Tumgik
#I got a TFP Wheeljack
leafdragon16 · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
Went to my first convention a few days ago
31 notes · View notes
Note
What if Strongarm and Wildbreak were sent to a parallel Universe that was running quite a bit behind them time-wise.
The war is still going, cliffjumper has died but Breakdown is still alive and well. In fact, while trying to find a way home they run into him and Wildbreak gets to meet his other caretaker for the first time.
Hey! :)
Do you realize the chaos you’re about to unleash? I’m not mad, I just wanna know. 😂
Now, this situation is delicate for a number of reasons. Allow me to explain:
Wildbreak would 100% want to meet his second caregiver, but we must keep context in mind. At the time of the war, Breakdown and Knockout are Decepticons—maybe not the most loyal, but they’re bad news. We see Knockout eventually become a turncoat, but that takes a very long time and the death of his conjunx to make it happen.
Strongarm’s parents aren’t exactly on the best of terms. How exactly would you take it if some kid showed up and claimed to be the child of you and your biggest rival? Yeah, we need a paternity test on this one-
If we’re going “alternate universe” and not some wacky time-travel hijinks, we must be totally aware that these aren’t Wildbreak and Strongarm’s actual families and that what they do will here not impact their homes. It’s less of a “Back to the Future” situation and more of an “Avengers: Endgame” scenario. Even if they manage to save Cliffjumper and Breakdown, it does not resurrect the ones they lost. It just gives their future alternates a chance at vastly different lives.
We got that? Okay, then.
It was just meant to be a quick hop over to the alternate universe.
Strongarm wanted to visit her siblings on her rare day off (mandated and enforced by her superior officers), and Wildbreak wanted to try and prevent any unnecessary chaos by ensuring that the heavily modified space-bridge was functioning as it was supposed to.
Unfortunately, chaos found them—as it usually did. There was a short in the system just as Strongarm was stepping through, and Wildbreak didn’t even hesitate to run after the best friend he had in any universe.
Following a bright flash and a tumble from far too high in the air, the two young ‘bots landed face-first in sand. And when Wildbreak sat up, he had just one thing to say:
"What the frag, Armi?"
"Ugh.” Strongarm sat up as well, shaking dust off of her head and shoulders. “Okay, that did not go as planned."
"Oh, you think?” Wildbreak asked flatly, then he looked up and blinked. “Whoa.” He staggered to his feet. “Earth?"
“Looks like it.” Strongarm stood up as well, stretching her back before looking at Wildbreak with a sigh. “Whichever one it is, we’ll be fine. I'll just call ‘Jackie, and he'll come get us.” She raised a servo to her comm, bracing herself. “Hey, ‘Jackie? I screwed up.” She blinked. “‘Jackie?” She glanced at Wildbreak worriedly. “No signal."
“That's odd.” Wildbreak frowned. “Let me try my caregiver.” He raised a digit to his comm, his brow furrowing. “Knockout? We need a bridge.” Wildbreak glanced at Strongarm, frowning. “No answer. Our comms must be busted."
"Just ran a diagnostic.” Strongarm glanced up from a monitor in her arm. “I'm fine."
Wildbreak ran a diagnostic on his own systems, and he blinked again in surprise. "Me, too. Huh.” He looked at Strongarm worriedly. “Jammed?"
*Maybe.” Strongarm shook her head. “I don’t wanna stick around long enough to find out. Assuming it’s our Earth, we can make a break for my base. Lieutenant Bumblebee can help us. If it’s the other Earth, we head for Detroit.”
Wildbreak raised an optic-brow. "Either way, our family tears you a new one for Wrecker behavior.”
"Hey, I’m not the one who ran straight into a malfunctioning space-bridge,” Strongarm argued, but she was smiling. “Thanks, by the way.”
Wildbreak blinked, then he crossed his arms. “Well, life would be far too boring without you.”
Strongarm snorted and gently nudged his shoulder, and the young medic smiled.
They didn’t get far.
Just a few miles down the road, Strongarm and Wildbreak’s chatter had to go silent as a red muscle car pulled off onto their stretch of highway and started driving with them.
Whoever that driver was, he was loud and chattering with someone nonstop.
When the driver passed Wildbreak and wound up behind Strongarm, the anxious cadet checked her rear-view mirrors before quickly making a call.
“Wildbreak.”
:Yeah?:
“I need you to stay calm.”
:What’s wrong?:
“Our company has no driver.”
:What?:
“Stay calm. I don't think he's noticed, yet.”
"Oh, I've noticed."
"Ah!” Both of the young ‘bots jumped so badly that they wound up in their biped modes at the side of the road, their optics wide and their frames covered in sand.
The strange car pulled over and transformed, and a crimson ‘bot with silver horns chuckled as he rested his servos on his hips. “Nice try, kids. Your disguises are hardly subtle."
“Mmhm.” Strongarm nodded shakily.
Meanwhile, Wildbreak raised an optic-brow. “And you’re the picture of subtlety?”
“What the-?” The red mech glanced at Wildbreak, visibly surprised, then he looked between the two youths. “Okay... I'm guessing there's a story here."
"Uh, kinda?” Wildbreak stood and held a servo out, helping Strongarm to her feet. That seemed to make the other ‘bot relax. “An Autobot?"
The stranger nodded. “That's right. I see your friend’s emblem, but… I gotta say, kiddo, I’m having a hard time placing you.”
“Unaligned,” Wildbreak replied calmly, squeezing Strongarm’s servo for support. “My caregiver was a Decepticon who changed sides—and honestly, I don’t see the point in choosing. I’m a medic.”
“Huh.” The stranger smiled and nodded. “A medic? Not bad, kid.”
“Trained by the best,” Strongarm assured him, then she stood up straighter. “Cadet Strongarm of the Elite Guard. This is Dr. Wildbreak."
"Impressive,” the stranger admitted. “You both seem a little young for that, though."
His face fell, like the thought made him sad.
“Our caregivers trained us well,” Strongarm stated. “Then and the rest of our family.”
"And where are they?'
"We don't know,” Wildbreak replied. “We got here by accident—and now, our comms aren't reaching them. We figured that our best bet is making our way to our base."
"Base?” The stranger’s optics widened. “Is it here, on Earth?"
Strongarm nodded. “Just outside of Crown City."
"Frag.” The stranger seemed overwhelmed, and he raised a digit to his comm. “Uh, Arcee? Don't hate me."
Strongarm’s face lit up. "Arcee?"
"You know the name?" The stranger asked her, surprised.
"Uh, duh! She's the best!” Strongarm insisted, dropping all formality. “And -like- my hero, just like my parents. And my grandpa. And my uncles. And my brothers. And my sisters.” She sighed. “I have lots of heroes, okay?"
"Heh.” That seemed to please the stranger, and he focused on his call. “Listen, I've found some kids—like, Cybertronian kids. Might be around Bee's age, actually. They say there's another Autobot base, here on Earth. I'm thinking we should bring Prime in."
“Oh, thank goodness.” Strongarm looked at Wildbreak, relieved. “Optimus can sort this out."
“Hopefully.” Wildbreak felt uneasy. This person knew Arcee and Bee, and mistook them for Bumblebee’s age? Something felt wrong, but he tried to remain optimistic. “… He'll probably sentence us both to volunteer hours in the archives, though."
“Yeah, probably.”
When the portal opened members of their family spilled out, Strongarm thought it was all over.
Wildbreak was not so certain.
Where were their caregivers?
“Optimus.” Strongarm’s shoulders sagged in relief. “It’s great to see you.”
"Sir.” Wildbreak nodded politely in greeting, then he smiled. “You would not believe our day." He gestured. “Her fault.”
Strongarm shot a look at him. “Hey!”
“Just covering my bases, Armi,” Wildbreak said jokingly, folding his servos behind his back and rocking in place while Strongarm crossed her arms and deadpanned.
Optimus watched the two banter with a forlorn expression. "They are young.” The crimson, horned mech nodded, and the Prime stepped forward. “My name is Optimus Prime.” Strongarm and Wildbreak looked up at him, surprised, and the large mech gestured to his company. “These are the members of my team: Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Ratchet. You've already met-“
Strongarm raised an optic-brow. “What's with the formality, if I may ask?” She huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I know—that's weird, coming from me. But we all know each other.” She glanced at the crimson mech and shrugged. “Except for you."
The Autobot standing behind the two kids smiled. "It’s Cliffjumper, kiddo.”
"… No, really,” Wildbreak said after a silent beat while his best friend’s optics narrowed, the young medic suddenly very tense. He was eyeing their companion’s horns, a sinking feeling growing in his tank. “Who are you?"
"Uh, Cliffjumper,” the crimson mech reiterated.
Strongarm turned on her heel to glare at him. "Don't you dare.” She gestured towards Arcee with her head. “Especially not in front of her."
"Whoa, hey!" ‘Cliffjumper’ held his servos up in surrender, his optics wide at this turn, and Arcee immediately raised her cannons.
This went unnoticed by Strongarm, but Wildbreak quickly stepped between his friend and the red mech—holding his servos up as well. "Easy, Armi.”
"No.” Strongarm’s winglets twitched in agitation, her fists clenched at her sides. “Wildbreak, this is sick! You know that just as well as I do!”
Wildbreak cringed. “Armi, I think-“
“Cliffjumper's been dead for over a million years!” Strongarm snapped. “He died right here on Earth, just a few years before the war ended—the last permanent Autobot casualty." She turned her glare back onto the offending Autobot. “So, who the frag are you—and how dare you?”
The crimson mech’s face had dropped. “… What?" Arcee’s optics were wide, and her cannons dipped as she stared at the scene. “I don’t-“
“Everyone knows the story,” Wildbreak said quietly, still making himself a barrier between Strongarm and her target. “He and Arcee were out on patrol, separated but keeping tabs on each other and making small talk. Something about an encounter with human police, and a ticket?”
“A boot,” Strongarm corrected him.
Wildbreak nodded shakily. “Yeah. But then, he came across this huge Energon supply. The Nemesis found it, too—and they blew it up and captured him, then Starscream killed him. Claws to the chest, severing vital fuel-lines—gone in moments.” Behind Wildbreak, the crimson mech was staring down at him before he looked up at Arcee in shock. “Then, Megatron mutilated his body and brought him back as a Terror-‘Con, using Dark Energon that he discovered in his travels. The zombie attacked Arcee, made her sick because of the Dark Energon exposure.” Wildbreak glanced back at ‘Cliffjumper’, his expression grim. His raised, clawed servos had started to shake. “… I can hardly think of a worse fate, especially for someone so kind.”
“The point is he’s very, very dead,” Strongarm cut in again, still furious. “And she still misses him, after all this time. His voice.” She huffed out a bit treed laugh, glancing at the ground. “What's that thing she always says?"
Wildbreak looked ready to be sick. “Quite the conversationalist, right?"
"Yeah, that's it.” Strongarm looked up and glared at ‘Cliffjumper’ again. “So, don't you dare.” The crimson mech just stared at her. “What? What's the look?"
"How did you know that?" Arcee asked.
Strongarm glanced at her, surprised. "What?"
"That's an inside joke between Cliff and me,” Arcee stated, stepping forward as her optics narrowed.
“Yeah.” Strongarm nodded, turning to face the elder Autobot. “You told us when you were talking about him.” The young Guard grew confused. “Arcee, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” She looked around at the other Autobots, and her face dropped as her optics widened. “Wh-Why are all of you looking at me like that?"
"It's a lot better than how they're looking at me,” Wildbreak admitted as he looked forward and saw how Ratchet was eying him. Cliffjumper noticed the discomfort and blinked, then frowned as he stepped forward in an almost-protective gesture. “Hey, Armi-“
"What's going on?" Strongarm demanded, her winglets flaring.
"That's what we'd like to know,” Bulkhead insisted, then he raised a servo as Strongarm glanced at him with wild optics. “Easy, kid.”
"Uncle Bulk, stop it,” the young Guard pleaded, stepping back. “This isn't funny!"
The green mech blinked. "Uncle-?"
Optimus held a servo up, gazing down at Strongarm with an unreadable expression. “You spoke of an end to the war.”
“Yeah, Optimus.” She looked up at him, visibly shaken. “Y-You taught me my history, back at lacon. The war ended just about three years after Cliffjumper died.”
"lacon?”
“Yeah, where else?” Strongarm asked. “It’s where you work, where both of us were raised. Optimus, what’s happening?”
“Both of you?” Ratchet questioned her, still eyeing Wildbreak skeptically.
“Dr. Ratchet?” The young medic tried warily. “I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen you… quite so angry… at me.” He swallowed thickly, stepping back, and ‘Cliffjumper’ lowered an arm to shield him. “Armi, I think-“
“Optimus, you're scaring me,” Strongarm said, her vents shaking a bit.
"I do not mean to.” The Prime kneeled to face her. “What is your name?"
"You know me,” Strongarm pressed. “Please, Optimus—you know me. Bumblebee, tell him!” She looked at the yellow and black mech, who shook his head and stepped back. “Bumblebee!"
“Armi, I don't think he does!” Wildbreak finally shouted, and Strongarm froze. “… None of them do. Not yet.” He frowned at his best friend’s back. “Don't you see what's happened?"
"… My caregivers are going to kill me,” Strongarm whispered, her optics wide.
“Well, mine might actually kill me—them and the rest of our family—so I can't say l'm feeling very sympathetic, at the moment,” Wildbreak said flatly, resting a servo on his hip. “That, and now: I really do blame you."
"Wildbreak!"
"I blame you!” Wildbreak insisted, then he gasped and ducked behind Cliffjumper as Bulkhead and Arcee’s cannons were pointed his way. Ratchet readied his blades while Bumblebee raised his fists defensively. “Oh, that's fun.”
“Hey!” Strongarm quickly snapped out of it and put herself between ‘Cliffjumper’ and her family, her optics narrowed as she provided an extra shield for the two mechs with her own body. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Everyone, remain calm,” Optimus tried quickly, holding his servos out to halt the fire from his side of the tense encounter.
Wildbreak swallowed thickly again, his optics wide as he peeked out from behind ‘Cliffjumper’. “Y'know, this is all going to be hilarious for me and horrifying for you, someday.” He glanced at Ratchet again. “Especially you, doctor. You hold onto guilt like it's going out of style.”
Ratchet blinked. “What the-?”
“Easy, folks,” ‘Cliffjumper’ insisted, holding his servos up. “I, uh… I think Bee, Bulk, and I have seen enough movies to see what this is about.” He glanced back at Wildbreak, nodding shakily. “It’s okay, kid. I gotcha, alright?” Wildbreak meekly nodded in reply, and the crimson mech gently grabbed Strongarm’s shoulder and coaxed her back—and she let him carefully guide her behind him to join her companion, shielded from harm. “Now, why don’t we all just calm down? These are kids, and they’re scared.”
“Seriously?” Arcee demanded. “Cliff: at best, they have some serious screws loose. At worst, they’re spies. Either way, they’re dangerous. Especially-” She looked at Wildbreak, who ducked behind cover again. “You can’t be buying this!”
“… Hey, kiddo?” ‘Cliffjumper’ glanced back over his shoulder. “You say that Arcee is one of your heroes, right? What’s something else she told you, something special?”
Strongarm blinked, then she frowned. “… She resisted going to Earth to join Optimus right up until you were both backed into a corner, that day when you two were captured by Starscream and taken to Shockwave. She wanted to work alone, to keep isolating herself because she blamed herself for what Airachnid did to Tailgate… but you were able to talk her out of it, and convince her to try again.” She sighed. “And from personal experience, I know that… if she lost you… she’d want to stop trying. She needs someone to be her anchor, a partner.”
Cliffjumper’s expression softened, then he looked forward and at Arcee. “… Would you have told just anyone that, ‘Cee? Even me? Even ever just said it out-loud?” The blue and pink ‘bot’s optics were huge, and she slowly lowered her cannons. “I really don’t know what’s happening. I just know that these kids are scared, and that they need us to keep our heads right now ‘cause they think that we’re people they can count on.” He gave a quick nod. “And I’d like to not have to break it to them that they can’t, if it’s all the same to you. Put the weapons away.”
“Whoa.” Strongarm and Wildbreak both blinked as Bulkhead, Arcee, and Ratchet stashed their weapons and Bumblebee lowered his fists.
Cliffjumper nodded. “Alright, then.” He looked back at the young Autobots behind him, putting on a smile. “Hey. It’s okay now, kids. It’s okay.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Wildbreak told him cautiously, raising a clawed digit. “If it’s all the same to you.”
Strongarm glanced at him worriedly, then she sighed and looked up at Cliffjumper. “I’m… sorry, for what I said.”
“Heh.” Cliffjumper smiled. “Nah. It’s nice to know ‘Cee will always have someone in her corner.” He reached up and rubbed the young ‘bot��s head affectionately. “You’re a real firecracker, kiddo.”
“Hm.” Strongarm smiled. “And I like you far better than your story.” Cliffjumper blinked, then he watched the young Guard step out to face his team. “I’ll have to ask you not to threaten my friend again.”
“He’s a Decepticon,” Ratchet argued.
Strongarm raised an optic-brow. “I’m sorry, I must have missed that. Could you please point out his emblem, for me?” The old medic blinked. “I know not everyone takes on an emblem. Taking on my emblem was a personal choice I made. But now… exactly what about him suggested that he was a Decepticon? Did he attack you? Did he declare himself as such?” She tilted her head. “Don’t tell me that you pointed your weapons at him based solely on his physical attributes as compared to mine and yours?” Wildbreak peeked out from behind Cliffjumper, his yellow optics wide. “Oh, if that was the case… Should I begin listing the many, many violations to Autobot Code that you would have made?” Ratchet, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee just stared at her, and she crossed her arms. “Because I can, in whichever order you prefer—or you can just apologize to him, and convince me that you mean it.”
“Optimus, are you hearing this?” Ratchet asked his leader quietly.
Optimus slowly nodded. “Indeed, old friend.” He folded his servos behind his back. “And as one of the writers of the Autobot Code, I must say that she’s being entirely fair in her assessment.”
Ratchet’s jaw dropped, but Bumblebee stepped forward and nodded. |You’re right, it was wrong.| He looked at Wildbreak. |I’m sorry. I guess the war’s made me jumpy, and it’s been quiet, and… it’s been a really weird day.| Strongarm blinked, her face falling as she heard the tones that stories always told her once replaced Bumblebee’s voice. |You acted like you know me.|
“Yeah.” Strongarm nodded. “You’re probably my best friend, aside from Wildbreak. And I might be yours, aside from Smokescreen… who you haven’t met yet.” She sighed. “Oh, this is-“
“Yet?” Bulkhead asked her. “Why do you keep sayin’ that?”
“… You asked who I am.” Strongarm glanced at Optimus. “Well… I'm Strongarm, sir, and I'm a cadet with the Elite Guard—or, I guess... I will be, after l'm born... a few decades from now."
As optics widened, Wildbreak smiled awkwardly and waved his servos. "Dun-dun-duuuun~!"
"Oh, you've got to be joking,” Ratchet insisted. “Optimus-“
"She is not,” the Prime said quietly.
Ratchet scoffed. "And how do you know?"
"… I recognize her optics,” Optimus said, and his teammates blinked as the Prime smiled. “As well as her spirit. Heh… Ultra Magnus must be so very proud of you."
"Ultra Magnus?” Ratchet asked, then he looked at Strongarm skeptically before his optics widened. “By the Allspark.”
“Yeah.” Strongarm put on a nervous smile and raised her shoulders. “I’m his youngest. Believe it or not, I’ve genuinely lost count of my siblings.” Wildbreak doubled-over and wheezed loudly as Ratchet’s jaw dropped. “Yeah, that came out a bit- It’s a long story.”
Wildbreak stood up straight. “Whoo… Just wait ‘til you learn who her other caregiver-“ Strongarm darted over and clapped a servo over his mouth. “Mmph!” Wildbreak looked at her indignantly, his brow furrowed. “Mm!"
“Wildbreak, I’m already in so much trouble,” she insisted, her optics wide. “I don’t need two sets of my parents scolding me. That is actually a fate worse than the Pit.” She turned away, growing frantic. “And my brothers, them too! Oh, and Sari's going to have a field day when she learns- Ugh!” She ran a servo over her face, then she took a deep vent. “… But-... Heh.” She opened her optics and looked back at Wildbreak, smiling. “It's been so long, I can barely even-… We get to see Agent Fowler, June, Jack, Raf, and Miko again. Oh, and Professor Sumdac!” She then clapped a servo over her forehead. “No, no, no! Bad! We've got to get home!"
"Back to your own time?" Cliffjumper asked the kids curiously.
"I'm actually betting on this being an alternate universe,” Wildbreak theorized. “One running behind ours."
Strongarm shook her head. "You watch too many movies, Wybie."
"Time travel has never been proven,” Wildbreak reminded her. “Travel across the multiverse? We do it all the time."
Cliffjumper blinked. "You what?"
"Spoilers.” Wildbreak looked at him jokingly. “Lie down, you're supposed to be dead."
Strongarm sighed. "Sorry, he acts like his caregiver when he's panicking."
Bulkhead raised an optic-brow, growing curious. "And his caregivers are-?"
"Not a discussion that I will be having with you specifically until everyone's calmed down,” Wildbreak said, pointing at the large green Wrecker. “Like, tranquilized calmed down.”
Strongarm turned to her friend and offered a servo. “Pact?"
"Pact.” Wildbreak took her servo and shook it, nodding.
Strongarm tilted her head. "How much do we tell them?"
“We're right here,” Arcee tried to remind them.
"Not our universe,” Wildbreak insisted, not looking away from Strongarm. “This isn't like one of our adventures, Armi. There will be serious, life-or-death consequences if we mess up."
Strongarm just looked at him, then she looked at the other Autobots. "… We're going to have to kidnap some kids."
Wildbreak groaned. "Oh, for frag's sake-"
“After we save Cliffjumper’s life, of course,” Strongarm went on.
“Armi.” Wildbreak released her servo. “… I think we already did.” She looked at him, surprised. “The story, about the boot. That was their last talk… and they’ve already had it.”
“Which means-“ Strongarm tensed, her optics going wide. “… We have to get out of here.” She looked at the other ‘bots frantically. “We have to get out of here, right now!”
“What?” Cliffjumper asked, perplexed, then a shadow fell over them and they looked up.
“The Nemesis,” Ratchet realized, his optics wide, then he looked to his team. “Go, go, go!”
“Come on, kids!” Cliffjumper transformed and sped off, and Wildbreak and Strongarm swiftly followed his lead.
They found themselves boxed in by the other Autobots as they drove off, dodging blasts from the warship as Optimus made an urgent call.
Finally, a swirling portal opened before them—and when they passed through it, they all came to a screeching halt inside of a large, cavelike base.
Wildbreak and Strongarm transformed, their optics wide, and Strongarm’s face lit up. “Autobot Outpost Omega One. It’s still standing.”
“Prime!” A voice shouted, and the two young ‘bots looked back to see a man in a suit standing beside a monitor. “You better start talking.”
“Special Agent Fowler,” Wildbreak realized. “He’s so… young.” He blinked as Strongarm left his side. “Wait, Armi-”
“Sir.” Strongarm stood before the agent and saluted. “My name is Cadet Strongarm, of the Elite Guard. One of my fathers was Optimus Prime’s second-in-command.” She gave a small smile. “It’s an honor.”
“Okay, it’s official: that’s a stress headache.” Wildbreak groaned, putting his face in his servo. “Just wake me up, already. I wanna wake up.”
“Easy there, kid.” Bulkhead placed a servo on the young mech’s shoulder. “Ratchet’s probably got something for your head. You… get those a lot?”
Wildbreak looked up at him with a stressed smile. “Got my first one when I was twelve, the same day Armi was protoformed.”
“Huh.” Bulkhead blinked, then he chuckled. “Oh, we’re gonna get along great.”
“Yay…”
Wildbreak sat and watched with crossed arms, adding the occasional comment or more-detailed illustration as Strongarm assembled a series of charts to explain exactly what the Autobot team would be coming up against.
Her brothers would be proud.
Based on the stories they had heard as children, Strongarm laid out a timeline for the next decade and a half—starting with Cliffjumper’s death, and ending with the splitting open of the multiverse. She kept vague anything that would indicate their parentage, so she didn’t speak much of how the multiverse had opened up—Wheeljack going missing, his time away, or exactly what became of the multiverse’s opening: all they had seen, the larger family they had made. She didn’t really go far into personal details at all, just time-stamps and details as to why what occurred.
“So you see, if you just trust us on this, we’ll be able to think up a plan ages in advance to avoid the tragedy and still keep all of the good,” the young Guard wrapped up her explanation. “We could probably end the war even earlier.” She glances at Wildbreak. “And save lives on both sides.” The young medic blinked, then his optics went wide as he realized what she was implying. "So... how are you following me so far?"
"Uh, I think you lost me after the whole ‘purple crystals that make zombies and vampires' bit,” Cliffjumper admitted.
“That was in the first ten minutes,” Strongarm said, then she huffed and rested her servos on her hips. “That was three hours ago!"
Arcee raised an optic-brow. “You were timing it?”
“Ugh.” Strongarm rested her face in her servo. “Alright, Armi. Desperate times, desperate measures… You need proof that we know what we are talking about? Fine.” She looked at Arcee, smirking. “Let's wait and see. Wildbreak?"
"We need to find Jack, Miko, and Raf—which should set the timeline to rights, save the whole ‘Cliffjumper being alive’ bit,” Wildbreak began. “Since the story says we're supposed to discover the plot when his signal comes online, corrupted by Dark Energon, and that that's supposed to put Optimus and Dr. Ratchet on the trail of what Megatron is planning at the space-bridge-…” He glanced up thoughtfully, then nodded. “Alright. Cliffjumper was going to die at sunrise. It’s not sundown yet, so there’s still plenty of time.” He looked at Strongarm. “If I know that story as well as I hope I do, then Cliff was supposed to die today—and Arcee and Bumblebee were meant to find Raf and Jack in their high-speed chase -turned- scuffle. Then, tomorrow, they are supposed to add Miko to the mix—and find the zombie.” He raised a servo to his chin, perplexed. “No zombie, no confrontation in the mines. Arcee doesn't get sick, and they have no trail to follow. So, we give them the trail—to everything.” He looked at the Autobots, growing determined. “Let’s make a deal. If we can prove our story is real, then you believe us. You trust us.” He gestured to the timeline. “And you let us help.”
"Hm.” Optimus seemed uncertain.
“Our comms aren’t working right now, anyway,” Wildbreak told the skeptical team. “We’re cut off from all communications. Dr. Ratchet can even monitor us to be certain, or even lock us up.” He crossed his arms. “Just follow our lead, and then wait and see what happens."
Bumblebee shifted uneasily. |Uh, Optimus?|
"What are you proposing?" The Prime asked.
"Okay, uh...” Strongarm walked forward, pointing her index-fingers up and shaking them a bit as she worked to remember. “The story goes, Arcee leaves the funeral to drive around Jasper. Some Vehicons start to follow her, so she pulls off into the parking lot of some burger joint-”
"KO Burger,” Wildbreak recalled.
"Right.” Strongarm nodded. “And that's where she meets Jack. The Vehicons think he's with her, so she has to drive away to save them both. Bumblebee goes after her, so he's close enough to come and help. They go over the edge of a bridge, and there's Raf—and the boys escape the fight with some help from Bumblebee, then Bulkhead comes to chase the Vehicons off.” She took a deep vent. “And that night, Optimus worries about their safety and has Bumblebee and Arcee bring them to the base after school the next day. Miko catches Arcee arguing with Jack, so she has to come along too."
Wildbreak nodded. "Right."
"So, what?” Arcee raised an optic-brow. “You want me to go off and sulk by myself just to see if things will just fall into place like you described?” She deadpanned. “Trap.”
"Even if you're right, we'll be willingly bringing three young humans into our war,” Ratchet argued, and Fowler crossed his arms.
"Those humans save everyone here countless times,” Strongarm protested. “They're family. I haven’t seen them since I was small, but I can still remember them—and we still tell their stories.” Fowler blinked. “You need them.”
"And if it isn't enough to convince you-” Wildbreak shrugged. “The day after tomorrow, we're going to tell Optimus and Dr. Ratchet where to find Megatron and what is going to happen there.“
“… Could you actually be any more dramatic?” Strongarm asked after a moment, looking at her friend in annoyance.
“I’m doing my best here.” Wildbreak shrugged. “And I still blame you.”
Strongarm rolled her optics. “Ugh.”
Arcee came storming back into the base, with Bulkhead and Bumblebee right behind her and frantically gesturing for everyone to get out of the two-wheeler’s way.
“No fragging way,” she said, her optics blazing.
Cliffjumper looked at her, surprised. “Arcee?”
“No fragging way!” She snapped, then she turned to Ratchet. “Where are they?!”
Ratchet looked at her, concerned. “Was it a trap?”
“No.” Optimus shook his head, his expression grave. “It was not.”
Arcee was fuming. “I don’t know what they’re were playing at, but-”
“Arcee,” Optimus tried, and she turned her glare on him. “… Did it happen?"
“... Just like they said,” she said quietly, her fists falling open. “Exactly like they said.”
Ratchet’s optics widened. “Impossible.”
“They were just kids, Doc,” Bulkhead said as Bumblebee’s wings drooped. “One of them was a young kid, too. It-… It couldn’t have been a setup. It just couldn’t have been.”
“… Where are they?” Arcee asked quietly.
Optimus glanced back, and the two young ‘bots poked their heads out from behind him.
Wildbreak held his servos up and waved them awkwardly. "Abracadabra?"
“This has to be a trap,” Arcee said, though her spark was no longer in it.
Wildbreak raised an optic-brow. “Do you really think we’re smart enough to come up with something this elaborate, or fragged in the head enough to come up with something this weird?“
Arcee’s optics narrowed again, and she took a step forward as her servos balled into fists once more. “Listen, here you little-“
“No, you listen.” Wildbreak stepped out into the open, glaring right back at her. “Against my better judgment, I am interfering here because Armi thinks it’s the right thing to do. Before the end of these next three years, she and I are going to have saved you a lot of pain and trouble.” He gestured to Cliffjumper. “We already saved his life by accident. All that would’ve been left of him is a horn you buried atop this mesa and a mangled, undead shell at the bottom of a burning mine. That would’ve been the last you saw of someone you loved.” He lowered his servo, frowning. “… And it’s still much kinder than a lot of things that happened—would happen, might happen—before the end… So, why don’t you take five on the whole paranoid, bad cop routine and actually consider the possibility that we are not your enemies?”
Arcee’s optics were wide by the time the young medic was through.
All optics were, actually—and locked on him.
“… You good, Wybie?” Strongarm asked quietly, and he closed his optics. “Easy. Put the tiger back into the cage.”
“Mmph.” Wildbreak stepped back, raising a servo to his head. “I hate getting like that. Gives me processor-aches.”
“And spark palpitations, I know.” Strongarm walked up and wrapped an arm around him, resting her servos on his shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
“Thanks, Armi.” Wildbreak looked up at her, and he smiled. “Heh. Where would I be, without you?”
Strongarm shrugged. “Probably home and safe.”
“… What fun would that be?” Wildbreak asked, and her optics lit up before she laughed and pulled him into a hug.
Wildbreak hugged back, closing his optics again, then the two of them separated and looked up as Optimus approached and looked down at them forlornly. “Apologies, young ones. This is all just… difficult to accept.”
“I know.” Strongarm turned to face him. “One of my caregivers went through a similar experience, a very long time ago. Or, well—a short time from now. He went to a strange place and had to earn the trust of the people there, people who reminded him of his family… and who eventually became just that.” She sighed. “I guess that Wildbreak and I just never imagined we’d end up in the same place. It’s… scary.” She started to rub at her arms as she looked at the floor. “I really don’t know how he did it.”
“Armi,” Wildbreak said quietly.
“Hm?” Strongarm blinked, then she looked down at her arms. “Oh.” She quickly folded her arms, trying to hide the hives. “Oops.”
“You’re not taking this nearly as well as you’re pretending to,” Wildbreak noted, then he sighed. “Do you have the salve?” Strongarm looked at him awkwardly. “You left it in your bunk, again?”
“… Maybe?”
Wildbreak nodded. “I figured as much. I guess that I’ll just… make some more.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Wildbreak wrapped an arm around her. “You get us into trouble, I get us out of it—but we look after each other. That’s the deal, and why we have fun instead of twisted limbs.”
Strongarm’s little smile returned. “I ever tell you that you got the short end of the stick?”
“About as many times as I’ve told you that no, I haven’t,” he assured her, and she nodded.
“What are those?” Fowler asked, looking at Strongarm skeptically.
“Hives. They can form on the plating as a result of an environmental hazard, or as a symptom of high stress,” Ratchet informed the agent. Fowler looked like he was questioning everything. “The latter form are rare, usually inherited.”
“Indeed.” Optimus was looking at Strongarm sadly. “And while Ultra Magnus is known for composure under pressure, he has his tells.” The other Autobots exchanged surprised glances, and Optimus got down on one knee to address the young ‘bots. “… You are very much his daughter, Strongarm. Please, forgive us for the distress that we have caused—to both of you.”
“It’s okay.” Strongarm put on a small smile. “I know you’d never do anything to hurt us on purpose, Optimus. I’ve known you all my life.” She slowly frowned again. “… I’ve just never seen you so tired. Not that I can remember, at least.” She sighed. “You’re Maggie's best friend. You've always been there for us, for me. So, maybe… I can return the favor, this time around.”
"… He's alive?" Optimus asked quietly.
Strongarm’s smile returned. "So alive."
Optimus smiled back at her, then he tilted his head and raised an optic-brow. "… Who did he-?"
"Oh, you're going to- Hold on.” Strongarm pulled away from Wildbreak to face the Prime. “Swear to secrecy? Cross your spark?”
Optimus reached up and used his finger to draw an X over his chest. “Cross my spark.”
“It's-“ Strongarm stood on the tips of her peds to whisper it to the Prime, then she fell back onto her feet as his optics widened. “Yeah."
"… I knew it,” Optimus said at last—earning a laugh from the cadet, which made him smile.
“Well, Strongarm won him over,” Wildbreak remarked, crossing his arms. “Again.” He glanced at the other Autobots. “So, what's next on the activities list?” They just stared back at him, and he deadpanned. “Okay, that’s getting old. Is this going to become a regular thing?”
Strongarm looked away from Optimus, her shoulders raising. “It better not.”
“Armi, it’s fine,” Wildbreak assured her as she moved to stand beside him again. “It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I’ll get used to it.”
“You shouldn’t have to,” Strongarm told him. “Especially not from them.” She looked at Optimus, frowning. “I want to help you, but my first priority is WIldbreak’s safety. If he’s not safe here, then we won’t stay here.” The young medic looked at her with wide optics. “So, from now on, I will not tolerate anything I see as a threat to him—physically or mentally.“
Ratchet shook his head, at a loss. “Are we certain this is Ultra Magnus’s daughter?”
Strongarm’s winglets flared. “Why, you-“
Before she could do anything else, Wildbreak reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked back at him, frustrated, but he shook his head before stepping around her to face Ratchet.
“As sure as I am that you and my caregiver eventually become partners in a lab at Iacon, and you help him raise me,” Wildbreak said plainly.
Ratchet blinked, then his face dropped. “… What?”
“Strongarm’s been carrying this whole thing because she’s Magnus’s kid. I guess it’s my turn to pull some weight,” Wildbreak said, eerily calm. Strongarm adjusted her grip on him and kept it, looking worried. “Because why should you trust me? After all, I look like a Big, Bad ‘Con—even though I’ve only ever learned enough self-defense to keep myself and Armi safe, on a Cybertron where half of the population still looks at me just like you’re looking at me now. It doesn’t matter that I was the first sparkling born on a post-war Cybertron—I came with a large frame and yellow optics, and my only surviving caregiver was a reformed Decepticon.” His optics narrowed. “What exactly was the plan, for the war’s end? You claim to be so righteous, but—aside from Optimus—you’re all just as determined to eradicate all of your enemies as the Decepticons are. You don’t picture them in your ‘after’, because they taint the image.” He took a deep vent. “… I’m not upset because of how you’re all looking at me. I get looks just like that every day. I’m upset because it’s you, and you shouldn’t get looks like that from your family. I know you’re not the people I know yet. You have a lot to learn, a lot of growing to do.” He met Ratchet’s optics. “… I guess I just never considered the fact that if I met you less than fifteen years before I was protoformed, you’d want me dead on sight. Makes me wonder about the time I was too young to remember. Did you all look at me this way when I first left the Well?” He let out a wry chuckle. “Must have been a relief, then—when Strongarm came years later, with white armor and blue optics.”
The tension had left Ratchet’s body as he stared at the young mech.
Strongarm looked crestfallen. “Wildbreak…”
“… One of my caregivers did not survive the war,” Wildbreak began, still oddly resolute. “We still don’t know how I came about as I did without him. The caregiver who lived said it was luck, or a gift from Primus. Personally, I’ve never really seen him as much of a giver. He destroys lives just as Unicron does, he just takes his time doing it and makes you feel grateful.” He shook his head. “Dr. Ratchet said it was some ‘cosmic back-order’, caused by the Allspark being sent off-world for so long. But that’s not really an explanation either, is it? Whatever it was, my caregiver was terrified—he was the one former ‘Con known as a member of ‘Team Prime’, and the adjustment was slow and rocky. The Nemesis taught him that he could trust no one, that he could be hurt or cast aside or sent to his death at any time. He was worthless.” He glanced over at his friend. “… But one of Strongarm’s caregivers broke the ice. He’d done it before, when my caregiver first joined the team—but he seriously stepped in, and the team stepped up soon after.” Strongarm squeezed his servo. “I was way too young to remember that. I don’t remember ever my caregiver being scared, or anyone on this team being cold to us. It’s just not there…. I grew up as the first child born on a peaceful Cybertron, the child of Decepticons—and I was scared all the time. But I always knew that my family had my back, and that… I didn’t have to be what everyone saw me as. I didn’t have to hurt or scare people.” He looked up at Ratchet again. “… So, I became a medic. And I’m actually really, really good.”
“He is,” Strongarm agreed quietly. “Combines Decepticon science with Autobot ethics. And bedside manner.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t go that far.” Wildbreak looked at her with a smirk. “Out of the two of them, we both know that my caregiver tends to be more hospitable.”
Strongarm snorted. “Fair.”
Wildbreak snickered, then looked at Ratchet again. “Hm. You want proof, though? For starters-” He pulled his clawed servo from Strongarm’s and held it out, and he projected a number of documents into the air. “Here are my degrees, and my license. You signed them.”
|What?| Bumblebee asked, alarmed.
“Those are forged,” Arcee decided. “Right?”
“… No.” Ratchet stared at the documents, stunned. “They are not.”
Bulkhead blinked. “You’re jokin’, Doc.”
“Don’t call me that.”/“Don’t call him that.” Ratchet and Wildbreak said together, then they exchanged surprised glances.
Then, Wildbreak smiled and raised an optic-brow. “I guess some things never change.”
“Heh.” Ratchet turned to face the younger mech, a disbelieving smile on his face. “No one else has ever discouraged that.”
“You eventually give up trying, with the Wreckers,” Wildbreak told him. “But I do my best to respect my teacher.”
“… Do you have any more proof for me, doctor?” Ratchet asked softly.
Wildbreak lowered his arm, the hologram blinking off. “I could go with a really low blow. You’ve told me a lot, over the years. Lots of guilt, and regrets.”
“I think I’ve earned a low blow,” Ratchet told him. “Consider it… making us even.” His face fell. “For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry. War has… changed me.”
“I know.” Wildbreak nodded. “And I know that it’ll keep changing you, in ways you’re not going to expect. But… not all of them are going to be bad.” He walked over to face Ratchet. “Someday, you’re going to be someone who takes care of my family just because we need you to. So… how about I actually try to make us even, and prevent a few of those regrets?”
Wildbreak held a servo out. Ratchet blinked, and hesitantly offered his servo. Wildbreak took it, then reached under Ratchet’s arm and tripped an emergency switch.
The panel built into Ratchet’s arm opened, and Wildbreak took a look at the screen before looking at the elder medic with a sigh. “I always kinda hoped that you were exaggerating, but… my caregiver always watched you so carefully, to be sure.”
“What’s going on?” Arcee asked, and Wildbreak carefully turned Ratchet’s arm to reveal the screen. “Whoa. Are those Ratchet’s Energon levels?”
Optimus’s optics were huge. “Ratchet?”
“We need a cube, stat,” Wildbreak said, not taking his optics off of the astonished older medic. “I’ll prep a slow-feeding IV, so we don’t overwhelm his engine. He’s been like this for a long time.”
|How long?| Bumblebee asked, his optics wide.
Any lingering suspicion held by the Autobots had seemingly vanished, replaced by worry.
Wildbreak was quiet, still looking at Ratchet, then he sighed. “… I’ll tell them, if you can’t.”
“I-…” Ratchet was at a loss.
Wildbreak closed his optics. “Since the war started, and Energon rations became regular. He doesn’t think that he deserves to consume more fuel than he needs to stay functional. He thinks that if he’s fully-fueled, he’s depriving the warriors.” The young medic opened his optics again, frowning. “He talks a big game, but his personal self-confidence and sense of self-worth is practically nonexistent. He blames himself for everything.” He glanced back at the timeline Strongarm had created, then he returned his gaze to the elder doctor. “… And I’m not just going to stand back and watch you suffer. You don’t know me yet, but you are family.”
Ratchet swallowed thickly. “It was… Dr. Wildbreak, yes?”
“Heh.” The younger mech smiled. “I’m not used to that, even from the you I know.”
“You refer to me by my title.”
“Yeah, duh.” Wildbreak rolled his optics, then blinked before smiling awkwardly. “Sorry.”
“Hm.” Ratchet’s expression had completely softened. “Don’t be… You must have truly impressed me.”
Wildbreak shrugged. “Well, I learned from the best.” His smile relaxed. “Y’know, this is gonna be a really weird story to tell me someday.”
Ratchet chuckled. “I expect so.”
“Luckily, no one tells stories like you can,” Wildbreak noted.
Ratchet raised an optic-brow. “I told you stories?”
“All the time,” Wildbreak assured him. “You and my caregiver, you… helped each other, so you could both sleep. You still do. You fuss.”
“Then, I look forward to meeting him,” Ratchet told the young mech.
Wildbreak’s smile grew awkward again. “It might not be the best first impression. We have a long way to go.”
“So, let’s get started,” Ratchet decided, shutting the panel in his arm.
Arcee frowned. “Ratchet?”
“… A brilliant young doctor has delivered his diagnosis, and I concur,” Ratchet said, looking at his teammates. “And I approve of the proposed treatment plan.”
“On it.” Wildbreak nodded, turning away, then he looked back at the elder medic. “Uh, permission to utilize your facilities?”
“Granted,” Ratchet assured him, and he watched as the younger mech got to work.
“… Well, I’ll be damned,” Fowler remarked. “I honestly didn’t think you could like anyone but Prime and Bumblebee.”
As Ratchet rolled his optics, Arcee rested her servos on her hips. “You trust him?”
“Evidently, I will,” Ratchet replied, looking at her, then he nodded. “So, I do.”
She blinked, then sighed and nodded. “This is still really, really weird.”
“Tell me about it,” Strongarm remarked, and Arcee glanced at her. “In our time, you’re practically my aunt. Right now, I kinda wanna punch you—most of you, actually. If you were anyone else, I would.” The cadet looked down, frowning. “… I learned from a very young age that the end of the war wasn’t the end of the violence. My job is hunting down criminals, and… I’ve still had to fight more people wearing this emblem than a different one. I don’t know if I’ll ever break even.” All around, faces fell. “My parents always told me that I didn’t have to learn how to fight, but… I had people to protect.” She glanced over at where Wildbreak was working. “I meant what I said. He comes first for me, like I always have for him. if I see anyone point a gun at him again or even look at him coldly, I won’t let him talk me down again. There will be Hell to pay.” She turned her gaze to Ratchet. “… It really is the thing that’s hurt him the most, so far. How you were looking at him. I grew up with Optimus as… an uncle? Grandfather? I don’t even know. But you? You were always Wildbreak’s grandfather.”
Ratchet didn’t look away from the younger medic. “That would mean that… I came to look at a Decepticon as-”
“Yeah.” Strongarm nodded. “You did… In the end, he was just another young ‘bot who needed you. And you were the first person to show him any true kindness after his conjunx died.” She looked away. “They’d do anything for you.”
Ratchet closed his optics, his shoulders raising. “By the Allspark.”
“… How did we do it?” Arcee asked quietly. “After everything they did, how did we-..?”
“I don’t know.” Strongarm shook her head. “Wildbreak came first, I came second years later—so I wasn’t there at all, for the whole adjustment period. My parents weren’t even bonded yet.”
“Ultra Magnus,” Bulkhead noted. “Huh. Gotta wonder who he wound up with.”
Strongarm snorted. “Oh, I can’t wait to see the looks on your faces.” She glanced at Optimus, smiling. “Yours was good. Theirs will be better.”
Optimus gazed at her sadly. “… If Wildbreak’s assessment is correct, this is not even your reality.”
“I know.” Strongarm nodded. “But I learned a long time ago… a short time from now… that you don’t turn your back on family, and that family can be found in strange places.” She chuckled softly. “Oh, and that’s another reason why you need to shape up… Sooner or later, our family is going to be coming for us.” She smirked. “And they have no qualms when it comes to kicking their alternates’ afts. Trust me, it comes up more often than you’d think.”
“Oh, does it?” Cliffjumper asked, amused.
Strongarm grinned. “Oh, yeah—it’s like nothing, at this point. I’m even an inter-reality chess champion, the best I’ve come across anywhere.” She looked at Optimus again. “I can even beat you.”
"Oh, puh-lease.” Ratchet smiled incredulously. “Claiming that you can outwit not just Optimus but the collective wisdom of the Primes in a simple strategy game? That may be your most far-fetched claim yet.”
"Please, don't.” Wildbreak had returned with the IV prepped, and his optic twitched. “When we were sparklings, she ditched Optimus to cross the multiverse and beat a townhouse full of alternate Decepticons. Twice."
“… What?” Bulkhead asked. “Repeat that, slowly.”
As Strongarm’s optics shone, Wildbreak closed his optics. “Oh, Primus—no. You’ve brought this on yourselves.”
"Up for a game?" Strongarm asked, looking at Optimus excitedly.
The Prime looked genuinely concerned. “I… suppose?”
“Great!” Strongarm grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to the monitor.
“She gets her strength from Magnus,” Wildbreak noted calmly as jaws dropped. “Now, Dr. Ratchet, with all due respect: please hold still, or I’ll get the wrench.”
Optimus stared up at the monitor as Strongarm stretched her arms before looking at him with a smile.
“Predictable as ever,” she joked, resting her servos on her hips. “Round two?” She blinked, noticing the Prime’s face. “Optimus? Hey, you okay?”
Optimus took a deep vent. “Apologies, I-"
“What for? You’re not made of stone,” Strongarm told him, then she sighed. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I know you better than most, but… I guess it’s hard to believe some of the stories, about what all of you were like during the war.” She looked up at him sadly. “It's okay to be overwhelmed, and freaked-out, and worried. Trust me, Optimus: I am, too. But it's gonna be okay.” She managed a small smile. “Wildbreak and I are here. We can help, if you just let us.”
“… I never imagined a life after the war, in any capacity,” the Prime confessed.
Strongarm nodded. “I know.”
“You say that there will come a time where I just get to… rest. To be at peace, doing a job I enjoy and… watching my family live.”
“You do,” Strongarm assured him. “After all that happened, that’s the least you deserve.” She watched the Prime look away. “Maybe you need one last shred of proof. Just to make this all real.”
“I trust you.”
“But you’re scared to,” Strongarm said. “… And it’s not the first time you’ve been scared, or the last. But nowadays, you think you have to be scared alone.” She took a deep vent. “… You didn’t didn't walk into the council chambers alone, and… even though most stories leave this part out… you didn't walk out alone.” Optimus blinked, then he looked at her in surprise. “There was a young Guard who survived the attack, and he followed you. He never went back, but he didn't need to. He was the first one to follow you and with him, he brought discipline and strategy and… more optimism than you ever would have been able to find for yourself had you left alone.” She huffed out a weak laugh. “You told me once that you were speechless, when he came to walk beside you and just started talking because he wanted to keep the ball rolling. After everything that had just happened in those chambers, you were reeling—but nothing could slow him down. He was already trying to help you make Cybertron a better place, and he decided it was worth a shot to try your way—without violence. He knew the law better than he knew himself, all of the darkness and corruption that awaited, but… as uptight as he seemed, he was wild too.” She crossed her arms. “The king of malicious compliance, formal yet reckless and eager—and… a bit nervous and awkward. He could talk your audial sensors into shutdown when excited, but he's an introvert. Like you.” There was a spark in the Prime’s optics. “And you tried to look out for him, because he looked up to you. You trusted him, and... when you saw that his spark—his compassion—was pulling him to the most dangerous place in the war... you let him go.” She sighed. “You were scared then too, of course. Scared to lose someone else you cared about. Scared that you’d lose everyone you cared about, and wind up alone… but you had hope. And if anyone could save the Wreckers, it was him.”
“I told you that,” Optimus said softly.
Strongarm looked at him and nodded. “You did. You weren’t just a teacher, or even just family. You'd volunteer to watch over me when my parents needed help, or just when you wanted company in the archives.” She smiled. “You're my friend. And you don’t leave a friend in the scrap.”
Optimus started to smile at her again. “Then, I am fortunate to have made a friend like you.”
“You say that now,” she joked. “I gave you plenty of spark-attacks when I was younger. I apologize in hindsight, and… in advance.”
The Prime found himself chuckling, then his optics widened and he looked back.
The rest of his team was staring at him.
Optimus didn’t know what to do, but then a servo grabbed his and he looked down to see Strongarm still smiling at him.
“It’s gonna be okay.”
Somehow, he truly believed her.
And carefully, he squeezed her servo back.
Strongarm and Wildbreak examined their timeline together—with Optimus with them, and Ratchet taking notes.
“Okay.” Strongarm rested her servos on her hips. “We know the sequence of events, and that it all happens within the next three years. We don’t have the Iacon database, the Relics, or the space-bridge generator, and we’re waiting on reinforcements.” She frowned. “We need to maintain enough stability to ensure that the wins stay the same while also trying to save lives and prevent tragedy. So… I guess we have to decide whose lives we have the power to save, and what that would mean.”
“Feels like we’re playing Primus, here,” Wildbreak noted. “My caregiver always said to embrace these opportunities as they come, but Dr. Ratchet always gave him looks.” He glanced at Strongarm. “We’ve got tons of Vehicon casualties, obviously—then other deaths include Skyquake, Seaspray, Makeshift, Dreadwing…” He hesitated. “And, uh… And Breakdown.” As Strongarm grew worried, Wildbreak looked at Optimus. “You and Megatron are notoriously hard to perish permanently, and Megatron might not change without that cosmic wake-up call. I think our best bet is to try and strategize to keep you from dying at the Battle of the Well, but Megatron’s on his own.”
“It’s character building,” Ratchet agreed, and Optimus shot a look at him.
Wildbreak looked back at the board. “If we have the opportunity to save lives, we can try—but our primary concern is this family. Cliffjumper is safe, so let’s just focus on getting to the end of this.”
“Wildbreak.” Strongarm was looking at him sadly. “It’s alright to ask for help.”
“It’s not our universe.” He gave her a firm look. “We can’t mess this up.” After a long, quiet moment, Wildbreak sighed and looked away. “I need a minute.”
Strongarm watched her friend walk away, and Ratchet glanced at her with concern. “What is it?”
“… His caregiver,” Strongarm confessed. “The one who died. There’s a chance that… things could be different, here. And I don’t think he’ll forgive himself if he doesn’t try.” She took a deep vent. “If someone doesn’t try.”
Ratchet frowned. “A Decepticon?”
“… Family,” Strongarm insisted, closing her optics. Optimus and Ratchet exchanged glances, and the young Autobot opened her optics to regard the board again. “Okay, so: Wildbreak provided data from the post-war Dark Energon studies. You should be able to locate the signature when Megatron conducts his little experiment, and we can go to neutralize the Terror-‘Cons while a second team disrupts the Nemesis’s communications.”
“How do we find it without Agent Fowler being captured?” Optimus questioned her.
“Heh.” Strongarm rested her servos on her hips, smirking. “Thanks to my caregiver, I know that ship like the back of my servo. It was practically a second home, so it doesn’t matter how hard they try to hide it. I can track it down.”
“Why even go to all this trouble?” Ratchet argued. “We can just find the bridge and destroy it before the Decepticons are ready.”
“No.” Strongarm shook her head. “We have to allow the space-bridge to activate and then draw Megatron out. Then, we detonate it to take Megatron off of the chessboard for a while.” She raised a servo to her chin. “And since Optimus isn’t going to get sick, we can put off his return—allowing us to win the war behind his back.”
Optimus blinked, surprised. “How do you propose we do that?”
“Skyquake,” Strongarm said. “He’s loyal to Megatron and Megatron alone. I believe that if we don’t interfere with Starscream waking him up, Skyquake will kill him.” Her brow furrowed. “But it’s a gamble, one we might have to tip the scales of by making an appearance. If Starscream dies in the gorge, no one removes the Dark Energon from Megatron’s spark. He’ll be awake when Soundwave finds him. But if Skyquake lives to return to the Nemesis, and suspects that Starscream acted out-”
Ratchet’s optics glinted. “Skyquake might finish Starscream off.”
“Yes.” Strongarm nodded. “And for the moment, at least… the Decepticons will have lost their top two commanders. And Soundwave, he’s no leader.” She rested both servos on her hips. “Skyquake and Makeshift will have to make do. There may even be a power struggle between them while Soundwave handles the day-to-day affairs. They may still call the medics for Megatron, but they might be less likely to send medics out onto the battlefield.” She shifted, uncomfortable. “The good thing is that I know that both Skyquake and Makeshift were beaten by this team once. We just have to make sure that, this time, you do it without killing Skyquake. Otherwise, his death will summon Dreadwing—who is actually competent.”
“That still leaves Soundwave,” Ratchet reminded her.
Strongarm shrugged. “Shadowzone.”
“Shockwave, on Cybertron,” Optimus added warily.
Strongarm smirked. “Shadowzone, until we need him for the Cybermatter.”
“You can’t just throw all of your problems into the Shadowzone!” Ratchet protested, irked.
Strongarm removed a remote from her storage compartment and wagged it. “Now that I have this, I can.”
“What in-?” Ratchet blinked as the remote was placed into his servos.
“Snuck out, last night—and found the Harbinger,” Strongarm admitted as the medic’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell Wildbreak. Also, we can now get you to and from the space-bridge safely… and get the Allspark to the Well in time to save Optimus’s life.”
Optimus grew surprised, then his expression softened. “… You have thought about this before.”
“I grew up with the stories,” Strongarm reminded him. “And no one likes to be helpless when people they love are hurt.”
“This isn’t your war,” Optimus said.
“It’s my family,” she told the Prime. “So, yes: it is.”
“… There’s still the matter of an army of Vehicons,” Ratchet cut back in.
Strongarm nodded. “I know. And… I actually think that Wildbreak can help us with that.”
“What do you mean?” Ratchet asked.
“Well, those medics I mentioned?” Strongarm asked. “If we get rid of the other officers, they actually might be able to help us end this war. There’s just one thing we have to take care of, first.”
Ratchet raised an optic-brow. “What’s that?”
Staringarm’s optics narrowed. “We have to kill Airachnid.”
The whole room seemed to go quiet.
The Autobots turned their attention away from their new charges, their optics wide—and Cliffjumper quickly looked to his partner, his expression concerned.
“… Okay, I’m sold,” the two-wheeler said at last, stunned. “I like her.”
Optimus frowned at that. “Revenge will not bring you peace.”
“But it’ll prevent a moon full of Insecticon vampires,” Strongarm said, and the Prime’s shoulders sagged. “Checkmate.”
“Yo.” A tiny figure walked over, hands on hips and eyebrow raised. “What’s happening, over here?” She blinked, surprised. “That is one wild conspiracy board.”
“Miko, Jack, Rafael,” Optimus began. “I don’t believe you have been properly introduced.” He gestured. “This is Cadet Strongarm, a budding young strategist from our Elite Guard.” He then pointed over towards the monitors. “And we also have Dr. Wildbreak, Ratchet’s fellow medic.”
A boy nodded and waved. “Hey.”
A younger boy nervously raised a hand. “H-Hello.”
And the girl’s face lit up. “Sweet!”
“Hm.” Strongarm’s expression softened, and she smiled. “Hey.” She got down on one knee to face Miko. “You can just call me ‘Strongarm’, or… friends and family get to use ‘Armi’. And it’s… really nice to meet you.” She tilted her head. “Is that a guitar?”
“Sure is!” Miko replied. “You play?”
“My sisters taught me,” Strongarm said quietly, then she grinned. “Hang on.”
The cadet transformed, and Miko gasped and stepped back as an image flickered to life in the air. “Whoa! What is that?”
“A holoform,” Strongarm’s voice replied from the image, which appeared to be a young woman in her late teens or early twenties. She rested her fists on her hips, and she smiled warmly. “My caregivers taught me, and one of them enhanced it. Like this, I can interact with the world much like a human.”
“No way.” Miko’s face lit up again, then she offered the guitar. “Alright, let’s hear it.”
Strongarm took the guitar into her hands, checked to make certain that it was tuned, then smiled as she suddenly began to shred—as the Autobots had heard it phrased.
Miko’s jaw dropped—and Wildbreak looked back from the monitor and rolled his optics, but he was smiling.
When Strongarm was through, she offered the guitar back. “Sorry. I’m rusty.”
“… You looking to adopt another sister?” Miko asked as she took the guitar back.
Strongarm blinked, then she chuckled softly. “Yeah… I think I’ve got a slot open, if there’s room in the band.”
“Room in the-? Get over here!” Miko grabbed Strongarm by the wrist. “You’re showing me how you did that!”
Strongarm laughed as she followed along, leaving Ratchet and Optimus alone in front of the ‘conspiracy board’.
“… Her strategy is extreme, Optimus,” Ratchet finally said. “Perhaps Wildbreak is correct, and we should stay on-course.”
“Wildbreak is a kind spark, but he does not believe in a kind universe,” Optimus argued gently. “He does not want to risk what is for what was—and he doubts we can find the kindness within ourselves to trust his judgment.”
“To save a Decepticon,” Ratchet noted. “His caregiver.” He sighed. “Strongarm is the only one he completely trusts, and that might not only be the case here.”
“She’s earned that trust,” Optimus told his medic gently. “So must we.”
Ratchet frowned. “We don’t even know who his caregiver was.”
“We know that he died before the war’s end,” Optimus stated, turning to regard the board again. “And that it was a brutal death.”
“One of them?” Ratchet asked, indicating the list of the Decepticons who died during the Earth war. “Who-?” Optimus reached up and placed a finger under a name. “… Oh. Oh, of course.” His expression became grim. “You’ve heard the rumors about that one, haven’t you? Rumors that one of our own teammates has corroborated?”
Optimus nodded. “Yes.”
“Can we take that chance?”
“She is going to. For him,” Optimus reminded his medic. “It is only a matter of whether or not we will help… and have hope, for what they can be.”
“Hm.” Ratchet seemed uncertain, then he sighed. “One crisis at a time.”
Optimus nodded again. “Of course.” He looked to the board, deep in thought. “We know what the future holds if we stay on-course, old friend. It is now simply a matter of mercy.” He glanced down at Ratchet. “We know that we shall save ourselves. Do we save the Decepticons as well?”
Ratchet seemed uncertain, then he sighed. “If-… If we’re right about the caregiver who dies, we can make assumptions about the one who lives.”
He reached up and took a drawing between his digits, pulling it from the board and looking down at it with a frown.
“A Decepticon,” Optimus said.
Ratchet closed his optics, then opened them to look at the Prime. “… Family.”
Strongarm’s gifts as a strategist were frightening—but as a child of Ultra Magnus from the future, what had they expected?
It was eerie, how everything fell into place much as she had described—and stranger still, knowing that the actions they were taking may very well change the fates of all.
The dead rose. The space-bridge detonated.
Skyquake awoke, and Optimus and Bumblebee lingered just long enough to distract him until Starscream left to locate Megatron. That was the first major change to the future.
And Strongarm would know if the future had begun to change based upon whether or not the next event occurred as she knew it would.
If Makeshift tried to replace Wheeljack, Starscream was alive. If he didn’t, then Starscream was not around to make that plan.
And there would be no going back.
Plus, Makeshift would still be a problem.
The scraplet trap was never removed from the Arctic, so the ground bridge was never damaged. There would be no delay.
Still, what would be waiting on the other side was terrifying—for many reasons.
"Armi, you'll pace a path into the floor,” Wildbreak chided gently as he watched her walk back and forth. “It’s not like he’s a Decepticon.”
“Ugh. I know, I know.” She shook her head. “But… I’m not ready to look my ‘Jackie in the optics and have him not know me.”
“He’s not your ‘Jackie,” Wildbreak reminded her. “He’s from another universe, another time. Think of it like ol’ Professor Wheeljack, from the other reality.”
“Still can’t believe they let him teach,” Strongarm remarked, then she sighed. “… This is different.”
“Yeah.” Wildbreak glanced down. “I know.”
“… I miss them,” Strongarm whispered. “My parents. Our family.”
Wildbreak nodded. “Me, too. But while we’re waiting for them to find us, we can just… do our best for the people here.”
“All of them?” Strongarm looked at him, frowning. “Even Breakdown?”
Wildbreak sighed. “Armi-”
“Wybie, there’s a chance that this Knockout won’t have to lose him,” Strongarm argued. “That another Wildbreak can have both of his parents. Isn’t that great?”
“But what will it cost?” Wildbreak asked. “Armi, he was nice for a Decepticon—remember? If he lives, it could cost the war. What if him living means no Uncle Bulkhead, or Aunt Arcee? What if it means that you lose one of your caregivers, or that Knockout never joins the ‘Bots?” He shook his head. “It’s too risky.”
“But-” Strongarm looked up as a ship was detected, and a call was made. Her optics were wide, and she looked back at Wildbreak before becoming forlorn again. “Aren’t some things worth the risk?”
“… I wouldn’t know,” Wildbreak told her. “And I never will.”
Wildbreak should have known what would happen the moment that ground-bridge opened.
"Armi?” He asked as she left his side, but there she went—through the portal. “Armi! I'm gonna kill her."
Wildbreak ran through with the others, because that was what he had always done and what he would always do.
And the first thing he saw was Strongarm, a blade held in both of her servos, her optics narrowed as she stood between Skyquake and a fallen Wrecker.
"Get away from him,” she commanded, then she yelled and lashed out.
The fight didn’t last long, not with the Autobot team present and the advantage lost. Wildbreak tried not to think about the fact that Wheeljack never being captured meant that a hundred Vehicons would live to come after them another day.
The Decepticons eventually fled, and Strongarm panted with exhaustion as she gripped a sword stained with blue and turned around. And…
"Whoa.” Wheeljack stared up at her as he recovered on the ground, then he grinned. “You fight like a Wrecker, kid."
Strongarm blinked, looking down at him with wide optics, then she swallowed thickly and nodded. "My parents taught me well.” She walked over, and she held out a servo. “Are you alright?"
“‘M fine.” Wheeljack took her servo, and he laughed as she pulled him to his feet. “Wow. Stronger than you look.” He grunted, nearly collapsing again, but Strongarm ducked under his arm and wrapped her arm around him—keeping him on his feet. “Heh. Thanks, kid.” He looked up tiredly, and he smiled. “Hey, Bulk.” The large, green mech was just staring at him. “Bulkhead? What is it?"
“… Nothin',” he finally decided. “Nothin’.” He smiled. “Heh. It's good to see you."
Wheeljack nodded. "You, too." He then noticed Wildbreak, and he blinked. “Wait, Breakdown?”
“Uh, no.” The young medic held his servos up as Bulkhead looked at him in alarm. “No. Heh. My name’s Wildbreak. I’m a medic.”
Bulkhead just stared at Wildbreak, then he looked at Strongarm, then his shoulders sagged.
“… Oh, for frag’s sake-”
Strongarm knew he’d seen it—she knew, and she knew that he would be coming to find her.
So, after introductions, she waited in a hallway adjacent to the outpost’s main room—ignoring calls and texts from Miko, who wondered where her backup guitarist had gone.
Bulkhead came, just as she knew he would, and Strongarm took a deep vent. Wildbreak had left with Optimus for a drive, so she had time to smooth this out… hopefully.
It was that, or finding a new home.
“Strongarm.”
“Look, about Wildbreak-”
“We can talk about that later,” Bulkhead said. “Look, just- Just-…” He shook his head, his optics wide as he stared down at her. “You're-..?"
Strongarm blinked, then she sighed and nodded. “Yeah.” She managed a small smile. “Hey, Uncle Bulk.”
“Heh.” And he smiled back at her. “Hey, kiddo.” He shook his head. “‘Jackie has a daughter.” He blinked. “He has a daughter... with-?"
"Yeah."
"How'd that happen?"
"It's a long story, and you're not going to believe most of it until it happens,” Strongarm admitted.
Bulkhead seemed to accept that, then he crossed his arms. “Seems like there’s a lot I won’t believe.”
“… His medic parent is the one who survives,” Strongarm reminded him. “That’s Knockout, not-…”
Bulkhead’s face dropped. “Is that why he’s so skittish around me? Did I-?”
“No.” Strongarm quickly shook her head. “No. You didn’t.” She sighed. “But Wildbreak knows that you and Breakdown had history. The you of the future has pretty much… let it go. You’re kind to him, and to Knockout—you even taught Wildbreak how to throw a decent punch. But… he knows you haven’t let it go, here. Not yet. So-”
“He’s been scared I’d hurt him because of who his parents are,” Bulkhead said.
Strongarm nodded. “Yeah.”
“… ‘Jackie was the one who let Knockout in,” Bulkhead recalled. “Wildbreak’s story, he-“
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because ‘Jackie never hated Breakdown for leaving,” Strongarm admitted. “He always used to say that, the last time he saw Breakdown alive, he was smiling. And it was because he’d met Knockout.”
“… How’s it happen?” Bulkhead asked. “Breakdown, I mean.”
Strongarm took a deep vent. “Knockout only ever told the story once.”
“What happened?
“Airachnid. She tore him to pieces,” Strongarm said, and Bulkhead looked away. “It actually gets worse from there, but-…” She looked down. “Wybie doesn’t talk about it much. I just know he’s felt the absence.”
“Breakdown would’ve been a great dad,” Bulkhead said softly.
“Honestly, I hope he can be. Here, I mean,” Strongarm confessed. “Wildbreak’s refusing to really consider it, but-“
“You wanna save Breakdown,” Bulkhead realized.
Strongarm just looked at him, biting her lower lip. “… If you knew the future, and you could do just one thing to spare your best friend pain… wouldn’t you do it?”
Bulkhead blinked, then he sighed and glanced away. “… Yeah.” He looked at her again, and he nodded. “I’d probably be doin’ the same thing you’re doin’.”
Strongarm nodded back, feeling reassured, then she took another deep vent. “Hey, um... Speaking of which. A few years down the line, you and ‘Jackie get into a fight. It doesn't last forever, obviously—but... do you want me to tell you how to stop it, or at least make it less bad?"
Bulkhead blinked. "A fight?"
"An argument.” Strongarm rephrased. “‘Jackie tries to tell you something, and you don't wanna listen, and… it gets bad. Real bad. Like, you still apologize sometimes—and I'm pretty sure one of my first words was 'sorry’. Do you know how hard it is for a sparkling to say that?"
".. Okay, kiddo.” Bulkhead seemed to brace himself. “What've you got?"
"Wait, you trust me?” Strongarm asked, surprised. “Even with-?”
“You’re family. A Wrecker,” Bulkhead told her. “Of course, I do… You’re lookin’ after your own.”
“… I’m doing my best to,” Strongarm told him, then she braced herself. “… Uncle Bulk, about your stories…”
(Stay Tuned for Part 2)
146 notes · View notes
cybertron-after-dark · 5 months
Text
TFP- Pet Names
Bots and cons, both what they'd call you and what they'd love it if you called them
Gender neutral reader, reader is human but I can do one of these for cybertronian reader too down the line.
If I missed someone you really wanted to see, feel free to ask for them!
Optimus
Calls you: My beloved, my love, my other half. A lot of old fashioned, sweet, sappy nicknames bc he's a sappy old man.
Call him: Sugar, sweetie, honey, baby. Overly saccharine titles just make him blush like nothing else. Even if they're a little silly, they just make him feel so loved.
Ratchet
Calls you: Dear, love, my better half, though more often than not he calls you by your name. He likes how it sounds.
Call him: one would think he despises nicknames from his reaction to wheeljack calling him doc and sunshine, but it's quite the opposite; nicknames are a very special thing to him, but you have to earn the right to call him by them, or it feels overly familiar and that infuriates him. Once you've been together for awhile, if you call him "my love," his spark will soar.
Bulkhead
Calls you: Baby, cutie, honey, lovebug, lovebunny, sweetspark. You're the cutest thing in the world to him and he wants you to know that.
Call him: stud, handsome, or big guy are all great ones if you're looking to fluster him. That said, if you call him muffin or sweet thing, he might actually cry a little because it makes him way too happy.
Bumblebee
Calls you: Babe, hot stuff, cutie pie, babydoll, beautiful, gorgeous, boo. He needs you to know you're too dang pretty!
Call him: honey, honeybee, sweetheart, sweetspark. He's a total sucker for the cheesy stuff.
Arcee
Calls you: babe, dork, partner. That last one means a LOT to her. If she calls you her partner it means she's totally opened up to you, and you're too important to her to lose.
Call her: babe, but only call her partner if she calls you that first. It's not a title to be taken lightly in her eyes.
Wheeljack
Calls you: hottie, hot stuff, sexy, dollface, sunshine, babe, wild thing, he's got a whole arsenal of nicknames, some more annoying than others.
Call him: studmuffin, sexy, big boy, crazy, daddy. Real talk, he loves hearing whatever cursed, over the top bullshit you come up with. The dumber the better, he loves when you can make him laugh.
Megatron
Calls you: human, more often than not. Pet is the best you're getting.
Call him: you're going to call him Lord Megatron, or Master. Anything else is unacceptable, even for his partner.
Starscream
Calls you: Fleshy, pet, wretched organic, gremlin, creature... And, when he's sure nobody's listening, very rarely, he'll call you beloved or my spark.
Call him: master, sir, lord starscream, my heart, my spark. He likes to feel important to you, and he REALLY likes to feel respected and powerful.
Soundwave
Calls you: ... Well he doesn't usually call you much of anything given he doesn't talk, but sometimes he'll use soundbytes of cutesy pet names from old human romance movies that he totally does not watch, shut up.
Call him: he'll honestly appreciate any nickname you give him (though you won't catch him showing it), but things like beautiful, gorgeous, or pretty boy will get him to blush under that screen. Especially if you've seen him with the mask off and still insist he looks good.
Shockwave
Calls you: your name. He feels no need to make up overly saccharine terms of endearment. You are his and he is yours, you both know you love each other, so why bother with such performative trivialities? If you tell him you just like hearing the affirmation every now and then, he won't fully get it, but he will settle on calling you trinket, because you are very small and you fascinate him.
Call him: You're not gonna get a reaction out of him no matter what you call him, but he considers the terms love, dear, or my heart to be acceptable.
Knockout
Calls you: darling, doll, dollface, honey, baby, lover, cutie, sweetspark, lapin, little thing, ma chèrie, mon amour, itty bit, and those are just the usual names.
Call him: gorgeous, pretty boy, hottie, honey, baby, all of it gets him a little flustered, but he REALLY loves whenever you call him speedy. He loves looking pretty and driving fast, and only one of those gets acknowledged all that often.
Breakdown
Calls you: Baby, tiny, lovebug, snugglebunny, sweet thing, honey, gorgeous, pretty little thing, sweetspark, cuddlebear. He can get pretty cutesy with it, he's not ashamed to admit how much he loves you.
Call him: big guy, sexy, big boy, good boy, darling, sweetspark. He likes when you remind him how big and strong he is, but he also likes hearing you get sweet on him.
80 notes · View notes
honestlyvan · 2 months
Text
Looking at this tweet:
Tumblr media
and thinking about how I actually did this to Prime Wheeljack on my second viewing, deciding that he has to deal with fuckoff arm and wrist pain like I do
except he fucking did it to himself, because of course he did -- all of his integrated weaponry is custom, with his engineering background meant to primarily support hand tools, his initial loadout was configured for near-recoilless weaponry like Bumblebee and Smokescreen, but running around doing commando blackops shit (in his mind) necessitated larger firepower and there were no medics around to finger-wag him out of doing whatever upgrades he wanted so now all of his weaponry is a grade or two stronger than his structural components should on paper be able to handle.
As a result his whole upper body has a ton of microfractures from magnetic shear and recoil -- nothing that his self-repair can't handle, but just like with humans, supportive member damage doesn't heal back up to be stronger without very specific kind of physical therapy to accompany it. As a result Wheeljack has actually gained mass and lost a lot of the flexibility and aerodynamic and balance qualities of racer frames, and is maintaining his ability to do trick driving largely through just. Doing it, lmao, and not thinking about his worsening health.
50 notes · View notes
Note
What about the TFP autobots coming back to Earth and they meet the kids who are now adults (referring to the ‘TFP Kids and Their Future’ post btw!) it would be very nice to see the bots interact with miko’s adopted kids if she has any💪
What a lovely idea! Gonna be some mixed angst and feels in this though so be warned. Can't have joy without a tig bit of sorrow!
After Twenty Long Years
Time works a bit differently for Cybertronians. Their indefinitely long lifespans ensure that they see the passage of time in a different light. A century for them is round about a year and change when using human measurements. As such when they finally returned to earth they were completely shocked. Twenty years wasn't all that long to them at all, it felt like an extended work trip more than anything else. So seeing the human children suddenly be no longer children and even have children of their own blew the bots away.
They knew human lifespans were short, but they didn't think they were that short.
Bumblebee was the first to return to Earth. He missed Rafael and the others and wanted to see the old base again. And so he sent a message to the American government in advance and requested a meeting with his human friends. His request was granted and soon after, he used the space bridge on Cybertron to get to earth. When he arrived he found himself before five humans who looked so similar to the ones he was familiar with, and yet incredibly different.
Rafael, now a full grown adult, was the first to step forward and greet Bumblebee as he stood staring with wide optics. Bumblebee was unable to believe what he was seeing and spent the next several minutes checking to be sure that, yes the human was indeed Rafael, and that no, he wasn't hallucinating. Then all the emotions Bumblebee had put away for later came bubbling up again.
Tearfully and with a wavering voice, Bumblebee refamiliarized himself with Rafael, then Miko, Jack, Agent Fowler, and even June. They were all much older, their organic frames more developed/deteriorated, and that startled Bumblebee. However he did his best to not show this as the children, now no longer children, began getting him up to date on everything that had gone on during his absence.
Bumblebee was sure there couldn't be any more surprises in store for him beyond the sudden (at least in his view) growth of the children into adults and the rapid aging of Fowler and June. But he found himself proven wrong when Rafael told him all about his efforts to reach Cybertron. He was only more shocked when he heard about Miko's adventures getting the organization in order all while handling being a parent. And of course, when Bumblebee felt about ready to faint from the sudden influx of data, June and Fowler let him know that they married and Jack told him all about his spouse was expecting.
With all the information and the sudden realization that humans age far quicker than he originally thought, Bumblebee sent out a notice to the rest of the team, requesting that they all join him on earth for a reunion. He did this partially out a fear that if he waited too long that the human children would up and die, but mostly out of a desire to have an excuse to get the team together again. His request was accepted by the team within a few days and soon after, they started to arrive.
Bulkhead and Wheeljack came next, and both were left flabbergasted at Miko's growth. She was still as energetic as ever and with enough will to fight a Con just like before, but the two wreckers still spent a hot minute trying to determine if Miko was actually Miko. After everything was confirmed they immediately tried to drag her into a game with them as their way of reminiscing. Rafael and Jack started to have flashbacks to times when Miko nearly got herself killed playing with the bots as she went about trying to play lob ball using a mech suit.
Ultra Magnus and Arcee came a day or so later, both swamped in work, but also eager to be back on earth. Ultra Magnus only because he wanted to ensure that none of the team did anything foolish, and Arcee because she had greatly missed her human ward throughout their time apart. While Arcee flung herself back into refamiliarizing herself with Jack who she had grown to consider a son of sorts, Ultra Magnus focused on stopping Miko and her wreckers from destroying things.
Smokescreen and Ratchet came last, each having been out beyond the borders of Cybertron doing work for the council before receiving the invitation to come to earth. Smokescreen was ecstatic and his first response was to look at the human children in awe, questioning them to see if they got reformatted before being told that, no, they just got older. Ratchet got to know the children again and congratulated Fowler and June before ultimately pulling away to watch from the sidelines. Earth had too many memories for him to be completely comfortable, especially without Optimus.
Once all the bots were settled, the now grown children brought out their families for the bots to meet.
Arcee nearly cried when she was introduced to Jack's wife and saw her very apparent pregnancy. It was incredibly hard for the two wheeler to keep her cool as Jack guided her servo toward his wife baby bump. She did end up shedding silent tears when the unborn babe kicked, allowing Arcee to feel the fledgling life growing within its mother's womb. Ratchet and the others found it incredibly interesting, but none had the same reactions as Arcee. In her mind she had only been gone the human equivalent of a few months only to return and find her human sparkling had gone off, grown up, and was about to have a child of his own. She was both pleased beyond measure at the development and sorrowful because it meant that her sparkling was all grown up and no longer needed her.
Jack, ever the kind soul, saw Arcee's emotional turmoil and asked her to be the godmother to his unborn child. The two wheeler very nearly broke down, but was able to keep her composure well enough to accept the offer with utmost respect. Such bonds, especially on Cybertron, were nothing to be taken lightly.
(Even far into the future when Jack and his children were long dead, Arcee remained and watched over his descendants loyally, totally devoted to her position as a godmother. To her it did not matter if the humans faded and died in a matter of months by Cybertronian standards. Jack and all his descendants were under her protection, she had promised him, and she intended to continue her watch, teaching and guiding his descendants centuries into the future for as long as his line remained.)
While Arcee had her moment with Jack and his wife, Ratchet and Bumblebee were introduced to the people Rafael saw as family. Rafael had not married or had any children of his own, being far too fixated on his work of reaching the stars to even begin considering such a thing. However he did take several bright and open minded apprentices who he saw as his children in a way. His apprentices were all relatively young, being in their late teens or early twenties, but in front of Bumblebee and Ratchet, they acted like children in a candy shop. Each of them asking questions at rapid fire pace, taking scans, making notes, or trying to climb up onto the medic and scout's armor.
Ratchet was scared more than anything else, not wanting to harm the little humans as they scurried about. He ended up sitting on the ground, perfectly still as Rafael's exuberant apprentices poked around and looked at him with what the medic could only describe as puppy dog eyes. For the first time in years, Ratchet smiled and allowed himself to relax, remembering times when Rafael acted the same way. As for Bumblebee? He teared up a little watching all of Rafael's apprentices scramble and look up at him with stars in their eyes. They might not have been born of Rafael, but Bumblebee could see Rafael's influence and felt more than a little excited as his big brother instincts kicked in. Rafael's little apprentices had so much to learn, so many questions, and endless curiosity. Bumblebee couldn't wait to watch them grow.
(Bumblebee ended up making earth his mostly permanent home, only ever returning to Cybertron for short periods of time or for important work. He took great joy in watching each generation of Rafael's space program work away happily, each being so curious and desperate to reach the stars. Eventually Bumblebee, in a far off future, would stand by the humans who had taken on Rafael's legacy as they stood before the council and joined the wider galaxy. Ratchet would become something of a legend for those in Rafael's program, turning up randomly and for a few months at a time before vanishing for decades. Ratchet couldn't stand getting attached after Rafael's death and so only returned to earth occasionally to check in on Rafael's legacy before leaving again. However when humanity finally did join the rest of the galaxy, he at last allowed himself to let go of his grief and connect with humans again.)
Meanwhile Ultra Magnus, Smokescreen, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack were introduced to Miko's rather large family. She had married, but she and her partner had not had children of their own, instead opting to adopt children from war torn countries. Miko's clan numbered around twelve strong including her and her spouse and not including her two dogs, both named after the wreckers she had grown up emulating. The wreckers and the rookie elite guardsman were left completely awestruck for the most part upon seeing Miko's rather ginormous family. They ended up spending the entire day playing with her horde of children, singing them songs, teaching them Cybertronian games, and wrecker standards. By the end of the day, each of Miko's children were thoroughly sold on the idea of becoming wreckers themselves.
Wheeljack, in his increadible wisdom, forged each of Miko's children little blades just for them, telling them to protect the innocent and fight for freedom like wreckers aught to. As her children were all between the ages of six and seventeen, the results of his gift giving were varied, but the end result led to Ultra Magnus giving the children lessons on proper blade usage and law. Bulkhead did his best to keep them from trying to stab each other, on purpose or by accident, all while Smokescreen made it more difficult by setting up targets and giving the children fake Decepticons to fight (he ended up pretending to be Megatron, much to the joy of the children as they defeated him in glorious combat).
(Miko's descendants would later go on to create a human division of the wreckers with Wheeljack and Bulkhead's help. Their unit was accepted by the Cybertronian council after more than a little haggling on Ultra Magnus's part. But in the end, humans and Cybertronians fought together side by side, as brothers and sisters in arms, bound together by their oaths as wreckers. Smokescreen was not involved much in this, but did train multiple humans in fighting against Cybertronian opponents.)
It was a good day for both humans and Cybertronians. At last, they were reunited... However not all news was pleasant.
When asked about Cybertron, the bots told them that it had been restored... at a cost. When questioned as to where Optimus was and what the cost happened to be, the saddened expression from the bots led the humans to piece the puzzle together rather quickly. To Rafael, Miko, and Jack, Optimus was not only their protector, but he was also a guide, teacher, and listening ear. They may not have been as close to the Prime as they were to the other bots, but he was still always there, always willing to march forward no matter the odds. As such hearing of his sacrifice to restore Cybertron was not surprising considering the Prime's personality, but it was saddening.
Optimus would never see the fruits of his labor, he would never know if earth was safe and if all went well. He would never know of Rafael's acheivements. He would never meet Miko's children. And he would never get to see Jack's unborn child.
They may not have known the Prime like Ratchet did, but they loved him nonetheless.
Optimus's Return
Ten years after the team returned to earth for the first time, Optimus returned to the living realm, and after completing his mission, made his own visit to the human children he had once guarded.
He was met with teary eyes and long awaited hugs. They were older, far older than he remembered them being, but the humans were still his little ones all the same. Optimus could not stop the small yet sad smile that formed on his face as he brought Jack, Miko, and Rafael up to his face. They hugged him softly and afterward, brought him to meet their families as they had done ten years prior with his team.
Rafael's apprentices were still as starry eyed as ever before, and Optimus patiently answered their questions when they were brought to him and promptly bombarded him with queries. Miko's children were an absolute joy for the Prime, even the grown ones were lovely. He spent hours telling her young ones stories and gently patting her first grandchild as the babe reached for his huge digit with a happy giggle. Jack's small family was just as wonderful for Optimus and he spent just as long lovingly playing with Jack's ten year old son and five year old daughter.
(Long into the future, Optimus still made journeys to earth just to meet the children born of Miko and Jack's lines. He became something of a mystical entity to their descendants, coming to earth once every handful of decades to bless the children and wish them well. Most would think it meant nothing, but later, after many generations had come and gone, each receiving Optimus's blessing, the children started to change. Almost as though an instinct had been implanted into them long ago, the children always came running when Optimus came, each reaching out to him and understanding his words despite nothing being spoke in English, or sometimes even aloud. In time, they would come to develop a unique bond with Cybertronians and an ability to understand them as no other humans had ever before. Weather it was the result of Optimus's blessings or the progression of humanity is debatable, but the results are undeniable.)
304 notes · View notes
syberfire117 · 1 year
Video
A storyboard for one of @justawannabearchaeologist s stories made from a lil prompt i sent (read: v big, sorry about that, i got a little carried away) i may also mmmm, do another thing, later for the main story, but for now This be what i got
120 notes · View notes
cirilee · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
"NOT ENOUGH TO NOT SMACK YOU OVER THE HEAD, COn rAT!!"
where was wheeljack off to all the time? fraternising with starscream of course, because starjack is still my otp
589 notes · View notes
Note
TFP Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack reaction to seeing Tfa autobots (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Bulkhead, Prowl, Sentinel Prime, Ultra Magnus, Jazz, The Twins)
Hi thanks for the Ask! ( Doing this on mobile so please forgive any grammer/spelling mistakes, I can never type properly on mobile)
TFP Ultra Magnus: Magnus automatically wants to bash Tfa Ultra Magnus's head in due to he's treatment of the Tfa Autobots. He is horrified that this version of himself is like that. Tfa Optimus reminds him of himself sometimes Ultra Magnus wants to lend a servo but doesn't know if he should. He finds Tfa Bumblebee to be in need of a little more discipline but he doesn't want to overstep any boundaries. Ultra Magnus respects Tfa Ratchet for what he's gone through. He was quite surprised to find that Tfa Bulkhead isn't a wrecker and he seems to be more responsible. Tfa Prowl seems to be a quiet mech that enjoys earth's nature. Sentinel's attitude bothers Ultra Magnus a lot. He hasn't met the twins or jazz but he would like to get to know them.
TFP Wheeljack: Wheeljack doesn't know any of them very well since he doesn't spend that much time on earth but from what he's heard everyone is planning on beating the scrap out of Tfa Ultra Magnus and he's willing to provide weapons for it. Somehow he recognizes the feral mech hidden in Tfa prime and is determined to catch Optimus going feral on video. Wheeljack lightly teases Tfa bulkhead but quickly realizes (realises? I don't know how to spell it, I spell it both ways) how different Tfa Bulkhead and Tfp Bulkhead are when Tfa Bulkhead doesn't react the way he expected. Wheeljack also plans to Botnap Sentinel in order to get him away from Ultra Magnus (He thinks maybe spending some real time away from the Magnus will help with the attitude problem.) He hasn't heard enough about the others to form proper opinions on them.
71 notes · View notes
7er1ch0 · 9 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
i hope im not the only one seeing this.
also shout out to Smoke-Screen for bringing a man back from the dead just because he didn't want to deal with responsibility. fucking mood
36 notes · View notes
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
My experience thus far
365 notes · View notes
whatudottu · 11 months
Text
You know what would be cool? If in TFP, Megatron’s flagrant use of dark energon to revive whole swaths of cybertronian battlefields (the ones on Earth from presumed 6 years ago) actually has consequences and that the Autobots couldn’t get rid of every single zombie. How cool would it be if MECH came into the story preprepared with cybertronian knowledge if THEIR inciting incident in TFP was because and aimless zombie bot wandered too close to civilisation only for it to be handled by MECH and Silas gets a free corpse to study (and reference for future use)?
Idk but if you’re gonna start your pilot by including zombie hordes as your main plot I think it would actually help theme your series around that and the shit that happens afterwards-
#megatron#tfp megatron#silas#silas tfp#leland bishop#transformers#tfp#and potentially#altered loyalties#maccadam#if you don’t kill cliff immediately and instead centre the conflict to zombie bots maybe you can have a more concentrated attack on zombies#that or the team could split and do 50% rescue and 50% investigation#which leads to suddenly being swarmed by walking dead and thus suddenly being unable to guarentee a clean sweep#if cliff doesn’t die and then gets regenerated then maybe this the bot’s first encounter with dark energon#could get optimus woozy over dark energon since arcee’s got rescuing cliff on the mind#if you have both leaders affected by dark energon (one willing one accidental) i think that would be neat#escaped zombies could go in and influence potential episodes#altered loyalties would probably have suspicions on the lack of crew on the comms station replacing masters and students#con job if the bot’s suspect runaway zombies they’d be way more inclined to get wheeljack to base as fast as possible#altered loyalties con job they might be too worried about zombies to notice makeshift posing as the now officially dead cliff#and mech would have reason to understand what pain receptors are and have ample sites to collect corpses old and new *looks at skyquake*#am i making mech more harvestmen than reaper? perhaps#having rogue zombie bot would mean rogue starscream would have more than just ‘can’t get energon’ things to worry about#i think airachnid would be so fucking fascinated by zombie bots- probably would be the one to bring it up with the other cons#to which they would then realise that zombie bots are still wandering earth and that they pose a risk to energon hotspots#aka (on earth) their own fucking energon mines and the miners that work there#a way for airachnid to get on megatron’s specific nerves and have soundwave go ‘why did you revive an entire fucking battlefield megan!?’#less soundwave warming up to airachnid and more soundwave doubting megatron
26 notes · View notes
Text
The fact that i can see several characters getting the stern "what is in your mouth." Interaction.
Almost every time it's Ratchet asking the question. But a couple times he's heard it behind him in the most mocking tone as he holds something but needs his servos freed up.
31 notes · View notes
Note
Okay I’ve got something. So we all know TFP Ultra Magnus is a sweet heart (and I’m gladly part of ultrajack hell now) but what if he has like an inner gremlin? Nothing too overt because he’s a rule abiding Autobot but like…
TFP Ultra Magnus and malicious compliance.
Like, when TFA Optimus is in trouble with the council for his rebel songs (I love this rock music loving Optimus so much) and Wheeljack obviously goes to rescue him with Ultra Magnus the council tries to point out that the TFP bots have no jurisdiction over TFA universe matters or their right to get “Justice”.
Ultra kind of pauses and Wheeljack (whether or not has acknowledged his feelings for Ultra at this point) does a double take as a subtle mischievous glint enters Ultra’s eyes (or the biggest-for Ultra-grin Wheeljack’s ever seen).
Because what the council doesn’t realize was that TFP Ultra Magnus has gone through all TFA Cybertrons rules and their version of the galactic council.
So, he just follows the rules and procedures and just slams the old bots in the council pointing out their own flaunting of the rules, how they were going against Cybertron in what-by their own rules-is also treasonous, how they don’t follow certain standards of the galactic council that they are treatied to.
Then he whips out the certified inter dimensional adoption papers Wheeljack had asked for and finally completed.
Wheeljack doesn’t (read: does but does his best to hide it) emotional.
The council tried to trial by certain inter dimensional laws Wheeljacks kid without him there and behind his back.
Optimus notices Wheeljack trying not to swoon and once everything has calmed down tells the others he’s figured out who Wheeljack likes or confirms it if they had their suspicions by then.
Ultra Magnus is approved by the team.
TFP Optimus might have come along and just kind of watches in the back ground until he’s needed.
Hey! :)
You will not believe the smile this one put on my face. I should not have checked my phone during class. 😂
I can see this in my head. It was an instant, vivid image. So…
Let’s talk about it.
Wheeljack is pissed.
There are a lot of things that he will let slide, but targeting one of his kids? Uh-uh. You’re dead.
Hoping to get a better understanding of whatever the predicament is and maybe prevent his soldier from going to prison for multiverse murder, Ultra Magnus tags along. All he knows at that point is that the young Optimus is in some legal trouble.
How that happen, Ultra Magnus doesn’t know. The young mech seemed mature and responsible if a little unsure. He was certainly no criminal.
When Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus arrive at the council chambers and Wheeljack kicks the doors open, already setting the tone, the young mech at the stand looks back at his adoptive caregiver. He attempts to look frustrated, but he’s frightened—and Ultra Magnus doesn’t like that one bit.
The rest of the TFA Crew is there, trying to support their friend, and Wheeljack looks ready to explode on the council members. The Wrecker in white doesn’t like the side of him that his rage can bring out, Ultra Magnus knows this—so he grabs his soldier’s shoulder and intervenes.
He asks what TFA Optimus has done to warrant a trial, to which TFA Alpha Trion dryly remarks “nothing”. He ignores the scathing looks.
It’s explained that TFA Optimus has acted in a manner unbecoming a leader of Cybertron. His actions have been reckless, rebellious, even traitorous—spreading discontent on Cybertron.
Sari cuts this off and interjects, saying that what really happened was that TFA Optimus was listening to Earth music and writing some songs based on his frustration with the corruption in the system, and someone had leaked recordings.
Sentinel, standing in favor of TFA Optimus, looks VERY awkward for some reason but says nothing.
He was trying to help, okay?
Ultra Magnus blinks, then he frowns as an uproar breaks out in the council chambers the moment a scathing look is sent Sari Sumdac’s way.
They’ve all learned to be protective of the young techno-organic while on Cybertron, especially around those who would target any member of the TFA Crew for the pettiest of reasons.
Wheeljack is using some very colorful language, going in and out of Cybertronian at times.
Jazz awkwardly covers Sari’s ears as Sentinel kinda crushes the Jettwins together to try and get both of them at once. He’s doing his best.
TFA Ratchet’s swearing too. TFA Bumblebee is repeating swears that he’s only just learning from both his Ratchet and Wheeljack, his vocabulary is expanding VERY FAST. TFA Bulkhead and Professor Sumdac both look a little scandalized by all of this, but they’re nodding along.
Council members are breaking decorum and yelling right back, and TFA’s Alpha Trion is yelling at them and getting yelled at as well.
And TFA’s Optimus still looks scared.
So, at long last, Ultra Magnus takes the Forge of Solus Prime from his back, raises it, and slams the handle down on the floor.
Instinct silences the room, and all optics go to the Wrecker commander.
Ultra Magnus thanks them for their attention even as the council members start to question his presence, then he looks down at Wheeljack.
The smaller Wrecker still looks livid, but he blinks the moment he sees a devious grin ghost across the commander’s face. That’s… very new.
And it’s gone in a flash.
Ultra Magnus looks up at the council members, and he’s very calm and collected as he starts to recite TFA Cybertronian statute perfectly.
Like, some council members actually look it up—and yeah, he’s got this down. It’s perfect.
His defense is airtight as he explains why TFA Optimus’s actions were not illegal, the picture of professionalism as he picks apart the arguments he has just heard with surgical precision.
It stuns the room into silence.
Then, Ultra Magnus retrieves something from his storage compartment—and he cites a pre-war law that states that Cybertronians, even as fully grown adults, must be allowed to summon any living caregiver to be present for a trial. Pre-war belief on TFA Cybertron noted the importance of lineage bonds, and demanded that the caregiver be allowed to offer a character witness.
He then states that there was an active violation taking place, as TFA Optimus’s caregiver had not been called—voiding the proceedings and making this whole affair one big mistrial, whether or not he actually could have been found guilty.
The council members argue, bringing up files that state that TFA Optimus’s caregivers are unknown or dead—whatever I decide the lore is.
Ultra Magnus holds up the data-pad in his servo and disagrees, stating that the caregiver was not contacted by the council and has been treated with the utmost disrespect since arrival.
This action is in violation of the written court proceedings, and therefore highly illegal.
The data-pad holds a document that names Wheeljack as TFA Optimus’s caregiver. In both realities, the legal language is again airtight.
The TFA council has seriously fucked-up, and TFA Alpha Trion is grinning. He’s delighted.
And Wheeljack… well…
You know the drill.
Tumblr media
He’s fine. 😂
And then, Ultra Magnus sets that data-pad down to retrieve another one—and he starts to recite research he’s compiled indicating the treasonous actions of most of the TFA council members.
Jaws are hanging.
Wheeljack’s looking at this mech like he hung the stars in the sky—and given how much he loves to fly, please understand that that’s a big deal.
And TFA Optimus is at a loss as Ultra Magnus then turns to him and states that it is his legal right to prosecute the corrupt council not only for the mistrial but for all of their actions, as he is guiltless and still acting leader of Cybertron.
“… Okay, then,” the young ‘bot manages.
Ultra Magnus translates that into legal speak, and yeah—most of those ‘bots are going to jail.
As Elite Guard members escort them away, all while Alpha Trion grins and waves, Jazz asks the Ultra Magnus from another world how he knew all of that. The tall mech just shrugs and states that, having once served his own Elite Guard and council, he thought it prudent to be prepared for anything now that another reality is involved.
Then, he looks at Wheeljack—and that devilish grin appears on his face once again. Everything he’s done has been completely legal, and the malicious compliance is off the fraggin’ charts.
Now, that grin isn’t very big or obvious to most ‘bots—but to those who know Ultra Magnus well, it and the devious glint in his optics are huge.
This was the commander having fun.
Wheeljack hasn’t blinked for at least a minute.
There is no rage in his face, he’s just… fried. Like, systems error—needs to be restarted. Ultra Magnus’s grin has killed this poor ‘bot.
And TFA Optimus sees that.
And once things have all calmed down, the rest of the adoption data-pads have been dispensed, and the celebration of this and the trial’s outcome has ceased… he goes to the rest of the TFA Crew like “hey, so… get this: I really think Wheeljack may have a thing for his Ultra Magnus”.
“Congrats,” TFA Ratchet replies dryly, though he starts to grin. “You’re officially the last to know.”
It’s safe to say that, if there were ANY lingering reservations, they’re gone. Ultra Magnus has completely won the TFA Crew over.
Now, if only they could get Wheeljack to function properly enough around him to get a date.
However, maybe they don’t have to. Ultra Magnus seems to have a lot of things accounted for.
They underestimated the fact that anyone who would willingly lead the Wreckers probably had a little “gremlin” energy about them, even if it was concealed… and waiting for an opportunity.
148 notes · View notes
in1-nutshell · 1 month
Note
Hello! I hope you’re doing well! So, in G1, there is an episode where four Autobots ended up briefly turning into humans, called Only Humans. That episode was fun, but sadly, there were too much actions and not enough bots experiencing common phenomenons of a human body, which would have been SO fun! So may I request a similar scenario with TFP Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Arcee, Bee, and Bulkhead? But this time the times where they stayed humans were longer than that G1 episode, and during the time these guys got to experience all kinds of human body experiences like hiccups, goosebumps, throwing up, falling inside of their sleep, strung by mosquitoes, and maybe even a cold, so on and so on. And tbh I just want to know who do you think would be the ones to freak out ant goosebumps (think that bugs are crawling under them) and who would be the one to think that a 39 Celsius fever + a nasty throw up is probably normal for human body and no cause for concern? And to make this funnier I ask for a random unlucky Autobot to actually got to suffer from motion sickness (ironic, since they used to be cars themselves, and now they can’t even ride anymore without feeling like dying), and another to be truck by a tough cold/flu and had to suffer through unfamiliar symptoms like coughing, sneezing, chills, and stomach aches, and another to find out they have nasty allergies of a random kind and effect (these can all be more than one if you are feeling evil)
but of course the three kids are there to help them through this tough time— not without occasionally making fun of them a bit tho.
you can do this either in a story telling form, where you write out a whole entire story chapter, or the bullet point list regarding how different the reactions of everyone would be.
YEEEE! This request was fun to do! The bots are going to get the 'whole' human experience.
Hope you enjoy!
Human Buddy and the Kids helping turned humans Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead
SFW, Platonic, mentions of puke, Human reader
TFP
Relic accident. Enough said.
The relic, as it turned out, had the capability to turn anything of Cybertronain origin into the organic version of it depending on the planet it was on.
That was how the charges found their guardians on the floor looking dazed and confused.
Thank goodness they had clothes on.
After further inspection from Wheeljack, they all got the news.
The good news this was all temporary, they would turn back when the effects wore off.
The bad news was that this was going to last for entire week.
Which shouldn’t have been a problem… if some of them didn’t get sick.
Oh joy…
Ratchet
The Cold.
Ratchet was fine for the first day, though he was constantly complaining about the work that still needed to be done.
It was the next day that the symptoms came up.
Buddy and Raf are the only ones who manage to convince him to lay down and rest.
“Please Ratchet, your sick and need rest.”--Buddy
Ratchet trying to pass Buddy but Raf steps in front of him.
“Do it Raf!”--Buddy
“Do—cough—what?”--Ratchet
Puppy Dog Eyes activated.
“Please?”--Raf
“… fine.”--Ratchet
Buddy high-hives Raf before helping him back to his bed.
His immune system was new to its surroundings, easier for illness to sit in.
Worse that he was older than the other as well.
He was much more vulnerable to catch simple things.
Most of the bots and recently turned humans are worried about Ratchet’s health when he started sleeping more. But June and the others reassure them that Ratchet’s going to be fine.
Ratchet wants to work, but the kids and Buddy don’t let him.
Jack and Buddy oversee Ratchet’s temperature and basic medical supplies.
Buddy does their best to explain to him what is happening to his body, for reassurance.
Miko plays him classical music for once.
Blame it on the pitiful sick look on his face.
He expected some loud rock music but found it surprising when Miko began playing the keyboard softly.
Its an almost foolproof way to get him to sleep fast.
Raf sat by him telling him stories and helping him eat his food.
This wasn’t his best experience, but he certainly has much more respect on human biology and for the kids now.
Ratchet now has a mini human well-care kit in his habsuite.
Tumblr media
Optimus Prime
The Hiccups.
Optimus was just trying some of the different waters the kids had been recommending.
“And what is this one?”--Optimus
Optimus already starting to drink.
“Sparkling water.”--Buddy
Optimus stops and looks at the water horrified.
“Why are you looking at it—OH! Wait Optimus its not ‘sparkling’s’ water is a type of water with minerals!”--Buddy
Optimus puts the water down but swallows the water in his mouth.
“Human’s drink minerals? As in the deposits?”--Optimus
“… I’m not explaining this one. Raf! Your turn!”--Buddy
Then they heard the sound.
Optimus was surprised to hear it.
Then he made it again.
He looks a bit disturbed.
He wasn’t voluntarily making the noise it was just coming out of him just like that.
Jack and Miko try to explain what hiccups are.
He gets a bit more disturbed yet intrigued.
This wouldn’t be so bad… if that noise would stop trying to interrupt him from talking and making his chest go bump!
Raf suggests ways to get rid of them.
They all go through the list until they reach the last one.
Scaring him.
They knew it was going to be a tough one, Prime wasn’t scared easily.
But Buddy had an idea.
A very dumb idea.
Optimus was talking to Jack when he noticed Buddy leaning on the railing.
He was a bit on edge seeing them so casual near the ledge.
They sat on top of it.
Then began tittering backwards until half of their body went to the other side.
Optimus is running to Buddy’s side trying to stop them from falling backwards.
Buddy just hung from their ankles looking up at him with a smug smile.
No more hiccups.
Problem solved.
He does try and scold Buddy for the recklessness… but he is also glad the hiccups are gone.
When Optimus turns back to normal, he insists to Agent Fowler to have better rails in the base.
Tumblr media
Arcee
The Mosquito bites.
Oh, Jack had warned her about these little guys.
And now she knew why the kids were complaining about.
She wanted to eradicate every single one.
Arcee trying to squash some of the mosquitos with her hands.
“Why!”-Arcee
SMACK!
“Won’t!”--Arcee
SMACK!
“These!”--Arcee
SMACK!
“Things!”--Arcee
SMACK!
“Die!”--Arcee
SMACK!
SMACK!
Buddy and Jack already dosed with repellent.
“Felt that.”--Buddy
“Yep.”--Jack
The two humans fist bump while watching Arcee fail to smack another mosquito.
With some heavy rain, some had managed to get into the base. There weren’t many, maybe four, but they were enough to leave Arcee’s arms and legs littered with little bites.
The kids did get bitten too, but not as much as she did.
Arcee did try to use the repellent, it didn’t do anything for her.
Buddy and Miko help put anti itching cream on her, but she wants to scratch them all so bad.
When she thought they weren’t looking she would begin to scratch furiously.
Arcee didn’t know that her skin would show that she had scratched. She freaked out a bit when she scratched a bit too hard on one and it started bleeding.
Raf and Jack clean and disinfect the scratch which welcomes her to the pain of antibacterial spray.
She swears that it was the most painful thing she had to endure yet.
Raf decided to decorate the little scratches with band aids so she would scratch them.
When Arcee turns back to her normal self, she is relieved.
She has much more respect for the things humans have to do daily.
Will never tell Jack to suck it up when he has a mosquito bite again.
Tumblr media
Bumblebee
The Motion sickness.
Oh, the Irony.
Bumblebee was a fast muscle car before!
He shouldn’t get sick when going over 15 miles per hour!
Now he was getting queasy in riding with Smokescreen and Buddy.
He feels awful.
Sweaty
Clammy hands
And something feels like something is trying to crawl out of his throat.
Bumblebee looking a bit pale as Smokescreen makes another sharp turn.
Buddy looks at Bee.
“Hey Smokes, you mind rolling the windows down a bit?”--Buddy
“Why?”--Smokescreen
Bumblebee groaning.
“Unless you want to see what the inside of a humans stomach holds, I suggest you open up the windows.”--Buddy
Windows immediately roll down.
Bee sighs with a bit of relief as the wind rolls past his face calming his stomach.
At first the two thought it was Smokescreen crazy driving that was making him sick.
But that wasn’t the case.
Buddy Bee and Raf were inside Ultra Magnus and he got queasy there too.
Magnus was one of the safest and slowest drivers on the team.
It was just him.
Bumblebee refused to leave the base after they came back.
He’d rather hang out with the kids on the couch and play games with them than go outside in another vehicle.
When Bumblebee returns to normal, he is so thankful the queasiness didn’t follow him.
He is now much more attentive to the kids when he is driving now.
His subspaces now have barf bags, just in case.
Tumblr media
Bulkhead
Throwing Up.
All Bulkhead wanted to do was have the full human experience with Miko.
He went with her to a monster truck rally that Buddy had managed to get tickets to.
“Wow! I can’t believe you got us ticket to the rally!”--Miko
“Me neither!”--Bulkhead
“No problem, guys, just enjoy yourselves.”
“I mean I tried booking these babies in advance, but everything was booked or too expensive. How did you get the tickets?”--Miko
Buddy simply starts drinking their soda.
“Buddy?”--Bulkhead
“What you don’t know, don’t hurt.”--Buddy
“What?”--Bulkhead
“What?”--Buddy
The trio bought all sorts of junk food and sodas.
He found himself enjoying the time at the rally.
Everything was good.
Until he got back to base.
He suddenly became pale and sweaty.
The next thing Bulkhead knew, he was staring at a trash can with a bunch of mushy stuff with Buddy and Miko on either side of him.
Buddy had some of the mushy stuff on their arms, while Miko was rubbing his back gently.
The mushy stuff did stink a lot.
He felt something come out of his mouth and spew it into the bin, once again getting it on Buddy’s arms.
Bulkhead tried to apologize but it was hard to catch his breath.
Turns out a whole lot of junk food and soda was not good for you after all.
No matter how good it tasted before.
He doesn’t want to touch food while he is like this.
The kids try introducing him to lighter foods so he can at least eat something while his stomach recovers.
He likes the different kinds of broth they bring in.
When Bulkhead returns to normal, he asks Miko to stash barf bags in his interior.
He wants to have them just in case the kids need them.
Has so much more respect for them.
Will slap someone in the head if they mention to the kids to get it over with while their stomach is not feeling good.
Tumblr media
149 notes · View notes
Note
A drabble of Tfp Prime switching place with his Tfa counterpart over a bridge mishap?
Optimus had experienced his fair share of odd situations throughout his life. That was only natural when you were the leader of the autobots and had lived as long as he had. He had battled space monsters, shapeshifters, old gods, undead.
But he had to admit that interdimensional travel was a first for him.
At least he could feel at ease knowing that he had landed among friends, even if they were a tad different from the versions he knew.
"You're so tall!" the human girl, Sari, exclaimed with awe, eyes shining as she craned her neck to look at him. With her pigtails and excited personality she reminded Optimus a lot of Miko.
The Bumblebee of this dimension did not appear as impressed. He crossed his arms with a humpf and glared at Optimus with critical optics. "Well, he's probably super slow, slower than a snail!"
"I bet he's super strong too..." Other Bulkhead murmured, decidedly more impressed. He stared at Optimus' arms dreamily.
"He's got a strong spiritual presence, that's for sure," the two-wheeler designated Prowl commented. His optics focused on Optimus chestplates, leaning in closer. "And there's something else. It almost feels like-"
"Would people get out of my medbay!?" Ratchet, who appeared to be just as high strung as the one in his own dimension, interrupted. He waved around a datapad like Wheeljack with one of his swords. "We don't know what kind of viruses his world have and if we're susceptible to them! We could have a potential pandemic on our servos!"
"Viruses!?" Bumblebee stomped his pede and pointed an accusing digit at Optimus. "You guys see? This bot is nothing but trouble! I say we send him back to wherever he came from as soon as possible and get our own Optimus back!"
Bulkhead piped up. "That might be more difficult than you think, Bumblebee. You see, he portal that brought him here was due to a space bridge malfunction that quite frankly had a one in 3 billion chance of happening and even if we were to find a way to replicate this we'd also have to find a way to get his dimension do the same thing on their end."
Optimus cocked his head, intrigued. "Do you know a lot about space bridge technology, Bulkhead?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess I know some things," he responded, meekly. He fidgeted with his servos, not quite daring to look Optimus in the optics.
Ratchet interjected. "Don't sell yourself short now," he chided, giving Bulkhead a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Bulkhead here is the foremost expert of space bridge technology. Ain't no bot that knows more about the stuff than he does."
Hearing this, Optimus smiled. "That's incredible! While the Bulkhead I know is a brilliant mech in his own right he does not possess such expertise in space bridges. How brilliant!"
At this, Bulkhead finally managed to meet Optimus' optics. There was a faint blush on his faceplates. "Really? I'm not really all that- Uh, I mean, what's your Bulkhead like?"
Optimus' smile grew fonder. "He's one of the bravest mechs I've ever had the honor of knowing. The only thing that can compare to his immense strength is his kindness." Gazing down at the young bot in front of him, he placed his servo on the his shoulder. "The two of you are appear very much alike, in that regard."
Bulkhead's blush grew in intensity, his optics becoming round like saucers, flickering from Optimus' face to where his servo was on his shoulder back to his face. "Oh geez, I don't know what to, oh stars-"
"What about Bumblebee?" Sari suddenly asked, clambering on top of some barrels to be seen. "When you first appeared you said you had a Bumblebee in your universe as well, right?"
Bumblebee, this universe's version, crossed his arms again. "Whatever kind of person he is, he can't be faster, or more handsome, than me!" He paused. "But yeah, what about him?"
Optimus laughed. "There's no way I can praise him enough. Bumblebee is a true hero, through and through, and he's saved my life more times than I can count."
At this, Bumblebee visibly preened. "Oh yeah? Sounds kinda like me then. You know, I've also saved our Optimus' life a couple of times already." He jabbed a thumb at his chest. "Some call me a hero too."
"I don't doubt it," Optimus replied and somehow Bumblebee managed to puff out his chest even more.
"Yeah, well, why don't you tell me some more about my other dimensional counterpart and my- I mean his, heroic deeds? Just so we can compare notes."
Ratched sighed loudly and dragged a palm down his face. "Great, just what we need, Bumblebee getting yet another ego boost."
Prowl leaned in closer to the medic. "At least he's not openly hostile towards our visitor anymore." The corner of his mouth twitched. "He got so mad when this Optimus asked him if he wasn't too young to be an autobot when they first met."
Ratchet couldn't help but snort. "That alone made all of this worth it. Sigh, I just hope our Optimus is alright."
---------In another dimension---------
"What do you mean I'm the leader of the autobots? Ultra Magnus is right there! What even is a Matrix? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M THE CHOSEN OF GOD?????"
244 notes · View notes
lets-try-some-writing · 2 months
Note
I’m apart of the ‘frequent nosebleeds when it’s dry AF’ club, and I know it has to be dry as a motherfucker in Neveda, so how would the TFP bots react if one (or Primus forbid all three) of the kids got a (or multiple) nosebleed because of dry air?
I feel you on the nosebleed thing. Dry areas SUCK. As for the reactions of the bots? Well-
Ratchet would take a moment to notice, but once he notices one or more of the children clutching their noses to try and stem the bleeding, he's going to assume the worst. Having never seen a human BLEED FROM THEIR FACIAL ORAFACES, he wouldn't take it well. When a Cybertronian is leaking energon from the intake or optics, it means something has gone horribly wrong with something in the processors or internal components. That fact does not translate well for his view on the children's situation. He would likely drag the kid in question over to the medical berth and hastily begin preparing everything under the sun just in case he needs to perform emergency surgery.
Bulkhead and Wheeljack wouldn't panic immediately, but seeing the sheer amount of blood leaking from the kid in question, they would start to worry. Red is a very bright color, and it tends to look a lot worse than it is. Especially on such a small person. They would do their best to be strong for the child, if only so that whoever it is doesn't worry. But they would be quietly rushing to call up June for fear of losing one of the kids to strange blood loss.
Arcee's reaction would be similarity mature. Her focus would be on keeping the kid with the nose bleed calm. She's seen mecha drop dead on the battlefield because they panicked and bled out faster. So her entire focus would be on distracting and comforting in her own gruff way. She would be the one providing new tissues and yelling at Smokescreen and Bumblebee so that they can go make themselves useful.
Smokescreen and Bumblebee would quickly follow Arcee's lead and help whichever kid(s) are not experiencing the nose bleed. Damage control is their role, and they would do a rather poor job at not showing their worry. Most of their efforts would revolve around preparing to have to give horrible news in the event things go south. Ultra Magnus would, as always, be ready to go with funeral preparations and a speech ready to honor the fallen. Optimus would TRY to make himself useful, but at most he would start trying to get ahold of Agent Fowler and hastily dig through the human internet for some sort of guide regarding what to do to help the child in question before death becomes inevitable.
The team would be organized and controlled. They've dealt with death before, albeit amongst their own kind more than anything else. Moving with practiced precision, they would do what they could to be prepared for any scenario until June or Fowler can explain and the whole team can relax.
If Ratchet checked on the child in question repeatedly over the following days, not a spark said anything. None would say so aloud, but the fear of losing one of the children is strong.
177 notes · View notes