Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The clashing of blades filled the dark secluded arena of Godhome. Two masked bug combatants, both vessels of different upbringings, dashed toward one another with their weapons drawn. A chuckle of content was heard beside them just outside of the combat zone. A golden masked being mummified with bandages covering their entire body watched on with glee on their throne. This once golden colosseum had been filled with her fellow spectators had shifted to this darker facade as the attuned ritual was coming close to the end. The being looked up at the sky eagerly, feeling the ever growing presence of the one she and her collective had been searching for. She whose mission was to serve a powerful god, was known as the Godseeker; one of many minds shared in the hive like state of this dream realm. For too long, they had been without a god to resonate with, but now they finally found a worthy warrior to attune with to lure the god to them.

The taller fully-grown vessel stared down at its sibling, raising its nail with a dash to strike it. The nimble smaller vessel jumped over the other’s attack, then closed in with a great slash hitting the back of the Pure Vessel. Their knees gave out due to the pain causing them to collapse. They picked themself up only to be met with a nail, inches from its face. Pure stared back at the one known as the Knight, or Little Ghost by a certain princess.

Both stayed in that position until they were blinded by a holy light from above accompanied by a terrifying roar and falling white feathers. A giant silhouette flapping its wings in the sky broke through the light, revealing a white moth like higher being with large wings and crown like appendages on her head. Her golden glowing eyes lingered down at the Godseeker, waiting to hear why she was summoned.

“At last!” The Godseeker exclaimed, standing up from her throne. “Thou has finally graced us with thine holy presence!” The Knight lowered its weapon away from Pure and gazed up at the imposing God. This was the presence it had felt back at the temple where the Hollow Knight—where Pure was sealed. This God was what Pure was sacrificed to seal away. This God was the one responsible for the infection plaguing the Kingdom of Hallownest.

“O Absolute Radiance, my brethren and I have traveled far from a forgotten land. We come offering ourselves to be thy humble loyal servants.” Godseeker bowed her head, while the Knight carefully helped Pure up on its feet.

The Radiance turned her gaze noticing the two vessels, and screeched with anger.

*How dare this so called servant present the vessel that sealed her away and another capable of sealing her once again. Vessels that contain void within them; her greatest enemy.*

“You forsake us?!” Godseeker cried out in disbelief, her voice now a fusion of all the Godseekers’ voices. The hive mind of the Godseekers devolved into chaos.

‘How could this happen—‘

‘The ritual worked—‘

‘—not again—not—‘

‘—can’t attune—search once more?’

Her body trembled with anger, not noticing the barrage of swords summoned by the Radiance hurling towards her. She snapped back to reality as she was snatched by the Knight, the blades inching closer to their forms when suddenly the blades phased through them hitting the ground.

“How—?” The Godseeker stopped herself, remembering the shade abilities demonstrated by the Knight during the previous battles; this one being shade cloak—an invincible dash.

The Knight placed the Godseeker in a safe spot and dashed back onto the arena platform, challenging the Radiance with its weapon drawn. 

Accepting the challenge, the God of Dreams unleashed a deadly attack with instantaneous bursts of light beams firing at the Knight. Once again using its shade cloak to dodge, the Knight returned with an attack of its own, jumping up at the Radiance unleashing Abyss shriek—an upward spell blast of soul and shadow. In retaliation, the Radiance summoned sharp spikes in the ground where the Knight would land. Before the Knight met the spikes, the spikes were shattered. The Knight quickly recovered on the ground and peered up at its savior. The Pure Vessel stood defiantly at the God, raising its weapon toward her, ready to join the fight. With the two vessels standing together, they lunge to attack.

As the battle between God and Vessels raged on, the Godseekers concurred on their next course of action. She reached into her pocket, and revealed a brown circular artifact; the Godtuner.

‘How ironic’, the Godseeker thought. ‘To think we would need such an artifact after discarding it in our hubris.’ She shook her head with a sigh. There was no need to fill their mind with such corrupt thoughts.

“Enough of this foolishness!” The Godseeker exclaimed, raising the now activated Godtuner.

The grand duel between the God and the Vessels paused as their attention was now on her.

“If thou God of Gods wishes naught for our service, perhaps a more powerful and worthy God awaits us in this new world!” A swirling blue portal opened,  fracturing the stability of the dream realm of Godhome. Before Godseeker stepped through the portal, she faced the vessels and nodded in respect. Impressed by the Pure Vessel for breaking the control Godhome had over its mind and the Knight for its continuous determination throughout the ritual battles.

Godhome began to shake immensely with tremors causing golden archways and pillars to shatter, debris falling everywhere. Seeing the destruction of a dream realm, the Radiance roared with rage lunging at Godseeker. As she grew closer, the energy of the portal shifted, pulling whatever was close enough into it. Both the Godseeker and the Radiance caught off guard were forced through the portal.

As the Vessels scaled up the pillars toward the portal, Pure was caught by debris and plunged into the ground, trapped. The portal destabilized further, growing smaller and smaller implying its closure. With each tremor, more of Godhome was being destroyed and fading away into nothingness. The Knight reached the top but noticed Pure’s absence. They looked over the cliff and witnessed Pure struggling to escape from under the debris. As the Knight was about to jump down and help, Pure shook its head and moved its head upward, implying the Knight to follow the others into the portal. The Knight paused, conflicted in leaving Pure behind but relented. The Knight jumped in as the portal closed itself.

Chapter Text

The serene desert landscape was interrupted with a thundering crash, followed by a thick haze of dust and debris. Once the cloud dispersed, it revealed a big deep crater with the Knight in its center, lying flat on their side unmoving. They slowly lifted their head immediately afflicted by the scorching heat of the sun. They were on the surface. At this point, the Knight knew they were not at home. This weather was drastically different than the conditions of the underground kingdom of Hallownest. Granted Hallownest had places with warmer, humid temperatures like the Fungal Wastes, but nothing like this.

The Knight pushed themself up to stand and froze with discomfort. They shook their cloak to clean themself, letting the irritating sand fall out. When the Knight regained their bearings, they checked if they lost anything during portal travel. Thankfully, all of their equipment they had kept in their cloak were still there. The journals, maps, geo (money), and charms that they’ve collected throughout their exploration of Hallownest. And of course their weapon of choice strapped to their back, a nail.

As the Knight was about to climb out of the crater, a shimmer of light flashed at their eyes gaining their attention. Giant blue crystals were protruding from the ground, now revealed thanks to the Knight being thrust out of the portal with that rough landing. The Knight stepped closer to the crystals, carefully studying them. At first glance, they reminded the Knight of the crystals they had seen in Crystal Peak, although obviously these crystals were blue, not pink. What garnered the Knight’s interest was that they could sense a unique type of energy emitting from the crystals.

Before they could study further, an unfamiliar rumbling sound from above instinctively made the Knight dash to hide behind the crystals. The Knight peeked their head out to peer up at a strange red contraption adorning what looked like two horned appendages. The red being kind of reminded the Knight of Ogrim, the Dung Defender. Both were red, loud, and had two protuberances sticking out from their heads. Although this being definitely wasn’t a dung beetle.

“I just found a whole lot of energon!” The red metal contraption said as it contorted to stand on two legs. The Knight tilted their head in confusion. Since when could metal machines do that? As if the Knight wasn’t confused enough, another much larger contraption was looming above in the sky.

“Decepticons!” The red being stated as he was suddenly blasted into the crater by an explosion.

The Knight; still hidden, stared at the red mech with concern then turned its head to face the many thudding sounds outside of the crater. Many identical black and purple machines similar to the red one stood up there menacingly, clearly about to attack.

“Arcee…about that backup.” The red mech said, bracing himself and then charging upwards to strike them. The Knight sneakily climbed to a higher position to observe these strange beings, deciding that at the moment it was better to not intervene. It seemed as though the red one was doing decent, blocking and countering attacks while throwing the fallen into the crater.

As the fight progressed however, it was clear that the identical machines were no longer fighting fairly, now ganging up on the red one.

Cliffjumper struggled battling the many vehicons that surrounded him. He caught the kick of a  vehicon and countered with a punch to its helm, sending it colliding into other vehicons nearby. Though it didn’t matter, as more dropped down from the ship above, practically overwhelming him. He was outnumbered, outgunned, and running low on options. It would be unlikely that Arcee and the other Autobots would make it here in time to help him. Just his luck. But he would be damned if he wouldn’t go out swinging taking out as many Deceptions as he could. Cliffjumper grunted in pain, as the vehicons relentlessly attacked, juggled his body between their hits and eventually slicing one of his horns off. He was shoved back into the crater, awaiting the next onslaught of their assault. However before either side could attack again, a sharp slash silenced them.

Both Cliffjumper and the vehicons paused to see a vehicon collapse to its knees, then splitting apart seamlessly in two onto the ground. They all stared at the one responsible; a small black creature with a white two pronged helmet like covering, that wore a grey cloak. The vehicons glanced at each other in disbelief. Cliffjumper while also in disbelief, quietly thanked Primus and took this chance to readjust himself. This creature that’s not even the size of his cadulen (lower leg/calf) managed to cut a vehicon in half? Cliffjumper chuckled, this creature is already a friend in his optics. Realizing the new threat, the vehicons fired at both Cliffjumper and the Knight, both dodging and taking cover behind the energon.

“Hey buddy, from one horned fella to another. Thanks for the assist.” Cliffjumper said to the Knight, who in turn replied with a quick nod. “You want the horns?” He addressed the vehicons. “You got em!” He declared as he transformed his arms into blasters, returning fire at the vehicons.

The Knight stayed behind cover and focused on their soul. They held enough soul energy left over from their previous battles during the ritual and their duels with Pure and the Radiance. So like Cliffjumper, when they had an opening, they shot a black fireball at the vehicons with a spell called shade soul, burning them. Once again, Cliffjumper was momentarily stunned by what his new friend could do. By now the vehicons hit by the blast were struggling to move with parts of their bodies melted away. The vehicon who took the brunt of the attack was worse for wear with some of its limbs being reduced to liquid metal. Note to himself, don’t ever get on its bad side and ask Ratchet about what it is.

Both Cliffjumper and the Knight were synchronized, dodging incoming fire and defending one another with blaster fire or nail slashes. The Knight jumped up onto Cliffjumper’s shoulder pad and raised their nail toward the vehicons. Catching the Knight’s idea, Cliffjumper smirked, reaching for the Knight who was now in his servo, and launched them towards the vehicons. A white aura surrounded the Knight as they reached a group of vehicons, before unleashing a powerful slash, destroying them into pieces. Cliffjumper cheered on his new little friend but before he could celebrate more, an explosion bombarded the crater.

Cliffjumper and the Knight were propelled against the outer wall of the crater, causing rubble to fall over them. As the Knight crawled out from underneath the ruins, Cliffjumper raised his servo to stop them.

“Just stay hidden there for now little buddy.” He paused, coughing up some energon. His body had given out, refusing to move due to the excruciating pain. Cliffjumper turned his head to the side, noticing another group of vehicons coming his way. He turned back to the Knight.

“Arcee and the other Autobots will be here soon. Let them know the Decepticons are back. It was an honor fighting with you.” Cliffjumper smiled, but grew with hope in response to the Knight’s small nod. The Knight did a bow, showing their respect to Cliffjumper and his request, then hid beneath the debris. They sadly but silently watched as the vehicons grabbed Cliffjumper, hauling him to their ship and left without remorse for the devastation they inflicted.

Chapter Text

The agonizing pain in Cliffjumper’s body kept him conscious as he was forcefully dragged by vehicons into the ship’s bridge. His pedes loudly scraped against the floor as he was presented to the second in command of the Decepticons, Starscream.

“Scream. It’s been a while.” Cliffjumper paused as he coughed up some energon. “So, where’s your master?” Starscream scowled in frustration, clearly insulted by the reminder of his leader.

“Nevermind him! I am my own master!” Starscream declared as he plunged his claws into Cliffumper’s chest causing the bot to shriek in pain.

“Any more questions? Perhaps about that puny pest that perished in the blast?” Starscream taunted, baiting a reaction out of the Autobot. “A shame really. It would’ve made an excellent experiment.”

Cliffjumper internally scoffed, ignoring the obvious provocation. Does Screamer really think he’d fall for something so blatant? Sure he was reckless, but not stupid. As much as he wanted to remark at Starscream’s attempt to provoke him, he didn’t want the Decepticons to discover that his little buddy actually survived the explosion. He looked down at his chest, gaging the severity of the wound. He felt his spark fade and he quietly accepted his fate. As Starscream ripped his servo out of his chest, Cliffjumper only had one thought as he collapsed to the floor. His love for Arcee. His only regret, leaving her behind without saying goodbye.

~

The Knight was still hidden in the debris-like cave, as asked, sitting on a small rock. There hadn’t been any activity since the ship departed, though now that the Knight realized, they had no clue what this Arcee looked like. Let alone who or what an Autobot was. Then again, perhaps that’s what their red friend was, an Autobot. They had never heard of a species with that name, and wondered if those creatures that attacked them were of the same strain. Were they also Autobots? Or something else. Oh right. Their friend did call them something else when he saw them. What was it? Descenticon? Decrepticon…no. Ah wait! Decepticon! He called them Decepticons. A fitting name given their destructive nature they have demonstrated so far. Although the Knight was still debating whether Autobots and Decepticons were the same species or not. One fact was clear to the Knight. These two factions hated each other. For what reason, the Knight didn’t know yet. Though time would only tell.

As the Knight waited, they peacefully wrote their new knowledge about these people and this place in their journal. It had become a habit of the Knight to jot down any information they came across in their travels. This was especially evident when they were in Hallownest. The Knight had Cornifer and Iselda to thank for providing rudimentary maps and writing tools to learn how to navigate on their journey. As well as the Hunter for his Hunter’s journal with entries describing different enemies. They taught the Knight a lot and it had become something the Knight liked to do in their spare time. Especially now that the Knight was in this new world, they were enthusiastic about writing as much as they could. They immediately took note of their red friend’s and attackers’ physiques, fighting styles and shared ability to transform. The Knight even added illustrations of all of them to each corresponding note. Though the Knight took extra great care in the entry about their red friend. Even if their interaction was short, the Knight felt a connection with him. They enjoyed the team up. Their thoughts began to worry about their friend. Although they were requested to stay behind, the Knight was conflicted whether that was the right choice. But they couldn’t let down their new friend. They had to let his allies know what took place. When the Knight was finished writing, they heard multiple thuds outside.

From their current position, they couldn’t determine who was nearby. So they cautiously exited the hiding spot, and found a vantage point in the scattered clumps of crystals. Five figures appeared atop the crater. The Knight observed that they held resemblance to their red friend, but to their attackers as well. Though they had varied shapes, sizes, and color schemes to their friend, they also moved and shifted like him. They patiently waited, ready to unsheathe their weapon if necessary, gauging whether this group were friends or foes.

“An untapped energon deposit.” Optimus noted, disengaging his blaster back into his servo. “What’s left of it.” Bulkhead remarked, noticing the blast marks and shattered energon crystals in the area. It had been abandoned in a hurry.

“The first Decepticon activity in three years.” Ratchet commented. A brief look of concern on his face. “That we know of. If they are scouting for energon, they may be preparing for his return.” Optimus stated. He approached the crater with the others following him to search for signs of Cliffjumper.

Arcee and Bumblebee, being the more agile members of the Autobots, jumped to the base of the blast zone first. Both immediately noticed the remnants of a fight, as well as destroyed residue of vehicon bodies. Though given the marks on the ground, the fight was interrupted by an explosion. The Decepticons wouldn’t attack their own without reason. Cliffjumper had been here. The Autobots all collectively thought as they searched for more definitive clues about his whereabouts. Arcee’s gasp caught their attention, as they saw her pick up a small piece of Cliffjumper’s horn.

“Ratchet. Can you track his position?” Optimus asked, as Ratchet unveiled a monitor within his arm displaying five signals. Then abruptly, one of the signals ceased. A look of shock enveloped Ratchet as he declared that, “Cliffjumper’s life signal went offline.”

The Knight observed the group, following their actions intently. They seemed very close knit as a unit. The Knight briefly paused as one of them picked up a chunk of metal from the ground. That was the horn piece that had belonged to their friend. They studied the facial expression on the tall slender figure that was holding the horn and concluded that she was mourning. The others around her made similar expressions that conveyed a deep sadness. The massive green one even put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, saying something the Knight couldn’t quite hear. It dawned on the Knight that they also recognized the horn. They knew their friend. These were the ones their friend asked for them to wait for. Without hesitation, the Knight leapt from their vantage point and landed nearby the group.

Arcee clutched the horn, holding it close to her chest. She couldn’t believe that her partner Cliff, who she had talked to not that long ago was gone. How could their playful banter about living on Earth escalate into one of them reuniting with the All Spark? She quickly pushed her mournful thoughts aside and unraveled into anger. The Deceptions would pay. Not just for the war, not just for destroying their home, but for taking Cliffjumper from her.

Her thoughts of vengeance were interrupted when she noticed a grey blur of movement in the corner of her optic. She instinctively raised her blaster and shot at the blur. Whatever it was it dodged and seemingly disappeared into thin air. The commotion caused the other Autobots to rush over with their blasters equipped, ready for a fight.

“There’s something here with us!” Arcee warned the others. Optimus turned to her. “Decepticons?” Arcee shook her head. “Could be but I don’t think so.”

Bumblebee let out a quick set of beeps and Bulkhead nodded along also wanting answers.

“Yeah well I have no idea what it is! But it was little and quick!” Arcee answered harshly. She still had with her blaster drawn, carefully scanning the area and the discarded energon crystals.

“Are you sure it wasn’t part of the wildlife?” Ratchet scrutinized. He knew how close Arcee and Cliffjumper were, so given the shocking news, she was deeply affected by it. Before Arcee could retort back, she saw something small standing next to Bulkhead. But instead of shooting at it she paused with a confused look on her face.

“What?” Bulkhead said noticing her pause, and slowly followed her gaze to see the tiny creature standing next to him.

“What is that thing?!” Bulkhead exclaimed, moving away from it with haste. Clearly caught off guard by how this creature appeared next to him undetected. Bumblebee, sharing Bulkhead’s sentiment, made alarmed but confused beeps, turning his head to Optimus for guidance. Now that Bulkhead was out of the way she quickly raised her blaster aiming at it, but she hesitated now that she got a good look at the creature. The others followed Arcee’s lead, ready to fire if needed but they too faltered.

Standing in front of them was a small unknown creature, staring up at them. At least, it appeared to be as its eyes were blank black holes part of a white shelled helmet of some kind. The Autobots glanced at each other, understanding that none of them had ever seen this type of creature on earth before. It was roughly about the size of a human child, but it definitely wasn’t human. Optimus was the first of the Autobots to slowly lower his ion blaster, recognizing that the creature held no interest in harming them. He concluded that if it wanted to attack, it could’ve used the sharpened melee weapon sheathed on its back to ambush Bulkhead. Optimus turned his head to the others and gave a slow nod. Bumblebee followed suit, trusting in Optimus’s judgement. One by one, they all lowered their weapons but remained alert. Optimus then turned his attention to the creature.

“Hello. I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots.” They all witnessed the creature perk up as Optimus mentioned the Autobots. Does it know about them? “These are my fellow Autobots. Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee.” Optimus explained as he gestured at each member when he called their names. Once again the creature showed a reaction, now staring at Arcee. Jumping in excitement? Seeing this, Arcee made a startled expression. The last thing she expected was for the creature to be enthusiastic about her; especially after she had just shot at it on sight. But how could it know about them? About her? Unless…

The Knight couldn’t be more happier to have finally met their red friend’s allies. They were so close to honoring their promise! The Knight eagerly retrieved their journal from their cloak. The other four Autobots standing behind Optimus Prime tensed again but calmed once they saw the Knight pull out their journal.

“You wish to show us something?” The Knight nodded in response to the Autobot leader.

Optimus kneeled down and placed his servo on the ground in front of the Knight. The Knight jumped on and quickly flipped to the page showing an illustration of their red friend. They turned the journal around and presented it for him to see. Optimus’s optics widened, recognizing that the drawing was of Cliffjumper. Ratchet peered over and saw the drawing. “That’s Cliffjumper!”

So that’s what their friend’s name is! Cliffjumper! As the Knight processed his name, the other Autobots; particularly Arcee, grew restless for answers.

“Wait…so you know Cliffjumper?” Bulkhead asked very puzzled. The Knight nodded, thankful that the Autobots now knew they were an ally and not an enemy. The Autobots glanced at each other again and looked back at the Knight as Arcee stepped forward.

“If that’s the case, then tell us what happened to him!” Arcee impatiently demanded. The Knight was momentarily taken aback by the femme’s stern statement. But they knew that reaction was understandable, they deserved to know what happened to Cliffjumper. After all, Cliffjumper asked the Knight to do so. However it was then that the Knight remembered that they can’t speak. It wasn’t that they chose not to speak but rather, they were born with no voice. As their father intended. Their silence was noticed by the Autobots, but it was Bumblebee who realized that the Knight was like him.

Bumblebee made hushed whirls, pointing between the Knight and himself. The Autobots put together that the Knight could not speak.

“I see. Then perhaps you could write to us what happened with Cliffjumper.” Optimus suggested. But Ratchet chimed in, shaking his helm. “I don’t think that will be possible. Beside the drawings are lettering, but it isn’t cybertronian or a human language.” The Knight looked down at their journal. Ah. It seemed too good to be true that they spoke the same language. But the Knight knew there would be some difference in this new world. It would make sense for their alphabet to be different. They grew conflicted even more. But stopped.

The Knight shook their head, pushing those thoughts aside and pondered on how to convey Cliffjumper’s message. But then, the Knight had an idea. The tension grew once more when the Knight pulled out its nail.

“Don’t even think about it!” Arcee yelled, pointing her blaster at the Knight. Not wasting another moment, the Knight jumped off Optimus’ servo and skillfully used its nail. They dragged it against the dirt, drawing various illustrations of Cliffjumper, the vehicons, the explosion, and the Nemesis. They were much larger than the drawings in their journal, surrounding the ground the Autobots stood on. Bumblebee and Bulkhead stared at the drawings in awe. Ratchet glimpsed at the drawings pretending not to look intrigued, while Optimus presented a somber expression focusing on the drawing of the Nemesis. Arcee stayed quiet, her optics softened at the drawing of Cliffjumper. The Knight pointed between the drawings and themself, conveying the events prior to their arrival. After a short period of trial and error, the Autobots understood what happened.

“So. Cliffjumper had found this energon deposit, fought vehicons with you, was taken onto the Nemesis after the explosion and had asked you to stay behind.” Optimus recounted. “Is that correct?”

The Knight nodded and turned to Arcee, noticing her trembling body. “You should’ve went with him!” Arcee approached the Knight, glaring down at them. “You were capable of fighting back! Even if he told you not to.” Optimus intervened. “Arcee that’s enough.” Arcee snapped back at Optimus, pointing at the Knight. “No! If it had helped him, Cliff still could’ve been alive.” At this the Knight stepped back in shock. They hadn’t known Cliffjumper was killed on the ship. They looked at the ground, feeling an immense amount of guilt. They knew it. They should have kept fighting.

Chapter Text

The tension remained between the Knight and Arcee as the group vacated the site and relocated to a secluded cliffside in the desert. The Knight stood on Bumblebee’s shoulder; at the bot’s insistence, still sulking from the news of Cliffjumper’s death. They didn’t mind Arcee for her outburst, nor the other Autobots for how they must have felt. They wouldn’t even mind if they were blamed for Cliffjumper’s death. A part of them believed they were at fault. They could have rightfully kept fighting, taking on the Deceptions till they fell.

Their thoughts were interrupted by soft whirls from Bumblebee who had a concerned expression on his face. Though the Knight couldn’t quite understand what he was saying yet, they could sense compassion from Bumblebee. The Knight faced Bumblebee tilting their head. He was worried for them? Why? If anything the Knight should be comforting the Autobots. Bumblebee, who understood what the Knight was probably thinking, replied with another quick set of beeps.

“He’s right, you know.” Bulkhead chimed in, walking beside Bumblebee. The Knight looked up at Bulkhead. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. Cons are cons. Cliffjumper wanted to save you from them.” Bumblebee nodded along with affirming hums. The Knight sat down and calmly reflected on what happened. The Knight and Cliffjumper were outnumbered and despite the many enemies they took down, more followed. Regardless of what happened, it would’ve ended badly. Cliffjumper had been injured in the explosion, and the Knight would have been quickly overwhelmed fighting the vehicons while also protecting Cliffjumper. If the Knight could sigh, they would. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were right. They shouldn’t be here sulking over what could’ve been. The Knight jumped up and gave multiple thankful nods to Bumblebee and Bulkhead. Both of whom were a bit surprised and glad by the Knight’s quick mental recovery and returned their response with smiles. The Knight finally accepted Cliffjumper’s effort to save them. Though now that they were with the Autobots, they only hoped that helping them would be a way to repay Cliffjumper for his kindness.

The sunset casted a beautiful orange hue onto the desert landscape. The Knight, still placed on Bumblebee’s shoulder, respectfully watched the brief mourning ceremony held by the Autobots. Everyone stood by one another in a circle, listening to their leader’s speech.

“We must not allow our anger over the loss of Cliffjumper to impair our judgement. As of today only we five Autobots remain on this Earth.” Optimus paused a moment, giving the Knight a quick look of acknowledgment. He believed it was not the proper time to address the Knight’s addition to the team. Not yet at least. “We owe it to ourselves to the memory of Cybertron, to any Autobots in any galaxies seeking safe harbour, to humankind.” Arcee walked forward carrying the remaining piece of Cliffjumper. She gently placed it down on the ground. “And we owe it to the memory of our fallen comrade to survive.”

Bumblebee felt a nudge. He looked at the Knight, who motioned with their arms that they wanted to be put down near the makeshift grave. Bumblebee obliged, carefully letting them down onto the ground. The others watched curiously, wondering what the Knight would do. The Knight searched through their cloak and cautiously took out a white delicate flower. They approached the grave slowly and planted the flower next to Cliffjumper’s horn piece. Finally, the Knight did a long bow, thankful for the friendship Cliffjumper offered them. The action was appreciated by everyone there. Bumblebee and Bulkhead no longer slouched in sadness and were reminiscing about fun memories with Cliff. Optimus’ optics softened and held a hidden smile. Ratchet offered the Knight a slight nod of approval. Arcee didn’t outwardly react, but the tense atmosphere between the Knight and her from earlier was gone.

Arcee started to walk away from the others when Optimus called her name. “If Cliff’s gone, standing around here sulking won’t bring him back.” The Knight stepped back from the grave, a bit startled from the tone of her voice. “So unless anyone minds, I think I’ll get back to protecting humankind.” She replied bitterly, transforming into her alt-mode and speeding off.

Ratchet broke the awkward silence. “Optimus, helping humans will only result in more tragedy.” The Knight looked up at Ratchet, curious. Humans? The Knight was not familiar with this species either. What are they like? Were they like the Autobots? The Knight was excited again. This new place has so much to learn about.

“Your opinion is noted.” Optimus replied. He turned around to address the Knight.

“I’m afraid you will have to come with us. It is likely that since you fought alongside Cliffjumper, the Decepticons now see you as our ally. Should they find you, you will be in danger.” The Knight nodded, already content with joining them. As the group departed, none of them noticed the green vines sprouting from the ground, surrounding Cliffjumper’s grave.

The Knight sat idly gazing out the window at the desert landscape. They were currently seated inside of Optimus’ alt-mode on route to the Autobot base. At first they were hesitant to enter, since they had never been inside of a vehicle before. But as the ride continued, the Knight relaxed. They thought it was similar to getting a ride from the Last Stag; a large stag beetle who had helped them fast travel throughout Hallownest. It was calming in a way, peaceful. Compared to the usual dirt tunnels, this scenery on the surface was a nice change.

Eventually, Optimus and Ratchet arrived at the secret base. They were the only two Autobots present since Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead left for patrol. The Knight immediately jumped out of Optimus’ vehicle mode and studied their surroundings. They were in an underground cavelike room that was reinforced in metal and concrete. There were stairways with yellow railings and ladders, which caught the Knight’s attention since they seemed to have been built for something their size. But before they could ponder more, Ratchet beckoned them over to talk. The Knight obliged and climbed up one of the ladders up to a railing near Ratchet’s monitor.

“I was curious about what you are.” He paused, observing the Knight. “I searched through databases about Earth’s creatures and yet I haven’t found anything about you.” Well that would make sense. The Knight doubted there would be any information about them here. They are a vessel created by two gods; the Pale King and the White Lady. They aren’t from here. They aren’t from this world. They didn’t really know how to convey that yet. Sure they could use illustrations again like before, but would the Autobots believe them? From what the Knight understood, they were technologically advanced and reliant instead of being magically inclined. Overall it just seemed like a hassle to explain. Before the Knight could complete their thoughts, Ratchet asked the Knight a question.

“Would you be alright if I scanned you? If you aren’t comfortable with that I won’t, but I would like to give you a check up. Primarily to see if you got injured during your fight.” Scan? The Knight thought, once again another term they were not familiar with. But if it would help build trust between themself and the Autobots, they didn’t mind. They gestured to Ratchet that they were fine with what he requested. When the results came in Ratchet was puzzled and called Optimus over. Optimus looked over the results and his brows furrowed, then turned to the Knight.

“Thankfully you aren’t injured but…”

“You have an unknown signature coming from you. Do you know about this?” Ratchet interjected. The Knight nodded. Of course they knew this. They had just recently remembered and accepted their past. They were a vessel made from void and possessed the void heart charm. Perhaps the void within them was the signature Optimus and Ratchet referred to.

The Knight pulled out their journal and flipped to the map of Hallownest, specifically pointing at the Abyss. Both Optimus and Ratchet stared at the map, not recognizing the place or the text.

“Is this your home?” Optimus asked, noting the vast labyrinth of tunnels and areas. “Are you trying to say this is normal for those from your home?” The Knight nodded. That was a close enough conclusion. Not all bugs in Hallownest possessed void within them but their fellow vessel siblings did. So did Pure…

Optimus and Ratchet watched the Knight suddenly slump their posture and slowly walk away to a small corner of the room. Both were a bit concerned but Ratchet quickly pushed that feeling aside and returned to his monitor. He assumed that the Knight was just home sick. Though Ratchet won’t ever admit it but he could understand where the Knight was coming from. Optimus was about to go comfort their new little friend until Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee burst in attempting to tell him something important. He would talk to the Knight later.

The Knight sat quietly on the edge of a railing, off in a secluded corner of the room. They felt guilt. Not for Cliffjumper, but for Pure. Ever since they got here, they hadn’t even considered what happened to them. Were they alright? Did they survive? What happened to their home now that they were gone? The last thing the Knight saw was Pure trapped under the rubble of the dying dream realm. Sure when the Knight traveled into dream realms their physical body goes in with them. More risk for them, but for Pure, the Godseeker forced only their mind into the dream realm. The body that Pure used to fight was its consciousness. It was different than what they knew about the dream realms.They were scared for Pure. If only the Knight knew, that they had no reason to mourn.

A large figure was suspended in chains in a dark chamber covered with a thick orange fog. The fog suddenly withdrew from the room, leaving no trace of its existence. The figure awakened, the orange hue disappeared from their eyes, returning to their normal blackened state. They rustled in the chains until they broke, landing roughly on the ground. The seal that binded the chains were no longer necessary. The infection was gone. Pure picked themself up and looked up in surprise, never imagining that they could finally be free. That their endless suffering could once and for all cease. They slowly recollected themself, remembering the events that took place in the dream realm of Godhome. Their younger sibling followed the Godseeker and the Radiance through a portal. They were gone. Pure clenched their fist. They should’ve been stronger. But that was not what was important. They couldn’t stop to imagine the worst case scenario. Their sibling needed their help, wherever they were. They were alive. They had to be.

Pure picked up their weapon from the ground and exited the chamber into the long dark hallway. Just as Pure was about to reach the exit of the Black Egg Temple, they were stopped by a long grey needle striking the ground in front of them. The needle was pulled back by a silk thread wrapped around its end. Right back into the hands of Hallownest’s own princess-protector, Hornet.

Chapter Text

The Knight had kept to themself, not wanting to bother Optimus, Ratchet, or Bulkhead. The team was waiting for Arcee and Bumblebee to return back to base. The Knight had missed the commotion earlier but whatever it was, caused the Autobots to act seriously. They unintentionally eavesdropped on their conversation about it, though one word stood out. Humans. The Knight remembered that word was mentioned at the end of Cliffjumper’s funeral. They had been meaning to ask about it but given the reactions of the team, it seemed complicated. Were humans a threat to them? But then again, Arcee said she had been protecting them. How strange. But perhaps it’s in order to protect humans from the Decepticons. Maybe that’s why the Autobots were adamant with returning to base. They remained hidden. Hidden from their enemies and those they protect. Complicated indeed.

  Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard Bumblebee and Arcee pull into the base, and they weren’t alone. The Knight moved closer to the group, away from their secluded spot in the upper railing. Still hiding their presence from everyone. They saw the Autobots conversing with three smaller organic life forms. Are these…humans? They seem young and fragile.

“I’m Raf.” The youngest of the three said, waving shyly at the bots. Another, the female with pink highlights, approached Bulkhead eagerly, introducing herself as Miko.

“Are you a car? I bet you're a truck, a monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever used a wrecking ball for a punching bag?” She exclaimed excitedly, catching the Wrecker off guard with her enthusiasm. He looked down at the girl, speechless. The Knight was amused by this interaction. This human was definitely unique if she could surprise Bulkhead. Are all humans this energetic?

The one named Raf spoke up again. “So if you guys are robots, who made you?” Ratchet scoffed at the question. “Oh please.” The Knight took out their journal, thinking that this was a great opportunity to write about these humans. They started writing individual entries for the children, along with illustrations of the three of them. Everyone grew silent once Optimus entered the room.

“We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. Also known as Autobots.”

The Knight’s head popped up in surprise. The Autobots weren’t from here either? They are from outer space? What is that like? How is that possible? They flipped the page back to page about the Autobots, writing that down in intrigue. They had assumed that this place was the Autobot’s home. But it looks like they have more in common with them than they thought. They were happy to learn more about their  allies as well as these new ones. So they continued to write down any new information from this conversation.

The tallest of the three finally spoke.

“Why are you here?” He asked, concern heavily in his voice.

“To protect your planet, from the Decepticons.” Optimus responded. The taller organic’s eyebrows raised in confusion.

“The jokers who tried to bump us off last night.” Arcee explained. So, these humans were attacked by the Deceptions and were saved by the Autobots. The Knight shook their head. These Deceptions were truly ruthless, targeting innocent lives. Do all they know is violence? How could they let it consume them to the point to drag innocents into their fights? It seems their hatred of the Autobots is what fuels them. 

The boy spoke up again. “Okay. Why are they here?” Optimus kneeled down next to the humans. “A fair question, Jack. In part they are here because our planet is uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war.” The Knight dejectedly looked down. The Autobots lost their home because of war? An ongoing one at that. That explains the violent nature of the Decepticons. So their conclusion earlier about the Autobots staying hidden was true, only they didn’t know the origin for caution against the Decepticons. As if Raf read the Knight’s mind, he asked Optimus why they were fighting in a war.

“For most, over control of our world supply of energon. The fuel and life-blood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike. The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one who I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way.” This was more tragic than the Knight thought. Not only had Optimus and the others have been fighting a war, but fighting against one that had betrayed him. At least they now had a name for the Deception leader; Megatron. 

  After briefly writing down this knowledge, the Knight closed their journal and put it away. They felt empathy for the Autobots and what they endured. They understood what it was like to be trapped endlessly in a situation they had no control over. The Knight decided that since Optimus confided in these humans about this sensitive information, they could be trusted. They quietly jumped down from the railing and strolled up to stand behind the humans. They were noticed by Optimus and Ratchet, but neither announced the Knight’s presence.

“Is there gonna be a quiz?” Miko yawned, casually twirling her braid. Jack glanced at Miko briefly then addressed Optimus. “So what does Megatron or any of this have to do with us?” Optimus’ optics narrowed, his tone hardened.

“Megatron has not been seen or heard from in sometime. But if his return is imminent as I fear, it could be a catastrophic.” The children grimaced at Optimus’ warning.

“And since you now know of our existence, I fear that as of last night the Decepticons know of yours.” Optimus reasoned, thankful that the children have been understanding of this situation. “Got it, we spot any strange vehicles, call 911 — Can we go now?” Jack asked, wanting to get back home as soon as possible. Miko stared at Jack in disbelief.

“Are you insane? I'm living a dream here in Bots-wana and I will not allow you or anyone else to shatter it!” She crossed her arms, not wanting this fun experience to end. The Knight, still standing behind the children, caught Optimus’ attention when they looked between all three children. Optimus spoke, now including the Knight in the conversation.

“It is best that you four remain under our watch. At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions.” The children’s faces scrunched up in confusion.

“Uh…sorry to interrupt but there’s only three of us.” Raf hesitantly corrected, raising his hand. Optimus shortly shook his helm. “Yes. There are three of you humans here, but another behind you is seeking asylum like you.” He gestured with his servo, pointing behind them. The children slowly turned their heads to see the Knight.

“AHHHHHHHH!” They all screamed in surprise and backed away. Bumblebee let out whirls resembling a laugh, poking Bulkhead teasingly. Bulkhead grumbled at the reminder of his first reaction to the Knight.

The Knight tilted their head. Were they really that scary? They didn’t think so, especially compared to the giant metal Autobots. The initial shock wore off quickly as the children cautiously observed the Knight. Miko stared at the Knight in awe, trying to restrain herself from approaching the little creature. Jack looked up at Optimus. “What is this thing? Your pet?” The Knight, offended by his comment, crossed their arms and turned away from Jack, pouting. Miko glared at Jack. “Hey don’t call them that! They’re just a cute little guy!” She declared, finally giving in to her instincts and hugged the Knight protectively. They tensed a bit at the spontaneous affection, but slowly returned the hug. Ratchet walked over, watching the interaction intently.

“We don’t actually know what this creature is. I searched through Earth’s databases and found nothing.” Raf, who now felt comfortable to approach the Knight, studied their features. “I’ve never seen a creature like them before, but they do resemble some insects.” The Knight dashed out of Miko’s arms, practically nodding at Raf that he was correct.

“What do you mean?” Ratchet asked, not seeing the connection. Raf stared up at Ratchet. “Well, their head or uh helmet? The two horns on it resemble beetles. While their cloak kinda looks like moth wings.” The Knight nodded once again to Raf’s deduction. Although they weren’t exactly a bug like the other residents in Hallownest, it was close enough. They are bug-like, despite not being a proper bug. Miko gasped with excitement. “So does that mean they’re a mutated bug person that was experimented on? Oh! They could be a part of a secret society of bug people that live underground!” She theorized, glancing at the others who returned her gaze with uncertain looks. “What? I mean they could be.” She responded. If the Knight could chuckle, they would. She didn’t know how right she was. Just that they weren’t from here.

Jack glanced at the Knight, now realizing their height compared to them. The Knight stood around the same height as Raf, perhaps a little bit taller but that was thanks to their horns. Jack then realized something else. “I’m sorry for calling you a pet, but do you have a name?” The Knight didn’t respond. They appreciated his apology though, no longer pouting. Jack turned to Optimus. “What do you call them?” Optimus, as well as the other Autobots had guilty expressions on their faces. “Wait. You don’t even know their name?” Miko exclaimed in disbelief. What have the Autobots been referring to them as then?

“Look.” Arcee replied. “They don’t even talk. And from what Ratchet said, we don’t understand their written language so we haven’t exactly had the time to learn their name yet.” The children glanced at each other, then nodded. “Then we should give them a name! I say Slash after Slash Monkey!” Everyone stared at Miko in confusion, not knowing what that was. She sighed in disappointment. “Looks like I’ll have to educate you all in music.” Jack shook his head. “Let’s just call them something simple like Buggy.”

“Uh I don’t think naming them after their species is a good idea. Maybe something more unique?” Raf suggested. The Autobots silently looked at each other while the children debated over names. On the other hand, the Knight was surprised the children were so invested in naming them. They were glad that they no longer frightened the children. Rather the children now seemed open to being friendly with them. The Knight wasn’t given a name at birth, though they guessed the closest thing was the nickname Hornet had given them.

  As if the universe itself heard this, someone suggested that name. Bumblebee beeped resembling a chuckle; especially when he explained to the Autobots why he chose Ghost for the name. The little friend basically snuck up on both Bulkhead and the children and make them jump in fright when they first met. Bulkhead groaned, knowing Bumblebee was never gonna let this go. It got a short grin out of Arcee, who wouldn’t admit it but she was impressed with the Knight’s quick reflexes in dodging. Raf laughed at the idea, having understood what Bumblebee had said. “Yeah they really did give us a scare huh. Ghost sounds like a good name.” He reasoned, already getting Miko’s nod of approval for the spooky name. “That’s definitely a cool name! Mysterious like they are!”
Meanwhile Jack was indifferent, he only cared about going home. Optimus knelt down to the Knight. “We won’t force a name on you if you don’t agree with it. The choice is up to you.” The Knight nodded, appreciating Optimus’ consideration for them. They leaped toward Bumblebee, who immediately moved to catch them in his servo. Although to the surprise of everyone, white monarch wings sprouted from their back, allowing them to double jump and land right on Bumblebee’s left shoulder. The wings disappeared as the Knight landed.

“THEY HAVE WINGS?!!!!” Everyone except Optimus screamed. Starting a full on debate amongst themselves about what they were and how that was possible. During this the Knight bowed to Bumblebee, who smiled at them.
They had chosen their name. A familiar one. Ghost.

Chapter Text

Ghost was a little overwhelmed by the attention the children were giving them; mostly Miko. She had been gushing over how cool and cute they were, trying to ask them multiple questions at once. Meanwhile, Raf studied their back looking for how their wings retracted. Theorizing about their physiology and connection to bugs. Although more hesitant, there was no denying Jack had some interest in them. He didn’t voice it but his quick glances at them proved otherwise. Ghost assumed he was still afraid. Who wouldn’t be? They are just children caught in the crossfire of a war they didn’t ask to be a part of.

  After Raf’s visual assessment of Ghost, the children didn’t think they were an alien like the Autobots. Further supporting Miko’s theory of Ghost being a mutated bug from a curse. While Raf tweaked that theory to have Ghost be an escaped government experiment as their origin. It was pretty amusing to Ghost. They had never received endearment from anyone besides Hornet. Albeit after her harsh tests of combat to prove they were worthy of bearing the King’s Brand. She did save them after all when they claimed it. That’s not to say she was the only one who did. The residents of Hallownest did show their gratitude for them during their journey. Perhaps it was just physical affection that perplexed Ghost. They almost didn’t hug Miko back when she did, but they did anyway. It was something new to them. Ghost didn’t mind that lack of sentiment before. Why miss something you never had in the first place? But deep down, they didn’t mind accepting everyone’s fondness. They would gladly accept more in the future. It was a surprising change for Ghost, but one that was welcomed.

   Despite the serious safety discussion being derailed by the intrigue of Ghost, Ratchet quickly voiced his concerns.

“Optimus. With all due respect, Ghost and the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere!”

Jack stared at Ratchet in disbelief. “Children?” Ratchet ignored the remark and continued. “They have no protective shell! If they get underfoot, they will go squish!” Ghost could understand where Ratchet was coming from. The Autobots were much larger than the children and them. It’s a reasonable concern, especially for the children whom Ghost observed were vulnerable. It seemed humans weren’t as durable. Although they didn’t want Ratchet to perceive themself as a liability. They did in fact have a protective shell. Thanks to the baldur shell charm that acted as a shield for them. But Ghost appreciated Ratchet’s concern.

“Then for the time being Ratchet. We must watch where we step.” Optimus reasoned.

   Their conversation was cut short by Ratchet’s monitor. It flashed green with a loud alarm blaring for their attention. “What’s that?” Jack asked, a bit uneased by the sudden noise. Bumblebee answered Jack’s question with a series of pings, signing his servos to convey his response. Jack appeared puzzled, but was graced by Raf with a translation of what Bumblebee said. “Proximity sensor. Someone is up top.” Ratchet displayed video footage of a man exiting a helicopter on the monitor.

   “It’s Agent Fowler.” Once again, Jack was confused. “I thought we were the only humans who knew about you guys.” Optimus turned away from the screen, eyeing Ghost and the children. “Special Agent Fowler is our designated liason to the outside world, as he tends to visit only when there are issues. It may be best if you do not meet him at this time.” Ghost, sensing the urgency in Optimus’ voice, motioned for the children to follow them to hide.

The children obliged as they hid quickly before the elevator door opened. An adult human male dressed in a suit and tie walked out onto the railing.

   “Seven wrecks, thirty four fender benders, a three hour traffic jam, and on particular note numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make and a black-and-yellow custom muscle car!” Bumblebee placed his servo on the back of his helm, looking down guilty. Arcee stayed quiet, not bothered by the angry human. “So, anything you care to get off your tin chest, Prime?” Agent Fowler demanded, clearly upset with the Autobots for their latest battle with the Decepticons.

  “We have the situation under control Agent Fowler.” Optimus responded. Agent Fowler look unconvinced. “They’re back, aren’t they?” Optimus stayed quiet for a moment, then replied. “If you are referring to the Decepticons, I have doubts that they ever left. Your planet is much too valuable.” At that, Agent Fowler’s expression became more stern. “Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon.” Optimus’ optics narrowed. “Hear me, agent Fowler. We are your best, possibly your only defense against the Decepticon threat.” Agent Fowler didn’t back down. “Says you.”

   Ghost could feel the tension between the two authoritative figures. Although Ghost was unfamiliar with Fowler’s status or what a five-sided shape had to do with fighting against the Decepticons, they could sympathize with his reasoning. To him, the threat of the Decepticons were invaders; foreign to this world. In a way, Agent Fowler reminded Ghost of their father; the Pale King. Both of whom were determined to find a way to get rid of an impending threat to their home themselves.

    “Hey, fleshy! Did anyone get splattered on that freeway?” Bulkhead asked, picking up a piece of metal equipment. “Team Prime knows when to use force and how much to use.” He finished, promptly crushing it in his servo.

“Bulkhead! I needed that!” Ratchet yelled, frustrated with his now broken tool. The children covered their mouths, trying not to laugh at the altercation. Ghost meanwhile had taken out their journal to draw Agent Fowler and write their analysis of him. Adult humans were more intimidating compared to human children.

  “Enough!” Optimus demanded. “Military involvement will only result in catastrophe. Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I, however, cannot.” Ghost stared in awe at Optimus’ declaration. In their short time together, they had come to respect him highly for his leadership and his care for those around him. Agent Fowler turned around, walking into the elevator.

“Then do us both a favor and handle this, Prime! Under the radar. Or I will.” Agent Fowler threatened, as the elevator doors closed signaling his departure. Ghost and the children walked out of their hiding place, thankful they weren’t caught.

   “Pretty big bearings for a human.” Bulkhead stated, garnering Ghost’s nod of agreement. They were astonished by the difference in personalities between the children and Agent Fowler. Was it because of Fowler’s job? His age? Ghost guessed that he hid his worry about the Decepticons behind his cold demeanor.

“Agent Fowler is concerned for his world Bulkhead, as he should be.” Optimus reasoned.     

     Now that the threat of Ghost and the children beung discovered by Agent Fowler was gone, everyone simultaneously relaxed. Though Ratchet was still peeved by his broken equipment. As if to damper his mood more, the monitor flashed again, displaying an image of Cliffjumper with a ping of his location.

   “Blasted Earth check! Cliffjumper's signal popped back online.” The Autobots, including Ghost stared at Ratchet in shock. “Who’s Cliffjumper?” Miko asked. Ghost took out their drawing of Cliffjumper and showed Miko and the children. “How is that possible?” Optimus inquired, still shocked by the news. “It isn’t. Another bug! The system is chocked full of them.” Ghost glanced up at Ratchet. Ratchet, feeling their stare, softly returned their gaze. “No offense.” Ghost nodded, now calm from the brief misunderstanding.

“If there's any chance Cliff's alive.” Arcee declared. Ghost nodded, agreeing with Arcee.

“Ratchet, prepare sickbay. We may need it.” Optimus interjected. “Hey!” Miko yelled. “What can we do?” Optimus looked down at the children and Ghost. “Remain with Ratchet.” He turned away motioning for Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead to come with him to the ground bridge. Miko and Ratchet both sighed in dismay. Ghost covertly followed behind the team. They did not want to miss the chance to save Cliffjumper. They wouldn’t fail him again. Not this time. The ground bridge hummed to life, creating a greenish portal in the base.

   “Autobots! Roll out!” Optimus commanded, transforming into his alt-mode, followed by the others also in their respective alt-forms. Though Ghost was momentarily stunned by the appearance of another portal, they quickly steadied themself. They stood still hunching over, pink crystals emerging in the ground around them. Before Ratchet or the children noticed, they burst forward launching themself through the air into the portal.

    Once Ghost made it to the other side of the portal, they halted their crystal dash and landed in what appeared to be an underground mine. The place was covered with large blue crystals. The same ones they had seen in the crater when they met Cliffjumper. Up ahead, Ghost saw the Autobots taking cover behind some rocks. They could hear the sounds of drilling, so they assumed there were enemy forces nearby extracting the crystals.

   “Let’s find Cliffjumper!” Ghost heard Optimus say as the group started blasting the vehicon troops. They dodged the heavy fire and prepared to attack the vehicons using drill machines as battering rams. Ghost, not wanting to miss the action, rushed forward slicing the arm of a vehicon. Their arrival caught the Autobots off guard. How did Ghost follow them through the ground bridge so quickly?

“What are you doing here?!” Arcee yelled, jumping on top of a vehicon and twisting its helm from its shoulders. “You were told to stay with Ratchet!” After slicing another vehicon, Ghost shook their head, pointing their nail at the end of the tunnel. Bumblebee let out quick chirps while providing Arcee cover fire.

  “Yeah Bee, it makes sense. Of course Ghost would want to come save Cliff with us.” Bulkhead reasoned, slamming a drilling machine to the side with his wrecking ball-like mace weapon. “Regardless, Ghost is here now.” Optimus chimed in, shooting a vehicon in the helm. He looked down at them. “Stay close and watch for Cliffjumper.” Ghost nodded to Optimus’ orders and turned toward an enemy drill charging at them. They quickly leaped toward the drill, using their nail to pogo off its sharp edge, before slashing the vehicon controlling it.

    More vehicon troops accompanied by drills marched toward Ghost and the Autobots. Optimus charged forward, transforming into his alt-mode. “Maximum Overdrive!” He yelled, followed by the others charging in their alt-forms. Although Bumblebee, stayed a bit behind, allowing Ghost to jump on his hood to join their charge. While dodging blaster fire, the Autobots rammed into the vehicons, rendering them disabled. Ghost provided support, firing bursts of black fireballs at vehicons who managed to dodge the stampede. Bumblebee let out sounds of astonishment, impressed by Ghost’s fighting capability. Though the others were preoccupied, they still recognized Ghost’s presence on the battlefield.

   Eventually, the group stopped at the mine’s clearing, transforming back to their normal forms. Ghost jumped off Bumblebee’s hood, landing on one of the containers they were using for cover. The clearing revealed a large circular room with multiple levels and an open roof top. Multiple vehicons were transporting crates up the shaft. It was clear that the purpose of this room was to transfer the energon crystals to the Decepticon ship. “Quite an operation” Bulkhead whistled. He was interrupted by more blaster fire coming their way. The entire mine was now alerted of their intrusion. The Autobots returned fire, while Ghost scanned the area for signs of Cliffjumper. Arcee beat them to it, spotting Cliff on one of the upper levels. “It’s Cliff, I have a visual.” Ghost followed Arcee’s gaze and saw the roughed up unconscious body of Cliffjumper. “We’ll cover you! Go!” Optimus told Arcee, firing nonstop blasts at the enemy troops in front of them. Bumblebee and Bulkhead followed his lead, providing enough cover for Arcee to maneuver up to Cliffjumper’s position.    

   Meanwhile, Ghost noticed a group of vehicons on the opposite side of the railing with a perfect line of fire at Cliff and Arcee. Not waiting a moment, Ghost ran to the wall and started to walk jump up to their location. Before Ghost could get there, the vehicons shot at the platform Cliff and Arcee were on, causing it to collapse. Ghost finally reached the top and unleashed a great slash onto the now destroyed vehicons. Arcee dove toward Cliffjumper, grabbing his servo as he dangled over the edge.

   “Let’s get you home partner.” Arcee smiled, thankful to see Cliffjumper again. But the moment was short lived. Cliffjumper raised his helm and growled savagely at Arcee. She had a look of horror on her face, seeing his sparkless optics and the strange purple liquid oozing out of his body. Ghost spun around to Arcee and Cliffjumper and grew alarmed by their situation. Despite only having one arm, this zombified version of Cliffjumper lunged at Arcee. Still shocked by Cliffjumper, Arcee could only watch as he ripped himself out of her grip, now in free fall.

  The team stared in horror, seeing their comrade plummet to his death. Not knowing Cliffjumper’s mutation, Ghost quickly descended the wall for the perfect spot. Pink crystals formed once more around them, before they launched themself, aiming for where Cliffjumper would fall. Ghost swiftly caught him before slamming against the wall, causing a cloud of dust to emerge. They slowly regained their bearings, checking Cliffjumper’s state. He had multiple gashes and was missing the bottom half of his body. So far from what Ghost could tell, Cliffjumper was groaning in pain and oozing purple liquid unlike the blue liquid from before.

    Before the Autobots could distinguish if Ghost and Cliffjumper were alright, menacing laughter echoed through the room. At the highest platform stood Starscream holding an explosive. “Prime! I’d stick around but I’m squeamish!” He stared down at the Autobots in disgust. As he activated the explosive, Ghost emerged with Cliffjumper from a hole in the wall. Starscream stared at Ghost in intrigue, then dropped the explosive. “So the little pest survived. But not for long.” Starscream snickered, transforming into his jet form and flying off. The explosive landed at the bottom of the room, rolling toward the tunnel where the Autobots entered. Its ticking grew quicker as it was mere moments from detonating.

    “The joint’s gonna blow!” Bulkhead shouted in alarm, recognizing the destructive power of the explosive that was dropped. Optimus, glanced up at Ghost, who was still high up in the hole in the wall. Making the difficult decision, Optimus ordered the Autobots to retreat. “Autobots! Roll out!” Bulkhead and Arcee immediately transformed and gunned it for the exit. Bumblebee hesitated, momentarily staring at Ghost before departing with Optimus following behind him. They could only watch as the bomb exploded, filling the room with blue fire. Ghost rapidly pushed Cliffjumper back into the hole. Ghost then blocked the way in using their body as a shield. Using a combination of charms like baldur shell and stalwart shell, Ghost tanked the explosion. The hardened shell surrounding them stayed firm. Eventually, the blast dissipated, leaving a tired Ghost and an injured but uncooked Cliffjumper.

     The Autobots barely escaped the blast, rushing into the base as Ratchet closed the space bridge behind them. “Cutting it a bit close.” Ratchet commented. “How about Cliffjumper?” Optimus stayed silent, turning his helmet away from Ratchet to avoid answering. Bumblebee and Bulkhead looked down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with Ratchet. Their silence answered Ratchet’s question as the mech’s face grew somber. Raf, who had stayed quiet during their mission, looked around the room, realizing something. “Wait. Where’s Ghost? Do they have a room here?” He asked, looking up at medic. Ratchet turned back to the children, then around the main area, realizing  Ghost had been gone since the team left.

   “Ghost snuck through the ground bridge and fought with us in the Energon mine.” Optimus explained. “They had an encounter with Cliffjumper before and likely wanted to save him.”

“So then where are they?” Miko interrupted, not understanding why Ghost wasn’t with them when they came back through.  Ghost was lucky, Miko thought. They were able to see the action up close unlike her. This time Bulkhead spoke up. “We got separated during the explosion.” Jack, putting the pieces together, realized what happened. “So you just left them behind? What happened to keeping them safe? Will that happen to us?” Jack argued, clearly unsettled by the Autobots seemingly abandoning their strange little friend. Both Miko and Raf looked shocked at that accusation and looked up at Optimus. He once again stayed quiet, feeling guilty for what happened. Miko, not believing Ghost was gone, yelled at Optimus. “You left them behind?! So what are you just gonna quit? Go back and save them!” Her outburst surprised the Autobots. “They could still be alive! Maybe they are hurt!” Raf chimed in, trying to be hopeful. Jack didn’t say a word, already accepting the likely outcome for Ghost. The mood shifted between the humans and the bots. Thankfully, Bumblebee persuaded the children, using Raf as a translator, that later when the Decepticons left the area, they would search for Ghost.

    Optimus turned his gaze to Arcee, who looked shaken from the experience. He remembered her reaction when she saw Cliffjumper. “Arcee, what did you see?” Optimus asked her calmly. Arcee wrapped her arms comfortably around herself. “Not Cliff. At least Not any more. He was mutated. Butchered, like something from those Con experiments during the war.” She replied hesitantly, swaying back and forth till collapsing onto one knee. Bumblebee questioned her. “No. I'm fine! Just dizzy.” Arcee dismissed. Despite what happened with Ghost, the children were sympathetic and realized the Autobots were more than just robots. Their thought process was the same regarding Ghost. Even though Ghost was told to stay behind, they didn’t. They wanted to save their friend. They weren’t just a strange bug. The Autobots and Ghost were living beings like them. Everyone just hoped their new friend was alright.

Chapter Text

  The explosion left the Energon mine practically reduced to rubble. The varied platforms the Decepticons had used to transport Energon were destroyed, along with any of the energon abandoned in the mine. Fallen debris covered whatever remained and some tunnels collapsed from the pressure. It was a miracle the space within the hole Ghost and Cliffjumper had found refuge in didn’t cave in. Ghost hunched over, exhausted from blocking the pure power behind the blast. They were thankful that their quick thinking had worked. Even with both charms, Ghost barely held through.This explosion was vastly different compared to explosions they witnessed and endured throughout Hallownest. Sure, many foes like the belflies, violent husks, and sporgs released explosive attacks upon contact, but this one had been much stronger.  

  In retrospect, they thought the explosion could’ve been amplified by those blue crystals. Ghost did observe their strange energy signature before when they had met Cliffjumper. That could explain why the blast also had a blue hue to it. They made a mental note to ask the Autobots about it. The blue crystals held the interest of both the team and the Decepticons. Definitely gave the impression that these blue crystals were an important resource that these two factions fought over. Were these crystals actually energon that they fought over on Cybertron? Fitting name for a crystal emitting strong energy signals. But why would energon be here on Earth? Wasn’t it just a resource on Cybertron? Or is it present on every planet in this world?

   A violent growl caused Ghost to turn their head to face Cliffjumper. Before they could react, he lunged at them, propelling the two out of the hole. With his one remaining servo, Cliffjumper had Ghost in his grasp, refusing to let the little vessel go. Still shocked by Cliff’s actions, Ghost took in his new appearance as they struggled in his grip. Cliffjumper’s whole body; what was left of it, exuded this mysterious purple liquid. He continued to aggressively snarl at Ghost, instead of talking to them. As if he no longer had the ability to talk anymore. This was not the same fearless Autobot they had fought alongside with. Merely the corrupted remains of one Ghost considered a friend.

    As the ground grew closer, Ghost decided enough was enough. A black substance emitted from Ghost, surrounding their body and in turn engulfed Cliffjumper. Once the shadows fully covered them both, they dived straight down purposely, striking the ground. The aftermath of the spell left both to land with loud thuds and clouds of dust forming. Ghost quickly backed away and unsheathed their nail. They didn’t want to fight their friend, but they wouldn’t stand idle while being attacked. Guilt flooded Ghost’s mind. This happened because Cliffjumper was captured. The Decepticons mutilated him and infected him with this purple disease. They took away his autonomy by making him into a zombie and…

     Ghost tensed. They couldn’t hear Cliffjumper anymore. It was eerily quiet until scraping and rattling noises filled the air. Through the haze, Ghost watched Cliffjumper’s silhouette shift and grow. The dust cleared and Ghost almost dropped their weapon in shock. Cliffjumper regained his lower torso and missing arm as if he never lost them. He no longer exuded just the suspicious purple liquid, but a familiar black one. The void used in Ghost’s descending dark spell had been absorbed by Cliffjumper. He slowly looked down at Ghost and let out a guttural groan.

     Cliffjumper raised his pede and tried to squish them. Ghost easily evaded backwards but was still mentally recovering over the fact that their void fused with him. That shouldn’t even be possible. Does this mean their spell attacks won’t hurt him? The humming of a blaster caught their attention, as Ghost quickly dodged the shots fired by Cliffjumper. To test their theory, Ghost jumped up and shot a black fireball at Cliffjumper’s chassis. The attack dissipated once it made contact with Cliffjumper. Though what Ghost realized was that there was already a gaping hole in Cliffjumper’s chassis. A stab wound perhaps? That seemed to be the source of the purple liquid or at least where it had been injected into Cliffjumper. Whatever this liquid was, had a reaction to void and was harnessing it. They opted to no longer use spell attacks for this fight.

     Brandishing their weapon, Ghost counterattacked, aiming for Cliffjumper’s leg joints. Seeing Ghost’s approach, Cliffjumper growled and fired more shots at Ghost. Despite the quantity of projectiles, Ghost skillfully managed to continue their charge. They quickly dashed through the last set of shots and managed to slash his left leg, causing the mech to kneel. Ghost turned around and started to dash towards Cliffjumper’s other leg joint. Cliffjumper growled, relying on his arms to swipe at Ghost in close range. Sliding underneath Cliff’s left arm, Ghost was about to slash the leg.

 But as they aimed at his other leg, Cliffjumper swung his right arm behind himself and swatted them to a wall.

  As Ghost recovered, Cliffjumper stood up once again, slowly walking toward them. Once again, Ghost was perplexed. He shouldn’t have been able to shake off that injury they just inflicted. Ghost narrowed his attention to Cliff’s leg where his wound should be. It wasn’t there.

  It was as if they hadn’t landed a hit in the first place. To them, that was a bit frustrating. They couldn’t use spells and their nail slashes had no effect. Wait. Is this another result of the fusion between void and that purple substance? Could this combination really be that powerful?

   As Cliffjumper got closer, Ghost focused, trying to sense the void within Cliffjumper. Trying to understand why it reacted the way it had. Cliffjumper interrupted their focus by attempting to punch where Ghost had been standing. They swerved out of the way, and slashed at the arm, nearly cutting it off. They wanted to study what would happen closely. In response, Cliffjumper groaned loudly and stayed still for a moment. His arm briefly glowed purple, then black tendrils wrapped around his arm, putting it back in place. From what Ghost could sense, the void within Cliffjumper was being manipulated by whatever the purple substance was. It healed him only because of that. But…that would imply this substance had a will. Was this like the Radiance infection? Was someone controlling Cliffjumper through this substance? Was Cliffjumper’s will currently being suppressed? Could this mean there was still a chance to save him?

   There was only one way to find out. Ghost leaped onto the wall, and stopped once they reached Cliffjumper’s height. They stayed still, charging a crystal dash. Cliffjumper, seeing Ghost just stay in place on the wall, lunged for them. Once Cliffjumper was close enough, Ghost propelled themself, crashing into his chassis. The force behind the crystal dash shoved Cliffjumper to the ground, lying on his back. Ghost swiftly moved toward Cliffjumper’s head and did a small crouch. They were holding something. Not their normal weapon that was sheathed on their back. But an old relic. One that they frequently used in their journey of Hallownest. It shined a bright light in the shape of a blade. This was the dream nail. With a quick slash at Cliffjumper’s head, Ghost used the dream nail, blinding the area with pure light. What remained after the light disappeared was Cliffjumper’s still body and symbols of dream essence.

   Ghost entered this new dream realm not knowing what to expect. They had never entered a dream realm based on someone who wasn’t from their world. Much less a mechanical being from outer space. Though as Ghost walked through this strange realm, they remained on guard. They already had much experience with infected dream realms. Speaking of which, the scenery of this dream realm had Ghost in awe. The place was made purely from metal with many winding roads and tall structures that reached the sky. There were even buildings seemingly constructed from the sky. Was this place also underground? They had never seen architecture like this before. Maybe this dream represented Cliffjumper’s home. The Autobots’ home. Cybertron.

    Ghost kept moving through the metal metropolis, searching for signs of Cliffjumper. Eventually, they came to a clearing, where a large pit flowing with a bright blue liquid was located. That was one consistent pattern when they traversed this realm. The presence of this blue liquid everywhere flowing like a river throughout the city. Given what they learned from Optimus about the war, they guessed that this was another form of energon. To Ghost, it highly resembled lifeblood. Not just because they were both blue, but because of the similar energy signatures. They wondered if maybe lifeblood and energon were related in a way. A rumbling noise cut Ghost’s thoughts.

    The bright blue glow behind Ghost diminished. They turned around to see exposed metal riverbeds that no longer flowed with liquid energon. They looked back at the pit, watching as the energon receded back into it. Then harsh clanging echoed from the pit, along with loud grunting. Ghost’s suspicions were confirmed as a red arm reached from the pit, revealing Cliffjumper. They drew their nail but paused to take in his appearance. This Cliffjumper was vastly different than the one they just encountered outside the dream realm. He had no signs of being stabbed or sliced apart. No more growling or groaning like a zombie. He looked just like he did when they had met him. As if he was never captured. But Ghost knew better. His essence still reeked of that purple substance. And just to prove them right, when Cliffjumper opened his optics, they glowed purple.

    Cliffjumper let out a terrifying roar, followed by the ground shaking. Ghost ignored Cliffjumper and stared at the pit, sensing trouble. Various mechanical beings like Cliffjumper emerged from the pit and began charging at them while he stayed behind to watch. It almost looked like Cliffjumper had a smug expression on his face. But Ghost was undeterred and simply readied their weapon. The first mech dove for them, but was greeted by a stab to its back. Ghost leaped off of that mech and executed a descending dark spell onto the group of mechs beneath them. Just as Ghost was about to lunge toward another mech, Cliffjumper interrupted their approach by punching Ghost.

   They roughly skid against the metal floor, but quickly picked themself up. Three mechs lunged for Ghost but they dashed through the group using shade cloak. Before the mechs realized, Ghost jumped up and did a sideways slash, cutting their helms off. Their bodies collapsed to the ground with a clang. Cliffjumper, alongside two other mechs, transformed into their vehicle modes and gunned for Ghost. Cliffjumper and the mechs swerved to avoid Ghost’s fireballs. When they got closer, Ghost slashed the tires of one mech and quickly jumped on the car hood of the other mech. The mech screeched in pain as Ghost stabbed their nail repeatedly into its hood. Cliffjumper transformed back from his alt mode and went to grab Ghost. They avoided the grab and ran up Cliffjumper’s arm, scraping their nail against his arm along the way. Cliffjumper tried to swat Ghost off of his body but failed. Once they reached Cliffjumper’s shoulder, they swiftly cut at Cliffjumper’s helm. Cliffjumper agonized at the pain, before finally propelling Ghost off his body with a sinister purple aura.
    Ghost skillfully recovered from being thrown using the monarch wings to catch themself. They studied Cliffjumper, or at least this invasion of Cliffjumper’s consciousness. It was filled with hatred but strangely empty. It was as if whatever controlled Cliffjumper was a proxy. Not the true culprit. The battlefield was riddled with fallen mechs. Ghost surveyed the area, noting that there were no more minions at his disposal. It was only Cliffjumper remaining.

  Ghost rushed toward Cliffjumper with their aura flickering white. While he transformed both of his arms into ion cannons and fired multiple rounds at them. Ghost evaded the rapid fire and dashed at his leg joints once again. Before Cliffjumper could defend himself, Ghost unleashed a cyclone slash, hitting both legs. He collapsed to his knees, transforming his servos back to normal to catch himself. They immediately used this opening to strike Cliff’s arms multiple times. His arms bent to the ground, leaving his helm exposed. Ghost, charging another nail art, approached Cliffjumper. He raised his helm, making eye contact with Ghost. The purple hue in his optics glared at them furiously before Ghost finally unleashed their great slash attack. With that, the dream realm flashed a blinding light alongside dream symbols seeping from Cliffjumper’s body.

     With another flash of light, Ghost materialized back into the physical world. They slowly stood up and strapped their weapon onto their back. At this point, they were exhausted. They had used up all of their soul from their previous spell attacks. Definitely gonna ask Ratchet for a place to rest once they find a way back to base. Ghost then turned their head, hearing a groan to their left. Cliffjumper who previously laid on his back, carefully sat up holding his helm. Ghost watched him carefully, ready for a possible third fight. But to their relief, there wouldn’t be one. As Cliffjumper opened his optics with that normal blue hue. He looked down at Ghost with a smile.

   “Hey little buddy. Miss me?”

   As Ratchet was testing the residue sample that Arcee provided, his monitor blared an alert. He looked up from his work and stared at the screen in disbelief. Cliffjumper’s life signal was back online once again. He shook his head and opened a comm link to the other Autobots.

   “I have urgent news. Cliffjumper’s life signal has popped up again.” He quickly sent out the coordinates that showed Cliffjumper’s location. He quickly turned back to his work, trying to analyze the sample. He was deeply unsettled by the revelation. If this monster survived that type of explosion, what would that mean for the future of this war? For the Autobots?

    In the Nevada desert, Arcee had been giving Jack a ride to take his mind off the Decepticon attack. She braked hard hearing the news from Ratchet. Jack braced himself, not expecting the sudden stop. He looked down at Arcee concerned.

    “Hey what gives? Are you alright?” Jack asked. She stayed silent, before immediately turning around and speeding off towards the directions Ratchet provided.

    Many individuals wearing bronze masks rushed around, building different structures within their new home. They paused what they were doing and cheered as they saw her passing through. She had returned! She didn’t respond to their celebrations and quietly entered her room. The white noise of a small waterfall echoed throughout the golden chamber. At the top of the steps, the Godseeker sat on her new throne. She looked out the window, overseeing the reconstruction of Godhome.

    “O wielder of nail, eater of soul. Thou has made our sacred goal closer within reach.”

     She studied the circular device in her hand. There in its center, an ominous purple glow gleamed, pulsing with delight.

Chapter Text

      If Ghost could shed tears, they would. They slowly walked up to Cliffjumper who held his servo out for them. They jumped onto his servo but immediately went to land on Cliffjumper’s shoulder. He was a bit surprised by Ghost’s behavior but even more so when they hugged his helm. Did he really mean so much to his little  buddy? In such little time? Cliffjumper chuckled.

     “Guess I was right. You did miss me.” Ghost let go of him and moved back onto his servo. They checked over Cliff, making sure that purple substance was gone. As much as Ghost didn’t want to admit it, this incident reminded them too much of the Radiance. They couldn’t help but suspect that she was responsible for this, but it felt different. While both afflictions caused a loss of sentience, the purple infection aligned more with darkness rather than light. It was alarmingly similar to void but without its usual lack of control. And yet, this purple infection had control. An almost vacant presence of someone there but control nonetheless. Maybe this world had gods too? They’d have to ask Optimus about this later.

      What they were most concerned about was that fusion reaction of that substance and void. Ghost was grateful that when they fought undead Cliffjumper, that this infection didn’t touch them. They didn’t know what would have happened if it did. Would they have lost control like Cliffjumper? That substance was an unknown factor. It would be in their best interest to avoid it for now. Ghost, Pure, and their vessel siblings had control over their void. They were vessels. Void given form. Although from what Ghost observed, Cliffjumper was an addition to that exception. He still had the void from their battle within him. Cliffjumper noticed Ghost’s behavior and looked down at himself, studying his body.

     “Yeah I’m just as confused as you are.” He put his free servo on his chassis. “I feel strange but myself.” Cliffjumper thought back to everything that had happened. He remembered being captured and how Starscream stabbed him. That…he died. He had almost reunited with the All Spark but that was taken away from him. He made a grim expression on his face.

      “I’m so sorry bud. I didn’t have control of myself.” Ghost tilted their head, not  understanding what Cliffjumper was implying. There was a moment of silence between the two. Until it finally registered to Ghost what his apology meant. Cliffjumper remembered what it was like under the influence of that purple infection. He had been conscious through the whole experience but was unable to control his own body. They stared at Cliffjumper, realizing how difficult this experience must have been for him. Before Ghost could show their sympathy for Cliffjumper, he changed the subject.

    “I never did get to thank you for helping me against those Decepticons.” He started to walk around the destroyed mine, scanning for a way out.

     “Let alone all the help you’ve done for the team, saving me from the explosion.” Cliffjumper smirked at Ghost proudly.

      “Which by the way was impressive. You keep surprising me with what a tiny buddy like you can accomplish.” Ghost moved their head as if they were rolling their eyes jokingly. Already used to the size jokes the other Autobots; mostly Bulkhead and Bumblebee, would say teasingly. The jokes weren’t mean spirited rather Ghost saw them as entertaining. They could imagine how amusing it would be to surprise those who underestimated them. They already experienced that with the Autobots. Oh how fun it would be to do that again to the Decepticons. Ghost was drawn out of their thoughts by Cliff’s triumphant eureka.

       “Looks like there’s an opening up top. Hold on.” He stated, as he scaled the wall toward the impromptu exit. Ghost, not wanting Cliffjumper to put too much strain on himself, leaped off his servo and wall jumped up. Cliff smirked, taking that as a friendly challenge. He tried to race Ghost up to the top, but couldn’t keep up with the little vessel. Eventually, Cliffjumper reached the top to see Ghost resting on a rock waiting for him.

     “I’ll get you next time! I’m not at my best right now.” He declared, not expecting the sharp pain in his body from his brief exercise. He saw Ghost stare at him questioningly, before he waved them off.

       “Don’t worry, I’m fine! You saved me from whatever that darkness was.” He reassured Ghost, offering a small smile. “What you did for me, I’ll never forget. I hope to repay you someday for your kindness. Besides us horned buddies gotta stick together.” Ghost nodded in agreement but paused at Cliffjumper’s lack of a horn. He noticed their pause and slowly lifted his servo to his helm, almost panicking at his missing horn.

      “I thought I had all of me put back together. I guess it was too good to be true.” He lamented, missing that part of his identity that he loved. Ghost nudged Cliffjumper’s leg, gaining the bot’s attention. They pointed at one of their own horns and then at the exit. Cliffjumper’s optics widened.

      “Wait…you know where my other horn is?” He asked excitedly. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Without missing a beat, Cliffjumper picked up Ghost and transformed into his alt mode, eager to be whole again.

       “Woah woah woah. Arcee slow down! What’s going on?” Jack asked desperately while holding onto the handlebars. She was going well over the speed limit and had yet to address what changed their drive. From what Jack could tell, whatever she was told over comms had affected her deeply.

      “Jack. I need you to remain calm and stay out of my way once we get there.” Jack looked down at her in disbelief and almost didn’t reply.

      “What do you mean? Where are we going?” Arcee didn’t reply, but displayed a map on her dashboard with a pinged location. Jack paused when he recognized the ping. This was the same one he and the other kids had seen when the team left for that mine. Wait was he seriously being dragged into a fight against her undead friend?

       “Uh…are you sure that it’s safe for me to go with you?” He looked down at her hesitantly. Before Arcee could reply, Bulkhead’s voice sounded over her comm; loud enough for Jack to hear.

       “Arcee. Bumblebee and I are gonna drop off Miko and Raf back at base. We’ll rendezvous with you after.” Neither of them spoke up after that, but Jack was mentally contemplating his luck. The ping on the dashboard suddenly shifted. It was on the move. Once Arcee realized where the ping was heading, her anger festered.

     The drive had been a lot shorter than Cliffjumper expected. He had been confused driving through the middle of nowhere, but he trusted Ghost completely. When he pulled up to a cliffside Ghost jumped out, waiting for him. He transformed back but stumbled in his steps, hunched over. Alarmed, Ghost rushed to Cliffjumper but he held his servo out, pointing upward.

      “Sorry bud. Just give me a moment.” He winced, trying but failing to reassure them. His body ached from exhaustion. At least that’s what Cliffjumper assumed. Maybe he should’ve rested before ardently transforming. He felt excruciating pain as if every injury he’s ever had occurred at once. But just as sudden as his pain had arrived it had abruptly vanished. An overwhelming sense of peace overcame Cliffjumper, a feeling he hadn’t felt since before the war. He snapped out of his daze when he felt another nudge on his servo. He carefully took what Ghost handed to him.

A small white flower.

      He looked away from his servo down at Ghost but froze at the sight behind them. There was his missing horn, surrounded by lush bushes and vines covered with these bright flowers. Ghost tilted their head upwards conveying a smile, happy to give their friend some comfort.

       Cliffjumper continued to stare at the garden. It was a bizarre but beautiful sight in this barren desert. He’d never seen this type of flower on Earth. Then again it’s not like he’s an expert but then he realized something. His friend was familiar with these flowers. They knew that it would calm him. That it would affect him. Did they plant these flowers on his grave? Cliffjumper felt another prod from Ghost. They presented his missing horn. He let out a great laugh, turning to Ghost.

       “Thank you little buddy.”  He said, as he carefully took the horn and placed it on his helm. As he had anticipated, the horn stuck to his helm as if it was never cut. Perks of this ability his little buddy had unintentionally given him. And although Cliffjumper didn’t fully understand it yet, he vowed he would protect Ghost at all costs. He refused to let the Decepticons discover and exploit Ghost and their abilities. He knew he would have to learn and adapt to this change. But he was truly thankful for this second chance. Before the two could celebrate, the revving of a motorcycle interrupted them.

      Arcee appeared, swiftly transforming back and aiming her arm blasters at Cliffjumper. Both Ghost and Cliffjumper were shocked but glad to see her however, it was clear this wasn’t a good reunion. Cliffjumper stared at her as his optics softened.

      “Arcee. It’s me. Clif—.” He was cut off by a blast toward his chassis, but he quickly dodged.

       “Don’t you dare pretend to be him! I know he is dead!” She yelled, continuing her barrage of gunfire. He felt a pang of emotional hurt ache his chassis, but ultimately understood where she was coming from. The last time they had seen each other, he attacked her in his zombie state. He wasn’t even alive at the time. Of course she wouldn’t believe he was still alive. As Cliffjumper kept avoiding her attacks, he tried to convince Arcee he was himself.

    “Cee, it’s me! I know this seems impossible but I’m here! Ghost saved me! Please, I don’t want to fight you!” Arcee ignored his pleas. Seeing that her blaster fire had no effect, she rushed him into close combat. She threw multiple punches, one managing to hit his face. He still refused to fight back. He didn’t want to hurt her.

     “Ok I know you don’t believe me but do you remember how we met?” He parried her kick to his helm, by throwing her away from him. Ghost tried to intervene but this made Arcee angrier.

      “Ghost. Stay out of my way! This isn’t Cliffjumper but a Decepticon trick! An imposter!” Arcee exclaimed, charging at Cliffjumper again. Ghost was about to interfere when he spotted Jack watching this while hiding behind a boulder. The boy was anxious, most likely overwhelmed. They left to go comfort him, bringing along another delicate flower. Ghost figured that these two could solve this misunderstanding without them. After all, they couldn’t just leave Jack unprotected from potential danger caused by the fight.

      Arcee and Cliffjumper kept exchanging attacks; though he only ever countered or endured her strikes.

    “Ok then how about when you saved me from Shockwave back on Cybertron?” Arcee scowled, still not believing a word Cliffjumper said.

      “Do you really think I’ll believe your lies! Your attempts to fake being him?!” Arcee avoided another grab from Cliffjumper and countered with a harsh kick, knocking him down. Before he could get back up, Arcee stomped on his chassis, holding him in place. She raised her blaster at his face.

     “Say your last words faker.” She threatened, furiously glaring at Cliffjumper. He didn’t protest or escape her hold. He stared into her optics, smiling.

     “I knew you loved my company. Even when you refused to open up. But I want you to know that after you saved me and called me your partner, you made me the happiest mech. I love you. Always will.” Neither Autobot moved or spoke. She no longer glared at him, but simply observed him suspiciously. For a moment it seemed like the world had come to a standstill until finally Arcee slowly lowered her blaster. She stepped away from Cliffjumper, allowing him to get up. He cautiously stood up, clutching his side. He looked at Arcee who had a mixture of sadness and relief on her face.

    Arcee stared at Cliffjumper, coolant leaking from her optics. “Welcome back partner.”

Chapter Text

    As the confrontation between the two Autobots continued, Ghost approached Jack who was visibly tense. He had been sitting down with his back against the boulder. His arms wrapped around his knees scrunched to his chest. He almost didn’t realize Ghost was with him, but his eyes widened when he saw them.

      “Ghost! You’re okay!” He said astonished. Jack honestly didn’t expect to see Ghost again. As morbid as that thought was, could anyone blame him for thinking that? Just like him, Ghost was dragged into this alien robot war. They were just left behind by the Autobots who didn’t even know if they survived. Miko and Raf were upset as well but to Jack, he understood the two didn’t view this as realistically as he did. This was a serious situation. Not a fun escape from reality. Granted they now had cool new robotic friends that could transform into vehicles but that was beside the point. They were all in danger now. Whether they liked it or not. Would the Autobots do the same to Miko, Raf, or himself if the same scenario ever happened? Jack couldn’t help but think about that. Even if the Autobots did not abandon Ghost on purpose. But he was at least glad they made it out fine. Still he couldn’t get this agonizing thought…

      Jack felt something soft brush against his arm. He looked down and saw that Ghost had placed a white flower on him. Wait. Where did they even find a flower like this? They were in the middle of a desert. But it felt…nice. Jack slowed his breathing, taking deep breaths. His body stopped shaking so intensely as before, taking in the new soothing presence. Jack snapped out of the trance when Ghost patted his back, reassuring that he was safe. He smiled down at them and put the flower in his pocket for safe keeping.

      “Thanks.” He paused for a moment, thinking back to his initial impression of Ghost. He internally cringed just thinking about it.

      “I’ll be honest. I didn’t know what to think when I met you.” Ghost stared back at him with their head tilted. Jack continued on.

       “At first I thought you were just a strange pe—companion. Sorry. Companion of the Autobots. I can see now you aren’t just their friend but someone who really cares.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a bit ashamed of his reaction to Ghost.

      “I’m sorry for thinking that. And I can see that you are someone we can trust. Friends?” Jack held out his hand with a soft smile on his face. Ghost stared at Jack’s hand for moment, wondering what he expected them to do. Were they supposed to hit his hand? Not wanting to keep this awkward pause between them, they opted to hold his hand. Jack, who now realized that they may not be familiar with a handshake, slowly moved his hand up and down. Ghost merely followed along, assuming this was a human gesture. When Jack stopped, they didn’t let go. Ghost then mimicked Jack’s handshake albeit more enthusiastically. He was surprised by the vessel’s strong grip, but he was very glad they were now on better terms.

    A burst of laughter erupted from Jack, completely forgetting his previous anxiety. Ghost let go of Jack’s hand, caught off guard by the boy’s reaction. They felt at ease once they sensed Jack was joyful. It made Ghost feel a type of warmth to know they could make him happy.

       As Ghost left to comfort Jack, their confrontation had come to an end.

       “Welcome back partner.” Arcee stated relieved, coolant tears streaming down her face. Without anymore hesitation, Cliffjumper and Arcee embraced each other. He held her gently, holding in his own tears, laughing in disbelief. For a while he believed he’d never be able to hold her again. Arcee did the same, though she latched onto him closely, afraid he’d be gone again. Neither spoke for while, just taking in the other’s presence. Even as Arcee quietly sobbed in his hold, Cliffjumper respectfully waited, not wanting to rush his partner as she processed his return. She finally lifted her helm to meet his gaze. He carefully wiped her tears from her face, smiling at her lovingly. Their foreheads met as the two calmed their sparks.

      “Do that to me again and I will drag you back from the Allspark.” Arcee teased. Cliffjumper let out an amused hum.

       “I wouldn’t want anything less.” He answered, thankful to be able to be with Arcee again. She was about to ask him how he returned when they both heard laughter coming from behind a boulder. Arcee smiled as she shook her helm and motioned for Cliffjumper to follow her.

      “You owe me an explanation, but first I have someone I want to introduce you to.” She left Cliffjumper’s embrace and walked toward the laughter. He quickly caught up to her and took a hold of her servo. Arcee smirked at him before interlocking their grasp.

      “Look. I’ll be honest I don’t understand how I’m here either. Long story short, Ghost brought me back.” Arcee glanced away from Cliff once he said that, processing his words. She hadn’t exactly treated them nicely since their arrival.

    Jack’s laughter is joined by a pair of loud footsteps. Ghost and Jack looked up to see Arcee and Cliffjumper, smiling and interlocking their servos. Jack’s laughter ceased once he noticed the couple, coughing a bit trying to compose himself.

      “Jack. I’d like you to meet Cliffjumper. My partner.” Arcee said, motioning her free servo toward Cliffjumper. Ghost glanced at Jack who was speechless while taking in Cliffjumper’s appearance. They assumed Jack’s reaction was understandable. Especially given the previous conversation the Autobots had concerning the presumed dead Cliffjumper. Although Ghost was unsure if the team told the children what happened to Cliffjumper in the mine, they knew Cliff was vastly different from his undead appearance. Cliffjumper was no longer missing limbs and oozing a mysterious liquid. Ghost was grateful that Cliffjumper seemed completely fine. Like he was built brand new. Built? Born? Ghost internally shook their head, trying not to get distracted.

     Although a notable difference that Ghost recognized; including Arcee who was currently examining Cliffjumper, was his under armor  plating. While Cliff retained his bright iconic red color scheme, his formerly silver chassis under plating was now black. Ghost theorized this was a result of the void residing in Cliffjumper. They were still concerned of how void would affect him, but so far Cliffjumper acted like his normal self. Cliffjumper offered the boy a quick salute with his left servo.

       “Glad to meet you kid. As Arcee gracefully explained, the name’s Cliffjumper.” Arcee rolled her optics, while Jack nervously chuckled.

        “Yeah. It’s great to meet you.” Jack responded cooly. He glanced at Arcee who walked away from Cliffjumper and kneeled down in front of Ghost. They watched her carefully, not knowing what she wanted. She let out a deep sigh before addressing them.

       “I’m sorry.” Ghost’s head popped up in surprise. They hadn’t expected that. Why was everyone apologizing to them today?

       “I was rude to you and I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I was overtaken by my grief with Cliff that I didn’t consider my behavior.” Ghost nodded, thinking that was fair considering the circumstances. They were the last one with Cliffjumper before he was taken after all. Arcee held in another sigh and shook her helm.

       “It wasn’t right of me to blame you for what happened to Cliff. I see that now that he’s back. Regardless of you bringing him back or not, you aren’t to blame. The Deceptions are.” She paused again as Cliffjumper put a servo on her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring nod.

        “Thank you Ghost. Thank you for saving him.” She stated softly, before quickly wiping a single coolant tear from her face and standing up. Ghost proudly nodded, accepting Arcee’s apology and appreciation.

        The moment was interrupted by the rhythmic rumble of two engines. Bulkhead and Bumblebee rushed forward in their vehicle modes. Though they both completely halted in their tracks once they spotted Cliffjumper standing next to Arcee. The two of them transformed back with shocked expressions on their faces, neither uttering a sound. Cliff being Cliff waved his servos at his side.

         “Surprise!” Cliffjumper joked. Bumblebee remained frozen with shock, while Bulkhead collapsed onto his back with a loud thud. Cliffjumper winced at Bulkhead’s fall while Arcee shook her helm disappointedly. Meanwhile Ghost and Jack gave each other a knowing look. It was gonna be an awkward drive.

       Back at the base, Optimus and Ratchet were analyzing the remnants of broken equipment. Ratchet had just dealt with his appliance attacking him. Though it took him longer to do so since he had been stuck babysitting two of the human children. He protected them from being harmed and scanned them for injuries once he smashed the equipment. They were uninjured and currently occupying themselves by talking to each other in the lower deck. Initially they were taken aback by what happened, but now they acted as if their lives weren’t in danger. Primus help him if he has to be on babysitting duty again. He would give Bulkhead and Bumblebee a stern lecture once they got back.

     After securing the remnants into a sealed container, Optimus turned to Ratchet, concern written on his face.

      “If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead. Ratchet’s optics widened at what Optimus implied that substance was. He pondered a moment before speaking.

     “That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online, but Dark Energon?” He paused briefly, looking back at the broken equipment.

     “It's so scarce that it’s non-existent. What would it be doing on Earth?” Optimus’ optics narrowed, already having an answer.

      “It was transported. By Megatron.” Confusion etched onto Ratchet’s face.

       “For what purpose?” Optimus quickly replied to Ratchet’s question.

       “To conquer this planet, by raising an army of the undead.” Ratchet almost scoffed. He didn’t believe that would be possible to do.

       “Well, Megatron would need to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world would he find that many cybertronian dead?”

      Before their conversation could continue, the rest of the Autobots pulled into the hanger. Jack and Ghost walked alongside each other as the four Autobots transformed from their vehicle modes. The noise drew Miko and Raf to the center of the room where they first saw Ghost. Miko squealed in excitement as she rushed toward Ghost, giving them a hug. Raf quickly followed after her, asking them if they were alright. Despite being unable to move from Miko’s grasp, they gave Raf a simple nod. Jack meanwhile tried holding in his laugh at Ghost’s predicament. Ghost and the children finally composed themselves when Miko and Raf noticed the red Autobot. They were about to ask many questions when Jack hushed them. He quickly told them that they would have their questions answered in a minute.

      Hearing the teams’ return, Optimus and Ratchet turned their attention to them.

      “Autobots, prepare to—“ Optimus froze at the sight before him. Ratchet’s optics widened in disbelief, unable to process what he was seeing. There among the group stood a very much alive Cliffjumper. Nobody broke the silence. Much like Ratchet, both Bulkhead and Bumblebee were still shocked and waited for an explanation. They were told they would get one once they got back to base. Cliffjumper nervously glanced at Arcee for support. She held Cliffjumper’s servo and offered him an encouraging nod. He chuckled worryingly and let out a deep sigh. Everyone stared at him in anticipation but remained quiet so he could speak.

      Cliffjumper recounted everything from the beginning. He told everyone how he encountered the Decepticons and met Ghost. How his capture led to being killed by Starscream. He felt Arcee’s grip on his servo tighten at that. His feeling of helplessness watching himself fight the team in the mines. Though he kept his guilt for attacking Arcee to himself. Till finally he described how Ghost fought his undead self and saved him. He admitted he didn’t fully understand what was going on when they saved him but he was grateful nonetheless.

       “After that I was back in control. I was me again.” Cliffjumper smiled down at Ghost. “I have them to thank. I wouldn’t be here if not for them.” Everyone simultaneously turned to look at Ghost. They mentally sweat dropped feeling everyone’s gaze on them. Miko and Raf had looks of adoration on their faces while Jack had a smug smile. Bumblebee let out of whirl expressing fascination, to which Bulkhead nodded along in agreement. Ratchet looked as if he was gonna short-circuit from the amount of questions he had. Ghost expected these reactions, but was unnerved by the Autobots leader’s silence. Though that silence didn’t last for long. Optimus stepped forward, prompting the room to listen.

     “Ghost. Despite knowing us for a short time, you have risked your life for us on multiple occasions. I cannot thank you enough for your courage and compassion. We are truly indebted to you.” Optimus finished, giving Ghost a respectful nod. They returned his gesture with a bow. Optimus turned to Cliffjumper.

      “I am glad to see your return Cliffjumper, but something of immediate concern has come to our attention.” He faced the rest of the team.

       “Autobots. Remain here. Ratchet will accompany me for reconnaissance. Arcee, we'll be outside communications range for some time so I'm putting you in charge.” Optimus explained, walking toward the ground bridge.

       “Optimus. With all due respect, are you sure you don’t want someone else to go with you? Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war.” Arcee frowned, glancing between the other capable candidates to go with Optimus.

      “My pistons may be rusting, but my hearing is sharp as ever!” Ratchet retorted while gathering data for the mission. He had also been observing Cliffjumper with great intrigue and worry.

     “And don’t even think about going outside! Once I get back I am giving you a medical examination. You think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been clutching your abdomen this entire time?” Ratchet pointed at Cliffjumper, who laughed nervously at being caught hiding his pain. Arcee narrowed her optics at Cliffjumper.

      Not wanting any further delay, Optimus called out to Ratchet. Shortly after, the two left through the ground bridge leaving behind Ghost, the team, and the children. Ghost having heard what Ratchet told Cliffjumper, watched him with worry. Arcee crossed her arms, glaring at Cliffjumper.

       “So. When exactly were you gonna tell us you were in pain?” Arcee asked him calmly, clear anger in her voice. Cliffjumper glanced at Bumblebee and Bulkhead for help. Bumblebee shook his head while Bulkhead held his arms out in surrender. Neither bot wanted to face Arcee’s wrath. Cliffjumper turned back to Arcee and slowly shrugged. She stared at him for a bit, practically facepalming. Finally Arcee let out a disappointed sigh.     

     “I’m taking Cliffjumper to his room to make sure he rests properly so Ratchet can look him over later.” She turned to Bumblebee and Bulkhead. “Bee, patrol the perimeter. Bulkhead you are in charge. Watch the children.” Bumblebee hesitated for a moment but obliged. He beeped Bulkhead good luck before taking off. The green mech in the meantime was distraught.

     “But…but…” Bulkhead sputtered helplessly watching Arcee and Cliffjumper leave the room. He groaned in acceptance before looking down at Ghost and the children.

      “So. What do you kids do for fun?” He asked, unknowingly setting up the chaotic scene that would happen momentarily.

       Loud electric guitar riffs echoed through out the room. Miko was excitedly practicing a song on her instrument boosted by her amp. Raf joined her using his laptop for keyboard sounds. Jack tapped his foot, liking the rhythm she had Ghost do. They were currently sitting between Miko and Raf, rhythmically dinging the metal triangle Miko provided them. Bulkhead meanwhile covered his audio receptors, praying to Primus that Arcee wouldn’t barge in to tell the kids to stop. Though a part of him wanted them to play quieter.

      “Yes! This is perfect!” Miko exclaimed. She looked down at Ghost. “You are doing great Ghost! Keep it up!” They beamed at Miko’s praise, happy to finally be playing the instrument correctly. Earlier when Miko had taught them, they were eager to use their nail to hit the triangle instead of the metal rod. It was funny thinking back to how Jack struggled to hold them back from doing so.

        The band’s music was outshined by the flashing light of a blaring alarm. The children stopped playing as Ghost looked to see Bulkhead’s startled expression.

       “Proximity sensor! Hide!” He ordered, causing Ghost and the children to abandon their instruments and hide behind Bulkhead’s leg. The elevator door burst open to reveal none other than Agent Fowler.

      “Prime!” He yelled, marching toward the guard rail. Bulkhead shifted nervously.

       “Agent Fowler. Uh. He's not here. Nobody's here. Except me, of course.” Fowler furrowed his brows.

       “Well where did he go? Wait, don't tell me, he’s out pancaking a mini-mall! Now, I don't know what language you 'Bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons, and blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska is not what the word 'handle' means to me!” He shouted, unknowingly startling the children. Ghost pulled Miko back to cover. She almost stumbled into Fowler’s sight. Though the maneuver pushed Ghost away from the cover Bulkhead provided. Agent Fowler, catching the movement in the corner of his eye, looked down to see Ghost.

       “What in the name of Uncle Sam is that?!” He exclaimed, not expecting to see an unknown creature appear. Bulkhead panicking, stumbled his words.

       “Uhhhh. That is the Autobot…support animal?” Ghost and Agent Fowler both stared at Bulkhead in disbelief. Ghost even tilted their head in a ‘really?’ manner. Agent Fowler shook his head as he started walking down the stairway. He stopped in front of Ghost, getting a better look at them. The man couldn’t tell what this creature was, but definitely recognized that they had a sharp melee weapon strapped onto its back.

      “Well whatever it is, it’s coming with me. My superiors at the Pentagon need to know about it.” Before Bulkhead could interject, Miko ran out of her cover.

      “Wait! You can’t take them!” She yelled as Jack and Raf followed behind her. Agent Fowler’s eyes widened in shock.

      “Civilians? Children? Ok that’s it! I'm taking all three of you into federal custody. For your own protection.” As Agent Fowler walked toward the children, Ghost and Bulkhead stopped him; Ghost who walked into his path and Bulkhead who stomped in front of the children.

       “We are protecting them.” Bulkhead declared. Ghost gave a determined nod. Agent Fowler scoffed, turning around to grab a phone on the wall. Before he could, Bulkhead crushed it. Agent Fowler’s fists scrunched up.

       “This isn't over, Bigfoot, not by a long shot!”  Agent Fowler scowled, pointing at the green bot angrily.

        “There will be big consequences for this. The Pentagon won’t stand for this.” He threatened as he stomped up the stairs. Ghost tensed at Agent Fowler’s words. They looked back at Bulkhead and the children, who were relieved now that Agent Fowler was leaving. They turned back to Agent Fowler before finally making a decision. As Fowler reached the elevator he stopped when he felt something tug on his suit jacket. He turned around to see the strange creature he had seen earlier. Bulkhead, now noticing the vessel’s action, called out to them.

     “Ghost! What are you doing?” Bulkhead asked bewildered. The kids turned their heads in shock, shouting at Ghost to come back. Agent Fowler turned to study Ghost, also wondering what they wanted. Before he could ask, Ghost let go of his jacket and held out both arms to him in surrender. Then it dawned on Agent Fowler, this creatu—Ghost wished to go with him.

      “Ghost huh. Well then. At least someone here has some sense.” Agent Fowler stated, walking into the elevator with Ghost behind him. Ghost ignored the protests of the children as the elevator door closed. They didn’t want the Autobots or the children to be in trouble with Agent Fowler. Granted, either way they would be in trouble. They figured that perhaps if they went with him, it would alleviate Fowler’s anger. It would also provide Ghost the chance to learn more about this world. They just hoped Agent Fowler would be understanding.

      As the elevator door opened to the roof, Agent Fowler led Ghost into the helicopter. He allowed the vessel to sit next to him in the co-pilot seat. He helped strap them in, seeing that they were fumbling with the seatbelt. When Fowler clicked the belt in, they gave him a thankful nod. He perked up at Ghost curiously.

       “You don’t talk much do you?” He asked, wanting to learn more about this intelligent being. Ghost shook their head signaling a no. It was clear to Fowler that Ghost wasn’t like the Autobots. That much was obvious since they weren’t a hulking bunch of metal. They seemed too foreign from the Autobots so he ruled out that they were from the same planet. They definitely weren’t human, so what exactly was this Ghost? Where did they come from? He flipped a switch that activated the helicopter. Fowler watched Ghost’s form stiffen as they lifted off. He held out his right hand, motioning to them that this was normal.

    Fowler was intrigued by this encounter. He had a strong respect for this being called Ghost. He knew what they were doing. They didn’t have to leave with him. Yet they did anyway. They went with him willingly without a fight. They left with him even as the huge green bot and the children screamed at them not to do so. That took guts. Despite only meeting moments prior, Agent Fowler could tell there was more to Ghost than he realized. They had a sense of honor to protect others. To sacrifice themself. He’s met many soldiers in his time as an agent. Many good people willing to do what’s necessary and to make sacrifices in their line of work. In just a few actions, this being called Ghost definitely made a good first impression.

      When they were further away from the base, Fowler decided to radio his superior.

      “Sir! Agent Fowler. We have a situation. I'm en-route from the Autobot base. Bringing in an individual of interest. I'll brief you in person.” For an unknown reason, Ghost was unsettled by that call. They couldn’t understand why, but they had a foreboding feeling that something was about to go wrong. Their feeling was proven correct when the alarm sounded inside the helicopter. Despite being too short to view the front of the aircraft, Ghost could clearly see the radar system indicating something was approaching them.

      “What in Uncle Sam's beard?! First the freeways aren't safe, now air travel?!” Agent Fowler gritted his teeth, swerving the helicopter out of the path of the flying Decepticon; Laserbeak.

       “You wanna dance, 'Con? I'll lead!” He grunted, taking evasive action as Laserbeak slammed the side of the helicopter. Agent Fowler glanced at Ghost, who held tightly onto the belt.

        “Sorry about that but hold on!” He looked back catching sight of the Decepticon tailing them. He smirked before easing off the throttle, allowing the helicopter to slow into a dip. The maneuver set up the speeding Decepticon to be in the helicopter’s line of fire. Fowler seeing the opportunity, unleashed a barrage of bullets, hitting the Decepticon. Though to Fowler’s dismay, the bullets had no effect. In retaliation, Laserbeak ascended above the helicopter before diving and swiftly slicing the tail end of the aircraft. The helicopter started to spin out of control with black smoke emitting from the damaged end.

    “Never an Autobot around when you actually need one!” Fowler lamented as he saw Ghost clutch onto the seat.

      “Hang on Ghost!” Fowler shouted. He tried to steady the helicopter but it was no use. A mechanical screech caught their attention as metal tendrils burst through the glass of the cockpit. Ghost, despite not having a proper foothold in the spinning aircraft, leapt from their seat at the tendrils. Before they could unsheathe their weapon, the tendril wrapped around Ghost. Their distraction allowed Fowler to activate the distress signal before he too was caught by the remaining tendril. Ghost struggled to get out of the Decepticon’s grasp, but stopped once they realized Fowler had been caught as well. They looked up to see the Decepticon that captured them. This one wasn’t like the ones Ghost had fought previously. It had a sleeker design and was clearly adept in recon and flight. They turned their head to check on Agent Fowler. He also struggled in the clutches of the con and seemed unharmed thankfully. It was then that Ghost made another important decision. They refused to let Agent Fowler face this alone. They would not escape. They would not hide. Not this time. Not again.

Chapter Text

    A gloomy atmosphere had overtaken the base as the children vented over Ghost’s decision.

    “I still can’t believe Ghost gave themself up.” Raf lamented, thinking he wasn’t gonna see Ghost again. Agent Fowler had been adamant about the fact that they were civilians who shouldn’t be involved in this. Let alone seeing Ghost; an unknown creature, being with them without the Autobots informing him. He was definitely mad.

     “I know right?! We just got them back too!” Miko complained, stomping her foot on the ground. She followed up with a quick pout and crossed her arms. Jack leaned against the wall and nodded along. He was also troubled by Fowler taking Ghost but given his recent interaction with the vessel, he had faith he would see them again.

    Bulkhead, who had tried desperately to comfort the children, also wondered why Ghost would leave. Sure, he could understand how they wanted to build trust between Fowler and the team. Regardless, the team were in some deep trouble with Agent Fowler. But what concerned Bulkhead the most was that this put their own safety at risk. The Autobots formed an alliance with the human government when they arrived to Earth. Technically they could determine whether or not Ghost qualified for it since they weren’t cybertronian. Of course, this could be contested by Optimus but, it didn’t help that he wasn’t here. He mentally groaned. He knew he should’ve commed Arcee when Fowler showed up. She would’ve been better at handling this situation. Oh Primus. How was he going to explain to Arcee and Cliffjumper what happened?

     The children stopped ranting as they noticed Bulkhead’s look of dread. They all exchanged worried glances, till Miko walked up to him.

     “Don’t worry big guy. We can go get Ghost now right?” Miko suggested, hoping Bulkhead would agree with her. He looked down at her sadly and slowly shook his helm.

      “I don’t think we can until Optimus comes back. Even then I don’t know how Fowler or his superiors will react.” Bulkhead explained.

       “But it isn’t fair.” Raf interrupted. “Ghost hasn’t done anything wrong.” Bulkhead turned to Raf.

        “That may be so, but from my experience they have been cautious of things they don’t understand. Took a long time for them to get used to us.” Bulkhead paused, thinking back to their first human contact encounter. “Though I will admit that trust was built quick due to the Decepticons.”

        The conversation was cut short when an alarm blared once more. The flashing green light illuminated the room. The children quickly covered their ears.

       “My ears!” Raf shouted, doing his best to block out the harsh sound. Bulkhead rushed to the monitor and disabled the alarm. Raf sighed in relief.

        “It’s an S.O.S from Fowler.” Bulkhead hesitated for a moment at the monitor. He was unfamiliar with its current buffering state.

        “Did you trace it?” Raf asked. Bulkhead shook his helm.

       “Location scan is incomplete. If it had just been Fowler, I would’ve said to let him be, but Ghost is with him.” Jack stared at Bulkhead in surprise.

       “Really?” He remarked in an upset tone. Bulkhead looked at Jack and shrugged.

       “What? Fowler’s a jerk.” Bulkhead answered back, a little shocked Jack was defending the man. Jack shook his head in disbelief.

        “Well. Even if Fowler is a jerk, we gotta help him. Also who knows? The Decepticons might have him and Ghost.” Jack declared. Raf walked up next to him.

       “Jack’s right. Agent Fowler knows your location. Our location!” Miko then chimed in.

        “And did we not just witnessed how fast Fowler backs down from a bot? The 'Cons will totally make him squeal! Not to mention what they could be doing to Ghost!” Jack glanced at Raf and Miko, thankful for their backup.

        “But we lost the transmission. They could be anywhere.” Bulkhead exclaimed. Raf, with a determined look on his face, pulled out his laptop.

       “Maybe I can narrow it down. About five years ago the Government started microchipping their agents. You know, like owners do with pets.” Jack and Miko gave Raf a deadpanned look. “What? I saw it on TV. Anyway, if I can hack into the Fed's network maybe I can pinpoint Fowler's coordinates.” He beamed with excitement. Miko’s brows scrunched up, a bit skeptical.

      “You know how to hack? But you're like two years old!”

      Raf smugly smirked as he typed away on his laptop. “Twelve. And a quarter.”

      Bulkhead contemplated whether or not this would work then sighed. “I guess it’s worth a shot.”

    Laserbeak reached the landed Decepticon ship, hidden away in a deep desert gorge. Ghost stiffened as they recognized the ship. It was the same one that captured Cliffjumper. Laserbeak  swiftly descended the cliff and into the ship’s opened bay door. Vehicons working about, silently observed the prisoners that the minicon brought. Some paused as they recognized the vessel, though neither Laserbeak nor the prisoners paid them any mind. Agent Fowler and Ghost watched as they passed through multiple hallways until finally Laserbeak stopped inside a dimly lit room.

    They were harshly dropped to the floor. Agent Fowler grunted at the impact while Ghost easily recovered. They reached for their weapon but froze when they didn’t feel it strapped to their back. A mechanical whirl caught their attention and looked up. The flying Decepticon dangled their weapon with its tendril, waving it tauntingly at them. They understood the underlying warning not to try anything.
    What caught Ghost more off guard was the presence of another tendril holding their journal. They quickly checked their cloak, and their journal was gone indeed. The flying Decepticon retreated to where this new tendril had come from. While Ghost wasn’t pleased that it was taken, what alarmed them was that this tendril did not originate from the flying Decepticon. It flew into the shadows still carrying their nail. A sharp click and hiss echoed through the room. The other tendril slowly retracted until it placed the journal into a thin black servo. Ghost stared back at the silhouette figure until Fowler groaned. They looked back to see him getting up from the floor and dusting himself off. Ghost felt the stare from the hidden figure as they checked on Fowler. Seeing that the agent was alright, Ghost stared back at the figure.

      Agent Fowler finally got his bearings and studied the room. His eyes spotted the vessel first and he sighed with relief. But he immediately noticed their body language. He followed their gaze and tensed as he realized that they weren’t alone. When the figure stepped forward, Ghost jumped back standing in front of Fowler protectively.

      The figure was revealed to be a tall, slender mech with purple coloring. As Ghost observed the new Decepticon, they noticed the one that had kidnapped them was secured onto his chest. Ghost glared at the screen they had for a face. They were still mad that he confiscated their weapon and journal. As the two silent individuals had a standoff, a vehicon entered the room. Ghost and Fowler turned to the vehicon as it pushed them out into the hallway. Soundwave ignored them, opting to study the creature’s weapon and the contents of this journal.

    Agent Fowler and Ghost were forced to walk into a dark room with chains bolted to the ceiling. The heavy footsteps of the vehicon behind them echoed through the room. It reminded Ghost of the chamber Pure was held in at the Temple of the Black Egg. Dark and gloomy with the presence of chains. A tall silver mech faced away from them with his arms crossed behind his back. Fowler stumbled to the ground as the vehicon nudged him with its pede. Ghost was about to help Fowler when the Decepticon turned around. It was the same one from the mines.

   “Welcome Agent Fowler.” Starscream said coldly. He chuckled as his optics landed on Ghost

     “And what a surprise. The mysterious pest survived yet again.” Ghost glared at the one they now knew as Starscream. If Fowler wasn’t with them they wouldn’t hesitate to attack the arrogant mech. Fowler scoffed as he sat on his knees, unimpressed by their treatment so far.

      “You treat all your guests this nice?” He remarked. Starscream looked down at him.

      “Any friends of the Autobots.” Fowler looked at him with a smug look.

      “Autobot? That one of them coin operated wash-my-own-car places?” Starscream’s optics narrowed in annoyance.

       “Oh, so that's how it's going to be, hmm?Apparently no one has told you I have no appreciation for human humor.” He looked to the vehicon. “Make our guests comfortable.”

      Ghost stepped toward the vehicon as it approached Fowler. The vehicon stopped in its place, hesitating to follow Starscream’s order. The seeker commander scowled and glared at them.

      “If you care about this human, I suggest you stay put.” Ghost restrained themself as the vehicon chained up themself and Fowler. The vehicon had now hoisted him up with the chains dangling him from the ceiling. Instead of being chained to the ceiling like Fowler, Starscream grabbed them. He paused for a moment then smirked.

      “Perhaps, it’ll be more effective with you two separated. Maybe then you’ll behave not knowing his fate.” As Starscream was about to take Ghost away to another cell, they heard Fowler call out for them. Starscream stopped and turned toward Fowler with a glint in his optic.

      “So…you care about this creature. Ghost as you called them?” Starscream prodded, presenting Ghost to Fowler, tightening his grip.

       “No! I don’t care about them.” The agent declared, failing to convince the Decepticon. Starscream brought out a metal rod and hung Ghost to the ceiling. They continued to struggle in the chains.

      “Then I guess you won’t mind when I do this!” Starscream proclaimed as he shocked Ghost with the metal rod. Fowler flinched as the blue lightning illuminated the dark room. Starscream however was disappointed to not hear the creature’s scream. He looked to Fowler.

      “Tell me the location of the Autobot base or it will suffer more shocks!” Starscream demanded. Fowler glanced at Ghost, surprised that they didn’t make a sound. No scream. No grunt in pain. Nothing. Ghost matched their gaze and shook their head. For a moment, Fowler’s eyes widened in shock. But he quickly hid them, intending to refuse to give away the location.

     “Can’t you just look up on the internet for those old Knick knacks? Or are you too stupid to use a search bar?” Fowler taunted, fanning the wrath of the Decepticon. Starscream in a fit of rage, stabbed Ghost with the lightning rod repeatedly. Each time, Ghost didn’t make a sound which pissed off Starscream more. Though Ghost had to admit to themself that this shock wasn’t that bad. They’d gotten used to attacks like this from charged lumaflies and volt twisters. Even then, compared to the shocks from Uumuu, this felt like a tickle. But what worried Ghost was that Fowler didn’t know that. For all the agent knew, they were in excruciating pain. Maybe this would work against Starscream.

         Ghost let their body limp in the chains. Their head drooped forward as if they passed out. Fowler refrained from calling out Ghost’s name again, feeling sorry for the poor vessel. Starscream stopped shocking them seeing as it was useless now. 

      “I’ll give you some time to think about an answer. Have one by the time I return.” Starscream told Fowler as he unhooked Ghost from the ceiling and left to another cell.

         Back at the base, Raf typed away on his laptop, tracing Fowler’s location. His laptop beeped with a ping.

      “Got it. Latitude 39. 5, Longitude 116. 9.” Bulkhead nodded as he inputted the coordinates into the ground bridge.

      “Ok. Wait here. Jack, you are in charge.” Bulkhead said as he quickly rushed through the portal. Raf turned to Jack.

       “Do you think we should’ve told Arcee and Bumblebee?” Jack just shrugged.

      “I think we’ll be fine. Miko can just distract Arcee if she checks on us.” He paused for a moment, realizing Miko was gone.

       Bulkhead exited the ground bridge with a loud thud, calling out for Ghost and Fowler. He froze when he saw the Nemesis along with vehicon troops patrolling nearby. He snapped out of it and ran to cover, narrowly avoiding being discovered by a vehicon. He peeked out of his spot, scoping the perimeter.

         “Alright! What's the plan?” Bulkhead recoiled when he heard Miko’s voice. He looked down and saw the girl practically standing out in the open. He tried shushing Miko but she was discovered by a vehicon.

       “Oh…unwise.” She said as the vehicon readied its cannon aimed at her. Before it could fire, Bulkhead slammed into the ‘con and ripped its arm cannon off. Miko sprinted away from the battle and hid behind some cover. Not waiting a moment, Bulkhead quickly commed Arcee and Bumblebee about the situation.

       Ghost pretended to be knocked out while Starscream had brought them to a separate cell. They were practically tossed aside to a group of Vehicons who now stood guarding them. One of the vehicons tightened the chains wrapped around Ghost’s body and hoisted the chains above them to the ceiling. Once again they were suspended from the ground. When Starscream left earlier, it seemed as though he lost interest in ‘a weak pest that couldn’t handle a small shock.’ Oh how eager Ghost was to give Screamer some payback. Though that would have to wait. Once Ghost was sure Starscream was long gone, they used an abyss shriek spell to shatter the chains above them. The Vehicons alarmed by the sudden screams, lunged for Ghost. Having lured the guards closer, they followed up with a descending dark spell. The force of the crash to the floor incapacitated the vehicons as well as breaking the remaining chains on Ghost’s body. They were now free. Just as they were about to leave, the door opened.

    A single vehicon stood in the doorframe to see the prisoner unguarded in the room. Multiple bodies of their fellow vehicons lay destroyed on the ground near them. As the vehicon took in their features, he froze realizing who that was. There had been ongoing rumors of a tiny white helmeted creature that easily defeated anything in its path. It had spread amongst the troops for a while now gaining infamy. Neither moved an inch, staring at one another. The vehicon became unnerved by the cold stare this prisoner gave him. Eventually, Steve decided to leave, pretending to not have seen anything. He’s dealt with enough chaos for one day. Ghost decided to do the same, allowing the vehicon to live. Now they just had to retrieve their nail and journal to save Fowler.

        Meanwhile, in a random part of the desert. Optimus and Ratchet were confronting Megatron.

      “Optimus! Been well? I see you brought your trusty watchdog. I could certainly be convalescing in a scrap yard by now.” Megatron sneered. Ratchet rolled his optics.

       “Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?” Ratchet said sarcastically to Optimus. The Autobot leader glared at silver mech suspiciously. His optics were now glowing a strange purple hue.

       “I know why you're here, Megatron.”Megatron shook his helm dismissively at Optimus’ words.

       “Hardly a surprise, Optimus. After all, you and I have been at this a long time. And your time has come to an end!” Megatron yelled as he threw a chunk of dark energon into the ground below. The ground cracked open with an otherworldly purple light emanating from it.    

        “Rise, my army!” Megatron commanded. Multiple undead cybertronians burst from the ground. They growled as they turned toward Optimus and Ratchet.

         “By the Allspark.” The medic whispered, his mouth agape. Optimus quietly sighed.

         “Had I known we would be fighting an undead army, I would’ve suggest we brought Ghost.“ Megatron laughed at Optimus’ misfortune. The dark energon within him pulsed as he took command of his new army.

       “Behold the power of Dark Energon!” The Decepticon leader shouted, unaware of the presence within observing him closely.