*italics- Cybertronian*
"Prime! Prime!" Fowler called out on the screen
"Special Agent Fowler? To what do we owe..." Optimus began to speak
"What else? 'Cons! I chased them off with some hard ordnance, but not before they blew me out of the sky,"
"Again?" I teased with a smirk
"They tried a smash-and-grab for the D.N.G.S," that was enough for me to stop smiling.
"The...What's it?" Arcee asked
"Dynamic Nuclear Generation System," I explained "A.K.A, D.N.G.S. It's a prototype energy source..." I remembered I was talking about a classified project that I only found out because I got bored and hacked "which I may or may not know about,"
"You've been hacking again haven't you?" Optimus questioned
"I get bored," I shrugged
"I'm porting it to the coast for testing," Agent Fowler explained
"That's absurd," Ratchet scoffed "Why would Starscream bother with such primitive technology?"
"I'm guessing to make a big primitive weapon of mass destruction. If this baby were to melt down, it would irradiate this state and the four next door,"
"Uh...did Agent Fowler say what state he was currently in?" Raf asked nervously
"I'm a sitting duck here, Prime. I need you to spin up your bridge and spend the D.N.G.S. to its destination before the 'cons come back for it,"
Optimus looked towards me and I shook my head. "I'm afraid that sending such a volatile device through a ground bridge is out of the question. If there were to be an accident during its transmission, the radiation of which you speak could propagate through the ground bridge vortex and harm all 50 states...and beyond,"
"You got any better ideas?"
I smiled as I realized what Optimus was thinking.
***
"Ah! No need, Agent Fowler. I will handle the driving," Optimus explained over the comms as I was sure Agent Fowler aimed to take control of the driving.
I huffed as I leaned against the banister "How come I couldn't go?"
"Just a safety precaution, Pixel," Ratchet explained
"But Agent Fowler gets to? I wanted to see Lennox," I pouted "Besides I miss Ironhide and Wheelie,"
"We can set up a playdate later,"
"Yes!" I cheered
"It's gonna be a long trip," Agent Fowler muttered
"Autobots, roll out!"
"We are locked on to your coordinates, Optimus," Ratchet said as we watched the screen that showed the location of Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead. "Barring any complications, you should reach the dropoff point by sundown,"
A horn was heard through the comm link.
"Move it, Gramps!" Agent Fowler exclaimed
"Agent Fowler, is that really necessary?" Optimus asked
"Ah, don't tell me you're one of them, textbook drivers. Hmph. You know, you're saving my bacon here, Prime,"
"I am proud to be of service,"
"Did Agent Fowler just compliment us?" I wondered
'Course, not like I'd need your help if you and the 'cons had stuck to tearing up your own corner of the galaxy," Agent Fowler claimed
"I spoke too soon,"
"Are you suggesting that no evil existed on your world before we arrived?" Optimus asked
"Sector 7," I coughed
"Pixel," Ratchet warned as I only shrugged
"Of...Well, it was a...different evil. How about some radio? You seem like a Nashville-sound kind of guy,"
I nearly fell off of Ratchet's shoulder from laughing too hard.
"That's the one!" Agent Fowler exclaimed "The 'Con who shot me down! Who is he? Wingnut? Dingbat? Skyguy?"
"Watch your rearview." Bulkhead said "Feeling a little constricted without the use of my fists here, boss,"
"Remain in vehicular mode unless absolutely necessary," Optimus ordered
"A whole team of 'cons," Agent Fowler said
"What?" I questioned
"I'm not picking up anything," Ratchet noted "They must be utilizing a cloaking technology,"
I scoffed "Since when have Cons been smart enough to use cloaking technology?"
"Pull over!" an unknown voice said over the comms
"Well, I'll be dipped!" Agent Fowler exclaimed
"Our assailants are not Decepticons...They are human," Optimus said
"Human?!" Rafael, Jack, and I exclaimed as I jumped down from Ratchet's shoulder to the catwalk.
"Oh, please. Taking on our bots?" Miko said, "They're roadkill!"
"Aah!" Agent Fowler exclaimed, "Who are these guys?"
"Autobots, maintain your cover and apply minimal force," Optimus ordered "disarmament only,"
"Could use some air," Agent Fowler gagged "Prime! Bear right! You're gonna tell me everything I want to know..."
"I do hope you take better care of the D.N.G.S. than you do your captives," An unknown voice said over the comm
"Special Agent William Fowler here. Identify yourself!"
"I am Silas. But of greater consequence to you, we are MECH. Fair warning...we will be helping ourselves to your device, even if it means inflicting casualties,"
"Is that so? Tell me, Si, what's the market price for a D.N.G.S. these days?"
"What makes you think we intend to sell it, Agent Fowler? There's a war brewing between the new world order and the newest. The victor will be the side armed with the most innovative technology,"
I began to walk away and went to my case
"Pixel?" Jack asked as he watched me
I took out my gun and placed it in its holster on my waist
"You don't have faith in our bots?" Miko challenged
"Oh I have faith in them, just prepping in case," I said as I noticed Ratchet eye me and nodded at him.
"So, Si..." Agent Fowler said on the comms "You think Mech has all the most radical tech?"
We all heard Arcee's engine rev.
"Later, Si,"
"Agent Fowler, do not take your 'Silas' lightly," Optimus warned "Megatron preached the very same ideology before plunging Cybertron into the Great War that destroyed our world,"
"Optimus," Ratchet said "Prepare to initiate phase 2. Five miles ahead, to the south, you will reach the rendezvous point,"
"There's our destination point," Agent Fowler said
"Autobots, keep a tight formation," Optimus ordered
"Air support? Ours or theirs?"
"Optimus, you have company!" Ratchet informed he noticed my hand go instinctively for my weapon "Steady Pixel,"
"Aah!"
"Agent Fowler, I'm afraid that if you and we are to survive, it has become absolutely necessary to drop our cover." Optimus informed "Remain here,"
"Will do,"
"After a long road trip, it feels good to get out of the car, stretch my legs..." Bulkhead said, "and kick some tailpipe!"
"Special Agent Fowler you lead a charmed life, walking among titans," Silas said over the comms
"Come on down. I'll introduce you," Fowler taunted
"In good time. But at the moment, I'm too busy wondering how the D.N.G.S might have vanished into thin air without a trace. Now if you'll excuse me...I have a train to catch,"
"Prime! Silas got wise to Phase 2!"
"I understand," Optimus said
I looked up at Ratchet worried.
"He'll be fine Pixel," Ratchet assured me
"Prime, do you read me?" Fowler asked "Prime?!"
"Pixel..." Ratchet warned
"Optimus is down! Mech's gonna grab the D.N.G.S. so do not tell me that everything's going to fine!" I exclaimed causing some lights to flicker.
"We need to think of something, quick," Jack agreed
"You mean like a phase 3?" Rafael asked
"Exactly like a phase 3," I told Raf
"All right, if Mech wants the D.N.G.S., they have to get on that train," I reasoned
"What if we get on board first?" Miko suggested, "You know, run some human-on-human interference?"
"That would be suicide," I said "for you...but not for me,"
"Absolutely not!" Ratchet argued
"The United States of meltdown! Lives are at stake!"
"You want me to not only bridge you into a confined space but one traveling at 90 miles per hour? I can't even count the number of ways that can go wrong. Mass-displacement trauma, twisted limbs, metal burn...well, maybe not the last one. Regardless, it is nearly impossible to fix ground-bridge coordinates on something moving at that speed,"
"Would it help if we had access to the train's coordinates?" I asked as I typed on my computer
"Well..."
***
I jumped through the ground bridge and heard Jack and Miko grunt next to me, I shook my head in exasperation "Why Ratchet allowed you to come with me, I'll never understand," I lifted my hand to my commlink "We're in,"
"I read you, Pixel." Rafael said "The comlink patch works,"
"Of course it does who do you think created it so I can remain in contact with bots?" I looked up as I heard chopper blades get close "Raf, Mech's landing on top of the train,"
"In about 20 seconds, you're gonna come to a fork. Brace yourself,"
I held on as the train took a sharp turn.
"What have I been saying all along about Earth technology?" Ratchet sassed
I rolled my eyes at the statement.
"We've got company," Jack said and I looked up at the roof to see MECH welding a hole.
I picked up my blaster as Miko picked up an ax and Jack picked up a fire extinguisher. I raised my blaster as three MECH agents looked into the train "I dare you to make the first move,"
"What she said," Jack said.
The agents retreated back onto the chopper and it took off.
"Whoa. You're pretty fierce." Miko said
An explosion shook in front of us. "Son of a glitch," I muttered "Ratchet, MECH blew the train tracks. You need to bridge us and the soldiers out of here." I said as I looked over at Lennox's unconscious form.
"We've lost access to the train data!" Ratchet explained "I can't bridge you back without your coordinates!"
I hurried over to Lennox "Come on Lenny, wake up...wake up!" I looked up at Jack and Miko and saw their scared looks, I touched the ground to see if the Allspark could get through but I was too far away from the controls.
"We'll watch over him," Jack said as he came by my side "You go do what you have to do,"
I looked up at him and back at Lennox and nodded as I ran to the front of the train.
"Optimus, Pixel, Jack, and Miko are on that train, and MECH has blown the tracks," Ratchet explained over the comm
"I'm on my way." Optimus said "Maximum Overdrive!"
"Where's Optimus?" Arcee asked over the comms
"He had a train to catch," Fowler explained
I reached the front of the train at the same time as Optimus and placed my hands on the controls, willing the Allspark to give me access to either stop the train or to at least slow it down. I let out a sigh of relief as the train stopped as it reached the edge and gave Optimus a thumbs up before running back towards Jack, Miko, and Lennox. I stopped as I heard chopper blades and Optimus and I glared up at MECH's Chopper as it flew away.
"Optimus, are you and the children..." Ratchet wondered on the comm "intact?"
"Intact, Ratchet," Optimus replied as I shook my head only to look up as I saw Lennox come to and ran towards him with a hug. "Crisis averted. But the world in which we live is a different one than previously imagined. One which has spawned its own Decepticons...in human skin,"