Chapter Seven:

Bumblebee sped fast as he could around the bends and cliffs of Mt. Ninovan. Taylor had managed to grab her phone before they left and was distressed to see multiple encrypted calls from N.E.S.T.. Their suspicions were confirmed that the low energon was happening to Team Prime. They made it to the entrance and the guards let them in. Bumblebee picked up speed again.

.

Bumblebee swerved into the Autobot’s level of the base and immediately let Taylor out. He transformed into robot mode. There they were: Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz, and Ironhide, all either leaning onto objects to slumped on the wall. The Red Delta Squadron, Wheeljack, Major Lennox and Sergeant Epps were also there. However, the aforementioned bots seemed to be functioning fine.

“How long have they been like this?” Taylor asked Lennox.

“A few minutes ago. We weren’t fully aware of it until we found them like this. We were considering sending someone to get you, but I can see you already found out” Lennox explained.

Taylor sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of. There was only enough matrix energy transferred to each of you to temporarily sustain you.”

“And this planet has no energon,” Ratchet added with a grunt, attempting to straighten.

“We can’t fight the Decepticons in this condition! We have to find an alternative, and fast!”

“You can’t just reconfigure our supply systems, ‘Jack?” Bumblebee asked.

“I wish I could, Bee, but unfortunately robotic biology was not, as humans say, ‘my forté’” said Wheeljack, discouraged.

“You’re quite perky there, Bee. What’s up with you?” Jazz inquired.

“I feel fine,” Bumblebee responded, “Though, that’s only because of Knightingale.”

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All eyes turned to Taylor. Taylor shifted her weight nervously.

“This is why I have no desire to be a commander!” she thought.

She took a deep breath and explained, “It was unintentional. I didn’t have enough time to call for assistance, and I was…somewhat flustered.”

“There is no humiliation in experiencing fear” was all Optimus Prime said.

.

He tried to stand on his own but was close to falling until Bumblebee caught him in the nick of time.

“Thank you Bumblebee.”

“So what do we do?” Roadshot asked, “We can’t just do nothing!”

“In the commotion, I jumped him up, kind of like what humans do with car batteries. I used some of my…newfound energy, and I instantly recharged him. Maybe I can do what I did to Bumblebee-” Taylor recommended.

“-No!” Ratchet and Optimus nearly shouted in unison.

“-We can assemble enough of a team to investigate the Decepticons!” Taylor insisted.

Optimus continued. “We don’t know what’s going to happen if you continue to use your abilities. Your optic already suffered a casualty from using it.”

“My vision is still functioning at full capacity.”

“But it may be a worse consequences if you do it again!” He insisted, “Don’t. Do it.”

Taylor huffed, refusing to back down. “What other choice do we have?”

.

Bumblebee began to feel the weight of Optimus Prime take its toll as he started to struggle to keep him up. Taylor noticed this. Then, a plan popped into her head.

“Prime, I think you know as well as I do, that if you continue to stay active, you’re going to go offline. I recommend emergency shutdown. Let me and Bumblebee handle this. Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”

Optimus Prime and Ratchet looked at each other. They knew they didn’t have much time to think about it. They had to make a quick decision.

“Very well. Our fate is in your hands. I trust you” Optimus decided.

“We won’t let you down” Taylor assured him.

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Team Red Delta watched in silence as Team Prime shut down and were now in dreamless sleep.

“So, we have a plan, really?” Nightshock inquired.

“Yes, why haven’t we been shut down too?” said Wadewatch.

Taylor turned to Lennox, ignoring their questions.

“Lennox, how many cryo-stasis containers were we able to transfer?” she asked.

“About a dozen” Lennox responded, then quickly picked up what Taylor was about to say, “With all due respect Captain, Prime specifically ordered-”

“-And with all due respect Major, at any other order I would be more than happy to obey. But neither of us are qualified to compose formulas or rework cybertronian circuitry. We need someone who does.”

Lennox sighed, shifting his weight irritably.

“What do you suggest Captain?”

“I need a photographic list of all of the containers. I know who can help us. With any luck, he’ll be here at the base. If not, he’ll need to be transferred from Alaska.”

“Perceptor. You’re going to revive Perceptor” Bumblebee realized.

Taylor turned around, and smirked a little.

“What other supergenius of robotic biology do we have?”

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Team Red Delta were relieved to discover that he was indeed in the base. Bumblebee, Nightshock, and Wadewatch all assisted in getting the capsule out of the freezer room and prepare for energy transfer.

“This’ll be good. Admitably, I’ve been curious to witness Knightingale’s matrix powers first hand” Wheeljack commented.

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When it was ready, everyone stood around Taylor, ready for orders.

“Now, when Perceptor wakes, he’ll most likely be in shock. So I need everyone on their guard if he chooses to strike.”

“Yes Captain” they all said in unison.

Taylor was taken aback from this. She was no longer used to a group of people at her command.

“You remember how to do this, Captain?” Lennox asked.

Taylor took a deep breath:

“Yeah. I think…” she stepped closer towards the capsule, “I think what it took was…high emotion…”

“So if I really focus…On what matters to me the most…”

She closed her eyes and raised her hands. There was a few seconds of silence. Then, Taylor took another deep breath, and shunted her arms forward. Pure blue energy burst from her hands and directly at the capsule. Her eyes illuminated bright blue and her veins glow. Electricity surged around the capsule, and a sound of a whirring engine reached their ears.

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There was a hiss. The chamber opened. The bot inside was red and gray. His chassis was faded silver with an Autobot insignia still shining brightly, and he had what appeared to be a telescope on his right shoulder. His optics flashed to life. Bumblebee took a step forward.

“Perceptor?” He asked, “Lieutenant?”

The bot began moving his joints and stumbling onto the floor. Preceptor looked up.

“Bumblebee?” He spoke.

He slowly regained his balanced and looked around.

“Wh-where are we?” He asked with an accent that resembled almost exactly like a Great Britain citizen, “What happened to the Ark?”

“It’s alright now, we’re on a planet called Earth. We’re quite safe, at least at the moment.”

.

Preceptor rubbed his head, sighing, then looking around. He soon spotted Lennox, Epps, and Taylor standing in front of Team Red Delta. Epps and Lennox had their hands on their gun grips, preparing for any kind of aggressive actions this new friend might enact. However, they were pleasantly surprised when Preceptor pointed at them and asked Bumblebee:

“What’s this?”

Bumblebee chuckled, ‘Heh, that’s a…human. They are the natives of this planet.” Perceptor took a step forward and knelt down.

“Fascinating!” he exclaimed, “Bio-organic, flesh creatures, all unique in physical features!”

.

Finally, Taylor spoke up in the Autobot tongue, “I apologize lieutenant, but we are unable to conduct formalities at this time. We need your help.”

Preceptor was delightfully astonished. “-It knows our language! Clearly these ‘humans’ are extremely intelligent!”

“I’m flattered, however the Cybertronian language is my native tongue,” Taylor replied, “I am Captain Knightingale of the Red Delta Squadron.”

.

Perceptor paused. That was what caused him to be caught off guard. He stopped and stared at her for a while with a puzzled look.

“Are you getting through to him, Captain?” Lennox inquired.

“I was lucky that Bumblebee and the others were able to recognize who I was promptly. This time, I have a lot of explaining to do” Taylor informed in English.

“It’s alright Perceptor, you can trust her” Bumblebee added, “That’s really Knightingale. It’s a long story.”

Perceptor glanced at Bumblebee, then back at Taylor.

“Of course! I recognize that speech pattern. But…how is that even possible?” he finally gasped.

“I’ll explain later. Right now, Team Prime is dangerously low on energon, and we need you to concoct an energy substitute as promptly as possible!” Taylor insisted.

“Er, of course! Right away!” Perceptor finally responded.

Taylor turned to Lennox.

“He’ll need access to your database” she stated.

Lennox nodded. “Of course. Teletraan 1 is already linked.”

Taylor nodded back. “Good. Now, let’s see about those dark energon signatures…”