Transformers Prime: Shockwave Rises part 1

Transformers Prime: Shockwave Rises

Lunar Showdown part 1


"Optimus!" Ratchet's voice called over the intercom. "Come here! Quickly!"

Everyone was caught off guard by the urgency in Ratchet's voice. Did something happen to the others? The group didn't waste any time pondering and quickly hurried back to where Ratchet was, with Optimus, Smokescreen, and Bulkhead taking care not to step on their human charges. Soon they were gathered together, with Ratchet intensely focused on the monitor.

"Ratchet? Is something wrong?" Optimus asked.

"We don't know," Arcee said. "Ratchet looked at the computer screen and started glitching out."

"I was not glitching out, thank you very much," Ratchet growled. He pried his eyes away from the monitor to look at Optimus. "Optimus, we now have another problem. Apparently our scanners have just picked up an Autobot general distress beacon."

Everyone took a moment to digest this information. As usual, Miko was the first to break the silence.

"A new Autobot? SWEET!"

I'm starting to see why Slag can't stand her. Snarl thought to himself at Miko's outburst. Miko then made a face as she realized something.

"I don't see what's the problem. We got another guy to kick some Decepticon butt."

"It's a problem because there's someone in distress and because of our decreased manpower." Ratchet told her.

"Ratchet," Optimus addressed his medic solemnly. "Are you certain?"

Ratchet nodded as he beckoned his leader to the screen. "Without a doubt. This has to be an Autobot distress beacon."

"Are you sure?" Arcee asked, wincing a little as she shifted her leg. "As much as I'd like to welcome a new teammate, I don't want us walking into a Con trap."

"While that is a possibility," Optimus admitted. "We cannot risk a potential ally who may be in danger."

"Man, so many new Autobots," Miko squealed. "Wonder what this guy will be like."

Arcee snorted. "Well, he can't be any worse than these guys." She looked between the Dinobots and Smokescreen. Snarl snorted at her comment while Smokescreen looked confused.

"How come we didn't hear the alarm?" Jack asked.

Ratchet sighed as he looked at his feet guiltily. "I had set the volume on the computers in silence for procedures on Arcee, Bumblebee, and the Dinobots. I don't know how long the beacon has been flashing."

"Do no worry, old friend," Optimus told him. "What matters now is that we must find out if this beacon does belong to a comrade...or an enemy in disguise. Can you pinpoint the location of the beacon?"

Ratchet sighed again, but this time more in frustration. "I have. But you will not believe where it's coming from."

---

On Shockwave's ship, the scientist's attention was drawn to his computer alerting that it has received a transmission signal. Curious, Shockwave went over to it. His suspicion grew when he noticed it was a coded transmission. Someone wanted to talk to him privately. And logic pointed to only one bot he could think of.

"It would appear that Starscream is attempting to contact me."

"He must know you're on Earth," Ratbat figured. "And let me guess: He's gonna try and partner up with you to take down Megatron, isn't he?"

"That would be the most logical motive, coming from Starscream," Shockwave concurred. "He was always an opportunist in gaining power for himself. Weapons, allies, anything that he could and would use to his own advantage."

"Hmm. I sincerely doubt this is a trap. Starscream's probably been scrounging around ever since he got kicked out of the Decepticons." Ratbat chuckled. "The great Air Commander, reduced to a mere scavenger. Pathetic."

"You are in no position to talk, Ratbat."

Ratbat hissed angrily at Shockwave's reminder of his own condition. Oh, he was going to enjoy feasting on Megatron and Soundwave's fuel. "So what are you going to do, Shockwave? Humor him? Or will you tell Megatron where he is located?"

"I will hold off reporting to Megatron for the moment," Shockwave replied. "I am curious as to what Starscream hopes to accomplish by contacting me. If Starscream has useful information to offer, then he might be useful. If not..." He needn't finish his sentence. Ratbat chuckled.

"This is the perfect time to get the Apex Armor," Ratbat realized. "With that in our possession, no Autobot stands a chance against us."

"Indeed, there is a possibility Starscream will have the armor when I encounter him. I shall go and prepare accordingly." Shockwave was about to leave when he paused. "How is Astrotrain's progress coming along?"

"Not as good as we'd like," Ratbat snorted. "But given the conditions, it's to be expected."

"There was a 72% likelihood of delays for Astrotrain's task. His material shipments are very few for security reasons," Shockwave replied. "But the task will not be impossible. The Autobots are completely unaware of what I am planning and by the time they do, it shall be far too late."

---

In the Autobot base, everyone was practically gaping after Ratchet told them where the signal was coming from.

Jack shook his head. "Wait, wait a minute. The signal's coming from where?"

Ratchet expected everyone to disbelieve his news but it still irritated him all the same.

"The Autobot signal is coming from the moon."

"The moon?" Miko asked. "An Autobot is on the moon? Awesome!"

"But how did they get there?" Raf asked.

"Must've been shot down during a battle with the Cons," Snarl figured.

"But...how are you guys going to get there?" Jack asked. "I mean sure there was that one time you made it into space but..."

"We may have no other choice," Ratchet told the boy. "Even if Swoop was in flying condition and capable of traveling in space, he wouldn't be enough to get a fellow Autobot and bring them back."

"What about Agent Fowler?" Raf asked.

"I don't think he'd be able to arrange a sudden trip to the moon," Arcee spoke up. "Plus the Cons would probably figure out something's up."

"Great," Jack groaned. "So, we're gonna try the ground bridge into space thing again?"

"We have no other option," Optimus admitted.

"Hopefully the Energon Grimlock managed to hoard can boost the ground bridge's power," Ratchet theorized. "Hopefully."

"Either way, we're gonna need to save that Bot before the Cons get to him," said Bulkhead.

"So, I'm assuming you'll be volunteering on this mission, Bulkhead?" Optimus asked.

Bulkhead nodded. "Fellow Bot could be in trouble."

"I'd like to come along too," Smokescreen offered.

Optimus looked at both of them and nodded. "Ratchet, you may need to accompany them. We do not know if our comrade may be in need of immediate medical attention."

"Understood, Optimus," Ratchet said.

"I've always wanted to moonwalk," said Miko enthusiastically.

"Whoa, Miko," said Bulkhead. "Are you sure about this? This is the moon we're talking about."

"Yeah, I know that, Bulkhead. That's why I wanna go!" Miko replied.

"I've always wanted to see the lunar surface up close," said Raf.

"And Jack's been to Cybertron! At least let us come to the moon!" said Miko.

"That would not be wise, Miko," Optimus told her. "Space is not a safe place."

"Come on, Optimus," Miko whined. "It's just the moon. What, you think the Cons are gonna be up there collecting moon rocks or something? It was safe for that Armstrong guy wasn't it?"

"That was years ago, Miko." Raf said.

"All I'm saying," Miko argued, "Is that the moon is totally safe. What's the worse that could happen?"

Famous last words, Everyone in the room thought to themselves.

"Please, Optimus!" Miko pleaded, even giving him that puppy dog look human girls were known for. It worked on Bulkhead pretty well.

"Miko..." Optimus knew that this had become routine. He was fond of the humans, he truly was, but Miko's constant desire to be at the front of danger was quite the tiresome experience.

"Who knows?" She added. "Something might happen that you'll need some human help with."

Ratchet scoffed. He sincerely doubted that they would require a human's aid in this little mission.

Optimus frowned as he looked at the children then at Jack. Jack was the one who'd risked his life to bring him back when his memories were erased. He really, really didn't want to put the humans in danger but they had proven themselves capable on more than one occasion. Besides, it was just the moon after all. And, albeit with great reluctance and hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, Optimus conceded.

"Jack, you will accompany Smokescreen, Ratchet, and Bulkhead to meet with and greet our new Autobot comrade," said Optimus. "But keep your communicators on. At any signs of danger, request an emergency ground bridge, immediately."

Me?" Jack asked.

"WHAT?!" Miko cried. "How come Jack gets to go?"

"We only have one space suit available," Optimus explained.

"Besides, I think the Jack kid's more responsible than you are," Snarl said coldly.

Miko glared at Snarl. Jack on the other hand was surprised that one of the Dinobots thought that way about him. He wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment or not but he was gonna take it as one.

Ratchet sighed. "I'll go count how much Energon we can spare."

Arcee grabbed Smokescreen's arm and pulled him aside for a little chat.

"OK, Smokescreen. I'm putting Jack's life in your hands. If anything bad happens to him, I'm holding you responsible," she threatened.

Smokescreen smiled good-naturedly. "Don't worry, Arcee. I won't let anything happen to him."

"You really want Jack to come along, boss bot?" Bulkhead asked Optimus in amazement.

"It is with a heavy spark that I do so," Optimus admitted. "But something tells me that he can be helpful in this endeavor."

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about the Cons showing up. I mean, this new guy's on the moon. What would the Decepticons want on the moon?"

---

It took a bit of time but Optimus informed Agent Fowler that they had detected one of their own on the moon. Predictably, Agent Fowler discussed what options they had for getting there and admitted that arranging a space travel normally would waste time and possibly alert the Cons. He was a little surprised that Optimus was allowing Jack to come along to the moon but like Bulkhead, he figured that there was nothing of value for the Decepticons on the moon and agreed. It was a bit of a hassle for him to make some time to get to the base but he was able to in in the end. Raf was a bit bummed that he couldn't come along but understood the reasoning. At least he had Bumblebee to keep him company.

"Don't worry, Raf," Jack said as he got ready. "I'll make sure to bring you back some moon rocks."

"Really?" Raf asked excitedly. "Thanks!"

Arcee was still feeling a bit nervous, even if she didn't want to admit it. She and Jack were pretty close and to see him partnered with someone else was...weird. Maybe it was just because it was Smokescreen. The guy was a reckless newbie who was practically asking for something bad to happen. Sure Bulkhead had a habit of breaking things but at least he made an effort to be careful.

Fowler looked over at the Autobot leader. "You sure the Cons won't find the Autobot signal, Prime?"

"The beacon is on a secure line," Optimus reassured. "The Decepticons should not be able to detect it."

"Should isn't as good as can't, Prime," Fowler told him. "I'm all up for having another able bodied member to the team but the location is what worries me."

"Well, the moon's pretty tame in comparison to Cybertron," Jack told him.

"Still..." Fowler said.

"Don't worry, Fowler," Bulkhead said. "Just a simple trip to the moon, check on the new guy, and bring him back. Easy."

"Wonder if you will run into any Decepticons on the moon," Miko said, getting excited by the minute even though she wasn't going. "A moon battle! Totally sci-fi! Oh! Make sure you write something on the moon while you're there!"

"Uh, Miko, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Jack said nervously, imagining all the different things Miko would probably want him to write if she got the chance.

"I shall stay behind in case the Decepticons attempt anything on Earth," Optimus said.

"By yourself?" Arcee asked.

Optimus simply nodded his head. Everyone felt a pretty heavy weight on their shoulders now. Sure he was Optimus Prime but still, even he had to have his limits.

"We'll get back as soon as we can," Ratchet assured his leader as he started up the space bridge.

"Arcee and Bumblebee will be under my care till Ratchet comes back," Snarl said.

Ratchet started up the ground bridge. The familiar swirling portal opened before them. Smokescreen and Bulkhead transformed into their alt-modes. Jack hopped into the former.

"Good luck, old friend," Optimus told his medic.

Ratchet nodded and transformed into his ambulance mode before driving off.

"Think they'll be alright?" Arcee asked worriedly.

"One can only hope, Arcee," Optimus replied.

---

On the other side of the ground bridge, the three Autobots and Jack found themselves on the moon. Smokescreen opened his car door and Jack cautiously walked out. Sure he might've been on Cybertron but at least that world had better gravity. Almost the instant they had left the space bridge Jack felt himself become extremely light. And it was confirmed the moment he stepped out of Smokescreen. The classical floating in the air before slowly descending down. He turned and found himself gazing at the Earth. He was taken aback by how beautiful the planet looked. And a little intimidated by how big it seemed.

"Optimus, this is Ratchet. We have made it to the moon with no difficulties. So far. We'll start our search now. Keep the channels open."

"So this is the Earth's moon," Smokescreen said as he adjusted himself. "A lot more barren than I imagined."

"I'll say," Bulkhead said, finding himself occupied with how much lighter he felt. "Nothing like the moon bases back at Cybertron." He looked over at Ratchet. "Uh...Doc? You sure we aren't gonna suddenly fly into space or something?"

Jack cringed. That was something that he was kind of afraid of.

Ratchet sighed, fighting the urge to put his face in his hands as he looked at his scanner for the Autobot signal. ""Bul head," He saind in a very exasperated tone, "You obviously haven't been on Cybertron's smallest moon...because it's the exact same gravity as this moon has. This moon's gravity is low enough for us to not be as heavy as we are on Earth, but it's not so low that we do anything like float away."

"As long as we don't get blasted into the air or something," Smokescreen added. Bulkhead and Jack both glared at him. "What?"

"Not helping," Jack and Bulkhead said simultaneously, then looked at each other in surprise.

"I can't believe this," Ratchet groaned. "What am I, your instructor? If you three are done, we need to find the source of this signal," Ratchet said. "According to my scanners, it seems to be coming from over there." The medic started heading off with the others in close pursuit. Jack noticed the direction they heading was engulfed in one big shadow.

"Seems to be coming from the dark side of the moon," Jack said.

"Dark side?" Smokescreen asked.

"When the moon rotates one side is always facing toward the Earth while the other is always facing away. The side facing away from the Earth is always in darkness since it never reflects any sunlight, hence the name." Jack explained.

"Huh," Smokescreen said. "Cool name though."

---

Back at the base, the rest of the team relaxed the moment Ratchet assured them everything was alright.

"They made it," Arcee said in relief.

"I still can't believe Jack got to go," Miko pouted, annoyed that Jack got to go on another off-world trip instead of her.

"Well, you two are checked out," Snarl said after examining Bumblebee. "I patched up any of your damaged parts but you still could use some rest for a bit before going back into action. Jumping in too soon will only make your injuries worse."

"Thanks, Snarl," Arcee said with Bumblebee beeping in agreement. Snarl shrugged and went back to looking at Swoop. Arcee's face softened again. "Is there anything I can do to help him?"

Snarl looked at Arcee and saw the way she was looking at Swoop. He was sure that if his buddy was conscious, the flyer would be a stuttering mess that the femme he liked was worried about her. Amused somewhat at the thought, Snarl spoke. "While I'd prefer having Ratchet here, I need someone to be able to help me keep Swoop's wing steady while I try to reattach it. From the looks of things, we're gonna have to do a welding procedure. Luckily Swoop's being in shut down mode helps things. Take my advice, you never want to be online during one of those."

Arcee nodded. Anything to help Swoop out.

---

Meanwhile, Starscream was waiting for Shockwave to appear. He had scheduled a rendezvous point, not wanting Shockwave to learn about him finding the Harbinger. Starscream was getting impatient. It's not that Shockwave was actually late for their meeting but Starscream's eagerness was once again getting the better of him.

His attention was drawn by the sound of roaring engines. He looked up into the sky and noticed Shockwave, in his all too familiar alt-mode flying, towards him. Starscream scowled, being reminded once again that he was currently unable to fly. Then he noticed something else that was interesting. There was another figure flying alongside Shockwave. It appeared to be some kind of Earth jet with a purple and white color scheme. Starscream knew it obviously had to be a Decepticon. So Shockwave had brought extra forces had he? Which one?

Soon Shockwave and the mysterious jet flew towards him. Shockwave transformed, towering in his robot mode. Ah yes, Starscream remembered how Shockwave had upgraded his body after one particularly nasty encounter with Grimlock. The same incident that caused Shockwave to replace his arm with the powerful cannon he now wielded. Starscream considered rubbing it in Shockwave's face the fact that he had managed to trash Grimlock's entire team where Shockwave couldn't. The jet transformed into a new robot that Starscream knew all too well.

"Ah, Blitzwing," he greeted. "It has been quite some time since we last saw each other."

"Not long enough, you pile of scrap," Blitzwing snorted.

Starscream ignored him and faced Shockwave instead. "I am grateful that you took the time to see me, Shockwave. Though I didn't expect you to bring some reinforcements."

"The chances of you attempting to attack me were a mere 65%," Shockwave said. "But you never fight fair, Starscream. Having some assistance was only logical."

"Yes, you always did follow what you believed to be logical, Shockwave," Starscream noted.

"Yeah, while you always believe you are right despite making yourself look like an idiot all the time," Blitzwing sneered.

Starscream growled at the insult.

"Calm yourself, Blitzwing," Shockwave chided him. "Starscream has made considerable effort in attempts to contact me without Megatron's knowledge. I do hope that your reasons are substantial."

Starscream smiled. This was all working in his favor. He pulled a data disk from behind his back. "All the answers you need, Shockwave, are on this disk. They contain evidence of the great Megatron's more...questionable endeavors."

Shockwave focused his gaze at the disk.

"Probably just a bunch of junk," Blitzwing snorted. "Starscream'll do anything to kiss up to his betters."

"Silence, triple changer!" Starscream barked. "This is between me and Shockwave."

"What are you gonna do?" Blitzwing challenged. "You could never fight your own battles, you coward!"

"Enough, Blitzwing!" Shockwave ordered. He looked back at the disk. "It would be illogical for me to immediately trust you, Starscream. Though I am quite curious you could possibly possess to turn against Megatron." Starscream faked a look of surprise. "Do not try to fool me, Starscream. While some of your actions are unpredictable, your goal has always been the same."

Starscream scowled despite himself. Shockwave's ability to predict one's actions was often quite frustrating. "I can assure you, Shockwave, once you see what is on that disk, you shall agree with me about Megatron."

---

Back on the moon, the three Autobots had transformed into their car modes again and were driving off to the moon's dark side. Jack couldn't help but enjoy the awesomeness that he was actually driving on the moon. Okay, Smokescreen was doing the actual driving but hey, all the same really. Still, it an,did feel a lot different from riding with Arcee. And not just the fact that Smokescreen was a car and Arcee was a motorcycle. It was just so strange...maybe he was just missing her, that was all.

"Now this is dark," Smokescreen commented. He and the other Autobots were forced to rely on their headlights to see through the dark of the moon. The light from the distant stars wasn't quite enough to illuminate the vast darkness of their surroundings. It was so dark that Jack was sure that without any light, he wouldn't be able to see his own hand in front of his face.

"The signal is becoming stronger. We should be getting closer," Ratchet told the others.

"Who do you think it could be?" Jack asked aloud. The communications channel was open among the group.

"Wouldn't mind if it was another Wrecker," Bulkhead said eagerly. "Been a while since I've seen the gang."

"I've heard of the Wreckers," Smokescreen said. "They were some of the best heavy hitters alongside the Dinobots."

Ratchet on the other hand was less enthusiastic. Bulkhead and Wheeljack were a handful enough without a third Wrecker thrown into the mix.

"There!" Ratchet sped off in the direction of the signal, with the other two Autobots quickly following him. Bulkhead's alt-mode was actually ideal for handling the moon's rough terrain. Smokescreen, whose alt-mode was meant for speed, had to watch himself, lest he wind up driving into one of the moon's craters. And with how dark this side was...it was a possibility.

Soon Ratchet came to a stop, transforming back into his alt-mode. The other two stopped and transformed, Smokescreen waiting until Jack got out before doing so. The three Autobots activated light features on their arms while Jack activated his suit's light.

"From what my scanners show, the signal is coming from right over..."

Before them stood a large crater. They could tell from their lights illuminating the rim. One more step and they would've fallen in. This crater obviously stood out from the rest the moon had. At least from what they could see.

"This must've been the crash site," Bulkhead said. "I can't tell how big it is but," he spotted a part of the rim not too far in front of him. "Must've been some crash."

"I hope this Autobot is alright," Jack said.

Cautiously, the darkness making them quite wary, the four descended. It was rather easy, given the moon's low gravity and they soon touched the bottom of the crater.

"I really hope this doesn't turn out to be a Decepticon ambush," Jack muttered, looking around as if expecting some Insecticons or so to just suddenly spring out of nowhere.

"You and me both, Jack," Bulkhead admitted. He loved a good fight, yeah, but all this darkness was giving him the creeps.

"The signal is coming from just up ahead," Ratchet told the group.

And then they saw it. A ship or maybe a jet of some kind. Bigger than Starscream or Soundwave's jet modes at least. Obviously Cybertronian. Besides, how else could a jet...thing get all the way to the moon? Ratchet went over to it.

"Is this him?" Smokescreen asked.

"Yes," Ratchet said as he examined the ship. He spotted the Autobot insignia. His scanners showing that the signal was coming from this ship was obvious enough.

"So...is he inside the ship or is he the ship?" Jack asked, not able to tell the difference.

"It's an Aerialbot," Ratchet explained. "I've patched them up enough times back on Cybertron to recognize the structure."

"Anyone you know personally?" Jack asked.

"I'm unable to tell at the moment," Ratchet said.

"He seems pretty banged up," Bulkhead said.

"On the other hand, we got another flyer," Smokescreen pointed out. "That'll help us big time."

"Only once we've got him back online," said Ratchet.

"Is he in stasis lock or something, Doc-Bot?" Smokescreen asked.

Bulkhead answered, "He's either in stasis lock or just powered down."

Jack asked, "Is there anyway to get him out of it?"

Ratchet answered, "Not until we get him back to the lab; with the tools I need to get him back online."

Just then Bulkhead shifted. Jack noticed. "Something up, Bulkhead?"

"I thought I saw something."

Ratchet and Smokescreen both looked at the Wrecker. "Saw what?" Smokescreen asked. "There's darkness everywhere."

Bulkhead started walking a little distance ahead of the group.

"Where are you going?" Ratchet asked.

Bulkhead's steady walk started to pick up pace. And soon it actually broke out into running. Due to Bulkhead's...bulk, it was quite a surprise to see him move so fast. Smokescreen and Jack pursued him.

"Where are you all going?" Ratchet asked. "Get back here!" Snarling with anger, Ratchet knelt down and went back to examining the Aerialbot, particularly his armor. "I'm surprised at how well he's sustained his damage. The impact of the crash should have caused a lot more than this." He did a scan. "Stasis locked but still functional. To be honest, I'm surprised that he's even functional at all." Then he spotted some out of the corner of his optics. "What's this?" He got a closer look. It seemed something was wedged in some cracks of the armor. He reached out and slightly opened the cracks. He frowned. "It seems I've found the problem."

Lodged in the crack of the armor was none other than a shard of dark Energon.

Bulkhead's voice on his communicator caught his attention. And Bulkhead sounded really, really panicked. "...oh, scrap. Uh, Ratchet, I think you might wanna see this."

Ratchet groaned. "Oh, what did you break now, Bulkhead?" he muttered as he stood back up. "What could you break?" Transforming into his ambulance mode, Ratchet sped off to wherever it was Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and Jack had gone to. He managed to make out the lights of the latter two and quickly transformed. In this darkness, he didn't want to risk stepping on Jack.

"Bulkhead, we have a situation regarding our fellow Autobot and I don't have time for..." But the words died the moment he saw what the other three were looking at. What he was seeing before his eyes was a base and it was obvious from the insignia who it belonged to.

"No way," Jack felt his knees get weak. "The Decepticons are on the moon?!"

---

Sure enough, the Decepticons were in the process of setting a moon base. Overlooking everything...was Astrotrain.

Astrotrain was standing next to a pair of Vehicon's looking at a manifest.

"I don't care about construction delays. Even if you can't get the right material from Earth for construction purposes, Shockwave wants this Energon storehouse finished quickly. If you can't finish the building on time then dig a cave. We can secure our shipments in until you guys finish construction."

One of the Vehicons spoke timidly, "But a cave would take longer to shape correctly to serve as a bunker. We have a shortage of metal to use as supports as well to construct the frame of our warehouse."

That caused Astrotrain to pause for a bit, trying to think of a response. Eventually, he caved. After all, this kinda stuff was meant for the Constructicons, not him. "Okay, fine. I'll make a call and..."

But he was interrupted by another Vehicon, "Astrotrain! One of our patrols just found an Autobot group just outside this base's perimeter!"

Taken aback by the news of Autobots on the moon, Astrotrain soon gave a wicked sneer, "Finally. I'm not good at all with this management work but this is something I am good at. Let's smash some Autobot heads!"

---

With the small group...

"Optimus!" Ratchet called into his communicator. "We have a situation here! We found where the signal was coming from, an Aerialbot, though I am currently unable to identify him. But we have also discovered something. The Decepticons seemed to have set up some sort of base of operations on the moon!"

In the base, the Autobots were all shocked.

"The Decepticons are trying to take over the moon?" Miko asked in confusion.

"Who would've thought to look for Decepticon activity off-world?" Arcee pointed out.

Optimus frowned. "This is most likely Shockwave's doing."

"Must have decided to expand," Snarl said. He had been preparing for the surgery on Swoop when Ratchet contacted them. "We've fought that guy enough cycles to know the way he thinks."

Optimus said nothing for a moment. "How is our comrade?"

"In stasis lock," Ratchet said grimly. "And what's worse, I found a shard of dark Energon in him."

Everyone was really worried now.

"Dark Energon?" Snarl asked. "I thought that stuff was just a myth."

"It is very real, Snarl," Optimus told him, "And very dangerous."

"So far the Dark Energon has not seemed to have affected him," Ratchet informed. "But I need to find a way to remove the shard before it does."

"Are you able to at least move him?" Optimus asked.

"Yes but it will require utmost care. We will have to attempt transporting him without the Decepticons being alerted to our presence."

As Ratchet said this, Jack spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see something in the sky. A space shuttle. He panicked. A space shuttle? He hoped the darkness here would hide him and the Autobots. They couldn't afford to be seen. Or worse, what if the shuttle was spotted by the Cons?

But Jack noticed something else. The shuttle seemed to be...heading right towards them? Then his eyes widened when he saw gun ports pop out. Gun ports? Shuttles don't have gun ports!

"Incoming!" He shouted. The Autobots looked up in time to see the shuttle firing at them! Quickly, they scatted to avoid the blasts. The shuttle flew overhead. The Autobots wondered what it was doing when the shuttle opened and Vehicons started pouring out of it.

"This is bad," Jack muttered. "Very bad."

"I don't know how you Autobots found out about our base," A voice from the shuttle said, "But it's the end of the line!" The shuttle suddenly transformed into a towering robot that landed next to the Vehicons. Jack couldn't believe it. The shuttle was a Decepticon. And a huge one at that!

"I recognize you," Bulkhead growled. "Astrotrain. Was hoping never to see your ugly mug again."

Astrotrain laughed. "Bulkhead. Had a little run-in with your buddy Wheeljack a while back. I'm going to enjoy this!"

Astrotrain and his minions started firing at the Autobots and human.

"Take cover!" Bulkhead cried.

"No need to tell me!" Smokescreen shouted back, quickly scooping Jack up in his arms to help him get away. The group dove into one of the moon's larger craters for cover.

"Typical," Ratchet said dryly.

To Be Continued