happened as he ducked into the car and the car sped back on accident.

“Who are these guys?! Heidi?” Agent Fowler snapped through the comlink.

“No idea, Fowler! Raf and I can’t find anything. Nothing matches the description except for the U.S. Army. You need to get rid of them fast though! You need to be at the rendezvous point in fifteen minutes.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper growled softly as Optimus quickly gave out the orders.

“Autobots, Maintain your cover. And apply minimal force. Disarmament only.” Optimus ordered. Another green car began pulling up next to Optimus on the other side of Optimus. 

“Bee! Bogey coming up on the right!” Cliffjumper said. Immediately, Bumblebee moved in front of the car and backed up into it. The green car quickly recovered, about to move past Bumblebee. However, Bumblebee quickly rammed his side into the car. The green car spun out of control before flipping over. Cliffjumper saw it all, re-adjusting his rearview mirror with a chuckle.

“Nice, Bee!” Cliffjumper chirped. Bumblebee buzzed in gratitude before quickly moving up to take the lead in front of Optimus once again. The green cars continued to follow with the green helicopter above. Cliffjumper kept an eye on it, convinced the ringleader of this was in there. But what kind of humans were these guys?

Heidi and the others were back at the base, watching the signals on the monitors. Raf and the other kids stayed near Heidi, watching her keep an eye on the comlink. Ratchet worked at the console, giving directions to Optimus and everyone else. Suddenly, a new voice broke through the computer.

“I do hope you take better care of the D.I.N.G.U.S. than you do your captives.” A raspy voice said. It wasn’t from the comlink so it must be from Agent Fowler’s walkie-talkie. Heidi paused, surprised by the voice. Who the heck was that? Out of reflex, she quickly began recording the conversation as Agent Fowler spoke up, snapping at the voice.

“Special Agent William Fowler here. Identify yourself!”

“I am Silas. But of greater consequence to you, We are MECH.” The voice, Silas, snapped. Heidi looked to Raf who was already researching about them on multiple different databases. Good and Bad. Meanwhile, Heidi listened carefully to the conversation, trying to get as much information as possible.

“Fair Warning. We will be helping ourselves to your device. Even if it means inflicting casualties.” Silas growled. 

“Is that so? Tell me, “SI.” What’s the market price for a D.I.N.G.U.S. these days?” 

“What makes you think we intend to sell it, Agent Fowler?” Silas said. At that, Heidi realized what the true intention here for the weapon was. It wasn’t for money. It was likely to be used for their own plans, likely bargaining or something worse. Heidi didn’t wanna find out though.

“There’s a war brewing. Between the new world order and the newest. The victor… will be the side armed with the most innovative technology.” Silas finished. Heidi stopped recording and saved the file onto the computer.

“Let’s hope that’ll help.”

Back with the bots, Cliffjumper and Bulkhead were still stuck between the green cars. They couldn’t get out of the formation without transforming so they were stuck. Cliffjumper hated it, wanting to ram them to the side but he knew better than to do that since they were outnumbered. One of the green cars headed up in front of them and behind the trailer. Another human popped out from the roof, holding a gun.

“Arcee, you’re about to have some bad company!” Cliffjumper said in the comlink.

“Copy. Don’t worry, I got this.” Arcee said. Just as she finished, BAM! A huge explosion was heard from the trailer attached to Optimus. Cliffjumper and Bulkhead watched as the trailer opened with a bit of smoke. The human then began to climb onto the green car, getting ready to jump in. Agent Fowler then spoke up through the walkie-talkie into the comlink, a snarky attitude on.

“So, Si, You think MECH has all the most radical tech?” Agent Fowler teased. Immediately, Arcee jumped out of the back of Optimus’s trailer, landing on a green car behind the trailer. The human and the car spun out of control as Arcee landed on the pavement. The car spun back, hitting another car before flipping over and exploding. Arcee, Bulkhead, and Cliffjumper then drove up to keep up with Optimus. Arcee joined Bumblebee in the front as Cliffjumper laughed triumphantly.

“HAHA! Nice one, Partner!” Cliffjumper chirped. Meanwhile, Heidi cheered a bit at the enthusiasm, glad they got a win. Agent Fowler was proud as ever for the win. Maybe a bit over-confident if you asked Heidi.

“Later, Si.” Agent Fowler said. 

“Agent Fowler, Do not take your “Silas” Lightly. Megatron preached the very same ideology before plunging Cybertron into the great war that destroyed our world.” Optimus explained. Heidi hummed before getting a notification on the computer. She looked at it before turning to Ratchet.

“Ratchet! They're closing in on the rendezvous point. It should be on time as scheduled.” Heidi said. Ratchet glanced at her before turning back to the comlink.

“Optimus! It’s time to initiate phase two. Five miles ahead to the south, you will reach the rendezvous point.” Ratchet said. Heidi then continued working on the communications. However, her mind kept going back to MECH. She didn’t know why but something about them was familiar. She just wished she knew why.

Soon, The Autobots made it to the rendezvous point. A train moved quickly down the railroad between two mountains. On the side of one mountain, a road followed the track. The Autobots drove down that road, Bulkhead and Cliffjumper behind still as Arcee and Bumblebee drove in front of Optimus. However, MECH was also still following behind in the green cars still left. 

“You should see the rendezvous point now.” Heidi chirped through the comlink. Agent Fowler saw it, watching the train. 

“Yup. There’s our destination point.” Agent Fowler said, gesturing to the train. Soon, two tunnels that lead into the mountain came into view. One for the road and one for the train. Seeing that, Optimus was quick to give out the orders.

“Autobots. Keep a tight Formation.” Immediately, Arcee drove off the road, and everyone else followed behind. They came next to the train, following it as it headed into the tunnel. However, the MECH cars were quick to follow as well. Cliffjumper and Bulkhead noticed this, comlinking each other.

“Bulk, You thinking what I’m thinking?” 

“Let’s do it, Cliff!” Bulkhead chirped. As soon as they entered the tunnel, the two bots transformed and activated their cannons. They blasted the ceiling of the tunnel entrance, causing rocks to pile up in front of it. The MECH cars screeched to a halt, unable to follow. Bulkhead and Cliffjumper smirked, fist-bumping each other before transforming and catching up to the others.

“Alright! Now or never, you guys!” Heidi said through the comlink as the two mechs caught up. Arcee was already back inside Optimus’s trailer with the D.I.N.G.U.S. while Bumblebee drove behind. Cliffjumper drove up beside the trailer then as he spoke.

“You heard the Little Lady! Let’s do this thing!” Cliffjumper chirped. Immediately, Bumblebee transformed, jumping onto one of the train’s box cars. He knocked on it and immediately, a human in army clothes opened the door. Bumblebee waved as Bulkhead transformed and jumped onto the box car with Bumblebee, laying on his tank to reach. 

Optimus’s trailer was deactivated then, and the walls and ceiling disappeared to the side. Cliffjumper jumped onto the trailer floor with Arcee, helping her carry the device off the trailer and into Bulkhead’s servos. Bulkhead then handed it to Bumblebee who slid the device inside, making sure to be extra careful. 

“And…Done! Let’s ride!” Cliffjumper chirped, jumping off Optimus’s trailer and transforming into his vehicle form. The others followed, all of them quickly jumping off and transforming. The trailer returned to how it was before as they returned to their original formation. Soon, they exited the tunnel. They quickly parted ways with the train, heading down a different way.

Suddenly, Just as they were about to call for a groundbridge, the sound of jets filled the skies above them. Everyone looked to see multiple purple jets come up next to the helicopter above. However, they quickly passed it and headed straight towards them.

“Air support? Ours or theirs?” Agent Fowler asked, confused. The comlink crackled for a minute before Heidi spoke up, panicked.

“Neither!” 

“Optimus, you have company!” Ratchet said. Immediately, the bots knew who it was. The Decepticons. The purple jets flew up, coming into a formation in the sky. The Decepticons then fired missiles at the bots before falling back. 

“INCOMING! Bare right!” Cliffjumper snapped. Immediately, the bots did a sharp turn, so sharp that the trailer broke off Optimus. The bots didn’t care though since it was empty. They quickly drove away as the missiles hit the trailer. The trailer exploded into a fiery blaze, lighting up the canyon.

“Welp, there goes the trailer,” Cliffjumper commented. However, the Decepticons didn’t stop and continued coming after them. Soon, the bots came to the edge of a cliff, swerving around and stopping with their backs to it. The Decepticons arrived with them, transforming mid-air and landing on the ground in front of them. Now, a whole squad of Decepticon foot soldiers stood ready to fight. 

“Agent Fowler, I’m afraid that if you and we are to survive… It has become absolutely necessary to drop our cover.” Optimus said, transforming with Agent Fowler in servo after. Cliffjumper cheered, quickly transforming with his teammates. 

“Finally. Been itching for a good fight.” Cliffjumper chirped as Bulkhead and the others walked up next to him.

“You and me both, Cliff. After a long road trip, it feels good to get out of the car, stretch my legs, and kick some tailpipe!” Bulkhead said, slamming his fists together before activating his wrecking ball. Immediately, everyone sprinted into battle, ready to fight. However, Cliffjumper noticed the green helicopter watching above in the sky. It hadn’t attacked them yet but Cliffjumper still didn’t trust it. However, knowing he needed to focus on not getting scrapped, he decided to ignore it and continue in the battle.

Back at base, Heidi was still working at the communications with Raf. Meanwhile, the others were with Ratchet at the console, listening to the comlink and watching the signals. After a moment, Heidi overheard Agent Fowler’s radio through the comlink. However, it wasn’t his voice. It was Silas.

“Special Agent Fowler, you lead a charmed life walking among titans?” Silas said. Heidi perked up, turning up the volume as She listened in. Everyone quickly turned to her, beginning to listen as Agent Fowler and Silas talked.

“Come on down. I’ll introduce you.” Agent Fowler snapped.

“In good time. But at the moment, I’m too busy wondering how the D.I.N.G.U.S. might have vanished into thin air without a trace.”  Silas explained. There was a pause as Miko and Jack walked over to the two kids.

“You think he knows?” Miko asked. Heidi turned to her, shaking her head.

“No, I don’t think so…” Heidi said, unsure as Ratchet scoffed at the statement. The kids turned to him as he proudly spoke.

“Please, how could he have known about it? He couldn’t, especially with how low-tech this planet is.” Ratchet stated proudly. Heidi growled a bit, about to speak when the radio came back online again.

“Now if you’ll excuse me… I have a train to catch.” Silas snapped. Some of the kids gasped as Heidi quickly activated her comlink.

“Fowler, did I just hear that right?!” 

“Well, what do you think you here? Uncle Sam’s dinner invite?! Obviously! Silas knows!” 

“I’m calling in Optimus!” Heidi said, quickly switching to Optimus’s comlink with Agent Fowler still on the line. Soon, Optimus's picture lit up and Heidi quickly activated her microphone once again.

“Optimus! Silas knows about phase two! He going after the D.I.N.G.U.S.” Heidi explained. 

“I understand- AUGH!” Optimus yelled before he dropped off. Heidi panicked, continuing to try and get his comlink back as Agent Fowler snapped.

“Prime! Do you read me?! PRIME!” 

“Optimus?! Scrap! I can’t get through to him!” Heidi explained. Everyone began to panic then as Ratchet continued to work with Heidi on reaching Optimus. 

“So Optimus is down!?” Miko shrieked.

“A-And MECH’s gonna grab the D.I.N.G.U.S,” Jack said, worried. Heidi grunted angrily, slamming her fist on the desk. She turned around then and stood up, joining the conversation with the kids.

“We gotta figure something out fast!” 

“You mean like a phase three?!” Raf said unsure. 

“There’s no time for a phase three! Not with MECH in the game.” 

“Okay, Okay! Come on, guys. Think!” Jac said. With that, The kids stopped, trying to think about how to stop MECH. Jack paced around in thought, humming as the other kids stood still. After a moment, Jack began to speak his thoughts aloud.

“Alright, if MECH wants to the D.I.N.G.U.S. They have to get on that train!” Jack began, pointing to the screen. Miko got an idea then, jumping on her feet with a confident smirk. 

“What if we get on board first?! You know! Run some human-on-human interference!” Miko chirped, throwing punches in the air. Immediately, Ratchet, Heidi, and Jack disagreed with the idea. It was far too dangerous.

“Absolutely not!”

“Heck no, Miko! They have weapons and are clearly well-trained. We wouldn’t stand a chance!” Heidi snapped. 

“Yeah, it would be suicide,” Jack added. Miko, however, wasn’t convinced by this, grumpily staring at the trio.

“Uh, Hello the United States of meltdown! Lives are at stake!” Miko snapped.

“Yes! Yours! You want me to not only bridge you into a confined space but one traveling at ninety miles per hour?! I can’t even count the number of ways that could go wrong. Mass displacement trauma! Twisted Limbs! METAL BURN?!” Ratchet snapped. The kids looked at him confused while Heidi raised an eyebrow knowingly. Ratchet immediately re-thought his words, correcting himself.

“Well, Maybe not the last one… Regardless! It is nearly impossible to fix groundbridge coordinates on something moving at that speed!” Ratchet snapped. Heidi hummed, about to try and figure out a new idea when Raf spoke up, working at the computers.

“Would it help… If we had access to the train coordinates?” Raf asked. Immediately, one of the large screens lit up with a moving signal. A picture pulled up of the train as well as it moved across the map. Heidi was surprised, turning to Ratchet curiously as he hummed, examining the screen.

“Well…” Ratchet said, unsure. Heidi understood why he was and secretly, she wasn’t sure about this either. This was really dangerous but did they have another choice right now? It didn’t seem like it. So coming to that, she made her decision. 

“Let’s do it. Raf, you’ll stay here and mind communications. Jack, Miko, and I will board the train and cause interference. We can use Jack's phone and mine to stay in contact if things go wrong.” Heidi explained, walking past the kids and to the latter. Jack and Miko glanced at each other before following her down the steps. Ratchet paused, stepping up between them and the groundbridge.

“You do realize how dangerous this is…” 

“We don’t have a choice, Ratch. Bridge us out.” Heidi explained, walking past Ratchet with Miko and Jack. Ratchet grumbled before walking over to the groundbridge controls. He quickly put in the coordinates and soon, the vortex opened up. Jack, Miko, and Heidi stared into it, hesitant to jump in.

Suddenly, Miko cheered, grabbing Jack and immediately sprinting into the vortex with him. Heidi sighed, slapping a hand on her face before looking behind her. Raf was watching from the platform, worried plastered all over his face. Heidi gave a reassuring smile and nod as Ratchet walked up.

“Heidi, I have an idea in case things were to go south with this plan. Though I am not fond of it…” Heidi paused, listening before her eyes widened in surprise. She looked at him, unsure but after a moment, she sighed with a nod. She took out her phone, activating the comlink as she took a breath.

“Here we go.” With that, Heidi jumped into the vortex. It wasn’t long before she exited it again. However, instead of being with Jack and Miko, Heidi was just outside the train engine door. She looked around before quickly activating her comlink.

“I’m on the train! Anyone copy?”

“Heidi, where are you?!” Jack said, alarmed. 

“I’m at the front of the train. If things go south, I need to be ready to either stop the train or do something else. It was Ratchet’s idea surprisingly.” Heidi explained. She quickly tried to open the door then to get in but it was locked.

“Curses! Couldn’t have bridged me inside it, Ratch?” Heidi snapped, jumping back from the door. She then noticed a strange sound that wasn’t coming from the train. She put her phone to her ear as she peered out behind the engine. She gasped, staring at a green helicopter hovering above the train. 

“Guys, we've got company!” Heidi snapped. Immediately, she saw Miko and Jack open the door to the box car below it. They looked up at it as their hair blew wildly in the wind. Jack quickly talked into the phone, explaining the situation to Raf. 

“Raf, MECH’s landing on top of the train!” There was a pause in the comlink before Raf spoke again, mildly explaining what he was gonna do.

“In about…20 seconds, You’re gonna come to a fork. Brace Yourself!” Raf explained. As he explained, the green helicopter began to lower onto the box car. Heidi pressed herself against the train door while looking away, the blades picking up dust. 

Suddenly, just as the helicopter was about to land on it, the train made a tight turn that made Heidi fall forward. The helicopter spun out of control, falling off the train. The air from it was enough to push Heidi forward and off the platform. Heidi shrieked as she grabbed onto the railings on the platform, holding on for dear life.

“Woah! Don’t let go. Don’t let go!” Heidi snapped, grunting as she held on. After a moment, she finally pulled herself onto the platform. She sighed in relief as she held onto the railings, looking down at the ground speeding by. 

“That was close… Too close.” Heidi said. However, to her annoyance, The sound of helicopter blades returned to her hearing with the blasting winds. She turned to see MECH was going in for a second try. She quickly pulled out her phone again, talking to Raf.

“Raf, MECH’s trying to land on the train again. Got any other ideas?” 

“Even if I did, I couldn’t do it! I’ve lost your coordinates. Something fried my laptop after I hacked into the fork.” Raf explained. 

“Agh, MECH must’ve caught on. Just try to get the train coordinates back, alright? We’ll try to keep them at bay. Jack. Miko. You might wanna grab a weapon or something.” Heidi explained, quickly heading back to the door. However. Something was different about it this time. It seemed… more open in a way. 

“Maybe that sharp turn forced it back into place,” Heidi said, beginning to pull on the door handle. It took a while but Heidi could hear and feel the door beginning to slide open. She just needed to keep pulling it. Soon enough, the door swooshed open. Heidi fell back onto the platform with a yelp but quickly got up when she saw it was open.

“YES!” Heidi cheered, quickly running in and closing the door behind her. As she turned to look around, She immediately noticed the two limp drivers and soldiers, quickly running up to them fearfully. She checked for a pulse on one of them and thankfully, there was one. She sighed in relief as she leaned on one of the chairs.

“Just unconscious. Phew.” Heidi murmured. Suddenly. She felt something fly over the train engine. She looked up to see the same green helicopter from before flying ahead of the train. Heidi was confused by this. They couldn’t have gotten the D.I.N.G.U.S. and dealt with Jack and Miko this fast, right? Heidi quickly pulled out her phone again, returning to the comlink.

“Hey, What happened? I just saw MECH flying away.”  Heidi asked, confused. However, before anyone could answer, There was a loud BOOM! Heidi fell back onto the floor, hitting her back against the metal. Heidi groaned, getting up and rubbing her back. However, she stopped short when she saw what MECH did. Up ahead on the tracks, a part of it was smoking and had been broken to pieces. MECH had blown the tracks.

“If the train hits that at full speed… I have to stop the train!” Heidi said, looking around. All the buttons looked the same to her dismay and she couldn’t figure out where the brakes were. She growled, continuing to look around when she noticed a lever. The comlink came on then as she ran to the lever.

“Ratchet, MECH blew the train tracks! You need to bridge us out of here! The soldiers too!” Jack explained.

“We’ve lost access to the train data! I can't bridge you back without your coordinates.” Ratchet explained. Heidi grabbed the lever, pulling onto it. Heidi tried with all her might to pull it but it wouldn’t budge. She growled as the comlink came on with Raf’s voice.

“Heidi! You’re in the train's engine! You should be able to stop it with the brakes or the emergency brakes!” Raf explained. 

“Agh! I’m trying but it’s not budging! That last sharp turn must’ve jammed them. We can’t stop!” Heidi shrieked, panicked as the train continued picking up speed and heading straight for the broken tracks ahead. 

“Oh, crud. We’re gonna die…” Heidi whimpered. Suddenly, there was a loud POW! From outside. Heidi snapped out of her panicked thoughts, turning to the windows. She climbed up, quickly looking out and to the side of the train. Heidi gasped to see a Red and blue Peterbilt racing against the train and towards the front. It was Optimus! Relief filled Heidi as she watched him begin to catch up and head to the front of the train.

Meanwhile, the Autobots had just finished the last of the Decepticons, piling them up on the ground. They quickly began to gather, trying to figure out who was still living. They immediately noticed their leader was nowhere to be found. They looked at each other and around them for him but no sign. 

“Where’s Optimus?” Arcee asked, confused and a bit worried. 

“He had a train to catch.” A voice said. Everyone turned to see Agent Fowler glance at them before returning his gaze to whatever he was watching. Cliffjumper quickly joined him, climbing up the rock formation a bit and looking out into the distance. He squinted his optics before realizing and turning back to the team.

“We gotta go now!” Cliffjumper explained. Meanwhile, Optimus had quickly caught up to the train. Once he was next to the engine, he transformed into his bi-pedal mode. Heidi was beginning to get down, unsure of his intention. However, she quickly realized when he grabbed the front of the train and dug his peds into the ground. There was a large jolt, causing Heidi to fall off from the window and onto the ground.

“Ouch! Not again!-” Heidi began. However, she stopped short when she saw the gages. The train was slowing down! Optimus’s plan was working but… Heidi wasn’t sure they would stop in time. However, an idea came to mind as she turned back to the emergency brakes. Maybe they would work now like what happened with the door earlier.

“ Please work now!” Heidi pleaded as she grabbed onto the lever. With all the strength she could muster, she pulled the lever and soon, moved! She heard the brakes of the train finally switch on and with a loud screech, The train began to slow even more with Optimus’s help. Mainly Optimus’s help if Heidi were being honest. Still, Heidi grabbed on as the track end got closer.  She closed her eyes, praying they would stop in time. 

“Please! Please! Please…” Heidi prayed. Just as she thought they weren’t gonna make it, everything fell still. The sounds of the winds stopped and the rumbling feeling the train had was gone too. Heidi slowly opened her eyes, checking herself before looking around. The train was still in one piece and so was everything else. Optimus included. Heidi paused before erupting into cheers of excitement. 

“Yes! Optimus did it! He stopped the train!” Heidi chirped. Heidi turned to the window to see Optimus bend down then, looking into the train's engine windows. Heidi smiled, giving him a thumbs-up as she made her way to the door. She opened it, The brisk air of the afternoon greeting her with the sun. 

Before she could speak to Optimus, the sound of helicopter blades returned. Oh no. Heidi looked up to see The green helicopter from before hovering above them in the sky. Heidi growled a bit from their presence, her hands clenching into fists.

“What are they still doing here?” Heidi grumbled, glaring up at them. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to stay long. They knew they had lost. So After another moment of hovering, the helicopter flew into the sky and far away from them. Heidi sighed in relief, leaning against the train. MECH had caused enough trouble today. 

“Hey!” A voice yelled, interrupting Heidi’s thoughts. Heidi turned around to see Jack and Miko leaning out from the box car. Thankfully, neither of them seemed to be hurt. Miko waved at her happily as Jack gave a relieved smile. Heidi laughed, smiling back as she headed to the ladder near the train. She slid down it as Miko and Jack jumped down from the box car. Miko ran up to Heidi, pulling her off her feet and into a very tight hug.

“WOOHOO! We did it, Dee!” Miko cheered, hugging her even tighter at that. Heidi felt like her lungs were about to collapse from the strength.

“M-Miko! You're suffocating me!” Heidi said, her annoyed voice barely understandable. Thankfully, Jack seemed to notice what Heidi meant and quickly came in between the two girls. He pushed Miko and Heidi apart, Allowing Heidi to breathe again.

“Alright, Miko. Let’s let Heidi breathe.” Jack said as Heidi sighed in relief. She stood up as Miko laughed, raising her hand for a high five. Jack chuckled, raising his hand and Miko slapped it. Jack pulled away, waving his hand from the stinging strength of Miko's slap. Heidi snickered a bit as Miko threw an arm around Jack’s shoulders, laughing. 

“Woo! Take that MECH! I bet they’ll never come back now that they know about the bots.” Miko said proudly. Heidi’s smile vanished then as she turned to look up at the sky. As much as she hated to say it, she didn’t believe what Miko said.

“I don’t know, Miko. We might’ve won this round but… Something tells me this won’t be the last time we see them.” Heidi explained. Jack and Miko walked up next to her, confused about why she said that.

“Why do you say that?”

“Call it a hunch but… I think we have a new enemy to deal with now.” Heidi said, continuing to glare up at the sky. Her mind spiraled with questions about MECH. However, it wasn’t just about who they were or what they wanted. But there was also why they felt so familiar to Heidi. That was a question that Heidi hoped she’d find the answer to.

Chapter Text

“So you're saying that Cybertronians don’t eat?” Jack said, confused. It was a normal day at the base with some of the bots on patrol and everyone else was working or just hanging out at the base. Ratchet was working at the console while Jack and Heidi talked on the computer platform next to him. Heidi turned to him, looking away from her report on the computer.

“Well, they do. Just not in the way humans do. It’s kind of hard to explain.” Heidi explained. She was about to return to her report when the console went off. Jack and Heidi turned to see a familiar green SUV approaching the base.

“Looks like Bulkhead’s back. A little too soon.” Jack said, mumbling the last part. Heidi laughed a bit as she turned back to the computer. She continued to finish her report as Bulkhead drove into the base. Heidi heard a car door open and a familiar voice spoke up.

“You sound like my parents!” Miko snapped. Heidi sighed, glancing to see Bulkhead transform next to Miko. 

“Aren’t they Japanese?” Bulkhead asked, confused.

“They may speak a different language but you say the same things,” Miko complained. As she did, Heidi finished her report and sent it to Agent Fowler. She let out a small sigh, getting up and walking up next to Jack at the railings. Meanwhile, Bulkhead and Miko were still talking to each other as they walked over.

“Because we want the best for you. And that means making sure you go to school, not jail!” 

“Uh-oh. What’d you do?” Jack said, turning to Miko knowingly. Heidi hummed, smirking as she leaned on the railings.

“Let me guess. You cut detention again, didn’t you?” Heidi chirped. This wasn’t the first time Miko had done something like this and Heidi doubted it’d be the last. Miko shrugged, turning to Heidi confidently.

“So what if I did? You should’ve seen the teacher’s face when me and Bulk zoomed out of there!” Miko chirped, putting her hands up and acting like she was driving a car. Heidi sighed, knowing there was no point trying to talk sense into her. However, Bulkhead, being her guardian, continued to try to convince Miko otherwise. 

“Look, Miko. Before I was a warrior, I was a laborer. Construction. I can build stuff. I can break stuff. And that's it!” Bulkhead explained, hoping to get a point across. However, Miko didn’t catch on as a grin came on her face.

“I love breaking stuff! I wanna be just like you Bulk!” Miko chirped. Bulkhead sighed in disappointment as Heidi snickered a bit. She turned around, deciding to leave them to their conversation and join Ratchet at the console. As she walked over, she then noticed something different on Ratchet’s screen. It looked like coordinates for an Energon signal. Heidi quickened her pace, coming up next to him now.

“What are you looking at, Ratch?”

“Hmph. I’m detecting a fresh Energon pulse. From the Nation called… “Greece.” An ancient city. Quite Historic, I believe.”  Ratchet explained, looking at Heidi. Heidi nodded as Bulkhead stepped up, examining the screen. 

“Ancient Greece, huh? Oh, Field Trip!” Bulkhead chirped, turning to Miko. Miko cheered, quickly running over to the groundbridge. Ratchet grumbled as he grabbed a small device. He turned it on, quickly putting in the coordinates while Heidi went to the edge of the railings.

“Have fun, Miko. Try to stay out of trouble for a change.” Heidi snapped. Miko laughed, rolling her eyes at Heidi’s statement. Bulkhead walked up then, transforming into his vehicle mode. He opened the car door for Miko who immediately jumped in with a cheer. The vortex opened then and the two were off. 

It was evening in the desert Cliffjumper patrolled through. He drove down the dusty road, the sun beaming on his hood as he scanned for any signs of Energon or foe. He was just about finished and about to call for a groundbridge back home when Suddenly, the comlink came to life.

“Ratchet to Team, do you read? Return to base. Bulkhead has discovered something of potential importance that must be brought to light immediately. I’m sending coordinates for a groundbridge to each of you.” Ratchet explained before the comlink switched off. The coordinates quickly popped up after that, causing Cliffjumper to hum.

“Wonder what they found.” Cliffjumper wondered aloud before pulling a tight turn onto a new road. Soon enough, he reached the destination and a groundbridge vortex appeared. Cliffjumper drove through it, screeching to a halt in the base. He quickly transformed, dusting off some of the sand he picked up during the drive. 

“Phew! That was dusty.” Cliffjumper said, shaking off the last of the sand. He heard the familiar giggles of a girl as he turned to one of the platforms. Heidi was there, watching him with a knowing smirk. Cliffjumper chuckled, leaning down a bit to talk to Heidi.

“Hey, Little Lady. What’d I miss?” Cliffjumper chirped.

“Not sure yet. But Bulkhead apparently saw something while scouting out an Energon signal today. They’re just pulling up the picture from Miko’s phone now.”  Heidi explained. Cliffjumper nodded before standing up straight. The two quickly re-joined their friends at the console, Cliffjumper going next to Arcee while Heidi went to Raf on another platform. Finally, The picture came up and showed… another picture. Except this picture was plastered on a ruined wall and looked pretty old.

“Zoom in on the human holding that thing,” Bulkhead said, pointing to the screen. Ratchet hummed before quickly enhancing the image. Some information came up on the gold orb sitting in the human's hand. After a moment, Cliffjumper began to realize what it looked like.

“Wait… Is that what I think it is?” Cliffjumper asked, a bit taken aback. Heidi glanced at him, confused. What was he talking about? Optimus then stepped up, examining the photo with a hum. After a moment, he nodded, pointing at the strange gold object in the picture.

“It is indeed an Energon Harvester,” Optimus said, quickly turning to the children to explain.

“A powerful tool created by the ancients to remove raw energon from any source,” 

“Greek Gods knew Autobots?” Raf said, trying to piece together what was going on. 

“No. The Ancients often used the art of a given era to conceal messages. This fresco was likely a signpost indicating a harvester’s location… hidden somewhere on this planet.” Optimus explained, looking back at the image. Heidi was a bit surprised by this but also in awe. 

“Huh. Cybertronian tech never ceases to amaze me.” Heidi quietly mumbled, turning to look at the photo. After a while, She began to notice something familiar about it. Like she had seen it before. After a moment, She turned to Raf who was working on his computer now. She leaned in next to him, whispering something in his ear as the team continued to talk. 

“Uh, Optimus? If the harvester removes Energon from anything and you all have Energon pumping inside you…” Jack began. Optimus knew what he was trying to ask then, quickly answering him.

“In Decepticon hands, The Harvester would be a devastating weapon,” Optimus explained. Miko quickly turned to Bulkhead then, excited by what she heard.

“See!? You were a genius to total that painting!” 

“Miko’s not wrong.” Arcee chirped. Bulkhead and the kids turned then to see Arcee, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Ratchet who were looking at Bulkhead. Cliffjumper smiled, nodding as he continued from Arcee’s words.

“Yeah! How can the cons find the harvester without the fresco?” Cliffjumper said confidently. 

“With high-speed internet,” Heidi said, chiming in. All of them turned to see Heidi standing over Raf as he worked on the computers. 

“She’s right! If you do an image search for Greek god and golden orb, This pops up. It’s in a museum.” Raf said, holding up his computer for everyone to see. On the screen, there was a picture of a statue holding the same golden orb from the fresco. The bots examined it for a moment before Arcee turned to Optimus.

“That the real deal?” Arcee asked. Optimus paused, continuing to examine the image for a bit longer. They waited patiently before Optimus finally spoke up, keeping his optics on the image.

“Contact Agent Fowler.” 

“You’ve reached Special Agent William Fowler. I’m currently on an intensive training retreat and unavailable till Tuesday…” The voicemail continued as everyone stood near the console. Heidi held her phone in defeat after trying to call Agent Fowler herself but had the same results as the team.

“I hate talking to machines,” Ratchet growled, turning to the team from the console. Heidi sighed, putting away her phone as she walked up to Optimus.

“I texted my mom. She and Agent Fowler are close so She might be able to reach him. I wouldn’t get your hopes up though.” Heidi explained. Optimus nodded, turning back to the team.

“Without Agent Fowler's direct aid, We will have to confiscate the Harvester on our own,” Optimus explained. The bots seemed ready, nodding to the idea. However, Heidi and the other kids immediately knew they couldn’t.

“W-W-Woah! Confiscate?! As in steal Museum property?!” Jack said, surprised. 

“That sounds…illegal,” Raf added.

“I do not wish the break human law. But once the Decepticons learn of the Harvester’s location, They will not hesitate to obtain it by any means necessary. We must act covertly. ” Optimus explained. Jack was about to continue his argument when Heidi beat him to it.

“The law isn’t the biggest issue here, guys. It’s the bots cover. Museums are public and have lots of Security! Guards, Cameras, alarms. There’s no way they won’t notice some bots moving around in there.” Heidi explained harshly. Miko then got an idea, coming in between Jack and Heidi happily.

“Ooh! Why don’t we do it? We’re small enough to sneak in and We’re not a government secret!” Miko chirped. Heidi was about to say ‘no’ but stopped, thinking it over. For once, Heidi could agree with one of Miko’s ideas. 

“That isn’t a bad idea actually,” Heidi said. Miko cheered and some of the others seemed to agree with the plan. However, the rest were still on the fence about it. Mainly, Bulkhead and Cliffjumper. They didn’t want the kids to get into any trouble for them. Plus, this was still pretty dangerous.

“Uh, I’m not sure that’s wise,” Bulkhead said, unsure. 

“I’m with Bulk. What happens if one of you gets caught in there?” Cliffjumper added, cautious about this idea. 

“Yeah but whether it’s a good idea or not, There’s no denying that it’s our best option right now. Besides, We need to decide soon. We’re running out of time.” Heidi added. Optimus stepped back up to the team, nodding to Heidi’s statement.

“Heidi is correct. The longer we debate, the more time we give the Decepticons. We must act soon. ” Optimus explained. The bots murmured for a moment before nodding in defeat. At that, they began to plan their next move. 

It was nighttime in a small city. Barely any cars were on the streets, and no single person could be seen. The streetlights lit up the quiet streets for anyone supposedly up at this ungodly hour. Suddenly, multiple vehicles drove down one of the streets in the city. It was the Autobots, on their way to complete an important mission. 

“Peaceful night, huh? Too bad we can’t go for a drive, huh Arcee?” Cliffjumper chirped. 

“Stay focused, Cliff,” Arcee said. Cliffjumper hummed before noticing the museum coming up.

“That’s my cue. Hollar if you need anything.” Cliffjumper chirped before slowing his engine. The others turned into the parking lot of the museum while Cliffjumper stopped at the side of the road, turning off his lights and engine. Once he was settled, His comlink perked up again with Optimus’s voice.

“Autobots, confirm position,” Optimus ordered. 

“Entrance Secure.” Cliffjumper chirped.

“Westward ho,” Arcee said. 

“I got Eastside!” Bumblebee buzzed.

“Southside covered,” Bulkhead added.

“Maintain your guard,” Optimus ordered. Meanwhile, back at base, Jack, Raf, Miko, and Heidi stood on a scissor lift in front of the groundbridge machinery. Ratchet was at the console, putting in the museum coordinates. They all waited for Optimus to give them the ‘Okay’ for the mission.

“Jack, Miko, Heidi, Rafael. I will have a clear view of you. Once you secure the harvester, I will contact Ratchet to bridge you back to base.” Optimus explained through the comlink. Just as he did, Ratchet activated the groundbridge and a swirling vortex appeared from the machine. Ratchet then turns to the kids sternly.

“Now since you’ll bypass all points of normal entry, you won’t need to worry about setting off the alarm. But take care to avoid any security guards.” Ratchet explained. Heidi nods, turning to Jack and the others. Jack went to the lift controls, activating them and then moving them forward. The lift drives forward and through the vortex. 

They quickly exited the vortex and soon, found themselves in a tall hallway. They got to the edge, stopping at the entrance to a large room. Many large statues along with a dinosaur skeleton were inside the room. One of the walls was just a giant window, looking out into the parking lot where Optimus in his vehicle form sat parked in front. The kids looked around before finally laying eyes on the prize. A huge statue that had the same pose as the painting with the real Harvester on top.

“Found it!” Heidi chirped. As soon as they saw it, Optimus flashed his headlights at them. It was their signal to start. With that, Jack nodded and activated the lift to go higher up. It moved higher and higher until it was close to the ceiling. On said ceiling, there was a camera facing out into the room.

“You’re up, Miko,” Heidi said, looking at Miko.

“Obviously.” Miko scoffed, walking up with her phone. She came behind the camera, lifting her phone below it and angling her camera. Once she knew she had the right angle, she snapped a picture of the same view the camera had. She then pressed a few buttons on her phone and then placed the camera carefully on top and put the screen in front of the camera lens. Miko gave a thumbs up and with that, Jack moved the lift inside the room and to the statue.

Cliffjumper was bored. He was still at the side of the road just outside the museum entrance. He was keeping watch in case any humans decided to come in early to the museum. However, there was nothing on the streets to watch out for other than a raccoon or rat in the trash next to him. He ex-vented tirelessly.

“A little dull tonight. At least it’ll be a smooth mission.” Cliffjumper explained. Suddenly, the sound of a car engine got his attention. He noticed a red and white Aston Martin stopped at the edge of a street behind him. It turned onto the same street, A familiar silver insignia quickly catching Cliffjumper’s attention.

“Spoke too soon… Guys, You’ve got company. And it’s not the friendly kind.” Cliffjumper explained, switching to his comlink. 

“Understood. Hold your position, Cliffjumper. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary.” Optimus explained as the red car seemed to stop next to Cliffjumper. It pauses before a dark chuckle escapes the vehicle. 

“Nice paint job. The horns are a great touch. Could use a bit more flare though, no?” the Decepticon chuckled. Cliffjumper growls a bit internally but remains silent as the foe stays parked there. He clearly wanted a reaction out of Cliffjumper but there’s no way he was gonna give it to him. 

“Not a talker, ey? Alright then. Let’s see if your leader is any better. If you see my friend though, tell him hello.” The red car chirped before turning into the parking lot. Cliffjumper was about to follow him but the last thought the Decepticon said made him want to make sure the Decepticon was fully alone.

“Friend, huh? Where’s this friend then?” Cliffjumper snapped, angling his rearview mirrors behind him. Soon enough, the roar of an engine started echoing through the streets next to him. The one that crossed straight into the museum. He turned to see a blue heavy-duty jeep pull a tight turn onto his street. 

“Found ‘em,” Cliffjumper chirped. He was about to pull a tight turn and slam into the jeep but the jeep saw it coming. The jeep instantly dodged and slammed into Cliffjumper instead, pushing him back with a grunt. Cliffjumper growled, watching as the jeep drove into the parking lot. 

“Agh! Fragging glitch!” Cliffjumper cursed as he revved his engine. He quickly turned into the parking lot after the jeep, just in time to see it fire a missile at the museum. Thankfully, Optimus transformed and grabbed the missile. As he dealt with it, Cliffjumper sped up next to the jeep and slammed into the side of it. The jeep yelped, spinning out of control to the side as Cliffjumper laughed.

“Fun fact, Scraphead! You mess with Cliffjumper, you get the horns- Oof!” Cliffjumper snapped. Before he could finish, the jeep suddenly sped up and slammed Cliffjumper into a streetlight. Cliffjumper yelped, becoming dizzy as the jeep chuckled next to him. Meanwhile, inside the museum, Heidi and the other kids watched this, shocked.

“Cliff!” Heidi gasped, watching as the jeep pulled away from the unconscious Cliffjumper. The kids were in a similar state before turning back to Optimus. Optimus glanced at them before turning to look ahead. Just then, Knockout ambushed him from seemingly out of nowhere. He slammed some type of electric staff into Optimus, electrocuting him. The kids gasped, staring as Optimus fell to the ground, unconscious. The red bot stepped on top of him, continuing to electrocute him.

“It’s cons!” Raf yelped.

“They’ve got Optimus!” Jack added.

“Crud, Come on! We gotta go NOW!” Heidi ordered, jumping up with Raf as the two tried to push the harvester onto the lift. It was really heavy though, and barely moved even when they pushed against it with all their might. 

“Oh scrap,” Miko said. Everyone looked to see the blue jeep from earlier come speeding towards the window. Heidi gulped, watching as it came closer. Suddenly, Bumblebee and Arcee came speeding out from opposite sides of the building. The blue jeep stopped, firing a missile at Bumblebee who transformed and began rolling off the ground. He did the same to Arcee who skidded to the side, before transforming but accidentally slamming into Bumblebee. There was rumbling from the roof above then and suddenly, Bulkhead jumped down in front of the museum and straight towards the jeep.

“Yeah! Get him, Bulk!” Miko shrieked, jumping up and down. Heidi shushed her, making Miko turn to her annoyed.

“Ugh, What?!”

“A reminder that we are still in a museum and trying to stay undercover!” Heidi snapped, her voice stuttering as she pushed against the harvester. Even though she meant her words, a part of her was shocked no one had noticed the giant battle outside yet. As the teens turned back to watch the fight, Heidi and Raf felt a bigger creak from the harvester than before. 

“It’s moving! Push!” Heidi ordered. With that, the two continued to push the harvester with all they had. Crash! Heidi looked up to see the window to the museum had broken. The alarm went off, adding an extra layer of motivation as Heidi and Raf growled. Finally, the harvester fell off the statue's hand and into the lift with a clang!

“Finally!” Heidi cheered, jumping onto the lift with Raf. As the lift began going down, Heidi noticed the red Decepticon get up after being knocked out seemingly earlier. He activated his electric weapon, about to attack Optimus while he was down. The red bot jumped in the air, about to land the blow on Optimus when Cliffjumper in his bi-pedal form, jumped up and slammed into the Decepticon and away from Optimus. 

“Nice one, Cliff!” Heidi chirped, keeping her voice low as the lift reached the bottom. Miko then turned to them, pointing at another hallway.

“Come on! Time to make our exit, guys.” With that, Miko jumped off the lift and ran ahead. 

“Miko! Careful! We’re still trying to stay discreet!- oh what’s the point anymore!” Heidi snarled. She quickly jumped off after Miko as the boys followed behind, driving the lift. They turned down a few large hallways, making it to the back of the Museum. Soon, Heidi and Miko came to a tall hallway, turning another corner to see a large garage door at the end. Miko notices a button, quickly hitting it as the boys come around the first hallway's corner.

“Let’s wait a moment for the others to” Heidi began but Miko wasn’t listening. She quickly ran ahead to Heidi’s shock as the garage door opened. Miko was about to go under the garage door and Heidi ran up to stop her.

“Miko! Wait!” Heidi snapped, about to grab and pull her back. However, it was too late. Miko slipped under the garage door, looking around and a bright light landed on her. Heidi gasped, hiding behind a piece of the wall sticking out. She peered out to see a security guard with a flashlight looking down at Miko. Heidi looked back and noticed Jack and Raf about to turn the corner when she quickly signaled them to stop, shaking her head. The boys stopped, looking at her quizzically when the voices of Miko and the security guard got their attention.

“U-Uh. What’s up?” Miko said, shrugging. The boys peeked out around the corner from the lift, surprised as Heidi grumbled, slapping a hand on her head. The security guard paused before turning off his flashlight and taking Miko’s arm.

“Better come with me, Miss.” The Security Guard grumbled, leading her away. The boys driving the lift quickly moved it up before getting off and joining Heidi. They peered around the corner in time to see the Security Guard go into his office with Miko.

“Not Good!” Jack said.

“You think?! Ugh, We don’t have time to break her out. We have to go!” Heidi snapped. The boys looked at her, unsure. Jack was about to speak up but Heidi spoke up first, interrupting him with a small glare.

“We can’t do a jailbreak with what’s at stake. Miko will be fine. The Security Guard won’t hurt her but the Decepticons will hurt us and the bots if we don’t get the Harvester out of here now!” Heidi explained. Suddenly, the soft thuds of peds came from behind them. At one of the open garages, a set of peds was in view. Familiar ones, at that.

“Arcee!” Jack said, running up and past Heidi with Raf. Heidi was about to follow but stopped short. The peds seemed different to Arcee’s. And why wasn’t she busy helping the others? Something wasn’t right.

“Wait—” Before Heidi could finish, the being bent down, its claw servo grasping the garage and lifting it. Heidi gasped as the boys stopped, fear radiating from them as they backed up. A dark purple bot with a dark visor stared down at them from outside the garage.

“It’s Soundwave!” Raf panicked. Immediately, Jack got in front of Raf and shielded him from Soundwave. Soundwave looked around before noticing the glinting gold of the Harvester. He lifts his claw to it, pointing at it. Heidi glanced at it, unsure as she turned back to Soundwave.

“No way am I giving it to you!” Heidi growled. Soundwave paused, staring at her before suddenly grabbing Raf. Jack was pushed to the ground as Heidi ran up, about to grab Raf’s hand but Soundwave was too quick. He held Raf up high, looking at him for a moment before turning back to the two kids. 

“Raf!” Heidi shrieked.

“Let him go!” Jack yelled. Soundwave didn’t answer, only glaring at them before lifting his claw again and pointing at the Harvester. This time though, Heidi had lost her confidence to snap back or tell him she wouldn’t do it. She didn’t know what to do. Everyone else was occupied and Soundwave had a huge advantage. He could probably kill Raf at any second. But if she gives him the harvester… What does she do?

The bots were all fighting against Breakdown and Knockout, either firing their weapons at them or doing hand-to-hand combat. Optimus was still down and Cliffjumper was taking care of a certain Knockout to give Optimus time.

“HA!” Cliffjumper yelled as he slammed an uppercut into Knockout’s chassis. Knockout backs up, activating his electric weapon and jabbing it at Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper grabs it though, yanking the weapon out of his grasp and away. As Knockout’s distracted, he slams a hard hook into Knockout’s tank. Knockout stumbles back, grumbling as he holds his tank. Cliffjumper smirked, seeing the large dent he had added to Knockout’s chassis earlier.

“Hey Knockout! You got a little something on your chassis.” Cliffjumper teases, pointing down at it. Knockout looks down, horrified before letting out an angered yell. He grabs his electric stick, about to attack when something caught his optic above the museum roof. Cliffjumper turned around just in time to see Soundwave in his alternate form holding a familiar device. 

“Oh scrap.” Cliffjumper cursed, activating his cannons and starting to fire at Soundwave. However, he dodged and flew out into the sky with the Harvester. Cliffjumper let out an angered grunt before turning back to Knockout. Knockout hums, watching Soundwave leave before sheaving his weapon.

“That would be game,” Knockout snaps, a bright grin on his face. He flips backward, transforming into his alternate mode and driving away. His partner, Breakdown, was quick to follow after. Blaster fire rained down on them as some of the bots began to advance after them. 

“Frag no! They’re not getting away that easy! Let’s ride, Cee!” Cliffjumper snapped. Immediately, Arcee and Cliffjumper transformed, driving after the Decepticons. Meanwhile, Heidi, Jack, and Raf rounded the corner of the building, running to the bots.

“Optimus! We have to go now!” Heidi snapped. All the bots turned to see three of them run up to them as they continued to explain.

“The cons have the harvester!” Jack said.

“And Security has Miko!” Raf added. Bulkhead’s optics widened in horror as he realized it.

“What?! I’m going in after her!” Bulkhead said, determination forming as he clenched his fists. Heidi gasped, quickly running before Bulkhead and about to try and stop him. Preferably, without getting squished. Thankfully, Optimus got to it first and blocked his way with his arm. 

“Bulkhead. Miko may be detained but she is safe from harm.” Optimus explained. 

“He’s right, Bulk. We’ll get her back but We don’t have time to rescue her right now, nor the tools to do it. We gotta get back to base and make a new plan.” Heidi explained. Bulkhead looked like he wanted to fight more but knew better. Between Heidi and Optimus, he’d already lost this fight. He sags in defeat, grumbling a bit as Optimus calls for the groundbridge.

“Got anything yet, Raf?” Heidi asked, leaning over his chair as Raf worked. Most of the team had gotten back to base except Arcee and Cliffjumper. They were still hot on the cons trail but should return soon enough. Heidi and Raf have been trying to contact Agent Fowler for the short time they’ve been back as they waited for their teammates. 

Raf shakes his head, saddened, as he tries to call Agent Fowler yet again. Heidi growls softly, clenching her fists. Her mom had no luck either, based on the text she got. To say it was agitating would be an understatement. And she wasn’t the only one. Heidi looks around to see Bulkhead impatiently pacing as he grumbles a few curses in his language. 

“Ratchet, requesting a groundbridge.” An unamused voice perks up from the comlink. Arcee. But by the sound of it, Heidi had a feeling they’d lost them. She quickly made her way to the edge of the platforms as Ratchet activated the groundbridge. The green vortex quickly appeared and the two bots drove through just as quickly. Cliffjumper and Arcee transformed quickly after, both carrying a sour expression.

“Lost them?” Heidi asked as Cliffjumper walked up. Cliffjumper let out a short grumble but nodded, holding out a servo for her. Heidi quickly jumped on, speaking up with a comforting tone as he lifted her to his shoulder.

 “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out. Just like we always do.” Heidi patted his shoulder armor, making Cliffjumper’s mouth curve up to a smirk from the gesture. He nodded again before quickly joining his partner and the rest of the team.

“So what’s the plan, Optimus?” Arcee asked. Optimus paused, clearly thinking of ways to get the Energon Harvester back. Though Heidi was more worried than she would admit, She also trusted that Optimus and the team would handle it. They just needed the right plan and Thankfully, Optimus seemed to have one. 

“Autobots, Prepare for Departure. With the Energon Harvester in Decepticon's hands, We will have to spread our team thin to find him. We will each take one of this planet's large unmineable Energon deposits. And Report when Starscream arrives to gather the Energon. Understood?” Optimus said. All the bots nod as Ratchet pulls up some locations for each of the bots.

“Ugh! I wish I could help.” Heidi grumbles. Cliffjumper chuckles, taking Heidi off his shoulder and setting her gently on the platform. 

“You’ve done enough... And it’s not your fault Soundwave got the Harvester. He cornered you and probably didn’t give you much of an option, huh?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi paused, looking away as the memory of Raf being captured replayed in her head. The way she gave Soundwave the Harvester in a desperate attempt to save her friend. She’d never regret saving Raf but…

"It's not your fault, alright? you did what you could," Cliffjumper orders. After a moment, a small smile comes onto Heidi's features. Cliffjumper always knew how to cheer her up. She nods as Optimus calls out to Cliffjumper. It’s time to go. Cliffjumper glances at the coordinates as he walks over before transforming and driving through the open vortex. 

“In all likelihood, Starscream will use the harvester to gather as much Energon as quickly as possible. From the planet's otherwise unminable Energon deposits. Approach with Extreme caution. Starscream will not hesitate to turn the Harvester on any one of us.” Optimus orders through the comlink. He then activates the groundbridge himself and walks over to a sagged Bulkhead. 

“Bulkhead, it is best that you remain here-”

“So I can bust Miko out of the museum?!” Bulkhead answered eagerly. Heidi perks up, curiously staring at Optimus with a raised eyebrow. There was no way he was gonna let him do that. Still, Heidi listened just as Optimus finished his earlier sentence.

“So you can help Ratchet. You may be Miko’s guardian but she requires human assistance.” 

“Well, what about Heidi? She’s a human and a liaison!” Bulkhead suggested, turning with a hopeful look at her. Heidi sighed, shaking her head as she leaned on the wall.

“Sorry, Bulk. My job as your ‘Liason’ only goes so far. Agent Fowler’s the best option.” Heidi explained. Bulkhead groans, turning away as Heidi turns her attention back to Raf. The phone was ringing and the endless buzzing tone could rile anyone’s anxiety. The sound of the groundbridge vortex closing told Heidi Optimus had just left, meaning most of the team was getting into position by now. If they weren’t already there that is. 

“You’ve reached Special Agent William Fowler. I’m currently-” Heidi lets out an annoyed grunt, stomping her foot at the failure. He’s still not answering. Bulkhead walks over, in a similar mood after hearing the voicemail. 

“Still no answer,” Raf explained, annoyed but more worried than anything. Heidi places a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort her best friend as Bulkhead grumbles. 

“Fowler’s lounging around some poolside cabana.” Bulkhead lets out an angered yell as he smashes one of Ratchet’s tools. Heidi cringes at the sound, slapping a hand on her forehead as Ratchet runs over.

“Bulkhead! I needed that!” Ratchet yells. Heidi grumbles, walking up next to Jack on the railings. The two exchange a nod before returning to the conversation at hand. Bulkhead seems to get an idea, calming down a bit.

“We can free Miko. If we can just return the harvester to the museum.” Bulkhead explained.

“So the Decepticons can steal it all over again?” Ratchet counters. 

“Exactly. Besides, we still need to get the harvester back from the cons. Why do you think we’re splitting up, Bulk?” Heidi adds, raising an eyebrow. Bulkhead pauses, clearly rethinking his idea before his servos go onto his head in distress. 

“I’m so dumb!”

“So how are we going to help Miko?” Jack asked, unsure. Heidi smiles before gesturing to the half-built replica harvester in Ratchet’s servo. Ratchet quickly lifts it, showing it off as he explains.

“By returning this Replica to the museum. The construction of which would be going a whole lot faster if Bulkhead hadn’t just mangled my frame welder!” Ratchet snaps, glaring at Bulkhead. Meanwhile, Raf walks over to Heidi's side, seemingly giving up on contacting Agent Fowler. Heidi glances at him, releasing a soft sigh as Jack adds on.

“We’re already trespassers and thieves. Why not add forgery to the list?” Jack says, sarcasm dripping into his tone. Heidi scoffs, leaning her arms on the railings. 

“Please. The bots have broken more laws and rules than I can count from the time they’ve been here. You, Raf, and Miko are living examples…No offense.” Heidi explains, adding the last part a bit softer than before. Bulkhead groans, turning away from the group.

“I should’ve never taken Miko to the…” Bulkhead stops as an idea sprouts into his head.

“The painting of the harvester isn’t the only thing we found at those ruins,” Bulkhead explains, turning to look at the others. Ratchet arches an optical ridge, confused still.

“I’m sorry?”

“What’re you thinking, Bulk?” Heidi asks, curious to see what he has in mind. Hopefully, it’s better than the “returning the harvester to the museum.” idea. Bulkhead turns back to them as he continues to explain.  

“Starscream’s not dumb! No matter what kind of tool he has, He’s gonna take the easy route.” Bulkhead explains. That didn’t surprise Heidi. It did sound like that pompous stiletto-healed rat. But where did Bulkhead have in mind that Starscream would go?

It was dark with the sun already tipping over the horizon in Greece. Bulkhead was right though. Starscream took the easy route, heading towards the first unmineable energon spot near where the harvester was originally found by humans. And now, Bulkhead spying on them as Starscream used the harvester on raw energon. Breakdown and Knockout were flanking him, meaning Bulkhead was outnumbered. However, the team was too spread out right now. Maybe if he got close enough, he could surprise attack them and take them all down. He just had to be sneaky. However, he proves it to be his weakness as he stumbles on a broken pot. And all optics land on him. 

“Oh scrap.” Bulkhead curses throwing a servo on his faceplates.

“Back for seconds?” Breakdown teases, activating his hammer as Knockout activates his electric prod. They then charge for Bulkhead coming at either side. Scrap, he had to think fast. And for once, an Idea comes to mind. He waits until they get close and just as they both swing their weapons, Bulkhead ducks. Because of this, Breakdown accidentally punches Knockout with his hammer. Then, While Breakdown is distracted by a knocked-out Knockout, Bulkhead grabs the electric prod stick and shoves it into Breakdown, taking him out. Pride fills Bulkhead. Looks like he did have a few micro’s left in him. Or so he thought until he turned around.

Suddenly, BAM! Something bright hits Bulkhead in the chest. Dread fills him as Energon starts leaving his frame through a light beam and straight into the harvester Starscream’s holding. He tries to stop but becomes too weak, falling to the ground. 

“You’re a big one. This could take a while.” Starscream muses. Bulkhead grits his denta. No way. No way in the pits was he letting Starscream win this. He had to fight for the team. For Miko! So with that last bit of strength he could muster, Bulkhead pushes himself up to his peds and walks toward Starscream with strained grunts.

“W-Wait! What are you doing?!” Starscream shrieks, panicked at seeing him on his peds, walking towards him. 

“What I do best!” Bulkhead grunts before grabbing the harvester with his giant servo. 

“Breaking things!” Bulkhead finishes before slamming his curled servo into Starscream faceplates. Starscream falls back, releasing the harvester. Bulkhead crushes it in his servo, stopping it from taking any more of his energon. He then wobbles to the side and with the last bit of strength he has, he throws it into the sky. It explodes with blue energon spewing across the sky above it. He did it. He finally did it. Exhaustion hits him at full force as he tumbles onto his back. Unfortunately, Knockout and Breakdown are back on their peds. Knockout aims his electric stick at Bulkhead.

“He’s a glutton for punishment.” Knockout teases. Breakdown chuckles evilly but before either of them could do more, a familiar vortex opens up behind him. As soon as it does, Four Autobots drive out, transforming mid-air with weapons hot. They rain blaster fire down on the evil duo.

“Fight?” Breakdown asks, his arm up to protect him from the worst of the shots. Knockout hums.

“Drive.” Knockout finally answers. With that, the two bots transform and retreat from the scene just as the Autobots land. They run towards Starscream who tries to return their fire but fails. He growls before transforming into his jet and flies out of there, zooming into the skies. 

“Scrap. Screamy got away.” Cliffjumper growls. 

“Bigger things to worry about here, Cliff.” Arcee retorts as Optimus, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and her come up to a half-conscious Bulkhead. He gives them a goofy smile from the ground, indicating he’s at least okay. Maybe a bit dizzy but fine. 

“Hey…” 

“Hey, Bulk. You’ve looked better but great job on taking the cons,” Cliffjumper chirps, helping Bulkhead to his peds and letting him lean on him for support. Bulkhead nods as Bumblebee goes to Bulkhead’s other side. Optimus glances at Bulkhead before turning to Arcee.

“Arcee, alert Ratchet for a Groundbridge.” Optimus orders. Arcee nods, quickly getting on her comlink as Optimus turns back to Bulkhead. 

“Bulkhead, what of the harvester?” Optimus asks. Bulkhead’s smile fades as he sighs angrily.

“Sorry, Optimus. I couldn’t save it. It was either it destroyed me or I destroyed it.” Bulkhead explains. Optimus hums before nodding.

“While the loss of the harvester is unfortunate, it would mean nothing compared to losing our teammate. As such, Do not be weighed down by this, Bulkhead. You have saved many lives.” Optimus explains as a vortex appears in front of them. Cliffjumper Bumblebee immediately starts helping Bulkhead to walk through with Optimus and Arcee close behind. Everyone returned to the base and as Bulkhead was guided to the Medbay, he couldn’t help but notice that Heidi was on the phone with someone.

“So you’ll get her out of the museum?” Heidi asks into the call. A smile addresses her features at whatever the caller’s response is.

“Great! Thanks, Fowler.” Heidi finishes before ending the call. Heidi places her phone away before turning to Optimus. He stops before her, turning to look at her as she leans on the yellow railings.

“Good news, Optimus. I got through to Agent Fowler. He’s on his way to get Miko from the museum. If all goes well, Bulkhead should be able to pick her up tomorrow morning at said museum before it opens.” Heidi explains, her eyes filled with a tired ache.

“That is good news. Thank you, Heidi. Your work for us is much appreciated. However, you have much overstayed your time here. As such, I suggest you head home and rest. You have earned it with the rest of the children,” Optimus explains. Heidi lets out a large yawn, stretching her arms before bearing a nod.

“Yeah. No arguing there.” Heidi chirps, heading towards the stairs of the base. The boys had already headed home for tonight but Heidi stayed to continue the efforts of contacting Agent Fowler for the bots since it couldn’t wait. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. 

“Cliffjumper, escort Heidi home please,” Optimus calls out. Cliffjumper immediately runs over from the Medbay, nodding.

“You got it, Optimus. Let’s go, Little lady!” Cliffjumper chirps, glancing at Heidi. She nods as the two head for the tunnel. Cliffjumper transforms then, opening the car door for Heidi. Heidi takes one last look at Bulkhead in the Medbay before entering the car. With that, Cliffjumper shuts his door and the two drive out of the base. Meanwhile, Heidi was already half a second away from falling asleep in Cliffjumper’s vehicle form. 

“Quite a day, huh?” Cliffjumper chirps. Heidi yawns, a small smirk rising on her face as she leans her head against the car seat. She hums in agreement as Cliffjumper enters the darkness of the desert. Quite a day, indeed.

Chapter Text

A quiet afternoon at the base was all Heidi wanted and hoped to enjoy. After school, Cliffjumper drove through the sunny desert to the base with Heidi in the front seat. As they went, Cliffjumper tuned into his usual country radio station, humming along to the songs while Heidi sketched in her sketchbook. She was finishing the first draft of her sketch when a notification sounded from her phone. She glanced down at her backpack pocket, quickly retrieving it and opening the flip phone. There was a text from Miko.

DEE! Check this out!!!!! Raf and I found it while scoping the internet! Miko texted with a link. Curious, Heidi opened the link and discovered it was an online video of a race featuring familiar faces. The orange-haired clown known as Vince was up against… Wait. Heidi paused the video, narrowing her gaze on Vince’s opponent. After taking a closer look, Heidi confirmed her suspicions. Her eyes widened for a moment before narrowing back in anger.

“No freaking way…” Heidi snapped. This catches Cliffjumper’s attention as he abruptly stops humming. He turns off his radio while Heidi furiously texts Miko, mainly telling her to keep quiet and not tell anyone else about this– Especially not Optimus or Ratchet. Goodness knows Ratchet would lose his circuits if he found out. And Optimus? Disappointing him is the worst thing you can do.

“What is it, Little Lady?” Cliffjumper asked finally. Heidi glanced up at his dashboard, her brows furrowed.

“You’re partner and Jack. That’s what. They raced against Vince!” Heidi explained, her hand gripping her phone tight. Cliffjumper turns his mirror to her, making sure he heard right. 

“What?! You’re kidding.”

“Nope. See for yourself.” Heidi then showed her phone screen to the mirror. After watching it, Cliffjumper grunted slightly in annoyance and picked up speed. Heidi puts her phone down as she continues. 

“Exactly! What the heck were they thinking?! Arcee and Jack know the rules.” Heidi snapped. What in Primus’s name got into them? Heidi wished she knew. However, she planned to find out as soon as possible.

“Wish I knew, Little Lady. I’ll talk to Arcee about it once we get to base. In the meantime, Does anyone else know?” Cliffjumper asks. Heidi nods. 

“Miko knows. She sent me the video. So does Raf. I’m hoping the team doesn’t know yet though. And I’m praying Agent Fowler doesn’t. He’ll go nuts if he finds out about this. Ratchet too.” Heidi explains. Cliffjumper sighs tirelessly as the base comes into view.

“Well, don’t worry, Little Lady. I’m sure Arcee and Jack had… some kind of reason for this," Cliffjumper finished. Heidi’s jaw twitches. However, before the conversation could continue, a navy blue motorcycle pulls up beside them. A teen boy sits on top, his grey helmet glinting in the sun: Arcee and Jack. Arcee revs her engine in greeting while Jack waves. But Heidi responds with a glare, and Cliffjumper remains silent. This confuses both the Autobot and the human next to them.

“What’s up with them?” Jack asks, looking down at Arcee’s dashboard.

“Don’t know. Did you annoy Heidi somehow?” Arcee asks curiously. Jack shrugs, shaking his head.

“Not that I know of. What about you and Cliff?” 

“No. He doesn’t get mad often unless he’s losing a game or if cons are involved.” Arcee explains, wondering why her partner hasn’t greeted her yet. After a moment, there’s a brief static in the comlink before Cliffjumper’s voice breaks in through.

“Arcee, We need to talk… Heidi wants to talk to Jack while we’re at it.” Cliffjumper explains. 

“What’s going on?” Arcee asks skeptically. There’s a pause on the line before Cliffjumper answers.

“We know you two were street racing earlier.” Cliffjumper finishes before turning off the comlink and speeding up. Jack stiffens, glancing down at Arcee who had gasped softly but now groans in response. She quickly catches up just as the two vehicles go off-road to the rock plateau. The base door reveals itself, opening for them and revealing the tunnel. They enter the base and Cliffjumper stops halfway through the tunnel. Arcee stops as well a bit in front of him. Jack and Heidi both get out of the vehicles and the bots transform. Arcee stomps up to Cliffjumper, glaring as she points a digit at him.

“How in Primus’s name do you two know?!” Arcee snaps. Cliffjumepr raises his servos softly, palms out as he sighs. 

“Let’s walk and talk, partner,” Cliffjumper explains softly before brushing past her. Arcee grumbles, glancing back at Jack one more time before following. Jack takes off his helmet, about to continue after his partner when he’s yanked back by someone. He turns around to see Heidi glaring daggers at him.

“Jack, you better have a good reason why you and Arcee were street racing,” Heidi explains, yanking her hand from his arm as the two begin to walk a bit behind their guardians who talk in agitated whispers.– Mainly Arcee. Meanwhile, Jack winces, rubbing his arm as he looks at Heidi, a bit panicked. 

“Heidi, who told you about that?”

“Answer my question first, Jack! What the heck were you and Arcee thinking?!” Heidi snapped, pointing a finger at him. Jack raises one of his hands, palms up while the other grips his helmet. Despite being smaller, Heidi was terrifying when she was mad. Jack never knew how she did it. Maybe it was her fiery nature in general, the fact she had so many connections, or that she knew how to physically fight surprisingly. Whatever the case, Jack didn’t like being on the other end of her temper.

“Whoa! Whoa! Look, I-It was just a one-time thing!–”

“Doesn’t matter! You know better and so does Arcee. You’re supposed to keep a low profile and Street racing isn’t what I call keeping a low profile.” Heidi snapped. Jack winces at the loudness in her voice.

“Keep it down! Look, I get you angry!–”

“Angry?! Of course, I’m angry! You’re lucky that most of the team has no idea about this!” Heidi snips, folding her arms.

“Now, Are you going to tell me why you and Arcee did it or not?” Heidi continues, narrowing her eyes. Jack’s face flushes slightly as one of his hands rests on his neck awkwardly. He glances away.

“It’s kinda complicated,” Jack answers. Heidi’s eye twitches from the response.

“Jack, I’ve dealt with off-world robots and Agent Fowler for the past three years. Whatever you think is complicated is nothing compared to what I’ve endured. Now please, give me some grace and tell me why the heck you were street-racing!” Heidi finishes. Jack pauses, looking around for some sort of excuse to save him from Heidi. However, seeing how he wasn’t getting out of this. He sighs in defeat then.

“Fine, Arcee and I were heading back to base when we ran into Sierra and her friend…” Heidi listens angrily as Jack explains the story. And honestly, after hearing what he had to say, Heidi should’ve known after hearing Sierra was involved. Jack was a lovesick fool with her. So Of course, Jack would do a street race against Vince for Sierra. Still, it wasn’t the right decision. Heidi groans slightly, pinching the bridges of her nose.

“Gosh darn it, Jack. While I’m glad Vince got his butt handed to him, it was more stupid than anything. You and Arcee could’ve been in a lot of trouble!” Heidi retorts, making Jack flinch slightly. Heidi lets out an angered sigh then as a silent moment between them ensues aside from Arcee and Cliffjumper’s mumbles. Finally, Heidi hums and her eyes soften.

“Look, just promise me this is actually a one-time thing. No more after this from either of you.” Heidi says, raising a brow. Jack quickly nods, relieved Heidi will keep it a secret.

“Yeah, totally! Loud and clear, Heidi. Never again.” Jack promises. 

“Good.” Heidi nods before a small smirk rises on her face.

“Good job beating Vince. You too, Arcee.” Heidi chirps, nodding to Arcee. The two bots have slowed down to walk with their charges. Arcee rolls her eyes, biting back as a smirk before turning to Jack.

“Not a word to anyone. From either of you.” Arcee orders, glancing at Heidi but keeping her main focus on Jack. 

“Our little secret,” Jack says with a wink.

“So long as it’s a one-time thing,” Heidi adds, raising a brow. Arcee only hums in response before walking ahead with Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper gives Jack a quick grin and wink before hurrying after his partner. As they start to go out of sight into another hall, Miko pops out from behind them. 

“Dude!” Miko chirps, making both the kids jump and turn around to see her. Where in heck’s name did she come from? Raf appears from the other side then, meeting up with Heidi as she backs up to join him. Miko makes driving noises as she grips her fist in front of her. Acting as if she is riding a motorbike.

“Vroom! Vroom! And the winner is…” Miko continues, slightly pointing out to Jack. Jack pales as he stares at Miko. How does she know?!

“Miko, who told you?”

“You kidding? It’s all over school!” Miko explains eagerly. Jack stares in shock when Raf steps up with an eager smile.

“You beat the pants off that blowhard bully Vince!” Raf adds excitedly as Jack turns to him. Jack turns to Heidi, hoping for an explanation.

“Who do you think told me, Jack?” Heidi explains, lifting a brow. Suddenly, Jack yanks Miko and Raf into a huddle before gesturing for Heidi to join them. Quickly, Heidi comes over and crouches in with the group. A serious and slightly fearful look comes across Jack’s features as he explains. 

“You guys have to keep this on the DL. Especially from Optimus.” Jack explains, looking to Heidi for support. She nods, glancing between the two kids.

“He’s right. We shouldn’t even talk about it. It’s a one-time thing and nothing more. Besides, if Optimus or Ratchet found out about the matter, there could be a lot of trouble. Raf, we’re gonna need your help to take down the video.” Heidi explains, looking at Raf at the end. Raf gently pushes up his glasses before nodding. Miko groans.

“Oh come on! That was so cool! And Jack’s a hit!” Miko chirps, holding up her phone. Heidi narrows her eyes.

“Exactly! This means one of the bots could accidentally get on it. Or worse, Agent Fowler finds it and we all get in trouble.” Heidi says before breaking the huddle. She begins to walk off, Raf by her side, and heads for the main room. Meanwhile, Arcee and Cliffjumper hang out in another hallway in the base. Arcee leans on the wall with Cliffjumper next to her as they talk.

“Alright, so no more racing? You promise?” Cliffjumper asks, a bit skeptical. Arcee groans in response, placing her servos on her hips.

“Yes, Cliff. I promise. Now will you give it a rest?” Arcee snaps, tired of the topic. Cliffjumper nods, leaning his helm against the wall.

“Sorry. Just wanna make sure my partner won’t get in trouble. Street Racing is no joking matter,” Cliffjumper added. Arcee rolls her optics.

“That’s rich coming from you. Didn’t you used to street race when we first got here? As a way to ‘see the sights’ as you put it?” Arcee retorted. Cliffjumper optics widen a cinch. He remembered doing that a lot. Arcee used to have to cover for him a good amount so that he could. However, he was done with that now, thankfully. 

“Yeah, but I stopped,” Cliffjumper says, with a shrug. Arcee hums before raising an optical ridge at him.

“You know, you never told me why you quit. From what I remember, you loved doing it.”

“You’re right. I did,” Cliffjumper says with a nod and smirk. Arcee’s optical ridges furrow then at his response. 

“So why quit?”

“Reasons. I’ll tell you later.” Cliffjumper responds. Arcee grunts at the response, folding her arms as Cliffjumper chuckles.

“Anyway, despite everything I just said, I kinda wish I was there to see you beat that Vince boy’s aft in that race,” Cliffjumper adds. At that, Arcee huffs out a small laugh.

“Yeah. Well, You should’ve seen his face when we left him in the dust.”

“I can only imagine,” Cliffjumpser says. Before either of them could continue, both their comlinks go off and Ratchet’s voice enters their audials. 

“Arcee! Cliffjumper! We’ve picked up an Energon signature. Optimus wants the two of you to scout it out.” Ratchet snips before the comlink goes quiet again. With that, the two get up and return to the main room. 

“You know, I bet I could beat you in a race.” Cliffjumper chirps. Arcee lets out a soft snort, elbowing him in return. 

“You wish .”

Ring! The school bell chimed loudly through the halls before students burst out of their classrooms and into the busy hallway. It was the end of another school day finally. And Heidi couldn’t be more grateful for it to be over. She wondered if Cliffjumper could take her for a drive later. On the way out, She stopped at her locker, beginning to empty any stuff she wouldn’t need. Suddenly, a continuous buzzing comes from her backpack. She takes the phone, opens it, and quickly puts it to her ear as she throws her bag over her shoulder. Speak of the devil.

“Hey! I’m coming out now.” 

“Well, hello to you too, little lady. I may or may not be a few minutes late. Traffic is awful and some of the humans… well, let’s just say they’re acting a few words I’m not allowed to say to you.” Cliffjumper chirps. Heidi laughs as she shuts her locker door.

“No problem, Cliff. Once we get out of town though, can we go for a drive? I’d like some downtime before we head to base.” Heidi explains curiously. She hadn’t had much chill time lately since the last mission. She’ll take any time she can to just chill. Thankfully, Cliffjumper’s more than willing to acclimate. 

“You read my processor, little lady! I’ll be there in five.” Cliffjumper says before ending the call. Heidi smiles, placing her phone in her pocket before beginning to walk out. Later, she’s sitting on the steps of the school, waiting for her guardian and sketching in the meantime. Heidi didn’t know how much time had passed but most of everyone had gone home. Miko and Raf had been picked up by their guardians already. She hadn’t seen Jack yet though but he always took a little longer to leave than the others. Suddenly, a door opening behind her caught her attention. She turned around just in time to see Jack walk up beside her with a small smile.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here.” Jack greets. Heidi shrugs, finishing some details on her art.

“Cliff’s running late. He was out patrolling.” Heidi explains. Jack nods, looking over Heidi’s shoulder at her work. He hums softly.

“Nice drawing,” Jack comments. Heidi smiles at him before closing her sketchbook. She starts to pack her things away then, standing up with Jack and heading down to the bottom of the steps. 

“Y’know, Arcee and I could give you a ride to the base. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.” Jack offers. While Heidi is grateful for the offer, she shakes her head in response still. 

“Thanks, but Cliff should be here soon.–”

“Hey! I’ve been looking for you.” A voice interrupts. Both Jack and Heidi turn around to see Sierra at the front doors of the school. Heidi raises a brow, glancing at Jack to see his cheeks turn pink slightly. The lovesick look on his face makes Heidi want to vomit though.

“The Race! How great was that? I was like– Yeah! Go, Jack!” Sierra praises. Heidi couldn’t help the suspicious lump in her stomach. She never really trusted Sierra. Mainly cause she’s seen her with Vince a few times But, who was she to judge? Heidi didn’t actually know her after all.

“I-It was no big deal,” Jack says sheepishly. Heidi rolls her eyes and turns around. Just in time to see Vince heading toward them. 

“You got that right!” Vince snaps, pushing between the two. Heidi stumbles back but thankfully, Jack grabs her arm, helping steady her. Vince turns around then, glaring daggers at Jack as he brushes off his jacket.

“If you think you can run with the big boys… The circuit. Tonight . Eleven pm.” Vince says. And it sounds more like a threat than an offer. Jack releases Heidi and taking the chance, Heidi steps up, glaring right back at Vince.

“Buzz off, Vince. Stop being a whiney little clown about the race and–” Before she can finish, Jack places a hand on her chest and gently pushes her back. He glances back at her, narrowing his eyes.

“Not now.” He whispers. Heidi is about to snap back when a familiar car catches her gaze from the side. Cliffjumper. He stops behind them, revving his engine. However, it isn’t it’s normal ‘hello’ but sounds more threatening. Vince looks past Jack, glaring at the car. Then, he smirks.

“And while we’re at it, pipsqueak–” Vince begins, bending over slightly to Heidi who narrows her eyes. She shifts her bag on her shoulder, keeping a tight grip on the strap.

“Why don’t you tell the owner of that hunk of junk to come along too? Prove he isn’t just your stupid chauffeur and that he actually has some backbone.” Vince insults. Heidi’s fist grips tight into her skin and the backpack strap. However, she rolls her eyes in response.

“First off, that car isn’t a hunk of junk. It’s awesome. Second, Like heck He’s pitiful enough to join a race he’ll obviously win.” Heidi finishes, before turning to the red car. The door opens and Heidi looks at Jack while Vince turns back to him.

“What about you?” Vince snaps. Jack doesn’t answer right away, glancing behind Vince at Sierra who just smiles. Heidi’s nose crinkles slightly before she turns to Jack. 

“Jack, my friend and I can–”

“I’ll be there,” Jack says. What? Vince grins, walking off quickly then. Sierra smiles eagerly, waving at Jack before walking off as well. Once both of them are at a distance, Heidi grabs Jack’s arm and yanks him down slightly, making him bend over to her.

“Jack! What the heck was that?! You promised me it was a one-time thing!” Heidi snips, glaring daggers at Jack. Jack gulps nervously. 

“Well, I mean– Technically, I said–”

“Don’t hit me with that ‘technically’ crap! You said you wouldn’t! So why did you agree to that dumb race?! Is this seriously all for her ?” Heidi continues. Jack tries to break free from her grip to stand up but Heidi is too strong. It surprises Jack a bit. He grunts softly, his eyes now narrowing slightly.

“Look, Heidi. You know Sierra never noticed me before this. She barely even spoke to me at all until after this race. Besides, it’s just one little race,” Jack says. Heidi relinquishes her grip, yanking her hand off his arm as she angrily continues. 

“Jack, that's because you never had the guts to actually try and talk to her. Of course, she barely noticed you!” Heidi snaps back. Jack winces slightly at the comment. 

“Harsh, Heidi.”

“It’s the truth. Look, this isn’t the way to go. You need to tell Vince you’re out.” Heidi snaps, pointing at Vince who is leaning on his car a bit away, playing on his phone. Jack’s eyes widen before he quickly shakes his head.

“No way! If I back out now, he’ll tell the whole school that I’m a wimp or something. And if that happens, I’ll never have a chance with Sierra.” Jack explains, folding his arms.

“Well, you can’t go to that race. And I highly doubt you’ll convince Arcee to do it either.” Heidi snaps. Jack smiles smugly then.

“You seem to doubt my negotiation skills.”

“If they’re as good as your flirting skills, then you’ll definitely fail.” Heidi finishes before walking off, leaving an annoyed Jack behind. She throws her stuff onto Cliffjumper’s car seat floor. She then sits down in the front seat, starting to put on her seatbelt when Jack comes up to the door.

“Heidi, come on!–”

“No, Jack! You better tell Vince you're out. And If I hear you and Arcee are racing again, don’t think I won’t tell Optimus about it!” Heidi snaps before slamming the car door in Jack’s face. It was an empty threat… for now.

“Let’s go, Cliff.” Heidi orders. Cliffjumper then takes one more second before speeding out of the school parking lot. They’re back on the road with a seething Heidi glaring at the car floor. She angrily sighs once they’re out of sight from the school. She lifts her elbow onto the door and presses her face against her propped-up hand. 

“Don’t worry, Little Lady. I’m sure Jack will come around.” Cliffjumper says softly, hoping to cool off Heidi for the drive. Even Though he doesn’t believe it himself. Heidi hums, glancing at his dashboard before looking out the window again.

“I don’t know, Cliff. I hope so…” Heidi finishes. 

“You’re going down, Raf!” Heidi chirps competitively. Raf smirks at her before focusing on the video game. It was early evening at the base and Heidi and Raf were competing in a Video game. A racing one for that matter. While Heidi can’t condone actual street racing, playing it in a game was very fun. Finally, after an enduring race, the finish line was in sight. Heidi was sure she was gonna win this round when suddenly, Raf bumped his car into hers and made it spin out of control. He crosses the finish line while Heidi’s car crashes on the side.

“Dang it!” Heidi curses, slamming the controller on the couch cushion beside her. Raf laughs, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“You’ll get it next time, Heidi,” Raf reassures. Heidi smirks then, taking her controller again.

“Is that you’re way of saying you’re up for a rematch?” Heidi challenges eagerly. Raf is about to respond when suddenly, Heidi’s phone goes off. Heidi quickly takes it out, looking at the caller ID. And groaning.

“It’s Agent Fowler. Raincheck on the Rematch?” Heidi says, a bit saddened. Thankfully, Raf nods. The two fist bump before Heidi walks out of the human area. She heads down the steps, walking down into one of the base hallways. Once she’s far enough down to where it’s practically silent, she answers Agent Fowler.

“Hey, Agent Fowler. Sorry about that. I was in the middle of something.” Heidi excuses, leaning on the base wall as Agent Fowler starts to rant. Mainly about needing another report and how the government was being… Well, words Heidi wasn’t allowed to say. She took out her sketchbook at some point and started listing down anything she needed to remember and/or do. It took a long while though. So long that she had to sit down on the floor from her legs getting tired. 

“Uh-huh. Yeah, alright. Is that all?” Heidi asks. She sighs in relief at Agent Fowler’s ‘yes.’ After a few more moments, she ended the call. She was gathering herself off the floor when familiar rumbling peds came up beside her.

“Heidi?” A low voice rumbled. Heidi looks up, almost breaking her neck to see Optimus staring down at her curiously. Heidi smiles, taking a few steps back to give her neck a break as she responds.

“Optimus! Perfect Timing. Agent Fowler gave me some stuff I need to put in the next report and I could use your help for it. Do you mind? ” Heidi says curiously. Optimus pauses before nodding softly.

“Of course, Heidi. Let us find a more prominent working space.” Optimus explains, kneeling and placing his servo on the ground next to Heidi. Heidi immediately jumps onto his palm, allowing Optimus to rise to his full height. The two head down the hallway then as Heidi starts to explain what she needs for the report. 

The early evening has turned into a late evening now. After scouting out that energon signature, Arcee and Cliffjumper were now heading back to base. They’d likely have to take the kids home once they got back which disappointed Cliffjumper a bit. At least he got to hang out with her earlier. Arcee grunts softly, gaining his attention.

“Can’t believe we didn’t find anything. And that Ratchet made us drive back to base!” Arcee snapped, revving her engine in annoyance. 

“In his defense, he was fixing the Groundbridge when we were finished scouting. Besides, it gave us a chance to enjoy this…er, beautiful night.” Cliffjumper chirped. He could practically feel his partner’s eye roll with the small pause of silence.

“You mean the cloudy black void above us?” Arcee says dryly, her mirror glancing up at the cloudy night sky above them. Cliffjumper laughs.

“Okay, yeah. Maybe not the nicest night but At least it wasn’t a long drive. It could’ve been worse and you know it.” Cliffjumper adds. Arcee sighs in defeat then as the base comes into view. Soon, the two bots rolled into the base in their vehicle forms. They skidded to a halt in the main room, transforming as soon as they did. Arcee heads over to the console to put in their mission log while Cliffjumper heads over to the human area. Miko and Raf are playing a video game on the TV while Bulkhead watches from behind them. Cliffjumper quickly joins them with a small grin.

“Hey, Bulk. Kids. Who’s winning?” Cliffjumper greets, his gaze searching around for his charge.

“Raf, annoyingly. But not for long!” Miko says, adding an eager touch at the end. Cliffjumper chuckles, nodding to Miko’s pride.

“I like your spirit, Miko. Anyway, have any of you seen Heidi?” Cliffjumper asks, now starting to look around the base for her. Raf hums, taking a quick glance back at Cliffjumper to answer.

“She had to take a call earlier so maybe she’s working somewhere,” Raf explains before the game gets his attention again. Cliffjumper hums, wondering where she is when he notices Arcee starting to walk over. She looks around confused before her gaze lands on the kids from the platform’s side.

“Anyone seen Jack?” She asks. The two kids tense then, neither of them answering Arcee at first. This peaks Cliffjumper’s curiosity. They didn’t seem hesitant to answer him about Heidi. Why didn’t they answer Arcee about Jack? Miko turns to Arcee awkwardly then, forcing a smile.

“Not since… we last saw him,” Miko answers. Raf only smiles, silently agreeing. Cliffjumper could tell the kids weren’t telling them everything though. And by the skeptical look Arcee’s sporting, she can tell too. Her eyes narrowed then as she seems to realize what was going on.

“They’re racing, aren’t they?” Arcee says dryly. 

“Just this once!” Raf says, holding up a finger while Miko just continues playing the game. Arcee then turns to the two mechs, glaring at both of them.

“Did you know about this?!” Arcee asks. 

“No!” Bulkhead begins. However, he quickly loses confidence as he answers again.

“Maybe… a little?” Bulkhead says awkwardly. Arcee then turns to Cliffjumper, raising an optical ridge. Cliffjumper shrugs in response.

“I knew Jack said he was going to when I picked up Heidi. I didn’t think he’d actually do it though,” Cliffjumper explains sheepishly. Arcee sighs angrily when suddenly, the console goes off. Bumblebee’s comlink appears on the screen along with audio. Multiple panicked buzzes then enter the comlink, explaining what happened. And once Bumblebee finishes explaining, Cliffjumper can understand why he was panicked.d 

“You’re being chased by Knockout?” Raf translates, unsure but still worried. He stands up as Bumblebee buzzes ‘yes.’ Miko quickly follows Raf’s lead, clutching her fist.

“That sounds like a Decepticon!” 

“It is,” Cliffjumper answers, narrowing his optics on the screen. 

“Bee, do not engage! Your first priority is to keep Jack safe… until I get my hands on him.” Arcee says, grumbling the last part as she heads towards the groundbridge. The bots quickly follow and Cliffjumper types on the Groundbridge the closest coordinates he could get of Bumblebee. As soon as it’s ready, he turns to the children. 

“Raf, Miko. You’re on Groundbridge duty until we get back. We’ll call in once we have Jack and Bee,” Cliffjumper explains. Both the kids nod and with that, Cliffjumper activates the machine. A Swirling green and purple vortex appears and once it’s ready, Bulkhead and Arcee transform and drive through with Cliffjumper close behind. He takes the lead once they exit the vortex, having Bumblebee’s signal on his dashboard.

“I’ve got him. Five Kilick’s down the road!” Cliffjumper alerts. With that, they take down the road. Arcee comes up next to Cliffjumper as Bulkhead stays behind.

“I swear, I’m gonna kill Jack for doing this! He should’ve just stayed at the base!” Arcee snaps through the comlink. Cliffjumper knows that other than being angry, she’s probably more worried than anything.

“Don’t worry, partner. We’ll get this sorted out. Don’t go too hard on him though.” Cliffjumper says. Arcee grumbles in response as they head down the road. Soon, they come towards a small road bridge over a canal. And on the other side, Bumblebee is parked on the road with Jack in front of him, distraught. 

“There he is!” The words are barely out of Cliffjumper's intake as Arcee speeds up. Immediately, Bulkhead and Cliffjumper catch up and soon, cross the bridge to Jack. Bumblebee transforms once they get close and one by one, each of the bots does the same. Arcee looks down at Jack, placing her servos on her hips.

“Jack, we need to have a little chat ,” Arcee says. 

“Later, Arcee! Vince got snatched by that slick, sports car con.” Jack explains, a bit distraught.

“Knockout. But what would he want with a random human like him?” Cliffjumper says, looking around at the group curiously.

“He probably mistook Vince for Bumblebee’s human friend. I’m not even Bumblebee’s human friend. I-I don’t know! It doesn’t matter why he took him. Vince is in trouble!” Jack answers, pointing down the road. Cliffjumper hums, trying to figure out a plan to track them down when Bulkhead shrugs.

“Oh well. Tough break for Vince.” Bulkhead says dryly.

“Bulkhead!” Jack snaps as everyone turns to him, disapprovingly. 

“Not cool, Bulk,” Cliffjumper adds, narrowing his optics. Bulkhead turns back to the group, surprised.

“What? I hear the guy’s a jerk.” Bulkhead defends. 

“No argument there but the guy is also innocent. Vince doesn’t deserve to get crushed by cons.” Jack says. Cliffjumper nods approvingly to his words then.

“Jack’s right. Trust me, based on Heidi’s stories, I know the guy’s not the greatest human. Still, we can’t just leave him for the cons to do Primus knows what.” Cliffjumper supports. Arcee glances to the side for a moment before transforming into her vehicle form. And Cliffjumper doesn’t have to ask to know what she’s thinking.

“Hop on,” Arcee says to Jack, revving her engine. 

“Phew! Thanks again for the help, Optimus. I’ll send out the report as soon as I get to the computers.” Heidi says, standing on Optimus’s lifted servo as he walks through the base’s halls. After a long while of work, the two had finally finished putting together the report. And Heidi was more than grateful for Optimus’s help. Optimus nods to Heidi, glancing down.

“You are welcome, Heidi. I am proud to have aided you on your work for Agent Fowler and your government.” Optimus answers. Heidi smiles as the two finally come into the main room. Strangely, it’s mostly empty. No Autobot is present in the room. 

“Where is everybody?” Heidi wonders softly as Optimus walks over to the console. Thankfully, Raf and Miko are already at the computers. Maybe they would know where the bots went. Optimus begins making his way over and the two kids start whispering about something. However, they quickly stop when Optimus walks up.

“Raf, Miko. Do either of you know where the others have gone?” Optimus says as he stops before them, lifting his servo onto the platform for Heidi to get off. Immediately, Heidi jumps onto the metal floor, nodding to Optimus in ‘thank you’ as Miko answers… in a very strange way.

“Why no, sir. We do not know.” Miko says, putting on a ‘sweet’ smile. Raf awkwardly straightens as he puts on his own smile, glancing nervously at Miko.

“Miko is correct. We do not know.” 

“Why would we know?” Miko adds. Heidi was skeptical before, but now, she was full-on suspicious. She knew Raf well enough to tell he was lying. And Miko? It wasn’t hard to tell she was hiding something too. Optimus raises an optical ridge with a low hum as Heidi narrows her eyes. There’s an awkward moment of silence while Heidi and Optimus try to figure out what they’re hiding. And then, it hits her. Heidi’s eyes widen before she slaps a hand on her face, cursing under her breath,

“Oh for goodness sake.” Heidi snaps, turning to Raf with a glare. One Raf immediately shrivels against. 

“Raf, please tell me it’s not what I think it is.” 

“Uhhh… what do you mean, Heidi?” Raf asks, trying to play it off. 

“You know what I mean. I’m trying really hard to keep my patience with you because you're my friend, So please, do us both a favor and spit it out. ” Heidi snaps, folding her arms impatiently. It takes a mere moment before Raf blurts out everything, despite Miko’s protest.

“Jack and Bee were out street racing and got into trouble with cons!” 

“Raf! You Kiss-up snitch!” Miko snaps. 

“I knew it!” Heidi yells in affirmation, grunting angrily after. Optimus glances between the kids before turning to Raf.

“And the others?” 

“They went to help them. But we haven’t heard from in a while,” Raf continues. Miko scoffs angrily at Raf then, grumbling something as she stalks off toward the human area. Heidi decides it isn’t worth talking to her about it and instead, turns to Optimus to see what the plan is here. What was their next move?

In a small town near where the street race was, Arcee, Jack, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead drove through the roads of the dead-silent town. They searched for the familiar red car known as Knockout, hoping to find Vince as well. Soon, They stop at a red light, thinking if they should try a new strategy when suddenly, a familiar red sports car zips across the street ahead of them.

“Woah! Found him!” Cliffjumper says as the team immediately turns onto the road after him, speeding up. The red car seems to notice them though, speeding up as well and turning into a parking lot by the looks of it.

“On your guard, boys! Could be a trap.” Arcee orders.

“Remember! No shooting.” Jack adds.

“Bulkhead, Bumblebee. I’m going to patrol the area. Make sure we’re alone.” Cliffjumper says. Everyone agrees and with that, they speed ahead while Arcee takes care of her charge. Bulkhead and Bumblebee turn around a corner, transforming while Cliffjumper continues ahead, circling the area. He notices Arcee get onto a high human structure, taking her own scope of the area as well. Once he’s sure they’re are no wandering humans, He turns around a corner, transforming and walking towards his teammates in the parking lot. Just as he was about to get close…

FLASH! A bright light blinds Bumblebee and Bulkhead and then, something crashes through a wall behind them. It’s Breakdown! He attacks the two as Cliffjumper immediately charges toward him, activating and shooting his cannons. Breakdown slams into him before punching aside Bumblebee. A huge fight ensues between the mechs as Knockout– the one seemingly behind the light– observes it with an unconscious Vince in his passenger seat.

“Hm. Where’s the two-wheeler?” Knockout mumbles. Just as he mentions it, BAM! Something jumps onto his vehicle form. Arcce slams her fist into his windshield, making Knockout grunt.

“Hey! Watch the paint!” Knockout snaps before driving forward with Arcee on top. Cliffjumper notices, immediately punching Breakdown aside who is quickly distracted by Bumblebee and Bulkhead. He transforms and follows his partner and Knockout out of the parking lot. 

He turns out of the area just in time to see Knockout swerve Arcee off. However, as soon as she falls, she transforms and lands on her wheels. She immediately goes after Knockout right after as pride fills Cliffjumper’s system.

“Haha! Atta girl, Arcee!” Cliffjumper chirps, quickly joining Arcee in pursuit. The two follow Knockout into the desert again, pushing themselves to catch up. At one point, it seemed they would get him. However, Knockout speeds up then and starts to outrun them. Both Arcee and Cliffjumper grunt,

“Scrap, he’s getting away!” Cliffjumper says. If Knockout gets Vince to the Decepticon warship, they’d never be able to find him. This isn’t good but it seems like it’s about to happen on their watch. Just when they think they’re about to lose Knockout to the desert road, a familiar truck horn honks from another road. 

“No way! It’s Optimus!” Cliffjumper chirps. Meanwhile, Optimus joins Knockout beside him on the road and before Knockout can react, pushes him to the side. Knockout spins out of control on the edge of the road and zips off-road into a ditch. He runs his ties, trying to get free but realizes he is completely stuck after. Optimus quickly turns off the road then and transforms into his bi-pedal form, walking towards Knockout.

“Good timing, Boss bot.” Cliffjumper chirps through the comlink.

“Optimus, Knockout has a hostage,” Arcee adds.

“Understood,” Optimus says, leaning down and picking up Knockout by his rear end. He then takes Knockout’s car door and yanks it off. Knockout yelps in pain as Optimus removes the human from his passenger seat. As soon as Optimus retracts his servo with Vince, Knockout transforms. He breaks free from Optimus’s grip and lands on his peds. He looks at his arm in shock before furiously turning to Optimus.

“Do you know how hard that is to replace?!” Knockout yells, enraged by the pain and his missing flashy, part.  He looks as if he might fight back then, dropping into a fighting stance. However, at seeing Arcee and Cliffjumper start to drive up with Bulkhead and Bumblebee behind them, he rethinks his actions. He immediately flees, transforming and driving off into the desert. 

Optimus relaxes and turns around to see his team coming up. Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and Arcee walk up in their bi-pedal form Bumblebee drives up with Jack in his driver's seat. Bumblebee rolls his window down for Jack then, revealing the guilt-ridden look on Jack’s face.

“Optimus… This was my fault,” Jack explains. Optimus deactivates his battle mask after as he looks at Jack.

“We must get this boy to safety immediately. Explanations can come later… from all of you.” Optimus finishes, looking around at the team. Everyone looks away, a bit guilt-ridden as Cliffjumper sighs. Bumblebee buzzes softly in agreement before suggesting an idea on how to deal with Vince to the team. Thankfully, everyone seems to agree.

After getting Vince back to his car, the bots returned to base and explained everything to Optimus and Heidi. Optimus had a few words, Mainly for Jack, Bumblebee, and Arcee but, thankfully, that was the worst they seemed to get. This time, they actually promised not to do it again to both Optimus and Heidi. Heidi didn’t speak to any of the team members except Raf maybe in response. 

Unfortunately, she’s been like that for half the drive to her home with Cliffjumper as well. It was killing Cliffjumper and he’s been practically begging her to talk to him the whole time. 

“Come on, Little Lady. Talk to me! I swear, I didn’t mean to not tell you or Optimus. I was just so caught up in the moment that it slipped my mind. But I promise to tell you in the future if anything happens. Alright?” Cliffjumper pleads. This finally seems to get through to Heidi as she sighs in defeat, looking away from the car window.

“Alright, Cliff. So long as you’ll tell me from now on when something’s wrong. I’m only text away if I’m not in the room.” Heidi explains, looking at his dashboard. 

“I promise, Little Lady! No more secrets.” Cliffjumper finishes. Heidi smiles, nodding in approval before looking out the window again. Silence aches through the car they move closer to Jasper. So much happened tonight. It was a bit much to process but that seemed to start to become a normal thing now. After a moment, Cliffjumper breaks the silence with a surprising statement.  

“You know, I used to street race a lot myself,” Cliffjumper explains. Heidi turns to his dashboard, her brows lifting in surprise.

“You’re joking.”

“Nope. When Arcee and I first arrived, I used it as a way to see the sights of your planet and have a little fun between patrols.” Cliffjumper explains. Heidi’s eyes narrow then, her arms folding across her chest as she glares at his dashboard.

“Do you still Race?”

“Nope. Gave it up a while back.” Cliffjumper says. Heidi’s gaze softens as she tilts her head to the side curiously. 

“Why?”

“Well, A special Little Lady joined Team Prime. And after getting to know her, I realized I didn’t want to race anymore. I didn’t want to risk her getting wrapped up in it or risk my ability to keep her safe. So I quit. And it was the best decision I ever made.” Cliffjumper narrates. Heidi paused before a slightly sadder look came onto her face. She made him give up something she loved… Her hands go to her sides as they grip on the seat slightly.

“Do you miss it?”

“No. And I never will. Wanna know why? Because I have something better now. A best friend, charge, and partner.” Cliffjumper chirps. Heidi's brows lift before a smile breaks onto her lips. She laughs, her hands lessening in their grip and moving to rest on her legs.

“Thanks, Cliff. That means more than you know.” Heidi says. A warm feeling enters Cliffjumper’s tank as the two drive into the small town of Jasper. And with the look on Heidi’s face, he can tell she feels the same.

“Anything for my favorite Little Lady.”

Chapter Text

“And that’s how you start a fire with this baby,” Jack says, struggling to flip the pocketknife around his fingers. It slips from his grasp, prompting him to quickly reach out and catch it. Heidi rolls her eyes as she continues her sketch.  

It’s a beautiful early afternoon at the base. Most of the bots are either out on patrol or spending time with their charges, like Bulkhead and Bumblebee. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper is out on patrol, leaving Heidi alone with Jack in the human area while Arcee and Ratchet converse at the console. Jack has been boasting about the fanny pack around his waist—his so-called survival kit that he’s been talking about for ages.

“Yeah. Yeah. I get it, Jack. Thanks for the lesson, but I doubt that’ll be useful since I won’t be camping any time soon,” Heidi says, closing her sketchbook and throwing it into her bag that rests on the sofa cushion next to her. Jack tilts his head.

“Well, do you have a pocket knife?” Jack asks. Heidi smirks, lifting her foot and putting it on her knee. A piece of transparent duct tape is on the shoe, holding the bottom part onto the shoe. She rips it off, the bottom flopping open, and she takes out a Swiss Army knife from the bottom. Jack jumps back, startled, before chuckling softly.

“Huh. That’s actually kind of clever. Weird, but clever.” Jack says with a shrug. Heidi scoffs as she quickly slips the Swiss Army knife back in its spot. 

“This is coming from the guy who was just bragging about a survival kit that he’s never used.” Heidi retorts. She re-sticks the duct tape on her shoe and puts her foot back down on the floor.

“Isn’t it a bit uncomfortable, though?” Jack asks, coming to the couch. Heidi shrugs, taking her backpack for Jack to sit. 

“The shoes are thick enough in that part where I don’t feel it.” 

 “I guess that makes sense.” Jack sits down beside her, and just as he reaches for the TV remote on the table, the console screens start flashing. A familiar voice transmits through the comlink. 

“Hey doc, requesting a groundbridge!” An energetic voice chirped. A signal perked up on the screen, then with a picture of Cliffjumper. Looks like he’s done with his patrol. Which means it’s almost time to go. 

“And that’s my cue.” Heidi chirps, heading to the human area. She moves to the other side of the couch, grabbing her new, red leather jacket from the armrest and throwing it on. Her mom got this for her a week ago, and Heidi’s been wearing it ever since. She begins to slip on the straps as Jack watches, confused. Why was Heidi packing up? Was she leaving?

“W-Wait, you’re leaving? Why?” Jack asks. Heidi turns to him, smiling softly as she takes out her phone.

“Government business, Jack. They want me to give a report in person about… classified info.” Heidi explains. The vortex suddenly opens, and Cliffjumper zips out, screeching to a flashy halt. He always liked to make a grand entrance. He beeps his horn twice, his door opening for a special passenger. 

“Oh! I gotta go. See you later, Jack!” Heidi teases, running off to the stairs, and then speeds down them. She skips the last few at the bottom as a familiar green SUV screeches to a halt near the entrance. And an ecstatic Miko jumps out.

“That was awesome! The way you bashed those dunes was so cool.” Miko stops mid-sentence as she notices Heidi walking past her, towards the ground bridge. Curiosity strings through Miko as she runs up to her side eagerly.

“Hey Dee! Where’re you going? Is it somewhere cool? Like Secret Agent stuff? Can I come?!” Miko chirps, rattling off her usual hundred questions. Heidi turns to her, quickly answering each question.

“None of your business. Not by your standards. Depends on who you ask. And absolutely not.” Heidi says, counting on her fingers to ensure she answers all the questions. Miko grumbles, stomping her foot.

“How come you get to go with them on cool missions?” Miko grumbles, turning away angrily. Heidi sighs, shaking her head as Cliffjumper snorts a laugh. Miko had no idea how boring Heidi’s job could get. And how long it can take. 

“Trust me, Miko. I would rather be anywhere but there. It’s worse than Mr. Samson’s history class sometimes.” Heidi explains. Miko rolls her eyes, grumbling under her breath. Heidi knew she was just bored at the base. And a part of her wanted to bring Miko to make it lively. 

“Hey, Miko! Don’t get into any trouble. If you can.” Heidi says, a teasing smirk on her face. Miko sends a glare, but Heidi can see her smirk as she scoffs. She then walks off, grumbling under her breath and leaving Heidi to get into the passenger seat as the door slams shut behind her.

“You ready, little lady?” Cliffjumper asks, his confident nature coming through. Heidi hums, nodding as she leans back. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be, Cliff. Let’s ride!” Heidi says. Cliffjumper laughs, changing gears and doing a tight turn back towards the groundbridge. He waits there, revving his engine until Ratchet gives him a curt nod to go. At that, the two sped out of there and to their next destination. 

“Man, this is… dull.” Cliffjumper slumps in his vehicle form, bored as he waits for his charge to emerge from the base. She’s been in the meeting for hours now, and it’s starting to get dark. Heidi needs to be home soon. So why is it taking her so long? 

“Primus, this must be important if it’s taking this long. It’s been hours…” Cliffjumper mumbles. He’s used to being patient with this sort of thing. As the Autobot Guardian of a liaison, it’s tough work. However, Cliffjumper also knows it’s always worth it if it helps Heidi out in some way. He would never hinder her from her duties, and as her Guardian, it’s his job to support her. That’s what he’s been doing, and he will continue to do so until she no longer needs him. 

Finally, after what seems like forever, a small figure exits from the building. She turns to Cliffjumper with a small smile on her face. It’s already making Cliffjumper’s earlier bore of a day a lot better. She walks up just as his car door opens, allowing her to jump in.

“Hey, Cliff.” Heidi waves tirelessly as she sits.

“Hey, little lady. How was the meeting?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi sighs before slouching back in her seat. 

“It was tiring but bearable since Agent Fowler was there… He’s the one they actually listen to anyway.” Heidi groans, leaning back in her seat with a tired sigh. Cliffjumper turns to his rearview mirror to see Heidi with a hum.

“Why do you say that, Little Lady?” Cliffjumper asks. Heidi glances at the mirror before huffing angrily, her eyes narrowing on the floor below.

“Because it’s true. Honestly, I don’t understand why they make me go to any meetings with the government when all I do is sit there and watch them chat on and on. It’s nothing agent Fowler can’t tell me or the bots themselves. Besides, they barely talk and listen to me anyway, even when I’m talking about you guys. They only talk to Agent Fowler because he’s the adult, and I’m… Well, I’m just a kid…” Heidi complains, her eyes softening slightly in the end. 

Cliffjumper watches his charge silently, contemplating his thoughts. He understands his charge’s anger. All she ever wants to do is help, and she’s been helping for so long. To be honest, He’s a bit ticked they wouldn’t listen to her by now. She’s been their liaison for almost as long as Fowler has. She should at least have a little more respect at this point. 

“Don’t worry, Little Lady. Maybe for this meeting, you just needed to be there.” Cliffjumper quips. Heidi merely sighs again, throwing her bookbag to the ground. She was tired and in a bad mood. Not to mention, Cliffjumper had a feeling she was more bored than anything. Little Lady needed some fun after that meeting. And he was happy to oblige. Just like he always tried –and usually succeeded at doing. After a moment of thinking, he knew just the trick to get her out of that funk. 

“Hey, how about we go for a milkshake and then take the long way back? I think there’s a Hopper’s Ice Cream nearby.” Cliffjumper chirped knowingly. That seemed to bring back Heidi’s fiery energy almost instantly. Cliffjumper never doubted for a minute, though. After all, it was her favorite ice cream place. There was one in Jasper near K.O. Drive-In, and they always went after a bad day in school. A grin grows on Heidi’s face as she sits up straight, turning to the dashboard.

“Heck yeah! After today, I need an Oreo milkshake!” Heidi says, already tasting the delicious flavors. Cliffjumper laughs as he starts his engine.

“Then it’s settled! I’ll put on some directions and tell Ratchet we’ll take the long way home so you can eat it without your mom knowing… maybe don’t tell her I got you some. It is technically before dinner for you.” Cliffjumper explains, backing out of the parking space onto the road. 

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s our little secret!” Heidi says with a wink before a round of cheers explodes from her. Finally, after such a long day of meetings, it was starting to brighten up. 

Cliffjumper was driving through the roads at the bottom of a mountain. The area was mainly surrounded by a forest, with never-ending trees and plants lining the cement road. The sun was just starting to go down, and they were pretty far from civilization. That never bothered them before, though. This isn’t the first time they’ve done something like this, after all. And it definitely wasn’t gonna be the last time. 

“Well? How is it?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi was contentedly slurping her milkshake, her feet bobbing slightly from the delicious Oreo flavor. She removes her mouth from the straw with an approving hum. 

“It’s really good! Thanks for stopping for it, Cliff.” 

“I’m just the driver, Little Lady. You’re the one who paid for it. Besides, you deserve it for working so hard this week.” Cliffjumper said. Heidi smiled, nodding as she took one last, long slurp of the milkshake. She placed the empty cup in her backpack pocket with a sigh. As she leaned back on the seat, she couldn’t help but think about the meeting. About what they were talking about. MECH. 

Heidi pursed her lips at the thought of them. Who were they really? Were they just a terrorist organization or part of a greater enemy? How did they know about the Autobots? And what else do they know about them? Most importantly, though, why does a feeling of deeper familiarity rise whenever they’re mentioned?

“Little Lady? You okay?” Cliffjumper’s voice broke through her thoughts as she turned to the dashboard. His rearview mirror angles to her in the corner of her eye. She sighs, nodding slightly as she fiddles with her fingers.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just… I’ve been thinking about MECH a lot recently. We haven’t been able to dig up any info regarding them or any connections they could have. It’s frustrating and…a bit nerve-wracking if I’m being honest.” Heidi explains, lacing her fingers together. Cliffjumper understood her worries. After all, He had been a bit on edge too ever since the train incident with MECH. He had almost lost her that day. They had almost lost all the kids that day. And he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have it replayed in his processor during power down.

“I get it. Don’t worry, Little Lady. We’ll figure them out.” Cliffjumper asks. Heidi gives him a half smile before looking out the window again. Her eyes seem dazed, and her brows furrow as she thinks. And Cliffjumper can tell some things off. There’s more going on than she’s let on. Thankfully, Heidi speaks up before Cliffjumper can ask.

“There’s something else. When I heard the description of the soldiers and the way Silas talked, for some reason, it felt… weirdly familiar. Like I’ve met a person from MECH before.” Heidi explains, unsure. This surprises Cliffjumper.

“You’re sure?”

“Kind of?” Heidi says before groaning. “I don’t know. Call it crazy, but I swear I’ve seen those descriptions you gave me before. At least with their uniforms. Maybe if I could physically see them, I’d know, but…” Heidi grumbles, crossing her arms. Cliffjumper felt bad for Heidi, but he couldn’t help but be curious, too. Heidi wasn’t one to talk about her past much. At least when it came before her time in the orphanage.

“Maybe it’s your government's army uniform thing? As a liaison, you’ve seen a lot of army personnel, and you and Raf did say that they resemble their uniform, right?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi shrugged.

“A version of it, yeah. Still, I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s something more.” Heidi said, letting out a yearning sigh. Cliffjumper hated seeing her like this. But he didn’t know how to help either. Meanwhile, Heidi’s mind was spiraling through her memories, but was noticeably sticking away from some more… darker ones. Still, she found nothing. 

Her gaze shifts up for a moment and into the rearview mirror. Like it could somehow give her the answer. However, instead, she found something else. A strange, bright green car with black accents. Most would think it’s just a normal car, but something felt off with it.– Wait. She sits up, her body tensing as he eyes widen. More green cars appear next and behind the earlier one, and then her heart races. 

“Oh, crud. Cliff!–”

“See’em. You might wanna hold on to something, Little Lady,” Cliffjumper says, his tone serious instead of his usual peppiness. It was a tone Heidi only heard when he was being serious with her. Her blood turns to ice as she reaches for the grab handle above her. The other is to the armrests in the center. She grips tight as Cliffjumper switches gears. He picks up speed, going faster than the speed limit now. He pulls ahead, and for a moment, the cars disappear from behind them. And Heidi can’t help but think that maybe it was a coincidence. However, she’s quickly disappointed to see those cars immediately start to catch up from behind. 

“Crud! It must be MECH. Cliff, we need to call for a groundbridge!” Heidi says, panicked. 

“On it!” Cliffjumper says, quickly switching over to the base comlink.

“Cliffjumper to base! Requesting an emergency groundbridge STAT!” Cliffjumper snaps. However, static only comes out after. What? That shouldn’t be happening. Immediately, Heidi turns to her bag, releasing her grip as she takes out her phone. She starts dialing in the base while Cliffjumper continues his attempts to call them.

“Ratchet! I need a Groundbridge now! Heidi’s with me, and we’ve got some unwanted company on our tailpipes!” Cliffjumper snaps. Still, only static. He grunts angrily.

“Scrap! Okay, Groundbridge is off the table.” Cliffjumper says. But Why? What the heck was going on? Heidi presses the call button on her phone, but nothing happens. She gasps before trying again. And again. But nothing. There wasn’t a signal, but that shouldn’t matter with the comlink, right? She looks up then and–

“CLIFF, WATCH OUT!” Heidi shrieks just as another car drives up and cuts them off in front. Cliffjumper just barely dodged in time, backing up. Two other cars take his side then, and another is about to take his rear.

“Hold on!” Cliffjumper orders. Heidi barely has enough time to get a grip when Cliffjumper hits the brakes. He slams into the car behind him, making it spin out of control. The other vehicles move, giving him an opening to speed ahead and slam them to the sides. Finally, he takes the lead again while the other cars spin behind him.

“Nice one, Cliff!” Cliffjumper laughs, pride entering his system. In his book, Heidi’s compliments were the best. 

“You know me, Little Lady! Mess with Cliffjumper and you get the horns!” Cliffjumper chirps, revving his engine in support. Heidi laughs, nodding before looking behind. Her earlier joy then turns to blatant fear and shock as she sees the green cars still following. And now, there were more.

“What?! How?!” Cliffjumper snaps.

“Don’t know but if they’re still following, they must be after something… or someone,” Heidi said, a dreaded feeling entering her. Could they be after her? But why? Did they know who she was? They already knew about the bots, and they were the government’s best-kept secret. At least, from what Heidi knows. 

“Well, whatever they want, they aren’t getting it!” Cliffjumper snaps, beginning to look for another way to get rid of its tail. Finally, he found a road that led down the mountain and into a forest. Maybe he could lose them in there. 

“I have an idea! Hold on, Little Lady! This is gonna be bumpy!” Cliffjumper warns before pulling a tight turn onto the dirt road. He speeds up, heading deeper into the forest. The green cars follow, but hopefully, the bumpiness in the road will help slow those green cars down. It does, as the cars seem to be worried about popping their tires. 

“Cliff, we need to slow down or you might pop your tires!” Heidi warns. 

“Not with them on our tail! Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Cliffjumper says, changing gears. He speeds up, pulling farther ahead of the cars. The forest starts to leave their side as they come to a road that follows the edge of a cliff. Thankfully, after that turn, they should be home free. Especially with how far back the cars are now. After the turn, Cliffjumper would be able to go back to his top speed and outrun them.

“We’re almost home, Little Lady! Just a little–”

“CLIFF!” Heidi shrieked, pointing in front. Cliffjumper looks ahead only to see a green helicopter fly out from behind the cliff. The same helicopter from the train escapade. A weapon on the helicopter that looks like a torpedo launcher aims for them. Cliffjumper turns about to dodge, but it’s too late. The weapon fires with a loud boom just as Cliffjumper reacts. 

Heidi presses herself against the seat, both from her own force and from Cliffjumper’s seatbelt tightening. Cliffjumper then does a tight turn, his brakes and tires screaming against the concrete as he barely misses a direct hit, but it’s not enough to get away. The torpedo lands just beside them, destroying his doorside and making Cliffjumper spin out of control and then roll over like a tumbleweed multiple times without stopping. Heidi’s screams fill the car as she holds onto the seatbelt for dear life. 

“Hang on!–” Cliffjumper bites out. However, it’s cut short by the sudden weight shift in his seat. Time slows as she feels her body leave the seat and out the door. A scream rips from Heidi’s throat before hard concrete hits her back. And then her side. She’s half-rolling, half-skidding across the concrete for a moment, but comes to an abrupt stop.

Heidi lies on her side, her mind in a haze from the pain. It felt like every bone in her body was on fire. Broken and bruised. Her eyes search around the blurriness, hoping to see a blur of red, but there’s nothing. As if he were never here, to begin with. What happened? Unfortunately, she doesn’t have time to contemplate it as everything goes black.

Bzzzzzzzzzt

All Heidi could hear was the buzzing around her. It sounded like the lights in a hospital or just energy. A groan escapes her lips as her eyes flutter open. Crud, Everything hurt. She was in a small, dark room with the only light being a few light panels. Silver metal walls surround her, and a single door is on her side. She leans back in a chair, her hands tied tightly to the back. 

“What…happened?” Heidi wonders, coughing slightly after. It takes a moment, but soon, it comes rushing back to her. Immediately, Heidi looked down at herself. Her legs were a collage of bruises, and she could feel that her arms as a whole were the same. Her head throbbed, but there seemed to be some gauze wrapped around her forehead as if she had a head wound. And from the throbbing, she decided she definitely got hit in the head from the fall. She also may have a few bone bruises on her somewhere, but other than that, she was completely fine, which was a shock but very relieving to her. Once she was sure nothing was broken, she tried to move, but her hands were tired behind her back. 

“Where am I?” Heidi asked, continuing to look around. Where was Cliffjumper? Was he okay? Heidi hoped so. She looked up to the window again and then noticed the multiple branches swaying above. She wasn’t in a building. Not with a roof window like that in the ceiling. Could she be in a trailer? If so, where was the trailer, and how did she get here to begin with? It had to have been MECH…

Before she could contemplate more, the sound of a mechanical lock got her attention. Heidi whips her head to the door to see two men enter the room. Both seemed to have some muscle built up under their green MECH uniforms. 

One of them is wearing some type of gas mask, covering his face from Heidi’s view. Along with that, he held a large rifle in his hand as he closed the door behind him. Meanwhile, the man next to him seemed different. He wasn’t wearing a mask. The man in front of her wore army apparel and had a mug full of scars. His white hair is in an army crew cut, and his dark eyes scan over a file with multiple documents inside. Something about him felt a bit… familiar to Heidi. Same with the soldier. But why? His gaze shifts to Heidi.

“Ah, Heidi Campbell. Glad to see you awake. Apologies for the wait. I do hope you’re feeling better. After your little accident, we had our medic come and take a look at you. Shockingly, you had no broken bones and only bruised the bone on your elbow and your knee. Though he promises a speedy recovery, nonetheless,” The man says, a forced smile on his face. 

His voice was so familiar. Where had she heard it before? Heidi narrows her eyes, staying silent as he moves to sit down in front of her. He sets the files down in front, clasping his hands on the table.  And that’s when it hits her. This isn’t any old trailer. It’s some type of interrogation place. And she was the one about to be interrogated. No matter what, she couldn’t break. However, she also needed to get her bearings. 

“Where am I? This looks like some kind of interrogation room, but in a… trailer?” Heidi asks. Acting more nervous than she was. In reality, she was terrified, but she needed to put up an act. After all, she had a feeling of why they targeted her specifically. Though she hoped she was wrong. Silas raises a brow with a smirk.

“It seems your record of intelligence wasn’t an exaggeration.” Silas muses. Heidi narrows her eyes as she tries to figure out the familiarity here with the man. He had to be the ringleader of this, but why did his voice sound so familiar? The only time she ever heard a voice like that was when the bots had their last encounter with MECH. An attack orchestrated by… Silas.

This must be him. This slimy reptile of a man caused the attack and tried to kill the bots on a mission for the D.I.N.G.U.S… Heidi thought he’d be younger, but she didn’t say that aloud. It wouldn’t be a good idea to see how both men are armed and could easily kill her while she’s tied up.

Silas hums, watching her like a hawk as he puts the file in his hand on the table. He then sits down in the chair in front of her. He opens the file, and Heidi’s eyes widen at the documents inside. They were documents about her, along with photos of her with Cliffjumper, leaving some meetings. None of them show him in his bipedal form, thank goodness, but still. How long have they been watching without either of them noticing?

“You’ve been watching me… Why?!” Heidi snaps. She needed to know how much they knew, though. And how in Primus’s name did they find out about her affiliation with the Autobots? Silas doesn't answer, averting her question.

“You’re a highly intelligent kid, Ms. Campbell. We knew that even before we came in here. You skipped a few grades, putting you in highschool school-level classes, and you are quite active physically. It is certainly different compared to how you were, if what we gathered was correct.” Silas says, reading over the documents. Heidi was able to school her expression, only gulping slightly. They knew so much… how much else did they know? Did they know about the other children with the bots or just her? Either way, she shouldn’t say anything that could possibly relate to them. 

“What’s it to you? Or do you normally stalk kids for fun?” Heidi snaps, leaning forward in her chair. However, the bonds on her hands keep her from moving that far at all. Silas glances at her before taking another document. 

“Well, we try to indulge ourselves in information when it comes to allies of some off-world visitors,” Silas says. Play dumb. That was the first idea to come to Heidi’s mind. So she puts on an innocent, confused face for the soldiers.

“ Off-world? The only off-world visitors I know of are E.T. You know, the ugly little alien creature from the movie.– Wait, are you related to E.T.? Because you look like you could be related to that scowling mug of yours.” Heidi asked, tilting her head. Silas narrows his eyes for a moment but forces a smile.

“Very amusing, Ms. Campbell. I believe you know more extraterrestrials than E.T., Heidi Campbell. Or should we call you by your birth name, Elodie Grace?” Heidi stiffened as her eyes widened. Her mouth practically drops open for a moment before she quickly closes it, pursing her lips. How does he know that?! Silas smiles at the reaction, taking out another document and waving it in front of her.

“How did you… That’s not my name. Elodie Grace is a dead person’s name. Not mine…” Heidi snaps. Silas dryly looks her over before humming and turning back to the files.

“You have quite a family history, Heidi. No importance to your grandparents. Your father passed while in service to our lovely country, just before you were born. Meanwhile, your mother–”

“Don’t you dare mention that woman! She is not my mother! And Elodie Grace is gone. So stop calling me that.” Heidi interrupts, yanking at the bonds to lean over. Silas narrows his eyes, humming at the angered child.

“You have quite a fire. Your father was like you. Though you wouldn’t know, would you?” Silas says, glancing at the files. Heidi scoffs, rolling her eyes.

“Like you know anything about my father.” Silas raises a brow for a moment, slightly confusing Heidi. However, he quickly changes the subject, pulling up a photo of her in Cliffjumper’s vehicle form. This is… recent. As in, this is literally when she was buying her ice cream at Hopper’s. The photo sobered Heidi, her brows furrowing as she sat up a bit straighter. 

“Let’s skip any more pleasantries, Ms. Campbell. As you can see, we know much about you. There is little we don’t know. We know you’re a smart girl, so by the end of this conversation, you should make the right choice.” Silas says, gesturing to her.

“You simply tell us everything you know about our off-world visitors, and we’ll let you go.” Silas offers. Heidi raises a brow with a smirk.

“I doubt I have any information you need to know, mister. Even if I did, why would I help you? You just made my car crash, and you kidnapped me.” Heidi retorts. 

“Well, if you don’t, then things will go south for you,” Silas warns, his brows furrowing. Heidi scoffs, shaking her head after.

“You need me alive. I doubt you’ll do much to me. Besides, I’ve been through torture. My files should also say that, so you have nothing to threaten me with. Silas huffs out a short laugh, glancing at the files.

“I doubt that. Either way, I have a different idea in mind. One, I think you’ll find much more displeasing.” Silas says. Heidi’s smile falls as she narrows his eyes on him. Heidi has been through the pits and back. What could be worse? Heidi wasn’t sure she wanted to find out…

Cliffjumper wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but he did know one thing. His helm hurt. Along with… everything else. He was still in his vehicular mode, it seemed. And thank Primus he was, because he wasn’t alone. Multiple humans in army attire and some type of weird masks. They were armed. Not only that, they looked exactly like the humans from that convoy mission. What did they call themselves? Oh right. MECH.

“Scrap. What in Primus’s name are they doing here?” Cliffjumper wondered. He couldn’t remember much. Thankfully, a quick reboot should be able to fix that. So with that, he quickly rebooted his systems, unscrambling his screens and finally getting his memory files back online. And holy scrap, did a lot happen. The crash seemed to do a number on him. He was missing a door side, and he was dented, scratched, and dirty –All things he hated to be. One of his back tires had a big metal tire clamp. 

“The infamous boot.” He mused, almost chuckling. However, he kept his voice soft so as not to attract the humans. Humans. That thought sobered him as one human came to mind. His charge. Scrap, he hoped she was okay. She fell out of his car seat, and there was no one around him other than MECH soldiers and a few MECH vehicles. This isn’t good. 

“Scrap, Where’s Heidi? I gotta find her.” Cliffjumper mumbled, wondering how he was gonna get out of this one. He was sure they were the ones scrambling communications earlier and likely were still doing it. Even if he could call for help, he was missing a door wing. If he tried to contact them, the sound might attract them. Then again, Cliffjumper wasn’t sure he was gonna get out of this one without transforming. He had to try, though! He needed to find Heidi and make sure she was alright. 

“Okay, Cliffjumper. Think. Heidi’s not here. So where would they take her?–” Suddenly, he was interrupted by a strange sound coming from a device on a soldier's belt. It looked like a– What did Heidi call it? Oh right! A handheld radio. Or a walkie-talkie. The soldier takes it just as a voice breaks out from the comlink.

“Soldier, status report.” A male voice ordered. The soldier glanced back at Cliffjumper, oblivious to his consciousness. 

“We can confirm there was never a driver in the seat of the car. However, the vehicle hasn’t done anything yet,” the soldier said, clearly bored. Cliffjumper internally smirked. He knew the pain of boring guard duty. He’s been on such a duty before. 

“Understood. We have new orders now. Bring the vehicle five miles south of your position. If the hostage doesn’t speak for Silas soon, He plans on using the car as an advantage.” The male voice ordered. As he started rambling off coordinates, Cliffjumper took care to put the coordinates into his dashboard. Once he was sure he had the right ones, he activated them.

“Got it! Don’t worry, Little Lady. I’m coming!” With that, Cliffjumper put his plan into motion. He revved his engine to life, causing the guards to jump. However, before they can aim their guns, Cliffjumper breaks free of the tire clamp and drives straight towards them. The soldier jumps out of the way just as he zips by and onto the dirt road. 

“Ha! See ya, slaggers!” Cliffjumper chirps, speeding up on the lone road. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone for long. Multiple green cars sped down after him, with humans sticking out of the windows. They aimed their guns at him and fired. He was able to dodge, but he was exhausted and injured. He needed to get away before they caught him again.

“Scrap. Gotta hide.” Cliffjumper says, beginning to look at his scans. Finally, a cave seemed to pop up on his map. One that should provide him with enough cover. Not to mention, if the scans were right, it may be a shortcut to Heidi.

“Gotta try something!” Cliffjumper said, turning off the dirt road and into the woods. The cars followed, and soon, the cave came into view. He was just passing the entrance walls when suddenly, the human brought up a familiar weapon. Some type of buzzoka.

“Uh oh. Not again!” Cliffjumper said, picking up speed. The human fired, but this time, Cliffjumper dodged. Unfortunately, it hit a cave wall, causing giant rocks to fall on the entrance. Cliffjumper transformed, watching as dust and rocks fell. Outside, MECH had come to a screeching halt. Some soldiers got out and took a look at the damage. A soldier from earlier takes out their radio, nervously,

“Uh, sir… we have a situation.”

“You are cruel!” Heidi snaps. Silas doesn’t react, merely watching the enraged child. Heidi glared at him with such a fire he had only seen in so many soldiers. Should she join them, it would certainly make things even more interesting. 

“If that is how you wish to see me. I am simply pulling all the strings I need to protect humanity. However, if you join us, I promise you this one won’t be pulled… I’ll give you an hour to think it over, Ms. Campbell.” Silas says. With that, he takes the files and gets up from his chair.

“Hey! You can’t just leave me in here! Come back here!” Heidi snapped. Silas doesn’t listen, though, merely glancing at her once before exiting the room with the soldier. The door locks shut behind him. Heidi merely sits there, contemplating what she just heard. 

“Holy crud. I… I have to get out of here!” Heidi panicked. Pulling at the bonds. She stopped after a moment, trying to get her breathing in order. Crud, this was the worst time to have a panic attack.

“Come on, girl. Calm down.” Heidi whispered. Finally, after a moment, she regained control of her mind. She began to think, trying to list ways of getting out. Well, first things first, she needed to get her hands free. It took her a moment, but finally, she got an idea. Her double-jointed limbs and her flexibility from past gymnastics work are going to be of use.

“Just hope I don’t dislocate something,” Heidi said, sitting up straight in the chair. She then shifts one leg off the chair and bends it so that the bottom of her shoe is facing up. She gently unbends her leg, moving her foot back to where her hands are before lifting her knee slightly until her foot is hovering next to her hands. Her hands feel around for the piece of duct tape, and finally, she gets a good grasp and tears it off. The Swiss Army knife slides out from her shoes and straight into her hand.

“Nice!” Heidi chirps, moving her leg to plop her foot back onto the floor. Heidi then twists it until the blade comes out, which she figured out when she accidentally cut her finger on the sharp edge. She winces but is distracted by rubbing the blade against the ropes. Finally, after what seemed like forever, her hands were free. The ropes dropped to the ground as she pulled her hands in front of her.

“Yikes. No wonder my arms were soar.” Heidi mused, staring at her bruised and cut arms. Heidi hadn’t been able to truly look at herself, but from all the soreness she felt on her body, she knew it wasn’t pretty. Heidi stands up then, placing her Swiss Army knife in her jean shorts pocket. Just in case she may need it again. 

“Right, now to get out of here,” Heidi said, looking around. Her gaze lands on the door. She walks up towards it, gently taking the door handle and pushing down once. However, it doesn’t budge. She tries again one last time before giving up and taking a few steps back.

“Darn, Doors out… Even if it weren’t, there’s gotta be a whole lot of guards roaming around outside. And I doubt my Swiss Army knife will be able to help me against their guns.” Heidi grumbles, glancing at her pocket. She then sighs, turning away and moving to look around again. She notices the roof window and smirks.

“Maybe if I…” Heidi says, quickly getting up onto the table. She then stands up straight, reaching for the window. She then pushes against it, and after a few futile attempts, it opens. She smiles, gently pushing it up before pulling herself out of the trailer. A cool breeze and smells of woodland erupt onto her as she releases herself from the stuffy trailer. 

Heidi keeps her body down on the trailer, crawling to keep out of sight. She gets to the edge of the trailer, looking out around her. There weren’t as many MECH soldiers as she thought there were. Still, it’s too much for her to deal with. 

“What happens if she doesn’t talk?” A soldier says. Heidi freezes, looking over to see Silas and a soldier talking near the trailer she was on. She kept low as she started to eavesdrop on their conversation. Silas turns to him, placing the files on the back of a jeep. Along with her leather jacket and stuff! 

“So that’s where they put my stuff,” Heidi whispered as Silas answered.

“She will. I gave her a good reason to. And if she proves to be useless, then this trailer and she will have no more use. You do know what to do if I give the signal, correct?” Silas asks, folding his arms as he glares down at the soldier. The soldier tenses, nodding.

“Yeah, kill her first and throw the trailer into the ravine with her body inside. Make it look like a car accident happened. Though this seems a bit messier than what we usually do,” the soldier replied. 

“Well, we needed to be quick. Now get back to work,” Heidi felt her blood run cold at that. They were going to kill her if things went south. 

“Crud, I need to get my stuff and get out of here,” Heidi whispered, crawling to the other side of the trailer. With the help of a nearby tree, Heidi climbed off the top of the trailer and landed softly on the ground. She tiptoed around the trailer, keeping her body as close to it as possible. Finally, she got close to the jeep, and thankfully, no one was guarding it. Coming to that, she carefully moved to the jeep and grabbed her backpack first. Then, her jacket. She moved back behind the trailer, setting herself down with a sigh. 

“Thank you, lord above,” Heidi whispered, staring up at the sky. After sending one last ‘thank you’ to whoever gave her some luck, she slipped her jacket over her bruised arms and then started rummaging through her backpack.

“Come on. Come on. Please be in here.– YES!” Heidi says, almost screaming in happiness at the sight of her phone, unscathed. She might just cry. She quickly opened up, but unfortunately, there was no service. 

“Crud, okay. No service. MECH might be scrambling communications on top of that…I gotta get far away from here. Should be easy… I hope.” Heidi whispers. With that, she got up to her feet, wobbling slightly from her aching knees. She scrolled on her phone and put on a GPS. There was a road not far from here. 

“There’s a road not far from here. If I get there, I might be able to call for backup.” Heidi said. She nods to it, and then she quietly starts moving towards it at a quickened pace. However, just when she thought she would be safe…

“HEY!” a soldier called out. Heidi didn’t turn around. She just bolted as multiple men's voices yelled out behind her. Still, she kept sprinting ahead into the woods. She had to get away! She couldn’t be caught again.

“Ugh, scrap.” Cliffjumper cursed. He changed to his bipedal form a while back and started walking through the dreary tunnels. Thank Primus, both his headlights were in good condition because otherwise, he’d be walking blind. Though if he was being honest, it kind of felt like he was. The only thing he was sure of was that He wasn’t deep underground. Otherwise, he hadn’t the faintest clue where he was going other than what scans told him, which wasn’t much. Cliffjumper groans as he turns another corner. 

“At this rate, I’ll never find a way out,” Cliffjumper grumbled. Despite his annoyance, he had no intention of giving up. Heidi was still out there with MECH doing Primus knows what. Just the thought of what they could be doing to her both scares him and grinds his gears. 

“Just hang on, Little Lady. Just for a little longer.” Cliffjumper mumbles, praying to Primus that she is alright. Finally, he notices something different in the caves he is in: it’s getting lighter. He picked up his pace and saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He ran towards it, a smile about to creep on. However, just as he was about to step out of the cave…

“WOAH!” Cliffjumper yelps, grabbing the wall to stop his fall forward. There wasn’t any ground. The cave ended on the edge of a wall. Below him, a ravine of water rushed by. He looked around and saw the edge of the ravine cliff above him. With a little work, he could climb up, but he would have to be very slow and careful. He was just about to start when a familiar ringtone entered his comlink. His optics widen as he quickly places a digit on it, answering. 

“Heidi?! Are you there?!” Cliffjumper asked. To his relief, after a bit of static, Heidi’s voice came through.

“Cliff! I’m here!” Heidi said, sounding a bit breathless but relieved. Cliffjumper couldn’t blame her as he felt the same way. 

“Thank Primus! Are you alright?” Cliffjumper asked, his spark clenching in worry. There were so many questions he wanted to ask. Was she hurt? How did she get her phone? Was MECH nearby? What was the scrap that was going on that made her breathless? Heidi’s breaths were heavy on the other side of the comlink, but a chuckle escaped her nonetheless.

“I’ve been better, Cliff. A bit bruised from the crash. Silas tried to interrogate me, but I was able to get free. Unfortunately, I think MECH is hot on my trail. I’m hidden for now, but Primus knows how long it’ll be til they find me. Anyway, what about you? Are you alright?!” Hidi explained, becoming more panicked at the end. Cliffjumper sighed, looking down at his dented and scratched-up frame.

“It’s nothing Ratchet can’t fix, Little Lady. Do you have any idea where you are right now? Or Anything that could give me a clue to where to look?” Cliffjumper asked. Heidi pauses, humming softly over the comlink. Finally, she seems to remember something, gasping softly.

“I know I’m around three miles south of Chamberlyn Road! I was heading there to hopefully get close enough to civilization to call for help.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper felt a laugh of relief bubble up as he smiled. His scans said he was near a road. He was glad to know they were right.

“I’m nearby! Check your GPS. Is there a ravine close to you?” Cliffjumper asked. Hope started to blossom in his system. Meanwhile, Heidi stood hidden behind a tree as she searched the map on her phone for a ravine. Finally, one came up. A smile broke onto her face as she found it. It wasn’t far from her!

“Yes! I’m half a mile away from one. Is that where you are?” Heidi asked, bringing the phone back up to her ear as she gingerly peeked out from different sides of the tree for MECH. She managed to lose them for now, but it’s only a matter of time. Heidi knew that.

“I think so! I’m on the edge of the ravine wall in a cave. It’ll take me a bit, but I might be able to climb up. The problem is that MECH might be nearby.–” Cliffjumper stops, grunting softly. Heidi pauses, her brows furrowing in worry as she whispers.

“Cliff?! What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. MECH just banged me up pretty good. Again, nothing I can't handle. Once I climb up this wall to the cliff, then I can–” Heidi stops him, interrupting him as she shakes her head. Cliffjumper was injured. He needed to save his strength in case MECH got physical in a fight and decided to use their weapons. 

“No, stay where you are, Cliff. I’ll come to you. You’re injured and will have a tougher time climbing already. Besides, you're practically a giant target with your paint job, and I’m smaller. I should be able to get to you sooner.” Heidi snapped.

“No way, Little Lady! I can still climb! It’s fine–” Cliffjumper begins. However, it’s interrupted by the sound of a man yelling. Heidi gasped, placing a hand on her phone’s speaker as she immediately started moving. She ran ahead, heading in the direction she remembered the ravine was inShehe placed the phone back to her ear as she spoke.

“Just stay where you are, Cliff! Stay in sight until I–” Heidi began. However, before she could finish, something loud fired behind her. She swiftly dodges something that zips at her feet, making her almost trip. 

“She’s getting away! After her!” A man yells.

“Little lady?! What’s going on?! Heidi–” Cliffjumper’s panicked voice comes to an abrupt halt as Heidi’s phone runs out of battery. Heidi gasps, tripping on a tree root but quickly getting her footing as she continues ahead. She had to get out of there. And fast!

“Ms. Campbell! Stop! You can’t get away!” Silas yells. However, Heidi pays no mind to him. She had to get away. She couldn’t stay with them, now more than ever. If she did… Heidi shook her head, trying to get her bearings back. Just as she opened her eyes, she was forced to come to a screeching halt.

“Wah! Woah!” Heidi yelps, almost falling off the edge of the ridge. She quickly catches her balance, taking a step back to look down. There’s a river at the bottom. This is some kind of ravine, so that means… She leans over the edge, looking down.

“Cliff!?” Heidi calls down. 

“End of the line, Ms. Campbell.” Silas groans. Heidi whips around to see multiple red dots aimed at her. She quickly raises her hands above her head, nervously eyeing each of the guns. Crud, she was caught! Silas steps up slightly from the group behind him, his hands behind his back.

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble for an issue that can be easily resolved in just a single conversation,” Silas comments. Heidi scoffs, backing up until the heels of her feet are on the edge of the ride. Crud, she was running out of room. What was she gonna do?

“Like I said. There’s nothing I know that you need to know. I don’t have any info for you!” Heidi snaps. Silas clicks his tongue as he shakes his head.

“These lies will get you nowhere, Ms. Campbell. You’re best bet is to give up now and cooperate. There are no other options.” Silas orders, folding his arms against his chest. Heidi gritted her teeth, glaring at Silas. This was bad. She was running out of options. She couldn’t give in to Silas. But she didn’t have much of another choice except… Heidi glances down at the ravine, gulping slightly. It wasn’t that far down, right? Did she have another option?

“You're wrong, Silas. There is one other option… because in the end, I would never work with someone like you.” Heidi snapped. Silas's smile fades, and with that, Heidi scrunches her eyes close and whips around. Silas’s eyes widen as he realizes what she was doing. 

“WAIT!–” Silas begins, but it’s too late. Heidi’s feet leave the edge of the ridge as a scream rips from her lips. Silas runs up just as Heidi’s body disappears below the ridge. Her screams echoed until a large splash was heard from the rushing waters below. He goes to the edge, staring down into the ravine for any sign of the girl. There is none. A muscle in his jaw ticks as his eyes narrow. He lets out a curse as one of his men steps up beside him. 

“Sir, should we send down a search party?” the soldier asks. Silas hums before placing his arms tightly behind his back. He turns to the soldier with an ice-cold glare that makes him step back slightly.

“No. Nothing could survive a fall from this height… Gather our soldiers. We’re moving on.” Silas orders. With that, he turns away and starts heading back. Soon, all the soldiers follow without looking back. It’s silent for a moment before suddenly, a large metal hand grabs the edge of the ride. With a short grunt, Cliffjumper pulls himself onto the ridge while cradling something in his other servo.

“Phew! Holy scrap, that was…” Cliffjumper shakes his head as he moves his servo away from his chassis. In its clutches, Heidi sits completely unharmed from any fall she had. She stifles a laugh as Cliffjumper stands up.

“Yeah. Thanks for the catch.” Heidi chirps, chuckling awkwardly after. Cliffjumper hums, lifting his servo as he puts on a small smile.

“No problem, Little Lady. Just one little thing?” Cliffjumper begins. Heidi nods with a small smile, raising a brow. However, it falls as soon as Cliffjumper snaps, worry and panic finally kicking back in. 

“Never EVER do something like that again! You could have died!” Cliffjumper snaps. Heidi flinches, a bit startled by the sudden panic. She sits with wide eyes as Cliffjumper lowers her to the ground beside him.

“U-Uh, yeah. No problems there. Sorry.” Heidi says, jumping off his servo. Cliffjumper shakes his head, sighing softly.

“Primus, Little Lady. You gave me a spark attack. If I were a moment too late…” Cliffjumper doesn’t finish. However, with the clench of his servos, Heidi knew exactly what he was thinking. Worry creases her brow as she steps up to him, placing a hand on his ped.

“Hey, it’s alright, Cliff. Everything’s okay now… though, we better head back to base and tell Optimus what happened…” Heidi says with a tired sigh. Cliffjumper hums, nodding before noticing something strange. Heidi’s gaze turned to the ground and stayed there. However, her forehead was scrunched up as she pursed her lips. She was clearly thinking about something, and it seemed to worry her.

“Little Lady? What is it?” Cliffjumper asked, a little worried. Heidi snaps out of her thoughts, turning to look at Cliffjumoer again. 

“It’s just… It’s kind of scary to think MECH went this far to try and find out more. What if they try again?” Heidi asks, worry creasing her forehead now. Cliffjumper’s optical ridges bounce up as he stares at his charge before furrowing. He then kneels next to her, placing a servo across her shoulders gently.

“If they do, this time, I’ll be ready to face them head on and turn them to scrap if needed,” Cliffjumper promised, a small smile rising on his face after. Heidi doesn’t seem to believe it, looking away for a moment.

“Don’t worry, Little lady. I promise you, this won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of it. After all, you mess with Cliffjumper and…” Cliffjumper stops, nudging Heidi softly. Finally, Heidi smiles, letting out a small chuckle before saying.

“And you get the horns.”

“Atta, girl! See? So long as we stick together, everything will work itself out, alright?” Cliffjumper said, smiling. Heidi pauses before nodding, folding her arms against herself for warmth. With that, Cliffjumper stood up and placed a digit on his comlink. 

“Cliffjumper to base, Requesting Groundbridge–” Cliffjumper winces then as an angered Ratchet roars into the comlink. As Cliffjumper tries to calm Ratchet down enough to explain everything, Heidi finds herself standing at the edge of the ridge in deep thought. Mainly, about what Silas tried to threaten her with… there’s no way he was telling the truth, right? I mean, even if she was free, she couldn’t get to her, right? Heidi hummed, pressing her lips together. She looks up to the sky, then as the stars just start to make their entrance. Silas had to be lying. There was no way what he said was true. She couldn’t be out. No… after everything she’s done, Heidi will never lay eyes on her again. And Heidi would be more than thrilled about that.

Chapter Text

“Ha! Junior Partner Jack. I like it!” Cliffjumper chirped as Arcee and he walked through the hallways after training. It was a beautiful afternoon, and most of the team was at the base today. Arcee smiled as she stretched out her arms, a bit sore but not horribly so. 

“I guess. You don’t mind that though, right?” Arcee asked, a little unsure. Cliffjumper scoffed at the question with a smirk.

“Of course not! You can have more than one partner, Arcee. I mean, take a look at me and Heidi!” Cliffjumper quips, nudging her after. Arcee huffs at it.

“You two are like sparklings together. If it weren’t for the obvious differences, I’d say the two of you are split-sparks.” Arcee teases. Cliffjumper shrugs, folding his arms.

“Heidi’s already like a little sister to me. It’s not too far off,” Cliffjumper responds. Arcee rolls her optics just as the two come into the main room. Everyone seems to be in here. Well, everyone except one. And Arcee quickly notices it, raising an optical ridge.

“Speaking of Heidi, where is she?” Arcee asked. However, before he could answer, the console went off. All the attention was put on Ratchet as he looked over the data. He seemed startled by what he found before calling out.

“Optimus, you’re not going to believe this,” Ratchet called. As Ratchet double-checked the results of his technology experiments, the rest of the team started making their way over. Jack, Miko, and Raf stood beside Ratchet on a platform while the rest of the team came behind Ratchet.

“I’ve just pinpointed the location of the Decepticon Warship,” Ratchet announces, turning his frame slightly towards the team but keeping his optics on the screen. Everyone was surprised by this, staring at the screen as Optimus stepped up.

“How did you penetrate their cloaking technology?” Optimus asked. 

“I didn’t. I was experimenting with variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it. Even still, their ship must be experiencing some kind of electromagnetic breach.” Ratchet explains. Cliffjumper grins, folding his arms across his frame.

“Breach or not, we can’t miss this chance!” Cliffjumper chirps. Arcee nods, quickly adding on.

“With Megatron deceased and the element of surprise…” Arcee begins, a smirk rising as she palms her fist. 

“We could cause some serious damage.” Bulkhead finishes. The kids smile, looking to each other eagerly. This was a chance they couldn’t miss. To disable the Decepticons and possibly defeat them. However, the screen beeps and flashes before the team could start planning an attack. A new set of coordinates appears. Ratchet turns his attention to them as he reads the reports from the computers.

“Also on the same frequency, an Autobot emergency beacon,” Ratchet says, just as surprised as everyone else. More autobots were here? Well, that’s new. Optimus narrows his optics before speaking up.

“The Decepticons can wait. There may be Autobots in distress. Ratchet, bring your medical kit.” Optimus orders. Ratchet nods, immediately leaving for the Medbay to gather supplies. Meanwhile, Optimus turns to the rest of the team to give them instructions while the humans start heading back to the human area.

“Finally! Not only do the bots have the chance to re-arrange some cons grills, but we got some new bots joining us too!” Miko cheers, jumping onto the couch with a proud laugh. She places her hands behind her head as Jack takes the spot next to her on the couch, and Raf takes a spot on the floor, leaning his back on the couch. 

“I think it’s a bit more complicated than that, Miko,” Jack explains with a small smile. Miko elbows him in response, making him wince.

“Aw, come on, Jack-rabbit! Don’t be a party pooper. I bet Dee would be on my side.” Miko says, folding her arms as she leans back on the couch cushions. That comment gets Jack thinking as he looks around for their friend. Come to think of it, he hasn’t seen her since school ended. 

“Speaking of which, Where is Heidi?” Jack asks, taking a look around. Miko doesn’t acknowledge her as she now starts playing a game on her phone. Thankfully, Raf stops in his work and turns to him with an answer.

“Heidi had to help her mom at the bakery today. She’ll be here later,” Raf explains. Miko perks up then, an eager smile on her face.

“Ooh! I’ma tell her to bring some snacks then. Ms. Kala’s cookies are the bomb!” Miko chirps, beginning to furiously type on her phone. 

“You should probably tell her about what Ratchet found while you’re at it, Miko. She’ll wanna be here when the new bots get here.” Jack explains. Miko waves him off, mumbling something as she texts Heidi. Jack sighs in defeat before leaning over and taking the remote from the coffee table. He switches on the TV, starting to watch whatever comes up. However, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about the distress beacon. He just hoped whoever was in trouble would be okay in the end. 

“Of course, Miko wants food.” Heidi muses, glancing at the text on her phone before throwing it in her bag.  It was a peaceful afternoon in Jasper. Usually, Heidi would be at the base with the Autobots. However, Kala needed Heidi’s help with a big order for the bakery today. So Heidi told Cliffjumper she would be late today. Thankfully, he didn’t mind and was now either working at the base or on patrol, probably. Suddenly, a ding came from the oven nearby. Heidi smiled as she quickly walked over.

“Cookies are done, mom!” Heidi announces. Kala enters the kitchen from the front, watching as Heidi takes out the oven mitts and opens the oven. The sweet scent of chocolate chip and snickerdoodles fills the room as Heidi takes out a tray of cookies. 

“Thanks, love. You’re an angel.” Kala said, coming beside Heidi and kissing her on top of the head. Heidi smiled, nodding as she took the tray of cookies to one of the tables. 

“It’s nothing. You already work hard enough. It’s the least I can do for not being able to help the last few times. Although, do you mind if I take some cookies for me and my friends to share?” Heidi asks, placing the tray on the table. Kala nods, about to say something, when suddenly, Heidi’s phone goes off from her backpack nearby. She knew that ringtone. Heidi turns to her mother apologetically, and she smiles.

“Go on. You’ve done your part. I’ll take it from here. I’ll pack a bag of the extra cookies for you to take too,” Kala reassures. Heidi smiles, giving a quick ‘thank you’ hug to her mother before running to her bed. She throws the strap over her shoulder as she palms her phone. Just as she thought, Cliffjumper’s number was on the screen. She quickly answers, placing the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Cliff. How’s it going?” Heidi asked, a smile on her face. 

“Not good, Little Lady. Arcee called me while I was on patrol. We need to get to base now.” Cliffjumper quickly explains. Heidi’s smile falls as her brows furrow.

“What’s going on, Cliff?” Heidi asked as she started heading for the door of the bakery. Just as she got to the door, she stopped. Her eyes widened as she turned slightly away, processing what Cliffjumper told her.

“Wait, what?!” Heidi gasped. She noticed Kala come out from the back of the bakery with a small brown bag. She stares at Heidi, confused, as Heidi looks away again, listening to Cliffjumper. Once he finished, Heidi hummed and nodded nervously.

“Alright, I’ll be waiting in front of the bakery.” Heidi finishes. With that, she ends the call and places her phone in her pocket. She turns to Kala as she walks up behind her.

“Everything alright, baby?” Kala asked, handing her the brown bag. Heidi quickly took it, shoving it into her backpack. Heidi quickly closed her backpack, swinging to over her shoulder before looking back at Kala.

“Something went wrong at… my robotics club , ” Heidi explained before turning away and opening the door. Just as she did, Cliffjumper pulled up at the curbside. Heidi took a quick glance at him before turning back to Kala.

“Look, I need to go help sort it out somehow. I’ll see you later?” Heidi asked. Kala smiled with a small nod. With that, Heidi ran out of the bakery and straight to Cliffjumper. The car door opened for her, and she jumped in, throwing her backpack to the car floor. The car door quickly shut next to her as she yanked her seatbelt on.

“Cliff! What the heck happened? How does Optimus, of all bots, get hurt so badly that he’s bedridden?” Heidi asked as Cliffjumper started driving ahead. 

“He and Ratchet went to investigate an old Autobot ship. We didn’t realize it was a plague ship till Ratchet called and said Optimus had collapsed. He’s sick and in the medbay now with Ratchet taking care of him.” Cliffjumper explained. Heidi hummed, pursing her lips in worry. Optimus was the Autobot leader and one of the strongest bots she knew. If this sickness made even Optimus collapse after contact, then it must be serious.

“Alright. I’ll tell Agent Fowler later. For now, let’s focus on helping Optimus however we can.” Heidi explained. Cliffjumper hummed in agreement before focusing on the road. They got out of Jasper relatively quickly, but that wasn’t such a surprise with there usually being less traffic. Soon, they got to the Autobot base. 

As Cliffjumper drove into the secret entrance, Heidi gathered her stuff into her lap. Soon, Cliffjumper screeched to a halt in the main room. Heidi jumped out of the car, throwing her bag strap over her shoulder, and looked around. 

“Good lord…” Heidi whispered. Everyone was standing close to the medbay as Ratchet worked on a bedridden Optimus. Markings covered the side of his face as his gaze danced around the room. Heidi quickly went up the stairs to the platforms while Cliffjumper transformed and joined his team. As Heidi got to the top, she moved up a few more stairs before getting to a platform above the medbay where the rest of the humans were, looking down at the sight. They quickly noticed her as she went beside Raf.

“Took you long enough! Where were you?” Miko snapped. Heidi narrowed her eyes at her but ignored her after, looking over at Raf.

“How’s he doing?” Heidi asks. Raf frowns, shaking his head softly as Ratchet moves a small invention in his hand. It beeps and flickers over Optimus’s helm before Ratchet pulls away, looking over the results.

“Cybonic plague,” Ratchet states. The bots glance at each other, worried as Heidi quickly pipes a question, causing Ratchet to look up at her.

“How contagious is it, doc?” Heidi asks, resting her arms on the railings. 

“It’s only contagious if contact is made with the infected Energon,” Ratchet explains, shaking his head. Heidi releases a small breath of relief. At least the bots will be safe so long as they don’t touch Optimus.

“What was a plague doing in an Autobot spaceship?” Miko asks, her voice holding slight worry. Heidi couldn’t blame her, though. Not only is he our friend, but he’s the leader of our team and the only Autobot in negotiations with the government. Though Miko may not know half of it, she’s been here long enough to know he’s important. As both our friend and our leader. The bots look up at the humans.

“Its passengers were infected. The virus wiped out millions on Cybertron during The Great War.” Arcee explains. Ratchet, who was at the computers, turns away from his work, continuing from Arcee’s words. 

“Cybonic Plague was engineered in the Decepticons’ 'Biological Warfare’ program… by Megatron himself.” A grim look came across Ratchet’s face as Heidi’s stomach dropped. She glances down at Optimus before turning back to Ratchet. This is way more serious than she thought.

“Please tell me we have a cure, Ratchet,” Heidi asks, practically begging inside. Ratchet looks down when Optimus groans, gaining their attention.

“No…cure.” Optimus groans. 

“Optimus, please. Save your strength.” Ratchet orders softly, his back turned to face Optimus. Heidi’s brows furrow as she takes a few steps back, her hand landing on her phone's pocket. The logical idea would be to call Agent Fowler and tell him what’s happening. However, she knew how he was and how he’d react. And right now, the last thing the bots need is to deal with him and his short fuse. Not with so much at stake.

“That… That doesn’t make sense, though!” Heidi says, coming back up to her friends. Jack nods, continuing from where Heidi left off.

“Yeah, would Megatron create a disease without having a cure? I-I mean, what if he caught it by accident?” Jack adds. Heidi nods, placing her arms on the lower bar of the railing.

“Exactly! Bucket-head’s not dumb. He wouldn’t have lasted so long in the war and done so much damage if he were. So, thinking logically, there must be a solution or something we’re missing in the problem.” Heidi adds, placing her hand to her chin to think. 

“It’s not like we ask Megatron, guys. He’s pushing up lug nuts.” Bulkhead explains. Ratchet gets an idea, then turns to the group.

“ But we might be able to access the Decepticon Database. For the moment, we still have a fix on their warships' location.” Ratchet explained. Hope began to fill Heidi as Arcee quickly put out orders to the team, turning to Cliffjumper and Bumblebee.

“Cliffjumper. Bumblebee, Come with.” Arcee orders. Both bots nod, and everyone starts heading towards the groundbridge. Ratchet watches Optimus intently as Optimus groans, his symptoms growing worse by the minute. He looks over his shoulder at Arcee, narrowing his optics.

“Arcee, quickly. ” Is all Ratchet said. Arcee nods as Cliffjumper heads to the groundbridge controls. Heidi and the kids move over to another platform. However, as Heidi moves away with he other kids, Ratchet turns to her.

“Heidi! I need you on communications while I aid Optimus. Alert me to any changes,” Ratchet orders. Heidi stops in her walk, looking over at Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper turns to her, nodding reassuringly with a smile. At that, Heidi sighs, nodding to Ratchet. 

“Got it. Raf, feel like joining me?” Heidi asks, looking to Raf. He glances at the teens before quickly nodding. The two quickly head down in the elevator and get to the computer platform. She sits down at the computer with Raf sitting beside her. She quickly logs in, pulling up Arcee, Bumblebee, and Cliffjumper’s comlink. She glances over at Ratchet and Optimus in the Medbay, worry plaguing her at his helpless state. She had never seen Optimus like this. And she could only pray this plan works. For everyone’s sake, Optimus included.

“Alright, communications are up and running. You're good to head out.” Heidi explains, looking over at the bots. Arcee nods before signaling Cliffjumper. Immediately, Cliffjumper starts the groundbridge.

The Decepticon Warship flew through the sky with ease, hidden from the spectators below by a multitude of clouds. Most would think it’s impenetrable in the air. However, that was going to be proven wrong very soon. In one of the dark hallways of the ship, a groundbridge vortex opens, allowing Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee to jump out, blasters and cannons ready. They were alone.

“Let’s start with the lab,” Arcee says as the vortex disappears behind her. Both mechs nod before quietly and cautiously, they begin their trek through the warship. Soon, they find the lab entrance. Arcee peaks out from the side as the mechs follow after. Suddenly, the doors open with a shuck! The bots duck behind the corner, plastering themselves against the wall as a familiar red Decepticon walks out. He pauses, glancing around curiously, and Cliffjumper readies himself to knock out Knock-out if needed. Thankfully, Knock-out just shrugs and walks off. Once he was clear, the bots headed into the lab. There was a huge console along with a doorway to another room. However, the bots focused on the console with Arcee heading straight for it.

“Cliff, keep lookout.” Arcee orders as she moves to the console. Cliffjumper immediately leans himself against the wall near the door, cannons ready. Bumblebee roams around as Arcee starts working on the console, quickly getting into the system.

“I’m in the network,” Arcee says, starting to look through every file she can find. Cliffjumper notices Bumblebee's worry, giving him a soft nudge as he passes by. Bumblebee nods gratefully but doesn’t say anything as he looks away. Cliffjumper couldn’t blame him, though. This was a dark situation they were in. Meanwhile, after searching every file, Arcee lets out a grunt of frustration. 

“If it’s here, I don’t see it,” Arcee explains angrily. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee share a glance of worry as Heidi speaks up from the comline. 

“Nothing?!” Heidi gasps.

“Are you certain, Arcee?” Ratchet quickly asks after. Arcee grits her denta slightly as she looks over the files she searched.

“I searched through every file!” Arcee retorts.

“Well, search again! Clearly, you missed something!” Ratchet snaps. The two go back and forth as Cliffjumper notices Bumblebee examining the other doorway in the room. Bumblebee looks over something before suddenly, multiple beeps and buzzes come from him, surprising Cliffjumper. He quickly goes over to Bumblebee’s side.

“What is it, Bee?” Cliffjumper asks, confused. Bumblebee lets out a string of quick buzzes and beeps, too quick for Cliffjumper to hear. He then points at a small window in the door, allowing a visual into the room. Cliffjumper looks in it, trying to figure out what Bumblebee was so surprised about. However, it didn’t take long to figure out what was as he let out an audible gasp. Meanwhile, Bumblebee buzzes at Arcee, pointing towards the window.  Angered, Arcee turns to him with a glare as she snaps.

“ What is it?!” Arcee then makes her way over to Bumblebee and Cliffjumper as Heidi quickly tries to figure out what’s going on.

“What’s going on? Did you find something?” Heidi asked, just as Arcee looked through the hole. Arcee gasps as the doors open, revealing a sight they never thought they’d see. It was a medical room, and on the medical berth was a mech they thought was dead for so long. Yet here he was, on life support and in a slumber, but alive. 

“It’s… It’s Megatron. He’s… alive .” Arcee explains as the group walks in to investigate. 

“That’s not possible!” Ratchet growls. 

“Well, I’m staring right at him,” Arcee says, activating her gun and aiming for his helm as she stops. As she does, Cliffjumper heads over to the computer, looking over Megatron’s medical scans and vitals.

“Good news is? Megatron isn’t exactly staring back.” Arcee glances over him, noticing all the equipment attached to him. Cliffjumper sucks in a tight breath, as he quickly adds on.

“No surprise there. He’s critical. Seeing a lot of injuries, both on the outside and in. It’s a shock he’s still kickin',” Cliffjumper explains. He looks to Arcee as she glares at Megatron. Her optics narrow slightly as she comes to a decision.

“Time to finish this once and for all,” Arcee growls, her gun charging up. Cliffjumper smirks, quickly cheering her on.

“Blast him, Cee!”

“WAIT! Don’t!” Ratchet orders in the comlink, sounding panicked. It surprises Cliffjumper and Bumblebee. Though it doesn’t phase Arcee as she continues charging it up.

“One good reason. Fast! ” 

“Megatron may be Optimus’s only hope for survival,” Ratchet explains, surprising all the bots. Arcee's eyes widen before she stops, letting her blaster down and looking away. Quickly, Cliffjumper goes to her side with Bumblebee close by.

“What are you talking about?” Arcee asks.

“Does he display brainwave activity?” Ratchet asks. Immediately, Cliffjumper goes to the computer next to Megatron, seeing the activity on it. 

“Yeah, spiking hard. He may be out, but his sick mind’s still kickin'.” Cliffjumper says, his face crinkling like there was a bad smell. He looks over from the computer at Arcee and Bumblebee, curious.

“Perfect! If a cure exists, Megatron may be the only one who knows it. You must enter his brain… and find it.” Ratchet explains. The bots turn to each other in shock, not sure what to think of this. Enter Megatron’s brain?

“Enter Megatron’s mind?! Ratchet, have you lost your fragging mind?!” Arcee snaps from the comlink. Back at base, Everyone was shocked to hear the idea about entering Megatron’s brain. Heidi was now standing at the railings to the computer platform near the console, glaring at Ratchet. To say she was displeased was an understatement. 

“My thoughts exactly. Can they even do that?!” Heidi snaps. Ratchet spares a glare at her but remains focused with Arcee’s retort.

“The Decepticon Laboratory should contain all the equipment you need for a cortical psychic patch,” Ratchet explains. Heidi narrows her eyes, some of Ratchet’s lessons coming back to her. It was a very high-tech piece of equipment, but also a dangerous one made by the Decepticons themselves.

“No way! Have you ever even performed the procedure before?!” Arcee retorts. 

“No,” Ratchet says in defeat, looking away from the council. Heidi’s nails dig into her palms.

“Oh, well, that’s just great. What could possibly go wrong with that?” Heidi snaps sarcastically, going back to her chair and flopping back onto it. Raf takes her shoulder softly as Ratchet spares a quick glare at her.

“But I have thoroughly studied the theoretical literature. Invented by Decepticons, outlawed by Autobots.” Ratchet says, glaring down at the council as he hits a soft fist on the console. Heidi grumbles, slapping a hand on her face.

“Whoa there! Can’t we just haul Buckethead back to base, Doc bot? Maybe take some time to figure it out?” Cliffjumper proposes. Ratchet finally seems to snap, whipping his helm up to the screen.

“ Time is one thing that Optimus does not have! One of you must try this! I WILL NOT ALLOW OPTIMUS TO PASS, KNOWING THAT MEGATRON WILL OUTLIVE HIM!” Ratchet yells angrily. Despite his anger, Heidi can see the worry and dread behind it. It’s what calms her anger down and keeps her more patient with this. Arcee seems to know this too, as she carefully chooses her next words.

“Ratchet, I would lay down my life for Optimus,” Arcee says.

“Cee’s right. Any place. Any time. No matter what!” Cliffjumper adds.

“But a mind-body split is…” Arcee doesn’t finish. She can’t. Heidi can understand her fear, though. This is all experimental, and one wrong move and they could lose two bots today. At least if what Ratchet told her about it was right. Suddenly, familiar buzzes come from the comlink. Bumblebee. 

“You will?” Arcee asks. 

“It’s a big risk, Bee.” Cliffjumper continues. Heidi immediately realizes what’s going on, turning to Raf, surprised. 

“Is he…?” Heidi asks, looking over at Raf. Raf’s original surprise turns to worry as he steps up to the railings, Heidi following beside him. 

“Are you… Sure , Bumblebee?” Raf asks. Bulkhead quickly turns to Raf, hoping to calm his worries.

“Bee’s the best scout there is.” Bulkhead comforts. Raf doesn’t buy it, though, looking down at the ground. Heidi places an arm around his shoulders sweetly, smiling.

“Bulk’s right, Raf. He’ll be okay.” Heidi reassures. Raf pauses before nodding softly to Heidi. With that, she directs him back to the chairs. The teens on the higher platform send nods and signals of reassurance to Raf as he sits down. Heidi wished she could alleviate his fears, but she knew that this was risky. She just hoped it would work out in the end. 

For a short while, Ratchet instructed them on what to do and how to get ready. From what Heidi heard, the bots were hiding in some large vent shaft in the room. Soon, it was finally time to start.

“Ratchet, we’re ready,” Arcee confirms. 

“Initiate Cortical psychic patch.” Ratchet orders. After a few last buzzes from Bumblebee, his comlink went silent. Ratchet turns to Heidi then, nodding. Immediately, Heidi knows what to do as she takes full responsibility for Arcee and Cliffjumper’s comlink on the computer. Ratchet then works on something else, pulling up a visual screen and audio with Bumblebee.

“Communications downlink activated. This will allow us to see and hear everything Bumblebee does while within Megatron’s subconscious mind.” Ratchet explains. As Heidi takes out the headphones from a drawer nearby, A question pops into her mind. She turns to Ratchet, unsure.

“What happens if we stir Megatron into becoming conscious in his head?” Heidi asks, looking over at him from her chair. Ratchet glances at her grimly, shaking his head afterward. Heidi hummed, quickly putting on the headphones but keeping one ear free to hear what’s going on. 

“Headphones?” Raf asks, confused.

“To keep any feedback from coming out of the computer and just to make sure I can hear everything that’s happening.” Heidi quickly explains with a shrug. Raf nods in understanding just as Jack pipes up with another question.

“Where’s that?” he asks, looking at the visual. When Heidi looks at it, it looks like some kind of high-tech city. Heidi can’t help but feel like she’s seen or at least heard of the place she’s seeing before. Bumblebee buzzes, quickly answering Jack’s question. Immediately, Raf translates.

“Bee says it looks like… Kaon.” Raf explains, loudening his voice for the teens to hear. Heidi immediately recognizes the name, her eyes narrowing.

“That’s the Decepticon’s capital back on Cybertron, right?” Heidi asks. Ratchet nods before returning his attention to the screen. Meanwhile, Bulkhead has been keeping an eye on Optimus’s readings. After a moment, he turns back to Ratchet, worried. 

“Ratch! Optimus’s vitals…” Bulkhead begins. Heidi glances over, seeing Bulkhead in the Medbay. The sight of Optimus there and only getting weaker is causing so much tension and worry. Ratchet tilts his head slightly to Bulkhead, not looking over.

“I know…” Ratchet says softly, quickly turning back to the console after.

“Quickly, Bumblebee. I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information might be filed in Megatron’s mind.” Ratchet orders as Bumblebee seems to cross a bridge and move up a few steps towards Kaon’s entrance. As soon as he gets to the top, he starts to take a look around. However, his gaze stops on a familiar figure in the center of the floor ahead that reminds Heidi of a battle arena.

“Optimus?” Heidi whispers, staring in shock. Optimus– or something that looked like Optimus stood completely focused ahead. Bumblebee runs up with a soft whir, pleased to see Optimus when Ratchet speaks up.

“Bumblebee, that is not Optimus, but a figment of Megatron’s mind. It cannot see or hear you.” Ratchet quickly explains. Heidi sighs softly, slightly cursing herself for not thinking of it sooner. Suddenly, her phone was buzzing around in her pocket. She thinks about taking out but decides against it. It’s probably just her mom, and she would call her back later.

“Sorry, mom. Can’t chat.” Heidi whispered, quickly turning off her phone and throwing it into her backpack under the table. A maniacal laugh suddenly chimes in from Bumblebee’s audio. One that sounds all too familiar. Bumblebee looks up and behind Optimus to see Megatron standing high up on a pedestal. 

“Optimus Prime. You’re Autobot armies are defeated. Bow before your new master,” Megatron growls. 

“Never, Megatron.” the figment of Optimus retorts. Bumblebee backs up as He quickly turns around, looking up at Megatron.

“One shall stand. One shall fall.” Optimus snaps, activating his blades. Bumblebee moves to hide behind some boulders, watching as the two talk. Megatron narrows his optics as his scowl deepens from the answer. 

“So be it,” Megatron growls, activating his blade as well. He then jumps down onto the same floor as Optimus and charges straight for him. Optimus abliges, charging right back for Megatron as well. As they meet in the center, both blades swipe down. However, Megatron hits Optimus first, making the figment freeze. Heidi gasps as Everyone stares in shock.

“That never happened!” Bulkhead said. 

“It’s not a memory! We’re seeing Kaon as Megatron has recreated it… in his darkest dreams.” Ratchet explains. Hieidi lets out a silent breath of relief before returning her attention to the screen. Suddenly, the rock Bumblebee was hiding behind transforms into another Optimus illusion.

“Megatron. Your treachery ends here.” Optimus says, activating his blade. Megatron turns to him, quickly deactivating his blade and aiming his cannon. Suddenly, Bumblebee moves up from his hiding spot.

“Bee, wait!” Heidi snaps, but it’s too late. Bumblebee moves to try and get in front. The blast from the cannon narrowly misses Bumblebee, hitting the illusion of Optimus, which quickly disappears after. Bumblebee turns back for a moment, panicked, before quickly turning around. Heidi gasps softly before a glare comes onto her features. Megatron is towering over Bumblebee, glaring down maliciously. 

“The Autobot’s scout.” Megatron growls. Unknowingly, he transforms his blade again as he stretches his neck slightly.

“The punishment for trespassing in my domain… is your destruction!” Megatron snaps, his blade lifting. Heidi gets up to her feet with Raf just as Megatron swings. However… nothing happens. It just goes straight through Bumblebee. Bumblebee buzzes confused, looking down at himself. He then looks back at Megatron, who is just as shocked.

“How can this be?!” Megatron snaps. He then tries again, swiping his blade at Bumblebee multiple times. Heidi starts to relax, realizing Megatron can’t hurt him. Thank Primus for that. 

“Megatron can’t touch Bee?” Raf asks, looking up at Ratchet as Megatron stops, examining Bumblebee.

“Because he’s not a creation of Megatron’s mind, Bumblebee is immune to his physical attacks,” Ratchet explains.

“Thank Primus for that.” Heidi sighs, sitting back down in her chair. Megatron starts to pace around Bumblebee, studying him coldly. Meanwhile, Bumblebee just watches cautiously. 

“You are not wearing phase displacement armour…your eyes track my movements so you're not a hologram! And I do not believe in spirits…” Megatron studies, stopping as Bumblebee turns to face him, nervously.

“So tell me, scout, what are you?!” Megatron snaps, narrowing his optics. Bumblebee flinches but stands strong. Unfortunately, a familiar voice chimes again through the audio. 

“Megatron.” Both the mechs turn to see another illusion of Optimus. However, this time, he isn’t alone. An illusion of Bulkhead and Bumblebee is also with him. Heidi gulps, her eyes widening slightly in worry.

“Uh oh. Special guest stars.” Miko quips from the platform. 

“Not good, right?” Heidi says, looking to Ratchet. Ratchet nods, narrowing his optics on the screen. Meanwhile, Bumblebee buzzes, glancing at Megatron before running up to the illusions. He stops before Optimus before going towards his illusion, waving high. Heidi shakes her head with a sigh. Of course, Bumblebee would do that. If it weren’t such a stressful time, she might’ve laughed.

Suddenly, Megatron lets out an angered yell from behind Bumblebee. Bumblebee turns just in time to see Megatron fire plasma shots at the illusions. Immediately, all of them disappear with the shots merely going through the real Bumblebee as if he weren’t there. Megatron stops then, pointing at Bumblebee.

“You are real. They were not!” Megatron snaps, walking over beside Bumblebee a few steps away. Suddenly, he smirks, and a dark chuckle escapes his throat. Heidi suppresses a shiver as Megatron realizes what’s going on.

“A cortical psychic patch. How unexpected… ” Megatron muses. 

“We’ve stirred Megatron from his oblivion. He’s becoming self-aware!” Ratchet explains, sounding a bit panicked. Heidi hums, folding her arms nervously. Raf glances at her worriedly, but Heidi just shrugs softly, offering a small nudge with her arm. She didn’t know what to say. Megatron was becoming aware. He may not be able to physically hurt Bumblebee, but it’s still his mind, which means he can still cause the bots trouble. And today is the worst time for it. Megatron looks out at the place around him, curiously.

“If this is my subconscious… WHAT ARE YOU DOING INSIDE MY HEAD?!” Megatron yells, abruptly turning to Bumblebee with death in his optics. Heidi flinches again, gripping her arms. This wasn’t going well… Suddenly, the comlink perks up from Heidi’s computer. Immediately, she turns her chair to the computer.

“Knockout, if you would be so kind as to provide your expert medical opinion to Soundwave. For the historical record.” A familiar voice sounds. Starscream. And he isn’t alone.

“Simply put, unaided, Megatron could remain in this deathless slumber forever,” Knockout explains. Heidi hums, not bothered by the information. It’s not like she didn’t already know. Besides, having Buckethead out of action was better for everyone. However, she couldn’t help but feel there was some sort of twist to this. So she kept listening.

“Our master would not have wanted to be seen this way. To stand idly by while he remains captive in his own body… is not just,” Starscream says sorrowfully. Heidi scoffs slightly at that. It has to be an act. Starscream doesn’t care about anyone but himself and getting power. After a moment of silence, Knockout speaks up again.

“Brainwave activity. Not evidence of consciousness but merely of an endless dream from which Megatron may never wake.” Knockout quickly explains. 

“Soundwave, we must face reality. Megatron is lost to us.” Starscream admits. Suspicions grew in Heidi then. She didn’t like where this was going, but there’s no way they would actually do it… would they?

“The only honorable option… would be to show him mercy,” Heidi’s eyes widen with a gasp, getting Raf’s attention. However, she ignores him as she continues listening in. Did she hear that right?

“A simple throw of the switch.” Starscream continues. 

“Quick. Painless. Compassionate.” Knockout adds.

“Heidi, tell me you're hearing this too!” Cliffjumper asks, a bit panicked.

“Heard everything, Cliff! Ratchet! We’ve got a problem!” Heidi says, quickly turning to Ratchet from her chair and standing up. Everyone turns to her as Ratchet hums, confused.

“The cons are planning to pull the plug on Buckethead! Soon!” Heidi quickly explains. Everyone seems surprised and panicked by this. Especially Ratchet.

“If Megatron perishes, Bumblebee’s mind will remain separated from his body forever,” Ratchet explains grimly. 

“We’ll lose Bumblebee and Optimus?!” Jack says, startled. Heidi quickly turns to Raf, noticing the panic on his expression. Heidi immediately goes to his side, sitting down beside him and taking his shoulder. 

“Hey! It’s okay. Bumblebee will get out in time,” Heidi reassures. However, the look on Raf’s face tells her he doesn’t believe her. He merely turns back to the screen with Bumblebee and Megatron as Ratchet quickly alerts him.

“Bumblebee, we are out of time!” Ratchet explains quickly. Bumblebee pauses before a multitude of buzzes and bleeps escape him. Heidi assumes Bumblebee knows what he’s doing as Megatron listens; his optics widen slightly at the end.

“Cybonic plague?! Someone besides myself is… is unwell?” Megatron asks. Bumblebee nods as Megatron looks away, thinking. However, it doesn’t take him long to figure out who it is. He quickly turns back to Bumblebee as he realizes, a slight but sickening grin twisting his features.

“Optimus!” Megatron says, a chuckle breaking out after. His chuckle turns into a dark laugh, making some of the team shift uncomfortably. Heidi included. 

“Such irony! That after ages of endless battle, the mighty Optimus Prime is felled by a simple virus from a distant past… and what makes you think I would save the life of my oldest enemy?” Megatron snaps. Things weren’t looking good, and Heidi was getting nervous. Suddenly, yet another illusion of Optimus appears nearby.

“Megatron. Your treachery is–” the illusion doesn’t get to finish as Megatron blasts him without looking. This seems to give Bumblebee an idea and quickly begins buzzing and beeping at Megatron, pointing at him.

“Oh? And just what is it that I want most, scout?” Megatron prods. Heidi couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. Still, Bumblebee continues talking to Megatron. Megatron chuckles softly.

“Did you not see? I do slay Optimus by my own hand, at will! Whenever I desire.” Megatron responds. Still, Bumblebee continues to negotiate something with Megatron as the kids stare in confusion at the screen. Well, except for Raf. Heidi turns to Raf, confused, hoping for an explanation. 

“Uh, Raf? What’s Bee saying?” 

“Bee told Megatron that if he lets the plague virus destroy the real Optimus, Megatron’ll never get the chance to do it himself,” Raf explains, loud enough for the teens above to hear. A smirk plays on Heidi’s mouth as she looks back at the screen. Smart move, Bee. Smart, indeed. Suddenly, Starscream’s voice in a conversation comes through Cliffjumper and Acree’s comlink. 

“Soundwave, do I take your silence to mean you concur with Knockout’s medical expertise? Speak now or forever hold your peace… going,” Starscream says. 

“Starscream’s about to pull the plug!” Cliffjumper panics. Heidi turns to the computer sternly as she says.

“Cliffjumper, no matter what, don’t let Megatron die! We’ve almost got the cure!” Heidi orders. However, she internally begins to panic. If they do that, they reveal their cover, but if they don’t…

“Going…” Starscream repeats. However, something seems to happen as silence reigns between the conversation for a long moment. Heidi stares at the screen anxiously, waiting for someone to say something and tell her what’s going on. Finally, she hears Arcee and Cliffjumper, but with the last words she’d want to hear.

“Scrap!” 

“Little Lady, we’re out of time! Screamer’s gonna find us any minute!” Cliffjumper panics. Heidi spins her chair to Ratchet, the panic in her causing everyone to pause.

“Ratchet, we’re out of time! We need that cure now or we need to abort the mission!” Heidi snaps. Before Ratchet can answer, Megatron speaks up from Bumblebee’s audio.

“After our deep history together… to not watch the spark ebb Optimus’s eyes with my very own…” Megatron muses. Bumblebee adds, buzzing and beeping. Hope enters Heidi as Megatron finally gives in.

“Well played, scout,” Megatron says, holding out his fisted servo. He opens it, and a cube of what looks to be information appears hovering above his palm. Heidi smiles happily, looking over at Raf. 

“The Chemical formula for the cure you seek. Not that I expect you to know how to read it.” Megatron continues. Bumblebee reaches for it but is interrupted by Megatron closing his digits into a fist, causing the cure to vanish. 

“Not yet. And how am I to accomplish terminating Optimus as you propose when I’m trapped here in a perpetual daydream?” Megatron snaps, turning away. However, he immediately turns back after a moment with a sick grin.

“Once you release me from this prison, you will have the cure. You must guarantee my recovery or… Optimus fades to gunmetal gray. The Real Optimus,” Megatron explains. No way in Primus could they take a deal like that! However, what other choice was there? 

“Ratchet?” Heidi says, panic crawling up her throat again. She looks to Ratchet, unsure of what to do. Ratchet rewinds the video feed, going back to the part with the cure. Finally, Ratchet turns to Heidi eagerly.

“Heidi, we have the formula! Alert Arcee and Cliffjumper to disconnect Bumblebee NOW!” Ratchet orders. Heidi smiles, immediately turning to the table.

“Arcee, Cliff! We’ve got it! Disconnect Bumblebee and get ready for a groundbridge!” Heidi orders. Not even a moment later, the world around Bumblebee and Megatron begins to crumble. Megatron looks around, distraught, confused, before he finally realizes.

“You were watching! YOU TRICKED ME!” Megatron yells angrily. Bumblebee looks down then, noticing his servos begin to change as well as his frame. The screen begins to change, with the last thing being Megatron running to Bumblebee.

“NO! Take me with you! TAKE ME–” Megatron begins. However, he is cut off by the screen going black. The link was disconnected. The mission was a success . 

Arcee pulls off the cortical psychic patch cable from Bumblebee, throwing it to the ground. Cliffjumper comes up, taking Bumblebee’s shoulder pads and shaking his frame. He has to wake up. Starscream’s gonna find them! 

“Come on, Bee! Wakey Wakey!” Cliffjumper urges.

“Hurry, Bee!” Arcee adds. Both bots notice Starscream making his way over now. Acree immediately turns away, aiming her blaster when he sees them. Finally, after what seems like forever, Bumblebee comes back online. Just as Starscream kneels and looks into where the bots were hiding.

“WHAT THE–” All the bots stand, aiming their blasters and cannons as they prepare for battle. However, before anything could happen, a familiar green vortex appeared behind them. Bumblebee buzzes, alerting the two bots of the vortex as Starscream yells, activating his blaster. 

“INTRUDERS!”

“Let’s go, Bee! Arcee?” Cliffjumper snaps. 

“I’m right behind you! Go!” Arcee yells. Immediately, Cliffjumper turns and runs into the vortex after Bumblebee. However, he looks back just in time to see Arcee aim.

“Allow me.” Arcee growls. Just as she does, she fires a blaster shot right at Megatron’s life equipment, breaking it off from his body. Arcee jumps back into the vortex, following the others as they sprint into the base, the vortex closing behind them. The bots all stand in the base, looking around at their teammates. Immediately, Raf, Heidi, and Jack come sprinting down the stairs to their guardians.

“You guys okay?!” Jack asks, stopping next to his guardian. Arcee gives him a small smirk as Bumblebee reassures Raf in multiple buzzes and beeps that he’s okay. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper talks to a relieved Heidi, assuring her as well. His gaze then turns to the medical bay, where Ratchet works tirelessly in replicating the cure. 

“Is Optimus…?” Cliffjumper asks, unsure. Heidi glances back at the Medbay, sighing softly. 

“Yeah. I think so. In the meantime, I need to call Agent Fowler. And my mom.” Heidi explains, heading back up the stairs. Cliffjumper hums curiously, following her next to the platforms she’s on until she gets back to her spot. She takes her bag out, opening her phone, only to see a strange number on the screen. What? She debates calling it when suddenly, the number returns to her screen, buzzing her phone. Hesitantly, she answers, putting the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Hello, I’m looking for Heidi Campbell? Daughter of Kala Campbell?” A voice says. 

“This is her. Who are you?” Heidi asks, becoming more nervous.

“I’m Nurse Emily Macri from Jasper’s Hospital. I’m sorry to inform you that earlier today, your mother, Kala, was in a car accident while driving home from work.”

Chapter Text

Please read the warnings in the note above before you start!

Heidi felt as if her world had shattered in front of her. Her heart pounded in her ears as she stared wide-eyed at the ground. Her phone trembled in her grip as she replayed what the nurse had just said. This can’t be real. The team had just endured the longest and scariest days they’d ever faced. But they had just won. Optimus was going to be okay. Everything should be okay. So, how can such an amazing ending to a day turn out to be so bad? 

“This is a joke, right?” Heidi asks, her voice shaky. Her eyes blurred as she silently prayed that it was just that. A joke. Something she can laugh at because it’s fake. However, deep inside, she knew it wasn’t. And the thought alone felt like she was being stabbed in the heart.

“No, I’m sorry. Ms. Campbell was in critical condition when she arrived and was brought in on life support. She had to go into surgery as soon as she arrived early this evening. As of the moment, she is stable. Our doctors are doing all they can miss, but it would be prudent that you come to the hospital… Miss, are you still there?” 

“No–Yes, I…Oh my god, T-This can’t be happening. I… I’m coming now!” Heidi finally says, hanging up the phone right after. She sprints around the corner, only to crash straight into Raf. The two kids yelp, both stumbling backwards and landing on the ground. They groan as the teens who were following Raf immediately jump in to help.

“HEY! What’s the big deal, Dee?–” Miko began, hauling Raf to his feet. However, she stops as Jack pulls Heidi up by her arms. Are those… tears running down Heidi’s face? Heidi pushes Jack aside, running past the other two, panicked.

“Heidi!” Raf calls, starting to run after her. This gets the bots' attention, all of them turning to see Heidi sprinting down the staircase. Cliffjumper’s optics widen on Heidi’s figure, and He immediately moves past his team, meeting Heidi halfway as she runs to him.

“Woah! Little Lady?” Cliffjumper asks, kneeling to look at her. However, when Heidi looks up, the sheer panic and tears on her face cause Cliffjumper’s spark to sink into dread. 

“Little Lady, what is it? What happened?” Cliffjumper asked, his servo reaching behind her back as choked sobs escaped her. She was shaking like a leaf, her phone gripped tightly in her hand. She could barely even talk. Cliffjumper knew this state of hers as she swayed on her feet. But it’s never been this bad. At least, he’s never seen it this bad before.

“Heidi, what’s–” Raf starts. The other kids try to go to her, but Arcee and Bumblebee stop them, stepping in between.

“Hang on! Give Heidi and Cliff some space,” Arcee orders. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t also worried for Heidi. She had never seen her like this. Angered or stressed? Of course, but this… Seeing her so panicked wasn’t something you’d see every day. She almost looked afraid. But what could possibly scare the hard-headed girl that was Cliffjumper’s charge? Bumblebee buzzes then, confused as he glances at Heidi. The teens look to Raf, whose gaze hasn’t left his trembling best friend. 

“W-We don’t know! We were going to check on her and found her like this!” Raf explains, his gaze merely switching to Bumblebee for a few seconds before returning to Heidi. He wanted to go to her. To comfort his best friend as she had for him in dark times. He wanted to help her. But he couldn’t. He didn’t even know why she was like this or how. What was going on?

“Little Lady, Breathe. You need to tell me what’s wrong.” Cliffjumper comforted, trying his best to remain calm himself. He placed a servo behind the ground as she flopped back, slightly curling over on herself as she sobbed.

“H-Hospital… I-I need to… go to… hospital!” Heidi said between sobs. Ratchet was making his way over after stabilizing Optimus, confusion and panic etched on his faceplates. However, he is stopped by Bulkhead as Cliffjumper continues to try and talk to Heidi.

“What?! Why–”

“My mom! She…” Heidi lost her words as she continued with sobs instead. Though Heidi hadn’t finished, Cliffjumper could guess what she had wanted to say. Cliffjumper's processor thinks of every incident that could’ve happened, none of them being good for Kala to be at the hospital. So without a second thought, he nodded to her, turning to Ratchet with a stern look. One he never usually adorned.

“Ratch, I’m taking Heidi to the hospital!” Cliffjumper informed. Multiple team members spoke at once, panicked and confused, but Cliffjumper didn’t listen. He just transformed with Heidi in his servo. In a quick moment, Heidi was in the front seat of the car. Her seatbelt automatically clicked into the seat as he revved his engine.

“Cliff–” Arcee began, but he was already spinning his wheels. In the next moment, Cliffjumper raced into the hallway and left the base. Heidi continued to sob into the car, shaking even more than before as her bag lay on the floor with her phone. She curled herself into a ball, sobs escaping her loudly now.

“Little lady, please. I need you to tell me what’s going on. What happened to Kala?” Heidi didn’t say anything. She just hugged her legs tightly, the side of her head leaning on them. Cliffjumper has been her Autobot Guardian for over three years, and he has never seen her this… scared. The possibilities of what exactly could push her into such a state…

“M-My mom, she… she got into an accident earlier today! The hospital tried to call me, but I was so busy with the mission that I ignored it! She’s in critical condition and was in surgery for the past hours! They’ve just stabilized her,” Heidi manages to bite out in her sobs. 

“Oh Primus…” Cliffjumper whispered. Kala was hurt? She had always been so good to Heidi and kept the Autobots’ secrets. And now, she was in the hospital? Heidi lifts her head, her eyes glistening in the car light as she looks down at the floor in front of her.

“If I had just taken a moment to answer the phone, or at least even looked at who was calling me, I would’ve been there already! Or if I had stayed just a bit longer with her earlier. Maybe none of this would have happened!” Heidi panicked. A realization strikes Heidi then as she takes a stuttered breath.

“I didn’t even tell her I loved her before I left… What if I never get the chance to tell her it again?! What if we get there too late?!” Heidi panics, her nails digging into her legs as she hugs them tighter. 

“Don’t lose hope, Little Lady. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Everything’s gonna be okay–”

“That’s what everyone always says! That’s what he always said, and look where that got him! He’s gone and he’s never coming back. So don’t freaking tell me it’s going to be okay when we don’t know if thats true! For all we know, my mom’s already…” Heidi stops, unable to finish. Cliffjumper remains silent, unsure how to respond. Her response took him a bit off guard, if he were being honest. Finally, Heidi sighs, burying her head in her knees.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so worried… I already lost one family, Cliff. I barely got out of the darkness last time. A-And I don’t know if I can do it again.” Heidi whimpers, her sobs returning, albeit softer than before. Cliffjumepr remains silent, his charge’s words hitting like a knife into his spark.  

Cliffjumper has seen soldiers suffer from losses of all kinds. He had been in such dark places during the war. But seeing Heidi, a child, in this state… She’s seen so much and has gone through things she shouldn’t have to. Because of this, people forget she’s still a child sometimes. A child with a life and passions. A child who deserves to live said life without all this weighing her down. 

However, Cliffjumper knows better than anyone that life never goes the way you want it. If it could, Cybertron would’ve never gone dark. The war wouldn’t have happened. One of the only good things that came out of the war was meeting Heidi. And now, that same amazing girl was in her darkest hour. She needed him. And he was going to be there for her, no matter what. Coming to this, Cliffjumper finally found the strength to voice comfort to Heidi with these few words. Words he wished he had been told when he saw his first friend get killed.

“Just don’t give up, Heidi. Don’t give up.” Heidi doesn’t respond, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts. She moved her gaze to the window, staring out as they entered city limits. You can’t have her. Heidi sent the thought out to whoever was listening above. Primus, God, whoever! Just someone who would listen. Someone who would grant her prayers. 

Soon, they got to the hospital. Without warning, Heidi threw the car door open. Cliffjumper came to an abrupt halt as she ran inside, surprised by the sudden movement. She didn’t even stop for her bag. It’s still in the car seat. Meanwhile, Heidi sped through the busy hospital doors, the lights blinding her slightly when she came in. Machines beeped, the intercom rang, people nervously chatted around her, or just patiently waited. It wasn’t as busy as most hospitals she’s been to. Still, there was so much going on. And so much familiarity surrounding her. 

“Heidi?” A familiar voice spoke. Heidi turned, locking eyes with Jack’s mother. Right, she works here. June’s face contorts from surprise to realization to finally, worry. She then rushes over to Heidi, crouching in front of her and holding Heidi’s shoulders gently.

“Oh, you poor girl. It’s gonna be okay,” June said, starting to pull Heidi in for a hug. However, Heidi pushes away, cradling her shaking arms.

“Where is she?” Heidi says, her voice low. A flash of pity goes through June’s eyes before she sighs.

“Come on. I’ll take you to her room.” June says. With that, she places a hand on Heidi’s shoulder and starts to lead her through the Hospital hallways. The whole time, Heidi dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from breaking down with all the overwhelming memories surfacing from this place. She hated this place. Her most painful memories were in here. She couldn’t even look ahead without past images flashing through her eyes. So she just stared at the floor. 

Soon, after a few twists and turns, they made it to the door. June released Heidi and rested her hand on the handle before looking at Heidi. Heidi didn’t speak. She forced herself to look up, eyes shining from fresh tears ready to roll out any moment. She didn’t want to open the door. She didn’t want to see what was on the other side… but she had to. With that, she nodded to June and came in front of the door with her.

Hesitantly, June opened the door. A gasp escaped Heidi as he r gaze traveled inside the room. A woman with long, dirty blonde hair lies in a hospital bed with her entire body in bandages, saving her face, which was littered with angry cuts and large bruises. An oxygen mask is also attached to her face, along with other devices on her body. A heart monitor beeps, one of the only indications she’s alive other than the sound of the breathing machine in the corner.

“Mom?” Heidi whimpered, her nails now piercing the skin of her palm. Fresh tears poured out of her eyes like a waterfall fall but she couldn’t look away. She doesn’t even speak at first. Slowly, she walked into the room, coming next to Kala. She looked so peaceful. As if she were merely asleep. A part of Heidi wanted to touch her. To gently shake her awake and bring her back to her… But Heidi knew better. Even when a part of her wished she didn’t. 

After a few moments, June comes in and pulls out a chair for Heidi. She drags it next to the bed, allowing Heidi to sit down and be close to her mother. June said something to her. However, she was too focused on her mother to hear exactly what she said. Soon, June left, and Heidi was left alone with only the machines for company. She stared at Kala’s face, still, waiting for the slightest of movements. Shakily, her hand reached out and took Kala’s hand. They felt warm but not as warm as they usually were. Was it a sign? Was she… Heidi lets out a choked sob as her head falls on the bed.

“I’m sorry, Mom! I’m sorry I left, and I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. Just please wake up.” Heidi begs. The room fills with her sobs as wave after wave of sorrow seems to hit. After a moment, she lifts her head, her tears still falling.

“Please… I can’t lose you. Not like I lost Levi. So please. Don’t leave like he did. Mama, don’t leave!” Heidi begged. Still, no answer. Heidi felt her heart crack as she pulled her arms away to bury her head in them. She sobbed and sobbed as if she might never run out of tears. 

She didn’t know how much time had passed while she was there, but somehow, she had run out of tears for now. Her eyes were glossy in the light and red from a long while of crying. Meanwhile, her cheeks were stained with dry tears. If someone saw her like this, they would think she’d already lost her. In a way, Heidi felt that she might have. It felt that any moment, the heart monitor would let out a continuous beep, and the machines would stop working for her mother. That thought alone allows a few more tears to fall. 

“Hey, kid.” A somber voice said. Heidi knew that voice. Her head whips up to see Agent Fowler in the doorway. He closes the door behind him as Heidi looks him over. He seems a bit more disheveled than usual. As if he had rushed out of the house. He wears his usual pants, shoes, and white buttoned-down shirt, but his jacket is now resting in his dark arms. He stares at Heidi with such sympathy, it makes her sick. 

“Agent Fowler.” Heidi stuttered, sitting up straight and wiping away her tears. 

“I didn’t expect to see you here. Not so soon.” Heidi says, looking away and down at the floor. So he wouldn’t see how much pain was on her face. Agent Fowler hums as he goes and pulls out another chair from somewhere. He places it next to Heidi with his jacket lying on the back of it. 

“You’re guard bot called me and clued me in… He’s worried about you, you know. The whole team is, matter of fact,” Agent Fowler explains, clasping his hands in front of him. 

“So the whole team knows?” Heidi says, her voice beginning to break again. Darn it, why must she be so emotional in front of him? Heidi felt sick to her stomach from the pain she was starting to bury. 

“They know something happened to your mom, but that's all they know.” Agent Fowler explains. Heidi nods, sniffing softly. A quiet moment ensues between the two as Heidi forces herself to push down the urge to cry again. She only stared at the heart monitor. Every pause between heartbeats made her ache for the next one. 

“You should get some rest, kid.” Agent Fowler suddenly says. Heidi looks at him again, his eyes full of his usual cold seriousness. However, there were more hints of worry in his expression than usual. Especially as he looked at her. 

“I can watch her,” he continued. Heidi shook her head. 

“No, I can–”

“You’re exhausted, kid. I’ve already asked June to get you a pillow and blanket. She’ll even help set up a cot for you to sleep in tonight. Until we can call in some family to take care of you, maybe you can stay with the bots.” Agent Fowler continues. Heidi hums, unsure. She wasn’t sure she wanted to stay with the bots. She didn’t want them to see her like this. Then again, it’s not like they didn’t see her running out of there like a crazy person. 

Her fingers curled at the memory. She let her control break. She let them see her at her lowest, something she never wanted to show anyone. Especially since every time she was at her lowest, someone got hurt…

“I don’t want to stay with the bots.” Heidi finally whispered. Agent Fowler was surprised by this, raising a brow.

“What? Why–”

“Because I don’t want to! Isn’t that enough?!” Heidi flared. However, she immediately regretted the words once they left her mouth. She lost control of her temper. But didn’t she fix that? She lets out an angered huff, pulling her legs to her and hugging them against her chest. Agent Fowler doesn’t speak, merely sighing softly. 

“Alright. Then maybe I can convince one of the kids' parents to–” 

“No! Not them either! Especially not Raf!” Heidi interrupts, her voice breaking.

“Kid, you gotta go somewhere. Kala’s relatives live too far away. They don’t even live in the same country! It’ll take them a while to get here. Besides, I thought they were your friends.” Agent Fowler argues.

“They are.” Heidi bites out.

“Then why do you have a problem staying with them?”

“Because these are my problems! I have to deal with them myself. They’ve all got bigger things to worry about and I’m already a freaking mess!”

“All the more reason you should go!” Heidi abruptly stands, glaring daggers at Agent Fowler.

“No! I-I can’t! They’ve already seen me at my lowest once. I don’t want them to see it again!” Heidi retorts. Agent Fowler stands there, tired of this and completely confused. He’s about to retort when suddenly, a loud hum stops them. Heidi notices it too, quickly turning around to the heart monitor. And the loud hum is revealed to be flatlining. 

Heidi’s eyes widen as multiple doctors rush in at Agent Fowler's yell. They are quickly kicked out of the room, and Heidi is left staring at the door while Agent Fowler is cursing a storm behind her. When he finally stops, he lets out a worried sigh, and Heidi manages a few words as fresh tears run down her face.

“I lost her, didn’t I?” Heidi whimpers. 

“And I didn’t even get to say goodbye… I didn’t get to say I love you.” Heidi’s voice breaks as she clutches her arms. Agent Fowler comes beside her, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t lose hope, kid. The doctors will get her back. She’ll be alright.” Agent Fowler said to comfort Heidi. It only made her angrier, though. This time, she said nothing, stepping away and finding a chair in the hallway to sit in. Around thirty minutes later, a nurse finally came out and talked to Agent Fowler. 

“We were able to restart her heart. She’s stable now, but we’ll keep an eye on her,” the nurse said. Heidi was relieved, yes, but a small voice in her mind told her it was only a matter of time. And soon, she would leave just like Levi.

“–And we managed to find someone on her emergency contacts that could take care of her! In fact, she should be here any minute to help pick her up,” the nurse said. This got Heidi’s attention. Heidi whips her head up, returning to the conversation. She saw a confused Agent Fowler and a seemingly relieved nurse. 

“What the– that’s impossible! All of Kala’s family are in England.”

“Well, it wasn’t a relative of Ms. Campbell’s. It was one of Heidi’s here. Her name was Amanda Grace, and she was listed as–” 

“WHAT?!” Heidi shouted, jumping up from the chair and startling a few others nearby, including the nurse and Agent Fowler. Heidi’s fists began to shake as she listed off every single reason this couldn’t be true. 

“T-That’s impossible! She’s supposed to be…” Dead. The nurse hesitantly shook her head.

“N-No. We found her in the emergency contacts for you. She was one of the kind people who donated money to this hospital for years as well, and I’ve heard she’s quite a sophisticated and lovely woman,” The nurse said. Heidi felt she might draw blood with her nails piercing her palm. This can’t be happening. How is she alive? And how did Heidi not know?! She wanted to yell. To reveal everything there and then, but she knew it wasn’t going to work… they never believed her before. Would they believe her now? Maybe Agent Fowler would– Suddenly, A ringing came from Agent Fowler's pocket. He took it out, glancing at the number in surprise.

“Sorry. I gotta take this.” Agent Fowler grumbled, walking off as he answered the phone. With that, the nurse turns to Heidi with a small smile.

“Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure she’ll be so delighted to see you.” The nurse said before shuffling off with a few doctors. Heidi felt as if her world had gone completely upside down. There’s no way this is possible. Was she going crazy?! She whipped out her phone, then quickly pulled up her emergency contacts. There’s a number that wasn’t there before. But how could it–

“Elodie!” Heidi felt her heart drop as her limbs froze. That voice… it couldn’t be! Heidi wasn’t sure she wanted to look. Still, she had to. So slowly but surely, she lifted her head to look around for the voice. Her eyes finally fell on a sophisticated-looking woman with dark hair in a bun and olive skin. Her glacial blue eyes stared Heidi down as a smile curled up her face. It was her. After so many years, that woman was back. And Heidi’s life would never be the same.

It’s been over an hour. After Heidi and Cliffjumper’s abrupt leaving from the base, no one has been able to do anything else. It didn’t help that no one knew exactly what was going on, either, other than that Heidi’s mother was involved along with the hospital. Still, all of them planned to wait for as long as possible. 

Most of Everyone was just in the main room, other than Arcee and Jack, who went up to the roof for some peace. Meanwhile, Bumblebee and Raf, along with Bulkhead and Miko, were near the human area. They were talking, mainly words of comfort or trying to distract Raf from his understandable worry for his best friend. Meanwhile, Optimus and Ratchet were at the console, working on reports. Though they weren’t getting much done. They were both too distracted and worried about their liaison, not that Ratchet would admit it. Still, there was nothing else they could do until someone called in. The anticipation was killing them. It was killing all of them, Raf especially. 

“Don’t worry, Raf. I’m sure whatever’s going on, Cliff and Heidi will be okay.” Bumblebee comforted, stroking his fingers on his charge's back in soothing circles. Raf sat on the old yellow couch with Miko, anxiously staring at his phone, waiting for Heidi or someone with her to call. He didn’t care why or how; he just wanted to hear her voice and make sure she was okay. He wanted to hear from the one he cared about most—the one who had made him laugh and who was always there for him when others weren’t. The one who defended him against Vince on her first day, even if it meant almost getting in trouble. He wanted to make sure that amazing girl, his amazing best friend, was alright…

“I hope so, Bee. I really hope so,” Raf said. Miko nodded and pulled Raf into a hug right after. Meanwhile, above the base, Jack and Arcee sat silently near the old pile of rocks that had once been Cliffjumper’s grave. No one had ever gotten around to destroying it with everything going on. Arcee tapped her digits against her metal knee while Jack sat a human arm's length away. He hated the silence his partner was giving him, but he couldn’t find the right words to say. Anything he thought of seemed like the wrong thing to say. 

“So, any idea why Heidi was…” Arcee began, unsure. Jack looked up at her, slightly grateful for the break in the silence. However, the dark tension was still weighing heavily on both of them. He shook his head in response, taking out his phone.

“No, but when I heard ‘hospital,’ I texted my mom. There’s only one hospital in Jasper, so chances are my mom might know something about… whatever’s going on. She hasn’t responded, though.” Jack said in defeat. He knew she was busy and usually didn’t text her during work. But this time, it was more urgent than anything, and he wanted badly for his mom to respond. 

“She’s probably still working, Jack,” Arcee says, a slightly disapproving look in her optics. Jack sighs.

“I know. I just thought it was worth a try, y’know? I never saw Heidi so…” Panicked? Sad? Unsure? Jack didn’t know what to use. Though they might not have been that close before the bots, Heidi had always been so confident and in control. Sure, she had a temper, but in the end, she always tried to do the right thing. She almost always knew what to do, and when she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. So to see her like this… Arcee hummed in agreement, knowing what he meant. 

“Have you ever seen her like that before?” Jack asked. Arcee’s optics glance at him for a moment before they return to the stars ahead.

“Not really, no. Sure, I’ve seen her angry to the point of tears, but this… I don’t think even Cliffjumper’s seen her like this.” Arcee explained, a note of worry in her voice. Jack bit his lip, his stomach churning. God, this anxiety was killing him. But what could they do? Until someone called in– Suddenly, Arcee perked up. As if getting a call. It startled Jack as she placed a digit on her commlink. 

“Cliff? What’s going on? Is Heidi okay?” Arcee said, glancing at Jack hopefully. Jack’s eyes widened, but he remained quiet, his ears burning for whatever Cliffjumper was telling Arcee. Multiple emotions passed through Arcee’s faceplate then. The main ones seemed to be shock, worry, relief, and then confusion. It made Jack more eager to know what Cliffjumper was telling her. However, he remained silent until they finished talking. When they finally did, Arcee stood up and turned to Jack with a grim expression.

“I know what happened…”

It’s been a few days since Kala’s accident. Almost a week. And almost no one’s seen Heidi since then. The kids' teachers said that she was taking a few weeks after the accident to get her life situated with her guardian. Agent Fowler said the same thing to the bots. Jack, Raf, and Miko tried to get in contact with her, but no one was able to get through. Cliffjumper couldn’t even get through to her. So they all decided to wait until she reached out herself. It’s not like they could do much else.

“I say we get the candy and skip the other stuff. OOH! And some soda! And maybe some ramen and–” Miko babbled. On the way to the base, Miko had suggested that they stop for food. With that, they stopped at a convenience store, and so, while their three guardians were waiting out in the parking lot, their charges shopped in the store. Jack chuckled, shaking his head as he looked over the snacks.

“I think we should add some healthy stuff too, Miko. Like maybe this?” Jack says, holding up some healthy-looking packs of food. Miko takes one glance at the food and pretends to vomit. 

“Ew! Who likes that sort of stuff? That looks like something a doctor would give you because it’s ‘good’ for you.” Miko snaps, disgust crinkling her face. Jack merely shakes his head, glancing down at their youngest member. Or, the youngest one with them right now. He’s looking at his phone. Specifically, at a photo of him and Heidi. He misses her. Jack couldn’t blame him. They were all missing her right now. It felt different going to the base and not seeing her. If only they knew why…

“Hey, Raf. Don't worry. I’m sure she’ll call us once she can.” Jack comforts, placing a hand on Raf’s shoulder. Raf glances at them, nodding his thanks as the teens return to their argument over snacks. Raf releases a sigh and starts to walk out for some space. He didn’t want anything anyway. A bell jingles as he opens the door and leaves, coming out to the sidewalk. The bots are parked nearby, but Raf didn't feel like waiting in Bumblebee for the others. So Raf just sat down on the sidewalk, against the wall. As he did, he noticed a familiar bakery on the other side of the lot. Kala’s bakery.

Raf’s heart clenched at the sight of the building that had been closed for what felt like forever. He used to see Heidi there after school, baking sweet treats with her mom as they talked. He always found her smiling and laughing there, even when she had a bad day earlier. And after she was done, Heidi would sometimes bring any extra treats her mom made back to base for all of them to share. It had been a while since she did that. Not since–

Suddenly, he felt as if someone was staring at him. His gaze began to wander, and soon, it landed on a girl in a red hoodie walking down the sidewalk with her head low. She looked so familiar, but from where? She had a small bag in her hand, which she held close to her chest. As if protecting it from prying eyes. As she walked past, Raf finally found the courage to speak, standing up from the wall.

“Hey, do I know you?” Raf asked. The girl stopped, looking away. A few blonde strands fell out from underneath her hood. And immediately, Raf knew who it was. He gasped softly, reaching out for her.

“Heidi?” Raf said. The girl didn’t move for a moment until a sigh escaped her. She took one hand and gently pulled the hood off her head. Her blonde, disheveled hair broke free as she turned her two-toned eyes to her best friend. She looked thinner than she did the last time he saw her. Her eyes were droopy, clearly from exhaustion, and everything about her felt… sadder.

“Hey, Raf–” before she could finish, Raf launched himself onto her. His arms wrapped around her body, but she didn’t return them. In fact, she gently pulled his arms off her and stepped away. 

“Sorry, uh…” Heidi didn’t continue. She only cleared her throat, quickly grabbing the bag she had from the ground. The one she dropped in Raf’s hug. 

“Sorry, I just… I-I’ve been so worried. Everyone has! I’m glad to see you out and…” Raf didn’t know what to say. Obviously, she wasn’t doing well. Heidi didn’t mind, though. Only chuckling softly as she placed the bag in the backpack she had on her shoulders. 

“Yeah… I haven’t seen any of you in a while, huh? How is everyone?” Heidi asked. 

“Their okay. Worried about you, but okay. Agent Fowler said you wouldn’t be available much, but since you're here, maybe you could come to the base? Just for a little? Everyone would be really happy if you did!” Raf said, a smile coming on. However, Heidi’s earlier smile fades into a serious frown as she pulls her backpack back on.

“Uh, no. Sorry, I can’t… in fact, I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue my duties as the team's liaison.” Heidi explained.

“WHAT?!” shrieked a familiar voice. Both of the kids startled, turning to see Jack and Miko standing outside the door of the shop. How did they not notice them before? The two teens run up, a few bags in hand from shopping. 

“What do you mean you can’t?! Why not?!” Miko snapped. Heidi steps back slightly, grasping her arms gently. 

“It’s just that… well, they don’t really need me anymore and–”

“Says who?! You're teaching them about our planet, dum dum!” 

“Miko!” Jack snaps, taking her shoulder and pulling her back. He sends a glare her way before looking at Heidi. She doesn’t meet his gaze, looking down at the ground. Heidi lets out a breath before continuing. 

“Miko, they know everything they need to know about Earth. And anything they want to know, they can look up on the internet or ask you guys.” Heidi reasoned. Miko glared daggers, about to say something else, but she was interrupted by Jack. 

“If that’s what you really want, Heidi, then we’ll support you. Besides, we’ll still see you at base, right?” Jack says, laughing softly after. Raf nods, a small smile returning to his face. However, Heidi doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t even make eye contact. A dark feeling settles in the kids' stomachs as Raf steps up.

“You will be coming to the base still, right?” Raf asks. Slowly, Heidi raises her gaze to his and says the word they’ve been dreading. The one they never thought they would hear from her in a situation like this.

“No… I’ll see you guys around.” Heidi says. With that, she turns away and begins to leave. However, Raf refuses to let her go this time. Not without a good explanation!

“Wait, Heidi! Please, let’s talk about this!–” Raf began. He reaches out and grabs her arm, then gently stops her. She winces slightly before angrily yanking her arm from him. Before she knew it, her hands moved and hit Raf’s chest, pushing him back.

“Don’t touch me!” Heidi snaps. Raf falls back, bumping into the teens, who quickly catch him. Heidi’s eyes widen as she pulls her arms back to her chest. Her sleeves fall slightly then, and something on her arm catches Raf’s eye as he gets up. Marks on her skin. Of different colors and a lot of them. It was more marks than skin, almost. 

“Heidi, what the heck?!” Miko yelled, getting in front of Raf. As she did, Heidi quickly pulled her sleeves up and covered her arms. A stuttering response starts to come out of her mouth as Jack and Miko keep their gazes locked on her.

“I-I’m so sorry! I–” 

“Well, Well! What’s going on here?” A cheerful voice says. Heidi stiffens as a woman’s hand plops on her shoulder. A sophisticated woman with dark hair and olive skin stood next to Heidi with a beaming smile. Her glacial eyes looked between the kids in front of her. Raf stared back in suspicion as she continued, looking at Heidi.

“Dear, are these your friends? How adorable,” the woman said, tapping her fingers against Heidi’s shoulder. Heidi didn’t say anything, only burying her hands in her pockets. 

“Uh, who are you?” Miko snapped, looking the woman up and down suspiciously. The woman chuckles, a sound that made all three kids uncomfortable, despite its contagiousness. Everything about this woman felt… strange. 

“I’m sorry. My name is Amanda Grace. And I’m Heidi’s mother. Well, her birth mother, of course,” the woman says, pulling Heidi against her. This shocked the kids, all of them turning to Heidi. Heidi’s birth mother was alive?! Since when? And why hadn’t Heidi mentioned it? 

“Whoa, what?! I thought your parents were six feet down.” Miko quipped.

“Miko!” Jack hissed. 

“Oh, it’s fine! A lot of people make that mistake, but the truth is, Heidi and I were separated due to a horrible accident. Why, if it weren’t for the hospital calling me in, I would’ve never known she was still alive.” Amanda says, sighing softly after. Heidi hesitantly nodded, forcing a small smile.

“It’s… true. She’s my mother.” Heidi said. A moment of silence came as she lowered her gaze again. It wasn’t like Heidi to be so quiet and reserved. Could it really just be everything that’s going on? Or was there more to the story? Before they could say anything, Amanda interrupted. 

“Well, we'd better get going! We have a lot to do! Come along, dear.” Amanda chirped, releasing Heidi’s shoulder and turning around. She began to walk away, but Heidi stayed, her gaze meeting the kids again.

“Listen, I–”

“Heidi! We’re gonna be late unless we go now!” Amanda called. Heidi stiffened again, and the look in her eye showed she wanted to say more. However, she only shut her eyes and turned around. She quickly caught up to her mother, who waited by her car. The kids watched as Heidi hesitantly got in with her mother, and the car left. 

“What the heck was that about?” Miko snapped. Jack shrugged, starting to talk to Miko, but Raf’s gaze didn’t move from the road Amanda’s car drove down. He pushed up his glasses as his brows furrowed in thought. Something about that woman screamed bad news. He just wished he knew why. 

“So, any ideas on what’s going on?” Jack asked. After arriving at the base, the kids managed to call the whole team in and tell them what happened. Everyone was surprised and confused by the story. However, they were mostly shocked about her departure from the team. Cliffjumper shook his helm, a little overwhelmed by the knowledge. He knew his Little Lady was stressed, but to make such a big decision in the span of a few short days without consulting with him or anyone else? He never would’ve thought of it. Not even for a second. 

“No. I knew about her mom coming back, despite everyone saying she was dead. I haven’t talked to Heidi since the accident either, but still, I’d never think she’d actually try to leave the team.” Cliffjumper explained, crossing his arms as his optics went to the floor. Arcee places a servo on his shoulder armor as she continues. 

“And Heidi didn’t give you any reason for why she was leaving?” Arcee asked, raising an optical ridge as she looked back at the kids. 

“No. Girl’s lost it,” Miko says, twirling a finger at the side of her head. Jack sends her a quick glare as Raf remembers something, cautiously adding on.

“Well, she did say it was because you didn’t need her anymore,” Raf said, unsure. Ratchet scoffs, grumbling under his breath. The bots murmur among each other as Raf stands in silence, thinking about what happened today. Mainly, about those bruises. Sure, Heidi got stuff like that all the time from rollerskating, but with how she tried to hide the bruises, could there be more to the story? Was someone…

Meanwhile, Bumblebee notices his charge thinking. He quickly buzzes, getting Raf’s attention along with the group. Raf whips his head up, startled from his thoughts, as all eyes turn to him. He pushes up his glasses again before hesitantly answering Bumblebee. 

“It’s just… after she pushed me, I noticed something weird on her arm. Marks on her arm. I think they were bruises.” Raf explained. Bumblebee beeps softly, likely repeating Raf’s words as Miko adds on.

“Pftt. Yeah, she’s a daredevil skater! She’s always got a few bruises on her, right?” Miko said, eager at first but becoming unsure at the end. Raf shook his head slightly.

“These were different. I’ve seen the worst of her crashes when she’s skating, but the marks on her arm… they didn’t look accidental.” Raf explained. For a moment, no one spoke as they took in the knowledge. 

“Raf… do you think someone’s hurting Heidi?” Jack asked hesitantly. 

“I don’t know. Maybe? I could just be paranoid, but we all saw her. Something was really wrong, and I can’t help feeling that woman has something to do with it.” Raf stated, clutching his arms softly. Miko places a hand on Raf’s shoulder as Jack hums.

“Yeah, I admit. That woman definitely seemed… weird.”

“Yeah. Lots of creepy vibes coming from her.” Miko said softly. 

“If Heidi is indeed in a situation where she is being injured intentionally, then we must alert Agent Fowler to the situation immediately. Ratchet?” Optimus ordered, looking at Ratchet. He nods and, with that, heads back to the console. Most of the team starts to follow, but Cliffjumper stays behind with Raf as everyone leaves.

“Hey, bud. Everything okay?” Cliffjumper asked. Raf sighs, staring at the floor beneath him.

“I’m just… worried. Why wouldn’t Heidi say anything if she was hurting? Why is she instead distancing herself from us?” Raf said. The hurt look in his eyes makes Cliffjumper’s spark crack slightly. He couldn’t blame him, though. Ever since he saw Heidi break down a few days back, he’s been worried sick. He’s barely even had a decent recharge these days. Cliffjumper lifts his servo, gently stroking his digit on Raf’s back.

“We’ll figure it out, bud. Just give it time,” Cliffjumper comforted. Raf nodded to the statement but didn’t seem pleased with it. Still, He walked off to join the others as Ratchet tried calling their grumpy liaison. Meanwhile, Cliffjumper didn’t feel like joining them. All he could feel right now was anger and fear. 

Something’s going on with Heidi, and that glitch of a woman had something to do with it. When he saw Heidi leaving with her, he knew something was wrong. He just wished he had intervened like he wanted to. It was because of her that he couldn’t get close to Heidi’s house for curbside duty. Not to mention, at times when he got too close, he caught that woman glaring at him from a window or on the sidewalk. As if she knew him. It added to his growing suspicion of her. And if it turns out he was right and that woman had something to do with Heidi’s injuries… 

His servoes curled at the thoughts of what he might do. However, he only let out a grumble before joining his team. He didn’t care much about that glitch if he were being honest. He just cared if Heidi was okay. He wanted her to be safe, and he hoped she was now… wherever she was.

“We did well today, didn't we, dear?” Amanda quips. A car drives down the darkened desert late into the night as it tries to get home to Jasper. Inside, Amanda drives the car in gleeful delight while Heidi sits in the passenger seat next to her, staring at the window with her hood pulled up over her face. Heidi hums in response to her mother's words as her mother giggles gleefully. 

“Despite your slight outburst, we managed to get everything we needed to our buyer in quick time. Though I do hope you learned your lesson now to not embarrass me in front of my workers, hm?” the woman said. Heidi only hums, the new bruise on her cheek still stinging from before. Amanda nods before continuing with her words.

“Still, this deserves some celebration. I think I might make myself something sweet. Maybe you can have a small bit of it too. Of course, not too much since we don’t want you gaining weight again now, do we?” Amanda says, giving Heidi a knowing look. Heidi pulls her knees to her chest as she hums in response again. It’s silent for a moment as they drive down the dusty road. However, Heidi could feel her mother's many glances on her. Finally, after a few minutes, Amanda breaks the silence between them.

“So, about those friends of yours.” Heidi’s pull against her legs tightens for a moment at the mention of them. She looks up at her mother, who's sporting a soft smile. The smile she’s perfected to hide who she really is underneath. Only three people ever saw that truth. And two of them are dead now. 

“While I am glad you took my ‘advice’ on keeping your distance, you wouldn’t have to if you just did as I said. Like when you were a little girl and you tried to revolt like your god-awful brother. He was such a disappointment, but I knew that the moment he was born, just as I did you,” Amanda continued, disgusted slightly by the last part. Heidi felt her temper flare inside her, looking down at the car floor again. 

“You know nothing,” Heidi grumbled. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Amanda said sweetly. However, the curl of her fingers told a different story. Still, Heidi couldn’t care. After everything that’s happened in the last few days –Distancing herself from her friends and family, being forced to deliver shady things to shady people, and being her mother's freaking punching bag, she had had enough. 

“I said you know nothing! You knew nothing about him, and you know nothing about me! You’ve never taken the time to actually get to know either of us! And it’s not like you even cared to learn to begin with! All because we were different. Because I was deaf in one ear before, and he had a limp, you decided we were mistakes! Disappointments.” Heidi snapped. 

“And I wasn’t wrong. But you have always been a bigger one than he! At least he had a chance of becoming something great with that mind of his! You, on the other hand, weren’t smart like him and only existed to eat up our money like a hungry leech!” Amanda retorted, speeding the car up slightly.

“Yeah! Because I was sick all the time from your so-called medical tests on me!” Amanda rolls her eyes with a huff.

“Well, I had to make some use of you, now didn’t I? Besides, you turned out fine! Look where you ended up! In a perfect home with that B**** and friends. Both human and alien, right?” Amanda snapped.

“Don’t you dare call her a– wait, what?” She must’ve heard it wrong. She couldn’t have said aliens, right? There’s no way she actually knew about them. However, the grin Amanda is sporting tells Heidi otherwise.

“That’s right. You really think Silas wouldn’t tell me about you off-world buddies? Have to say, I was surprised when I found out you, of all people, were in league with them.” Amanda said, giggling softly under her breath. They were just heading into the city limits as Amanda continued, glaring at a speechless Heidi.

“What? Nothing to say now? You know, I was originally sent to get the info Silas wanted to know. My first thought was your phone. However, you had conveniently damaged it so badly, it couldn’t be repaired. I’m guessing it was on purpose so I wouldn’t find out, correct? Quite the move, my dear… ” Amanda quipped, another evil giggle escaping her. 

“When that failed, I went through your room. I was close to giving up when I yet again found nothing. However, I then remembered what Levi taught you as a child. You would place things under floorboards or put things in the walls to hide them. So, I started working on the floors, and you’ll never guess what I found.” Amanda said, giving a teasing look. Heidi went pale as she realized what her mother had found. 

“My sketchbook…” Heidi whispered. Amanda sighs with a smile as she pulls into Heidi’s neighborhood. 

“It was clever. I’ll give you that. But I would’ve hoped you would know better than to hide it in such a spot after last time.” Amanda said as she parked the car. Soon enough, the two went inside with Heidi still reeling from the news. As her mother counted money on the dining room table, Heidi left for her room, shutting the door behind her. Her backpack slipped from her shoulders as she collapsed to her knees, cursing herself out.

Amanda was working with Silas for some time. And it all made sense! Her mother's secret job, moving all the time, and anything else Heidi endured growing up were because of her mother working with Silas. Because she worked with MECH. And now, she had a key to the bots. Especially since, for the moment, her sketchbook had top secret gov.’t info. Something she had forgotten to give the bots before the accident. 

“Dang it! How could I be so stupid?!” Heidi snapped, banging her fist into the ground. She couldn’t believe it. Because of her, her mother read a report about the bots. She could find the base, meaning Silas could find it. And it was all her fault. She did this. She is about to cause so much harm. Not just to the bots, but to the other humans. Oh, Primus, what will MECH do to them if they find out about them? Everything was gonna crash down because of her.

“Why couldn’t it just be me getting punished?! Why, dang it!” Heidi cried. All this pain. It was so much. It was killing her… But she deserved it. She caused this all on her own. As she slowly looked up from the floor, a familiar object sat nearby. A lighter. It was something she bought long before all this happened. Because of stress. She needed to relieve some. But not by cigarettes like Amanda does. No, there was another way. One she used to do all the time when she was younger. And one she had started doing since that woman came back into her life. 

Heidi stared at it for a moment longer before taking off her hoodie. Her bruised and beaten arms screamed in protest, as well as the small burns on them. She gently reached over, taking the lighter in hand and pushing down on the button. A spark happens, and a small flame is ignited. Not one bright enough to light the room, but enough to let light dance across Heidi’s body. 

“Just one more time,” Heidi whispered. She always said that, though. But deep down, she knew the truth. Because in the end, she would always come back to this. Her gaze moves to a window where a star shines through the cloudy sky. A tear falls down her face as she whispers.

“I’m sorry.”