This episode picks up immediately after the end of Episode 3. Raf has been abducted by MECH, leaving little trace, save for his glasses and school items. Miko is with his mother, and June has just arrived at their location.

June stepped out of the ground bridge and walked up to Miko and Raf's Mom. She got down on one knee and spoke to them. "Tell me what happened."

"I drove up to pick up Rafael, but all I could see on the steps was his backpack and a book," she told June. "I got out of the car and walked up to the steps, and that's when I saw his glasses! Oh, Dios mío! Whatever happened to my boy?" She began to cry.

"Felicita, we will do everything we can to find him," June told her. "I promise you!"

"Miko, did you call 911?"

"Yeah, the police are on their way," she responded.

"Go back into the school and tell the office. Maybe someone saw something," June told her, and Miko ran back inside, while June stayed with Mrs. Esquivel and waited for the police. While they were waiting, the Autobot got on her comm. "Ratchet, I'm here at the school with Mrs. Esquivel. The only signs left of Raf are his backpack, a book, and his glasses. He's nowhere to be found. Miko called 911 and she's inside the school talking to the office."

"Acknowledged, June. Keep us posted. Optimus is recalling Bumblebee, Sari and Arcee to assist."

The police arrived, and Principal Johnson came out with Miko. "Oh, Felicita, this is terrible!" The Principal said. "My teacher and staff will do everything we can to help!" She hugged Raf's mother.

"Where is Miss Nakadai?" asked the Police detective.

"That's me," said Miko. "I placed the 911 call for Mrs. Esquivel," she said.

"Alright, can someone tell me what happened?" And with June's support and encouragement, Raf's mother explained what occurred and what she found. Miko told the detective her side of the story.

After taking down their stories, the detective then went with Principal Johnson into the school.

"Miko, call your host parents. Let them know what's going on, so they don't worry," said June, and Miko got on her phone.

"Oh, if only I had gotten here sooner, this would never have happened!" cried Mrs. Esquivel.

"Yeah, you were kinda late getting here," said Miko. "How come?"

"Because of the power outage."

"There was an outage?" Asked June.

"Yes, our block went out, and my clock had stopped. I didn't notice it until I looked at my watch, and then I rushed to my car."

The detective came back outside. "One of the teachers said she saw a strange black van parked in the school parking lot this afternoon. We're going to pull the security camera tapes and see if we can get a license plate. Another teacher said she heard tires screeching just before she saw Miss Nakadai leaving the school, so we're going to pull those security tapes as well."

"Oh, please, officer, whatever you can do! He's my boy! Mi niño precioso!"

"I understand, Mrs. Esquivel. We'll do whatever we can."

June put her servo on Felicita's back. "Felicita, I'm going back to the Autobot base and brief Optimus on everything."

"Oh, thank you, June!" and wiping her tears, she turned to hug the Autobot's thumb. "I know you all will do your best!"

She told the Detective. "You have our number, in case the Autobots can be of any further assistance." Then she told Miko, "head on home and Jack will pick you up in the morning." And bidding goodbye, June transformed into her ambulance alt form and headed back to base.

General Levichev entered the lab where they had commenced preparations for the procedure. All around him, scientists and technicians were at work, making the final checks on the super soldier operation.

In the middle of the room was an oversized cylinder filled with clear liquid. He walked over and examined the unconscious boy floating in it. The test subject, their "volunteer", was stripped down to nothing but a pair of white shorts. A breathing mask covered his mouth and nose, and goggles protected his eyes. Multiple sensors were attached to various parts of his body, connected to wires that fed monitoring equipment. Large overhead plasma screens scrolled detailed information regarding his respiratory function, heart rate, blood pressure, and brain wave patterns. A helmet covered his head, and multiple wires connected to probes in his head fed into a conduit which dropped down to the bottom of the cylinder.

Stepping away from the volunteer, the general approached the lead scientist. "Doctor, is the patient ready for the serum?"

The scientist, mask and goggles covering his face, looked up and nodded.

"Yes general," he answered, "We have already begun the final system check and are ready to administer the serum into the patient. He has been sufficiently subdued, and we will be monitoring his heart rate in an event of cardiac arrest, in case the serum produces a negative effect. Safety is our prime concern when we're testing civilians in case this fails..."

"There will be no failure in this project doctor," Levichev interrupted, "I've done my studies beforehand and I'm certain this young boy will accept the serum and turn into the perfect soldier MECH needs to help destroy our enemies."

"Now, what about his reprogramming? Will it be done?"

"But of course general." the doctor continued, "Our technicians have our re-engineering system ready. Once the serum begins to run its course, the second phase of the operation begins simultaneously. The program we've installed will erase his mind, wiping it clean of any and all distractions. All memories of his family, friends, past events, will be erased; nothing to remind him of who he once was. However, he will retain his abilities to hack into any computer. And then, we will add new memories: combat skills, weapons usage, and obedience triggers that will make him a loyal MECH soldier."

"And if any of his past should happen to resurface, there won't be any problems?"

"No. The programming is flawless. Not even the Autobots will be able to help him remember his prior life."

The general smiled. "Excellent… We can't let those metal aliens distract our newest recruit in this mission."

The doctor nodded, happy that the general approved, but he remained concerned about one thing. So he said to Levichev, "There is one part of the procedure that puzzles me, general."

"Go on…"

"I'm a little hesitant about where you intend to inject the serum. Of all the sites, you decided to go straight to the heart. Why?"

The general looked at his curious expression and explained. "Because the heart pumps the blood through every part of the body. Bones, muscle, brain, lungs, each of which makes the body function. Once the serum is in place, it will pass throughout the bloodstream in seconds, making the body grow and mature, creating the fighter we desire. I understand your concern about the point of injection, but I've done my research and it has proven to be the most logical place imaginable. Rest assured, the subject will survive the procedure once we're done."

Just as he finished, a soldier approached. Saluting, he delivered the status report.

"Sir, final systems check is on the green; we're ready to begin the operation at your command."

Levichev turned to him and nodded.

"Perfect, begin the operation. It's time to create MECH's superior soldier."

Immediately, everyone stood at attention, ready for the procedure."

"YES SIR!"

All went to their stations and began working. The head scientist approached the main console to begin administering the serum to the subject while the general stood next to him, watching history being made.

Inside the tube, a syringe robot's arm filled with the serum descended down into the cylinder and stopped before Rafael's chest. Suddenly, the syringe was pushed forward and plunged into his sternum, injecting the serum into the heart. Once emptied, it retracted and ascended upwards. In his body, the serum began its work as blood carried it out of the heart, spreading into the arteries, where it was absorbed into the organs, muscles, bones, and every part of the body. Raf's heart rate steadily increased, and his breathing became heavy.

Suddenly, his eyes opened, then squinted shut. One of the soldiers monitoring the screen announced the pulse increase.

"Heart rate increasing! BP is 110 and climbing! 120! 130! 140!"

Another soldier watching the other screen continued giving out the details.

"Metabolism and growth hormones spiking, testosterone and adrenaline levels rising. Reprogramming of the brain has begun."

"The patient is beginning to change, general", the doctor said, "It will only be a matter of time before he reaches adulthood."

"And with that, doctor," Levichev continued, "we will have our ultimate MECH soldier."

The MECH soldiers watched as the little boy changed before their eyes. The first and obvious one was his height, as he started to grow. Sounds of pops and cracks were heard as his bones stretched and grew to accommodate his body. Looking at the changes for the first ten minutes, they could tell that Raf was entering the lanky phase as he entered his teen years. One of the soldiers looked at the screen to see the age counter slowly rising.

"The subject is already showing signs of aging, general." he said, "As was projected, the serum is aging the subject one year every ten minutes. He's already thirteen years of age."

Levichev turned to the soldier and nodded in approval. "Good. But that's obviously still too young. Soon, he will be ready for battle."

Another ten minutes passed, and signs emerged of the young boy maturing into his teen years. Muscle growth started to catch up with bone growth as they started to expand on his frame. With every pulse of his veins, his muscles seemed to puff up like balloons. Inside himself, Raf was fighting a battle. The soldiers watched him tightening his fists. He could sense his mind being wiped; he tried to fight it off, but the reprogramming was so strong that he struggled to keep his thoughts together.

"Target is at fourteen-years-old"

Another ten minutes elapsed, and he grew up quicker than expected. His shoulders began to broaden and expand to match his chest, which was showing signs of the early development of pecs. Glutes and thighs grew to help him with running. His face also showed signs of maturing, as his jaw started to become more pronounced, and his cheeks were less puffy than before.

"Fifteen years."

By the time he entered sixteen, the changes continued to get more pronounced. He kept sprouting like a weed and was now 4'5" in height while his muscles grew rapidly for a young teen. His biceps started to grow to around 15 inches compared to when he was a kid. There was a slight dusting of hair on his arms and legs, but they weren't very visible to the naked eye. Though they didn't see it yet, his feet expanded to teenage proportions and continued to grow by the minute. On his neck, his Adams apple protruded, making the sounds of grunts underneath his mask lower.

"Sixteen."

His pecs continued to swell, looking more defined than before. His stomach was looking more pronounced as there were signs of abs beginning to form. His mind was slowly altering as the memories of Raf's family and friends faded away. He vaguely remembered them as they faded in and out.

"Seventeen."

Raf's face kept on maturing as his journey toward adulthood continued. His jaw line was getting sharper as his neck continued to thicken to match his head. The remaining baby fat disappeared completely as it smoothed and hardened on his cheeks.

"Eighteen."

He was now over five feet in height as his muscles kept bulging. His arms, legs, chest, and back added more weight in muscles as he started to look like a college football player. His torso expanded as his abs grew from a four pack to a six pack. Raf's mind got more blurry as the last of the memories disappeared, those with the Autobots and the adventures that he had; with Bumblebee, with their good times and bad times. Those memories vanished into thin air, as the face of Bee disappeared from his mind.

"Nineteen."

After a little over an hour, his body growth slowly started to slow, as his heart rate and breathing returned to normal. His body was now that of a full grown adult, with nothing resembling the old Raf. Even his old self was erased, replaced with knowledge of a soldier, following orders from his superior.

The soldier monitoring the changes looked at the screen and gave the general the good news.

"Subject stopped aging at twenty. The changes are completed, both physically and mentally."

Levichev watched the whole procedure, pleased with the results. But he needed to be sure that Raf had become a loyal soldier.

"Drain the tube. Wake him up."

The crew went back to work as they began the awakening procedure. The liquid was drained and the helmet, goggles, and breathing mask were removed. Once taken off, everyone got a good look at Raf's grown-up face. His jaw was pronounced and sharp, with a little stubble on his chin. Hit nose was narrow and long and his hair had grown down to the bottom of his neck. He was still sleeping, slumped to the side of the glass. The moment the glass rose up, two soldiers came and grabbed the former young boy by the arms and placed him on a nearby wheelchair. Once on the chair, General Levichev came and knelt down to see if the test was a success.

"Soldier," he started, "Can you hear me."

Raf slowly began to stir and wake up. When his eyes opened, his vision was completely clear, as he no longer needed glasses. Turning to the general, he responded in a low and mature voice.

"Yes sir, I hear you well."

Levichev smiled and knew what he had done had made history. What was once a 12-year-old boy was now a full grown super soldier.

"Welcome to MECH, Agent X."

The police detective came to the Esquivel house with some bad news. "We pulled the tapes from the school security cameras and got a solid lead on the license plates. However, when we ran the numbers through Nevada's Motor Vehicle database, the car that came up belonged to the governor's limousine, which was parked at the time in Carson City."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that van was using forged plates. I'm afraid we've hit a dead end." Felicita sobbed on her husband's shoulder.

"Optimus, we've got to do something!" Yelled Bee, "the police have hit a dead end!"

"Hey! I'll bet it's MECH!"

"Miko, don't jump to conclusions," said Ratchet, "what evidence do we have?"

"Duh! I was abducted in a black MECH van!"

Ratchet scoffed, "that's hardly what I would call hard evidence."

"Well, it's better than anything the police have!" spat Bee.

"What interest would they have in Rafael?" Asked Optimus.

All fell silent, then Jack spoke up. "Experimentation?"

"What do you mean, Jack?"

"He's a remarkable kid, Optimus. He has an unbelievable mind. They might try to exploit that."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's try to find out where they might have taken him! Maybe it was at that base where they took Miko!"

"Bumblebee, I understand your feelings for your friend Rafael," said Optimus, "but we need to…"

"No! No one understands! Raf was my best friend!" He spat back. "And we're all just sitting here doing nothing?! Why are we doing nothing! Can't we be searching?!" He turned to Miko. "Miko! Can't you be out in your Predacon form, flying, looking for him?"

"Well, yah, sure! Where do I start? Nevada's a big place, ya know?"

"Bumblebee, Miko's still a trainee," yelled Arcee. "It's not fair to put that kind of burden on her!"

"Aaargh!" He yelled, and throwing his arms up, walked off down the corridor towards his quarters.

"Bumblebee?" Sari started walking down the corridor after him.

"Best to let him be for a while," said Optimus. "Perhaps check on him in a little bit."

"Yes, sir," she replied.

Camp Adams, Utah. The soldiers were familiarizing themselves with the new equipment recently installed that connected to the government's most highly classified databases.

"This is kinda cool, ya know?" said the PFC to his Sergeant. "Instant access to top secret databases?"

"Hey! It's all on need-to-know! Compartmentalized access. You'd better keep your nose clean, if you want to hang on to that clearance of yours."

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion!

"What the hell was that?"

"I don't know!" Alarms went off all across the base.

"Shut down all systems! Now!" Yelled the Officer, running into the room. "We're under attack!" Then, he was shot in the back and fell to the ground dead!

A lone figure entered the computer room. "Step away from the console!" He ordered. He was wearing a paramilitary uniform with a helmet that covered his face. He walked up to the keyboard.

"You'll never break into the system!" Yelled the Sergeant. But picking them up and throwing them aside, the lone figure ignored him. He got about working on the servers, working his way through screen after screen, until he finally solved the password protection program and with a keystroke, was granted access to the highest levels of the government database.

"What the….? How the hell did he do that!?" whispered the PFC.

While the intruder was at the keyboard, the Sergeant got up and ran to pick up a piece of pipe to knock him down, but still keying with one hand, the stranger used his other hand to take out a side arm and, without even looking, shot the soldier dead. He then returned his weapon to its holster and went back to keying with both hands.

After a few seconds, he got on his comm. "Sir! Transferring data to your repository."

"Excellent, Agent! Receiving it now."

MECH has their super soldier! He has begun attacking top secret military sites and transferring data to MECH's systems. Meanwhile, no one has any idea where Raf is or what has happened to him. Will the Autobots be able to piece together the information before it's too late? And when they do, will they be able to rescue Raf?

Thanks for reading. Please review.

Note to reviewers: In order to respond to a review, you have to be registered with FanFiction. Guest reviews cannot be responded to.