Transformers Break

[Perceptor]

“So those are called donuts? Fascinating…”

Science Officer Perceptor navigated this “internet” Hound talked about in his lab as he stared at a picture of the treat. He wondered what the purpose of the round item truly was.

A few weeks had passed since the Ravages attacked the wreckage of the Hope, no one even finding the ship since. Hound told the group that their ship was stuck at the bottom of Mt. Bison, apart of a rarely traveled forest range in Washington State. Nevertheless, Perceptor wanted to prepare, using the invisibility technology from the ship itself to cover the hole in the cargo hold with a very realistic looking mountainside.

Their first act of business was to take care of the dead. While Skids’ condition hasn’t changed, it was too late for the rest. Since Cybertronian funeral customs were not possible at the time, the group decided to follow Earth’s customs, burying them along a nearby evergreen tree line. Perceptor had learned much about Earth’s customs in fact. The internet and Hound continued to give him a good idea of how the organics, humans, lived their lives.

“What did you think of this Y2K problem when it happened?” 

Perceptor didn’t even look away from the Teletraan Mobile as he asked this. Hound stood across from him, tapping one of the beakers filled with a sloppy gray liquid. “Oh, well a lot of the humans ended up getting scared of it. My owners even got me a little freaked out!”

Hound was thankful he had been taken care of by them over the years, but he knew there wasn’t a way to return to them without causing issues. Besides, being at the Hope was much more important to him.

“I was worried it could affect a bot like me, but nothing really ended up happening, mostly due to preparation by computer wiz’s!” The green Autobot glanced at another beaker, this one filled with soil. “I mean, what if it got into my head from I’d use the internet? My circuits could’ve been scrambled!”

“You might be giving the human’s creations too much credit, Hound.”

The Jeep’s databanks showed him his times when he was in the Earth’s war, doing what humans called “remembering”.

“I don’t think you give them enough credit…”

Hound’s mood quickly shifted once a certain metal bird made a strange noise through the hallways, perching on Hound’s shoulder. “Buzzsaw!” He exclaimed, petting the drone. Perceptor had decided to melt down the drones using a service machine intended for Energon mixing. The dead Rumbles, Frenzies, and Ravages all got dumped in the mixer, but Hound opted to keep the Laserbeak drone, giving it a new black and yellow color scheme along with some rotors to replace the wings. Apparently, one of Perceptor’s parts used to fix the drone’s head looked like a buzzsaw, so Hound give it the perfect name.

“Coast is clear, buddy?” The Sergeant asked him, the bird using the spinning saw embedded from its torso to communicate back. Perceptor finally looked back at the two with an annoyed, but thankful demeanor. “Such a bizarre creature, but it’s proven useful. Would’ve been a waste to melt it.” Unfortunately, most of the scrap from the drones had to be used to keep the ship’s power on, since Overcharge couldn’t be used as a permanent source. However, the red Transformer was able to make a few weapons for him and Hot Shot.

“Well? He said yes, Perceptor. It’s time for you to see this beautiful world in person! Well, in Cybertronian.” Hound’s words made the Science Officer ecstatic. Since all the work on the Hope took up their time, none of the Hope’s original crew had made it far outside of Mt. Bison.

“All Autobots, please report to the Teletraan Mobile!”

Perceptor had managed to get the intercom on the Hope back online a while ago, calling this out all around the ship to wherever Overcharge and Hot Shot might be. He knew they wouldn’t waste time getting to his lab though.

Today was the day they’d become robots in disguise.

Edited September 19, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[Perceptor]

Collab

Overcharge was excited to establish contact with the local sentience. He had been hanging out with Hound and hearing all his stories about the humans and their way of life. While the circunstances behind the Hope's arrival to Earth were tragic, it was a far more interesting place than Krogo VI, as described by the Sargeant. Particularly, the locals had a more recent civilization than the Cybertronians, but they were advanced enough to start gathering in urbanized settlements not unlike the cities he had fought in, centuries ago.

“Ah! There you are, Overcharge!” Perceptor watched as the Corporal joined him and Hound. The red Autobot was curious to see what type of contraption Overcharge wished to transform into. “Today’s the day you’ll finally pick a disguise.” The display showed an array of vehicles, from small buggy’s to large semis. “You can pick now. I’ve already chosen.”

Hound stared intently while the Science Officer transformed into… a large microscope? “It’s actually similar to my Cybertronian alt mode. Just perfect for me!” The massive microscope stated to the two. The only response from Hound was a sigh. “Something like that may have worked back home, but microscopes aren’t that big here…” Hound stated, pointing at the view screen. “You’re gonna have to pick a vehicle too, cause that’s far from a disguise.”

Changing back into his Robot form, Perceptor surrendered his idea. “I’m not too experienced with driving, but if you think I should… Nevertheless, I’ll still let Overcharge pick something first.”

Hot Shot watched the group. He was excited and couldn't wait to pick. He watched the rest of the group giddy as he looked at each of them. 

“Come on get those gears moving! I'm excited to look at these Human vehicles! And I'm equally excited to see what you bots pick!" You could see hot shots gears turning as the ideas spun around in his head.

Given the opportunity to choose, Overcharge stepped forward and looked for the one. This was not a decision to take lightly, given that appearances were very important to humans. For that purpose, he had made up his mind a while ago. His optics scoured the screen, looking for those special vehicles Hound had told him about. When they landed on a full-size sedan, painted yellow with checkers and bright signs advertising a human-edible item, he knew it had to be that one. Overcharge then made his best effort to adopt it as its alt mode, getting the smallest details right... and overlooking the biggest red flag: he was still teal. Excited, he exclaimed: "This will allow me to get up close and personal with them!" One of his roles being infiltration, the teal Autobot figured taxis served his purpose of gathering information just right.

Hound also felt the taxi was a good choice for him. “I like the design. It’ll fit well in Oaklio.” Perceptor realized then that he hadn’t let the entire team know where exactly they would even be going! “Oh goodness, I haven’t told you two about our destination yet!” Using this opportunity, he brought up pictures on the Mobile. Evergreen trees stood tall around a small town, but the picture quality wasn’t too clear for more details.

“Oaklio is the closest town west of Mt. Bison. Hound says it’s size will be perfect for more analysis of the organics, but I’m getting ahead of myself. We’ll see it soon enough.” Bringing the pictures of vehicles back up, he continued. “Hot Shot. You can pick next.”

“Actually, Perceptor. I think we should just get yours out of the way.” Hound went up to the keyboard to bring up various larger scaled vehicles for the Science Officer. While not a huge Autobot by any means, Perceptor was the biggest of the group. Plus, the shoulder scope would need to be accounted for in this new mode.

Still bummed that the microscope isn’t going to work, Perceptor spent more time trying to pick the perfect mode. “I have an idea!” The red Autobot quickly transformed into a red SUV in the middle of the three. As for the scope, it contracted and folded atop of the roof, looking as if they were human supplies. “That took quite a bit of finessing, but I think I got it.” Transforming back, Perceptor knew he had to get used to his new body, even though stylistically it wasn’t too different. “I apologize, Hot Shot. You can choose now.”

Hot Shot raced forward after everyone picked their vehicles it was finally his turn and he knew what he wanted.... Or he thought after seeing the various cars and body styles he got stuck. He flipped through the images over and over. It took him some time but he finally came to a mode he could be proud of. It was sleek stylish and most importantly fast.

 “Hot Shot scanned the vehicle and quickly transformed to show off his new jet back tuner car with some green accents. He rev'd his engine and yelled out as as his tired spun around. 

“Woohoo! Man have I got the need for speed!" He spun his whole chassis around then transformed back into bot mode which looked for the most part the same as before.

[Perceptor]

“I believe everyone is now ready for our adventure.” Switching off the computer, Perceptor began to transform, only for Hound to put his hand out. “Not quite, buddy.” Hound stated as he transformed. The Jeep then suddenly created a human out of thin air in the driver’s seat! 

“Wait! That’s not how the organics create life! Unless…”

Upon further inspection, Perceptor realized the human was nothing but a lifelike hologram. Hound’s was styled like himself, having a standard military crew cut and a camo jacket on. “There’s no way we’ll be able to get away with not having drivers.” The Jeep’s hologram exclaimed, surprising the Science Officer. “I’ve studied holograms for a while, but they’re still very limited. Can’t leave the seat or do much else beside look like they’re driving. I’d be best if humans didn’t get TOO close of a look at them.”

Perceptor was concerned about the holograms, but was still thankful the green Autobot would be able to relay this tactic onto them. “Well then, Autobots. It is time to roll out.”

—

The invisibility tech to hide the Hope worked like a charm as the four drove out of the mountain. Buzzsaw sat in the passengers seat of Perceptor, his holo staring directly forward. It seemed the red Cybertronian was correct in his assessment that the holo’s design were dependent on their personality, with Hound calling his “nerdy”. Big glasses, a black sweater with a buttoned up shirt underneath, and brown hair with a speck of gray to it were the most obvious standouts to the Science Officer. 

The ride out of the forest was bumpy even for the SUV, making him wonder if Overcharge and Hot Shot had it worse. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long until the four made it to a main road. Perceptor was thankful the smooth trek, even through the road was quite windy, going on the side of smaller mountains and tunnels. The delicacy of the landscape amazed the Science Officer, with Hound even taking in some of the beauty.

About an hour passed as the group finally made it to their destination, Oaklio. Like the blurry picture showed, the town was surrounded by evergreen trees, with a majority of the buildings looking like they were made of wood. “Oaklio. Population: 18,476. Officially established in 1901, the town is getting ready for its 100th anniversary.” Perceptor communicated with the group through each of their radios, something Hound also taught them. 

The SUV listed off many aspects that seemed typical of a smaller town like this. “It’ll be useful to ‘people watch’, as Hound called it.” The four, parked atop a hill that lowered into the town, started to make their way down, only for Hound to speak up. “We should probably split up. I just realized our little convoy driving together might cause a few heads to turn.”

“Good idea, Hound.” Perceptor said as the four officially turned into the city. “We’ll keep in tough with our radios in case anything goes wrong.” Perceptor took a right at a stop sign, with Hound taking a left. 

While he was extremely interested in studying the humans, the Science Officer read about a myth pertaining to the town. While Perceptor believed in , not myths, something about the idea of a white lion piqued his interest…

[Overcharge]

Excited to finally speak to a real human, Overcharge eagerly followed Hound, Perceptor and Hot Shot through the forest. While his own experience with his past alt mode helped him traverse the terrain with more ease than his fellow crewmembers, the land yacht he had based his new appearance on was less willing to negotiate with dirt and mud. As they found a paved road, the land yacht in him found itself grateful for the softer ride. Inside, a there was a holo of a well-built man with receding blonde hair, wearing aviator sunglasses and a black jacket with an orange shirt. Having watched a movie about a flying taxi driver and a woman with red hair, this was Overcharge's idea of an average American cabbie.

Wanting to look his best for his first human passenger, the teal Bot had stored some energy within himself, planning to use it to clean his exterior when no eyes were looking his way. He found his chance at the end of a tunnel they were driving on - as he drove out of it, Overcharge purged the drying mud and the dust. However, when his optics adjusted to the light, he was met with a sight far more beautiful than his own clean bonnet: Earth's beautiful landscape. Mesmerized by it, the Autobot said almost nothing during their journey.

When they arrived in Oaklio, he regained his speech. This city was apparently not as advanced as the one in the movie. For one, there were no hovercars, which allowed him and the others to blend in all the better. When Sargeant Hound proposed they split up and keep talking over the radio, Overcharge agreed and headed for the center. The first order of the day was to get a feel for the surroundings and layout of the town. Reconnaisance was his job after all! Oblivious, the Autobot Corporal paraded around the settlement, having forgotten his top light on as he memorized landmarks, observed other vehicles and tried to follow traffic rules. Hmmm. I should've left a little dirt on. 12% dirt seems to be fashionable around here.

[Hot Shot]

Hot shot was too busy admiring himself to listen to Basically anything else that was said but when he did tune in he got the jist. Make an organic hologram and blend in. He made his hologram look like one of those action heros you see in racing movies, bald with normal clothes but very muscular. 

 

For the time they drove off road Hot shot had a rough time he wasn't fully built for that and the off road time was getting dirt and mud all over him something he wasn't a fan of. Once they got to the pavement he was more then happy he sped up and raced ahead till he had no idea where they were going so he slowed down and put himself behind the hound. 

 

After they reached the town it was suggested they look around and observe. Hot Shot liked that idea! He sped off in any direction telling the other bots to eat his dust. 

"Sounds good! Don't blame me if I learn more than you bots do!" At first he was racing around but realized if he got caught by the local authorities it could be an issue. Because of that, Hot Shot slowed his pace. After a while Hot Shot found a car show showing a plethora of muscle cars and tuners. As he looked around he knew this was his kind of place. He found a place and parked his heavily tinted windows to help him not be as noticed as he listened into passing by organics.

 

[Hound]

“No one has yet claimed the attack, but the President has announced…”

A somewhat functioning tv sat in the corner of a coffee shop, showing a headline saying “UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT DOWNS THREE US JETS” alongside footage of the wreckage. No one in the shop is really playing attention to the program though, especially two patrons closest to the front door.

“You know, maybe if you took things seriously, you’d finally get a job that didn’t involve garbage every day.” The woman took a sip of her coffee after pushing her shoulder length black hair aside, the light brown latte matching her skin tone. She dressed much more professionally then the person sitting across from her, his ripped jeans and faded leather jacket clashing with her business blouse.

“Hey! Garbage collectors keep this town clean! I think I oughta get some respect!” Suddenly, a black and green sports car sped across the coffee shop, easily noticed by the two. “Isn’t that your dream car, Trent? How are you gonna get one of those on your salary?” The girl stated, finishing her drink. 

“Well, luckily I know this girl named Kate who can help out with the payments.” His frosted tips stood tall as he spoke, confident in his master plan for a sport car. Like the military jets on the news though, this was immediately shot down. “Yeah right, you’re not getting a penny for some loud death trap like that!” The two’s teasing stopped as they both laughed, smiling at each other.

“Heh, where would I be without you?” Trent threw some money on the table, following Kate out of the shop as the tv zoomed in on an extremely grainy photo. The newscasters argued about what the triangular shaped vehicle was, ignoring the faint purple logo on the side of it…

The couple held hands as they walked down the streets of Oaklio, various small shops adorning the land. While the town wasn’t packed, a good amount of people walked and drove around the cities famous landmark, Trent and Kate not even looking at the statue they’ve seen a thousand times. What did catch their attention was the newspaper stand near them. The front page talked about a strange power outage in one of the towns north of Oaklio.

“I swear, something’s been going on these past couple of weeks. Like, something weird…” Kate uttered quietly.

“Who knows, maybe aliens are attacking. OooOooOoo!” Trent wiggled his fingers while they walked past a red SVU in a parking lot, making Kate scoff and chuckle. “You said ALIENS, not ghosts. Aliens aren’t as spooky… are they?”

The SVU pointed itself directly at the statue, it’s driver staring intently at the massive white lion made out of oak. “It’s preposterous, Buzzsaw. Lions are not native to North America.” The metal bird hid itself in the passengers seat as Perceptor’s holo adjusted its glasses. The metal plaque gave more detail about the painted craving, talking about how a white lion protected the natives for many years from threats, only for it to disappear a few hundred years ago. The Science Officer wondered how such a crazy myth could’ve even started.

The couple continued their trek, with Kate noticing an Army Jeep parked in a nearby alley. “Wait a minute, how about you become a military man? We could travel the world that way.” Trent definitely didn’t feel the same way. “You gotta chillax, girl. I don’t like the idea some Army guy being in control of my life… wait, I got it!” 

Kate jumped up at the raised voice. “What? You got a good job idea?” 

“No, not about that. I think we should go to the movies. Get your mind off of this ‘job hunt’ thing. Not a fan of you trashing my work, pun intended.” Trent smiled at his clever choice of words. “You know I’m teasing you, honey. Buuuuut, maybe you could had bright idea before he walked home, the theater is all the way across town now!” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Trent found a solution to their predicament. “TAXI!” He called out to the teal taxi driving down the road, standing in the road waving his hand out, Kate had to pull him back onto the sidewalk. “You’re gonna get yourself killed! Let the taxis do their job.” As the two got inside of the cab, Trent didn’t waste any time. “The movie theater, please.” He exclaimed to the strangely familiar looking taxi driver.

[FrostyFoster 452]

Called out, Overcharge was forced to a halt by an unlikely pair of a scruffy-looking man and a businesswoman. "Teh! I wasn't ready!", he said over the radio before both of them entered the passenger compartment. Not even giving him time for a "Good morning", the man ordered his cabbie to take both of them to the movie theater. Thinking of how best to manage the situation, he turned off incoming communications, so that the humans would not hear his team, but kept transmitting, so that his team could be aware of his own situation. "Oh, yeah, the movie theater. Haha. I know where that is..." Disoriented, he started driving around the central district and hoped the humans would entertain themselves long enough for him to find the thing on his own.

As the driver made his way down the street, Trent thought about what Kate had said before, although there wasn’t much to think about. Once she made it clear she wasn’t too fond of his job, Trent knew he had to find a compromise. “Is Final Destination out? The trailer for it seemed ok.” Kate asked him, breaking him out of his trance.

“I think so? We’re gonna have to check when we get there.” Trent turned away from the girl and back to the window, ending the discussion quick. “Honey.” She stated once she realized something was wrong. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, but I-“

“So how long have you been a driver?” Trent called out to Overcharge’s holo, hoping to steer the conversation away from what Kate was saying. “I haven’t seen a teal taxi here. Kinda catches your attention since it’s different.”

The hologram of Mr. Dallas appeared surprised when the man used him to divert the conversation from his own personal issues. Particularly, he was taken aback by the fact the teal was unusual for a taxi. Hound hadn't said anything about that when he picked his alt mode. "Is that so... no, nevermind, that's what we want. We're new here... a new company. We figured the teal would be great because people will want to try something new. Glad it's working." As per usual, Overcharge was able to come up with an excuse quickly, but perhaps it was too elaborate. As they talked, he kept roaming the streets, looking for the theater.

Leaning forward to hear the driver better, Trent couldn’t help but shake the familiarity of the driver. “Man, he kinda looks like Bruce Willis!” Mr. Frosted Tips thought to himself. Kate, on the other hand, could tell the cab was new. It didn’t smell terrible like most cabs, although Trent bringing the garbage smell with him could’ve attributed to it. What also caught her attention was the fact that the driver didn’t seem to know exactly where the theater actually was.

“We’ve passed the pharmacy already. Are you sure you know where the theater is?” She asked the holo. “You better not be trying to scam us, cause I will-“ Trent put his hand out, once again trying to change a conversation. “Like he said, he’s new. Just give him some time… just take a left up here.”

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Left." The car, heading in a different direction, swerved to change course. Fortunately, no cars were on its way, but it was a rather sudden move for the passengers. However, before they could say anything, the theater was immediately in sight, and the teal taxi had parked right in front. "Well, I truly hope you've enjoyed your trip." the holo said pleasantly, while the rear right door opened on its own for the passengers to exit the vehicle. "Safe travels, friend!"

“Keep the change!” Trent (thankfully) put the money on the middle armrest instead of handing it to the hollow holo. While Kate wasn’t a fan of the drive, they at least made it there in one piece.

Until the robotic Stegosaurus showed up.

The dinosaur, adorned in an ugly puke green and magenta paint scheme, was bigger than the average SOUNDWAVE drone, but still smaller than any of the Autobots. It was only a few seconds between the stego jumping off the theater’s balcony and the hood of Overcharge, slamming down on him with his claws.

Dozens of civilians screamed as they ran from the scene, all except for Trent and Kate, who hid behind the ticket till. “I-I-what the hell is that?!?!” Trent yelled, only for Kate to cover his mouth. “Shhh! You want it to eat us or something?” Kate squinted at the writing on the side. The lettering was clearly not English, Russian, or anything from this planet that she knew of. To Cybertronians though, this said one thing. 

Slugfest.

[Overcharge]

For a few seconds after Trent and Kate had gotten out of the car, the holo was left staring at the green bills. Ah, my first wad of Statesian currency! What could I buy with this? Perhaps a new spaceship? Who said we have to fix the Hope? It then dawned upon him that he had no way to interact safely with the rectangular pieces of paper. On second thought, maybe I should just hand these and any others over to Perceptor, see what he makes of this raw resource.

While he blocked the street, contemplating what to do with the proceeds of his new job, another Decepticon drone attacked, this one fairly more menacing than the last. Rudely leaving a big recess on his hood and roaring over him, Overcharge quickly fought back. "What's wrong with you really?! I can't even complete a fare?!" he exclaimed before siphoning energy off the nearby energy lamps and transformer boxes. He didn't really have a need for more energy, but instead wanted to stun the stego, which was between him and the energy sources.

In addition, he directed some of his stored energy outwards to help in his attack. Hopefully, this would be enough to at least get the robo-dino off him. As he did this, he called for his friends on the radio. "Sargeant! Private! Scienceofficer! A drone is attacking me next to the theater! We need to get this bogey out of the town so we can kick the scrap out of him somewhere nice and quiet!"

[Hound]

The energy blast pushed Slugfest off of the hood, sending it onto the asphalt, but far from out of the fight. Hound was the first to respond to the call. “I’m on my way, Overcharge! Try to keep it busy!” The Jeep sped out of the alley to the battle, not knowing what the Taxi Bot was even up against. He knew that Overcharge was correct though. They had to get the drone out of the town and fast before there were any civilian casualties.

”Get back to base, Buzzsaw. We’ll handle this.” Perceptor’s window rolled down, allowing the metal bird to leave as chaos unfolded. Flying high in the sky, the red SUV headed west toward the movie theater. “I’m coming!” The Science Officer knew he had to help, but Hound had other plans.

”Wait a nanocycle, Perceptor. You and Hot Shot head for the trees west of town. I have an idea.” Once Hound made it to the attack site, he was met by a robotic dinosaur, one of the types of animals extinct on Earth. “Come on, you dumb drone!” Hound rammed himself into the Stego, jittering his holo in the process. Trent and Kate continued to watch as the Jeep joined the fight. “Is that guy crazy?” Trent asked his girlfriend, who squinted as the holo sputtered in and out for a second. “I’m not sure it is a guy…”

Slugfest scraped across the pavement, growling as it got back on its feet. “Let’s go, you and me!” Hound was hoping to bait the drone to follow him, only to be met with shock at what he saw.
 

Edited October 31, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[Perceptor]

Perceptor and Hot Shot crouched against a ridge, watching as cars and people left the city limits in a flurry. Tall trees covered the two from anyone finding them, a small area in front being the perfect trap for Hound and Overcharge to bring the Stego to. A problem proceeded to arise though once the Decepticon drone changed next to Hound. “That’s the first time they’ve had the capability to transform.” Perceptor told Overcharge as he watched through his shoulder scope. “It seems rambunctious, I’m not sure the two will be able to get him out of Oaklio.

The Jeep rolled back as Slugfest stood tall, revealing a surprisingly pristine shotgun in its right hand. BAM! The Stego didn’t waste time firing at the Jeep, sending pellets into the asphalt as Hound drove further back. “Crap! We won’t be able to lure him out like this. 60 years of hiding down the drain…” Hound had ended up in this world an outsider, a one of the kind alien who couldn’t show Earth his true form. These drones ruined that.

”Transform!” The Jeep changed before Trent and Kate’s eyes, becoming a robotic humanoid. Hound hoped no one would’ve been left to see this, but it was too late now. The Autobot Sergeant had to do something about this monster, who had all eyes on the dark green Cybertronian, not the Teal Taxi… 

Edited November 14, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[Overcharge]

Overcharge felt frustrated. What had looked to be a nice day of blending in with human society and refining his alter ego turned out to be thrown to the drones. It wasn't that big of a loss for him, after all, it was his first time hiding among humans. Now, Slugfest had transformed, revealing that drones were capable of using alt modes. Giving up on diverting their foe away from Oaklio, Sargeant Hound transformed as well, revealing himself to the shotgun-wielding Decepticon, and any humans foolish enough to stick around. When the green Autobot transformed, after living untold thousands of cycles with the humans, he knew things were serious enough to switch to his true form himself. Taking advantage of the fact Slugfest's optics were on the Sargeant, Overcharge transformed and revealed a new weapon, akin to a big pistol, crafted by Perceptor from the remains of the Hope's attackers.

Here's hoping this Empathic Magnum is the one to put you down. The irony won't be lost on me. Aiming for the back of Slugfest's torso and head, Overcharge fired several times from behind, holding the weapon with both manipulators and firmly standing on the ground, so as to keep the recoil under control. Even with these measures, every shot fired applied considerable force on Overcharge and the pavement he was standing over, so much that by the sixth shot, he had sinked a few feet into it, leaving a detailed imprint of his foot soles on the road.

[Hound]

The Empathic Magnum proved its power quickly as its shots went through Slugfest’s chassis. The drone dropped to its knees, releasing its grip on the shotgun as it crashed into the asphalt. Hound gawked at the weapon, amazed by its strength. “Wow. Makes mine look pretty weak…”

The Sergeant picked up the corpse, knowing it would be best to not leave the Stegobot with the human population, and transformed back into his Jeep. The size of the corpse make driving uncomfortable, but it wasn’t long before him and Overcharge were peeling out of Oaklio.

News helicopters and police cars eventually made it to the scene, but by this point, the Cybertronians were long gone, along with Trent and Kate. The latter wanted to answer the questions authorities would likely have, but Trent thought otherwise. “I’m telling you, this is some sort of alien military government test or something! You can’t trust anyone.” The man whispered to Kate as they waltzed through a nearby alleyway. The lady scoffed and stared at the moron. “Are you kidding me? Our TAXI just shot a robot stegosaurus. Any theories you got can be thrown out the window. That Jeep did talk though. Does that mean they’re capable of cognitive thinking?”

—

“Hmmm…”

Perceptor’s shoulder scope zoomed in and out as he dissected Slugfest’s corpse, all laid out on the table in front of him, his three companions also looking. “Smart idea to bring the carcass here, Hound. Who knows what the human population would do with it? You and Overcharge will have to find new alternate modes for your vehicles, though.”

Hound knew the scientist was right. While it was necessary in that moment, he would have to kiss his classic Jeep chassis goodbye. “Yeah… I guess a more modern type of car could help me blend in better anyways.” The green Autobot folded his arms as Hot shot glanced at the Stego’s optics, completely dark.

”How could it transform?” He asked, noticing some of the spikes on the corpse had cracked in half once it fell to the ground. Perceptor’s shoulder scope zoomed out as he put his tools to the side. “These drones are getting more complex. At this speed, it won’t be long before its maker is creating drones equal to us. I don’t know how though…” Unlike Buzzsaw, the damage was too severe to reprogram, but it still perplexed him. The Science Officer knew that these drones didn’t have a spark. It wasn’t as if the dronemaker was creating new life, but the factory that created them had to be somewhere remote with access to resources.

”I still cannot find a way to learn where these drones are produced, but we’re going to have to if we have a chance at surviving. Whatever it’s goal is, its still a Decepticon. It’s function is likely negative.”

”Excuse me, who are you and where am I?”

The voice caught the attention of all four Autobots in Perceptor’s workshop, turning to stare at a pristine blue Cybertronian. He stared back, optics wide like a lost child.

Skids was alive.

 

End of Part 3: Oaklio

Edited November 14, 2021 by FrostyFoster

[Perceptor]

There was complete silence in the room.

Skids, an Autobot Perceptor thought was likely never going to leave that stasis tube, was standing amongst the four other Autobots. The blue Cybertronian, optics still wide, had no idea of who, what, where, when, or why he was here.

“Well… do you want the short version or the long version?” Hound asked. “Though I honestly don’t know much about you.” The Sergeant rarely went to the medical area of the Hope, but he had seen what he thought was a corpse floating in the stasis tube. Realizing his workshop was far from sterile, Perceptor walked toward Skids. “I am Perceptor, these are Overcharge, Hot Shot, Hound, and Buzzsaw. I think it would be best if we went back to the medical bay…”

— 

“How did I survive getting shot?”

Skids was hooked up to a circular device, wires protruding out of his head and neck as the machine beeped, Perceptor’s optics giving it his full attention, as his voice box answered any questions Skids had. “Pure luck is my best guess, though as a bot of science, I would hope for a better answer than that.” Sure enough, all traces of Skids were gone in his databanks. Any sense of history, training, or any other important aspect of Skid’s life would have to be relearnt. The stasis tube did a good job cleaning him up, save for the scar on the side of his head, but his spark was still without a memory.

“Due to our complex structure, I cannot reprogram you, but I did read up on whatever history you had in the Hope’s service records. You were a Corporal who originally served under Lieutenant Warpath’s squadron.” While Perceptor didn’t know Warpath, the tank bot had a reputation of being messy with his battle plans. “You eventually got reassigned to the Hope due to security qualities, where you worked with Overcharge for a few Earth weeks. As you know now, Overcharge saved your life after you were wounded in the attack on the ship.”

“I should probably thank him for that. Seemed like a chaotic time.” Skids stated as Perceptor shook his head. “Now is not the time, I should perform more tests…”

—

Hound and Overcharge stood in the front of the Teletraan Mobile, Hot Shot and Buzzsaw performing maintenance across the ship. “Damn Perceptor, the way he uses this computer is so wonky.” Everything about it seemed off to the green Jeep, but he managed to bring up the human’s vehicle’s once again. “60 years down the drain… Don’t even want to read the human news…” He began pulling up various artillery vehicles, but stopped.

“You should go first, Overcharge. This is a big decision for me…”

 

[Hound]

Overcharge looked at the Sergeant. Understandably, after spending so many cycles as the green military vehicle, he was very apprehensive about switching to something different for his alternate mode. Trying to help, the Corporal spoke to his fellow Autobot. "If I may say something about it..."

Hound processed what Overcharge had said, unsure what his statement. “Of course Overcharge, what’s on your memory bank?”

With his teammate's approval, the taxi kept going. "I've seen some cities. I was in Praxus before we launched. I participated in some ops in Iacon and Stanix, too. Blending in was a big part of my job as a scout, and I changed alts often... I'm wandering off my lane. What I wanted to say is, I don't know if this would fool the humans, but at least in Cybertron, you'd be surprised how little I really needed to change every time I switched modes to stay invisible. I can demonstrate if you want."

Hound felt Overcharge was a well versed Autobot for a Corporal, even being promoted from Private on the Hope. Being able to change alt modes as often as he could? Hound was surprised he wasn’t already working at Prime’s side. “I’d love to see what you can do.” The green Cybertronian responded.

“Let's see" Overcharge stated as he scoured for images of sedans. "You said taxis were normal vehicles with an edible promotion box on top and ornamental graphics. So I'm thinking... maybe just get rid of those." His optics fixated on what appeared to be the civilian version of his alternate mode, except with a little advertisement on the front doors. "See, this could work. I'm gonna try it." After studying the image for a few seconds, the Bot switched to his alt mode right then and there. The changes were evident: now all the bright lights and checkered stripes were gone, the front doors now sported a similar advertisement to the car in the picture, and the teal was darker, but it was still a teal four-door saloon.

“You see what I mean?"

With Overcharge’s transformation now settled, Hound decided to look through much bigger vehicles. While his smaller size could help in battle, he realized the battle wouldn’t be getting better, and weapons needed to be plentiful. That’s when his optics settled on a HUMMER. “That’ll work.”

The large machine appeared before Overcharge, only to transform into a much different looking Cybertronian. What used to be the shortest Autobot, now became the tallest. Pulling a Gatling gun off a nearby workbench, Hound placed it atop of his shoulder. He felt extremely bulky, but power infused through him. Perhaps a little too much. “Oh man, I need to sit down…” The Green Autobot didn’t bother with a chair, placing his rear directly on the floor. “I should’ve realized such a big change would reroute most of my body’s output.”

After the change was finished, Overcharge transformed again to face Sargeant Hound. It felt weird. He felt tiny, yet cramped in the room with the green bot. However, he did quite like his new alternate mode. "How does it feel? Being that big?" he asked out of genuine curiosity. "I never tried that before."

“Very… tiring…” Hound stated. His whole array of motion was off, but he knew it would be temporary. Cybertronians didn’t change size often, with the exception of soldiers rising into leadership jobs. Also, Cybertronians genetic makeup meant your vehicle had to remain similar. Fliers stayed as fliers and vice versa.

“I’m just gonna go lay down in a more proper place. Thanks for showing me your new trick.” Hound got up to leave the room, only to be replaced by a blue Autobot shortly after. “Overcharge, right?” Skids asked. “I don’t mean to bother you, but I just wanted to say thanks. I wouldn’t be functional if you hadn’t saved my life.

Watching the Sargeant stumble away, Overcharge smirked. *Yeah, that'd be exactly why I haven't tried it.* Predictability was a virtue, especially in regards to your own chassis. He only got a moment of respite before a blue Autobot appeared in front of him. It was Skids, thanking him for not giving up on him during the raid by Decepticons. "Oh, it's nothing. I did what I could for a fellow comrade. How are you feeling? Perceptor says a few cycles more, and we wouldn't have been there on time."

“Ah, I’ve felt better.” He responded, but then processed his statement. “Technically, I haven’t actually.” He chuckled, glancing at Perceptor’s workbench. “I do have an textbook level knowledge of the war on my home planet though. Perceptor was real chatty about that.” His optics looked around. Hey, where did the green one go?”

[SOUNDWAVE]

“You got what you need, boss?”

Ramjet and Slipstream stood in the lair of SOUNDWAVE’s compound as drones continued to work. The two fliers didn’t look too different in their new Earth modes, only that Ramjet may have gained more height on Slipstream. She tapped her foot in annoyance. SOUNDWAVE was not responding to the two.

“The box is wasting our time.” Slipstream turned away, pushing a drone out of her sight as she headed for the hallways, only for a booming voice to come through the entire complex.

DATA IS INSUFFICIENT

COMMENCE OPERATION SKY

The box glowed, then turned dim again. The voice always made Ramjet jolt, never ready for the jump scare, but Slipstream only scowled. “Operation Sky? I’m assuming that has something to do with us?” Chuckling, Ramjet nodded. “I already blew some lousy organics outta the sky, what more do you want from-“

SENDING COORDINATES

LEAVE THE VINCINITY

Once again, the box glowed and dimmed. There wasn’t much the two could do, only that whatever SOUNDWAVE’s plan was, it might get them home. The two blasted out of the hangar deep in the snowy tundra, heading to their destination.

 

[FrostyFoster 452]

“Hound? He's trying to get used to his new body, so I'd give him a wide berth for a little while until his posture control recalibrates." Overcharge gave Skids a smile. "I do want to try that once before I kick the bucket o'bolts. Turn into one of those fancy armored vehicles the Terrans made. Or a wiring maintenance van..."

“Hmmm, seems like there are a lot of vehicles on the planet.” Skids went up to the Teletraan Mobile. Various types were still present on the screen, only for him to focus on what looked to be a rally car. “Looks to be my size maybe?” Immediately, the blue Autobot changed shape into something different, with new headlights and other objects adorning him. “I should probably try something else new too.” His blue pigmentation became a deep orange. “Blue was for the past Skids.”

“How do I look?”

“Not bad at all! Maybe when my cover's blown again, I'll go for something like yours. You look ready to hit the dirt... are you coming with us next time? Perceptor has the final word on that, but where I'm standing it looks like you're in top operating condition."

“Actually, I was thinking about going out to see this world.” He stated, turning off the Mobile. “If this is where we are stuck, it’s probably for the best that I research it.” Skids pondered a bit, but agreed. The two went to visit Perceptor, who was currently on the bridge managing some data logs.

“No! Absolutely not! You just booted back up.” The red Autobot yelled, spooking the orange rally car. “You don’t know what’s out there.” Surprisingly, Skids stood defiant. “I believe it would be best, sir. What if Overcharge went with me?” 

“Don't worry, Science Minister!" Overcharge stated confidently. "We'll keep to the dirt. I didn't get acquainted with the surrounding nature. I'd like to use this opportunity to scope this forest out, and if Skids tags along, he can use this to get some heat into those tires, see if he's still got it."

Perceptor processed this statement, only to sigh and move back to his chair on the bridge. “…fine. But do not be long. I’d rather you not end up a target for those drones.” Turning back,  Skids asked his new friend. “You ready?”

…

The orange and teal vehicles sped through the holographic mountain, Skids’ wheels touching the dirt for the first time. “Woah!” He exclaimed as he almost spun out, just barely dodging one of the evergreen trees. Going practically the opposite way as Oaklio, the two were free to explore the dense area as they pleased. “This world… it’s very pretty.” The rally car noticed an open cliff side as they got further from the Hope. “I bet that has a good view!” Skids sped ahead of Overcharge to get to the top. Parking at the tip, he transformed to see rivers, birds, and large mountains within the distance.

Transforming into an in-between mode behind Skids, Overcharge's optics scoured the area ahead to make sure no prying eyes were there to ruin their new covers before they could even use them. The coast seemed clear, however, so the teal Autobot was free to complete his transformation. "Yes, compared to Cybertron, it is teeming with color and life... natural colors, too. The only place where you'd see this palette in Cybertron would be a rush-hour crowd. Hundreds upon hundreds of chassis to lose yourself in."

“It’s… still strange to me, although all of this is strange.” Skids listened to the sounds of wildlife as he said this. The rushing of water, the chirps of birds, some sort of rushing sound that preceded to get louder. Looking to the sky, four small objects caught his attention. “Are those birds?” He asked his companion, noticing winged creatures behind the objects. He was far from correct. Missiles were being launched from two jets!

Squinting, as his optics enhanced the image to study them in detail, Overcharge realized they were not birds, in the normal sense of the word, and furthermore, that they were taking hostile measures towards them. "No time! Transform!" Desperate and having nowhere to run, the Autobot pushed his orange friend and himself off the cliff, transforming in the air in an attempt to touch the rocky walls with his wheels.

“AhhhhAHHHH!” Skids slid against the cliff side at first, transforming into his rally car mode as he declined from the missiles. A crash of the weapons sent debris over the cliff toward the two. “Daredevils, are we?” Slipstream stated, spinning back to catch up with the Autobots, Ramjet not far behind. The cliffside eventually brought the two back to horizontal ground, but the speed was to quick to slow. Skids crashed into a few trees, transforming back into robot mode as a few rocks slammed onto his chassis. “That was… something…” He uttered, seeing the two planes still in the air.

At his side, Overcharge laid on the ground, sucking in air through his intakes. Having done something comparable to throwing himself from a building and running on the side while the fall lasted. There was no time to waste however, as the jets were already circling back. Quickly, he got on his feet and helped Skids up. "Are you alright? We have to hide!" Overcharge knew those jets all too well from the security recordings of the Hope. He only watched them once in his free time, as he couldn't bring himself to watch what happened in the bridge again. But the one time he did watch, the image of them killing his comrades with such ease was ingrained within his memory banks.

[SOUNDWAVE]

“Hot Shot? Hound? Where are you?”

Perceptor scrounged through the corridors of the Hope, attempting to find the remaining members of his team. Not even Buzzsaw seemed to be in the vicinity. “Everyone in this group just wanders off, don’t they.” The science not uttered to no one. “Overcharge better be back soon, or I’ll…” his rant was stopped by a dull beep, followed by another. Knowing this was coming from his work area, Perceptor noticed the beeps get louder as he stepped into the room.

The Teletraan Mobile was completely off, but internally, something was brewing. The nanocycle before he pressed the button to boot up the system though, the beeps stopped. “Hm, my databank must be playing tricks on me. It HAS been a long time since I’ve been on Cybertron. Perhaps I require a full scan.”

Suddenly, the beeping continued rapidly.

Hound stared into the sky, watching Buzzsaw spread his wings against the cool breeze pushing the treetops. He knew the others wouldn’t understand, but Earth’s ecosystem soothed him greatly. “I can’t believe it. I never imagined in a million years or cycles that Earth would… would be my home…” His demeanor saddened, taking his optics off Buzzsaw to stare into the forest. “Cybertron never felt like my real home… Ah! Dammit, why can’t I-“

BooOoOOOooOOoooOoOm!!!!!!!

Hound’s back stung as he was blasted into the trees, followed by a rumbling of Mt. Bison. Something in the Hope just exploded.

…

“Thanks.” Overcharge helped up the orange Cybertronian, two jets heading downward toward them. Skids watched intently, then sighed. “No, I’m not gonna hide.” He stated as the Decepticons came closer. “Kinda done with this.” Without any sort of windup, Skids grasped the Corporal by the neck, slamming his head into one the boulders the cliffside produced. Slipstream and Ramjet transformed midair, floating down to their location.

The rally bot knocked Overcharge offline, making sure the Autobot would still be functional. Leaving him on the ground, “Skids” watched the two plant their feet near them. “Really?! You just HAD to fire those missiles THAT close to us? Could’ve stretched this badass paint job I got.” Slipstream scowled while Ramjet put his fist up. “Shut it, drone! The plan went perfectly. We got the power source.”

“My name is Sundor, you stupid piece of scrap!”

…

The base was quiet. No Rumbles, Frenzies, or any sort of drone walked down the hallway Sundor stood in. His back laid against the wall as he folded his arms, processing his entire existence as Slipstream and Ramjet spoke with his master.

He replayed what his optics saw for the very first time. One of SOUNDWAVE’s drones, a Laserbeak, was pecking at his cranial unit while he floated in the stasis tube. Sundor learned later that the Autobots reprogrammed that exact same machine into Buzzsaw from his time pretending to be Skids. Ironically, the reprogrammed Decepticon turned Autobot had been the one to make an Autobot into a Decepticon.

Skids’ dead spark combined with SOUNDWAVE’s drone technology created new life, but not in the way Sundor controlled himself now. When the Autobots left for Oaklio, Sundor’s only objective was to use the Teletraan Mobile and gain new information. Any Autobot secrets by this point were useless, but SOUNDWAVE wasn’t looking for any of that. The supercomputer only needed more information on one Autobot in their ranks. One it called “The Source”. Unfortunately, Sundor got more than just that.

He got a taste of the internet.

The lifeless drone formed a personality of his own. Still a loyal one to the Decepticons, but he was no longer just a puppeted corpse. He was Sundor, the most badass Decepticon on all the Earth. All that was left was to fake being a reborn Skids until the time was right. Once he could be alone with “The Source”. The real plan would begin.

SUNDOR-1

YOU ARE REQUESTED

The booming voice jolted Sundor, door sliding open near him. Glancing the other way, then back, he walked into the massive command center. He couldn’t quite explain what he saw. Overcharge was held in a T-pose against a hollow metal cylinder with a large dish on top, wires connecting to any piece of the Corporal’s chassis that wasn’t binded down. “Woah, woah. You gotta calm down, Boss. Mr. Battery isn’t going anywhere.”

He turned back to see SOUNDWAVE’s box along with the two jets, Ramjet tapping his foot as Slipstream put her hands on her hips. Their leader was far from amused by the rally car’s unintentional personality.

SILENCE

YOU WILL WAIT IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNTIL THE SOURCE IS CONNECTED TO THE OBSERVATION TOWER

The jets knew it would be their job to haul the heavy contraption southwest to its destination, far from the most fun task they could do. Sundor shrugged and nodded, transforming into the rally car for what would be a long ride out of the icy tundra their base was apart of. He’d rather not ask more questions, hoping to not disappear like his drone brethren.

Lines lit up upon SOUNDWAVE’s large cube, forming an octagon as the two Decepticons left stared perplexingly.

 

COMMENCE OPERATION SPACE BRIDGE

 

End of Part 4: Loss

[Hound]

“Come on! Come on! COME ON!!!!”

Hound dug into the rubble with his hands, trying to at least create a hole into the hangar. You could barely tell a spaceship had crashed crashed into the mountain 300 years ago, save for a few sharp metal bits poking out. Hound didn’t have a clue what happened or how long he was even offline, but he knew one thing for sure.

Whatever caused the explosion wasn’t an accident. Any of the Hope’s old missiles or anything else that could ignite what happened had to make placed in specific areas. “Overcharge and Skids, those bastards!” He slammed his fists hard on the dirt, blasting some onto his chassis. “No wonder they left in a hurry…”

Buzzsaw squawked intensely, noticing a few fingers pointing up through the dirt. “Where, Buzzsaw?” Hound’s head turned around to see Perceptor’s hand. “There you are! I gotcha!” Hound ran at a great pace toward it, pulling the arm out of the rubble. “Oh no…” Hound stated as he pulled. At first, he didn’t understand why Perceptor was so light, only to see that the arm wasn’t connected to the Science Officer.

…

Rainy weather was quite common for the northwestern city, but it seemed especially awful this day as the whole area was covered above by gray clouds and the sounds of thunder. Even then, thunder couldn’t hide the sounds of two jets cruising through the air, carrying SOUNDWAVE’s battery. 

“There’s the pointy one!” Ramjet communicated, banking right. This jolted the machine around, along with Slipstream. “Be careful, scrapbrain! Just slow down here.” The two transformed, still holding the contraption while they planted their feet onto the Space Needle. This jolted the humans inside, causing many to fall as the building thankfully held up the two Decepticons.

“Go play with the humans while I set this up.” She stated to Ramjet with a smirk, knowing him helping would likely make things worse. Howling with laughter, Ramjet jumped off the top of the observation deck to “greet” the city. Tons of humans, along with a certain rally car parked alongside a brick wall, watching as the Decepticon bellowed.

“MEATBAGS! IENJOY YOUR LAST NANOCYCLES OF FREEDOM AND LIFE! THE DECEPTICON ARMADA WILL BE JOINING I, RAMJET, AND MY LACKEYS SOON AS WE CONQUER YOUR PLANET!”

Slipstream rolled her eyes as many of the humans were more so confused by the white conehead’s words than actual fear. This changed once Ramjet let loose, firing his missiles and machine guns at wherever humans formed a crowd.

“Wakey, wakey…” Slipstream held up Overcharge’s head as he turned online, placing the final cable into place. The machine slid over the needle like a glove, but it was far from pretty. Overcharge was still held against it in a T-Shape, arms held to the side while his legs were bound, unable to touch the surface of the deck. “Wake. UP!” She slapped the Autobot with annoyance, speeding up the booting process.

[Overcharge]

Overcharge's optics opened slowly as his central processing unit booted up. His sensors couldn't make sense of what he saw for a while. His last recorded memories were of him on the floor, of Skids exchanging words with the Seekers as his functions shut down. Skids... that traitor. Was he planning this all along? Or did that damned tube bring him back wrong? A backhand to the facial plate snapped the Corporal back to reality. The light blue sky, the beautiful rock formations, the lush green flora. All gone. Now, it was all clouds, ugly concrete monoliths and carnage.

The white Seeker fired his weapons upon non-combatants, and in the distance, he could see the orange rally car standing by indifferently, as the carbon-based sentients were mowed down in front of him. Seething with rage and disgust, he stared at the conehead right in front of him. His arms and legs tried desperately to break free, so that he could kill the Cybertronian, turn it into molten metal with his bare hands. His vocabulator could barely spit out the following words. "You monsters... you scum... just WHAT did you do?!"

[Hound]

(Post was accidentally deleted, so here is a summary of it.)

Slipstream scoffed at the poor Autobot. By this point, the military had arrived, but there was nothing they could do against the combined forces of Ramjet and Sundor, the latter taking down the tanks with a specialized grenade launcher. Explaining the situation to Overcharge and how painful it was going to be, lightning struck the tip of the Space Needle, sending Slipstream off the tower to join her teammates while energy began to seep from any possible life source, sending it into Overcharge and the contraption. A surge of energy blasted upward into the sky, a small black hole pushing the dim gray clouds away as the sounds the thunder and carnage continued.

Meanwhile, Hound eventually finds Perceptor, glass broken, paint scuffed, but remaining limbs still attached. The wounded Science Officer tells the Sergeant to take him to Seattle after seeing what was on the Teletraan Mobile. Unfortunately, this meant Hot Shot had to be left behind, if he was even in the rubble. The green HUMMER, along with Perceptor laying on top of it, headed toward the city. 

[Overcharge]

As bolts of light descended from the sky and shocked him, Overcharge shouted at the top of his voicebox and struggled to free himself, his arms pushing against the restraints. He was accustomed to excess energy flowing through his chassis, and one time, it had helped him withstand torture from unknowing Decepticons who were not aware of his abilities. However, taking in this much energy, at once, was something he had not experienced before.

It hurt. He was full of energy, which seeped through the gaps between his panels. So... this is what it must feel like, huh? Overcharge reflected briefly on the pain his enemies endured whenever he used his power on them. But he had no regrets about doing that. Not when he could see Decepticons slaughtering innocent humans by the thousands from the tower. It only filled him with determination to push against the steel and free at least one arm...

I can't forgive them! I'll make them sorry they've provided me with more energy than even I can handle... All I need... this hand!

[Perceptor]

It was clear even from the outskirts that Seattle was burning. The HUMMER along with the wounded Autobot weaved and dodged past many abandoned vehicles on their way to the carnage. “The… the Needle!” Perceptor quietly uttered, his body barely hanging on as Hound made a corner. 

Skids was a fool to leave clues on the mobile, however unintentional they may have been. This plan constructed by the Decepticons was obvious to him once he saw the dark hole get larger in the clouds. “An artificial…warp hole.” Perceptor tapped the top of the HUMMER. “Drop me here… You stop the Decepticons…”

Screeching to a halt, Hound allowed the Science Officer to get off his roof, sliding onto the ground. “Are you sure?” The Sergeant asked, watching the crumbled body of Perceptor hit the concrete. “…go… I’ll help Overcharge.” Slowly, the red Cybertronian rose onto his feet as Hound headed to the burnt out tanks lined up.

Transforming, Hound’s armaments consisted of a shoulder Gatling gun and a pulse blaster attached to his wrist, far from the weapons stock he normally had and VERY far from what Ramjet had, still firing upon others as him and Slipstream blasted through the skies.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to fight those two.

A grenade landed at Hound’s feet, sending the Autobot onto his back as he watched an orange Cybertronian walk slowly toward him, almost as if he was taunting him. “Ah… Skids, why?” He called out, finding the rally car’s smirk sickening. Reloading his grenade launcher, he didn’t care much for playing the Skids game any longer with the Autobots.

”It’s Sundor, long story.” He called out pointing the weapon at Hound. “It’s a story you won’t have time to hear, considering the fact the our pals will be coming through that hole soon.” Before Hound could respond, a second grenade headed his direction…

—

Perceptor’s calculations had been processed many times, but he knew it was the only way. Far from the battle, he held his rifle as he shoulder scope zoomed in on Overcharge, still strapped to the contraption and clearly in pain. “I know you can’t hear me, Overcharge, but this is our only chance against these monsters.”

Perceptor intended to fire at the contraption. It was a 38.74 percent chance that it wouldn’t vaporize the poor Corporal, but stop the portal from opening any further. However, there was that 61.26 percent chance he’d  lose another friend today. “Overcharge… live.”

He fired.

The shot missed by a large margin. Zooming in further, he tried again.

Another miss.

Moving his single arm slightly to the right, he fired once more.

Bullseye.

—

“Look! They’re giving up!” Ramjet transformed midair to float as the reserve tanks and jets pulled back. What he didn’t understand was the large explosion coming from the Space Needle jittered the whole city. “No, cone head… look.” Slipstream stared directly at the charred remains of the Needle’s observation deck, a large glow coming from the tip of the tower.

Overcharge, glowing bright yellow, was filled with more energy than most Cybertronians would ever get in a lifetime.

He wasn’t happy.

 

[Overcharge]

A chassis hovered over the tip of the Space Needle, glowing blue as electricity flied from the ground and the skies to gather inside it. Overcharge spoke up, his voice suddenly amplified by his newfound power. "RAMJET, SLIPSTREAM... SUNDOR." He stated, with audible disdain for each of them, but even more so for the last of them. "MY LENIENCY FOR THE LIKES OF YOU HAS RUN OUT. FOR TOO LONG YOU HAVE DECEIVED AND PREYED ON US, AND NOW, YOU INTEND TO DRAG THE INNOCENT INTO THIS. I MUST STOP YOU IF IT KILLS ME. AND SO I SHALL!"

The power within the Corporal's chassis reached a breaking point, and Seattle's lights all blew up at once. His armor shined red, then golden with heat. His optics and lights radiated powerful white light, coming from his own internals. Raising one hand towards the Seekers, the golden Cybertronian loudly declared: "THESE HANDS OF MINE GLOW WITH A FORMIDABLE POWER!" before firing a concentrated beam of light at the enemy flyers, who quickly flew away to dodge his attack.

However, the Corporal was not quite done yet. "THEIR BURNING CONDUCTORS TELL ME TO SHORT-CIRCUIT YOU!" He trained his other hand on Sundor, and yelled at the three Decepticons as his manipulators tracked them, relentlessly firing powerful bolts of light upon his enemies. "TAKE THIS! MY VOLTS, MY AMPERES, AND ALL OF MY COULOMBS!"

[Hound]

Firing his Gatling gun, Hound caused the grenade to erupt midair, sending shrapnel in all directions. “Don’t scratch the paint, bro!” Sundor called out. “Seriously, I-“ He stopped, along with everyone else, to watch the light show coming from Overcharge, his booming voice calling all attention. “Oh scrap…”

Dodging the first attack, the seekers balked at the sheer power protruding from the Corporal. “…We screwed up big time.” Slipstream muttered under her breath. “Every bot for themself!” She blasted away from the direction of Overcharge, only to take a shot to the arm. “Ahhhhh!” She screamed, heading to the ground as Ramjet huffed. “Come on, Sparky! Let’s go!” Ramjet sent missiles, bullets, practically anything he had in stock (somewhat) toward Overcharge, only for some of his arsenal to hit the neck of the Space Needle.

Cccccrack!

The observation deck crumbled through the weak neck, crashing into the surface as Perceptor gasped. Dirt and dust sent itself at the weak Autobot, causing him to hide behind a car wash for cover. Hound on the other hand watched Sundor try to dodge Overcharge’s attack, but it left him wide open. “Just a heads up, you’re a rally car.” Hound pointed the gattling gun at the ‘con’s torso. “Your paints gonna get dirty.”

[Overcharge]

The golden Autobot watched the barrage of projectiles flying toward himself and the Space Needle. "USELESS!" Making a swooping motion to a side with his arm, Overcharge sent a horizontal discharge of energy, destroying most of Ramjet's ordnance. However, the observation deck had been punished enough already by the weight of the portal machine, the two Seekers and their captive. When a few missiles managed to hit its underside, the structure finally plummeted to the ground.

Overcharge grimaced, watching the structure collapse below his feet and hearing the yells of humans stuck in the deck, unable to do anything. The deck was destroyed, and the screaming stopped before he could do anything about it. Closing his fists, his armor acquired a more orange hue, and his optics glowed brighter. They... keep... doing... it... The energy beneath his feet concentrated and propelled him forward at a great speed, lunging at the Seeker with clenched fists, intent on destroying him. "THESE SKIES ARE NOT YOURS TO DEFILE!"

Edited March 29, 2022 by Replicator
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