Author's Notes: Hi everyone! I've been really inspired to write TFP lately, and this is the first chapter I've managed to finish since the month began. I don't know why it takes me so long to update this story every time! It's a good story, but it takes me a while to formulate my thoughts. I've really been inspired to write for "My Spark Still Shines", but that chapter is going to be long so it might take a while. I hope you guys are keeping safe during this coronavirus outbreak. I might already have it, so I have to stay inside for a while. Take care of yourselves, and I hope you enjoy this latest chapter of "If Only For a Moment" :)

Chapter 7

To Deceive

In the medbay on board the Nemesis, Knockout was busy repairing Bulkhead's wounded shoulder. Breakdown had regained consciousness and was mopping the floor since his and Bulkhead's energon had gotten all over it. Bulkhead hadn't said a word ever since they returned, which was unlike him.

"I can't wait until I'm done fixing you. Then maybe I can repair these unsightly scratches," Knockout said in disgust as he looked at his scarred frame, "Megatron will have our helms for this. No Airachnid, no Autobot femme...nothing to show for all our hard work."

"You think he'll sic Skyquake and Dreadwing on us?" Breakdown asked nervously.

"He'll probably ship us back to Cybertron to serve as Shockwave's test subjects," Knockout shivered involuntarily after saying that, "Eugh! We have got to figure out a way to get back into Megatron's good graces, and quickly!"

"Maybe if we brought back some energon," Breakdown suggested.

"We don't have any energon, and Soundwave will never let us use the ground bridge. Not after this," Knockout replied hopelessly, "Soundwave hates Airachnid as much as the rest of us, which means he's probably as angry with us as Megatron is. Face it, we're finished."

"Hey guys?" Bulkhead suddenly piped up, "I've never...met that Autobot femme before, right?"

"You mean before the first time we saw her?" Knockout asked rhetorically, "No. Why?"

"She said something weird. Something I can't quite figure out," Bulkhead replied; baffled, "She said the Bulkhead she knew doesn't talk so much. That phrase keeps running through my head...the Bulkhead she knew. Is there some other mech running around with my name? Do you think someone stole my identity?"

"Pfft, no one would want your identity. We're losers, remember?" Breakdown snorted playfully.

"Yeah, I know," Bulkhead agreed without taking offense, "But something was weird about that chick. It was like she knew me, but she didn't know me, and I don't know her, and I don't know what that means. Knockout, you're smart. What does it mean?"

"Hm...her Bulkhead..." Knockout pondered his friend's question for a moment, and both of the larger mechs waited with anticipation to see what theory Knockout came up with, "...Could be time travel. Shockwave was working on that."

"But he wouldn't give that tech to the Autobots," Breakdown pointed out.

"Uh...Maybe a clone?" Bulkhead suggested.

"Another Bulkhead and not another Breakdown? I doubt the Autobots are that creative," Knockout scoffed, "Perhaps inter-dimensional travel. It's unlikely, but not unprecedented."

"What are you talking about?" Bulkhead asked.

"It was several hundred vorns ago," Knockout explained, "But during the Battle of Technar Soundwave tried to open a ground bridge at the same time someone in the same location in another dimension opened their ground bridge, and it resulted in a mech from our dimension being pulled through, and the portal spitting out that mech's counterpart. No one has ever figured out how to send a mech back. The Decepticons tried everything...at first."

"What do you mean 'at first'?" Bulkhead inquired.

"I mean the Decepticons decided we preferred our new prize as opposed to the crazed mech that we lost. The inter-dimensional counterpart was smarter than our dimension's mech, stronger, and resulted in fewer casualties for our side."

"Whoa. Who could make that much of a difference?" Breakdown asked.

"It doesn't matter," Knockout replied cryptically, "It's really not for us to discuss anyway. We should just look for another chance to redeem ourselves before Megatron."

Knockout then pointed to a hidden camera in the ceiling, one of Soundwave's listening devices, and the others understood perfectly. Soundwave didn't want them talking about what was likely classified Decepticon intel. The whole thing made Bulkhead's helm hurt. The femme could be from another dimension? That was a lot to take in, especially with the knowledge that someone in either the Autobots or Decepticons wasn't supposed to be in their dimension, and that someone from their dimension had been gone for hundreds of vorns without anyone noticing. That thought was kind of creepy to Bulkhead.

"I still say we should try to convince Soundwave to let us use a ground bridge," Breakdown insisted, getting back to weightier subjects, "We need to pull off a raid if we're gonna keep Megatron happy, and with the Autobots babysitting Airachnid they won't even have time to stop us."

"Well, that is a good selling point..." Knockout admitted, "Alright. We'll try to convince Soundwave, but not before I buff out these horrible scratches."

The scene before her felt utterly surreal to Arcee, which frankly was a word that described most of what had happened to her since she came to this dimension. Airachnid, her tormentor and the grim reaper of countless alien species, was sitting on a medical berth with her servos chained together and her many spindly legs clamped like the wings of a captured seeker.

"So, she's a bad guy?" Raf asked Bumblebee.

[Yeah, she almost caused the Autobots' destruction at one point,] Bumblebee explained.

"What did he say?" Sierra asked Raf.

"He says she's pretty bad," Raf replied succinctly, "Arcee, you seem really tense. Did you know your universe's version of...Airachnid, right?"

"Yeah, that's her name," Arcee replied; an edge in her voice, "The Airachnid from my universe terminated my partner, Tailgate. I worked with him before I met Cliffjumper. Airachnid also tried to kill Jack and his mother, not to mention the many species she drove to extinction for her own amusement."

"Yikes!" Sierra exclaimed, "Yeah, I can see why you're not too thrilled to see her then. I wouldn't be either. It's still weird to think of Jack Darby as the kid you had all your adventures with though. Your universe actually sounds kinda terrifying. I mean, being chased by a giant spider lady? Doesn't exactly sound like my idea of fun."

"Funny. I was starting to think of your universe as the terrifying one," Arcee smiled wryly, "I mean, my version of Optimus Prime is a pussycat compared to yours, and Bulkhead works for the 'Cons. Not to mention the scariest thing of all."

"What's that?" Raf gulped.

Arcee leaned in closer, as if she was going to share something confidential she had learned about their world.

"Scariest of all," Arcee whispered conspiratorially, "Is that Ratchet actually likes being around humans."

She then winked at them, and Sierra started laughing. Raf just looked confused however.

"You mean your Ratchet doesn't like us?" Raf asked in a voice that almost sounded hurt.

"Well sure, he likes you," Arcee clarified, "But he doesn't like earth or its technology. I just think he's homesick."

"And why wouldn't he be?" Cliffjumper interjected, "Ratchet's the oldest one among us. He remembers when Cybertron was a beautiful and fun place to live, instead of a scraplet hive with an Insecticon chaser."

Arcee snorted, partly in laughter and partly as a way to scold her immature partner, but he did have a point. The older mechs among them like Ratchet and Optimus had better memories of Cybertron than she did. All Arcee could remember was war. She was a sparkling when the war began, and she had been trained for battle her entire life. That was one reason she liked earth so much. To see innocent humans having fun and living life. It made her feel young again.

Arcee was about to say something else, when she heard Airachnid in the medbay loudly say, "Alright, doctor! You've checked my storage compartments, my extra appendages, and my armor. I have no weapons. Now, could you let me out of these ridiculous restraints? I have no reason to harm any of you. After all, where else would I go?"

"That's never stopped a Decepticon before," Ratchet grumbled, "Besides, what is harmless to us could be dangerous to the humans."

"Okay, first, I'm not a Decepticon anymore," Airachnid hissed irately, "And second, I don't care one way or another about the humans. They are merely creatures that exist; nothing more. You can squish them, cuddle them, lob them at each other, I don't care! Just stop treating me like the spawn of Megatron and release me!"

"You're not Megatron's spawn," Optimus corrected, "You're his toy."

"Not, I'm not," Airachnid calmly refuted, "He thought I was a little too...used. He didn't want your germs to infect him."

Optimus balled his fists and growled, and Airachnid smirked triumphantly. Seeing them like this made Arcee feel uneasy. Optimus was very hot tempered for a Prime, and Airachnid having been his former...partner. Well, Arcee still wasn't used to the idea. Even with the restraints, Arcee still thought Airachnid looked dangerous.

"Now if we're done playing this silly little game," Airachnid continued, "I'm quite tired from my long orn and would like to get some recharge. Perhaps one of your lackeys could show me to my suite?"

Bumblebee beeped something insulting at her, and Cliffjumper frowned at the spider's callous attitude. Optimus merely crossed his arms and narrowed his optics at Airachnid for a stiflingly quiet moment.

"Cliffjumper," Optimus finally spoke, "Show Airachnid to the brig."

"Whoa, wait! You guys have a brig?" Arcee asked incredulously.

"Sure do," Cliffjumper replied as if it were a point of pride, "We converted one of the spare berth rooms. We, uh...didn't need the space."

The last part was muttered so quietly that Arcee almost didn't catch it. Cliffjumper didn't want to talk about it, but the truth was Team Prime was desperately small. They already didn't have enough Autobots to defend the earth properly, but then when Starscream killed...it wasn't just a blow to Cliffjumper, but to the Autobot cause itself. They needed every Autobot they could get. He just hoped Arcee would understand...if she ever discovered the truth.

Ratchet wasn't researching how to send Arcee home. Prime's orders. They needed Arcee, any Arcee, even this one. If they were ever going to stop Megatron from conquering the earth and Cybertron, then they would have to use whatever means they had at their disposal to eradicate the Decepticons.

As Cliffjumper locked away a still-bound Airachnid he sighed tiredly and tried to convince himself that this was okay. Arcee was his best friend. Surely she would understand. Despite the nagging guilt however Cliffjumper knew they were doing the right thing. Not only would Arcee help them defeat Megatron, but he would have his best friend back for good.

Breakdown and Bulkhead drove through the ground bridge in vehicle mode to a building just outside Tokyo. It was the dead of night, which made their travels that much easier. There was a research facility in this region that was studying Cybertronian life. The Autobots worked with these sniveling humans in hopes of earning their friendship, but the Decepticons knew that was a fool's errand. The only way to deal with the humans was to squash them whenever they got in the way and force them into submission when they were useful.

"So what do you think this geek lab is working on?" Bulkhead asked as they parked in front of the building.

"Dunno," Breakdown replied, "But if Soundwave was willing to let us use the ground bridge for this it must be important. Shame Knockout couldn't come with us."

"Eh, we can handle it," Bulkhead replied confidently, "We're the Bash Bros. They call for backup, and we call for cleanup!"

"Yeah!" Breakdown cheered, "Death to our enemies!"

"And long live the Decepticons," Bulkhead finished for him, "Yeah. Whatever's in here, we're gonna be heroes when we bring it back to Megatron."

With these thoughts of glory in mind, the two grunts drove to the back of the facility and idled. Breakdown started scanning the building to find the most valuable room, but then...

"Hey Bulkhead? Do you feel something funny?" Breakdown suddenly asked.

"Funny? Funny how?" Bulkhead asked in reply.

"It feels like something wet is being lightly dusted on by back doors," Breakdown replied, "Like...a spay can or something."

Bulkhead scanned Breakdown to see what was going on, and then had to suppress a chuckle when he found the source of his friend's discomfort.

"Uh, Breaky, don't look now, but there's a parasite near your back bumper," Bulkhead snickered.

"Parasite? What!?" Breakdown exclaimed in panic.

Breakdown then adjusted his mirrors to see what Bulkhead was talking about and sure enough, there was a human girl spray painting graffiti on his freshly buffed door!

"Oh, pit no!" Breakdown shouted indignantly.

Breakdown then transformed, and the human gasped and looked up at him with wide brown eyes. Breakdown grabbed the offending human in his fist and shone his headlights in her face, and Bulkhead transformed after him since their cover was practically blown.

"Breakdown! They're gonna see us!" Bulkhead hissed.

"I don't care!" Breakdown snapped, "Squishy, I'm gonna give you ten seconds to explain yourself before I rip you in half!"

"Who, me?" The human asked innocently.

"Yeah, you! You stupid human!" Breakdown screamed.

"Oh my gosh! You're a mecha! A real live mecha!" The human exclaimed happily; not exactly the reaction Breakdown had been hoping for, "Have you ever torn down a city block? Do you have any weapons? What's your favorite metal? Do you like music? Can you feel love? Can you feel anything? Tell me everything!"

"Frag, hurry up and squish it, Breakdown," Bulkhead groused, "That thing's annoying as slag."

"So...you're not scared of me?" Breakdown asked the human.

"Why? Should I be?" The human asked mischievously, "Oh oh oh! Are you gonna try to eat me or something? Maybe throw me across the sky! Man, that would quite a way to go! Flying in the air like a freaking bird! Woo!"

"Breakdown, kill it!" Bulkhead whined, "My audials hurt!"

"I'm just curious," Breakdown replied to the human instead, "What exactly were you trying to write on my door?"

"Huh? Oh, right! My artwork! Heh heh, I forgot about that," The human simpered, "Yeah, well, I thought you were my dad's car, and I was trying to...I painted a 79 on the side. Sorry."

"What for?" Breakdown asked curiously, and Bulkhead groaned at the delay.

"Because I got a 79 on my stupid algebra test," The human explained, "My dad said it wasn't good enough, and that I couldn't go to the rock climbing wall this week because my grades weren't good enough. I embarrass him, I know it! My parents want me to be this perfect little test taking robot! Uh, no offense."

"None taken. We're not good at tests either," Breakdown smirked, "In fact, my buddy and I weren't even allowed to go to school back on our home planet before the war."

"You're from another planet? Sweet!" The human squealed, "What I wouldn't give to live on your planet. Fighting bad guys and shooting stuff instead of taking stupid boring tests to keep my stupid boring parents happy. They never let me do anything! I'm pretty sure the only reason they let me do that exchange program thing a few months ago was to get rid of me for a while. Maybe if they'd just accept I'd rather be off on adventures or painting instead of learning calculus or history then maybe we'd get along better."

"Why are we listening to this?" Bulkhead asked Breakdown.

"Ah, come on. She's cute," Breakdown replied, "And she's vengeful. I like that."

"Really?" The human asked, "Cool. I like you guys too. Name's Miko, by the way. Nakadai Miko."

"I'm Breakdown, and this is Bulkhead," Breakdown introduced themselves, "We're here on a mission from our master, Megatron."

"What kinda mission?" Miko asked gamely, "You top secret spies? Oh, or maybe you're battle droids!"

"We're Decepticons, you stupid kid!" Bulkhead snapped, "Breakdown, we're making too much noise. If we don't come back with something good Megatron's gonna peel our paint. Now stop playing with the flesh bag and let's go!"

"Wait! I can help!" Miko suddenly exclaimed, "Please, take me with you! I've always wanted to explore an alien world."

"Well..." Breakdown pondered.

"Well?" Bulkhead repeated incredulously, "No! We don't need a human! Even if we did, why would we take the little delinquent that painted your door?"

"Because she's a loser, just like us," Breakdown grinned, "Besides, I've always wanted a pet."

"I don't have to go to the bathroom in a litter box, do I?" Miko asked.

"We'll see," Breakdown replied half-jokingly, "Now, you wanna work for us? You're gonna have to prove yourself. We need some top secret research from inside that lab. Sneak in, grab some files, and come back. If you need backup, just holler. We'll hear you."

"You got it, boss!" Miko replied excitedly, "I've always wanted to do espionage work. I'll be just like a secret agent."

"Some secret agent," Bulkhead snorted, "You're louder than an Autobot in Vortex's torture chamber."

"You got fifteen minutes, kid," Breakdown told Miko, "Don't let us down."

Miko nodded vigorously and then ran into the facility. Her dad worked there, so she already knew the access codes. After the 'Cons watched the spunky human run into the building Bulkhead turned his skeptical optics on Breakdown.

"Really Breakdown? A human?" Bulkhead asked flatly.

"What? You got to buy that weight set last deca-orn," Breakdown pointed out, "Sometimes I like getting new things too."

"But a human?" Bulkhead repeated, "They're so hard to take care of. They need food, a place to excrete the waste products from the food, protective fabric, and nearly constant surveillance. For all we know that thing works for the Autobots!"

"No, Bulkhead. She works for us," Breakdown replied conspiratorially, "And that's the whole point. Autobots are soft-sparked. If they find out we have a human, a youngling at that, then we'll hold all the power. They won't be able to touch us with that thing around. Besides, she might be able to provide us with some local intel. The human factor works for the 'Bots. Why shouldn't it work for us?"

A minute later Miko came running out of the facility carrying a manila envelope and grinning from ear to ear. Breakdown took the envelope from the kid, and Bulkhead crossed his arms and tried to keep from smiling. He didn't want Breakdown to feel like he was right about this, after all. After a few minutes of Breakdown reading the papers, everyone else was getting impatient with Breakdown.

"Well? What's it say?" Bulkhead asked.

"Yeah, spill it! Is it something good?" Miko added.

"Oh, it's good alright," Breakdown replied, "In fact, this might just be the key to victory over the Autobots."

"Really? I'm gonna help you guys save the world?" Miko asked, "Or are you conquering the world? I don't think you told me. I don't care though, because we're friends now, right?"

"Right," Breakdown replied with a sinister grin, "Bulkhead, we've gotta get this to Soundwave."

"Well, what is it exactly?" Bulkhead asked again.

"The ingredients for an army," Breakdown told them, "Project: Nightbird."