A/N (IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ): Hey there, guys! Welcome back to the story and… well, I'm not gonna sugar coat this here; this MAY be the last update for the year 2024 before Transformers MHA Month in January. Key word being "may" because I'm honestly having a tough time mapping out how long the Ben 10 RWBY Season Finale is gonna be. I MIGHT have to add an extra chapter onto it if I have to, in which case, I probably will have to take the last three weeks of December to wrap it up. BUT… if it DOES end up being just two chapters, then I'll come back at the very end of the month to kick off Transformers MHA Month early. We'll see what happens.

But, either way, I made this chapter to be a satisfying stopping point for now if the former turns out to be the case, so let's get into it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 81: Burying the Hatchet

…..

The moment the GroundBridge opened before him, Tenya Iida came speeding through into Autobot Base, his breathing frantic and full of worry. When he had gotten the call from Izuku, he felt his stomach drop all the way to his feet, with one thought going through his mind; 'No… no, no, NOT AGAIN!' He hadn't even let Izuku finish before he demanded a GroundBridge to be opened at his location immediately, hanging up soon after. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to get his request granted, and once he was through, he dashed straight for Red Alert's medical bay, screaming for his partner. "STRONGARM!"

…However, what he didn't count on was someone to actually get in his way. "SPECS! Stop, don't go in—AH!"

"GYAH!" *CRASH* Tenya ended up smashing right into this person at full speed, resulting in them landing on the floor in a massive heap. Thankfully, he was the one who took the brunt of the fall, spinning around and hitting his back on the concrete. "Augh—GAH!"

The air was driven out of his lungs as whoever stopped him fell straight on his chest, resulting in him going into a coughing fit. He was about to snap at them for what they did… but then his vision cleared, and he saw that it was actually Mei. "H-Hatsume?!"

"Heh… yep, guilty as charged." The pink-haired girl offered him a smile. "Sorry about that."

"Sorry?! I just ran into you at full speed! What're you apologizing to me for?!"

Mei hummed ponderously, tapping her finger against her chin. "Hmm… that's a good question. Ah, well, it doesn't matter anyways." She then poked her finger against his nose with a strict eye. "What DOES matter is that I can't let you into the medical bay! Red Alert's orders."

"B-But Strongarm—"

"Will be fine, Iida." Just then, the Class President of 1-A was startled to see his classmates surrounding him as well, along with Itsuka, Ibara, Setsuna and Tetsutetsu from 1-B. To his surprise, that's when he realized that everyone was here. Autobot and human partners alike had all gathered together, united in their concern for their teammate. Kyoka had been the one to speak up, however, sternly gazing down at him with her hands on her hips. "If you had given Izuku two seconds longer to explain that before ya hung up, maybe you would've known that." she chided.

Tenya blinked in astonishment. "W-What?"

Eijiro nodded down to him. "Yeah, man, we were worried when we all got the call, but Prime came out just a couple minutes ago and said that she'd be okay."

Said Autobot leader's mighty footsteps shook the floor as he approached, kneeling down in front of the spectacled teen. "I apologize for making you worry, Tenya." Optimus said regretfully. "I suppose I should've had Izuku lead with that information when we made the call."

"N-No, Optimus, don't place the blame upon yourself." Tenya shook his head. "It was I who jumped the gun, as it were."

"And none of us blame you for that either, Iida." Momo assured as everyone gathered around, offering their sympathies. "After all, you've been through so much this past month already. The last thing you need is more bad news."

At that, Mina jumped in and gave Tenya a hearty pat on the back. "Yeah, don't sweat it, Class Prez! Strongarm's going to be alright, and you've got Sideswipe to thank for bringing her back here so fast!"

That bit of news REALLY managed to take Tenya off guard. "I-I'm sorry, but did you say that Sideswipe rescued her?"

"Quite the understatement there." Everyone's heads craned toward Grimlock, the Dinobot standing nearby with Kaida on his shoulder. "Sideswipe saved her life from Swindle." He lifted his hand, revealing the Polarity Gauntlet. "That crazy Con nearly ripped her head off with this, but he came in clutch."

"Uh, what is that, exactly?" Denki asked. "I've been wonderin' about it since we got here."

"A Polarity Gauntlet." Bulkhead answered. "A handy tool for some… and a torture device for others."

Springer winced at the sight. "Yeah, I know these ALL too well. The Cons tried to mass produce these suckers during the war, but the Wreckers were sent in to blow up the entire stock." The Triple Changer shook his head. "Lost a lot of good friends that day. Didn't think that one made it out, but… apparently it did."

"An' my guess is that Alpha Trion sent it to Earth with all the other Iacon Relics." Jazz deduced with a shrug. "Well, guess that means that's one less set of coordinates to decode."

"Question, though;" Flare Up chimed in. "If the Polarity Gauntlet was sent to Earth with relics from Cybertron's past… then do you think a lot of OTHER dangerous weapons could be hidden 'ere, too?"

"Sounds like a strong possibility, if you ask me." Shoto commented.

Kaida crossed her legs, trying to digest everything that was being said. "Man, you guys have got a LOT on your plates. Finding a spaceship, locating missing relics and stasis pods. Sounds overwhelming, if you ask me."

"Zrkt—You got that right, sweetheart." Bumblebee affirmed through his radio.

Izuku went over and offered a hand to help his friend off the ground. "In any case, the main point is that Strongarm's gonna be okay, Iida. So, let's all calm down and keep our heads on. Sound good?"

Tenya went to take his friend's hand with a smile. "Yes, sounds…" But then, he remembered that he couldn't exactly move at the moment since Mei was on top of him. …And it was only then did he realize how Mei was positioned on him, her chest pressed against his. His complexion became a bright shade of red as his head shot straight up to avoid looking at her… assets. "H-Hatsume! This is a VERY compromising position!"

But of course, Mei being Mei, she was completely oblivious. "Huh? Whaddya talking about?"

"J-Just please, let me up!" Tenya stammered.

"Oh, right! Why didn't you say so?" Pushing herself up, Mei went into a crouch and offered her own hand instead. "C'mon, up ya go."

"Th-That's alright, I can—AH!" But the speedster gasped as Mei grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him up to his feet, not taking no for an answer.

Almost everyone else was taken off guard by the mad inventor's show of strength. "Oh my!" Ibara exclaimed. "Where did that come from?!"

"Woah, did you see that?!" Tetsu clenched his fist with an amused smile, having seen Mei's muscles in action. "Hatsume's freakin' jacked, man!"

Setsuna wasn't surprised, though. "Heh, you're only NOW noticing? She's in the Support Course, so she's probably lifting heavy parts and junk all the time making her inventions!"

"Hmhm!" Mei giggled at the attention before striking a powerful pose, flexing her right arm with her left hand on her bicep while winking. "Yep, ya got that right! Makin' my babies takes a lotta hard work, so it's no sweat!"

Tenya cleared his throat, a bit flustered by the action but grateful nonetheless. "A-Ahem, yes, thank you very much, Hatsume. I greatly appreciate it." He took a deep breath and took a look around… only to find that there was one other notable absence apart from Strongarm. "By the way… where is Sideswipe?"

Coming forward from the crowd, Jetfire answered by jabbing a thumb toward the medical bay. "Apart from Red, Sides is the only other bot in there. He hasn't been apart from Strongarm's side since they got back." He directed his optics toward the Dinobot leader. "And Grimlock is refusing to spill the details of what happened until they come out."

"Wait, seriously?" Itsuka said, staring incredulously at Grimlock. "And why exactly is that?"

"Hehe… it's a surprise." Grimlock chuckled knowingly. "And I get the feeling that Sideswipe is gonna want to show you all himself."

Next to him, Airazor folded her arms across her chest. "Hm, yes, that certainly clears it up. Hah, well, it had better be good to keep us in anticipation for this long…" Her optics shifted back toward the medical bay, her expression softening in sympathy. "Still, I cannot imagine what it must've been like for him. He starts getting along with Strongarm and then… that happens."

"Yeah… poor Sideswipe." Windblade lamented, though she wore a small smile all the same. "Still, the fact that they're getting along at all is amazing progress." To that, every Autobot and human in attendance agreed unanimously.

…..

Meanwhile, in the medical bay, Sideswipe sat silently with his hands folded next to the operating table, keeping his head low as he waited. Red Alert had just finished repairing Strongarm not two minutes ago, and the medic had assured the young warrior that she would awaken soon… but he still couldn't help but be worried. "W-What if the magnet messed with her processor or something?" he stammered, wringing his hands nervously. "What if she doesn't remember us? What if—"

"Sideswipe, calm down." Red Alert asserted, placing a firm hand on the red bot's shoulder. "I ran a full diagnostic on her processor and everything is normal. If anything, you should be patting yourself on the back, not worrying." That made Sideswipe crane his head up, his gaze confused. "After all, you managed to get to her just in time. Any later, and her processor might have suffered a catastrophic meltdown."

With a deep intake of air, Sideswipe ran his hands across his helm, trying to pull himself together. "Maybe, but… I just wish I could've done more. …GAH! Why is it only NOW that I realize how much of an aft-shaft I've been?!"

Red Alert tightened his lips, knowing how the young bot must've felt. "…Sideswipe, the way we act in the past doesn't define who we can be." He placed a hand upon his chest. "After all, I've only been on Earth for a few months and… well, I've discovered a fondness for certain things that I once thought as trivial."

"…And that's thanks to Mei, right?"

"Heh, yep." Red smiled affirmably. "And that's the thing; compared to us, human lives move so much faster. We live for thousands of years, and yet our way of life has changed so little. But with humans' shorter lifespans, a major change can happen in a day's time." He gave a nod to his teammate. "And in a way, now that we're here… we may be getting affected by that phenomenon."

"That's… pretty deep, honestly." Sideswipe's attention shifted back to Strongarm. "So… you think if we hadn't come to Earth, we would've argued until the heat death of the universe?"

"Who's to say?" the medic shrugged. "You may have, or you might've finally stopped after a thousand more years." Red once again settled a hand on Sideswipe's shoulder. "But what's most important is that you two have made up now. So I'd say take advantage of this new camaraderie as much as you can." He gave Sideswipe an encouraging thumbs up. "After all, a Decepticon is more afraid of two Autobots who can work together than ones that butt heads all the time."

His remark managed to get a short laugh out of the warrior. "Ha! Yeah, too true." Just then, Sideswipe caught sight of Strongarm's hand twitching, eliciting a gasp. "Ah!"

Before long, Strongarm's whole body was stirring, the cadet lifting her hand to her head as her optics fought to open. "Hmph… ugh, dear Primus, what the pit happened?" Her hand then trailed down to her neck, grimacing at how sensitive it was. "Ugh, and why does my neck feel so stiff?"

"I wouldn't recommend moving it too much right now." Red Alert advised, entering her field of view. "I had to put quite a lot back in there, after all."

Strongarm's optics fully opened, only now processing where she was. "R-Red Alert? We're… back at base?" But then, her optics widened when the memories came rushing back, and she whipped her head around. "Wait, where's—" Her question was cut short when she saw exactly who she was searching for sitting right across from her. With their gazes met, she gave a relieved sigh. "…Sideswipe."

Similarly, Sideswipe let out a nervous breath he had been holding back. "Hah… hey. Welcome back." He reached up and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "You… really gave us a scare."

Strongarm leaned back on the operating table, taking in air through her vents as she recalled what had happened. "Yeah, I'll bet… it really scared me, too." Her gaze drifted down to her feet, contemplating everything. "Truth be told, probably one of the worst pains I've ever experienced. I think I found out what it's like to have your life flash before your optics."

"…I'm sorry." Sideswipe lowered his head. "If I had been faster, I would've—" *KONK* "OW! What the—"

"Don't say "sorry", you nitwit!" Strongarm suddenly snapped, her sights narrowing at him. "No matter how long it took, you still saved me."

Completely taken aback, Sideswipe had no idea what to say to that. "B-But I—"

"No "buts"!" Strongarm dismissed with a swipe of her finger. "Give yourself some credit, Sideswipe. I know that must be a shock hearing that from me, but it's true. You saved my life."

But the young warrior couldn't help but glower in self-pity, still feeling awful. "Y-Yeah, but if I had been a few seconds too late, you might've had your memory core wiped or something! I might not've been able to live that done if—AGH!" Without any warning, Strongarm, ignoring the stiffness in her joints, stood up and grabbed hold of Sideswipe by his collar joint, whipping around to SLAM him against the operating table where she had once laid. "W-What the—"

"Shut up." Strongarm uttered, her voice box cracking as her emotions ran wild. "I want you to listen to me right here, right now, Sideswipe. What you did today… it's proved to me that you're not just some punk." Her piercing glare met his optics, stunning him into silence with just how much sincerity was behind them and her words. "You… you're a reliable teammate. Someone who I now know I can trust on the battlefield."

Once again, Sideswipe was lost for words, even though he did his best to try. "S-Strongarm, I… I appreciate it."

The officer shook her head. "I'm not done. Because today, I think it's safe to say we also learned we can work pretty well together out there." She backed off of him, standing up straight on shaky footing.

Red Alert attempted to bring her back to the table. "Strongarm, please, you need to—"

"I'm good, Red." Strongarm held up a hand, giving a small grin to the medic. "But I appreciate it. Anyway, Sideswipe…" Her optics drifted down to him, though her smile never ceased. "After today, I want to ask something of you."

"Uh… sure." Sideswipe climbed off the table, standing directly in front of her. "Ask away."

Once more, Strongarm's expression became stern, letting Sideswipe know that she was serious about what she wanted to ask. "I know that you and your brother have a good partnership already, and I don't want to break that up in the least…" She became slightly sheepish as she suggested; "But… do you think we could maybe keep working together? As partners?"

That took Sideswipe completely off guard. "P-Partners? With me?" He scratched his helm in astonishment. "Um… wow, I-I honestly didn't see this coming."

"Me either." Strongarm glanced off to the side. "Especially since the way we do things is completely antithetical to one another." She concentrated back on him with a smile. "But, I will admit, your unorthodox way of doing things has really helped me see things from a new perspective today. I don't think I would've thought about rolling our way around the battlefield like that, hehe…"

"Haha, well, that's just me thinking on the fly." Sideswipe chuckled, placing his hands on his hips. "And… I guess I'll say it; sometimes, being level headed in a situation is better than flying off the handle all the time."

Strongarm shot him a knowing look. "…But you'll still be bending the rules, won't you?"

"Oh, if you think I'm not, then you've got another thing coming."

With a small shrug, Strongarm conceded to that. "Ah, well, if there's anything I've learned today, it's that bending the rules is sometimes necessary. Especially if you're in an unusual situation." Her grin faltered a little as she thought back to her teacher. "Hah… Prowl's probably not going to like my new philosophy."

"Probably not, but he never liked ME anyways, so there's that." Sideswipe winked, managing to get a laugh out of Strongarm. With that, he raised his fist to her in solidarity. "And ya know what? This whole thing sounds pretty good to me. Teammates?"

"Haha, yeah. Teammates." Strongarm bumped her knuckles against Sideswipes, only to then flip her hand around while opening her palm, which allowed her to clasp Sideswipe's hand with a firm shake. "…And friends."

The sentiment made Sideswipe shrink back a little, though he shook her hand nonetheless. "Hah, friends, eh? Man, this really feels like a fever dream, doesn't it?"

Once again, Strongarm shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm willing to give it a shot if you are."

"Hey, I didn't say I was opposed, I just said that it's a little surreal."

"Indeed, it is." The sudden inclusion of a certain baritone voice made the dup snap their heads around, seeing Optimus Prime in the doorway. Even though they couldn't see his face, they could tell he was smiling at them just from his optics alone, clearly full of pride the duo. "But nonetheless, I am quite pleased to see the two of you getting along."

The two Autobots fully faced their leader with a salute. "O-Optimus, sir!" Strongarm addressed. "How long have—"

"Long enough, Strongarm." Prime assured, stepping up to them as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "And I am glad to see that you are well, too. But more importantly, I am happy to see that this experience has finally quelled the contention between the two of you, and has forged a bond that I am certain will be unwavering in the battles to come." He gave a nod to Sideswipe. "I am particularly impressed by your growth in maturity, Sideswipe. You certainly seemed to have earned that Cyber Key."

Hearing that, Strongarm was also reminded of the power-up, to which she gave Sideswipe a nudge in the arm. "Hah, that's right! Congrats on the upgrade, Mr. Swordsman."

And again, Sideswipe became sheepish at the praise. "Hah, honestly, that kinda surprised me, too. Not sure how I managed to do it, really…"

"Well, I am certain that Jetfire will have an idea when you tell him about it." Prime assured, gesturing out the doorway. "On that note, everyone else is waiting for you. They're all rather concerned for your wellbeing, after all."

Strongarm did a doubletake. "W-Wait, everyone? They're ALL here?"

Red Alert affirmed her inquiry. "Of course. Mei, Izuku and the others took the time to call them all here after what happened."

Optimus nudged his head out the door. "Correct. And I don't think I have to tell you who's the most worried for you, Strongarm."

"Hah! Oh Primus, that's the LAST thing he needs right now!" Without wasting another nanosecond, Strongarm charged out the door, with Sideswipe hot on her heels. Optimus and Red slowly brought up the rear while the cadet and warrior suddenly became the center of attention, with many murmurs transforming into loud clamors of questions and worried shouts.

"Holy crap, there she is!" "Strongarm! You're okay!" "Sideswipe, bro, what happened?!"

Mina's exclamation, followed by Tenya and Eijiro's shouts only made the clamor intensify, with questions overlapping one after the other. Strongarm's optics darted around, overwhelmed by the sheer number until… *WOO-WOO* …she activated her lightbars and siren, getting everyone to back off. "Woah! Everybody, CHILL!" she insisted, giving them all a firm glare. "I literally only just got up a few minutes ago."

Sideswipe backed her up, raising a hand to the group. "Yeah, guys, give the lady some space. She's already dealt with enough craziness today."

Realizing his misstep, Tenya bowed apologetically. "P-Please, forgive me, Strongarm. I-I was just… well, you know…"

"…Yeah, I do." Strongarm knelt down, gently resting her hand on her human partner's shoulder. "But it's okay, Tenya. I'm okay. Fully repaired, and no bad side-effects." She craned her head around, spotting Grimlock not too far away. "Did they keep their end of the bargain?"

"Yep, it's right here." Holding up the Polarity Gauntlet, Grimlock tossed it over to Red Alert. "Though I think putting it in deep storage is probably the best way to go, don't you?"

The medic nodded without hesitation. "Right. Away from any Decepticons…" His sights trailed back toward the Autobots. "…And out of reach so that no accidents happen."

Bulkhead balked at the suggestion. "Ha! What, you think one of us would "accidentally" turn it on?" The team all gave him a questioning look, many with deadpan stares. "…Ah, yeah, fair. With our luck, something like that's bound to happen."

Red Alert hummed and input a certain set of coordinates into the GroundBridge before activating it. "I'll drop this off at Sector Seven. Please Bridge me back upon my request."

"Of course. See you soon, Red." Optimus promised before Red Alert stepped through the portal, leaving the rest of them to their devices.

"Ahem, so… question." Arcee piped up, taking to the center of the room as she eyed Sideswipe and Strongarm questioningly. "You two asked Grimlock if "they kept their end of the bargain" just now." She placed her hands on her hips expectantly. "But who exactly is "they"? And what sort of deal did you strike?"

Springer was also fairly suspicious. "Yeah… ya didn't make a deal with Cons, did you?" Almost immediately, he saw the guilty expressions on the duo's faces, along with Grimlock glancing away. "Oh, for frag's sake—I KNEW it! What the hell?!"

"What?! Guys, you can't be serious!" Kyoka exclaimed, galled by the idea. "I dunno if you forgot, but making deals with Decepticons never goes well!"

Izuku tried to calm his best friend down, though. "K-Kyoka, wait, you haven't heard the full story yet." he reasoned, gesturing up to the three. "Sideswipe, Strongarm and Grimlock can tell you exactly what happened… and trust me, you're gonna want to hear it."

Kaida reached out and knocked her hand against Grimlock's helm with an amused smirk. "Heheh, yeah guys! Tell 'em exactly what happened." She glanced down to Sideswipe and Strongarm, the two now unified in a discomforting scowl. "They need every. Single. Detail."

"…We're gonna live to regret this, aren't we?" Sideswipe whispered.

"Oh, very much so." Strongarm confirmed.

…..

As the two had predicted, by the end of the recounting… everyone was laughing hysterically. Human and Autobot alike were all guffawing as Grimlock projected the image of Sideswipe, Strongarm, Skywarp and Shadow Striker all stuck back-to-back from his optics. It could only be described as "humiliating" and "compromising" positions, and everybody found it hilarious. So much so that the humans had to move outside to get some air. …And even then, they didn't stop. "AHAHAHA! Dude, you've gotta be kidding me!" Eijiro belted out in tears as he pointed at the picture, much to Sideswipe's chagrin.

Arcee couldn't contain her giggles either, especially seeing how miserable her arch enemy was. "Heeheehee! Okay, THIS makes up for teaming with the Cons. I am so going to treasure this image forever."

"That is SO bad!" Kyoka exclaimed, struggling to hold herself up as she laughed while she and Momo used each other as supports.

"Hmhmhm… I-I'm sorry, Strongarm, but… hahaha! That has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen!" Tenya said, feeling truly sorry for his friend but unable to contain his laughter. The way the picture depicted how fed up the duo were of their magnetized state was just too much.

And there wasn't much that Sideswipe and Strongarm could do other than just take it, though they were caught off guard when a chuckling Sunstreaker came up behind them and wrapped his arms around their shoulders. "Hehehe… h-hey, don't worry about it too much, you guys. At least you came out of this situation… CLOSER than ever! BAHAHAHA!"

The only ones who wasn't laughing were Shoto and Optimus, the latter of whom was trying his best to reel everything in. "Alright, alright, that is enough." At his commanding tone, the laughter eventually died down, though everyone was still sporting full smiles. "I am aware that this must seem amusing to you all, but need I remind you that this nearly had a tragic ending." At that, things took a more solemn turn as the group collectively frowned, now feeling quite awkward. "Hm, I would suggest that you all show a bit more sympathy for your comrades."

"Yeah, you're right…" Ochako admitted, twiddling her fingers guiltily. "Sorry, guys."

"Ah… it's no problem." Sideswipe brushed off. "Honestly, we kinda deserve it for being dumb for so long."

Strongarm concurred without question. "Yeah. Guess that's what we get for being at each other's throats." She shared a small grin with the red Lambo Brother and raised a fist to him. "But thankfully, that won't be happening anymore, right?"

Sideswipe bumped his fist with hers once again. "Yep, we're pretty chill now."

Many sighs were heard amongst the humans at that news. "Hah, what a relief." Denki wiped his brow. "And here I thought you two would argue until the end of time!"

"Kaminari!" Ibara chastised with a soft glare. "No need to be so blunt about it!"

"Guh! S-Sorry!"

As the blonde bowed to the Vine user for forgiveness, Eijiro couldn't help but wonder; "But uh… how exactly did you save Strongarm in the first place?" he asked Sideswipe. "You kinda left that part out of your story, Sides."

Sunstreaker's optics narrowed skeptically. "Hey, yeah, he makes a good point. From the sound of it, you just went from being trapped under a piece of scrap to saving the whole day. What happened in between?"

The questions only made Sideswipe smile knowingly, a short chortle passing his lips. "Hmhmhm… oh, guys, you are TOTALLY gonna get a kick out of this. Hey, Jetfire!" Once he had the second-in-command's attention, Sideswipe lifted his forearms, gesturing to the new slots that were near his elbows. "This look familiar to ya?"

"…What?" Jetfire was completely gob smacked by what he was seeing, only for his features to shift into an excited smile. "Hah… HAHA! No fraggin' way!" He gave Sideswipe a single big clap as he came over to inspect the slots closer. "Oh-ho-ho, Sideswipe, you lucky spawn of a glitch. These are the real deal alright!"

By then, the other Autobots had finally caught notice, and a collective gasp rang out across the team. "Ah! B-By Trion's beard!" Windblade exclaimed.

"No way!" Flare Up beamed as she clapped for her friend as well. "Haha! Way to go, Sideswipe! Talk about a real upgrade!"

"You can't be serious." Sunstreaker uttered, his gaze now full of jealousy for his brother. "Is that really what I think it is?"

The humans, on the other hand, were just perplexed. "Uh, 'scuse me, but what exactly are those?" Itsuka inquired, crossing her arms. "Not all of us are experts on Transformer anatomy, you know." Mei went to raise her hand, but Itsuka raised a finger to her. "I said all." The inventor promptly lowered her hand sheepishly.

"Heheh… well, Itsuka, I suggest you stand back." Sideswipe said with a self-confident grin, taking center stage in the middle of the gathering. "Because this is gonna blow your mind. HYAAAAAAHH!" Belting out a powerful scream, Sideswipe was suddenly surrounded by a pulsating, blue aura, the humans and Autobots backing away in astonishment. The energy then shot skyward and, from above, it hardened into a solid, key-shaped form before SLAMMING into the slots on Sideswipe's arms. "CYBER KEY POWER!"

The team were completely slack jawed as the energon blades popped out of Sideswipe's arms, followed by his feet shifting up and allowing his rear wheels to take their place. And, quicker than any of them could comprehend, the warrior began zooming around, tearing up dirt and slicing patterns into the grass. By the time he stopped, it was revealed that he had recreated the Autobot sigil in the Earth, which he was incredibly proud of. "Pretty slick, huh?!"

The crowd were still almost completely stunned by what they were seeing, especially those who had only heard of the phenomenon before, but never seen it. "Woah-ho-ho!" Tetsutetsu pumped his fists in amazement. "So that's a Cyber Key, huh?! Man, talk about power!"

"Indeed, the initial burst was incredibly overwhelming." Ibara muttered. "And the results are… quite substantial."

Setsuna gave Sideswipe a thumbs up. "Hahaha! Hell yeah, dude! Good on ya! Those swords are somethin' else!"

Airazor, though was still trying to comprehend all of this. "But… how is this even possible?" The Maximal craned her head over to the Autobot jet. "Jetfire, you told us that you had to receive spiritual training from another to achieve your Cyber Key power. How did Sideswipe do so if he hasn't had that same instruction?"

After giving it a moment's thought, Jetfire recalled something that he had been told by that very instructor. "Ya know… I'm pretty sure that Dai Atlas mentioned something like this to me during my lessons." He placed his hand over his spark. "He said that, in order to summon a Cyber Key, I had to calm the turmoil in my spark and mind, let go of my consuming rage against Sky Byte. …But he said that this was only one way to bring forth a Cyber Key."

"Really?" Ochako tilted her head. "Then what's the other one?"

"Something a bit… more drastic." Striding forward, Jetfire rejoined Sideswipe, who was still showing off his new loadout with different poses. But his posing came to a halt when Jetfire addressed him. "Sideswipe… how'd you feel when you saw what Swindle was doing to Strongarm?"

At the question, Sideswipe's power subsided, his blades and wheels retracting back into his body. "Well, I felt… scared." His expression hardened and his fists tightened at his sides as he remembered. "…And angry. Helpless, even. Like there was nothing I could do. All of those feelings just got worse when I looked at Swindle's stupid, smug face. The fact that he enjoyed what he was doing made my energon boil. Then I kinda just… FWOOSH! Summoned the Cyber Key right then and there."

Jetfire smirked at him, his optics glinting behind his visor. "Hehe, yep, knew it. That's Burning Spirit, for sure."

All at once, there came a collective; "Burning Spirit?!" from the crowd, followed by Bumblebee exclaiming; "Zrkt—The HELL is that?!"

"Burning Spirit." Optimus repeated. "I have heard of this power before." The Prime placed a hand over his chest. "It is when a Cybertronian's spark and mind are reinforced by powerful psychokinetic energies by experiencing so many powerful emotions all at once. This energy is built up to the point of overflowing within the body, which is what causes the incredible aura that we just saw."

"That's right." Jetfire poked a finger against Sideswipe's chest for emphasis. "Then, once it reaches max, it BURSTS out and makes ya stronger! Dai Atlas said that it's capable of making miracles happen, and in that sense, I think that took the form of your Cyber Key." He knocked a fist against Sideswipe's shoulder. "Heh, congrats, kid. You're pretty lucky."

"Understatement of the CENTURY there." Sunstreaker said as he went over and nudged his brother with his elbow. "And totally unfair! How is it that you get a Cyber Key and I don't?!"

"Hey, not my fault, bro!" Sideswipe pointed finger guns at his brother. "I'm just that good."

Sunstreaker grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "Hmph! Well then, I guess I'll just have to try and get this "Burning Spirit" thing to happen to me then."

The statement made Springer snicker a little. "Heh, best of luck with that, kid."

"Yeah, no offense, Sunny, but I don't think you can force something like that…" Flare Up pointed out. "It's gotta be natural, ya know?"

The yellow Lambo Brother's shoulders sagged at the revelation. "Ugh… great. And it's not like life-threatening situations are easy to replicate…"

"Nor SHOULD they." Optimus lightly reprimanded, which made Sunstreaker apologize profusely for even bringing it up. "In any case, this is cause for celebration. The Polarity Gauntlet is in our possession…" His sights trailed toward Sideswipe and Strongarm. "Our team's bond is stronger than it's ever been. And Swindle's alliance with M.E.C.H. has been absolved."

"Yeah, but now he's with the Decepticons." Jazz stated. "An' who knows what Megs has got cookin' up in his processor for Swindle."

Prime nodded solemnly. "That is admittedly concerning. However, there is not much we can do about it at the moment. Right now, we should refocus our efforts on locating fragments of the Ark… or, if possible, the stasis pods that fell from it." The Autobot leader craned his head down toward the humans. "And as for you all… I believe that you still have a week to go before your final exams. I feel it'd be unwise to shirk in your studies, right?"

"Ah, yes! Indeed, Optimus!" Tenya replied, chopping the air in his usual stilted fashion as he addressed his classmates. "Everyone, it's about time we return home to our studies! Remember, our summer camp attendance is on the line!"

The other students gave a collective groan at the reminder. "Uuuugh… yeah. Plus, Toru, Ojiro and Sero are probably wondering where we are by this point." Mina pointed out.

Eijiro rubbed his neck guiltily. "Yeah, plus I made some dumb excuse to ditch Bakugo's tutoring session early, too."

"H-Hold on, back up there!" Izuku reeled back in surprise. "Did you say… that Kacchan was the one tutoring you?"

"I mean, yeah." The spikey redhead shrugged. "He DOES have one of the highest grade-point averages in the whole class, so I figured "why not"?" Eijiro eyed Izuku sympathetically. "And I mean, no offense Midoriya, I knew if I asked you to tutor me, that'd make him even more pissed, so there's that."

"O-Oh, no! I think it's great, Kirishima!" Izuku smiled. "Kacchan might be… well, him, but he's also smarter than everyone gives him credit for. After all, if he didn't keep his grades up, he'd have never made it into U.A. at all." He gave his friend a supportive nod. "Plus, as I said before, I think having you around genuinely mellows him out a bit." He reached his hand out to Eijiro. "I'm glad that he has an actual friend around, you know?"

That made Eijiro's smile return and he clasped his hand with Izuku's. "Hah, yeah, I know. And don't worry… I've been slipping in the occasional good word for ya."

At that point, Kyoka leaned in on the conversation with a deadpan stare. "And how has that worked out so far?"

"…Lotsa grumbling. Not much else."

"Hm. Well, at least he's not swearing up a storm, I guess." The purplette rolled her eyes as she nudged Izuku's arm. "Anyway, it's time we got back to studying. If we all wanna get to that Summer Camp, we're gonna need it." She winked up and saluted to Izuku. "See ya tomorrow, Green Bean."

"Yeah, of course." Izuku reciprocated with a thumbs up, and on that note, the humans began filing back toward the GroundBridge, each ready to go back home.

As they did, however, Optimus couldn't help but dwell on Jazz's words. Of course, the fact that Swindle and Skullcruncher were back with the Decepticons WAS quite concerning… but he could only wonder what Megatron had in mind for them. Because while Swindle was one thing… the team that he had been a part off before breaking off from the Decepticons was even MORE concerning. If they ALL came here, they would be woefully unprepared. 'For all of our sakes…' the Prime thought as he craned his head up toward the sunset orange sky. '…I hope that it is not what I think it is.'

…..

Meanwhile, across the world in Canada, the mood within the bridge of the Darksyde was incredibly tense. The dimly lit room was filled with Vehicons dutifully doing their assigned tasks, while the higher ranking Decepticons were gathered around the main console, standing in anxious silence. And it was for good reason, because their leader was currently glaring down at them from the communication screen, his mighty fingers rapping against his chair irritably. Megatron had called in for his weekly status report twenty cycles ago, and yet the only subordinates who'd shown up were Unicronus, Sky Byte, Blastwave and Flatline. The rest were nowhere to be seen, making him understandably agitated. "…Unicronus."

"Y-Yes sir?" the general uttered, taking off guard.

"I grow impatient." *SLAM* "Where is Starscream?!"

As the Decepticon leader's fist rang out cacophonous rumble from smashing it against his chair, the other Cons quickly tried to calm him down. "I-I'm certain that he's here, my lord!" Unicron assured. "We've double checked every sensor and they all say that he's on the ship!"

"Then WHY is he not here?!" Megatron roared, his lips curling into a snarl as his optics shifted to his old friend. "Sky Byte, you are CERTAIN you know nothing about this, correct?" His sights narrowed dangerously. "Because if you are lying to me again…"

But Sky Byte vehemently denied the accusation. "N-No, of course not, Lord Megatron!" Bowing his head, the Sharkticon pleaded his case. "I haven't seen Starscream much at all recently! He's mostly just been confined to his quarters since… well… his last failure."

If anything, that only made Megatron angrier. "Excuses! What is he, a sparkling who's sad he got his feelings hurt?! If he were a true Decepticon, he would fasten his armor and take initiative, not wallow in his own self-pity." His gaze landed on Blastwave, who stood at attention without wasting a second. "Blastwave, go find Starscream and being him here. DRAG him back if you have to."

"Understood, sir!" Blastwave saluted, making his way over to the bridge door… only for it to open the very next second. "…Found him!"

Flatline and the others perked their heads up. "Hmph, took zem long enough."

Just as Blastwave said, Starscream and the rest of the main Decepticon crew came strolling in, all of them wearing confident grins as if they hadn't been late at all. Thundercracker and Skywarp flanked their brother, while Barricade, Swift, Nightra and Shadow Striker backed the Seekers up. Once they made it to the main floor of the bridge, they all bowed before Megatron, even as his glare pierced through their very sparks. "Lord Megatron." Starscream addressed.

His second-in-command's casual tone almost sent Megatron over the edge… but he restrained himself to a low growl. "Starscream… you're late."

"I am aware, my liege, and I apologize for the wait." Starscream rose back to his feet, prompting his followers to do the same. "However, we had a bit of a… difficult time preparing the surprise we have for you."

"…A surprise?" Part of Megatron was intrigued by what Starscream had to say. …And another part was equally skeptical of what this was.

Starscream held his head up confidently, making sure to shook Unicronus a smug glance before going on. "Indeed! A surprise that I think you will be quite pleased by. To be completely transparent—" He was cut off when a few chuckles rang through the room, prompting him to glare over the sides at the Vehicons below. "…Ahem, ever since you stripped my commanding position away, I have been working hard to regain your favor. And today, our mission proved to be a great success!"

Unicronus narrowed his optics at Starscream. "Mission? What mission?"

"Well, heh… that's the interesting part." Nightra spoke up before Starscream could, much to his chagrin. "Here's the thing; I may have neglected to tell you about the little magnetic flux that was detected earlier today. Turns out, it was a Polarity Gauntlet."

"WHAT?!" Unicronus barked.

Megatron, however, was intrigued. "A Polarity Gauntlet? You don't say… if you truly have retrieved it, then that would be a great advantage, indeed."

Starscream cleared his throat. "Ahem, yes… about that…"

"You failed, didn't you?"

The Seeker commander lowered his head slightly. "Failed to retrieve the gauntlet… yes. It is now in the hands of the Autobots." Megatron's low growl threatened to evolve into a vengeful roar, but Starscream raised a reassuring hand. "HOWEVER… in the process, we recovered a much GREATER advantage for the Decepticon forces." He saw that Megatron's glare didn't let up, so he decided that now was the time. "Skywarp?"

"Yes, sir. Guards! Bring them in!" At the purple Seeker's command, the door to the bridge slid open again, revealing several Vehicons on the other side. …And they holding two OTHER Decepticons at gunpoint.

"Vhat is… mein gott." Flatline's optics widened as the guards ushered the prisoners in, allowing them to be led into the light. Standing before them all were none other than Swindle and Skullcruncher, the latter bound by stasis cuffs while the other… was stuck to his back with an arm cut off… and stuck to his chest. "…I cannot believe zis."

Sky Byte and Unicronus were also awestruck, though the former slowly smiled and scratched his chin. "My, my, now THIS is quite the twist." He eyed the general, whose face was twitching at the sight of the two. "Starscream ended up lucking out, it seems."

The only one who wasn't being subtle about the whole thing was Blastwave, who broke out into hysterics upon seeing the two. "BAHAHAHA! You MUST be joking!" He eyed Skullcruncher in particular, who seemed irritated upon seeing the heavily-armed Decepticon. "SKULLCRUNCHER! HAHAHA! Blastwave cannot believe what he is seeing! This is most humiliating position I have ever seen you in! PFFT—HAHAHAHA!"

The Croctobot snarled at Blastwave's taunts, wanting so badly to rip off his head. "…Yeah, yeah, go ahead an' YUCK it up, Blastwave—GAH!"

He was promptly prodded in the back by one of the guards, who held a taser rod in his hand. "Keep moving." Thankfully, Skullcruncher complied, much to Swindle's chagrin. The charlatan of a businessman could only tremble in silent dread as he was brought directly before the Decepticon leader, who was just as astonished as everyone else seemed to be. The guards forced Skullcruncher to his knees, where he hung his head as he whispered;

"…Sorry, kid."

"Hah… it's not yer fault, Skully." Swindle whispered. "I had a feelin' I couldn't outrun 'em for long. …Just wish it was under different circumstances."

Starscream, meanwhile, was still waxing poetic before his leader, presenting his prisoners. "Lord Megatron, I present to you… the deserters."

The Emperor of Destruction himself seemed to regard the two with both contempt… and amusement, a malicious smile overtaking his features. "…Swindle. Skullcruncher."

"Uh, hehe… g-greetings, Lord Megatron!" Swindle addressed as best he could from his position, trying to nervously work his way through this meeting. "N-Now, I know what you're probably thinking, but really, this whole thing is just one HUGE misundersta—"

"Ah-ah, wait one moment…" Megatron raised a finger as he stood up from his throne. "Hold that thought. …I'll be right back." And just like that, Megatron left, almost unceremoniously so. Which, of course, left the Decepticons with nothing but an awkward, confused silence.

"…So… did you know he would—"

"No, no I didn't." Starscream answered Swindle, completely baffled.

Thundercracker scratched his helm, with others eyeing the screen waiting for something to happen. "I know that Lord Megatron can be unpredictable sometimes, but this is—"

Just then, an extremely loud voice from the other end of the call cut off the blue Seeker, startling everyone in the process. "He's WHERE?!" The bot sounded both incredulous and full of rage, his deep voice reaching a crescendo that put the fear of Primus into Swindle upon hearing it. And even more so when he heard the sound of rapidly approaching footfalls, the owner of the voice breaking into a full-on sprint.

"…Oh no." Swindle squeaked out, just before he heard the door to Megatron's throne room get smashed in.

"SWINDLE!" The owner of the voice came into view on the screen, and Swindle flinched on reflex. The bot was a towering, heavily armored force of intimidation, his dark blue and olive-green plating making for a very militaristic appearance. His squared helm was the same shade of blue and he had a bright orange visor, with his silver faceplate matching as stand outs in his overall darker color scheme. Certain parts of his chest were also silver, and he also had two large cannons sticking out of his back, though from their vantage point, that was the only other distinct detail they could see. The rest of his body from the chest down was obscured by the screen. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" he bellowed.

The rest of the Decepticons were all taken aback by his sudden appearance, with some now just as terrified as Swindle. "O-Onslaught!" Swift stammered notably shaken from the Combaticon leader's appearance.

"That's GENERAL Onslaught to you fraggers!" barked the militaristic Decepticon before scanning his optics around for his query. "Now where in the ever-living pit is… ah. THERE you are." He immediately took note of how Swindle tried to make himself look smaller on Skullcruncher's back, with the Predacon standing up straight to obscure him. "…Skullcruncher."

"Onslaught." the Croctobot spat bat. "How awful to see you again."

With a dismissive scoff, Onslaught replied; "Likewise. Now turn around. I want to see him."

But Skullcruncher stood his ground. "And what if I don't want to—AUGH!" Without warning, Blastwave came in and STOMPED on Skullcruncher's knee, bringing him back down to the floor. The munitions expert then took the Predacon by his shoulders and forcibly spun him around, revealing Swindle to Onslaught.

The Combaticon leader seemed pleased by that. "Thank you, Blastwave."

"Is what Blastwave does, general."

With an acknowledging hum, Onslaught then moved his focus down to the trembling Swindle, whom he regarded with disappointment and scorn. "Well, well, well… so, you thought you could outrun your duty, eh, Swindle?"

The con artist gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah, hehe… Onslaught! I-It's been too long!" Swindle saw that Onslaught's glare wasn't letting up, so he continued to pivot away from the question. "And, uh, hehe… i-it's certainly been a wild ride getting here—"

"Shut UP!" Onslaught roared, making Swindle flinch again. "You're deflecting again! No more excuses! Do you have ANY idea how much of a pain it's been to hunt down these Autobot resistance stragglers without you?! Without you, we don't have a leg to stand on!" If possible, Onslaught's glare only intensified, his visor shifting from orange to red. "…And I mean that QUITE literally."

Upon hearing that, Swindle's expression went from utter fear… to being twisted in rage and anguish. '…Nothing has changed.' He raised his head, glaring back at his "team leader". "Oh… I get it. So you still see me as nothing more than a support strut for that lumbering OAF of a combiner!"

Onslaught only leaned in on the argument. "Well, if you were more of a team player, then maybe I'd be singing a different tune!"

"Oh, that's just a heaping PILE of slag! How do you treat the others any better?!"

However, the Combaticon commander could easily answer that question, counting off on his fingers; "Well, let's see, Blast Off is a trusted espionage agent and tactician. Vortex is excellent at aerial support and his interrogation skills are beyond compare. Brawl is… well, he's Brawl, not much to explain there." He then pointed down accusingly at his subordinate. "But as for you, YOU were recruited into the Combaticons because of your expertise in munitions. If you had dedicated yourself to that as intended, then we wouldn't have this problem." He crossed his arms disappointedly. "But no, all you seem care about is selling your product… at EXORBITANT prices, might I add! Charlatan!"

Swindle's optics twitched at the remark. "Hey! I may be a charlatan, but at least I'm not…" He began counting on his own fingers; "Narcissistic, insane, and ferocious unlike all of THOSE idiots! In that order!" He then shifted his finger toward Onslaught himself. "And then there's YOU, you quick-tempered piece of scrap metal! Between the four of you, it's any WONDER how our combined form can FUNCTION properly!" He lifted his head proudly. "And at least I know how to actually PROFIT off of this war! We literally do NOT get paid a fair compensation as soldiers for the cause!"

"…Hate to admit it, but he's got a point." Swift mumbled under her breath to her comrades. "Most reason we keep fighting is 'cause we're afraid of—"

"Alright, that's enough!" Megatron shouted, signaling his return as he took Onslaught by the shoulder, ushering him away from the screen. "Hah, I knew you two wouldn't settle this in an orderly manner, but it's best to draw the line here."

Onslaught tried to argue against it, though. "But Lord Megatron! He's just basically insulted the cause right in your presence! You can't let that go unpunished!"

"And I don't intend to." Megatron assured, his optics shifting back to the con artist. "Swindle… you disappoint me. So much potential in such a conniving mind such as yours. However, while your teammates may be narcissistic, insane, ferocious and quick-tempered, you are ignoring your own vice… your insatiable greed." He narrowed his sights at Swindle questioningly. "After all, what good is money when Cybertron has yet to be rebuilt? I had planned to reward every single one of my living soldiers handsomely upon the war's end, believe it or not."

That… managed to take Swindle off guard. "…S-Seriously?"

"Indeed. I may be a tyrant, but I don't expect my followers to do anything for free." Megatron waved his hand. "As someone who worked in the mines, I am well aware of what THAT is like. …However, in your abandonment of the cause, I am rethinking YOUR compensation." He looked down upon Swindle with disappointment. "…As well as your life in general."

All at once, Swindle was once again pleading for his very existence. "W-Wait, Lord Megatron, please, I-I can still be of use to you, I swear!"

"Can you, now?" Onslaught said sarcastically.

Swindle huffed back at him; "Hmph, of course! I wouldn't have gotten this far if I didn't have anything that wasn't useful." His businessman smile came back as he rubbed his knuckles against his chest. "In fact, I believe I have quite an advantage that you might be interested in. You see, my time here on Earth has yielded some… interesting allies. Of course, they're human, but they're driven by a cause that is quite interesting."

And just like that, Megatron's interest was piqued. "What? You… you've made allies with humans?"

"They call themselves "M.E.C.H.". And their goal is to bring about a new world order on this planet through the use of technology." Swindle clenched his fist for emphasis. "They also wish to topple this world's Quirk-based society, seeing as they are all part of the twenty percent of humans without superpowers."

Starscream was liking this the more he heard it. "…Which means that they have a vendetta against heroes!" He grinned maliciously to his leader. "Lord Megatron, I highly advise looking into this "M.E.C.H." as potential allies against the Autobots. If we can give them what they wish… then perhaps they will aid US in our endeavors in return."

Just then, Unicronus interjected, getting right in Starscream's face. "Woah, woah, hold on just a moment!" He spun back around toward his master. "Lord Megatron, I implore you; think CAREFULLY. We're going off the word of a known scam artist, and he's being endorsed by Starscream of all bots." He threw his hands up incredulously. "How could we POSSIBLY trust anything that they have to say?!"

It was then that Skullcruncher decided to pipe up. "Heh, it ain't like ya got much of a chance, general." He peered over his shoulder to Unicronus, who glared back skeptically. "Yer all havin' trouble with the Autobots, so why not take a chance? 'Sides, with Grimlock on their side now, ya need all the help you can get."

"Hm… true." Megatron said, having been informed of the Dinobot's return during their last communication. He eyed Swindle once again. "And you are certain they'd be willing to cooperate?"

"Of course! …If we can find them, that is." Swindle's expression soured toward Skywarp and Shadow Striker, the duo grimacing right back. "Thanks to THESE two apprehending me, their leader was forced to retreat. Thankfully, I know a few of their base locations, so all we'd have to do is look around a little."

After another moment's contemplation, Megatron came to his decision. "…Very well, Swindle. We will go with your plan."

Swindle's optics shined with hope while Unicronus' burned with annoyance. "REALLY?!" they both shouted.

"BUT…" Megatron held a finger up, stopping the duo from jumping to conclusions. "…to ensure that there are no double crosses, you are going to play this game MY way." Swindle's hope was dimmed as the Decepticon leader addressed Flatline. "Doctor, if you would be so kind, please plant a bomb in Swindle's head." And just like that, Swindle's expression became full of despair. "And I want you to give Unicronus the detonator."

"WHAT?!" Both Swindle and Skullcruncher exclaimed.

Unicronus, however, was grinning with excitement. "Oh… thank you, Lord Megatron. I'm certain that'll keep 'em in check."

Flatline clapped his hands with aplomb. "Oh, indeed! Hehe, I've been vanting to do something like zis for a vhile…" He snapped his fingers, calling for his assistant. "Blastwave! Escort zem to ze medical bay, if you vould. First, we must separate zem before ze procedure can begin!"

Dutifully, Blastwave went to grab Skullcruncher once again. "Yes, doctor!" The Predacon attempted to struggle, but his stasis cuffs proved to be too debilitating. With another kick to the knee and a punch to the face, Blastwave knocked him out cold. Falling to his front side, that left Swindle to stare up in horror as Blastwave, Flatline and Sky Byte all gathered around him, the latter reciting a haiku;

"Here, let me give you

A hand. I enjoy watching

Deserters suffer."

"N-No, please! STOP!" But Swindle's cries fell on deaf audio receptors as the group began dragging Skullcruncher's body out, and by proxy, him too. "Th-This is madness! Starscream, please! Don't let them do this!"

"Hm… no, I think this is an apt punishment." Starscream dismissed, much to Swindle's shock. "What better way to keep a deserter such as yourself in check?" He sent a mocking wave goodbye to the con artist, complete with a condescending smile. "Have fun!" Swindle proceeded to scream for mercy all the way out of the room, but once the door closed, his muffled shouts only became softer and softer as he got farther away.

The Cons could hear Onslaught groaning on the other end of the comm. "Ugh, I wish I was there to oversee that… I'd make SURE he stays in line this time."

"Worry not, Onslaught, your time will come." Megatron assured. "Now go. Inform the rest of your team of this news. I will handle the rest."

On that note, the Combaticon leader saluted and left, which prompted Starscream to clear his vocal processor. "Ahem, well, it would seem that business is about to pick up for us." He sent a knowing glance toward Unicronus. "Wouldn't you say so?"

As much as the general didn't want to admit it, they now had a rather generous boon to their operation. Swindle, Skullcruncher, AND potential human allies… it was almost too good to be true. He approached the Seeker commander, standing so that they were just mere inches away from each other. "Starscream… I'll be frank; don't like how you went under my nose like this. But… if this goes well, we may have a decent chance against the Autobots on this planet, so I'll let it slide."

Megatron piped up once again. "I believe you mean I will let it slide, general." he corrected before once again focusing on his second-in-command. "Starscream, your acquisition has proven bountiful, I will admit. So, in return, you are hereby reinstated into your position as commander." Before either Starscream or his followers could break out into celebration, Megatron pointed a stern finger at them. "BUT… my away team WILL soon arrive on planet Earth. I expect nothing but cooperation, so if I hear of ANY slip-ups, it will be on YOUR head. Do I make myself clear?"

"…Yes, Lord Megatron." Starscream uttered, swallowing his pride for a moment to make sure that his position was kept secure. "I will make certain that the arriving Decepticons will be fully accommodated here."

"Excellent. Now, before we adjourn this meeting, there is one final subject I wish to address…" Megatron's red optics went back to Unicronus, his countenance very serious. "General… I believe the time had come. With more of our forces converging on Earth, we need something to deal a substantial blow to the Autobots' morale." His optics narrowed as he elaborated; "It is time to show them… who you truly are."

The entire bridge became silent at their leader's declaration, with Unicronus himself having given pause. "…You are certain, my liege?" His response was a single, silent nod, Megatron's stern gaze being all the answer he needed. …And in turn, Unicronus and the rest of the Decepticons all put on rather insidious grins. "…Well then. When the opportunity presents itself, that is exactly what I'll do."

The same kind of smile made its way to Megatron's face as well. "Good… Optimus Prime will soon know what it's like… to know the sting of misery and despair."

…..

A/N: Hm… quite the ominous note to end on. Just what does Megatron mean when he says that Unicronus should show the Autobots "who he truly is"? And why are the Decepticons so confident that it'll break the Autobots' spirits? It's all quite foreboding, to be sure, but we're gonna have to get those answers at another time.

Because right now, HOO BOY, Swindle's not gonna have a fun time now that he's back with the Decepticons. Getting a bomb placed into your head as a form of ensuring obedience definitely ain't pleasant. …Though it also isn't anything new for an incarnation of Swindle either, since it famously happened to him ALL the way back in Generation 1 after he sold his teammates for spare parts. As you can probably tell, Swindle was never the biggest team player for the Combaticons, and that extends to this story as well. He LOATHES his teammates with a burning passion, especially Onslaught for viewing him as lesser. The fact that he referred to him as a "leg to stand on" goes to show that.

But of course, while Megatron wants to ensure that his troops are well off AFTER the war, this is still war, so any measure he can take to ensure loyalty is one that he'll happily do. Swindle's just lucky that he knows where M.E.C.H. is and that they can serve as the Decepticons' allies… barring Silas is still willing to work with them. …But hey, on the bright side, Starscream's got his commanding position back! Let's see it he can keep it, though…

Meanwhile, back with the Autobots, it says something when the entire team drops everything that they're doing to make sure that one of their own is okay. And that includes the students all putting a pause on their studies. And of course, Tenya's the one most concerned for Strongarm, though thankfully, Mei managed to stop him from flying completely off the handle. And as for Strongarm herself, she's probably gonna be feeling a bit stiff for a little while… but even so, her and Sideswipe have officially buried the hatchet! Battlefield partners and budding friends for the win!

And then, of course, Sideswipe's gotta show off his new Cyber Key for the crowd, which they're predictably all into. And yes… Burning Spirit IS a thing in Transformers lore. Granted, it used to be referred to as "Burning Justice", but I think that term's been retired since it's a bit TOO on the nose. And while I do think that term SOUNDS cooler, "Burning Spirit" ultimately makes more sense. On that note, however, this is where I'll be leaving things for now. So whether I catch you guys at the end of the month or at the beginning of January, Next Time will be the start of Transformers MHA Month… so on that note;

And now, The Preview! The time has finally come… Final Exams. The students have been prepping for this for the past three weeks, so let's see if they got what it takes to go beyond and snag that summer camp trip! However… something's a bit different here. How will Class 1-A handle things… when an unexpected player is thrown into the mix? Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll catch you all next time! Stay safe out there, and as always…

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!