The Race for the Keys Continues

Misty-blue's POV

The race continues for the Omega Keys. And Optimus has just decoded the second set of coordinates. "Autobots, the next Iacon coordinates have been decoded. Ratchet, ready the ground bridge" he orders.

"Last one to the Omega key has to scrub the Energon tanks for a week" Smokescreen states. H starts to stretch.

"Didn't know we were keeping score" Aunt Arcee states.

"Arcee, Bumblebee, prepare to roll out" Optimus orders.

"Wait. What about me? I mean me and Bulkhead?" Smokescreen asks.

"The two of you will remain here in the event i'm able to decode a subsequent database entry before the others return" Optimus states.

"Optimus is right. Considering the very fate of Cybertron is at stake, response time is critical" Sire Ratchet states.

"Keep your engines idling, kid" Aunt Arcee tells Smokescreen. "Come on, Bee. Destiny await" she states transforming. Speeding through the portal and Bumblebee does the same thing.

"We call it a pit stop. We'll get back in the race" Bulkhead assures Smokescreen. "Excited to see Cybertron?" he asks me.

"I guess so, it sounds amazing" I tell him.

"What's wrong?" he asks me.

"It's just, all I know is Earth" I state.

"You wouldn't be stuck inside all the time on Cybertron" he tells me.

"Really?" I ask.

"Sure, though you'd still need one of us present" he states. "You'll love it" he assures me. Arcee and Bee return without the omega key. Both look really hurt. But Sire Ratchet assures me they will both recover. They just need some rest.

"I'm sorry, Optimus. Knockout was there, waiting for us. Seems the 'Cons are improving their decoding skills" Aunt Arcee states.

"And it seems that, with two keys already separated, no one currently possesses the means to revive Cybertron" sire Ratchet adds.

"While our quest to restore our planet may have reached a stalemate, securing the remaining keys is still the most prudent course of action" Optimus tells us.

"Man, it must have been crazy with Knockout going all sonic. Oh, I wish I'd been there. I would have..." Smokescreen starts to say pumped.

"Would have what?" Aunt Arcee demands. "Recovered the key like you did the first one?" she asks.

"Maybe. Who knows? I just want us to be firing on all cylinders, you know, now that the Star Saber's gone. And I have a pretty good track record so far" Smokescreen brags. I glare at him as Aunt Arcee leaves the room.

"Look, kid, Arcee and Bumblebee are no slouches, and Optimus managed just fine for eons without the big sword" Bulkhead tells him. "Of course, you wouldn't know about that. And you've been locked in stasis the whole time we've been fighting this war" he states.

"Exactly, and I'm ready to make up for lost time" Smokescreen tells him.

"When Optimus says you're ready. You got to be in this for the long haul. Slow and steady wins the race" Bulkhead tells him. I make a note of that, to remember it in future.

(Time skip)

"The next coordinates are ready" Optimus declares.

"There remains one set left to decode" Sire Ratchet states.

"On it, boss. I'm gonna bring back that key" Smokescreen states. But calms down when Arcee gives him a look. She hands Bulkhead the scanner, whispering something in his audio-receptor.

"Compared to watching Miko, piece of cake" Bulkhead tells her. Before leaving with Smokescreen. I head over to her.

"What did you say?" I ask her curious.

"Just that he keeps an eye on Smokescreen" she states.

"He is getting a big head" I tell her.

"He is" she agrees.

"Are you ok?" I ask her.

"I'll be fine Misty-blue" she assures me.

"Can you tell me about oil bathes while we wait for them to return?" I ask her. She nods her helm. We sit on a crate each and she begins to tell me about oil baths. While Optimus continues to decode the final set of coordinates. And sire Ratchet continued to treat Bumblebee.

(Mini time skip)

So Bulkhead and Smokscreen failed to retrieve the omega key. Which means the cons now have two in their position. "Smokescreen was sucker-punched. Could have happened to any of us" Bulkhead states.

"But it didn't, because I was the one who dropped his guard. I was the one who blew it. Some great warrior I'm turning out to be" Smokescreen grumbles.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Arcee demands. "A couple of victories aren't gonna make you a legend. And not every mission results in success, not for me, not for Bee, not even for Optimus. We've gained relics, and we've lost some. We've also lost friends. We've even lost a world. But this is one time we get a do-over. We have a chance to bring back Cybertron, and everyone in this room needs to be in sync. This isn't about you or your destiny" she tells him.

"Arcee, you have made your point" Optimus tells her.

"Optimus, he needs to hear this" she tells him. Then turns back to Smokescreen. "You might actually become a great warrior one day, and I sincerely hope that you do. But greatness begins and ends with putting the team first, not your personal scorecard" she states.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you guys" Smokescreen tells her.

"Then stop trying to be a hero and start being an Autobot. Be a better example for Misty-blue" she tells him.

"You know what? Maybe I'm just not good enough" he states. He transforms and speeds out of the base.

"Next time Optimus advises you to stop, perhaps you should listen" Sire Ratchet tells Arcee.

"I'll bring him back" Bulkhead states.

"Smokescreen is young, Bulkhead, and has much to learn. So does Misty-blue. But right now he needs to clear his thoughts. And I need to finish decoding the final Iacon entry" Optimus tells us. He gets back to work.

(Time skip)

"The final entry has been decoded" Optimus announces. We all gather around him.

"Has it?" sire Ratchet asks as an image starts to appear on screen.

"Perhaps it's a layer of secondary encryption" Optimus suggests.

"I don't think so, it is forming an image" I state.

"Maybe it's a picture of the relic" Bulkhead offers.

"Of what possible use could that be to us without knowing its location?" sire Ratchet asks him.

"I trust that Alpha Trion has his reasons" Optimus assure him. The image clears up and it is a picture of Smokescreen. I frown in confusion, what does it mean?

"Smokescreen" Bulkhead says surprised.

"Is this that hotshot's idea of a joke?" Arcee asks.

"I don't think so" Bee buzzes.

"Maybe he knows where the key is" Bulkhead suggest.

"And never bothered to mention it?" Arcee asks.

"That seems unlikely" I state.

"A more likely possibility is that Smokescreen himself somehow is the key, without knowing it" sire Ratchet tells us.

"Whatever the case, he could be in grave danger" Optimus states. "Smokescreen, return to base immediately" he orders over the comm-link. But got no response.

"He may have deactivated his comm link" sire Ratchet tells him.

"Locate his position and prepare the ground bridge" Optimus orders. Sire Ratchet gets to work at once. He locates Smokescreen's signal and opened a ground bridge. The others all went through. But they were to late, Soundwave apparently got to Smokescreen first. Now the cons have three of the omega keys. At least that's what we thought.