CHAPTER FIVE
--Autobot Outpost Omega One, Earth--
"So, Lockdown's here on Earth and he's captured one of our own." Prowl looked contemplative, having just heard Arcee's recounting of her scouting trip with Bumblebee and Hound. "And what was this Autobot's name again?"
"Drift," Hound supplied.
"Drift. Never heard of him."
"Join the club," Arcee muttered.
The police car Autobot fell silent for a moment before saying, "Did you ever reach the source of that energon signal then?"
Arcee shook her head. "It vanished after Lockdown left with Drift, leaving me to guess it was either of them whom we had detected. Prime was probably never there."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Mirage called from his station. "I've found another signal, though this time it's somewhere in California, at a place called... Yo-sem-ite? Is that how you pronounce it?"
"Yosemite? Awesome!" Sunstreaker came rushing into the command center. "My uncle took me there last year and it was great with all the waterfalls and--"
"Your uncle, huh?" Arcee said with a smirk.
Sunstreaker blinked. "Wait, no... argh, that was my Hunter self talking. This is so annoying."
"Aw man, I should have recorded that," Sideswipe said, coming up behind his twin brother. "That would have been something for future generations to see."
Sunstreaker gritted his teeth as he whirled to confront his brother. Prowl spoke before they could throw fists and insults at each other.
"That's enough," he said sternly. "Arcee, I want you, Bumblebee, Hound, Ironhide, and the twins to go to Yosemite. In the meantime, the rest of us will keep an optic out for Drift and Lockdown. Wheeljack, open up the GroundBridge."
As the green portal materialized in its originating arch, Prowl nodded to the selected team. "Good luck."
"And may the Force--" Sunstreaker bit his metal lip. "Never mind."
Prowl rolled his eyes. "Just go."
* * *
"Come on, Gill, you're making yourself look pathetic."
The slightly out-of-shape scientist glared at Lyman as he struggled the push the cart full of ununtrium canisters. "Yeah? Then how about you give me a hand. This thing is heavy as heck."
"I still can't believe it," said Wallace, another scientist walking behind Gill. "Ununtrium is not a natural element, and no elements heavier than lead have stable isotopes. This... this simply shouldn't be possible."
"Nor should giant alien robots that turn into cars," Gill muttered.
"Hurry it up back there," Lyman snapped. "Wallace, give him some support instead of just reciting things you read off the Internet."
As the two scientists worked together to push the heavy cart, the trio soon reached their destination: the underground chamber located deep underneath Machination HQ, which housed the true head of the organization.
Literally.
Suspended by cables connected to life support systems, the ravaged head of Scorponok gaped stupidly as it stared off into space. It was to here that the Decepticon's mind was transferred upon the loss of his Headmaster partner two months ago.
Waiting for the scientists on the narrow bridge which stretched across the chamber was Joshua Joyce. Turning to the trio and their cart, he said, "Is that it?"
"Yes, the ununtrium," Lyman said.
"Exxcellent," the disembodied head of Scorponok said, his words slurred. "Wee cann now beegin thee experi-mment."
Panting from exerting his weight on the cart, Gill wiped his brow. "What... is this experiment, may I ask."
"You will find out in due time," Joshua said, already heading down the bridge. "Follow me."
Gill huffed as he and Wallace began pushing the cart again. "Why can't we have our drones do this kind of work?"
Had he been paying the suspended head any mind, he would have caught something resembling a smirk crossing Scorponok's faceplate, as well as his whispered words.
"All of you are drones to me...."
* * *
The last thing Bumblebee was expecting upon exiting the GroundBridge was to be shooting off a cliff edge, and yet that was exactly what he was doing. The yellow hatchback screamed as it plummeted into the forest below, ending up in the twisted branches of a tree.
Coming up behind him with the others, Sunstreaker said, "Yeah, I forgot to tell you: the mountains can be pretty scary driving up and down."
"Oh, so now you tell me!" Bumblebee grunted as he transformed to robot mode and freed himself from the branches. From the tree, he jumped back to get back onto the road before quickly returning to vehicle mode.
"Right," Arcee said, at the head of the pack. "Let's get a move on."
The six Autobots commenced their drive up the mountain, following the energon signature. They eventually took a detour, which led them onto a path down into a forest clearing, where the energon signature was strongest. Out of sight from any humans, the Autobots all transformed to robot mode.
"Alrighty then," Hound said cheerily. "Let's start searching! ...Where do we start?"
Holding the scanner, Arcee pointed to the left. "This way."
The others followed her, walking slowly and carefully, keeping optics peeled for anything out of the norm. Other than the stray squirrel or crow, there wasn't much of note.
"Anyone else think we're on a false trail?" Sideswipe asked.
"I don't understand," Arcee said, shaking her head. "The signature is strong enough to be coming from a Cybertronian, but I don't--"
She was cut off by a yell, elicited from Ironhide. The large red Autobot was clutching his foot as if in pain, but there was nothing there for him to have hit it on.
"Slag-lickin', sludge-scoopin', fraggin'--! What the smelt did I just hit?!"
Hound walked over to stand where Ironhide stood and stopped when his foot hit something as well, though there was nothing but thin air before him.
"Must be disguised by a cloaking shield," he mused. He felt the invisible object with his hands, feeling its curved shape. He eventually found a panel and, bracing himself for the worse, pressed it.
Instead of uncloaking like he was hoping, the object instead fired a beam of energy into the sky.
"What the slag did you just do?!" Ironhide exclaimed.
Hound backed away from the object with his hands held up. "Sorry! I thought it would do something else, honest."
Suddenly, a deep growl sounded behind the Autobots, coming from deep within the forest. Frozen in place, the six of them turned to see a pair of orange eyes glowing behind the tress.
"Intruders," a gruff voice rumbled. "Have activated... the device."
"I said I was sorry!" Hound said.
Arcee took a step forward, eying the stranger warily. "We meant no harm. We detected an energon signature and--"
"Tracking us, were you?" Another throaty growl. "Not the first. Die... like the rest."
"What are you--"
"Dinobots-- attack!"
Then, bursting out of the forest were seven massive creatures, eyes blazing with fury and charging at full speed....
Next chapter preview:
"Always have faith in the infinite wisdom of the stupendous [REDACTED]."
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