A/N: Morning, everybody! We're back with Transformers MHA and back to a Friday upload! Granted, this chapter IS shorter than the last one, but no less important. Because now, not only are we getting vehicle modes for our newest arrivals—and that includes the Cons AND Roadbuster—but we're also gonna be learning more details on the next BIG Decepticon operation. So with all that being said, let's just jump into it, shall we? This is…

Chapter 93: Conflict on the Horizon

…..

"COME ON! Who's next?! I'll take on EVERY LAST ONE of you SONS OF BITCHES! RAAAHH!"

To say that the outcome of Prometheus Black's serum was unexpected was unexpected would be putting it lightly to those who witnessed it. They had anticipated that Otto Augustine's Quirk would simply just be enhanced, given him stronger finger tentacles or something along those lines. What they weren't prepared for was seeing the military man turned mercenary get mutated into some sort of bipedal octopus beast that didn't even appear human in any way aside from his main arms. Between the hardened teal armor on his legs, the muscley magenta flesh of his upper body, and his new violent demeanor, they were convinced that the man called "Octopunch" had just been changed into a monster.

"By the lord!" the Angry Archer announced, reaching behind him to bring out one of his high-tech arrows as well as his compact bow. "The man has transformed into a vile creature of unholy terror! Everyone, stand your ground!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Thundercracker concurred, bringing out his Pulse Rifle and charging it up to aim it at the former man. "He's completely lost it!"

"Agreed, little brother." Slipstream concurred, aiming her own arm blasters at the beast. Blitzwing brought out his freeze ray while the guns on Lugnut's chest shifted downward, the recently arrived trio taking aim with him. "Decepticons, stand your ground!"

As the humans and Decepticons all aimed at the octopus man, however, a surprising voice piped up from the corner. "W-Wait! Do not harm him!" Prometheus shouted, stumbling to his feet and waving his hands frantically while Octopunch flailed about. "I-It is likely just a side-effect of the serum! He should calm down in a few moments!"

Silas furrowed his brow at his benefactor. "And you couldn't have warned us beforehand?!"

"GRAAAHH!" Octopunch belted out, swinging one of his new, large tentacles down at Silas, who managed to bound out of the way quickly. "Pathetic!"

"Otto, calm yourself!" Silas raised his hands, approaching his former subordinate slowly. "That's an order from your commanding officer!"

"You ain't in charge of me anymore, Si!" Raising one of his arms, Octopunch proceeded to twist his tentacles around the appendage, making it much girthier and powerful. "Let's see how ya handle THIS!" He lashed his arm out and it stretched straight for Silas, intent on smashing his chest in. However…

*BWAAWAWAWAAAAM*

An incredibly sonic pulse sent Octopunch reeling back, his hands covering his ears at the deafening sound. The attack was so powerful that it actually managed to send him skidding backwards across the floor. But he dug in his heels and stopped himself, just for the auditory onslaught to stop the very next second. "GAAH! Who the HELL did that?!"

*STOMP*

Placing his foot firmly between the mutant and Silas, Soundwave stepped forward, glaring down at the ravenous mutant. "I am." he asserted. "And I'm going to put an end to this before it even begins."

"Just try it, ya bucket a' bolts!" Twisting his tentacles again, Octopunch this time did so with BOTH of his arms, thrusting them forward with a barbaric scream. "GYAAAAAH!"

Soundwave didn't move from his spot, however, instead pushing the white button on his left shoulder. "Laserbeak, eject. Operation; Stun Gun." With his chest door opening, Soundwave deployed his condor Mini-Con, Laserbeak giving a shriek before diving down and unleashing lasers from the cannons on his back. The blasts made contact and unleashed a paralyzing though Octopunch's arms, sending him into a screaming spasm. "Ravage, eject. Operation: Pin Down." Once more, Soundwave opened up his chest door and this time, his pantherine Mini-Con leapt out, hissing at the mutant as it pounced on top of it. And finally… "Rumble, eject. Operation: Knock Out Punch."

"AUGH! Get OFF a' me, ya overgrown tomcat!" Octopunch managed to wrap his tentacles around Ravage and fling him away, though he still managed to land on all four feet. But as the mutant went to stand up… he was met with a little blue robot with a red visor, flashing a toothy smirk at him. "W-Wha—"

"Hiya." Rumble greeted with a raised fist… which promptly transformed into a big, blue piledriver. "Nighty-night, freak show!"

*WHU-BANG*

In a single blow, Octopunch was knocked out cold, sprawling flat on his bac with his tentacle arms splayed out across the floor. Soundwave approached his Mini-Cons, with Laserbeak perching on his shoulder. "Excellent work."

Ravage went up to his master, sitting loyally by his feet while Rumble saluted him. "'Ey, when've we ever disappointed ya, Soundwave? All in a cycle's work."

The other Decepticons and the humans were left in silent awe at what they had just seen. Nanosec blinked a couple times before leading over and muttering to Professor Sutton; "…Remind me to stay on that guy's good side."

"Like, totally." Penelope agreed.

"Hmph, I guess Soundwave and his Mini-Cons are as efficient as ever." Swift concluded.

Slipstream got a snicker out of that as she and the other Cons pulled their weapons back. "Hmph, why of course he is, darling. As to be expected by Megatron's loyal left hand…" She went up to Soundwave, giving him a knowing grin as she trailed a finger across his shoulder. "A wonderful performance."

Soundwave nodded to her. "You know me. Efficiency is always key." His attention diverted back toward Prometheus Black, his perpetual glare managing to spook the bio-tech mogul. "Now… care to explain why you didn't warn us ahead of time that this could be a potential side-effect?"

"That's something I want to know as well." Silas demanded, marching his way up to Mr. Black with his own scowl. "What's the meaning of this, Black?"

"N-Now, Silas, I know that my warning certainly could've come sooner, but even I wasn't certain if this particular side-effect would occur!" Prometheus defended himself, raising his hands to put some distance between his accusers. "B-But I assure you, any side-effects of this serum will wear off in time. And remember, I intend to perfect the serum further so that these effects can be ironed out. On that note…" Reaching into his coat, Prometheus pulled out another, fresh syringe and scurried over to Octopunch, taking the opportunity to draw some blood. He then handed the syringe right to Colossus Rhodes. "Get this on ice, immediately."

"Yes, sir." Rhodes complied, making his way out of the room.

*Whrr-tschz-chkt* "AHAHAHAHAA! Vell, one thing's for sure, ZAT VAS HILARIOUS! AHAHAHA!" Blitzwing cackled before his faces spun again. *whrr-tschz-chkt* "But I vas TOTALLY PREPARED to DESTROY zat freak of nature if I needed to!" *whrr-tschz-chkt* "Hah… thankfully, though, zat vas unneeded. So, vhat exactly DO we do vith him?"

Lugnut peered down to the mutant, acknowledging the strength that had been on display. "His power is impeccable for a being of his size." He clenched his fist as he continued. "AND his rage can be utilized to make him a nigh unstoppable force! Surely, he will be an incredibly asset when pitted against these "heroes"!"

Silas narrowed his eyes up at the Decepticon bruiser. "That remains to be seen…" His gaze drifted down to his old friend, whose body twitched a bit. "It all depends on if he can be reasoned with. Just because he LOOKS like a monster doesn't mean that he IS one."

"You are correct." Prometheus supported. "After all, the serum's effects are only temporary. By my estimate, he should return to his human form within three hours. So before then, we should—AH!"

Just then, Octopunch's tentacles began to wriggle along the floor, a groan escaping his swollen lips as he sat up. Everyone immediately backed away, with many going on the defensive again… only for him to calmly reach up and rub his head. "Ugh… where… what happened?"

His eyebrows shooting up, Silas hesitantly took a couple steps forward. "Otto… you alright?"

"Urp… ugh, yeah, I… I think…" The mercenary's gleaming yellow eyes opened… and once his vision cleared, that's when he was finally able to see what he had become. Octopunch let out a gasp as he saw his hands, as well as the tentacles that protruded from his arms. He noticed his legs and feet next, recoiling slightly at how ruggedly armored they were. "W-What the… why am I—wait… is this 'cause of the serum?!"

"Hm, it would seem zat he has regained his senses." Shadow Striker remarked.

Prometheus cleared his throat and spoke to the mutant. "Indeed, Mr. Augustine! And might I say, the results are even better than we had hoped! The power of your Quirk has increased tenfold!" He felt several glares boring into his back, making him clear his throat sheepishly. "Ah-hah… though there WERE a few unintended side-effects."

"Was one of 'em gettin' turned into this… THING?" Otto spouted, lashing one of his tentacles.

"N-No, that WAS intended. The mutagenic properties of the serum is what allows your Quirk to reach its peak power."

"Grr… I need to see myself! Someone get me a mirror!"

From the back, Nightra came up and transformed into her vehicle mode, giving Otto access to one of her side mirrors. "Well, you asked for it. But you're probably not gonna like what you see, hombre." she chortled in amusement.

The moment that Otto peered into the mirror, he recoiled, letting out a shrill cry. "GYAAARH! W-What the hell?!" He snapped his head toward Prometheus and stomped back over to him. "What is THIS?! I just thought I'd get more tentacles or somethin'! I didn't sign up to become some sorta freak!"

However, before he could do something drastic, Silas came up and placed a firm hand on his arm. "Otto, enough! Before you fly off the handle, you should know that the effects of the serum are ONLY temporary."

"C-Correct!" Prometheus stammered. "In three hours, the mutagen will run its course through your system and you will go back to normal."

"…I see." Taking in a deep breath, Otto did his best to calm himself, placing a hand on the nearest wall. However, he noticed that his tentacles went out to give him some extra support, which surprised him. "Huh… how strange. It's like I'm moving a part of my body that wasn't there before… but it's almost as natural as flexing my own fingers."

Prometheus put his smile back on and nodded. "Because they WERE your fingers, Mr. Augustine. THIS is what your Quirk was meant to truly be; not regulated to JUST your fingertips, but your ENTIRE being!"

At that point, Otto had noticed that his human-like hands were now relatively normal, which was when he realized what Mr. Black was saying was true. He spied a cluster of barrels sitting across the room… and an idea struck him. He stood tall and lashed out his eight arms, all of them stretching and wrapping around the barrels in a matter of seconds. He lifted them all into the air at once, and by that point, his grimace had shifted into an excited smirk. "Oh-ho-ho… okay. I think I can get used to this. …Even if I'm ugly as sin."

"That's the spirit, Mr. Augustine!" Prometheus applauded, with the SUV and even some Decepticons following suit. "And I guarantee, once we work out the kinks in the serum, the rest of your comrades will enjoy a similar experience as you, I guarantee!"

"Heh, I hope so." Octopunch set the barrels down, facing his old friend once again. "Si, are you seeing this? A technologically enhanced Quirk!"

Silas' normally stern features managed to soften just the slightest bit. "I will admit, it's very impressive. Those who've been oppressed by the flashier Quirk users will finally be able to rise up and show their so-called "superiors" what for." However, his expression hardened once more. "…So long as they agree to our terms."

The comment made Octopunch smirk. "Heh, thinkin' of chargin' a pretty penny for this stuff?"

On this, Mr. Black could only agree. "Oh, most certainly. The research that goes into this ALONE is extremely expensive. We need to break even on this SOMEHOW."

"Hahaha! I KNEW I liked the lot of you!" Swindle said, snapping his fingers with a conniving wink. "Just lemme know if you need help selling that stuff and I'll—AUGH!" Before he could even finish his sentence, he suddenly found his neck getting wrung by Unicronus, who lifted him right up off the ground.

"You won't be doing ANYTHING you little piece of scrap." the general growled in a low, threatening tone. "I hope you remember that you've got a BOMB in your head that I can detonate whenever the FRAG I want, so you'd better remember your fragging PLACE and—gah!"

Just then, his hand was wrenched away by Starscream, causing Swindle to drop back down to his knees. As the Combaticon hyperventilated on the ground, Starscream stared down at Unicronus, his head lifted and optics low to convey a sense of superiority. "That will be just about enough, general."

Unicronus' lips curled in disgust. "What the frag're you doin', Starscream?"

"I'm "doin'" what is necessary for things to remain peaceful here." the Seeker snapped back, seething with frustration. "Time and time again, you see fit to assert your dominance, thinking that YOU have the authority to make a final say on things around here. Well, guess what?" He nudged his head toward Soundwave, who moved in to assert his own authority alongside him. "You now have TWO officers who outrank you here."

"Correct." Soundwave supported. "You may have the detonator, Unicronus, but Swindle's fate is in OUR hands. And on that note…" The communications officer craned his head down toward the conman, who had just regained his bearings. "Swindle, your expertise is needed elsewhere. Leave the distribution of this serum to the humans, if you'd be so kind."

Swindle coughed and stood up, saluting Soundwave despite his disappointment. "Y-Yes, sir."

Starscream promptly pushed Unicronus away, the crowd of Decepticons parting as he stumbled back. "You see? Fully compliant."

The general's hands were clenched at his sides, his fists trembling as his rage grew. "Grrrr… FINE! If that's how it will be, then I'll play by your rules!" He pointed at the two as he reminded them; "But don't you forget! I'm the ONLY one who has any HOPE of taking on Optimus Prime. And it's all thanks to this…" Unicronus opened up his chest and an eerie, purple light shined upon the Decepticons, causing them to step away. "Yeah, that's right! None of you could ever hope to have this much power."

Unicronus eventually closed his chest, making Swift roll her optics. "Psh, just because you have that… creepy knock-off on you doesn't mean you'll WIN against Prime."

"You wanna bet on it?" Unicronus spat at her. "Because I'd happily take that bet."

"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Slipstream shouted, thrusting her arms out as she took to the center of the argument. "We aren't getting anywhere with this, now are we? Might I suggest we do something a little more productive with our time?" She gestured toward herself, Lugnut, Blitzwing and Soundwave. "Perhaps, say, finding ourselves some Earth forms?"

All of a sudden, Prometheus piped up from down below. "Ah, yes, yes, you bots tend to adopt vehicular forms as disguises, don't you?" He clapped his hands twice, bringing their attention to him. "Well, if it's alternate forms you want, then I know JUST the place. You see, I actually own this outpost, and goes FAR deeper than where we are right now."

Silas spoke next. "Beneath this base is a collection of several military vehicles, all of which M.E.C.H. uses to further our goal of technological advancement. We even have a few personally made vehicles that you won't be able to find anywhere else." He waved his hand toward the lift. "If you're so inclined, you may have a look around, see what you like."

The four Decepticon newcomers looked to one another before collectively nodded. "We're in." Soundwave affirmed. "Lead the way."

…..

Once the quartet—along with a handful of others—were on the lift, they descended down into the depths of the base, with Silas and Prometheus serving as their guides. And when the lift stopped, they found themselves in complete and total darkness… at least at first. Before long, several large lights switched on above their heads, illuminating the chamber and revealing the rows upon rows of military vehicles before them. It was certainly an impressive sight, and the four Decepticons didn't waste anytime beginning their search. Starscream, Swindle and the SUV kept more toward the lift, inspecting the place from afar. "Man… quite the eclectic collection ya got 'ere, boss." Nanosec remarked.

"Hmhm, oh, I am well aware." Prometheus acknowledged. "Of course, the older models don't work anymore, but the day will come when I sell them to a museum and make another fortune, so they still have their uses."

"Indeed…" said Angry Archer, whose eyes darted around the various different vehicles. "Many of these could be considered antiques!"

Professor Sutton, meanwhile, was much less impressed, rolling her eyes at the whole thing. "Psh, just looks like a buncha old, dingy metal to me."

"Well, as they say…" Slipstream said as she strolled among the jet planes. "One bot's trash is another bot's treasure… and I think I've found just the one for me." She had stopped in front of a model that was incredibly sleek and speedy-looking, which coerced her into scanning it immediately. "Hello gorgeous."

Mr. Black applauded her decision. "Ah, the F-35 Lightning II! A fantastic choice indeed, my dear."

Once Slipstream finished scanning the jet, she propelled herself into the air with her heel boosters, performing a backflip as she transformed. *Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Of course, she changed modes much like her brothers; her arms tucking into her torso while the cockpit on her chest moved up, all while her legs tucked in to form the rear of the plane. Once finished, she became a purple F-35 with teal wings, hovering in the air above the humans' heads. "Oh… yes." she said huskily. "This fits me quite well."

Across the way, Soundwave spotted her and nodded with a slight chuckle. "Hmh, I approve." Directly in front of him, the communication specialist spotted a four-wheeled armored vehicle, which appeared to have satellite and radar dishes sticking out the top of it. "…This should be suitable."

"Ooh, yeah, this'd totes fit you." Professor Princess said with a thumbs up. "That right there is a Rezvani Vengeance. It's an armored truck, but it's also super sleek."

"Given that our people use it mainly for communications, I'm certain that you'll find it useful as well." Silas added.

With their endorsement of the vehicle, Soundwave scanned it and immediately transformed. *Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* The tires on his back rotated toward the front while his arms shifted up and back, with his chest moving up over his head to form the hood of the vehicle. The front end unfolded from under the chassis while his waist rotated around and his legs tucked in to form the rear of the vehicle, the tires shifting out from his calves out to the sides. Finally, his shoulder-mounted cannon and radar dish popped up on top of the blue Vengeance's roof, making it still distinctly Soundwave.

"Soooo, whaddya think?" Penelope asked.

"It's… suitable."

Meanwhile, Nanosec was pretty sure he was watching a bot having a mental breakdown. Blitzwing was currently at war with himself, after having spotted two vehicles that would suit him best. It started when he approached a MiG-31 Foxhound, his icy voice ringing through to proclaim his choice. "I vill choose zis fighter jet." …Only for him to then spot a Japanese Type 90 MBT tank nearby, and his face instantly swapped to his much angrier persona. *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "NO! Ze assault tank!" …And from there, things spiraled out of control. *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "Jet." *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "Tank!" *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "Ze JET." *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "TANK!" *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "JET!" *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "TANK!"

…And then finally, he made his decision, his head spinning a mile a minute. *Whrr-whrr-tschzz-chkt-chkt* "Hoohoohoo! Vhy not scan BOTH?!" Blitzwing's crazy face declared before he proceeded to do just that. From there, he proceeded to transform while laughing like a madman, his legs tucking in at his sides while the nosecone of the jet covered his head. From there, the entire nosecone flipped out and rotated, his arms shifting out and up to the back of the plane while the cannon barrel on his back tucked in underneath the aircraft. The wings shifted out from the sides, completing the transformation. "…Hah, glad we could come to a decision." the icy calm voice stated.

The entire room had just witnessed that, and to say they were speechless was an understatement. "…How the hell do ya work with this guy?" Nanosec asked.

Soundwave assumed his robot mode once again before answering; "Believe me, it's as difficult as you think it is."

Just then, the Angry Archer's ears perked up, hearing aggravated grunts coming from across the room. There, he spotted Lugnut… who seemed to be having more trouble. "Having difficulties finding a form that fits, my large friend?!" he called out.

"I am not your friend, puny human." Lugnut grumbled back, his single optic zeroing in on Archer, making the green-clad man back away. "…But yes. None of these vehicles seem to be big enough for one such as myself."

"I believe I can help with that." Silas offered, ushering Lugnut to follow him. "This way…" Further in, the group came upon a large bay door, which Silas had to punch a code into to make it lift up. Once it was open, though, the Decepticons were met with a quartet of MASSIVE bomber planes, all of which were equipped with a turbine on each wing, as well as dual gun emplacements on either side of the cockpit. "I believe that these will be to your liking."

Lugnut was certainly intrigued. "Hm, what are they?"

"Custom bomber planes. M.E.C.H. has seen fit to make these not just for heavy ordinance, if need be, but to also transport our agents whenever possible." Silas explained. "We've taken aspects of some of the best bombers in history; the B-17, the B-24, and the B-25 to create this behemoth. I think you'll find it suitable for you."

The Decepticon brute analyzed the bomber's structure, finding it appropriate for the task at hand. "Very well! Surely, this aircraft will be of great use to me in serving the great and GLORIOUS Megatron!" He scanned the M.E.C.H. bomber and began his transformation, tucking in his head as several panels behind his head and on his chest shifted over it to form the cockpit. From there, his shoulders shifted back and changed into the bomber's turbines, with his arms moving up in the process. From there, his hands unfolded several times, elongating his arms to form the bomber's wings. His waist and legs rotated around to form the underside of the plane, and from his back, the rear tail emerged as well. Once the transformation was complete… a bit of added flair showed itself along the bomber's front end, with a mouth full of jagged teeth and a pair of eyes appearing as decals near the nose, along with some letters and numbers appearing along his wings in white; L.U-6 N.U.-7

Even Starscream had to admit, the craft that the bruiser had scanned was impressive. "Hm… very good. The Autobots will never know what hit them.

*Whrr-tschzz-tschzz-tschzz-chkt* Resuming robot mode, Lugnut pointed at the Seeker commander. "AHAHAHA! Yes! …Pertaining that you lot can handle them, of course."

"…I reiterate, we've been handling them just FINE recently."

"Key word being; recently." Soundwave said dryly, further aggravating Starscream. "Hmph, what? You have a plan to deal with them?"

"…As a matter of fact, I do." Starscream lifted his arm and opened a holographic data pad, displaying a map to the other Decepticons. It displayed a rather expansive city, one that obviously had caught the attention of the Seeker. "Everyone, allow me to present to you… our biggest target yet."

Down below, Silas' brows knit together, both in confusion and uncertainty. "Your biggest target? What do you mean by that?"

With a sinister smirk, Starscream explained; "This settlement by the name of Mission City, Nevada, has been built overtop what is possibly one of the LARGEST caches of energon that we've detected yet!" Seeing the surprise on his fellow Decepticon's faces, he knew he had them then and there. "Hmhmhm, that's right…" he typed in a command and a blue tracing was overlapped with the city map, showing them just how big the deposit was. "Here's the size of it for reference. I believe you'll find that it is incredibly potent."

"Indeed, it is…" Blitzwing said, bringing a hand to his chin in intrigue. "Though zere IS one problem; ze human population." *Whrr-tschzz-chkt* "GAH! We must terminate zem ALL!" *whrr-tschzz-chkt* "Oh-hoo-hoo! Or we could make zem all our dancing little pets! AHAHA!" *BONK* "Ooooohooohooo…"

"Silence, Blitzwing!" Lugnut reprimanded. "There are much bigger things at stake here!"

"No, no… the insane one has a point." Silas asserted, crossing his arms over his chest. "The main issue is you all being "robots in disguise". How exactly do you plan on getting to this energon when it's in such a densely populated area?"

Starscream expressed confidence as he explained his plan. "That part is quite simple, really. I was recently inspired by someone I met recently, and I believe that we can pull this off… by posing as villains."

There was a short pause, the other Decepticons peering at the air commander incredulously. "Villains?" Slipstream repeated, placing a hand on her hip. "As in, the humans that give superheroes trouble?"

Deadpanning at his sister, Starscream answered; "…Yes. That's kind of the whole POINT of a villain, is it not?" He cleared his throat as he continued; "However, what I'm trying to say is that we don't have to reveal ourselves to the humans if we took on the guise of human villains and play this off as an attack." He steepled his fingers together intently. "And the best part is that, should there be any heroes in Mission City, then they wouldn't stand a chance against our firepower, hmhmhm…"

"Ahem, well, the technical term that YOU should be using for yourselves would be "terrorists"." Prometheus pointed out, garnering their attention. "After all, none of you have Quirks and you're basically using military equipment in order to invade the city." However, a smirk of his own returned to his lips soon after. "However, you WILL be having super villains working with you once I dispense my serum to Mr. Augustine's comrades, so it still works."

"Hmph, either way, if it involves gathering energon, I'm fine with this plan." Soundwave said, only to then raise a finger to make a point of his own. "However, I expect that this attack won't go unnoticed by the Autobots. We'll need some form of distraction while this attack is happening."

Smiling his way, Starscream approached Soundwave with an open hand. "And that's exactly why we have YOU, old friend. Because recently, Swift and I did a bit of spy work on the students of U.A. at a shopping facility, and we found out something very intriguing." He saw Soundwave tilted his head, beckoning him to go on. "In a days' time, a select few will be going back to their school for extracurricular lessons, and I'd say that's the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack. After all, the Autobots will obviously prioritize their allies, distracting them long enough to get our plans for Mission City underway."

There was a short pause after Starscream finished explaining his plan… and Soundwave gave a surprising response. "…This plan is achievable. However, we will need a way into this "U.A." without being detected."

"Exactly. Swindle! The cog, if you would."

"Coming right up!" From behind, Swindle reached into his storage space and procured yet another T-Cog, handing it to the Seeker who then presented it to Soundwave.

If Soundwave had optics, they'd be expressing confusion. "…And what exactly is THIS about?"

"Think of it as… a statement of goodwill." Starscream explained with a smile, which Soundwave couldn't tell was genuine or deceitful. "I realize that we've had our internal conflicts in the past, Soundwave, but I am no fool. I realize your presence can only be an asset to our operations on this planet, and for that, I present you with the gift… of a Shifter's T-Cog."

The revelation made the other Cons doubletake, with Soundwave lifting his head in curiosity. "A Shifter's cog? Where did you obtain it?"

"…Off the dead body of one of my crew members after a failed infiltration mission." Starscream admitted, his lips curling into a brief sneer. "Makeshift proved incompetent at keeping his disguise over a long period of time… but I get the sense that you will fair much better with this, given your expertise in espionage."

"…I'll admit, I HAVE been debating on switching out my cog for one of these." Soundwave reached out and plucked the T-Cog out of Starscream's palm, regarding it briefly before ultimately making his decision. "I suppose now's as good a time as any." He proceeded to open his chest door… but in a different way. Rather than the door opening like a hatch, it instead split open down the middle, exposing his inner workings as well as his current T-Cog in the center of his chest. He reached in, pulled it out, and then quickly replaced it with Makeshift's.

What happened next made everyone stand back, and the humans were left in awe at what they saw. Soundwave's body began crackling with energy as his armor paneling began to shift around, reshaping a few things around his body while also exposing some of his other inner workings briefly. By the time the process was done, Soundwave's chest had closed back up, and… he seemed relatively the same as he was before. "…Okay, the heck just happened?" Nanosec voiced.

Starscream smirked, glancing down to the humans knowingly. "We've just found our way into U.A., that's what. Soundwave, how do you feel?"

"I feel…" Soundwave started before lifting his head up, his visor gleaming red. "…Like I need more things to scan."

…..

~Musutafu, Japan—The Next Morning~

To say that Izuku was feeling completely apprehensive about going back to Autobot HQ was an understatement, to say the least. Last evening had proved to be a tumultuous one, what with Roadbuster's unexpected arrival and the fight with the three unknown Decepticons… well, unknown to him and his friends, really. After Prime had radioed back to base, he had instructed that all of the students be brought back home. They didn't even get the chance to MEET Roadbuster, but just from how the mood changed, Izuku could tell that something was off. Something serious was happening… and now, he could only presume that they were on their way to find out what.

Just like every gathering, Bulkhead, Arcee, Bumblebee and Strongarm had been sent out to pick them all up… and judging by just how grim Bee's expression was, it was clear to him and Kyoka that something big was going down. Even Mei could see that was the case, and the ride to base was almost completely silent as a result. Once everyone reconvened at HQ, the 1-A students all disembarked and met up, their Autobot escorts wasting no time cutting to the chase.

"So… you're probably wonderin' why you kids got sent home early yesterday." Bulkhead started. "…And I'm not talkin' about the U.A. closing ceremonies, by the way."

"We figured as much, Bulk." Mina deadpanned, placing her hands on her hips. "Now c'mon, spill! What the heck happened yesterday that's got you all shook?"

The Autobots collectively sighed as Arcee continued. "Kids… something just took a turn. …A bad one. But I think, rather than having US explain it… they'd to a better job."

The twelve teens turned around, where they saw what essentially amounted to the current Autobot chain of command approaching them. Optimus, Jetfire, Jazz, Red Alert and Grimlock strode forth with a somber air about them, at least from what the kids could tell. In one way or another, it was hard to tell the bots' expressions, be it because of a visor, a faceplate, or even both, but just from the way they appeared, it was clear that the night had been long and taxing for them. Optimus stopped before the children, prompting the other bots to do the same. "…Good morning, everyone." he said.

Just from that alone, Izuku was now a hundred percent certain that something was wrong. Prime's voice had dullened. It was slight and almost undetectable, but having spent so much time with him, Izuku could tell that Optimus had lost a bit of joy. "…Optimus, what's wrong?" Izuku returned.

"Yeah, you guys seem… tense." Kyoka noted.

"Hah… Kyo, we've had one hell of a night after what happened." Jazz replied. "Trust me, ya don't even wanna know the details."

"What? Did the new guy cause a scene or something?" Kaida inquired, peering up to her Dinobot guardian. "You have to straighten him out or something?"

Grimlock shook his head. "No, Kaida, far from it, actually. Roadbuster has been instrumental since his arrival, in more ways than one." His fists clenched at his sides, however. "…But unfortunately, he's brought with him some bad news. News that could affect us all going forward."

That instantly made the group of teens even more worried. "W-What? What do you mean?" Ochako said, her voice shaking with worry. "A-Are those Decepticons more trouble than we thought?"

"…Kid, you kinda hit the nail on the head." Jetfire stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hit it in one, really." Red Alert affirmed, his lips pursed in aggravation. "But of course, we probably should've seen this coming…"

"Seen WHAT coming?!" Mei cried out, waving her arms up and down. "Would you guys stop being so vague and just tell us what's going on?!"

All of the Autobots exchanged glances before they focused back on Prime, who knelt before the teens with a serious gaze. "…Children, I'm afraid that there's no easier way to put this. But to be fully transparent with you, the fact is that those three Decepticons that pursued Roadbuster here aren't the ONLY ones. They're part of a larger group… one that Roadbuster believes may be one of Megatron's personal away teams."

His words sent a chill throughout the humans, a collective shiver going down their spines. "…W-What?" Momo uttered, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Shoto said in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that there's even MORE Cons on this planet?"

"AND they're tight with Megatron?!" Eijiro exclaimed with gritted teeth.

Strongarm winced, knowing that this reaction was expected. "Yes… and worse yet, Roadbuster's said that they brought with them a commander-class warship. One that dwarfs the Darksyde."

And just like that, Denki started panicking. "Oh god, oh god, oh GOD, this is horrible! Starscream and his crew are one thing, but now we're actually dealing with ELITE Decepticons?! This just SCREAMS bad!"

Optimus raised a hand, hoping to calm the blonde down. "Denki, please. There is no need to throw yourself into a panic." Even so, the Autobot leader lowered his head. "With that said, though, it IS cause for concern, especially since we don't know the identities of the other Decepticons who're on board that ship."

"My word… that is certainly not ideal." Tenya concluded.

"Ribbit, could you make some rough guesses, at least?" Tsuyu asked.

Red Alert nodded down to her. "That's exactly what we've been doing all night; making plans for whichever Decepticons could be on that ship." He turned his head toward the base itself. "We've also sent several Autobots on patrol across North America in hopes of finding any Decepticon activity, though no one's reported back anything yet."

"What about the others?" Ochako inquired further. "Do they know about this yet?"

"Yes, we told them about all this earlier." Strongarm stated. "…Well, more accurately, Flare-Up and the Mini-Cons brought them here to tell them before they went off to scout as well." She craned her head toward Jetfire and Jazz, the three of them sharing a nod. "Which is what we're going to be doing soon, too."

Hearing that, the gravity of the situation only became more palpable to the teens. "Wow… this really IS serious." Kaida said with a deep sigh.

"All hands on deck." Bulkhead affirmed. "We don't wanna get caught with… what's the human phrase? Oh yeah, "caught with our pants down"."

"Zrkt—Even though—zrkt—we don't gotta wear 'em!" Bumblebee added with a shrug, his radio projecting a silly voice. That managed to get a small laugh out of the kids, easing the tension if only a little bit. But then… something else graced their ears soon after; the sound of a heavy engine and… very rhythmic music with a cool beat.

"Uh… anyone else hearing that?" Perking her earphone jacks up, Kyoka's sights shifted toward the forest path leading from the base.

A majority of the Autobots all smiled as the music and rumbling engine got closer, with Jetfire chuckling as he answered; "Oh-ho boy, here he comes. Maybe the new guy on campus can help lighten things up a bit."

From the forest path emerged a HUGE military vehicle; a brown and orange Oshkosh JLTV with green accents throughout. On top were two heavy duty weapons; a green machine gun and matching missile launcher. The big truck came rolling in toward the group… and didn't even bother slowing down as it transformed right in front of the children, its exhaust backfiring black smoke in the process… while something else was launched off its roof toward the beach. The back of the vehicle mainly became the robot's legs, while the roof and back canopy formed its arms. The vehicle's hood formed the chest, with the wheels shifting onto the hulking bot's back. As the missile launcher moved to his shoulder and the machine gun strapped itself to his back, Roadbuster's head popped out from his body, the Wrecker letting out a raucous bellow.

"WOO! Boom time!" he said as he wafted the smoke away from his rear. "Gah, I should NOT have eaten all that China Town machinery—" *BOOM* All of a sudden, off on the beach, whatever had flown off of him had landed in the sand and immediately exploded, sending off smaller bursts and making the teens flinch. But Roadbuster was nonchalant about the whole thing, jerking a thumb to the display. "Damn, fergot 'bout that clusterbomb…"

"ROADBUSTER!" Red Alert snapped.

Once again, the Wrecker wasn't fazed in the least. "What's yer problem, Red?"

"Bro! Pump the breaks a bit, man!" Jazz implored.

Pushing up on his helm, Roadbuster simply shrugged it off. "It's how I roll! I MAKE a statement when I arrive!"

Strongarm deadpanned at him, her fists firmly on her hips. "Yeah, well your "statement" just sent dust up EVERYWHERE around the base, so thanks for that."

"Psh, sure. Honestly, this is more like a scrapyard than a base." Roadbuster concluded. "But hey, I've seen worse improvised bases, so I ain't one to judge." Just then, he saw Optimus sending him a stern gaze, to which he straightened up and presented himself better. "Ah-hem, sorry there, boss bot."

"Roadbuster… were you seen by any humans?" the Prime questioned.

Shaking his head, the munition's expert replied; "No, sir. Not one. I DID get some odd glances while I was drivin', though."

Grimlock sighed and facepalmed. "Roadie… it's because they aren't used to SEEING a vehicle like the one you scanned on the streets."

"Seriously?" Scratching his head, Roadbuster gave shrug. "Ah, guess that explains that."

While a majority of the Autobots groaned, the 1-A Students were both astounded… and a bit hesitant on the new bot after that first impression, to say the least. "Uh… Bulk, is he usually like this?" Mina questioned.

"Heh, he might be a bit rough around the edges…" Bulkhead nodded to her. "But trust me, when it comes to bots that have your back, you can't get much better than Roadbuster. There's a reason why he's a veteran Wrecker." He approached his Wrecking buddy and raised a fist, to which Roadbuster went in and bumped it with his own. "Hey, don't worry, Roadie. I'll help ya get a hang on the ropes of bein' incognito here on Earth. But first, c'mere, I want you to meet some friends of mine."

"Ah, yeah, I saw 'em on my way in!" Roadbuster followed Bulkhead over to the small humans, peering down to them with his green visor. "So, yer the little fleshies that've been helpin' my pals here on this dust ball, eh?"

"Uh, y-yeah…" Izuku replied hesitantly. "Welcome to Earth. My name is Izuku Midoriya…" From there, the other students introduced themselves to Roadbuster one by one, and by the end, the only one who was left was a certain pink girl who was chomping at the bit to introduce herself to the large Wrecker.

However, Bulkhead had actually did the honors for her. "And last but not least, Roadie, meet by best human friend, Mina Ashido! Hehe, she can Wreck with the best of us."

Craning his head toward the Acid user, Roadbuster pointed at her and said; "Ah, so YOU'RE the one who spits acid at Cons, eh?"

"Heehee, yeah, that's me." Mina giggled. "I can see my reputation precedes me."

Roadbuster extended his hand down to her. "Heh, well, you've got one helluva advocate. An' if Bulkie here says yer Wrecker material, then I'm gonna trust ya on that. Put 'er there!" Mina happily reciprocated the handshake, before Roadbuster decided to shift the conversation to a new topic. "Pleasure to meet the lot of ya. Now, Prime an' Bulk have told me that you kids have quite a few stories to tell. Any of you mind catchin' me up on everything that's happened 'ere while everyone else goes on patrol?"

The question surprised the lot of them, to be sure. "Woah… you want to hear OUR stories?" Ochako said.

"I have to admit, that's quite astonishing." Tenya conceded, raising a stiff hand at the older Autobot. "Given your status as veteran of this war, it seems like we should be asking YOU that question."

But Roadbuster simply waved it off. "Ah, there'll be plenty a' time fer me to yap yer fleshy audio receptors off later." He gave the teens a big thumbs up. "'Cause honestly, the fact that you kids all survived Decepticon attacks, an' even got in scraps with some of 'em an' lived to tell the tale? Now THAT'S somethin' I wanna hear more about."

"Sounds fair to me!" Mina pumped her fist eagerly. "C'mon, we'll fill you in on ALL the deets!"

But before the gang could make it very far, Optimus halted them for just a moment more. "Ah, before you delve into your stories, everyone, there is something I want to confirm with you all." He knelt down to the kids' level once again. "I've been informed by All Might that… you'll be attending school tomorrow?"

Realizing what he was talking about, Izuku clarified; "Oh, right, yeah. Mr. Aizawa's going to be teaching an additional lesson to the entire class in different groups. So we won't ALL be going in at the same time."

"Huh, sounds kinda odd if you ask me." Arcee noted. "Aren't you kids already going on that camping trip in the middle of the month? Why take up more of your summer vacation time?"

"Well, but pretty much ALL schools have extracurricular activities during the summer, ribbit." Tsu said, placing a finger on her chin. "Though while normal schools only have it as an option… Mr. Aizawa's made this one mandatory."

Hearing this, Roadbuster scoffed. "Bah, sounds like this Aizawa guy's got a royal stick up his aft."

Kaida could only offer a shrug to that. "I mean, yeah. He takes his job SUPER seriously…" She trailed off as she set her sights back over to Izuku and Kyoka. "Anyway, you guys are the first going in, right?"

Giving her a nod, Kyoka confirmed it. "Yep. That's gonna be me, Izuku, Ochako, Iida, Todoroki and… ugh, Bakugo."

"Ugh, you got stuck with Baku-Breath?" Kaida sneered. "You have my sympathies."

"Ah, c'mon, I doubt it'll be THAT bad." Ochako said hopefully, though her smile turned sheepish when nearly all of her classmates deadpanned at her. "…I mean, it's only as bad as we make it out to be, right?"

The only ones who weren't judging her were Izuku and Eijiro, the latter raising a fist in agreement. "Yeah, c'mon guys. Bakugo may be… well, himself, but the only way you're gonna see him improve as a person is if ya actually give him a shot." He jerked a thumb toward himself. "I mean, hell, I'm convinced that the only reason I was able to pass the final exams is because he drilled that crap into my head. Sure, he's harsh, but he really seemed to wanna help me out."

Kyoka raised a brow at him. "I mean, fair, but I'm pretty sure you're a unique case here, Kirishima… huh?"

Out the corner of her eye, however, she saw Izuku giving her the biggest pleading eyes he possibly could, placing his hands together in an imploring display. "Kyoka, I know you're gonna hate me for saying this, but… could we at least try to work together on this one?"

"…And you are WAY too forgiving for your own good, Izuku." she said judgingly.

"By Primus, did this Bakugo kid kill someone or somethin'?" Roadbuster scratched his helm incredulously. "Yer makin' him out like he's committed crimes against yer species."

Denki shook his head. "Nah, he hasn't killed anyone… he's just bullied Midoriya for almost his entire life."

"He even apparently told Midoriya to kill himself." Momo added with a disgusted sneer.

There was a short silence before Roadbuster said; "…Okay, fair enough. But lemme let you kids on a little secret." He knelt down next to the group before going on. "Now, I ain't sayin' bullying is a good thing. …I know a certain bot here would literally bite my head off if I did." He spared a brief glance toward Grimlock. "But from what Prime's told me, you humans live WAY shorter lives than us, and even with that short time, yer able to change drastically."

His statement made Kyoka snort. "Snrt, you'd probably be singing a different tune if you'd actually MET the guy…"

"Maybe… but counterpoint; I've known a BUNCH of jerks before the War for Cybertron broke out… and while some became Cons, a lot MORE of 'em became Autobots." That managed to take the teens off guard, and Roadbuster pointed over to Bulkhead. "Ya know, like Crosshairs!"

"HA! True enough!" Bulkhead guffawed, explaining to the humans; "Trust me, kids, Crosshairs is probably the BIGGEST pain in the aft. The ultimate narcissist, I swear… but he's still an Autobot, believe it or not."

Roadbuster picked it back up from there. "An' it's because he knows right from wrong. He hates what the Cons stand for more than anything else." He saw the students eye one another warily, to which he wrapped up his point. "I think what I'm tryin' to get at here is… if someone's a royal jerk, but still doesn't have it in 'em to be an ACTUAL bad guy, it might be a good idea to try and appeal to that shred of good in 'em. 'Cause then, maybe it'll grow."

There was another short silence as everyone let that settle in, with Shoto commenting; "…You know, for a gun-toting soldier, you have some sage wisdom. It's a little strange."

Throwing his head back, Roadbuster let out another laugh. "BHAH! Well, I try, at least. But hey, it's up to you whether ya listen to me or not." He stood back up to his full height and ushered everyone to follow him. "Now c'mon, I wanna hear YOUR stories now. An' don't skimp on the details, 'cause I wanna hear all the ways you've kicked Decepticon cans! Hahaha!"

"Hah, sure, Roadbuster. Can do." Izuku complied, with the others following the Wrecker down toward the beach. However, one of them remained behind, catching his attention. "Hm? Hatsume? Aren't you coming, too?"

"Hm? Ah, no thanks…" the pink-haired inventor shook her head. "If what Prime said is true, then I wanna get in the lab and keep working. I've got some babies that I wanna get ready… just in case the Cons come knocking soon."

Red Alert agreed with her whole heartedly. "I certainly won't argue with that, Mei. Come, let's get to work." On that note, the two groups went their separate ways, with Red and Mei making their way toward the back of the base while the others followed Roadbuster down toward the beach, with Bumblebee, Bulkhead and even Grimlock joining them.

That left Jazz, Strongarm, Arcee and Jetfire left with Optimus, the Prime contemplating on what could be in store for them in the near future. Jazz went up and nudged his chin toward him. "So… what happens from here, Prime? With the kids, I mean?"

"Well, obviously, it's a bad idea to put them in combat if the worst-case scenario happens." Arcee concluded, folding her arms over her chest with apprehension. "They've fought Cons before, but… not like this."

"Correct." Optimus nodded. "If these new arrivals are as threatening as we assume them to be… then I will not be having them risk their lives just to aid us against them." The Prime furrowed his metal brow. "Whatever their next move is… we MUST be ready for it. No matter what."

…..

~Later That Evening~

Kyoka let out a small yawn as she strolled down the sidewalk toward her house, having asked Izuku to drop her off at the supermarket on their way home. Him and Bee had offered to stick around and drive her home, but she was sure that she'd be okay getting back by herself. It was just a few blocks away, after all. 'Besides, after the last kidnapping attempt, there's no way any Con is just gonna pop out and try anything to me in broad daylight.' she had reasoned. 'They'd be straight-up idiots.'

As she passed by a short alleyway before her house, however… something caught her eye, and made her backup to peer down into it. Sure enough, something was sitting atop one of the trash cans, and it made her eyes widen. It was a blue and white boombox, with gold accents all throughout, mainly around the tape deck. The Earphone Jack user's lips parted in stunned silence, approaching the music player with intrigue and shock. 'What the hell… who'd just throw this away?' she thought to herself. 'They don't make 'em like these anymore! …I'm tempted to claim it for myself, but…'

"…Hey! This boombox belong to anyone?!" No response. Some pedestrians looked her way, but didn't answer, instead moseying back to wherever they were going before. …And seeing as there weren't any takers… "…Doesn't count as stealing if no one wants it!" Kyoka declared, snatching the boombox by its handle with an eager grin. "Finder's keepers! Hehe…" And with that, Kyoka continued on her way home…

…Unaware that she had just picked up a hitchhiker. '…Phase one, complete.'

…..

A/N: …And with that, I think that's an appropriate cliffhanger to end this one on. Having received Makeshift's T-Cog, Soundwave is now capable of taking on ANY alternate form he chooses, and in doing so, he's been picked up by Kyoka. The next step, though, is infiltrating U.A., which might be easier said than done… but we'll just have to wait and see how that goes for him.

With that said, though, I think I picked a pretty good assortment of vehicles for the new arrivals. I'm especially proud of the one I chose for Roadbuster. I wanted something big and militaristic, and I was afraid that I had already run out of options after giving Swindle the Humvee. But nope! That Oshkosh vehicle just SCREAMS Roadbuster. And of course, gotta give the Cons their signature vehicle modes, too, and I was also proud of the vehicle I found for Soundwave. If you haven't seen a Rezvani Vengeance, they're sleek and yet somehow still well armored. Very fitting for Soundwave.

With that said, that's not ALL that happened here, of course. We also got Octopunch getting a grip on himself and managing to calm down, as well as more insight on Unicronus' deal. Hm… a powerful, dark object that's inside his chest? …Interesting. And of course, the kids have now met Roadbuster and have been informed on the dangers that are now before them with the arrival of these new Cons. …Though of course, the Autobots don't know WHO could be aboard that ship, so they're not exactly sure how to go about things yet. But that can be saved for next time, so on that note…

And now, The Preview! While out on his scouting patrol, Sideswipe ends up finding something that takes ALL of the Autobots off guard. Meanwhile, Flare-Up's still trying to come to terms with her resurfaced regrets. And all the while, Izuku, Kyoka, Bakugo, Tenya, Ochako and Shoto are at U.A. doing their extracurricular lesson under Aizawa and a select group of U.A. Teachers. …But they're definitely in for a rude and LOUD awakening. Next Time; Love, War and Robots. Thanks for reading, everybody, and I'll see you all next time! Stay safe out there, and remember;

GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!