- TO PROTECT YOU -

 

Hi there!
My name’s Arcee. I’m an elite Autobot infantry fighter and infiltrator. Yeah, you bet I said elite. That’s right, I’ve been fighting for Optimus since the Battle of Tyger Pax. Now that was a battle of legend. I was part of good ol’ Bumblebee’s squad who fought the Decepticons while Optimus launched the Allspark into space… yeah, we did get kinda screwed over, and we got tortured too – poor Bumblebee had his voice box ripped out by the bastard Megatron. I hope he’s doing better now, haven’t seen him for thousands of years – I’m looking forward to seeing him soon, now that I have received new orders.
I was assigned to Earth when the Allspark was located there, but since we were forced to hide among humans, I was transferred somewhere else where I would be more useful. I’ve ended up in the Charii star system, where a Decepticon cell was constructing a planet-destroying weapons system.
It’s alright now. I’ve destroyed it, and most of the Decepticon cell to boot. I don’t go easy on Decepticreeps.
When I’m not kicking Decepticon tail light, I like to race other speedsters who share my interests on the old Cybertron arenas, or hunt turbofoxes with my friends. I guess that’s where I got my skills in tracking and shooting – I’m not much of a close range fighter, but boy, you’ve gotta hear some of the great sniping shots I’ve taken over the centuries! And I owe a lot of that training to coach Ironhead – well, his name is really Ironhide, but come on, his head’s made of iron that’s older than Optimus himself, and he trained me in combat strategy and logistics, so I like to call him Ironhead… or coach. Things haven’t been going well for us though. It’s been so long since we saw each other, and now he tells me to return ‘cause we’re low on troops, and First Lieutenant Jazz is… gone? We’re taking a beating, it doesn’t take Wheeljack to see that.
Well, sorry to end on such a low note. My space cruiser’s ready now – gotta jet. Optimus and the others are waiting.
Anyway, thanks for listening. I don’t know why you even bother. Bye for now!

*

She was sleeping like the child she was.
Prime paused. There was no way he could transform back into robot mode while she was inside. He sighed. Honk, honk. Ratchet turned at the mechanical bleat. ‘Optimus, you’re back,’ he exclaimed. ‘Why don’t you transform? – ah. ’ Ratchet’s mouthplate configured itself into an upward curve and gently took her out, placing her soft body on the grass. Prime drove several yards before he transformed, the noise not reaching Michiko’s ears. ‘So considerate of you, Optimus,’ declared Ratchet, as the Autobot leader walked towards him. ‘Ironhide has summoned Arcee here. She will arrive soon.’
‘Good. Protect this girl. Her house was attacked by Blackout. Her mother was killed.’ Prime shook his head. ‘I don’t know why they attacked that neighbourhood, of all places. They are even more ruthless and sadistic than before. I truly fear for the humans now… I really don’t want anything disastrous to occur.
‘Where is Bumblebee?’
‘I have assigned him a mission on behalf of CELESTIAL,’ said Ratchet. ‘He won’t return for at least a week.’
The Cybertron-Earth Linked Energon-Sharing Treaty and Intelligence Acquisition League, or CELESTIAL for short, was the very first human-Autobot charter that authorized cooperation between the two civilisations in anti-Decepticon operations on Earth. Led by Ratchet and backed up by the Omnicons and Mini-Cons scattered across the universe, CELESTIAL was the backbone behind the execution of Fleet V’s operations. Some of hardiest, smartest Autobots, alongside their human comrades, operated this complex organisation. Currently, although it transmitted information to Autobot cells across the galaxy and developed and distributed weapons among Autobot forces, it was occupied with tracking Bumblebee’s movements – the Autobot warrior had disappeared in recent days, and only Ratchet knew of current.
Prime wanted that to change. ‘What’s he doing?’ he asked out of curiosity.
‘Bumblebee? Oh, he’s helping me watch over… some assets.’
‘Assets,’ repeated Prime, perplexed.
‘Indeed. Sector 7 has been monitoring an orphange of gifted human children who might be targeted by the Decepticons. We are going to retrieve them before they are taken.’
‘What role do they have to play?’
‘These children understand much that their older upgrades… I mean, the parents, don’t. They are gifted, much like a supercomputer system, and the Decepticons have positioned much of their monitoring systems around the orphanage complex. If they are captured, Starscream may force them to create a superweapon based on Earthen and Cybertronian fusion technology – one that we do not know how to counter.’
Prime nodded. ‘Maybe we can bring them here before the Decepticons locate them. Then…’ he turned to Ironhide. ‘How many more Earth hours before Arcee lands?’
‘Thirty-two,’ grunted the black warrior.
‘Good. Ratchet, how many other battalions has Signal Flare relayed my message to?’
‘Prowl has responded to your request. Hod Rod, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus are on their way. Metroplex has responded, although it will take him a while to come. We are waiting on additional airpower to repel the Decepticons’ tactical advantage. Omega Supreme has been awakened, and our backup squadrons from Cybertron hopefully have survived long enough to intercept your message.’
Prime cast a worried look at the sleeping Michiko. ‘I hope… it will be enough.’

*

Takuma’s Orphanage for Gifted Children

This was one difficult assignment.
Kids are hard to retrieve. They like to play hide and seek! And when they do, grown-ups can never find them; their spots are so difficult to locate.
Who was he kidding… he was the kid of his team. He would always be the kid.
Autobot Bumblebee’s optics squinted as he scanned the area for any Decepticon spies. His archenemies, Hardtop and Barricade, were not here. Neither was Frenzy. He moved into position, just beside the building. He peered inside one of the windows, even though it was smaller than his face. ‘Hmm,’ he hummed. ‘Where are the kids?’
‘Here, sir.’ He paused, looking down beside him. There was a small youngling, in what the humans called ‘pajamas’. She was holding a small teddy bear, and she had pale skin and long brown hair.
She was looking at him.
‘Hi there!’ said Bumblebee brightly. He kneeled, his metal creaking. ‘Don’t be afraid. I’m a friend.’
‘Please don’t eat me,’ giggled the small girl. She looked up apprehensively, but Bumblebee suspected that his bright yellow paint gave him a much more amiable look than, say, the chipped black of Ironhide.
‘I’m here to take you on an adventure,’ said Bumblebee, somewhat hastily. ‘What’s your name?’
She perked up. ‘My name is Emily.’
Bumblebee suddenly felt that he had made the right choice of words
‘Listen, kiddo,’ whispered Bumblebee. Don’t worry, I’m here to take you somewhere more fun. I want you to meet my friends. Would you like to come with me?’
‘Wow,’ said Emily eagerly, and she slapped her hand on his yellow metal playfully. He caught it and hoisted her up. She squealed in delight, completely dwarfed by him. ‘I’ll take you to my friends!’ she exclaimed, and placing her soft, tiny hands on Bumblebee’s hard helmet, she play-directed him to the back entry pointing the way. Bumblebee played along, peeking cautiously inside. The other children were in there, waiting in the small kitchen. They looked at him in awe and one of them began to cry. Emily hurried to the small boy and began to comfort him. ‘It’s okay, he’s our friend.’ She smiled at Bumblebee, pointing at the children. ‘This is Tom, Michael, Franky and Sora. And me,’ she giggled.
Bumblebee felt his circuits surging in an electric boost of fondness. ‘Kids, I won’t fib about anything, but I need to tell you: you’re in danger. I know it sounds very weird, but you have to come with me. I am part of a team of big friendly giants called Autobots. We have to protect you before the baddies – the Decepticons – want to do anything with you.’ He drew back and began to transform, plates and parts shifting, into his snazzy Concept Camaro mode. Emily shrieked in delight, and while the others were less enthusiastic, they also cheered. ‘Climb in!’ called Bumblebee. ‘Say goodbye to your house!’ And with that, he drove away, sending a transmission to Prime: ‘It won’t take long for the Decepticons to discover the orphanage has abandoned. Rest but don’t relax. I’ll meet you at the CELESTIAL base.’
He revved up his engine, but a sudden blast shook him and the children inside him. They squealed, and for the first time, Emily looked frightened.
‘Who…’ Bumblebee’s scanners picked up a massive body moving towards the orphanage. It was in the shape of a giant tank… ‘Brawl.’
Impossible! He was dead, many months ago! Why now –
Boom. A blast from the Decepticon’s turret blasted the grassy knoll near the orphanage. Bricks began to crumble, and a wooden shack fell to bits.
‘Hm,’ grimaced Bumblebee, remembering what he had promised Prime. ‘Too late.’ He activated his comlink. ‘Ratchet! Requesting backup for transportation of Sector 7 orphans.’
The older, wiser voice rang out through the Camaro speakers. ‘On my way.’
‘Will we be hurt?’ whispered Sora.
Still driving, Bumblebee skidded and evaded another blast from Brawl’s turret. ‘No one will be hurting you. That’s why I came. To protect you.’

*

Two days later. Outside Mission City

‘She must have arrived by now,’ said Ironhide, pacing restlessly. ‘Definitely now.’
He hoped.
Prime nodded. ‘Ratchet. Keep Michiko with you. We are going to meet Arcee. She has sent Ironhide her coordinates. We roll out now.’
Michiko sat beside Ratchet, and she looked at him quizzically. Ratchet smiled and nodded. ‘I’ll stay here,’ he said. ‘We’ll wait for them to return.’ She reluctantly assented, nodding her head.
Ratchet smiled, holding up a hand. ‘In the meantime, why don’t you teach me some game Earth younglings play? I will be meeting some younglings even younger than a youngling like you soon and I want to be fully prepared.’ Michiko perked up, and, smiling shyly and dusting herself off, began to show him hopscotch. He turned to Prime and said, ‘I will rendezvous with Bumblebee after I take Michiko back to CELESTIAL headquarters.’
Prime nodded in affirmation. ‘Good luck, Ratchet. I look forward to seeing you, Bumblebee, and the younglings safe at CELESTIAL as soon as possible.’
Ironhide rose, and began to transform into his sleek, topkick truck mode. ‘Let’s go.’ He was clearly trying to hide his impatience, but his wish was transparent.
He wanted to see her again.
Prime and Ironhide were on the road even as the sun was reaching the heavens.
‘Be safe, Arcee, or I’m going to punish you,’ muttered Ironhide to himself.

*

It was several kilometres from the grassy knoll they had pitched camp on. They turned a clearing into the dark forest. It was here where Signal Flare relayed the coordinates. But something didn’t feel right. ‘Strange,’ muttered Prime. ‘There’s a fire here, and smoke – ’
‘Look!’
There she was. It was her. But she was not well. She was injured. ‘Who the – ’
Ironhide’s optics widened. ‘No!’
It was precisely what he had feared.
Amidst a clump of fallen logs and twigs, she was on all four mechanical limbs, sprawled and sizzling from hot smoke. While she had managed to retain her alternate Cybertronian motorbike mode, she was damaged almost repair. Part of her wheel was on fire. Her dark pink structure exposed many circuits and metal parts, and her optics reflected shock and helplessness. She turned her head slowly as they neared her. ‘Arcee?’ murmured Prime quietly.
‘Optimus… coach…? Is that you…?’ she wheezed, her voice box barely squeezing out the words. She had been ambushed during her landing.
She could barely speak, and although her attacker was hidden, it did not stop Ironhide. ‘ARCEE!’ he bellowed. He activated his missile launcher and fired four heat-seeking rocket propelled warheads at the shadows behind her. They made contact, but all that could be heard was the sound of metal armour plates re-adjusting themselves. The flame was quickly extinguished by a wave of a sinister red crystal blade.
The enemy emerged from the shadows. He was pale, but that was due to the ghostly-white of his robot mode. His crimson optics darted from Ironhide to the female Autobot beneath his foot. He towered over Arcee, surpassed Ironhide in height and gave Prime’s bulk a run for his money. ‘Who are you?’ demanded Prime.
‘Wreckage is the name. Decepticon elite infantry and troop transport, at your service,’ replied the robot snidely. He sneered, shooting a beam of red light over the newcomers. ‘Well, well. Who do we have here? Autobot Supreme Commander, Optimus Prime. Weapon analysis: “Dragon Convoy” Cybertronian alloy structural armour, Elita Lumiere jetpack, Rhisling 2 Antimatter Fusion Tactical Field Dominance Helix Blaster, AC11-OP02 Xiphias 4 Railgun.’ He nodded. ‘Not bad superweapons you have there, Prime.
‘Weapon specialist, Ironhide. Weapon analysis: Multi-Phase Quadruple Fusion System Ion Cannon, Ultracompact Hyper-Deuterion Nuclear Fission Missile Launcher, 2-SW Grand Cannon.’ He withdrew the light as the two Autobots activated their weapons. He looked down at the disabled Arcee, shining the light over her ruined metal chest. ‘Arcee. Autobot warrior. Weapon analysis: ZFA-432 Lunar Mirage Crossbow, with Dragoon 35 ECM suite, Cyba-94 Buckler, upgraded Colloid Propulsion System.’ He turned to Ironhide. ‘Huh. For all your weaponry, you stood no chance against me. Now try and run with that Propulsion System you have.’
‘HOW DARE YOU!’ roared Ironhide. He somersaulted, sending a blast of ion at Wreckage. The Decepticon snarled and fired his own weapon – a chest mounted cannon that met with Ironhide’s attack. The air was saturated with smoke as vaporised Energon from spilled from the air. Prime fired his railgun at Wreckage, lasers splaying from the twin barrels, and the Decepticon leaped away, sending a blast of his cannon at Prime. Prime took the blast, his Dragon Convoy armour reflecting the beam, and charged, crashing into Wreckage and bowling him over. Wreckage deployed his blades, red crystal spinning in the darkness. Prime paused, scanning for a visual of the Decepticon’s Spark. He nodded at Ironhide, and the weapons specialist aimed his cannons at the rustling –
Arcee’s voice rang out. ‘Coach… I can handle him… don’t worry about me…’
‘Shut up!’ rumbled Ironhide, sending another four particle ions at Wreckage. The dark warrior rolled out of the way as another fire erupted in the woods. He ran at Ironhide, his blades spinning on his mounted wheel gauntlets. Ironhide rolled back just as the crimson Energon sliced into his leg. Wreckage shoulder-charged Ironhide, knocking him over with a spectacular thud. Prime sent another ion blast at Wreckage, but he simply deflected it with his other spinning crystal sword. Prime roared and tackled Wreckage, but he was even more difficult to tussle, and the Decepticon’s unbelievably strong arms simply shoved Prime several feet back. Wreckage pivoted and thrust his blade into the stunned Ironhide’s chest. Arcee screamed in rage even as she struggled to scramble up.
Ironhide reeled, his old armour smoking, as Wreckage reactivated his second Energon blade. ‘Deactivate, Autobot,’ he said, as he shot at him point-blank with his chest-mounted cannon. A loud, excruciating boom. A metal ring flew from Ironhide’s blasted face. He convulsed, bursting into flames even as Wreckage thrust his blades into him again.
Prime roared in protest. ‘NO!’ bawled Arcee. She rolled, her Buckler emanating light as it reflected the shine of Wreckage’s blade against his own optics. He roared in frustration, firing his cannon again, only to see it deflected by Prime’s Dragon Convoy armour as the Autobot commander hurled himself in front of Arcee. It bounced off and blasted back into him, disabling his cannon and sending convulsions through his mechanics. He was being damaged by his own weapon.
Wreckage snarled. ‘You’ll pay for this. I swear it.’ And he transformed into a massive armoured troop carrier. As his doors dropped open –
Arcee fired her Lunar Mirage crossbow, sending an Energon arrow into Wreckage’s cargo hangar. As the drones marched out they were met with a blast of Autobot payload. With his army prematurely destroyed, Wreckage’s guns splayed out bullets, riddling the forest with holes. He rolled past them, preparing for another charge –
‘Oh no you don’t!’ Prime caught him and hurled him against the ground, smashing him again and again. Prime raised his fist and punched into Wreckage’s turrets. Wreckage screamed as Prime struck him again, sending him flying into several trees. Groaning, Wreckage tried to transform, but Prime fired Rhisling 2 at him, and the Decepticon exploded as he met its impact. He was little more than a smoking pile of military hardware even as Prime withdrew Rhisling 2.
‘Ironhide! Ironhide!’ Arcee crawled towards him, dropping her buckler. She cradled his head in her arms. ‘Don’t shut down on me, coach. Please…’ she clutched at his burnt-out metal. ‘Ratchet!’ she wailed, almost deliriously. ‘Evac! Anyone! I need a lift, now! Anyone…’
Prime quickly lifted Ironhide onto his shoulders and gently swept Arcee up. ‘Hold on, girl. We will get you back to Ratchet. You’re safe now.’
‘Optimus, it’s so good to see you again,’ mumbled Arcee into his arm. She seemed to have regained some sense of the present moment. ‘Please… if he’s still online… save Ironhead first…’
Prime nodded, even as he picked up his pace. His jetpack exploded into action, and he soared into the sky above the forest. ‘I know this isn’t the best time to say it, but… welcome to Earth.’