Jack Darby groaned as he looked up in confusion, his head pounding as he kneeled on the cold ground. Two thoughts came to mind: One; this was all Miko's fault. It always was. Two; where were they?

"I so did not see that coming," a voice groaned. Jack looked to his left to see Miko slowly rising to her feet.

"Which part?" he asked dryly. "The one where the ground bridge malfunctioned? Or the part where we are…" he looked around. "Where are we?"

"Could it be the Nemesis?" a small voice asked timidly. Raf rose shakily to his feet, looking around nervously.

Miko scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous Raf."

"Actually," Jack interjected. "He might be right." He quickly lowered his voice as he looked around. The large, dark rooms did fit in with the Decepticon style. They always seemed to like the dim, dark colors.

The room they were in was large with operating tables and workstations holding tools. Very pointy tools. Jack swallowed nervously as he looked at the strange sharp objects. He did not want to be in the receiving end of those!

"We need to get out of here," Jack said firmly, grabbing Raf's hand. Before he could reach for Miko, the sliding doors nearby opened. All three children froze at the sight as a large Cybertronian lumbered in, its one optic falling on them.

"Scrap," Miko swore, quickly darting towards one of the large desks. The two boys followed after her, the large footfalls of the cybertronian right behind them. Jack quickly pushed Raf in front of him, sending the smaller boy under the table. Jack followed, only to feel something large and sharp grab his leg and drag him back.

"No!" he screamed, kicking his feet to no avail. He could hear Miko and Raf screaming for him as he was dragged out from under the table by the Decepticon. Jack grabbed onto one of the thin legs of the table, knowing that if he let go, there would be no escape.

"Hey! Cyclops!" Miko shouted, running out from under the table. "Put him down!"

The large Cybertronian kneeled down to get a better look at the girl, a growl emerging from the creature as he drew in closer.

Big mistake.

Miko did the only thing she could think of. She pepper sprayed him in the optic.

The Cybertronian jerked back, letting go of Jack in the process. Jack scrambled to his feet with Miko dragging him back under the table, the sounds of the cyclops bot screams echoing behind them.

"Oh Primus!" Raf squeaked when they joined him. "There are two now!"

Jack had no intentions of looking back to confirm what Raf said. He was too terrified to stop until they were pressed up against the wall.

"What now?" he hissed. His eyes flickered over to Miko who had her phone out. "You're taking pictures?" he demanded.

She shrugged as she held her phone out. "This might help the Bot's," she said simply.

Jack reached over and snapped her phone shut. "This is not the best time," he said. "We need to get out of here." They could still hear the two Cybertronians conversing, though not in any language he was familiar with. It was more like snarls, grunts and snarls. He shivered at the very sound, wondering what was being said.

Miko rolled her eyes as she put her phone back in her pocket. "Why don't we just crawl through that weird looking vent thingy?"

Jack and Raf turned to see that she was pointing to a small opening in the wall. Well, small for robots, but large for humans.

Jack shook his head. "We don't know where it'll go."

"It's either stay here and get caught by the Con's," she argued. "Or it's escape and live to tell the tale." Without waiting for a reply, Miko turned on her heel and went through the opening. Before the two boys could do anything, the table they were hiding under started to shake and move forward.

"They're moving the table!" Raf shouted.

"C'mon," Miko screamed, gesturing for them to run.

They needed no more encouraging. They dashed towards Miko and jumped into their new hiding space. Even then, they didn't stop running, not until they felt like they were a good distance away from the small opening.

Panting and tired, the three children leaned against the wall as silence descended on them. The silence did not last for long as Miko started to laugh. "How sick was that?" she demanded with a wide smile.

"Sick?" Jack started, glaring at her. "Really? This is all your fault!"

Miko frowned, folding her arms as she narrowed her dark eyes. "You always say that, Jack."

"Because he's right," Raf said, glaring at the older girl. "When Ratchet is working on fixing the ground bridge and tells us to stay away, what do you always do?"

"I usually do the exact opposite of what he tells me to do," Miko said. "Duh."

"Exactly!" Jack said, frustration laced in his tone. "He told us to stay away when he was testing it. But you just had to disobey him, and now look where it's gotten us."

Miko looked ready for this topic in the argument. "Why would Ratchet open a ground bridge leading to the Nemesis? And who are the two newbies the Con's hired?"

Jack frowned. "I don't know. But I'm calling Arcee." With that, he pulled out his phone before dialing his partner's number. Putting the phone to his ear, he waited, only to be meet with static. "Hello? Arcee?" he asked, with no response. He glanced at the others with a worried expression before redialing, checking to see that he put in the right numbers this time. Holding the phone to his ear, he prayed that it would be picked up. His prayers went unanswered when he was met with static again.

"Let me try," Raf said, his phone in his hands. They all waited, though Raf's sudden, panicked expression told them that his calls were not being answered.

"They might be scrambling the signals," Miko offered.

"And we can't leave the ship while it's in orbit in the sky," Jack said.

"We could find the Decepticon ground bridge and bridge ourselves home," Miko suggested.

"And attack the armed guards with what? The pencils and notebooks in Raf's backpack?" Jack asked sarcastically.

Miko scowled. "I'm just bouncing ideas off of you guys. Feel free to return the favor."

"We could just keep walking and see where this takes us," Raf suggested, gesturing to the long, dark tunnel before them.

The two older kids looked at each other, then back at where Raf was pointing. Jack shrugged. "Might as well try and find our way around."

"How long have we been walking?" Miko complained.

Jack checked his phone, which he had out as a flashlight. "Half an hour," he replied.

Miko groaned. "We're going to be stuck in here forever!"

"Think of it as an adventure," Jack wryly commented. Miko's annoyed huff brought a grin of satisfaction to his lips.

"Look! Daylight!" Miko shrieked suddenly, dashing forward. Jack looked up to see a ray of light coming through the walls up ahead.

"Miko! Miko wait!" he whisper-shouted as he grabbed the girl by the arm. "If this is the Decepticon air ducts, we need to be quite! The Con's already know we're here and there is no need to alert them where we are!"

"Stop worrying Jack," she snapped. "I haven't forgotten that."

"Uh, guys," Raf said suddenly, interrupting the two teens. "I don't think we need to worry about the Con's."

Both Jack and Miko frowned. "What do you mean?" Miko asked.

Raf gestured for them to come closer to the small opening that was blocked by small pieces of metal. Both Jack and Miko looked out, their eyes widening.

"I don't think we're on Earth anymore," Miko said in awe. Jack nodded numbly.

Buildings that were taller than even the tallest skyscrapers on earth surrounded them. They gleamed a shiny silver and grey color. The streets below were wide and long with Cybertronians traveling on them, both in vehicle form and on different transportations. Colors that the children could not name flickered on the buildings as the lights from the sky and buildings reflected on the shiny streets.

"We're on Cybertron!" Miko shrieked, shaking Raf excitedly. She gasped, "Where does Bulkhead work? Where's the construction-smashing site?" She tried to look out, but the metal bars would only let her see so much. She huffed in annoyance before a look of determination came across her features. She then ran down the air duct with the boys quickly following behind.

"How is it that we can even breathe here?" Raf gasped as they ran.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Don't forget, the Bot's were unsure if we could or couldn't breathe their atmosphere." He paused, "I guess we proved them wrong."

Miko came to a stop, looking down below her as they came to a steep incline. Jack's eyes widened before he grabbed her arm; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. The girl really needed a leash on her. "Don't even think about it," he warned.

Miko turned to look at him with a wicked grin. " 'Bout what?" Then she grabbed Raf before jumping down, dragging Jack with her.

The boys terrified screams, along with Miko's excited yelps echoed around them. The darkness closed in around them as they slid down at a terrifying speed. It was in that moment that Jack had made the decision that he was going to kill Miko.

Their screams faded to terrified yelps as they found themselves slowing down as the slid became less steep. The travel downhill soon came to a slow stop, causing them to stumble as they slid awkwardly forward. Miko was the only one who seemed to gracefully rise to her feet.

"What," Jack started slowly, his voice dangerously low. "Were you thinking?" he growled, turning to face Miko. He tried to reign his temper in, aware that getting angry would do him no good. But Miko seemed to have no personal regard for her safety, or the safety of her friends. It was that thought that irked him to no end.

"I was thinking that we needed to find a way out of here," Miko snapped back.

"What if there had been a fan below us?" Jack shouted. "We would have been cut to pieces!"

Miko stopped, her face slack. Her eyes narrowed before she averted her eyes. Jack let out a breath, knowing that that was the closest thing to an apology he would ever get from Miko. He closed his eyes, before slowly counting to ten in an effort to calm himself.

"Wow, guys!" Raf called out ahead of them. "Take a look at this!"

Jack and Miko glared at eachother before hurrying towards the smaller boy. "What is it?" Jack asked.

Raf pointed. "I found a way out."

Sure enough, there was a small, open vent that led outside. Outside, to Cybertron.

Jack hesitantly poked his head out before exiting the air shaft, the others following. They had to slide down, the ride rough and fast. At one moment, Jack thought he was going to fall off the slope. Raf and Miko bumped into him when he came to a stop, and it took them a few minutes to figure out where to stand.

He looked up, suddenly feeling very small as he gazed at the area around him. He always knew he was small compared to the Autobots. But now, on Cybertron, surrounded by so many large buildings and Cybertronians, he felt really tiny.

The lights reflecting off the buildings and streets caused him to blink, but he still stared in awe.

"This isn't how I wanted you to see my world." Arcee's words echoed back at him from his memories when they had traveled to Cybertron to recover Optimus's memories. He hadn't understood what she meant then. He knew their planet had been dead, but he never imagined what it would look like alive!

"I see it," he breathed out. "I see it now, partner."

The sound of a camera taking pictures pulled him out of his thoughts. He glanced down at Miko who was taking pictures with her phone. Catching him staring at her, she shrugged. "To show Bulkhead." Jack grinned, also taking his phone out and copying her actions.

The three of them were silent for moments, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared at this active world that teamed with life and a purpose.

"We have to save them," Raf said at one point.

Knowing what Raf meant, Jack just nodded as he didn't trust himself to speak. He knew, that in saving Cybertron, they would never meet their guardians.

"It'll be worth it," Raf said, looking at him, as if reading his thoughts.

Jack swallowed. "I know." He would never forget the look of sorrow Arcee had worn when they went to Cybertron, or the hesitation in Ratchet's voice when he questioned Optimus about destroying the space bridge. But it would be worth it.

He smiled. They would save lives. He wished he could meet Cliffjumper and Tailgate. Arcee didn't really talk much about them, but when she did, it was always with a sad smile. Bumblebee would be able to speak, and Optimus and Megatron would still be friends.

"But how?" Miko asked, her tone subdued.

They both looked at Jack expectantly, and it was then Jack knew they were waiting for him to decide.

"I...I dont know," he admitted. "Maybe...we should walk around and see what we find?"

Miko frowned. "Find what?"

Jack threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know!"

"How about there?" Raf asked, pointing to a nearby tall building.

Jack frowned. "Why there?" It didn't look different from the other buildings they saw. It was tall and stout with Cybertronians going in and out.

Raf shrugged. "I don't know. It's close, and the doors are open. The way there is sheltered by shade and other objects, so no one will spot us or step on us."

Miko shrugged. "It's a start at least."

"Plus, we will need to head inside at some point," Raf said.

Jack blinked. "Why?"

Raf pointed up at the sky. "It looks like it'll rain."

All three children knew how dangerous acid rain could be to Cybertronians, and they did not want to find out what it did to fleshy humans.

Jack looked up at the steep slope they would have to climb to get back in the vents, and he knew it would be dangerous. Best to hurry and try to get in the large building with open doors.

"Almost...there!" Miko panted. She really really wished she was 'Bot sized now. What would have taken a Cybertronian a few minutes to get to the building took the kids more than half an hour.

So it was with great relief when they came to the building. The only problem was…

"Stairs!" Miko exclaimed in horror.

"I...did not think about that," Raf admitted.

Miko groaned. No, no, no! How were they going to climb that? They were near the corner of the building and well hidden in the shadows. No Cybertronian would see them unless they stopped and knew where to look.

"Alright Miko," Jack said, getting on his knees. "Get on my back."

Miko frowned, knowing what he was thinking. She sighed, placing her foot on Jack's back. Jack used the large stair to brace himself with the sudden weight of the girl while Miko got into position. " 'Kay Raf," she said. "Your turn."

The smaller boy adjusted his glasses before stepping forward and grabbing Miko's hand. Jack grunted and continued to lean on the wall of the step for support, his legs shaking. With both kids on Jack, Miko wrapped her arms around Raf's waist and hoisted him up. Raf barely managed to grasp the edge of the stairs, but with a boost from Miko and Jack, he was able to hoist himself over. He then reached his hand down to pull Miko up, with Jack pushing her. Though it left Miko dangling at the edge. So Jack had to grab her legs and push her up, but that ended with Miko accidentally kicking him in the face when she slipped. Miko would then lean over with Raf holding her belt as she helped pull Jack up.

They repeated this for the next three stiars. By the fourth stair, they were all out of breath.

"I can't go on," Miko said, her chest heaving as she breathed. She felt hot and sweaty, and she could only imagine how the two boys felt, who were both wearing long sleeves. What kind of people wore heavy long sleeves in the desert anyway?

Jack looked up at the quickly darkening sky. "We can't stop."

Miko looked up at the looming stairs with a growing sense of dread. The acid rain was coming and they were still no closer to finding shelter. "We won't make it-"

"Miko look out!" Raf screamed suddenly, his voice jolting her into action.

Too late.

Miko felt slim servos gently grab and lift her up. "Hey! Wait! Put me down!" She kicked and squirmed to no avail. She could see another, larger Cybertronian grab Jack and reach for Raf, who kicked at the servo before getting caught. Miko had to give him points for fighting back though. Good boy! Bee would be so proud.

The thought of the Autobots caused Miko to frown. She was a Wrecker! Bulkhead said so! Who did this 'Bot think it was?

She twisted her head to glare at the Cybertronian who was holding her captive. "Now look here," she hissed. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

The Cybertronian blinked, cocking its head. "I'm going to unleash some damage," Miko threatened fiercely.

This had no effect as the Cybertronian turned and followed its friend down the stairs. Miko looked back at the building as they descended the stairs. They did not just spend hours climbing up the stairs, only to be stopped by two idiots! She looked back at her two friends who were being carried in the larger Cybertronians servos. Sudden dread filled Miko. How she wished Bulkhead was with her!