Transformers Prime: Fractured Futures (#3)

Chapter 8

"Bulk!!!" Miko screamed in joy as she saw her guardian again. Bulkhead stared awkwardly, but happily as the Japanese girl ran towards her guardian. She hugged his foot and Bulkhead lifted her up and let her hug his shoulder with his hand on her back, as if he was also hugging her.

It was the next day and I managed to convince Raf, Jack and Miko to skip school and come to base. They were worried at first, but it all disappeared when they saw their friends' faces again.

Jack stood back, smiling at the reunion. Miko had a way of brightening the darkest moments, even in times like this.

"Good to see you too, Miko," Bulkhead said, his voice gentle despite his massive frame. He carefully set her down, and she immediately began bombarding him with questions.

"Why did you come back? What happened? Did you fight more Decepticons?" Miko asked, her words tumbling out rapidly.

"Slow down there," Bulkhead laughed. "It's a long story, but we’ll catch up."

Jack, standing beside Arcee, gave her a nod. "I'm glad you're back. Things have been... quieter, but not in a good way." His eyes shifted to me and Evan, clearly surprised to see him here.

Arcee nudged Jack playfully. "Don't worry, we've got more than enough excitement to go around."

Raf, meanwhile, was busy examining Bumblebee, as he often did, checking for any new modifications or battle scars. "Bee! You’ve been upgraded, haven’t you?"

"You know it!" Bumblebee said in affirmation, flashing Raf a thumbs-up before explaining the latest tweaks Ratchet had made to his systems, though much of it went over my head.

As the old crew reunited, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth watching them. For a moment, things felt almost normal. But the weight of everything still loomed over me, especially the secret I held about the Energon Resonance Key.

Evan crossed his arms, observing the lively exchange, but his eyes occasionally flicked over to me with concern. He hadn’t fully accepted this whole alien-robot war, but he was trying, which was more than I could ask for.

"How have you guys been? Where's Optimus, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus?" Jack asked.

"Another long story for another time," Arcee sighed.

"To keep things short, Optimus sacrificed himself for the future of our race," Smokescreen explained. The base went quiet with grief. They all missed Optimus.

"Alright, everyone," Ratchet's voice suddenly cut through the silence, his massive frame immediately drawing everyone’s attention. "We have much to discuss."

Silence fell as all eyes turned to the medic. His expression was grave, more so than usual, which only made my stomach twist further.

"Erin," Bumblebee began, his gaze focused on me. "We must address the shadow entity within you. Its influence is growing, and if left unchecked, it could endanger not only Earth but also Cybertron."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. Everyone was looking at me now, waiting for an answer, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. How could I tell them that the only way to stop this might mean my death?

"Wait? What are you guys taking about? What happened?" Raf asked, still perched on Bumblebee's shoulder.

Evan took a deep breath as he explained everything. Even the autobots listened as they were also hearing this for the first time.

"That's so cool!! Now the three of us are killere!" Miko grinned, referring to the time she and Jack had a gun fight with MECH. Yeah, they told me about it after all the Megatronus drama.