"Life's a game that's just waiting to be played."

"A Predacon?!? They've been extinct since the beginning of Cybertronian history!"

"Indeed," P.O.T.'s sire said, moving to touch the Predacon's chest plates, "But the specimen you see before you was bred in the laboratory, cloned from fossilized remains, which I discovered on Cybertron."

P.O.T. tensed up when Megatron made his way towards them, only for her sire to glance at her and she turned her emotion sensors off.

Megatron smirked, "Shockwave, it does my spark good to see you once again tampering with creation.

"Master, please! Keep your distance!" Starscream cried out.

"No need for alarm," Shockwave said, "The beast is completely under my control."

"Such primal magnificence," Megatron congratulated the scientist.

P.O.T.'s optics widened when she noticed what her sire had in his servos, "A sample of Energon, from Wheeljack, spilled during the Autobot's failed interrogation," her sire held the sample up for the Predacon to scan.

Megatron's optics narrowed in delight, "Let the hunt begin."

P.O.T. couldn't help but feel her spark sink as she watched the Predacon fly away. She hoped that nothing too dangerous would happen to him while he was gone.

🖤

"Mainframe's up and running," Raf said from beside Panacea as they stood on the Cybertronian computer, "But we'll need help hacking the operating codes."

"Even if the groundbridge proves functional, it will be next to worthless without a means of pinpointing the current locations of our compatriots," Ratchet pointed out.

"Can't we just track their symbols?" Bumblebee asked, confused.

"Use your processor, Bumblebee," Ratchet scolded, "If the Decepticons had the ability to track Autobot signals, we'd have all been at Megatron's mercy here on Earth a long time ago."

Raf sighed, "Back where we started."

Pan placed her hand on Raf shoulder, giving him a smile when he glanced up at her. Ratchet watched them, before a thought crossed his processor.

"But not if I can reconfigure these Decepticon frequencies. At the very least, we may be able to access their comm-link."

🖤

"I'm sorry, "overreacting?" Easy for you to say, Knockout," Starscreammscoffed at the red medic, "Nobody here wants your post. I, on the other hand, hold the most coveted position within the Decepticon ranks."

P.O.T. caught Knockout rolling his optics at Starscream, a smirk going across her lip plates.

"And no matter what he may claim, I know that Shockwave is plotting to usurp me! Did you see the smug look in his eye when he unveiled that vile beast to lord Megatron?"

P.O.T. scowled, even if her sire told her to keep her glitch under control, she wasn't about to let somemech talk down her fellow creation-

Ooooh, that something interesting.

Her optics caught the definitely not Decepticon colors on Cybertronian metal.

Her databanks easily brought the information up for her. Smokescreen, an Autobot warrior and was the youngest member of Team Prime. He was in a Decepticon escape pod, which apparently led to some confusion when Smokescreen first arrived on Earth.

Her optics watched thoughtfully. Before she turned away. Whatever the stupid Autobot was doing, was none of her business.

🖤

"It's one of ours!"

An elevator dropped from the spacecraft, "Raf!" Miko called out, only for both hers, and Jack's eyes to widen as they saw someone who was supposed to be dead.

"Pan!"

The girl gave them a sheepish smile as they ran up to her and Raf, "Hi."

Miko gasped loudly, "She talks!"

"You're alive?" Jack gaped at her.

Miko poked Pan and gasped, even more, when Pan giggled, "She is alive!"

"Of course I am," Pan answered, a smirk dancing on her lips.

Jack gasped, "What happened to your eye?"

Pan just shrugged, "I don't have a clue-" she reached up as if she was going to touch it, but paused, "-but I like it."

Miko laughed before checking back a sob as she grabbed a surprised Pan in a hug, "You idiot," the younger girl sobbed. "We really thought you had left us for good."

Raf chuckled as Jack joined his partner(friend/sibling-wise folks) in hugging the older girl, "Don't do that again," Jack warned her, despite being younger, yet taller, the older, yet slightly shorter girl just smiled.

"I won't," Pan promised. Her smile happily growing as Raf joined the other two in basically trying to send Pan back to the land of the unliving.

🖤

"What a grave disappointment this must be for you, master," Starscream was awfully smug, "And to make matters worse, because it cannot speak, we have no way of knowing why the Predacon failed so miserably."

The stupid, silver seeker didn't notice, nor care for the glares that both the Predacon and P.O.T. were giving him. The smaller Decepticon creation hidden away from the seeker, but her fellow creation knew she was there, just like how they knew when their creator was nearby.

"Poor, mute, mindless creature."

🖤

"New paint job looks good, Bee," Bulkhead complemented the younger bot.

"At least you had something to work with, " Arcee grumbled playfully, "If I reversed my colors, I'd be pink."

"Actually, you would be orange and green," Pan muttered under her breath to herself, gaining a chuckle from who stood beside her.

"The communications link needs further calibration to be compatible with Autobot frequencies," Ratchet was saying, "The groundbridge, however, is fully operational."

"That would've come in handy when robo-dragon was trying to eat us for breakfast," Miko piped up.

"Robo-dragon?" Pan repeated, her eyes widening as shock thundered through her. From herself, and the Primes.

Onyx was thoughtful, "She could be talking about a beast form, but that is highly unlikely. Beastforms are quite rare after this war, perhaps a Predacon? But they went extinct millennia ago..."

Quintus spoke up, "Unless he was able to replicate their CNA...?" He murmered thoughtfully.

"The indigenous population of this planet, do they all display the same disregard for authority?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"No," Ratchet shook his helm, "Mostly just Miko."

The sound of a human aircraft came through the distance. Another aircraft - slightly bigger than the first one - followed it.

Ultra Magnus was the first to react hostility, during up his weapons as the other Autobots tried to relax him, "No! Don't shoot! It's Fowler."

"He's with us!" Bulkhead insisted as the four human children( teenagers. They were teenagers) ran towards Agent Fowler and June Darby who disembarked from the first aircraft, and, Nilsa Queen, Carlos Temple, Hermes Steadfast, Hana Smith, Alik Hill, and, Matthew Richardson.

The four teens paused for a moment at the sight of the unexpected party, but soon found themselves relived to find that everyone was okay.

June was the first to wrap Jack in a hug, the Darby boy was then taken frm his mother into his boyfriend's arms where the pair connected lips immediately. June smirking, happy for her son by Agent Fowler who was staring with wide eyes.

Raf was brought into a hug by his best friend, Matthew, the slightly taller boy letting years fall into the shorter boys lighter brown locks of hair. Raf smiled, his head resting against Matthew's chest.

Pan only had a second to glance around for her mother, or Logan before Hana Smith was grabbing the girl in a hug. Pan chuckled, but smiled understandingly. She now knew what the art teacher was going through.

"I'm sorry about him," Hana sighed quietly, " I really thought he was getting better. "

"You couldn't help something that was primal, Hana," Pan attempted to calm the woman, "Only a Prime can undo what Unicron has done to him."

Hana looked at Pan, "So you really think Optimus would help him?"

"Yes," whispered twelve voices in her head.

"Yes, " Pan whispered to the art teacher.

Miko, despite not knowing who Hermes, Nilsa, and Carlos were, greeted the trio, remembering them from various dates that she had spotted them on with Arcee's hologram - dubbed "Alice" - and another person.

"Everyone is safe," Nilsa said, making the four teens look at her, she was the kind of woman that likes to make sure that everyone knew that they were safe, "I, along with, Hermes, Carlos, and Agent Fowler saw to it that Jasper was evacuated in time."

"The only signals Ultra Magnus was able to isolate are standing right here," Arcee was the first to confirm the bad news.

"Maybe his scanner's faulty," Wheeljack shrugged.

Bulkhead frowned, "So the kid's unaccounted for."

"Smokescreen bridged out unaccompanied," Ratchet added on, "Only Optimus knows where. And Optimus remained behind, to destroy the groundbridge, to ensure that everyone else made it to safety."

"I watched the base go down," Agent Fowler stated, "No one or thing walked out of there."

"Not that we could see," June stepped up next to the Agent.

"Even if Prime survived, I'm not sure we can afford to wait for him to show up," Agent Fowler continued , "Not with Megatron holding our planet hostage from his high and mighty perch at Darkmount."

"I would be inclined to agree with the native life-form," Ultra Magnus was the first to agree, "We must stop Megatron, with or without Optimus Prime."

Pan wasn't the only to notice the hurt expression that ghosted Hana's face, but she was the only one to offer the woman comfort, but taking her hand in hers.

"We must do everything in our power to ensure Megatron's downfall, but we will need to be smart about it."

"Whoa, who put shoulderpads in command?" Wheelbase rolled his optics.

"Temporary command," Jack tried to make peace .

"Ultra Magnus is the only logical choice," Ratchet pointed out, "He was trained by Optimus and served as his commanding officer throughout the war for Cybertron."

"Now, unless there is any further objection, soldier, please, follow me," Ultra Magnus said, making his way back to his ship.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Wheeljack said sarcastically as they followed behind him.

"Autobots," Ultra Magnus opened a hidden weapons stash when they got inside, "Take your pick."

Wheeljack laughed, "Now you're speaking my language, Sir."

Pan just rolled her eyes, a feat that the rest of the humans caught.

Hana just sighed, the mother figure she was. Alik was wide eyed in both fear and amazement.

"Are they always like this?" Hermes asked, his dark brown eyes wide.

"Yes," Pan said without thinking as Jack and Miko said the same. Both giving her wide eyes.

"How-" Miko started to ask only for Pan, Hana, Alik, and Nilsa to shake their heads at her.

"Aw, come on," Miko pouted.

🖤

"Optimus!" Smokescreen rushed back through the walls of the cave, making Logan jump back to his feet as Optimus's helm shifted slightly, "I have the Forge! You can use it to repair yourself!"

"That is not the reason I had you retrieve the relic," Optimus rasped out.

"What?" Smokescreen shared a glance with Logan who looked equally confused, "I don't understand."

"The power of the Forge is not unlimited," Optimus explained, "Its energy has already begun to ebb."

"So it's running low?" Logan asked, his eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully.

"-who cares?" Smokescreen interrupted, All we need is enough juice to get you back into fighting shape!"

"Whatever power remains must be used to rebuild the Omega lock-"

"To restore Cybertron?" Logan finished, gaping at the Cybertronians.

Smokescreen frowned, "But that would mean-"

"The fate of all our kind is more vital than that of any one of us," Optimus said firmly, "Including me."

"Optimus," Smokescreen interjected, his optics wide, "The Forge is a relic of the Primes.
We can't use it to restore Cybertron, not without a Prime."

Logan - thanks to the quick history lesson from Smokey - quickly picked up on what the young Cybertronian was meaning, "We can't do it without you."

The faceplates of the Prime flashed with an emotion that made Logan frown, "There will be a new Prime."

Logan opened his mouth, but Smokescreen just didn't seem to be getting the hint about what the Prime was talking about, the young 'bot rushing his words, "You can worry about that after we get you patched up, and we take down Megatron."

"The time for a new leader is upon us," Optimus managed to grasp out, his optics shining sincerely, "In my spark I believe that leader stands before me right now."

Logan gaped as he and Smokescreen shared freaked out looks. There was no way that Optimus was saying what they thought he was saying...

Right?

Here's Chapter Four!

Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out! But, it's here, folks!

I squeezed the main (my)characters into this chapter.😂. I also shifted around some of this episode to make it flow better in this chapter

Hope you enjoyed!