Hound and Indigo Zap were well on their way after their rest stop in Kansas. Excellent time was made on the road, and there weren't any hassles as they were driving away. The news of their disappearance was still widespread, but no one could find them. Not that anyone could with them vanishing like that. And even if they were found, they had gotten away long after that. Now on the run from the world they left behind, brought back into the world they were trying to so hard to escape.

"Okay, is there any signals you're picking up on? Anything at all?"

"No, not a thing. Nothing but dead stuff out here and... wait a minute." A soft red dot bleeped on the radar screen, near the radio. "I'm picking up a trace. Looks like there's some Autobot energy signatures."

"Sure it's ours?"

"Don't know, we'll have to approach with extreme caution."

Hound made a left turn, going down a path through the woods. As he pushed through some of the trees, he came to a stop. Indigo got out, allowing Hound to transform. With both of them on their feet, they proceeded to walk carefully through the woods. It was quiet, warm. The sounds of bugs and birds called through the air. In the distance, they could see a deer halt only to run away, seeing the intruders. Rabbits and raccoons scurrying about as they went about their business. Leaves and branches crunched as they walked, it was the perfect level of calm.

"I bet Fluttershy would love to walk through here," Indigo joked. "She could create an entire army in a few seconds out in these woods."

"I still don't think they would take kindly to us, we're uninvited, and stepping on their land after all."

As the two of them made a turn around a corner, they didn't stop to realize they were being watched. They didn't know of course, as the pair of eyes were smaller than their own, just carefully under the branch. A small whining sound of wheels churned as it pulled from under the tree, revealing the source to be a small remote-controlled toy truck spotting them. It shook a bit as it watched the two strangers.

The remote controlled car quickly backed up, trying to avoid being spotted. But as it turned away, Hound and Indigo turned their heads to look for the source of the noise. Nothing.

"You ever get the feeling we're being watched?" Indigo asked.

"Yep."

"Good."

Turning back ahead, Hound raised his arms up and pushed some of the branches out of the way, clearing their path. But when they made through the trees, they gasped. A new sight was in front of them; the sight of a disgusting, decrepit old station. An massive old train yard was right before their eyes, completely abandoned and left to rot. Plants and moss grew around the cobblestones, some of the old passenger and freight cars were left rusting away, graffiti was sprayed on the walls of the buildings and trains. The entire scene made Indigo's stomach churn, and she hated it.

"Hound. I don't know about you... but I think we may have made a mistake. What if there's Decepticons here?"

"I know the chances of that are high, but we should still check it out. Keep your guard up."

Hound whipped out his pistols and took first point. Indigo stayed close behind, pulling out her own hand-held weapons. As the two watched each other's backs, they could see more and more of the sights around them. It was like they were entering a set for a horror movie, and they were going to be the victims for the killer.

But before they could imagine the killer making the strike--

"Indigo?" A cheery voice called.

Hound and Indigo flipped around with their weapons, pointed to the dark shadows of the main station. From the shadows, emerged a girl with dark pink skin and short spiked green hair. Her clothes were a bit odd, much different than the outfit she imagined. A flashy punk looking outfit, with some studs on her ears, a black studded jacket, a belt hanging around her waist, short jeans, and studded boots. The neon blue makeup on her face resembling a half of an Autobot logo finished the picture.

"Lemon?" Indigo's heart raced. Was she here? Was her friend here?

The happiest squeak on Earth confirmed her suspicions, especially after she charged up and tackled Indigo to the ground with a big hug. "Oh my gosh, you're alive!" She had her arms locked tight around her body, not letting go. "I missed you so much!"

Indigo tried to wrap her arms around Lemon, but Lemon's grip was too tight. "L-Lemon... too... tight..."

"You said that when--"

"--WHOA, okay, lets' not go there!" A new voice yelled. Stepping out of the shadows this time, was another adult, with blowing purple hair hanging behind her head and cyan blue skin. A necklace of a golden sun hung around her neck, and she was dressed with a black leather jacket over a white shirt and blue pants. The belt buckle had a visible cloud and rain logo.

"Sunny!"

Soon as Lemon Zest got off of Indigo, Sunny Flare came around and gave Indigo a warm hug, much less tight than Lemon's.

"Thank goodness, you're okay..."

"Sunny, are you alright?" Indigo asked.

"I'm fine. We all are. Well, mostly." Sunny nodded.

"Hound, duude!!!" Lemon Zest gayly chirped. "Good to see ya, man! You're still rockin' it!"

Hound chuckled. "Good to see you again, Lemon, Sunny."

Lemon then tapped a button for a device that was clipped to her ear. "Wheelie, don't worry. They're on our side. Keep up your patrolling for half an hour then come back here."

"Okay then. Glad to hear it's not an enemy."

"Wheelie?"

"Yeah. He's a mini-drone. Found you guys before we did."

"Well that explains why I felt someone else was close by," Hound shrugged. "But regardless, I'm glad to see you again.

"And it's good to see you again, mate," An Australian voice acknowledged.

Hound looked up, and two more figures came out of the shadows. Autobots. The first one came from a small Autobot who was only a few inches taller than the average human, close to Bumblebee and Smallfoot's sizes. Tan and brown colored and a blue visor. But most noticeable about him was the set of locomotive wheels clipped to his legs and hips.

The second robot was much taller, sporting a blue and gray body. Black ankles, and with red hands and red speakers on his legs. His face was yellow with a blue helm, two horns visible.

"Outback! Blaster!" Hound exclaimed. He rushed towards them, almost tackling them both like Lemon. Outback gave a brief hug, while Blaster just gave him a fist bump.

"Still as cool as the day we were first assigned to the Ark," Blaster quipped.

Hound smirked. "And I see you got yourself a new paint job."

"Eh, I wanted something new to present my totally awesome freedom," Blaster nodded.

"And Outback... did you change your vehicle mode?"

"Had to. Sunny Flare and I needed something to fit in this abandoned place, and we'll need these rails for what we have planned. But now out here, come inside," Outback said, urging them to follow.

Hound and Indigo followed their friends inside the abandoned train station. Inside was just as bad as the outside. Graffiti was on some of the trains which were rusted and broken. Nature was growing around in various places, holes in the roof, paint peeled, it was abandoned for quite some time. But there was some sights that didn't look like the rest of the post.

Some blankets were laid on one of the platforms, including some cots and a few pieces of technology. Some energy transformers were laying around as well, plugging into some of the machines set up. Specifically the mini-fridge, and the desk with the lamp and tools. Some kitchen tools were also laying about as well, collected together on some crates. On a small bench, there was a gold lion sleeping like a cat, the Autobot logo near it's head raising the familiarity. On another bench, they could see a red rhino sleeping as well.

On one of the platforms, there was a red sports car sitting, with seven lights in the grille, and a pair of lights attached to the top of the cabin. And the hood was opened up, showing a girl and a small robot the size of a Chihuahua working on it. Two twin robots were seen as well, one with blue and white, and the other with black and white, but both of them had red masks.

"Sugarcoat! You'll never guess who's here!"

"A descendant of Principal Abacus Cinch?" Sugarcoat deadpanned.

"No, dude! Look!"

Sugarcoat turned around, and flipped her goggles off. Her jaw dropped when she saw that familiar face right in front of her. "Indigo?"

"Haven't changed, have you?"

Sugarcoat had no words. Instead, she just dropped what she was doing and embraced Indigo in a big hug. "Thank god, you're okay..."

"I'm glad you're okay too, Sugarcoat." Indigo hugged back. "Wait... where's Sour?"

The station went quiet, even more quiet when it was first abandoned. The three girls looked at each other, and then back at Indigo with depressing frowns.

"I'm afraid... Sour and Smallfoot, didn't make it..." Sunny Flare whimpered. "Decepticons got to them, and..." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Both of them and little Max died!"

Indigo's jaw dropped, and she shook her head vigorously, trying her best not to believe it. "No... no, that's impossible. Sour can't be gone..."

"Indigo. She's gone," Sugarcoat said, truthfully somber. Her head lowered a bit. "Sour. Smallfoot. Max. They're gone."

Hound's fists clenched in anger, and he felt a soft pat on his shoulder. Blaster gave him a look of sympathy, non-verbally pleading him to not go down the path he believed. But Hound's emotions turned away, and he let out a sigh as his fists released.

"That poor girl..." Hound shook his head. "First Ironhide, now Smallfoot..."

"We don't know if he's dead!" Indigo begged. "He could still be alive, don't let Blackout mess with your head!"

"But he's... no, no. You're right. Maybe he's still alive. But right now, we need to find out what's happening. Did anyone else have any encounters with Blackout, or someone similar? Big, black, hulking, turns into a helicopter?"

Sunny Flare shook her head. "No, but Outback and I had an encounter with someone tall, feminine, and red."

"Accompanied by someone shorter, blue, and gun-ready," Outback said, leaning against a beam. "Shatter and Dropkick, in case you don't know."

"Who?" Indigo asked.

"I believe I can answer that!" Brains yelled, hopping off the engine of the car. He rushed over to Sugarcoat, climbing up her leg and on her back, until he got himself up on her shoulder.

"Indigo, meet Brains. Brains, this is Indigo."

"Pleasure to meet you, mum," Brains greeted, giving a soft bow of his head.

"Nice to meet you too... where did you get him?"

"I came down from Cybertron, spy activity. But I wanted a job on Earth, I wanted to work in an environment that was new, somewhere I haven't been before. And then I found out about Sugarcoat, and well, I appeared as a gift on her doorstep, and soon after we talked, she let me in under her roof."

"Right, right, but what about those Decepticons you're describing?"

"Oh yes!" A holoscreen flashed out of Brains' eyes, displaying mugshots of the two fugitives. "Shatter and Dropkick. They were triple-changers, serving under Lord Megatron during the Great War, until they were arrested and locked up on the Alchemor. But Sugarcoat told me that the Alchemor had crashed a long time ago, and as such--"

"--They got out of their cells along with every other Decepticon fugitive we encountered," Sugarcoat nodded.

"But why attack you guys?"

"I don't know. Outback and I were just on our way to visit my parents, the next thing you know, two aircraft vehicles come soaring down, transforming into cars and then into giant robots who's first action was to shoot us!" Sunny flailed her arms.

"And before anyone asks, no that sweet ride that Sugarcoat is working on is not Shatter," Lemon said.

Hound and Indigo looked at the sports car, then back to Sugarcoat.

"I found this car under a bridge near a set of train tracks. Outback helped me move it when we met up. But I have a feeling this car is someone else..." Sugarcoat said, looking back to the engine. "Some shells, yes, but this car has an Autobot logo on the front of the hood, that can't just be a coincidence."

"Is it alive?"

"I don't know, this car didn't move or react when we took it in!" Sugarcoat said.

"Well what about that shell near the coiling up there?" Indigo said, reaching for it.

"Wait, no!"

She yanked the shell out, and the lights on the car flashed.

"Get out of the way!"

The girls ducked for cover, just as the vehicle began to scream. "AHHH!!!" The car yelled before violently transforming. When it was fully transformed, it revealed a female Autobot who looked incredibly wounded; one of her eyes was missing, her left arm was replaced with a cannon, scratches and open wounds exposed. "Please, I need to get out of here!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, stay calm! Road Rage, chill! It's just us!"

"No, they're coming, I've got to get help!"

"Roadie!" Hound shouted, gripping her shoulders. "Please, stay calm, it's okay."

"No... it's not okay, I need to go... I need to go..."

Her legs wobbled and she almost fell, but Hound caught her before she could. He held her close, carefully helping her sit down one of the platforms. "Easy... it's okay..."

Road Rage breathed heavily, trying to move, but the pain was resurfacing once again, slowing her down.

"Relax... it's just me," Hound smiled, offering her a friendly face.

Road Rage gulped and moved her hand to her side, feeling the wound. "Ow..."

"Are you hurt?"

Words didn't give him an answer.

"Hang on, just stay calm, I'm going to get my medic kit," Hound said, stepping away. "Just stay there and breathe."

She adjusted herself on the platform, thankfully Blaster and Outback stepped up to give her company. Both of them took one look at her and noticed something else. They could see the wounds but they could see a new form underneath; the front lights and grille of the car now formed her chest, with the wheels hooked over on her shoulders. Her wings were now dangling by her sides,

"Roadie, I know you're hurt, but I'm happy that you're still online," Blaster smiled, giving her some comfort. "In fact, you look pretty good."

Road Rage still breathed, trying to stay calm while Hound went to get the supplies. "T-Thank you..."

Hound quickly came back with some tools, and started to apply some ointment onto her open scar.

"So what happened?" Hound asked. He too noticed the new look. "And pardon me for asking, but did you get a new protoform mold done to you?"

"A-A little bit... I was told to get a new vehicular mode as the one I had was standing out more than usual, granting more unwanted attention. I had the data removed, and I was open to getting a new vehicle mode, but Teletraan-2 reported a distress signal somewhere far. Since it was in the middle of nowhere, I assumed it would be alright. But... I was wrong..."

Her spark raced at the memory as it flashed before her eyes.

---

Road Rage tried to crawl away from impending doom. Two Decepticons towered over her with malicious intent, ones that she had never seen before.

“Where is Team Prime?” Shatter barked before dropping the weapon. “We know the Autobots have an established base on this planet, and no warrior would come alone, expecting no Decepticons. So where are they?”

The downed Autobot whimpered and moaned from the pain, trying to crawl away from the attackers. “My name is Road Rage. I’m not going to—AGH!”

Dropkick jabbed his blade into her right eye, completely destroying it. She groaned from the pain as she tried to back away, only for him to push harder on the blade, pinning her down. She desperately wanted to take the blade away from her face, but any resistance and she knew they would strike harder.

“Wrong answer…” Shatter sing-songed. “We know Optimus Prime established a base. Tell us where it is, and we let you live.”

Road Rage’s other working eye glared at Shatter, the pain now turning into rage. “I wouldn’t give up the location of my friends to you creeps. I don’t care how many blades you stab in me, I won’t say anything!”

Shatter and Dropkick shared a glance with one another, then looked back down.

“Finish her.”

Just then, Road Rage made her move. She yanked on Dropkick’s blade, pulling it out of her eye and then snapping the blade off his arm. She jabbed it in his side, making him groan. It wasn’t going to stay for long, but it bought enough time for her to kick him down, and then roundhouse kick Shatter’s face.

Road Rage quickly flipped herself around, transforming into her sports car mode and sped off as fast as she could. Shatter snarled and then dashed after her, transforming into her hot rod mode to pursuit the Autobot. Dropkick accompanied her in a few seconds, getting the blade out of his side.

“She won’t be going very far!” Dropkick said before the turbo on his hood transformed into a machine gun. Dropkick’s weapons fired multiple shots at Road Rage who swerved and skewered around on the road, trying not to get shot.

Road Rage sputtered around, trying to avoid the oncoming fire, looking for something, anything she could go to that would provide some cover. But there was nothing. She was out in the open, and with nothing to hide behind, and no cover to use. Panicking, she jumped up and converted into her Cybertronian vehicle mode, speeding down the open space. She jumped over a small hill, racing faster than before.

Shatter and Dropkick jumped over the hill, flying in the air for a split second before coming down on the ground again. Road Rage tried her best to stay as far away from them as she could, but they were gaining speed. But just up ahead, she found a path of a road, surely that could lead her back onto the highway! She swerved and skidded, but she was speeding as soon as she had grip on a smooth surface. She roared down the road, gaining much more speed. But just as she thought she was fleeing the inevitable, she could hear Shatter and Dropkick transforming.

Helicopter blades chopped through the air and a thrust of an engine sailed through the air. Both of the Decepticons were taking the air to follow her, and she was right in their sights. Just about to cross a bridge over a set of railways.

"She'll warn the Autobots!"

"Not for long," Shatter said. A rocket unloaded from her wing, deploying and locking onto Road Rage's signal. Dropkick then released a few missles from his holders, aiding Shatter's.

All of the rockets locked on target, and as soon as it was close, the rockets created a massive explosion that created an inferno of an explosion, almost impossible to see if they had hit their target. The two vehicles lowered themselves down before flipping themselves around into robot modes. The partners moved through the smoke as it slowly lifted into the air. There was no sign of Road Rage, except for a few pieces of rubble and debris.

Shatter raised up her wrist, checking for energy signatures, a spark, a beat. Nothing.

"Found her?"

"No. How underwhelming," She stated.

"Look at it this way. One less Autobot to worry about," Dropkick pointed out.

Shatter turned her head back to her partner, smirking. "You're right. And there's a bunch more on this planet for us to interrogate."

"There you go," Dropkick chuckled.

"We may not be closer to finding out what has become of our leader... but we have one less Autobot to worry about. But for now, we head west."

The two Decepticons transformed into their vehicle modes, ready to race off. As the two Decepticons got off the bridge and back on the road, unbeknownst to them, they were being watched. An eye scanned Shatter's vehicular form as she drove away, just before she was out of range.

Road Rage then climbed back down, below the bridge, trying to hold onto her wounds. She looked down at her palm, noting the blue liquids that were coating her palm.

"I can't let them hurt anyone else... have to... stop them..." She took a single step forward, almost falling forwards in the process. She saved herself with her other foot, but found herself collapsing onto her hands and knees. "No... have to go... have to... stop..."

She transformed into her new vehicle mode, now completely resembling Shatter's vehicle mode, down to the last circuit board. But she didn't move for more than two inches, as her lights slowly shut down into stasis lock, everything going completely black. And no one knew where she had disappeared to.

---

"After that... everything went black. I don't know where they came from, I don't know what happened, I just..." She panted, trying to stand up again but collapsing back down. "I have to go. I have to warn them..."

"Roadie," Lemon cooed. She patted her hand, gesturing her to look down. "You're hurt, you can't just leave. And in case you haven't heard, we're being hunted down. We can't just go back out there without a plan, and not when we're hurt."

"I would listen to her," Indigo nodded. "I know you want to warn them, believe me. But right now... we need each other. We can't split up again. Not this time."

Road Rage's one eye blinked as she looked to Indigo, and then back to her Autobot compatriots who were all around. Then back down to the girls who were giving her the most warming feeling. She slowly smiled back, even giving a soft pat on Indigo's head.

"Thank you. All of you."

The other Autobots smiled back.

"Don't worry. We'll get back out there... and we will stop them."

Next Chapter: Chapter 24: A Few Hours Ago Estimated time remaining: 26 Minutes