"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones you accept you for who you are. The ones who would do anything to see you smile, and who love you no matter what."

"Bulkhead, you really mustn't allow yourself to decline," Ratchet scolded the green mech.

"Yeah, Bulk," Miko prompted, "You got to pull yourself out of this funk."

"What's the use?" Bulkhead sighed, a sad scowl on his faceplates.

"You need to regain your strength," Ratchet shook his helm at the mech, "The time will come when-"

"When what?" Bulkhead snapped out bitterly, "When all of you will need an assist? Isn't that what the new guy's for?"

Pan's face scrunched up as her green eyes turned onto the green mech, having noted how her friend's face fell.

Unfortunately the one mech that they didn't need just happened to come in, with a "great" idea.

"Hey, Bulkhead," Smokescreen started, "I've been thinking. With your injury and all, you might want to take advantage of the armor I snagged from Starscream," he held it out for the injured 'bot, "Instant muscle suit!"

Ratchet and Pan shared a look as Miko winced as her guardian's faceplates twisted, "You think I need a crutch?!"

The Apex Armor when flying as Bulkhead's wrecking mace hit the unbreakable suit.

Irritably for the Autobot medic, the Armor went flying into one of his computers, causing rapid beeping until the beeping slowed, "Bulkhead, I needed that!"

Miko couldn't help the snort of laughter that left her lips at Ratchet's "motto". Her amusement disappeared when she spotted the look on her guardian's faceplates.

Bulkhead growled, "Out of my way, rookie!"

"You've got to be kidding, Raf," Jack shook his head, "You of all people grounded?"

Pan's eyes rolled at the fact that her best friend's parents were so upset over the fact that he had dropped from perfect A's to a couple A-'s.

"Big time," Raf's voice could be heard as Jack put the phone on speaker when he noticed Pan looking at him, "I misplaced some homework and blew a couple of tests."

"Translation "A-" instead of "A," Miko rolled her eyes.

Raf didn't say anything to that, taking a long pause, "I'm probably spending too much time at the base."

Miko scoffed at that as another voice came from the phone, "Rafael, I hope you're not on the phone in there!"

Raf's irritated sigh left his lips, "No, Mama," he called back to his mother before sighing again, "Say 'Hi' to Bee for me. And until I improve these grades, I'm off team Prime."

Pan sighed as her best friend hung up, sharing a glance with Miko. The latter just rolling her eyes.

Bulkhead grunting, "Just when we get one back, we lose another."

Pan couldn't help the wince that flashed across her face.

🌟

"Agent Fowler," Optimus greeted, "To what do we owe this visit?"

The Agent had an odd look on his face, the information that he had troubling him gravely as he walked out of the elevator, "Bad news," he said grimly.

"At 16:30 hours, a satellite was stolen from a high-security military bolt," Fowler started, "Surveillance shows the Decepticon known as Breakdown at the scene."

"Haven't seen him in a while," Bulkhead commented.

"Wish you never have to," Megatronus muttered.

Bringing Pan to realize how quiet the Primes had been recently. Her eyebrows furrowing as she sent her confusion to them.

A chuckle from the Primes made Pan's eyes narrowed in more confusion, "Your life is going well, Pan," Solus comforted, "You don't need us around all of the time."

"It still makes me feel bad," Pan pointed out.

Amusement came from the Primes as Liege smirked, sending her an image (a better term would be a memory) that immediately made Pan's cheeks flushed.

"Nevermind," Pan muttered, embarrassed.

"It looks like Breakdown entered the base in vehicle mode with someone behind the wheel," Fowler finished.

Pan's eyes widened when she saw her, (supposed to be dead) uncle.

She hadn't noticed the scowl on Miko's face, until the girl's hands had appeared in the corner of her eyesight, holding onto the metal barrier in front of them. Miko's knuckles ghostly white from the pressure she was exerting.

Pan bit her lip, knowing that Logan must've told her the whole story of Leland Bishop.

"A Decepticon paired with a human?"

Amalgamous snorted, "You'd be surprised," he muttered.

Pan tilted her head at his words, "Say what?"

Amalgamous blinked, "You can't say that you haven't noticed-"

He was cut off by Vector who hit the back of his helm with a hissed, "Shut up!"

"And I have a pretty good hunch who," Fowler said, his eyes flickering over to Pan and Miko for a second; mostly Pan, "The stolen satellite was project, Damocles. Invented by Silas."

Pan's teeth gritted, "And Athena Steadfast," she muttered under her breath.

The surprising venom in her voice made Miko glance at her friend who looked like she wanted to murder someone for the fact that they forgot that Athena helped make the damned thing.

"I guess the former Colonel Bishop wanted it back."

"Wasn't he dead?" Bumblebee asked, confusion on his faceplates.

Arcee nodded in agreement with the younger bot, "Yeah, I thought Silas was paste?"

"So did I," Fowler nodded.

"Agent Fowler," Ratchet interjected, looking rather worried(mostly for the sake of his charge/girlfriend), "Even if he were alive, are you suggesting that Silas has allied MECH with the Decepticons? I highly doubt that Megatron would entertain such an idea."

Pan felt that the Primes were hiding something from her and frowned, confusion going from her to them.

"Why not?" Jack piped up, "The human-bot alliance works for us."

"Most of the time," Arcee muttered.

"So, what is "project Damocles"?" Miko asked, looking way in over her head.

Surprisingly it was Pan who answered, "Damocles is a particle-beam cannon," she said, making everyone look at her.

When Fowler noticed that Pan wasn't going to carry on explaining, he took over, "A particle-beam cannon so powerful it can slice up the Pentagon like a birthday cake or give everyone on Mount Rushmore a mohawk, all from a satellite in orbit."

Then, he just had to add a jab at the former Colonel, "It's the work of a madman."

Pan's eyes narrowed on the Agent, biting her lip to not throw an insult at him for insulting the work her brilliant aunt had managed to do. A project that Athena Steadfast-Bishop had hoped would help Earth in being protected from "Aliens".

"And in Megatron's hands, it's a threat to anyone, anywhere on the planet. With pinpoint accuracy at the flick of a switch," Fowler continued. Completely oblivious to the look Pan was giving him.

"The Cons may have the satellite, but they can't use it without the interface code," Fowler carried on, "The only existing copy is stored on the secured servers at headquarters in Colorado."

"We must keep the code out of Decepticon hands at all costs," Optimus finally declared.

Bulkhead's faceplates lightened up, "It's roll time!"

Ratchet turned to the injured ex-wrecker, "Ep, ep! I have not yet cleared you for active duty," he snapped, "Nor are you ready to roll."

Bulkhead growled at that.

🌟

:[Ratchet, we require backup]:

"I'm there," Bulkhead said, moving towards the groundbridge.

"You can't!" Ratchet snipped at him, stopping the wrecker in his tracks.

:[Can you remotely disable project Damocles under Agent Fowler's advisement?]: Optimus asked Ratchet.

"On a human-based computer network without my backup?" Ratchet asked, "Without Rafael?"

Pan grinned as an idea struck her, turing to look at Ratchet who's optics widened.

🌟

Raf had been on his laptop, secretly messaging Matthew as they worked on their homework together(Not that his mother knew that he was messaging his friend(?), or that they were working on it together online), when a light appeared in his room from behind him.

Raf's eyes widened as he spun around only to find Agent Fowler, Jack, Miko, and Pan in his room as the groundbridge they had used to get there disappeared, "Wha-what are you guys doing here?" He asked.

"Son," Fowler said gravely, "Your planet needs you."

'Now, that was dramatic,' Pan signed, making Raf crack a nervous grin.

Raf spun back around to his laptop, nervously pressing his glasses up his nose. HIs fingers flew across his keyboard before soon enough, his laptop beeped, "I'm in, but I can't reach the targeting systems," He said, "Too many firewalls."

"Come on, son," Fowler encouraged, "If the Cons make off with that interface code, Damocles will light up the sky 24-7."

Raf's eyes lit up with an idea and he looked at Pan who poked him curiously through their link. He let his idea flood through to her and Pan nodded in agreement.

"Let them have the code," Pan said, surprising the other three, "It won't do them any good without the satellite."

"Can't say I follow you," Fowler frowned.

Miko and Jack shared a look, "What?"

"All satellites have maneuvering thrusters so they can adjust their orbits," Raf said, his finger typing across the keyboard quickly, "If I can break into the navigation subroutine, I can bring the whole satellite down."

Fowler nodded, "Great," He agreed before looking around awkwardly, "Say, um which way is the bathroom?"

Awkward silence for three seconds as the kids gaped at the adult.

"What? No!" Raf protested, "If my Mom sees you-"

"Relax," Agent Fowler waved his off, "I trained in covert ops."

"I don't care if you were trained by a ninja," Raf insisted, "My Mom has eyes in the back of your head!"

🌟

"I'm almost there," Raf announced as Agent Fowler returned from the bathroom.

Miko grinned as the target moved on the laptop screen, "Raf, rock on! It's moving."

Pan shared a look with Raf, confusion moving from one of them to another, "Uh, that isn't me."

More beeping came from his laptop, "Uh, guys that's Jasper," Jack said nervously.

"Ooh, I can see my host parents' house," Miko grinned, obviously not understanding the danger of the situation.

Raf's eyes widened in horror, "And I can see my house right in their target sights."

Fowler's eyes widened "Any time, son."

Raf desperately typed away, trying to correct the target away from Jasper, "Help," he managed to whisper to Pan.

Pan flinched before nodding in confirming, her hand moving to touch the laptop. Agent Fowler, Jack, and Miko didn't notice how Pan's eyes glowed magenta as violet lines appeared on her hand where her veins were.

It was as if someone had suddenly appeared, helping Raf's hack by supercharging it.

Worry from the Primes flooded to Pan, giving her a headache that made her whimper as images of the particle beam destroying parts of Jasper before turning off as Raf's hack was successful.

"Ah!"

"Oh!"

"Yes! You're a genius! "

A knock on the door startled the five from their cheering, "Rafael Jorge Gonzales Esquivel!"

The door opened and Raf's mom stuck her head into the room, "What is going on here?!"

Jack, Miko, Raf, Pan, and Agent Fowler all looked up from their books to the doorway.

"Study group?" Raf offered.

🌟

"Looks like someone's big plan just burned up in re-entry," Smokescreen commented to Bulkhead as they watched C.Y.L.A.S. retreat, before looking at the wrecker, "And for the record, I studied every one of the Wrecker's battles."

A small smile crossed Bulkhead's derma, "There's hope for you yet, newbie."

🌟

Pan wiggled her eyebrows at Raf who blushed.

"Matthew and Raf, sitting in a tree, K.I.S.S.I.N.G," Pan sang through their bond.

Raf scowled at his sister figure, "Shut up!" he protested weakly.

Pan laughed.

The pair's interaction confused the other three.

Here's Chapter Sixteen.

Pan and Raf are so cute!😁
And I've updated the cast list so feel free to have a look at it; there's a few new characters in it.

Hope you enjoyed!
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