Vroom, vrooom! 

You groggily wake up, lifting an eye as you hear a car revving its engine. You roll onto your side and try to go back to sleep when you hear the car rev again, this time a little bit louder than before.

What idiot's revving his car engine on a Saturday morning? What a jerk.

All of a sudden you bolt upright as you realize the car engine belongs to Cliffjumper. Getting out of bed, you jog to the front of your house and open the front door, leaning out of the door frame. To your astonishment, Cliffjumper is parked in the driveway, headlights flashing in greeting.

"Are you crazy?" You ask in a hushed tone. "What are you doing parked in the driveway? If my parents catch you they will go crazy!"

"Good morning to you too," replies Cliffjumper sarcastically. "Don't worry, your parents left about an hour ago."

You frown and step outside, closing the door behind you. Walking over to Cliffjumper you say

"Well I'm glad your loud engine didn't wake them up like it did for me. Do you know where they went?"

"No idea. Besides, I was getting bored sitting in your driveway so I decided to wake you up. We can head to the base and watch cartoons," says Cliffjumper excitedly. "Wait, do you even like cartoons?" He asks.

You shrug one of your shoulders and reply, "I don't mind them."

"Great, let's get going. But maybe change out of your pajamas first."

You look down at your black tank top and knee length plaid shorts and grin sheepishly.

"Yeah maybe. Be back in a flash!" You say and race back inside.

You put on a vintage Star Wars shirt and denim jean shorts, brush through your hair, put it in a ponytail, and then tie your f/c bandana around your forehead.

After a quick once over in the mirror you slip on some shoes and walk back outside. As you walk back to Cliffjumper you can hear the hum of a motor and are surprised to see Arcee pull into your driveway with Jack straddled on top. He's wearing a white motorcycle helmet with a tinted visor that he quickly takes off as he dismounts, tucking it away before walking over to you.

"Good morning Jack. What brings you two here?" You ask, curious as to how he and Arcee found your house.

"Morning y/n. Me and Arcee were just out for a little drive and uh, thought we'd see if you guys were still here," he said, glancing back to Arcee.

"Out for a little drive huh?" Asks Cliffjumper.

"We were just heading back to base," says Arcee.

"Wanna race?" You turn to Jack and say mischievously.

"Oh, bring it!" Says Jack, turning to grab his helmet.

You walk over to Cliffjumper and hop in the passenger seat.

"A race, huh?" Cliffjumper asks as he backs out of the driveway.

"Oh come on, a 1969 Dodge Challenger like you can go from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, you can totally smoke them!" You say enthusiastically.

"Well I know that," Cliffjumper laughs as he lines up with your house's rusty mailbox.

Arcee and Jack pull up to the right of you and you roll down the window.

"Ready to lose, Jack?" You ask in a teasing voice.

"You wish," comes Jack's reply, muffled slightly by the helmet.

You smirk and roll up the window, getting ready for the race.

"On your marks, get set, GO!" Yells Arcee, and both her and Cliffjumper shoot off, wheels screeching.

The force of the acceleration pushes you backward and you whoop loudly as cacti and other landscape rushes past you. Arcee was fast, you had to give her that, but as you watch, Cliffjumper slowly begins creeping up on her. You lean over and watch the line on the speedometer go up and up, marking 60 mph, 70, 80. You were going faster and faster and soon enough, you were in the lead. The speedometer now marks 92 mph and the desert is only a blur as you hurtle down the road. Looking in the rear view mirror, you grin as you see Arcee and Jack a few inches behind Cliffjumpers' bumper.

"You know, for a two wheeler Arcees' not doing too bad, huh?" Says Cliffjumper, and you can practically see the smirk on his face.

"Yeah, but if she really wasn't doing too bad she wouldn't be behind us," you tease.

Cliffjumper lets out a boisterous laugh and says "That's true. How fast are we going anyway?"

You look down at the speedometer and reply "Cruising at 107. Not bad for a muscle car!"

Cliffjumper laughs again and says "No, not bad at all."

A large mesa towers over the car and you recognize it as the one the Autobot base is hidden in. Cliffjumper slows down and drives through the tunnel. The thrill of the race catches up to you and you can't help but beam as Cliffjumper parks and lets you out, transforming after you're out. You walk over to Jack and was about to tease him about losing when Optimus walks over and says "Autobots, prepare to..." but doesn't finish the sentence.

"Roll out?" Guesses Arcee.

"Remain here. Ratchet, Cliffjumper, you'll come with me. Arcee, we'll be outside of communication range for some time so I'm putting you in charge," says Optimus.

"Aww," you whine quietly, frowning up at Cliffjumper. "Our victory is cut short and Optimus snatches you for a mission. Not fair."

"I know, right? Now we can't rub our success in their faces."

You snicker as he grins and winks at you.

"Tell you what kid, when I get back we can do a victory lap around the base, sound good?"

"Deal. Make it a quick mission, ok Cliff?" You smile.

Cliffjumper smiles slightly but drops when Optimus calls for him.

"I'll see what I can do, y/n."

He walks over to Optimus and looks back at you once more before transforming and driving through the groundbridge behind Optimus. A moment of silence fills the base as the last lights of the portal dim.

"Ok, so, what's on the activities list?" Asks Jack, turning to Arcee.

"I'm going on patrol," she says in a bored voice.

"But Optimus told us to stay," Bulkhead says.

"When you're in charge you can call the shots," replies Arcee. "Bee, with me! Bulkhead, you're in charge."

With that, Arcee and Bumblebee transform and race down the tunnel, leaving you, Jack, Miko, Raf, and Bulkhead.

"And then there were five," you mutter under your breath.

"So, um, what's on the activity list?" Bulkhead asks.

"How about band practice?" Miko offers and you turn to her, watching as she begins hooking up a black electric guitar to a Fender amplifier.

"But we're not a band," points out Raf.

"Why so antisocial? Come on Raf, do you play anything?" She asks enthusiastically.

"Um, keyboard?" He says, lifting up his computer.

"Laptops and samples, good! Jack?" She turns a hopeful face to Jack.

Rubbing a hand on his neck, Jack says "I, uh, sometimes mess around on the harmonica."

"Do I look like I do country?" Asks Miko in a condescending tone. Almost desperately, Miko looks to you. "Please tell me you play something. Guitar, drums, anything?!"

"Weelll, I-I play the flute. And the violin...aand the piano. A bit." You give her a small smile, somewhere between a grin and a grimace.

Miko signs dramatically and raises her arms. "Well maybe you and Jack can start a bluegrass band. For now, just cover yourselves in fake blood and jump around screaming."

You share a look with Jack and shrug. Just then Miko starts strumming her guitar and a loud song blares out of her amplifier. You cover your ears, mirroring the other kids, but it does no good. Over the music you notice green flashing lights coming from the computer monitors, signaling an alarm going off. Bulkhead seems to notice the alarm too because he waves at Miko to stop.

"Oh come on!" She whines. "You can't handle raw power?"

"Proximity sensor. Quick, hide!" Exclaims Bulkhead.

You rush to the same binding spot under the railing as the day before, and just in time, because Agent Fowler wastes no time in walking briskly into the base. Just as he walks in, you notice Mikos' amplifier is still hooked up to her guitar, which she is still holding.

Crap! I sure hope Agent Fowler doesn't notice the wire coming from behind Bulkhead. What's he yelling at Bulkhead about? Something in Nebraska? Maybe he's too busy with Bulkhead to notice...yeah probably not.

"So," Agent Fowler concludes. "You tell Prime that-since when are you bots electric?"

Dang it.

"Uhh..." Bulkhead looks from you and back to Agent Fowler.

"What do we do?" You whisper shout to Jack, who grimaces and slides past you.

"Hey. How are you doing?" He asks.

You roll your eyes, but since you have no other idea, follow the other kids. To say Agent Fowler looked bothered by the fact that four teenagers just stepped in front of him was an understatement.

"Contact with civilians! Team Prime has really gone off the rules with this one. No, don't tell me, you're running a daycare!"

Bulkhead looks flustered and if bots could blush, you were sure he would be bright red. But with quick thinking, Jack makes up an excuse.

"We're interns," he begins.

"Student interns!" Raf adds.

"Earning extra credit in auto..." Jack trails off, unsure of what to say.

"Mechanics."

"Robotics."

You look to Miko and then quickly back to the agent, trying to recover the mistake.

"It's both, cause you know, they're cars and robots so we came here to study them for extra credit...so um..."

The look Agent Fowler sends you tints your cheeks pink, but you firmly meet his stare.

"Ok, let's move. I'm taking you all into federal custody for your own protection," he says, walking down the stairs towards you.

Bulkhead steps in front of you and the other kids, firmly saying "We are protecting them."

"Is that so? Well, maybe you can explain that to my superiors at the Pentagon," says Agent Fowler, angrily punching numbers on a telephone hanging by the stairs.

"Don't use that phone! It's...out of order," says Bulkhead quickly, crushing the phone with one of his large fingers.

Agent Fowler looks up at Bulkhead, and you can feel the anger practically radiating off of him.

"This isn't over, Bigfoot! Not by a long shot!"

Agent Fowler turns around and stomps up the stairs. He stalks into the elevator, turns around, and jabs the button. The elevator door closes with a dull thud, and after a moment of silence you let out a breath, blowing stray hairs out of your face.

"Well, I don't think that could have gone any worse," you say.

Jack lets out a nervous laugh and Miko turns to you saying, "Did you see the look on his face when Bulkhead crushed that phone? That was awesome!"

"I have a feeling that's not the last we're hearing of Agent Fowler," Raf says.

"Maybe not, but for now we don't have to worry about him," you say, climbing up the rusty yellow ladder that leads to the large computers.

You sit down in one of the chairs, replaying the last few moments in your head.

Agent Fowler backed off pretty quickly to Bulkhead. For a guy who puts on this 'tough guy' act, he doesn't seem to want to pick a fight with the Autobots. Interesting.

You log on to one of the human sized computers, hoping to see where Cliffjumper, Optimus, and Ratchet are. You turn around when you hear the other kids climb the stairs and head to the tv, Miko tuning it on and lazily flipping through stations until she finds an interesting one. You sign and shake your head as Miko and Jack begin to argue about the station, turning back to the computer.

All is quiet for a few moments before an alarm blares through the base and the computer screen flashes brightly in your face. You cover your ears with your hand, but it does little to muffle the sound.

"My ears!" Whines Raf, or at least that's what you think he said.

"It's an S.O.S. From Fowler," comments Bulkhead, pulling up the alarm on one of the computer monitors.

"Did you trace it?" Asks Raf.

"Hm, location scan incomplete. Oh well," says Bulkhead, shrugging.

"Oh well?" Asks Jack incredulously. "Seriously?"

"Fowler's a jerk!" Retorts Bulkhead.

"Whether you like the guy or not, the Decepticons may have him!"

"Jack's right," you say, frowning. "And Agent Fowler knows the location of the Autobot base. If the Decepticons interrogate him, I bet they'll make him talk."

"Yeah, y/n has a point. I mean, didn't we all see how fast Fowler backs down from a bot? The Decepticons will totally make him squeal!" Adds Miko.

"But we lost the transmission. Fowler could be anywhere," says Bulkhead.

"Maybe I can narrow it down." Says Raf as he sits in a chair next to you.

He grabs a laptop from his backpack and types furiously while explaining, "About five years ago, the government started microchipping their agents. You know, like owners do with pets."

"Raf's right. That's what they had to do to my dad when he joined the army," you say, watching Raf's laptop screen. Jack and Miko look from you to Raf with confused and slightly concerned expressions on their faces.

"What? I saw it on tv," defends Raf. "Anyway, if I can hack into the Fed's mainframe, maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates."

"You know how to hack? But you're like, two years old!" Exclaims Miko.

"Twelve," corrects Raf. "And a quarter!"

"Hmm, if you work on that, I can try logging into the mainframe," you say, sitting at one of the computers. "If I can find the transmission from Agent Fowler, I can access the last coordinates transmitted from his helicopter."

"You too?" Asks Miko, throwing up her hands.

Raf looks up at you and you meet his gaze, intrigue flicking through his eyes before you turn back to your work.

A few minutes later you pump your fist in the air triumphantly as you call out "I got it! Latitude 39.5 degrees north, 116.9 degrees west."

"Ok, wait here," says Bulkhead, already typing the coordinates into the groundbridge.

"Aww, don't break up the band!" Wines Miko.

"Uh, Jack, you're in charge," says Bulkhead, ignoring Miko.

He rushes through the groundbridge, leaving us alone.

"And then there were four," you say dully.

"I guess we have the run of the place," shrugs Jack.

"I guess so. Hey Miko, do you-Miko? Miko!"

You scan the base but don't see her. Looking again, your eyes lock with Jack and you can see worry flash across his face.

"What should we do?" He asks.

"Bulkhead may have not even realized she'd follow him!" Raf exclaims.

"Miko hasn't seen the cons' in action like we have. She has no idea," says Jack.

Your head swims with visions of the cons doing all sorts of horrible things to Miko.

Oh, foolish girl! Why did you follow Bulkhead? He's supposed to be your guardian but he can't protect you from everything!

"Are the coordinates still locked into the groundbridge?" Asks Raf.

"Yep, still there," you nod.

"Y/n, can you turn the ground bridge on from the computer?" Jack asks.

"Uh, yeah I think so," you say, and start pulling up the ground bridge access.

"Good, fire it up. You're in charge," he says as he steps down the ladder.

Making up your mind, you take a breath and say "uh, now you're in charge," as you head towards the ladder.

"In charge of who?" You hear Raf say as you slide down to the ground floor.

"Jack, wait," you say, running to Jack.

Jack stops and turns around, waiting for you to catch up with a silent question in his eyes.

"What, you didn't think I'd let you try and rescue Miko all alone did you? I'm coming with you," you say, trying to sound more confident than you felt.

He looks over at you and nods once, a fierce determination set in his eyes. You close your eyes and take a deep, steadying breath, readying yourself for the battle you felt was sure to come. You open them and look over to Jack, nodding your head once, to tell him you were ready.

"Here goes nothing," you say, stepping closer to the groundbridge.

"Jack, y/n, wait! I'm coming too," says Raf, running next to you.

You reach the groundbridge first with Jack and Raf following close behind you. You jump through the groundbridge, which feels like an assault on your senses. Bright purple and green lights swirl around you, which looks like the aurora borealis was turned into a portal. A loud sound somewhere between a whooshing and a buzzing can be heard, and when you jump out of the portal, what meets your eyes is worse than you could have imagined. You are in the middle of a wide rocky canyon, and what else is in the middle of the canyon but the freaking Decepticon warship!

Oh. Not good.

With your gaze transfixed on the warship, flashbacks of the first time you saw the ship cross your mind. You don't even register that a few Decepticons come out of the ship with their guns loaded and ready to fire until you hear Bulkhead and Miko scream your name, which snaps you out of your stupor. The Decepticons begin firing and you, Jack and Raf dodge the blasts. Raf starts walking backwards, but he loses his footing and falls over, curling into a ball to make himself as small as possible. Without thinking you launch yourself on top of Raf, shielding his body with yours. Hearing a honking noise, you look up to see Bulkhead in his alternate form pulling up next to you, doors opening so you, Raf, and Jack can jump in quickly. You dive through the passenger door and scoot over to the driver side of the car, Jack sitting next to you and Raf sitting in the backseat.

After receiving our thanks, Bulkhead asks "What are you doing here?"

"We were worried about Miko!" Have you seen her?" Asks Jack.

"She's in the backseat, Jack," you say, looking through the rear view mirror and making eye contact with the girl.

She gives you a guilty grin and you roll your eyes. After driving behind a big boulder Bulkhead stops and opens the doors.

"Everyone out! And this time, please wait here," begs the green bot, driving away.

He drives up a sort of ramp and starts climbing up the side of the canyon.

Ha like Miko's going to do that. I bet she's not even here.

You look around you and sure enough, Miko is nowhere to be seen. You sigh dramatically, like a tired parent, and scan the canyon for Miko. Not seeing her, you figure she's probably still inside of Bulkhead. At least she has a better chance with Bulkhead then roaming around the canyon, being an easy target.

"Wait, where's Miko?" Asks Jack worriedly.

Took you long enough. Luckily I'm way ahead of you Jack.

"Probably up there with Bulkhead," you say, scanning the canyon walls. "If I can only figure out a way to get up to the warship," you mutter.

"What if a Decepticon took us up there?" Jack asks in a worried voice.

"Hmm, that might work if we can find one," you say, still focused on the canyon walls.

"I think we just did," says Raf.

You turn around and are face to face with two purple Decepticons.

Well, that's not ideal.