"What do you mean I'm staying behind!!"

Cliffjumper was enraged at the Autobot leader telling him that.  The two stood outside the entrance of the Ark and continued to argue about Prime's decision.

"I think it's best that we have at least some of our warriors protecting the ship!" Optimus Prime replied. "Besides, your little stunt earlier was reason enough to hold you back.  You're out of control, Cliffjumper-you need to contain that trigger happy attitude of yours before someone gets hurt or even worst-killed!"

As Spike walks out to where they are, he watches Cliffjumper fold his arms together in anger and turning around to look away from the massive leader.

"I'm going with you and that's all there is to say about that!"

"I beg your pardon, Soldier?  Stand at attention and face me when I'm talking to you!" The infuriated leader said as he raised his voice.

Cliffjumper slowly spun around and mockingly saluted Prime as he straightened himself.  Spike shook his head as he watched the mini robot; he knew that was only adding to the fire to Optimus's rage right now.

"Cliffjumper-I've just about had enough of you and these foolish antics." Optimus growled. "Consider yourself off duty-permanently!  From here on out-you shall no longer be allowed to leave this base, to use a weapon of any kind while on this planet, and the moment we return home to Cybertron-you shall be stripped of your rank and put on file clerk duty in the Autobot data file archives!"

The small red bodied and chrome-faced robot looked up with his wide blue eyes in astonishment.  The open mouth he gave was that of disbelief, to be out of battle commission was unheard and to be placed as a simple file clerk was even worst.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!" He hollered.

"It's done." Prime stated. "Defying orders and going AWOL from missions is a direct result of my decision.  Leaving to battle Decepticons at the Burma Mine and nearly getting Spike's father killed in the process is no way for any Autobot to act.  Now you once again question my orders and give me no choice but to finally put an end to your chaotic behavior."

Spike says nothing as the two become aware of his presence and simply gives a glance at Cliffjumper who still can't believe he's been punished.

"Now then-" Prime adds. "Will you do as your instructed?  Or will I have to have Prowl place you into confinement in a security room?"

The small transformer lowers his head in shame.

"That won't be necessary-I'll-I'll do as you say."

Optimus's anger subsides and his eyes soon give way to a more sympathetic nature.

"I really didn't want it to be this way Cliffjumper.  But I just can't let you go on in this destructive manner anymore, it's time you grew out of that mentality of yours.  You need to start thinking about others and less about yourself.  Dismissed."

The sad mini Autobot turned back into the ship and slowly walked back inside.  His head still hung low in shame as the disgrace of it all broke his heart.  Spike watched the sorrowful robot slink away inside and looked back at the leader.

"Are you really going to make him a file clerk back home? I mean-I know he's a bit wild at times, but will kicking him out of the ranks really help?"

"Spike-" Prime sighed. "It's hard enough trying to keep the others in line and making sure that no one does anything to place lives in danger.  Cliffjumper simply has to learn to control himself or else someone will pay for his mistakes.  As for him becoming a file clerk-well-we'll see.  The war back home might still be raging on and I'll probably need all the warriors I have with me."

Spike smirked as he saw the gruff leader melt back into his old relaxed self.  Together they shared a cheerful gaze and nodded to each other as to show an understanding. Turning to walk back into the Autobot ship, Spike soon caught a glimpse of Trailbreaker riding up the road and heading straight for them. The Autobot began to slow down as he came close and stopped right beside the human friend.

"Hey there, Spike!" Trailbreaker says to him in truck form. "I was on my way through the city and I just happened to pick up a familiar hitchhiker-seems the doctors kicked him out!"

His side door opens and out steps his father, Sparkplug.  The man seems healed from his wounds after the Burma Mine incident and shows his son a great big smile as he closes the door after getting out.

"Hi Son!"

"Dad!"

The young man runs over to him and gives him a huge hug.  Naturally the father grunts a bit from his still slightly busied body, but gives his child an equally welcome hug in return.  The two pat each other on the back and separate to talk to one another.

"Last time I saw you, the nurses were running out of the room." Spike laughs.

"Yeah, well-I was getting tired of all the attention and being poked with every needle they could stick into me.  I was glad to get out of the hospital and doing rehab-"

"Sorry I missed visiting you for a month Dad, but things got kinda wild with all the media and changes in our world government. Carly and I became swamped in all the controversy."

The father smiled at him and rubbed his hair.

"Think nothing of it son. You had a job to do and I'm proud of ya, besides having less visitors gave me the chance to focus on getting better-and here I am."

Optimus Prime gazed down at the recovered man and nodded to him with a pleased look.

"Good to have you back with us Mr. Witwicky. I trust Trailbreaker didn't give you too much of a bumpy ride back to our base?"

Trailbreaker transformed into robot mode and stood behind Sparkplug proudly.  The man chuckled at the leader's comment and patted Trailbreaker's chrome and black leg.

"Nah, as far as I'm concerned, that was one of the smoothest rides of my life.  I think you Autobots have shock absorbers that would impress the hell out of any off road drivers."

"Heh!" Trailbreaker giggles. "I'm built tough, no matter what the condition of the road-I'll be sure to handle anything."

Prime and the others share a moment of laughter and soon begin to make their way into the buried ship. Spike walks along side his father and wraps his arm around him as they both stride in at the same pace.

"So what's been going on while I've been on vacation?  Any more excitement?" Sparkplug smirks.

"Ah, you know-" Spike scoffs. "Some new Autobots they found in the ship, Wheeljack being stuck in his new lab-but the one thing that you'll like to hear-they're going after Archeville."

 "Cool." The father replies. "I'm glad someone is going after that maniac-why if I had the chance, I'd wrap my hands around that man's throat personally and make him wish he were dead."

Spike gave a surprised look and felt his father was just being sarcastic. "Yeah sure-and I suppose you'd love to beat him down with a lead pipe while he lay there dead too.  Come on, Dad."

The father stops and pulls his son's arm away as he stands in front of him.

"No I'm serious Spike. A man like that doesn't deserve to live, look what he's done to this planet-to all of us-there's an evil brewing in that brain of his that just isn't worth sparing.  Optimus Prime needs to end this man's terror hold once and for all-just as he did with Megatron."

"But murder?" Spike soon adds with a raised voice. "You've always taught me that taking a life-any life-was the wrong thing to do."

Sparkplug sighed. "I know.  Maybe I'm just cranky about this whole thing-but Archeville needs to be punished for what he did.  Cause if he gets away and we never find him? God only knows what's waiting for us next."

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Naked and still standing on the very large table with the metal chair he had been sitting in; Archeville tries to walk around in his half-cybernized body.  He's thankful his legs, torso and left arm were unharmed, but with the heavy metal right arm and skullcap attached, it feels like he's carrying a slab of rock.  The man suddenly trips and falls hard to the floor, pounding on the metal surface in anger, he soon whimpers and grits his teeth in self-pity.

"No-" He growls to himself wiping away the tears from his face. "I will not do this.  I won't become weak! I've overcome hard times before-this-this is no different.  The world will still be mine!  I must be strong-just a while longer-yes-strong."

The man rises up again and balances out his top-heavy body, as he regains his composure, Starscream enters the room and throws a load of clothing at him.

"Here!" He shouts the startled naked man. "Choose your outfit out of these and hurry up.  Megatron is preparing to leave to the co-ordinates you gave us."

Archeville bends down and sifts through the garments, he seems rattled by the lone appearance of Starscream, after being through such an ordeal with the commander it chills him to even be in a room with him.

"Is-is this all?" He says looking up with astonishment.

"It is enough.  More then you deserve at all-human." Starscream growls as he dims his eyes at the man in distrust.

"Enough? This is just a pair of shoes, jeans, one white collared shirt and-and a lab coat!" The man harps back. "Where in the hell did you get this?"

Starscream leans in close to the man as he trembles at the sight of the massive face of the robot closing in.

"Why-from one of your doomed subs Doctor.  It was the few clothes I could find in such a short time that met with your specific requirements.  Trust me-it would have served no purpose for their dead carcasses to remain wearing those things."

Archeville was utterly shocked and disgusted by the thought.  An ex-crew member or one of his scientific staff had once worn the clothes that had been given to him.  Slowly he started to put on the various items, it made him nauseous to strap them on and struggled to get the shirt over his right arm.  Starscream stood back and watched the pathetic man layer on his clothing, it amused him that humans have a sense of shame on putting on another dead person's clothes, where as a robot wouldn't careless about ripping out an extra cervo-unit from a body of a fellow Cybertronian.

"This arm-" Archeville grunted as he tried to fit the lab coat over his right side. "It is poor in construction.  Why didn't you give me a more flexible-more human-like structure?"

"I think I did a terrific job with what I was given." Starscream answers as if insulted. "Who are you to criticize me?"

Archeville finally manages to bring the coat arm through and adjusts his collar in a calm manner.

"I'm a scientist.  One who holds a degree in many fields-and I can tell you, I could have designed an arm better then this one."

The jet commander sneers at him and turns his back away.

"HA! A scientist-you know nothing compared to what I know."

Sitting down at the edge of the table, the old man notices the long drop down to where he'd have to be able to reach the floor.  Rather then take the chance, he remains sitting there and asks the most obvious question plaguing his mind.

"How did you Decepticons survive the impact?  I'm curious-the rate of speed alone should have shatter the ship to pieces and depth should have crushed your bodies."

Turning back around, Starscream seemed all to pleased to answer the man back.

"What did I tell you?  You humans know nothing.  Our technology is far too advanced to be destroyed by something like water, we've traveled though the depths of space-something far more deadlier then mere liquid.  If we had impacted into a mountainside of rock, then yes-we might have been worst off just as we were before in the Autobot's ship.  But the deep oceans of this planet simply softened our crash and eased us to the very bottom of this crevasse."

Listening intently to the explanation, Archeville used his analytical mind and worked out how it was possible.

"Ah-yes.  You are a race of beings that live and breath in vacuous environments-so this would be nothing to your advanced cybernetic systems. Interesting. But surely the rest of the crew would have been destroyed from all the explosions and flying debris as it came down.  I recall watching Optimus Prime flying out just as the cargo bay of Energon exploded...did that not destroy some of your men?"

Starscream stepped closer to the man sitting there and continued to answer his questions.

"I ejected that cargo just outside our hull.  The explosion did some damage-but not enough to destroy us.  Megatron is a capable engineer, if there was wounded he would know how to repair their circuitry and get them functioning again.  The Constructicons were the main priority-once they were repaired, they in turn would work on the rest of us.  Unfortunately, Reflector was the only one who suffered any loss-reduced to only one of him now-he is less then himself anymore."

"So it was Megatron who managed to re-activate you all.  Hmmm...it seems that he is the most resistant to being damaged...I wonder if he is the most powerful Decepticon of them all." Archeville says stroking his chin in thought. "Yes...powerful, intelligent and impervious to any impact.  Are all Decepticons as well constructed as he?  Or is he merely the only one who has such a super structure?"

The commander lowers himself down to the human's eye level and squints at him with a curious gaze.

"You seem awfully interested by all of this human.  If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were trying to look for any sort of weakness I might admit to you.  Am I wrong?"

Archeville nervously grins.

"I-I don't know what you mean?  I'm just asking how you survived is all!"

Starscream stands up again and looks down at him.

"Riiight.  You're just so concerned for our well being, I don't trust you human.  You can guarantee that I'll be keeping a sharp eye on you, so try any tricks while I'm around-and I'll be there to make you pay for them."

"Not before Megatron does Starscream." The old man smirks back. "Remember-he gives the orders around here."

The robot squints at him again, he's no fool to what the man is trying to do.  He can see the doctor is trying to bait him by using Megatron's leadership against his desire to lead.  As of how or where he came to know of this inner struggle remains a mystery to him, but one thing is for certain, he will not be made the pawn of some weak flesh being's game.  With one swift stroke, he reaches down and scoops the man into his hand.  The sudden gab makes Archeville gasp in fear, as he almost believes Starscream was going to crush him to death in anger.

"Come Doctor-" The air commander snickers. "It's time to show us this precious project of yours-I hope it is more forthcoming then your witty observations."