At the Autobot base, Miko groaned in frustration as she failed—again—to focus on her homework.
"Even with the world on the verge of exploding, people still care about fractions?!" she grumbled, slamming her pencil down.
Raf, focused on an offline game on his laptop, answered without looking away. Bumblebee was watching the screen with curiosity, letting out his usual beeps, only Raf seemed to understand them. "You wouldn't be having any problems if you just did your homework on time," Raf said with the innocent tone only a kid could pull off.
Jack appeared at the top of the stairs, arms crossed as he saw Miko hunched over her notebook like it was a mortal enemy.
"Seriously, Miko? Another homework meltdown?"
"It makes zero sense! Who cares about math when we could be out kicking Decepticon butt?!"
Ratchet, deep in work at a terminal, let out a long, tired sigh, the kind that came from weeks of pent-up frustration dealing with human teenagers. "If you spent half as much energy doing the work as you do complaining, you'd already be ready to graduate," he muttered under his breath like an overworked teacher.
From the center of the base, Arcee walked in with firm steps. Her blue optics flicked across the group, clearly not in the mood for human chatter.
"Ratchet, any Decepticon activity?"
"None, Arcee. They've been oddly quiet since our last encounter."
She crossed her arms. "And when Decepticons are quiet... it usually means they're up to something."
Bumblebee let out a low beep, he didn't like the lack of enemy movement either.
Jack noticed the shift in the room's atmosphere. "You've all been weird since yesterday… when you mentioned the Allspark."
Arcee sighed deeply. It was rare to see her this vulnerable. "Ever since the Allspark vanished… everything fell apart. I watched friends die. Each day on Cybertron grew darker… until there was nothing left."
Ratchet didn't look away from the terminal, but his voice carried the same weight of sorrow. "If we could recover the Allspark, there'd still be hope. We could restore Cybertron. Our home might live again."
Bumblebee let out a soft, mournful beep, remembering how Megatron had destroyed his voice box during the Allspark evacuation.
Jack looked around, realizing just how much this artifact meant to his friends.
"Talking about the Allspark yesterday made me realize just how much I miss home," Arcee added.
The humans fell silent, touched by the weight the Autobots carried.
"Cybertron may not be habitable anymore…" Jack said with determination. "But here, on Earth—you have a home. And we're with you."
Arcee smiled. A small gesture, but a real one.
The sound of heavy metallic footsteps cut through the moment. Optimus Prime and Bulkhead entered, their imposing presence shifting the room's energy.
"Well said, Jack," Optimus declared. "I appreciate your faith."
"You protected this planet with everything you had," Jack added with a smile. "You've more than earned the right to call this rock your home."
Before anyone could respond, the base's alert system blared—loud and urgent.
"Prime! This is Fowler!" The voice came through the comms, rushed and strained.
"Agent Fowler, report," Optimus said, immediately adopting a command tone.
"I'm at the Hoover Dam! Decepticons are attacking in full force! We've got some allies here… but it's ugly! And before I forget—Lux is here! And the Decepticons… they want him because he's—" The transmission cut off.
"We lost the signal. Looks like the Decepticons jammed the communication line," Ratchet said, already starting to do his usual thing when a new mission began.
"Lux is there?" Jack's eyes went wide. "We have to help him!"
"What was Fowler about to say about Lux?" Bulkhead asked. "Think he knows something more about the wonder kid?"
"Whatever it is, we can't waste time," Optimus declared as his battle mask slid into place. "The Decepticons are putting human lives at risk; we must stop them. Autobots… ROLL OUT!"
Ratchet typed the last commands into the terminal, locating the coordinates for Hoover Dam. The Ground Bridge opened with a thunderous surge of energy.
"Coordinates set. Good luck," the medic said seriously.
"Bulkhead! Give them a good beating" Miko yelled, punching the air.
Bulkhead answered with a big grin and a metallic clash of fists, sending sparks flying. "Time to turn some heads into scrap!"
Optimus, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee charged toward the portal, vanishing into the glowing vortex.
On the other side, chaos awaited them. Explosions lit up the sky. Smoke choked the air. The deafening sounds of energon blasts and missile fire echoed through the canyon surrounding the Hoover Dam.
Dozens of Decepticons soared in formation, exchanging heavy fire with surprisingly advanced human fighter jets—each equipped to battle Cybertronian threats.
"Since when do humans have tech like this?" Bulkhead asked, genuinely impressed.
"They're holding their ground, but..." Arcee trailed off as one of the jets took a direct hit. It spiraled downward in flames before crashing into the ground with a massive explosion. Her optics narrowed, jaw tightening. "...they won't last much longer. Not against this kind of air superiority."
Optimus frowned, his arms moving with a mechanical hum as they transformed into two energon cannons. "Autobots, full support! Let's go!"
He opened fire, energon blasts soaring into the sky. The others followed immediately. Bumblebee zipped between wreckage, firing with unmatched precision. Arcee provided cover with fluid grace, her movements sharp and calculated. Bulkhead aimed for the low-flyers, knocking them out of the sky with sheer brute force.
One of the Decepticons, panicking as the tide turned, activated his internal comm-link.
"Lord Megatron! The Autobots have arrived!"
High above, aboard the Decepticon flagship, Megatron stood on the bridge, arms clasped behind his back. He watched the battle unfold through a large holographic display.
His voice came low and cold, devoid of mercy.
"Destroy the dam!"