The Autobots were getting new equipment later in the week. The base was starting to get a little cramped, so they got a lawyer to advise them on expansion. At the moment, Optimus and the lawyer were nowhere in sight, but the Autobots didn\u2019t mind. Well, most of them. Prowl was looking angrily around the base. He found Jazz in the Command Center, telling a joke to Teletraan. \u201cAnd then, the Chakarian said, \u2018Doctor, I thought you were an expert in biology, because that\u2019s not my antenna.\u2019\u201d Teletraan grimaced. \u201cCome on, you can\u2019t tell me you don\u2019t find that funny,\u201d sighed Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, I can,\u201d argued Teletraan, \u201cvery easily, in fact. I fail to see the humor in reproductive organs or the grabbing of such. It just seems rather gross, given their function.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhy do I bother?\u201d muttered Jazz to himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSIR!\u201d called Prowl. Jazz turned his seat around as Teletraan adjusted his cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat can I do for you, Prowl?\u201d asked Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat imp with the Matrix, where is he?!\u201d snarled Prowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s in his office with a lawyer,\u201d explained Teletraan, \u201cgoing over Optimus\u2019 proposal for the expansion for the new equipment coming in on Friday. Anything else we can help you with?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou two must find this amusing,\u201d growled Prowl. \u201cYou probably conspired with him on this!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI conspire with him a lot,\u201d remarked Jazz. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to be more specific.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMoving my furniture!\u201d snarled Prowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs THAT what this is about?\u201d muttered Teletraan. \u201cSomeone moved your furniture?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot \u2018someone\u2019!\u201d insisted Prowl. \u201cOptimus Prime! This is the fourth time this month he\u2019s done something like this! He breaks into my quarters while I\u2019m in recharge and moves everything out of alignment! First, he rotates my dresser three degrees to the right, then my stasis pod two degrees to the left, all while I\u2019m snoozing! Not one item in my quarters is where it\u2019s supposed to be!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s a bad thing?\u201d asked Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEverything I own,\u201d hissed Prowl, \u201cis carefully and painstakingly arranged and placed! Optimus knows this, and yet he takes a perverse delight in throwing my quarters into complete and utter chaos!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m a computer,\u201d remarked Teletraan, \u201cso I DO understand a need for order, but even I would be hard-pressed to call three degrees \u2018chaos\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe you don\u2019t, but I do!\u201d growled Prowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRatchet to Prowl,\u201d called Ratchet\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGo ahead,\u201d directed Prowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProwl, I don\u2019t know how things are run in the police,\u201d snarked Ratchet, \u201cbut, I would prefer you get to your physical on time.\u201d Prowl rolled his optics but gave no argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d he sighed. \u201cOn my way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ll skip the court martial this time,\u201d joked Ratchet. \u201cRatchet out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPardon me,\u201d replied Prowl to Teletraan and Jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh, when you DO meet Optimus,\u201d called Teletraan, \u201csay hello to him for me.\u201d Prowl growled and headed to the Med-bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lawyer Optimus met with was Richard Bartley, a portly human in his 60\u2019s, with a moustache, a balding head, and pale skin. He looked past his large, beaky nose at the documentation, then looked up through his bushy eyebrows at Optimus. \u201cSo, if I\u2019m reading this right,\u201d he mused, \u201cyou think it would be a good idea to go into the mountains behind this base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor underground training purposes and storage,\u201d answered Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOptimus, I need to be frank with you,\u201d sighed Mr. Bartley. \u201cThat would be a VERY stupid move on your part. You\u2019d be looking at 9.5% with no fixed rate and going too near the territory of someone who\u2019d be very interested in your species of sentient robot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re exaggerating, of course,\u201d gulped Optimus, hoping that was the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m sugar-coating it!\u201d replied Mr. Bartley. \u201cThe area behind the mountains belongs to MECH and they will cut you up the instant they see you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMECH?\u201d quizzed Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou mean, you haven\u2019t heard of the vilest terrorist organization, second only to the Eggman Empire?\u201d asked Mr. Bartley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been preoccupied lately,\u201d answered Optimus, not going into detail about his preoccupations. \u201cTell me about them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll right, but it speaks badly of my species,\u201d sighed Mr. Bartley. \u201cMECH stands for the Mechanically Efficient Champions of Humanity. As you can guess, they don\u2019t place much value in animals, especially Mobian ones. They take any technology, reverse engineer it, and weaponize it for their own purposes, one of those purposes being the extermination of Mobian life, leaving Mobius a human dominant planet once again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut, half the tech you guys have,\u201d protested Optimus, \u201cwas conceived in all stages by Mobians. You wouldn\u2019t have the paradise you have now without a Mobian\u2019s help!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what sane humans believe,\u201d conceded Mr. Bartley. \u201cHowever, these are NOT sane humans. They don\u2019t even interact with Eggman on account of his vendetta with Sonic, only steal his technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, as if we don\u2019t have enough problems as it is!\u201d sighed Optimus. \u201cRecommendations?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it IS underground combat you need to train for,\u201d suggested Mr. Bartley, \u201cthere\u2019s a cave system beneath the main base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat COULD work,\u201d mused Optimus, \u201cbut I was hoping for something with higher ground. Ironhide had to fight inside mountains before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTrue,\u201d replied Mr. Bartley, \u201cbut I think G.U.N can handle that type of combat, given the scale of their average soldier compared to yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFair point,\u201d answered Optimus. \u201cIn the meantime, we\u2019ll take your advice to Spark and stay out of MECH\u2019s way until they threaten anyone on the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood idea,\u201d praised Mr. Bartley. The door then chimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCome in,\u201d called Optimus. Bumblebee came in, looking grim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe G.U.N scouts and I have gathered intel on Shockwave\u2019s whereabouts from one of her previous locations,\u201d reported the young Corporal. \u201cWe managed to gather security footage from said location. Take a look.\u201d Bumblebee activated a holographic display on his tablet. It showed Egg pawns moving equipment with Metal Sonic and Shockwave carrying stasis pods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid Shockwave snatch Egg pawns?\u201d asked Optimus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWorse than that,\u201d sighed Bumblebee. \u201cA scout team has discovered Eggman building some structure. A sign in front said, \u2018This Space Reserved for Shockwave.\u2019 We have reason to believe that Shockwave and Metal Sonic have joined Eggman.\u201d Optimus sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe last thing we needed,\u201d he groaned, \u201cwas an alliance between Eggman and Shockwave.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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