Author's Note: This story is an AU of Transformers Prime. There is a fourth main human that interacts with the Autobots, my OC Mark Shadow. I'm also adding in a couple of Autobots, starting with Elita One, to the roster. Just a heads up, Mark is going to be Arcee's human partner while Jack is going to be Elita One's human partner.

Poll: There is a poll on my profile where you can vote on what I should name my future Autobot OC. There is also a link to my OC's robot form to help with making decisions. This poll will be up for a while so take your time.

Inspiration and Borrowed Part from: "After the Fall" and "Energon is Thicker than Blood" by Hexalys; and "Rise of the Predacons" by Forsaken and Darklost.

Transformers Prime: Reinforcements

Chapter 1: Darkness Rising Part 1

Old Dirt Road,

On the old dirt road, a red vehicle with bullhorns on the hood was driving along. To a passerby it would look like a regular car but if you ever got close enough to it, one would quickly realize that was far from the truth. The dark tinted windows kept people from realizing that there was no one driving it. "So there I am on the lookout when out of nowhere these high beams lit up my rear view. And then it hits me…I'm illegally parked." A male voice said from inside the vehicle. The voice was speaking to a friend through a radio link.

On a dirt road outside the desert town of Jasper, Nevada, a blue motorcycle was riding into town. Like the red car, this motorcycle and its 'driver' also have a secret. "Another parking ticket, partner?" A female voice asked.

"Better…the boot." The male voice replied with amusement.

"Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove." The female commented.

"Bingo! So, the local po-lice do their thing and I let them get all the way down the block. That's when I kick off my new shiny shoe, and BANG!" He said with much enthusiasm.

The female couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "New York's finest soil themselves." She added.

"You know me, Arcee," the male started, "You mess with Cliffjumper…"

"…and you get the horns." Arcee finished.

Cliffjumper couldn't help but laugh.

"Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule number one: Keep a low profile." Arcee stated.

"What can I say, patrolling for energon out here in dullsville gets lonesome." Cliffjumper countered. "Almost makes me miss the Decepticons."

"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party. We're alone anywhere we travel on this rock, Cliff." Arcee said.

Suddenly, a beeping came from Cliffjumper's radio screen. Dots appeared on the screen as well. "I'm getting a signal."

"Need back up?" Arcee asked him quickly.

"Do I ever need backup?" Cliffjumper joked before then kicking his speed up, taking a sharp turn to the left, and discovering a miniature valley of sorts full of blue crystals sticking out of the ground. "I just found a whole lot of Energon." He said with a happy tone.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last long when a shadow fell upon Cliffjumper, who transforms into a 20 feet tall red mech robot with horn on his head. "Decepticons…" He said as he looked up and saw the enemy's ship. Without warning, the ship fired at him sending him crashing into the crystals. After a moment of shock, he looked up at the ship to see a group of enemy Transformers land at the top of the ledge looking down at him. These guys had purple and black armor with red visors on their faces. "Arcee…about that backup?" Cliffjumper asked his partner.

Cliffjumper turned his attention to the Vehicons that were staring him down. "Fair warning boys," he warned, "I'll put a few dings in yah." He then transformed back into vehicle mode and raced towards the enemy. He drove up the hill and leapt into the air, transforming again to robot mode and attacking the enemy.

Meanwhile,

A red and blue Long-nose Truck Cab was driving down a road with a purple McLaren MP4-12C Spider with red highlights driving next to it when a transmission came in. "Arcee to Optimus, the cons are back! Cliff might be neck deep in scrap!" Arcee reported urgently.

"Understood." A commanding voice said from the Truck. "Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?"

In a snowy area, a mostly white ambulance with red details skidded onto the road. "I'm locked onto his signal Optimus, but our team is scattered across time zones." Ratchet replied as the ambulance came to a stop.

Optimus made a command decision. "Acree," the motorcycle came to a stop in Jasper, Nevada, "Bulkhead," a large green SUV came to a stop outside a forest area, "Bumblebee," a yellow and black Urbana 500 skidded to a stop in the desert, "rendezvous with Ratchet, Elita One and myself back at base and prepare to GroundBridge." Optimus ordered.

"Let's just hope Cliffjumper can hold them off long enough for us to get there." The female next to Optimus said. She was Elita One, Optimus' Second-in-command and sparkmate.

Minutes later, at Cliffjumper's former location,

The Decepticon Ship had departed from the area and the Energon crystals had been destroyed during the fight between Cliffjumper and the Decepticon Soldiers. A green and yellow hole appeared at the top of the crater's ledge and the Autobots came through in hopes of aiding their comrade.

First was a red and white hybrid ambulance, which transformed into the 25 feet tall mech Autobot medic known as Ratchet. He was followed by a large green SUV who transformed into the 25 feet tall mech, former Wrecker, known as Bulkhead. Following Bulkhead was a striking blue motorcycle who transformed into the 15 feet tall femme skilled warrior known as Arcee. Immediately following Arcee was the yellow-and-black striped Urbana 500, a car that resembled a Camaro, transformed in the 20 feet tall, voiceless mech Autobot, Bumblebee. Shortly after Bumblebee came a purple McLaren MP4-12C Spider with red highlights, which transformed into the 22 feet tall femme and second-in-command Autobot, Elita One. The last one out was the red and blue Long-nose Truck Cab that transformed into the big boss mech himself: the 30 feet tall, Autobot leader known as Optimus Prime. All of them had their hands in blaster mode, ready for battle.

Only to find that there was no battle taking place… they had arrived too late.

On board the Nemesis,

A pair of Vehicons dragged a damaged Cliffjumper onto the bridge where Starscream, a 25 feet tall, Seeker-class, mech Transformer, was waiting for them. Cliffjumper was leaking Energon from various parts of his damaged body, and one of his horns was missing. Cliff, forced to remain on his knees, looked up at Starscream with defiance in his optics. "Scream… been a while *cough*." He said casually. "So… where's your master?"

Starscream glared at Cliffjumper. "Never mind him! I am my own master!" He declared before quickly striking Cliffjumper in the left breastplate with his razor sharp fingers/claws, piercing it.

"AAHHH!" Cliffjumper cried out in pain.

"Many more questions?" Starscream asked rhetorically

Cliffjumper couldn't say another work as he felt his life force being to fade as Energon spilled from the wound. Starscream tore his hand out. The Vehicons released their hold on Cliffjumper.

Cliff fell forward as he went offline… permanently.

Cliffjumper was dead.

"Clean that up." Starscream callously ordered the Vehicons.

Meanwhile, back at the battle sight,

The Autobots had relaxed their guard as they looked around. "An untapped energon deposit." Optimus observed.

"What's left of it." Bulkhead commented.

"The first Decepticon activity in three years." Ratchet said to Optimus.

"That we know of, Ratchet." Elita One reminded the medic.

"Indeed, and if they're scouting for energon, they may be preparing for his return." Optimus said ominously.

The Autobots began looking around to see if they could find any clues to the whereabouts of their comrade, Cliffjumper. Arcee was looking around much faster than the others, who were being more cautious, and jumped down into the crater. Bumblebee followed after her, just in case.

Acree looked around until her optics caught sight of something that made her gasp: one of Cliffjumper's horns. It had been broken off during the fight and was lying in the dirt until Arcee knelt down to pick it up. "No…" She said sadly, not wanting to believe it. She showed it to Ratchet.

"Ratchet," Optimus said, getting the medic's attention, "can you track his position?"

Ratchet opened the miniature computer in his wrists. He saw that his computer was getting a reading on Cliffjumper's signal but it was moving away from theirs and was red instead of yellow like the signals from the other Autobots. Before he could get an exact bead on the signal, it disappeared. "No! Cliffjumper's life signal just went offline." Ratchet announced sadly.

Back onboard the Nemesis,

Starscream stood on the bridge when the 25 feet tall, blue and purple armored, silent communications officer approached from behind him. "Soundwave. What is it?" Starscream asked impatiently as the eavesdropping Decepticon got closer.

The screen where Soundwave's face was showed a sound displayer. "Like Jasper, Nevada's a party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff." A recording of Arcee's voice was played for Starscream as Soundwave had picked up the transmission.

"The one called Arcee." Starscream observed before he sneered. "Why slay one Autobot when we still have the advantage of surprise?"

Shortly, atop the Autobot Hideout, outside of Jasper, Nevada,

The Autobots were all gathered at a makeshift grave marker that Arcee had made for their fallen comrade, Cliffjumper. "We must not allow our anger over the loss of Cliffjumper to impair our judgment." Optimus spoke to his gathered comrades. "As of today, only we six Autobots remain on this Earth. We owe it to ourselves, to the memory of Cybertron, to any Autobots in any galaxy seeking safe harbor, to humankind." While Optimus continued his speech, Arcee walked forward holding Cliffjumper's horn in her hands. She gently placed it on the grave marker. "And we owe it to the memory of our fallen comrade to survive."

"Arcee…" Elita tried to comfort her fellow femme who she saw as a younger sister.

"If Cliff's gone, standing around here sulking won't bring him back. So unless anyone minds, think I'll get back to protecting humankind." Arcee said bitterly as she was walking away. She transformed into her motorcycle and drove off.

Elita looked at Optimus with worry in her optics. Optimus nodded, knowing her silent question. Elita then followed after Arcee, changing into her vehicle disguise as she went.

"Optimus, helping humans will only result in more tragedy." Ratchet said bitterly.

"Your opinion is noted." Optimus said but he wasn't about to change him mind.

In Jasper, Nevada,

A sixteen-year-old boy was working at a local fast food restaurant called KO Drive-In. He had slick black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans, a long sleeve shirt with dark grey body but light grey sleeves and tennis shoes. He was just a regular kid saving up for a motorcycle…

"Welcome to KO Drive-In where the patties are a knockout. May I take your order?" Jack Darby spoke into the microphone in a very bored manner.

"Uh, two super combos, extra fries." The customer ordered. This person was obviously a teenager by the sound of his voice.

"OK. Deus numerous deus. Anything else?" Jack asked as he prepared the orders.

"Yeah, some advice. How do I get an awesome job like yours?" The customer asked sarcastically.

That was when Jack heard the tormenting laughter through the speakers next to his ears as he laid all the orders out. Jack didn't have to deal with this. He deals with this crap every day. And now, enough is enough.

"So that's two not-as-funny-as-we-think-we-are combos with a side of bite-me?" Jack sniped as he placed the bags on the counter.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?" The other voice said threateningly. Apparently, this guy was one who liked to dish it out but couldn't take it.

"$5.59, sir, at the window." Jack gritted through his teeth.

He heard the sound of the car pulling up and prepared the cash register. However, before Jack could react, they took the order, laughing, and started to pull away. The guys didn't even bother to pay for their orders!

"Hey! You have to pay for that!" Jack called after them helplessly.

Luckily, for Jack, the punks didn't get more than a few feet when a biker pulled directly in front of them, causing them to stop. The biker was wearing blue jeans, biker boots, a leather jacket, and fingerless biker gloves. His black helmet matched the black bike he was riding. He pulled a crowbar from the side of his bike, holding it in his right hand while threateningly tapping it against the palm of his left. "I suggest you punks back up and pay for your food before I lose my temper." The biker threatened.

The punks got the message and quickly backed up their car. They paid Jack the money before speeding off as quickly as they could.

Jack smiled out the window as the biker pulled up to the window but out of the way in case any customers showed up. "Thanks for the save, Mark." Jack said.

The biker removed his helmet and revealed a seventeen-year-old male with blue eyes, short black hair, and a slight tanned skin tone. "Anytime, Jack." Mark said with a smile.

Mark Shadow was a seventeen-year-old biker that went to school with Jack at Memorial High School. Mark and Jack have known each other for years as their moms both work at Jasper Hospital but they weren't really friends until recently. Mark had always been more of a loner, preferring to be by himself than with others. That is until a few weeks back, Mark got sick of watching Vince, the school bully, and his friends pick on Jack. When Vince and his cronies tried to pick a fight with Jack, Mark stepped in. By the time Mark was done, Vince and his friends had black eyes and broken noses. After that, Mark and Jack have been good friends. It was mostly Mark keeping Vince from bothering Jack too much but Jack was more than happy to just hang out with Mark.

Another thing was that Mark liked to work on his bike and was even tinkering with some old sports cars he had found in the scrap yard. Since Jack was saving up to buy a motorcycle or even a used car, Mark offered to give the vehicle a tune up to make sure it actually worked.

Sometime later, on a road leading into Jasper, Nevada,

Arcee was driving down the dirt road getting closer to the town when she activated her hologram of a female biker wearing an all leather suit. As she was driving through the city, being careful not to draw any sort of attention to herself, she couldn't help but think about how this was the second partner that she had been helpless to save. First, that psychotic bitch killed her partner Tailgate, and, now, Cliffjumper was killed.

Suddenly, as Arcee passed an old gas station, two dark purple cars began to follow her. The cars looked exactly alike and familiar… They were Decepticons!

"Twins…" Arcee muttered as she saw in her side mirrors before riding away at a faster speed than before. She looked for any way of escape. She saw that she was at the KO Drive-In where there were people eating food or hanging out. It was as good a cover as any, so she pulled into the parking area.

She watched in her side mirror as the twin cars continued driving down the road and turned away. "Take five, Sadie." Arcee said as she deactivated her hologram, set down her kickstand and turned off her engine.

Moments later, Elita One pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Arcee. But, before Elita could say anything, Jack exited the restaurant as his cellphone went off.

"Hey, mum. I just got off…" Jack answered. "No, I'm not going to the dance. Experience says I should never cut a rug…unless I'm installing carpet… Be careful? This is Jasper." Jack scoffed before properly letting his eyes wonder on the mysterious blue motorcycle and a sweet purple McLaren MP4-12C Spider with red highlights. He moved the cell away as he spaced out, almost drooling at two vehicles. "I love you… Yeah. I love you too, mum. I gotta run."

Mark walked over with his bike as Jack was talking to himself and the two vehicles. "Jack, seriously, you need to get a girlfriend." Mark said snapping Jack out of his daydreams. "Besides, the biker thing is my shtick."

"True but you gotta love this car." Jack said as he ran his hand over Elita's paint job. "Man, I can just imagine Vince's face if he saw me driving this baby."

Mark shook his head. "Yeah, is that before or after he tried to challenge you to a street race?" He asked. "Besides, Jack, that McLaren MP4-12C Spider has to cost a pretty penny. I doubt you'd be able to buy even a used version of the car with your paycheck."

Jack's hand was on the driver's door handle when he turned towards Mark, accidently pulling on the handle. The door popped open. Jack frozen as he looked around, wondering if the owner was nearby and unlocked it remotely, but didn't see anyone that looked to be heading towards the car. The smart thing to do would be to close the door and walk away but Jack couldn't resist the temptation. He opened the door and slid into the driver's seat, running his hands on the steering wheel.

Mark shook his head as Jack's actions. "You are going to get in big trouble, Jack." Mark commented as he inspected the motorcycle. "Damn, now this is one hot ride…"

"Okay, boys, you can leave anytime now…" Arcee pleaded quietly as she saw two Decepticon vehicles pulling up.

Mark noticed the cars pointing towards them and narrowed his eyes. "Jack, I think we should leave." He said standing up and going over to his bike, grabbing his crowbar, just in case.

"Wha-" Jack started to ask why when the two cars turned on their headlights and began revving their engines menacingly.

"Scrap…" Arcee and Elita muttered.

Suddenly the two cars' tires screeched as they prepared to charge the parking lot. Elita automatically closed her door on Jack and back out of her parking space. Mark, on reflex, dropped his crowbar and jumped onto his bike, gunning the engine and driving on the sidewalk to avoid getting hit. Arcee, completely ignoring protocol, started her engine and turned around, driving mainly on her back wheel and going between the two Decepticons.

Elita One and Arcee began driving away with Mark right behind them as the two Decepticons gave chase.

"WHOA!" Jack screamed as he held the steering wheel of Elita's vehicle for dear life.

"Hang on, kid!" Elita shouted as she did some quick turns.

"Who said that?!" Jack asked completely freaking out.

Mark wasn't sure what was going on but he kept up with the two mysterious vehicles as he needed to get Jack. "What the hell are you two?" Mark asked Arcee as the femme activated her hologram.

"None of your business!" Arcee snapped as two more Vehicons joined the other two in pursuit of them. The femmes managed to briefly give the Vehicons the slip.

"Commander Starscream, target sighted with Elita One and a pair human youths." The Vehicon reported in.

"Destroy them all!" Starscream ordered.

When Arcee and Elita One found a safe alley, Elita opened her door. "Out, now!" She ordered Jack, who was all too happy to comply.

"What are you?!" Jack demanded of the car.

"We don't exist." Elita hissed at Jack.

"You tell anyone about us and we will hunt you down!" Arcee threatened.

Mark and Jack decided it was best to leave before more company arrived. Jack ran down one of the alley's while Mark drove down another as the Vehicons showed up. Elita and Arcee started to drive away when they noticed two of the four Decepticon soldiers break off, one going after each of the boys.

"Scrap!" They both shouted.

Elita turned down an alley, racing to intercept Jack before the Vehicon could get to him, while Arcee turned around and went after Mark. Arcee was able to leap over the Vehicon.

Luckily for Elita, the alley she was drive down and the one Jack was running down would soon join into one. Jack was running as fast as he could. "I don't even know them!" He shouted desperately as the Vehicon was getting closer.

Fortunately, Elita One sideswiped the Vehicon, causing it to lose control. She sped up and opened her door. "Get in!" She shouted.

Jack dove into the car and Elita closed the door behind him, before picking up speed.

Meanwhile, Mark drove down the alleyway as the Vehicon chasing him was closing the distance. "Dammit, what the hell is going on?!" Mark hissed in anger as he tried to go faster.

Unfortunately, the Vehicon wasn't in the mood for a long chase and popped out the guns hidden under its hood. It began firing laser beams at Mark.

"Whoa! What the hell?!" He shouted as he tried to avoid the laser fire.

Unfortunately, one of the shots hit a pile of wooden crates, causing then to fall in Mark's path. "Shit!" He shouted as he tried to change course, but he couldn't keep control and instinctively jump off. Luckily, he did, as not a second later, one of the Vehicon's shots made contact, blowing up his bike.

"Fuck! I just got done upgrading that!" Mark shouted angrily but mostly to himself as he got up to his feet and began running on foot.

The Vehicon was quickly closing the distance between them when Arcee came revving up behind the Decepticon. She drove over Vehicon and sped up to where she was right alongside Mark. "HOP ON!" She shouted.

Mark didn't need to be told twice and jumped on. Arcee sped up and began moving evasively. "Okay, I'd really like some answers! Like for starters, who are those guys and why are they shooting at us?" He asked Acree as a second Vehicon joined the one already chasing them.

"There's no us, kid! And those are no guys." Arcee retorted as she drove up the entrance ramp to the highway.

Surprisingly enough, Jack and Elita One were already on the highway being chased by their two pursuing Vehicons. The two femmes were driving together on the highway, zigzagging through traffic with ease as the Cons continued chasing them.

Luckily, help arrived shortly after they began driving on the highway in the form of Bumblebee. The yellow bot rammed into the Decepticons, causing them the skid out. Bumblebee then began to follow Elita One, Arcee, Jack and Mark, ready to protect them if necessary.

"Friend of yours?" Jack asked Elita.

"Family." Elita and Arcee corrected.

Bumblebee did his best to keep the four identical Decepticon away from the femmes and their passengers. However, he couldn't keep them away for long. One of them sped up until he was next to Bumblebee and rammed into him the same manner he did to them before.

Under a nearby bridge,

A young boy was racing his yellow remote control car by himself, mimicking the noises made by a real car. The car was the same design as Bumblebee, not that the boy knew this. The boy had spiky brown hair, thick glasses over his brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He was wearing khaki pants, white tennis showed, and a brown sweater over a white dress shirt. The boy's name was Rafael though he preferred being called Raf. As he had fun with his remote control car, his phone rang, which he immediately answered

"Hi, mamma… Racing, right up the street…OK, just five more minutes?" Raf begged his mother before hanging up and resuming his little race.

On the bridge above him, he had no idea of the chase that was going on between Autobots and Decepticons. But he was about to find out.

Jack and Mark saw that they were approaching roadwork that closed the bridge. Arcee and Elita did not make any attempt at stopping or changing course. Instead, the two femmes jumped over the guardrails and flew over the bridge. Jack screamed and clung to Elita's steering wheel, while Mark gripped Arcee's controls and braced himself for impact.

On her back wheel, Arcee landed on the hill and jumped again to land on the ground…in front of Raf… who dropped his remote control in amazement. Elita drove down the hill and landed right next to Arcee.

"Whoa!" Raf exclaimed in awe.

"You have no idea." Mark said as he got off of Arcee and Jack got out of Elita One.

The four Decepticons appeared at the top of the shoulder. They rode down it and transformed into robots in front of them. "We are so dead." Mark deadpanned.

Arcee and Elita transformed behind them. "This ends here 'Cons." Arcee said before she ran at the 'Cons.

"Or not." Mark revised.

The femmes dodged the Vehicon blaster fire. Arcee jumped up and kicked one in the chest, taking it down. She dodged a shot from the other one, and then kicked him in the face, taking it down. Elita was also taking on two Vehicons, punching the first in the face before nailing the second with a kick to the stomach. Jack, Raf, and Mark watched the femmes and the Vehicons battle in awe.

"What are they?" Raf asked the older boys.

Jack shrugged not really knowing how to answer. "Talking cars that turn into robots." He started.

"Or the other way around." Mark finished.

Arcee kicked and punched the first Vehicon in the gut, then punched it in the face four times. "This. Is. For. 'Cliff." She said with each punch.

The 'Con looked at her and its cylonesq eye glowed brighter. It took a swing at Arcee, who moved back to avoid the strike. It then began firing its blaster at the blue armored femme. Arcee started doing handsprings backward to avoid his blaster fire. She was almost back to the place she started when she took a round to the chest and slid across the concrete with a nails-on-blackboard sound that made Mark wince.

Elita was busy fighting her own pair of Vehicons when grabbed the third Vehicon's blaster and ripped the blaster off, before tossing it aside. It landed on the ground beside Mark. Elita moved to the side to avoid a laser shot fired by the fourth Vehicon, which ended up hitting the third Vehicon in the chest. Elita jumped into the air and delivered a spin kick to the fourth Vehicon's head.

Mark, who couldn't help but be impressed with the technology, was examining the blaster. He knelt down to get a closer look at the blaster. He carefully reached out and touched the blaster, making sure to avoid the exposed wires.

Bumblebee jumped off the bridge, transformed in midair, and landed on the second Decepticon. He landed a huge punch on the first 'Con's face.

Arcee huffed and pushed herself up off the ground.

Bumblebee put pressure on the first Vehicon's head in a "don't get up" kind of way and stepped back. A crunch under his foot caught his attention. He lifted up his foot to reveal the crushed remains of Raf's toy car. He looked at Raf and let out a mechanical whining sound.

"It's no problem, really." Raf assured him.

Just then, the first vehicon shot him, blasting him back many yards. He started to get up when it held him down with its foot. Both of the Decepticons were about to blow him away when Raf yelled, "Leave him alone!" The 'Cons only ended up turning their guns towards the humans. Raf gulped, "Please?"

Jack leaned down. "Bad call." He said. One of the Decepticons started towards them.

"Run!" Mark shouted and the three fled from the giant robot. It was quickly gaining on them. "This way!" He told them as he led them to a storm drain. Mark ran down the drain a ways and looked back at Raf and Jack. They had both jumped in and were running for their lives. The second Vehicon's hand was coming for them fast. "Come on guys! Keep moving!" He called. Just as it was about to grab them, it quickly pulled out. There were two loud crashes and Bumblebee's head looked down the hole. He beeped quickly.

"Thank you!" Raf called. Bumblebee whirred and got up.

"Don't look back." Jack said.

"What did we just see?" Raf asked the two older boys.

"No idea." Mark answered.

"I'm not sure I wanna find out." Jack said truthfully, as the three ran deeper into the storm drain.

Bumblebee punched the second Vehicon in the face. The first one elbowed him in the base of the skull and kicked him back to where Arcee was just coming back into the fight. He landed at her feet and she quickly bent down the help him. Elita realized that her friends were in trouble and went to aid them.

The four Vehicons were quickly starting to wear them down. Arcee was helping Bumblebee up. He saw them and got into a battle stance. He was obviously worn down.

Just in time, Bulkhead arrived on the scene, honking his horn to get everyone's attention before he transformed into his much larger true form. "Who's ready to rumble?" He asked threateningly.

The four Vehicons looked at the four Autobots before transforming and fleeing the scene. The four Autobots relaxed, Bumblebee exchanged his battle stance for an exhausted one.

"What took you?" Arcee asked large Autobot.

"Traffic." Bulkhead deadpanned.

Elita picked up the abandoned Vehicon blaster before activating her communicator. "Ratchet, we need a GroundBridge and prepare the infirmary. We got a little banged up by the Vehicons." Elita requested and advised. A green portal appeared before the four Autobots who then entered the portal.

Several Minutes Later, at Autobot Headquarters,

Optimus Prime was listening patiently as Arcee, Bumblebee and Elita reported what had happened. "And the Cons would've been scrap metal if I hadn't been distracted by the humans." Arcee said with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Humans?" Optimus asked in slight surprise.

Bumblebee made a whirling noise in response.

"Three boys…" Optimus translated.

Arcee looked confused, as she was only aware of two human males, not three.

Elita explained it to Arcee. "Two were with us and a third saw us while we were fighting the Vehicons." Elita told her fellow femme.

"Oh, well, I was a little busy at the time." Arcee defended.

Optimus now had something new to worry about. "It the Decepticons are targeting us, anyone perceived as our ally will be at risk." He said calmly.

The next day, at Memorial School,

Jack had just walked out of the building and spotted Mark sitting by a tree with Raf standing nearby. "Raf, hey." Jack said somewhat awkwardly. "Look, let's just forget this between us and forget anything ever happened, okay?"

"That's going to be a bit more difficult than you think." Mark commented looking past Jack with narrowed eyes, getting a puzzled look from his fellow teenager.

A beep interrupted their conversation. Raf gasped. "Jack." He said quietly as Bumblebee rolled up to them in his vehicle mode.

"Oh, not again." Jack said in worry. The passenger side door opened and Bumblebee whirred.

"I think it wants us to get in." Mark guessed as he stood up.

"No. Just me." Raf corrected.

"How do you know that?" Jack asked.

"It said so." Raf said in a "duh" kind of way.

"What?" Jack said, flabbergasted.

"Your rides are over there." Raf said, pointing towards the front of the school where Arcee and Elita One were parked.

"Look, I really don't think that-" Jack started.

Raf didn't pay attention. "How's it going?" Raf asked, climbing into the front passenger seat and the door closed. Bumblebee then sped off.

"What? Wait! Stop!" Jack yelled.

"So, how do we play this one?" Mark asked his friend.

"Let's try walking away and maybe they'll just leave us alone." Jack suggested.

Mark cocked an eyebrow. "You honestly think that'll work?" He asked.

"You have a better idea?" Jack countered.

Sadly, Mark didn't, so the two started walking away.

On the wall in front of the school, a girl of Asian descent with most black hair, except for the bangs being dyed pink, named Miko was sketching Arcee in her motorcycle form. "Coolest…bike…ever." She practically squealed as she drew before her cellphone rang. She flipped it open and checked the caller ID. "Host parents? Ignore." She said before flipped the phone closed and going back to her sketchpad. When she looked up, Arcee was gone. She saw Arcee and her hologram rider on the road behind her followed Elita down the road. She got up and ran after her.

Mark and Jack started walking down an alley when Elita and Arcee caught up with the two boys. Arcee pulled in front of the two boys to stop them from walking away while Elita stopped behind them.

"Relax, we just want to talk to you two." Elita said as Mark tensed up, preparing for a fight.

"Don't you mean you and your new friend?" Jack asked, referring to the hologram riding Arcee.

"Boys, there's a lot you don't understand." Arcee said, deactivating her hologram.

"No, we get it. The first rule of robot fight club is: you don't talk about robot fight club." Mark countered somewhat jokingly.

"What you need to understand is that I don't want a bunch of crazy talking vehicles following me around trying to get me killed." Jack ranted trying to walk away from the two vehicles while Mark just stood where he was.

Elita and Arcee transformed. "Look," Elita said forcefully, getting Jack's attention, "Jack, is it? Your personal safety is exactly why Optimus Prime has requested your presence."

"Wait, Optimus who?" Jack asked.

"He must be there leader." Mark observed.

"That's correct." Elita admitted.

Acree continued. "You two may be in danger because you are two of the few, two of the only that have ever seen us." She explained.

"Dudes!" Miko yelled excitedly, getting their attention. She was standing at the entrance of the alleyway. "What are you two waiting for? Go with!"

"Scrap." Elita and Arcee deadpanned at the same time.

On the road to the Autobot Base,

Jack was in the driver's seat of Elita One with Miko in the passenger seat, while Mark was riding on Arcee. Miko was sticking her head out the window. "Wohoo!" She shouted in excitement.

"And why are we bringing her?" Jack asked Elita.

"Rules." Elita answered simply.

In front of the base, the Autobots drove off the road, heading straight for a large slab of stone. "Hey! Wait! WHOA!" Jack shouted in fear, trying to hit the brakes but Elita was overriding the brakes. The rocky face disappeared and the mechanic doors opened to reveal a secret tunnel of some kind. As soon as Bumblebee and Arcee were inside, the doors shut and the secret entrance was hidden to the rest of the world. Miko gasped in amazement as they slowed down and entered the computer room.

"Cool…" Raff sighed dreamily as he admired the computers.

"Whoa…" Jack and Miko gasped as they faced more of these Autobots. Mark was impressed but kept from saying anything.

All four humans couldn't take their eyes off of Ratchet and Bulkhead. "I thought there were only three." Ratchet commented.

"Haven't you heard? Humans multiply." Arcee said snidely.

"I'm Raf." Raf introduced himself.

"I'm Miko." Miko said, running up to Bulkhead. "Who are you?"

"Bulkhead." Bulkhead said slowly.

"Are you a car? I bet you're a truck, a monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever use a wrecking ball for a punching bag?" Miko asked rapidly making Bulkhead slightly nervous.

"If you guys are robots, who made you?" Raf asked.

"Puh-lease." Ratchet groaned in annoyance.

"Raf, I think they're a bit more complicated than just simple robots." Mark stated.

Optimus walked up behind them. "We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron, also known as Autobots." He explained.

"Why are you here?" Mark asked, as it was a little confusing. If the Autobots had a home world, then why weren't they living there?

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons." Optimus answered.

"The jokers who tried to bump us off last night." Arcee clarified seeing the slightly confused look on the humans' faces.

"Okay, why are they here?" Jack asked.

Optimus leaned down to the human's eye level. "A fair question Jack. In part, they are here because out planet is uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war." Optimus said.

'That explains it.' Mark thought, as it was the fear of many nowadays that the next world war would destroy the planet.

"Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asked.

"Foremost, over control of out world's supply of energon, the lifeblood of all AutoBots and Decepticons alike." He said. He took on a strange look. Mark knew it well, as he had seen it on his mother's face sometimes when he asked her about her days at the hospital a few times. He was remembering something bad. "The combat was fierce, and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one I considered a brother. But, in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way." Optimus told the five humans.

Jack and Raf looked amazed and a little worried, Miko looked bored, and Mark had a look that impressed and slightly worried Optimus. He'd seen that look on a few Autobots that had been under his command. It was of understanding and a look of thinking of possible ways he could help in the future. There was also a hint of excitement, which worried Optimus, as it was something he once saw in Megatron's optics.

Miko yawned. "Is there going to be a quiz?" She asked rhetorically.

Mark face palmed, which was exactly what Optimus had felt like doing. Jack and Raf were looking at her weird. Jack regained his composure. "So what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?" He asked.

"Megatron has not been seen or heard from in some time. But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic." Optimus predicted.

"And given the recent activity of the Decepticons, we have to assume that Megatron could be returning at any moment." Elita informed the humans.

Onboard the Decepticon Warship,

Soundwave relayed transmissions to Starscream. "Those transmissions are emanating from deep space." Starscream said. "I would hate to waste the energon, unless you are absolutely certain." Soundwave nodded his head in confirmation that was definitely a signal worth checking out. "Then lock on transmission coordinates and activate the spacebridge." Starscream ordered.

A Decepticon drone nodded obediently and typed in the transmission coordinates. Within moments, the spacebridge was activated.

In deep space,

Shortly after the coordinates were transmitted, another spacebridge activated. Popping slowly from the swirls of green, blue, purple, and white was a futuristic jet came through and immediately transformed into a large silver mech as soon as he was out. He had a sharp, powerful, intimidating build, flaming red eyes, and a vengeful personality. This Decepticon was no ordinary Decepticon. He was the true leader of the Decepticons.

"DECEPTICONS! I HAVE RETURNED!" Megatron proclaimed menacingly.

To Be Continued…