Mysteries of a Prime

Darkness rising part 1

(Three years later)
Cliffjumper P.O.V

"::So there I am, on the lookout, when these high beams light up my rear view and then it hits me , I'm illegally parked!::" I said through the comm. "::Another parking ticket?::" Arcee asked, "::even better, the boot!::" "::Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove.::" Arcee described it in a board tone. I continued with my story, "::Bingo! So the local police do their thing and I let them get all the way down the block. That's when I kick off my new shiny shoe and BANG!::" Cee finishes my story, "::New York's finest soil themselves.::" "::You know me, Arcee, mess with Cliffjumper-::" "::and you get the horns.::" Ace suddenly interrupted me, I chuckled since Ace knew me that good. "::I do not understand how that complies with Autobot rule one; keep a low profile.::" Ace responded through the link. "::What can I say? Patrolling for Energon out here in Dullesville gets lonesome... Almost makes me miss the Decepticons.::" "::Like Jasper Nevada's a party? We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff.::" Arcee added her own to cents. It was three years since Ace joined the team and it's been three years since we had Decepticon contact. I suddenly get an energon signal, "::I'm getting a signal.::" I told everyone. ":: do you require backup?::" Ace asked, ":: Do I ever need backup?::" I asked back, "::yes, most missions end in you getting in trouble and someone needs to save you from the impound lot.::" Ace answered my rhetorical question with logic, as she always does. I swerve off the road and drove for a little bit.

"::Just found a whole lot of energon...::" I commed. I felt a shadow looming behind me, I transformed, "Decepticons." I turned behind me and saw a whole ship. A turret turned to me and shot one shot, it knocked me down into the Energon deposit. I recovered from the blow and looked behind me to see a hatch open and nine vehicons drop out. "::Aerialace, About that backup...::" "fair warning boys. I'll put a few dings in ya." I threatened them. I transformed and drove right at them, I drove up the rocks where I went up into the air, transformed back and punched the vehicon in the helm.

Aerialace P.O.V

"::Aerialace to Optimus, the Decepticons have returned, Cliffjumper could be offline, Sir.::" I commed Optimus ":: Undertood Aerialace. Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?::" Optimus commed Ratchet, ":: I'm locked on his signal Optimus, but our team is scattered across time zones.::" Ratchet commed back. "::Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Aerialace rendezvous back at base and prepare to ground bridge.::" Optimus ordered, I was in my Bugatti form to not attract as much attention, I made drifted and sped of to base.

I was first to make it to base, soon the rest of the team arrived, I grabbed Nordlys and went back to the main area. We quickly drove through the groundbridge, I had Nordlys on my back and my blasters out. We saw that no one was here so we deactivated our weapons, "an untapped Energon deposit." Optimus stated, "what's left of it." Bulkhead corrects him, "the first Decepticon activity in three years." Ratchet told us, "that we know of. If they're scouting for Energon they may be preparing for his return." Optimus observed. I transformed into my jet mode to see if there's any more energon. I came back with a small cluster and gave it to Optimus, "well done, Aerialace." Optimus told me. I saw Kai over my some boulders... crying? I slid down over to Kai and saw what I feared most, "Cliffjumper..." it was one of his horns. Arcee came over and I gave the horn so I could comfort Kai better, Arcee showed it to Ratchet who then looked at Optimus for order, "Ratchet, can you track his position?" Optimus asked, Ratchet immediately opened his mini monitor a few seconds later I heard a long beep, "no... Cliffjumper's life signal. just went offline." Ratchet told us solemnly. My wings naturally lowered to show sadness, no matter how hard I tried, it seemed like my wings went numb, I couldn't feel them or anything.

After a few minutes of shock, I took Cliffjumper's horn and told Optimus, "Cliffjumper deserves a proper burial." "Agreed, Aerialace." Was all he responded with. We were soon back at base where I immediately went to the roof to make a memorial. A couple of hours later, when it was sunset, we all went back up for Cliffjumper's funeral. "We must not allow our anger over the loss of Cliffjumper to impair our judgment. As of today only we six Autobots remain on this Earth, we owe it to ourselves, to the memory of Cybertron, to any Autobots in any galaxy seeking safe harbour, to human kind." I walk up to place Cliffjumper's horn in front if the memorial, "and we owe it to the memory of our fallen comrade to survive." Optimus finished his speech, after a few seconds, I started my own little speech, "Cliffjumper was a teammate, a friend, a partner, but most importantly, he was family." Me and Arcee started walking in different directions, me to the edge of the cliff and Arcee to the elevator. "Arcee, Aerialace-" Optimus started but I cut him off, "if the Decepticons are back then we must prepare, if you would excuse me, I am going to continue scouting." "If Cliff's gone, standing around here sulking won't bring him back. So unless anyone minds, think I'll get back to protecting humankind." With that we either flew or drove away.

A couple of minutes later I saw Arcee being chased by two Decepticons. I transformed into by Bugatti and entered the freeway where Bumblebee was already one of them so I took out the other, we strayed a bit behind Arcee and saw she had a human with her. Soon we saw the Decepticons so we kept on driving in front of them until one got through, I kept on chasing them until we got to the end of the road where we drove off, hoping to shake the Decepticons off of our tail, we made it to the bottom where another human was. We powered off our engines in case the Decepticons could hear them. "Woah." The small one said, "You have no idea..." the large one said.

As the large one got off we heard screeching of tires, we saw two sets of headlights, once they landed and transformed, we also transformed. "This ends here 'cons." Arcee said. We started running to them and dodging them because they were shooting at us, as soon as we were close enough, Arcee went high while I went low, I kicked the Vehicon's chin with the base of my pedde. In a matter of seconds mine was on the ground, while Arcee was punching the other one in the face with each punch she said a single word that, when put together, said, "This. Is. For. Cliff!." Soon mine also stood up so we ran back, I transformed my peddes into tires and skated back while Arcee was doing backflips, soon we were both hit and tumbled to the ground. At that moment Bumblebee came over the edge, transformed, landed in front of them and started beating the scrap out of them, soon me and Arcee were both standing again, I saw Bumblebee step back from one of the Decepticons. He was saying something, but I couldn't hear it because my audio receptors were still ringing, Bumblebee was on the ground with the two Vehicons aiming their blasters at him. The small boy yelled something at them that got them distracted, the Vehicons looked at the boy's direction and pointed their blasters at him, the two started running to a sewage pipe. I took on the one the that was keeping Bumblebee down so he could go after the other one.

A few minutes later and I was down again. Bumblebee was against both of the Vehicons, but as me and Arcee helped Bumblebee up, the Vehicons approached us we were ready for more. Until a horn honked, we looked behind us, and it was Bulkhead, he transformed and landed behind us, "who's ready to rumble." Bulkhead asked as we all got back to our fighting positions. The two looked at each other, back at us, and drove off. As they driving off Arcee asked Bulkhead, "what took you so long?" "Traffic." Was all he responded with.

"And the 'Cons would've been scrap metal if I wasn't so distracted by the human." Arcee finished her story, "human?" Optimus asked. "Two boys." Bumblebee answered him. "Two boys?" Repeated what Bumblebee said, "I presume the second human caught us battling the Decepticons, we were busy battling the Decepticons." I told Optimus. "If the Decepticons are targeting us anyone perceived as our ally will be at great risk." Optimus informed us.

The next day Bumblebee and Arcee went to pick up the boys that saw us yesterday. While they were gone I took out a small box from my berthroom, it was from Cliffjumper for Arcee, I was planning on giving it to her once she got back. When I got back I saw another human, Optimus just finished explaining the reason we were on Earth, I put down the box so I could face the humans while Optimus was introducing them, "Jack, Rafael, Miko, this is our team. Bulkhead, our Wrecker, Arcee, our warrior, Bumblebee, our scout and Aerialace, our newest recruit." As Optimus finished introducing us I turned to Arcee. "Arcee, could you please come with me?" "Of course, what do you need, Ace?" She replied as we entered a spare room, "Cliffjumper gave this to me for when he offlined I could give it to you." I gave her the box and started leaving, until she stopped me, "wait... can you stay with me?" Arcee asked, "Of course." I sat back down and looked at the contents of the box.