Sumdac High School: The start of the Spring Semester.

Winter break was over, much too soon in the opinion of 16 year old Jeffrey White. He had brown hair, dark eyes, and gave off the general attitude of your typical teenager. Adjusting his old backpack onto his shoulder, he didn't hear the footsteps of his best friend until he literally jumped onto his back.

"WHAZZUP!" The energetic 17 year old shouted, nearly knocking Jeffrey off his feet.

"Whoa!" Jeffrey let out. "Watch it Spike!"

He dislodged Spike from his back, sending him plummeting to the ground. Spike shook his head, wild blonde locks sticking out in every direction.

"What, I can't say hi to the only person in the school I actually tolerate?" He questioned, crossing his arms.

"You can, just as long as you don't cause said person severe bodily harm." Jeffrey told him.

"Aw, come on Jeffrey." Spike let out, getting to his feet. "Like I could ever hurt you."

Jeffrey just rolled his eyes good naturedly before continuing down the hall. Spike hurried to catch up, giving his friend a sly grin.

"So, you finally gonna work up the nerve to talk to Sari?" he asked.

"I think so." Jeffrey replied.

"I dunno." Spike teased. "Every time you see her, you do the impression of a parrot. One with laryngitis."

"It'll be different this time!" Jeffrey insisted.

"What will be different?" A female voice asked.

Both Jeffrey and Spike turned to see a girl standing next to them. She had bright red hair done up in twin pigtails with two barrettes holding back her bangs. She wore a peach-colored dress with a light blue necklace that was almost the same color of her eyes. Her skin was a caramel color, and her teeth were bright white as she flashes a small smile.

"Oh, uh... hi Sari." Jeffrey mustered out.

Sari giggled slightly.

"Hi Jeffrey." she greeted. "You ready for Algebra?"

"Uh, yeah!" Jeffery let out, a bit too excitedly. "I mean, yeah. I... I think I got it."

"Well, I guess I'll see you there." she said.

With that, she walked off, Jeffrey watching her go with every step. Spike just chuckled to himself.

"I'm not sure that counts as 'talking' to her, but it's a start." he spoke.

"Well what did you expect me to do?" Jeffrey asked. "Ask her out on the spot?"

"No, what happened is basically what I expected." Spike informed him.

At that moment, the bell rang, drawing the attention of the boys. They blinked, finally noticing that the hallways were empty save for the two of them.

"We better go." Jeffrey told him.

"Good idea." Spike replied.

With that, the two boys ran off.

...

Spike and Jeffery made it to class in just the nick of time, taking their seats in the back of the classroom. As the bell finished ringing, their teacher, Mr. Darby, stood up in front of the whole classroom.

"Welcome back, everyone." he greeted. "I hope you all had a good winter break. Now, we have a new student joining us this semester. I want you all to behave yourselves and be nice."

The door opened, and in walked a girl with long black hair up in a ponytail and bright blue eyes that were accentuated by a pair of black glasses. She gave a warm smile to the class as she turned to them all.

"My name's Melissa Tobor." she announced. "It's nice to meet you all."

Jeffrey felt a sharp elbow in his side, coming from Spike's desk. He turned, seeing his friend mouthing the words "hot babe alert".

"Can it." Jeffrey whispered.

"Mr. White, is there something you wish to share with the rest of the class?" Mr. Darby called out.

"Uh, no... sir." Jeffrey quickly replied.

Mr. Darby raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Uh-huh." he let out before turning to Melissa. "Miss Tobor, you can sit next to Mr. White. Just be sure not to pick up any of his bad habits."

Melissa gave a nod, then walked towards the desk on the other side of Jeffrey. She set her stuff down, then looked up at Jeffrey, giving a small wave.

"Hi." she greeted.

"Hi." Jeffrey replied. "I'm Jeffrey."

"Melissa." she offered, holding out a hand. "I hope we can be friends."

"I think we can." Jeffrey replied.

She smiled brighter, then they both turned back to class to focus on the lesson.

...

As lunch time rolled around, Jeffrey sat down on the stoop of the school with his bagged lunch. As he reached in to grab his food, the bag was snatched up by an overeager Spike.

"Let me guess, PB and J again?" He asked. "Dude, what's the point of having open campus lunch if you just pack the same boring lunch every day?"

"Saves money." Jeffrey reasoned. "Now, can I have my lunch back, please?"

"Nope." Spike declared, hopping down onto the sidewalk. "Today, we're going out for lunch. You want to know why?"

"Why?" Jeffrey questioned, slightly annoyed.

"Because the new girl has a 1977 Chevy Camaro!" Spike cheered. "She's got your car, dude! It's even got the racing stripe!"

"What?!" Jeffrey let out.

"No kidding." Spike insisted. "Come on!"

The two ran off towards the parking lot, seeing Melissa sitting on the hood of the car. Jeffry's jaw dropped at the sight.

"No way..." He let out.

Melissa didn't see them at first, her attention diverted to a small earpiece in her ear.

"Class has been interesting." she said to whomever was on the other line. "No, I've had no trouble blending in. Yes I'm being careful. Yes, I promise I really am being careful. Honestly, this is school, not a battlefield."

"Hey there." Spike spoke up, walking over to her.

Melissa looked over and saw the two boys.

"Gotta go." she said into the earpiece. "I'll see you later."

She then hopped off the hood, smiling at the boys.

"Hey, didn't see you there." she told him. "It's Sam right? Sam Will Icky?"

"It's Spike actually." He corrected. "Spike Witwicky."

Melissa gave a slow nod, then noticed Jeffrey's stare.

"I take it you're eying the car." she guessed.

"It's a thing of beauty." Spike commented. "I've always wanted a car like this."

"He's something else, isn't he?" Melissa smirked, running her hand on the hood.

"He?" Jeffrey questioned.

Melissa caught herself, grunting slightly.

"Uh... yeah." she replied hastily. "I mean, the car's too fast and sleek to be a girl, so it's a guy."

"Well, does he have a no food rule?" Spike questioned.

Melissa blinked at the odd question.

"No... why?"

"Because Jeffrey and I are just craving some KO burgers, but the closest one's five miles down the street." Spike said, wrapping an arm around Jeffrey. "You mind giving us a lift?"

Melissa glanced down at the car, which seemed to buzz slightly. Then she smiled once again.

"Don't mind at all." she answered. "Hop in."

The two turned to each other and smiled before getting into the car with Melissa and driving off towards KO Burger.

...

In another part of Detroit, Knockout was skulking in a dark alley, searching for the perfect disguise. Breakdown was with him, getting thoroughly annoyed with how long this was taking.

"Would you just pick a vehicle mode already?" He demanded.

"Listen Breakdown, I can't just pick any rust bucket for my wheels." Knockout insisted. "Why do you think I drove all the way out here to the 'Automotive capital of the country'?"

"You mean besides to waste my time?" Breakdown quipped.

"This place is the epitome of vehicular style and the only place that will have an appropriate form for me to choose." Knockout rationalized. "Now shut up and let me focus."

Breakdown's optical sensors rolled as he entered his own vehicle mode, a jeep, and drove off.

"I'll check back in about a cycle." he informed his companion. "You better have a vehicle mode by then, or I swear to Unicron I'll-"

He was cut off when he caught glimpse of a familiar yellow and black paint job streaking down the street. On a hunch, he did a quick scan of the vehicle, detecting traces of Cybertronian tech. Had he been in robot mode, he would have been grinning. He quickly patched a line in to the Nemesis, getting in contact with Soundwave.

"Breakdown to Soundwave." he called out. "I've located one of our old friends. The Autobot Bumblebee is here. And if he's here, Prime ain't far behind."

"Acknowledged." Soundwave replied. "Maintain surveillance and report back."

"You got it." he replied.

He then drove down the street, following after Bumblebee.

...

"Hello and welcome to KO Burger, where every burger's a knockout." the drive thru speaker broadcasted. "What can I get for you today?"

"Hi, we'll take three gut buster combos, extra-large fries, and mega-cokes." Spike announced before turning to the other two in the car. "What do you guys want?"

Melissa gave him a weird look.

"Is it normal to eat that much food?" she asked.

"It is when Spike's in the car." Jeffrey remarked. "That should do it."

"That'll be 24.97 at the next window." the drive thru speaker announced.

Melissa pulled forward, approaching the window. As they did, Jeffrey glances over to the side.

"Huh." he let out. "Is it just me, or has that jeep been circling the block ever since we got here?"

Melissa looked over and saw the same jeep turning the corner. Her eyes narrowed, and for a moment, her irises seemed to dilate, almost like camera lenses. As it came by for another round, she got a good look at it and gasped.

"Scrap." she hissed.

"Everything ok?" Jeffrey asked.

Melissa looked over at him, clearly nervous. The car began buzzing again, seeming almost frantic. After looking at the dashboard, then at the two boys, she came to a decision.

"Prime's gonna slag me." she muttered before gripping the wheel. "Seat belts!"

The seatbelts lowered on their own accord, strapping the boys in.

"What the-" the two let out.

"Floor it, Bee!"

The car screeched out of the drive thru, Spike barely able to grab his lunch before they did. The kid at the drive thru looked out at them in anger.

"Hey!" he called out. "That comes out of my paycheck!"

"Sorry!" Spike called out.

The jeep rounded the corner just in time to see the yellow car peeling out.

"Scrap!" the jeep exclaimed, hitting the gas and pursuing them.

Spike peered out the window to see the jeep in hot pursuit of them.

"So, do you owe this guy money or something?" He asked.

"Let's just say that his boss is mad at me for stealing his girlfriend...'s body." she replied, still gripping onto the wheel

"Uh... what?" Jeffrey let out.

The car veered hard to the right, nearly throwing the three of them into the sides of the car. The jeep remained hot on their tail, despite the yellow Camaro weaving in and out of traffic. They, even veered into the opposite lane every now and then, expertly dodging oncoming vehicles. The jeep was doing equally as well, never losing the trail.

"How do you steal a body?" Jeffrey asked frantically.

"You're not into necrophilia, are you?" Spike inquired.

"It's a long story, and frack no!" Melissa answered.

She then turned the wheel hard, spinning them hard before taking off down an opposite exit. She cut off five cars to do it, but succeeded without a single dent. The jeep took a more direct approach, literally veering off the road to try and cut them off.

"Scrap!" Melissa cursed. "The son of a glitch just won't put it in park!"

The car buzzed again and Melissa glared at the radio.

"I know he's not alone!" she screamed. "That's tactics 101!"

"Uh... maybe we should call the cops." Jeffrey suggested.

"Trust me, human law enforcement would be way over their head with this." Melissa told him, hitting a few buttons on the dash. "Prime, this is Melissa. We've got a bogey on our tail."

"Human law enforcement?" Jeffrey asked. "And who's Prime?"

At that moment, the dash lit up, and the radio began broadcasting a voice.

"Prime here. Have you been able to identify the pursuer?"

"Negative." she answered. "But they're clearly Decepticon. That much I know. One of the ground troops, but not a Vehicon."

"Understood. You need to lose your pursuers. An open assault in a public area would lead to far too many casualties."

"Easier said than done, Prime." she told him. "I've got two organics in the vehicle. I've already broke protocol just driving off with them."

"I see. Your best course of action would be to make sure the humans are taken somewhere safe before anything else can be done about the Decepticon."

"Copy that Prime, Melissa out."

The dash dimmed once more, switching to what looked like a GPS map.

"Bee, think you can get us to that drainage junction?" she asked. "Looks like it's the best place."

The car buzzed once again, veering off to head that direction.

"Care to explain what the hell is going on here?" Spike insisted.

"Who are you?" Jeffrey questioned. "Or better yet, WHAT are you? Who is prime? And why did you sound like someone in a war movie."

"The less you know about me, the better." She told them. "Trust me, I already let too much slip al-"

The jeep suddenly rammed into them hard, nearly throwing them off the road. The car swerved down into a long, concrete canal, just narrowly avoiding rolling onto its side. The car buzzed frantically as Melissa wrestled with the wheel, trying to straighten them out. Eventually, the car came to a stop under the shade of a bridge. Melissa let out a few deep breaths, then straightened up. The seatbelts released, and she turned to the boys.

"Get out." she ordered.

The two wasted no time getting out of the car and running off. They scrambled up the ledge of the canal, hiding themselves right under the bridge. Melissa then climbed out herself, turning towards the jeep as it rolled down to join them. She closed the car door, walking towards it as the Jeep rolled to a stop.

"Should've known you'd show yourselves eventually." She declared. "But I thought Megatron taught you better than to be so obvious in your observations."

The Jeep then transformed, turning into the towering figure of Breakdown as he stared down Melissa and the yellow car. Jeffrey's jaw dropped and Spike had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming. The yellow car then pulled off a similar transformation, becoming Bumblebee. He buzzed angrily, pointing at Breakdown as if to identify him.

"Give the bot a medal." Breakdown remarked before pounding his fist into his hand. "Though I gotta say, your pet organic's got some bearings."

Melissa chuckled, then her entire body began to grow and morph, becoming Massacre. Now Jeffrey had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming, he and Spike exchanging looks as Massacre, or Melissa as she was known now, pounded her own fist into her hand.

"Who said I was an organic?" she sneered.

Breakdown was genuinely shocked by this development, but quickly shook it off.

"Massacre." he greeted. "Thought you went offline stellar cycles ago."

"I'm a hard bot to shut down." she quipped. "Let's see if you can say the same!"

Breakdown morphed one of his hands into a hammer and charged at Massacre. Her hands became long swords and she grinned, meeting his charge. The two clashed blows for a bit before Bumblebee ran up and punched Breakdown in the face, knocking him back. He then held out his arms as blasters came out of the wrists, allowing him to shoot at Breakdown. The Decepticon brought up his arms to try and block the blows, grunting with every hit.

As this went on, the two boys hiding in the shadows were still completely and utterly shocked by what they were witnessing. Slowly lowering their hands, they faced one another.

"Dude..." Spike let out. "Please tell me you're seeing what I'm seeing."

"Depends," Jeffrey replied. "Did you see that girl and two cars transform into giant robots that are currently trying to kill each other?"

"Yeah..." Spike said quietly. "What the hell is going on? I am like twelve different levels of confused right now."

"You're asking me?!" Jeffrey responded. "I'm as clueless as you are."

"Which ones are the good guys?" Spike wondered. "I mean, Melissa did say she stole a body..."

"Yeah, from the guys that tried to kill us." Jeffrey reminded.

"But what good guy steals a body?" Spike rationalized.

Suddenly, Melissa got sucker punched, skidding across the ground and under the bridge slightly. When she saw the two boys hiding, she went wide-eyed.

"You're still here?" she hissed. "You need to run! Get out of here!"

"Not until we get some straight answers!" Jeffrey called back.

"Are you fracking with me right now?" she exclaimed. "This is way too dangerous for you! Get out of here!"

She then got up and rushed at Breakdown again, tackling him to the ground. Breakdown then grabbed her and threw her aside. She rebounded hard as Bumblebee came in for a charge. Breakdown got back to his feet as Bumblebee fired off a volley of shots at the Decepticon. Breakdown held his arms up to block himself from the shots, managing to shoot Bumblebee right in the chest plate. He went flying back, right into Melissa. The two were a mess of groaning metal and tangled servos as Breakdown closed in.

"Two bots," He let out, forming his hand into a hammer again, "One blow."

Before he could do anything, a swirling blue and green portal opened up, revealing a speeding red and blue semi, a large green ATV, and a police motorcycle with no driver. The vehicles landed between Breakdown and the two fallen bots, transforming into Optimus, Bulkhead, and Prowl. From their hiding spot under the bridge, the boys felt all the color drain from their faces.

"There's more of them." Spike squeaked.

"Who's ready to rumble?!" Bulkhead let out, pounding his fist.

Breakdown took one look at the gathering bots and quickly returned his hand to normal.

"Another time perhaps." He declared, transforming and speeding off.

The bots watched him go as Bee slowly got off Melissa, helping her to her feet.

"What kept you?" She asked.

"Thought you could handle a single Con by yourself." Bulkhead quipped.

Bumblebee buzzed and chirped, pointing over at the bridge where the two boys were hiding.

"Distracted by the two organics?" Prowl repeated.

Both Jeffrey and Spike froze as all optic sensors turned to them. Optimus Prime approached the bridge, kneeling down to get a better look.

"Do not be alarmed." he said as calmly as he could. "We mean you no harm."

The two failed to respond, feeling completely overwhelmed from everything they had witnessed. Seeing this, Optimus looked sympathetic.

"It would appear your young friends are not taking all they have witnessed very well." He declared, glancing over at Melissa.

Melissa rubbed the back of her head in guilt and shame.

"Not my intention, believe me." she insisted.

Distant sirens began wailing in the background, showing the cops were on their way.

"Scrap." Bulkhead cursed. "Human law enforcement. We gotta motor."

Optimus nodded, turning back to the boys.

"I apologize for this." he said before reaching for them.

They were startled by the sudden, yet gentle grab, but their voices had yet to return to them. With the two boys now in tow, Optimus turned to the rest of his team.

"Autobots, return to base." he ordered.

They all transformed into their vehicle modes as they shot back through the portal. Optimus remained in robot mode, looking down at the two boys in his hands.

"I do not know what effect the Ground Bridge will have on organic life, so I apologize in advance." he told them

With that, he ran through the portal, the swirling vortex closing behind him just as the police arrived.

...

Back at base, the bridge allowed the Autobots to return. Ratchet looked them all over, seeing all the dings and scratches across Melissa and Bumblebee. He opened his mouth to begin berating him, then Prime came through with Jeffrey and Spike. Prime set the two down on the ground gently, taking a step back. Bulkhead looked down at them, scratching his head slightly.

"Are they broken?" he asked.

"Maybe they're in stasis lock." Prowl suggested.

"I think they're just in shock." Melissa insisted. "Give them a moment and I'm sure they'll-"

In that moment, Jeffrey hunched over and vomited all over the floor. The hideous sound had Spike following suit not long after. The bots all stepped back in horror and disgust. Bee buzzed frantically, as if asking what was going on.

"I think they blew a gasket or something." Bulkhead rationalized.

"It's called 'throwing up'." Melissa corrected. "It happens when organics eat something they're not supposed to, or are overcome with fear or stress."

"I'd say the latter is present here." Ratchet deduced.

Eventually, the two boys managed to empty the contents of their stomachs, spitting a few times and wiping their mouths. Their volatile eruption had also loosened their tongues, allowing them to finally explode with the multitude of questions and expletives that had been bottled up inside.

"What is going on?!" Jeffrey exclaimed. "What the hell are you guys?!"

"You just kidnapped us!" Spike shouted. "You kidnapped us you mother-!"

"We didn't kidnap you!" Melissa interrupted hastily. "We got you away from the cops."

"But why would you do that?!" Spike demanded.

"Did you want to take the fall for that mess?" Bulkhead questioned. "Because I'm pretty sure the human authorities would have thrown you in prison in a nanoklik."

"And then there's these... things!" Jeffrey let out. "Who... or what are you?!"

Optimus bent down again, the two boys stepping back instinctively. They both put a protective hand in front of one another, but Optimus did not make any more moves.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron." Optimus explained. "Also known as Autobots."

"So... you're alien robots?" Jeffrey summed up.

"Essentially." Optimus confirmed.

"And... the Jeep that tried to kill us?" Spike asked. "He's an Autobot too?"

Ratchet let out a scoff.

"Breakdown may be a Cybertronian, but he's no Autobot." he declared.

"He's what we call a Decepticon." Melissa clarified. "They're the bad guys, so to speak."

"Okay..." Jeffrey said quietly. "And what exactly do these Decepticons want? Why were they chasing us?"

"The Decepticons want the same thing we do." Optimus told him. "To gather the resources necessary to save our home planet. By any means necessary."

"Then why are you fighting?" Spike asked.

"Because the Decepticons are ruthless, destructive glitches with no regard for life, be it organic or technological." Ratchet declared coldly. "They would desecrate their own dead just to assure victory."

"And as you witnessed, they do not care who they hurt to get what they want." Optimus added.

"Okay, I see why you hate them now." Spike spoke up.

"But why come here?" Jeffrey inquired. "I doubt we have the technology to help you guys."

"You do not, but your world is rich with natural resources." Optimus elaborated.

"There's a theory on our planet called the Synthetic Energon Theory." Melissa told them. "It states that organic matter can be used to create Energon, enough to sustain our world. We already know that Cybertronian life can be made from organic organisms, and our planet is at the point that we're willing to try anything."

"Energon?" Spike repeated.

"The lifeblood of our kind." Ratchet defined. "It powers our very being, as well as our tech, and the very core of our planet. Our planet of Cybertron has been drained of its once rich supply, leaving it a dying husk."

"If it didn't already go dark while we were in stasis." Prowl spoke up.

Bee buzzed bitterly at him, as if telling him off for being so grim.

"Wow..." Jeffrey let out. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jeffrey." Melissa replied. "We've been dealing with this issue for stellar cycles. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you for dragging you into our war."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jeffrey cut off. "What do you mean by that?"

"She means that the Decepticons have seen you with us." Optimus clarified. "As such, they may perceive you as our allies, a perception that leaves you both in mortal danger."

"So what, if we see strange vehicles call 911?" Spike asked.

Ratchet snorted a second time.

"Human authorities don't stand a chance against the Decepticons." He scoffed. "You know all too well how humans react to us. By the time they wrapped their little brains around it, they'd already be crushed beneath their servos."

"Ratchet, ease up, okay?" Melissa chastised. "Seriously."

Ratchet gave her a shrug as Optimus looked down at the boys.

"I'm afraid that until the Decepticon threat has been dealt with, it would be best for you to remain under our watch." He told them.

The boys exchanged looks, honestly unsure of how to feel about this new arrangement.

...

Breakdown rolled up to where Knockout was parked, the Con having finally chosen a vehicle mode. He was a sleek red 2011 Stryker-Z, and seemed to be quite pleased with himself.

"I do believe I've found the perfect form." he declared as his companion rolled up. "So, what took you so long?"

"Ran into some old friends." Breakdown replied. "The Autobots."

That made the Con pause.

"Well, what are the odds." he remarked. "Better contact Lord Megatron. I'm sure he'd love to hear this."

Had Breakdown been in robot mode, he would have nodded. The two took off down the street as Knockout made the call.

"Lord Megatron." he greeted. "We have news."

"Knockout, I don't care what form you've decided to choose." Megatron snarled.

"This is something far more interesting." Knockout assured him. "Breakdown had a run-in with the Autobots."

"I traced the scout, and nearly managed to take him and the traitorous glitch Massacre offline." Breakdown reported. "However, three more Autobots came to their rescue. The Wrecker, the ninja bot, and Optimus Prime himself."

"Optimus." Megatron mused. "So, he and the rest of his crew survived as well. More than that, they're also stranded on this miserable rock."

"Thought you'd like to know." Knockout declared. "We're on our way back to base."

"Excellent." Megatron told them. "I want a full report upon your return."

"Understood, Lord Megatron." Breakdown replied.

...

Megatron ended the call, immediately turning to Soundwave.

"If Optimus is alive, then he's no doubt found himself a base of operations much like our own." he surmised. "Monitor all frequencies for any signs of the Autobots. Report to me immediately should you find even a trace of their whereabouts."

"As you command, Lord Megatron." Soundwave replied.

...

"Hang on a second." Jeffrey insisted. "I get that you are trying to keep us safe, but we can't stay here."

"Yeah." Spike agreed. "Lunch period ends in 10 minutes, and if we're not back at the school and in our seats, we'll be grounded for life."

"Plus, what will I tell my dad?" Jeffrey asked. "I got caught up in a galactic war and have to stay with alien robots for my own protection? He'd either have me committed to an asylum, or grounded for the rest of eternity."

"Human customs." Optimus realized. "I did not take them into account. Even so, it is dangerous for you to be alone."

"I can keep them safe at school." Melissa offered. "I mean, they're in most of my classes anyhow."

"Even so, I think it would be wise to assign guardians to each of you." Optimus insisted.

"Yeah, I've already got one." Spike declared. "I don't need another."

"He means a protector." Bulkhead corrected. "Someone to keep you from ending up as scrap, kid."

"My name's not 'kid'." Spike declared. "It's Spike."

Bulkhead chuckled.

"I'm starting to like you." He declared. "You've got some spark in you."

"If that is the case, then you will become his guardian, Bulkhead." Optimus decided. "However, you must remain incognito."

"Curbside duty?" Bulkhead lamented. "C'mon Prime."

"Relax." Spike insisted. "My house borders on a fair-sized forest. I spend most of my time out there anyhow, so you can robot it up as you please."

Bulkhead seemed somewhat amenable to the idea after that, so Optimus focused his attention on Jeffrey.

"Bumblebee, you will accompany Jeffrey." Optimus decided.

Bumblebee buzzed happily, giving Jeffrey a thumbs up. Jeffrey returned the gesture, more than a little excited about having the car of his dreams. His elation was cut short when an alarm began going off. The two boys instantly panicked at the sound.

"What is that?" Jeffrey questioned. "Those Decepticons you mentioned."

Bee shook his head, buzzing rapidly.

"English, please?" Spike requested.

"It's the proximity sensor." Bulkhead explained. "It's got to be Fowler."

"Who's Fowler?" Jeffrey asked. "Another Autobot?"

"Special Agent Fowler is our designated liaison to the human world." Optimus explained.

"He's probably here about the car chase." Melissa lamented. "If he sees you guys, he's gonna flip."

"Agreed." Optimus told them. "I suggest you two hide for the time being."

The two boys scurried to safety as an elevator began to lower, allowing Agent Fowler into the base. Melissa shrunk down to human size, going to face him.

"Afternoon Agent Fowler." she greeted. "I'm assuming this isn't a social call?"

"Afraid not." Fowler replied. "Here about the little something that happened on the freeway."

Melissa sighed, then waited for the tangent to start. She didn't have long to wait, the agent poking her in the chest with each declaration.

"Seven wrecks, thirty four fender benders, and a traffic jam that's predicted to last for three hours IF we're lucky." he listed off. "And to top it all off, your pal Fanzone ran traffic cam footage, picking up a familiar black and yellow muscle car, one registered under your alias. So, anything you care to get off your tin chest?"

"Believe me, what happened out on that freeway was not my intention in the slightest." Melissa informed him. "I was being pursued."

"Your Decepticon buddies." Fowler rationalized. "I'm guessing the Jeep hot on your tailpipe wasn't a friendly, and now they know you're here."

"Unfortunately yes." Optimus lamented. "And I fear that with this knowledge, they will no doubt be hunting for us."

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon." Fowler declared.

"Hear me, Agent Fowler." Optimus insisted, leaning forward. "We are your best, possibly your only defense against the Decepticon threat."

"Is that so?" Fowler questioned. "Because from what I've seen, it's clear you bots are only good at causing traffic jams and making trouble. And don't even get me started on the two boys hiding behind the Med-Bot's foot."

Everyone stiffened, Ratchet glancing down at Jeffrey and Spike trying to hide behind his foot. Shaking off a serious sense of Deja vu, he bent down and picked the boys up, quickly depositing them in front of Agent Fowler. Jeffrey rubbed his arm sheepishly as Spike gave a tiny wave.

"Hi." Spike said quietly.

"Contact with civilians." Fowler spat. "As if today wasn't a shitstorm already."

"Would you believe that all we wanted was to get some KO Burger?" Jeffrey spoke up.

Fowler sighed, then moved towards him.

"Okay you two, I'm going to have to take you into Federal custody for your own protection." He announced.

Melissa put herself between the boys and Fowler, Bee's metallic hand adding an extra barrier. Bee buzzed and chirped a declaration, to which Fowler raised an eyebrow.

"He said that we're protecting them." Prowl translated.

"And who's gonna protect them from you?" Fowler questioned. "Your shrinking friend here may be safe from getting trampled, but I doubt these boys have such protection."

"Hey, fleshy!" Bulkhead snapped. "Did anyone get splattered on that freeway?"

He grabbed a mechanical arm off of a nearby table, ripping it free of its mooring and crushing it in his grip.

"Team Prime knows when to use force, and how much to use." he finished.

"Bulkhead, I needed that!" Ratchet shouted.

"Enough." Optimus interjected, turning back to Fowler. "Leave the Decepticons, and the boys to us."

Fowler looked less than thrilled with the idea.

"This isn't over, Prime." he declared, walking back to the elevator and shooting the bots a set of hard glares. "Not by a longshot."

The elevator closed at that, sending Fowler back up to the surface.

"Pretty big bearings, for a human." Bulkhead remarked,

"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, as he should be." Optimus told him.

"He also made a very good point." Ratchet pointed out. "These boys lack the protective shell Melissa has, putting them in as much danger here as anywhere."

"You didn't think that back when I was a fragile organic." Melissa quipped.

"You were in a specially designed biodome." Ratchet argued. "They are not. Should they get underfoot, they would go... squish."

Both boys shuddered at the idea.

"Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step." Optimus rationalized.