Meanwhile, Orion pulled the pickup truck into the makeshift dirt driveway at the small house next to the workshop. It was styled and coloured in an artistic and eccentric style with sunroofs and small windmill on the roof Wheeler built himself. The porch that stretched all around the house from front to back was like an oasis with grass, a few bushes and lots of hanging flowers and a few birdhouses. 

“Why are you bringing a pastry?” Telly asked while eyeing the cake Ariel made fresh. 

“In human society, it is customary to bring something to a friend’s house when visiting.” Ariel explained as she picked it up and exited the car with Orion and Telly perching onto his shoulder. 

Orion rang the doorbell and Wheeler opened it wearing his work apron, gloves and soldering mask which he lifted up “Hi, guys. Mind coming around the back?” 

“Not at all, Wheeler.” Orion smiled before doing. 

Wheeler came out through the patio door with some marguerita glasses “Hey, what’s with the owl? Never pegged you as the type to own an exotic pet, OP.” 

Telly frowned while Orion chuckled “Um, I’ll explain that in a bit. Um, we brought cake.” 

“I can see and smell it. Margherita?” Wheeler grinned as he put a glass at a machine he had built himself pressing a button and then selected a flavor before it lit up making a shaking sound before dispensing the beverage into the glass, spun while gently spraying the rim with salt and finally topping the side with a slice of lemon. 

Telly let out a long hoot of awe before giving Wheeler a look with one half knowing and half suspicious eye. 

“Should I get a glass for the bird?” Wheeler laughed. 

“Maybe you should.” Ariel half joked. 

“And I’m not a bird. I’m an AI.” Telly spoke out loud making Wheeler drop the margherita revealing that the glass was made of plastic to which a special automated vacuum/mop machine revved over to clean the mess “... And considering the obvious, I’m surprised that YOU are surprised by that, Mr. Jackson.” 

Wheeler pointed while darting his head around before speaking “He’s an AI? As in a ROBOT?” 

“Technically, I’m a mobile computer. Teletraan-1 of the Autobots from planet Cybertron.” Telly perched on the head of a chair and bowed. 

“Planet Cybertron? You’re an ALIEN?!” Wheeler was in shock. 

Orion put a hand on his shoulder “Wheeler, let’s go inside so I can explain all of this.” 

Once in there, Orion nodded to Ariel who nodded back before he closed his eyes, held his breath and transformed into Optimus Prime before him. Wheeler jerked away backwards hitting the wall with his jaw and eyes wide. 

“How long could you do that?! How long WERE you that?!” he asked while pointing. 

“Technically, I was like this for twenty-six years. I could only do this yesterday though thanks to Teletraan-2 here. You see, Wheeler. Aliens are real and they have been among us for over four decades. Specifically, Decepticons who are also from the planet Cybertron, but they are terrorists. They are here on Earth because they want to put together a powerful Cybertronian artefact known as the Matrix that is currently in pieces and use it to revive their home planet, but also to take over it, the Earth and other planets out there. The mission that was given to Ariel and I is to help Teletraan-1, Teletraan-2's superior, make the Matrix whole again first and use the Matrix for good instead.” Optimus explained in a gentle tone. 

“The Decepticons already managed to make half of it whole already, but we are currently working on getting the rest of the pieces. In fact, you had one this entire time, Wheeler. Right here in your picture that you made. It’s why we are here. Well, one of the reasons. Because you touched a piece of the Matrix, you’re officially involved in this. The Decepticons will come after you, so we came to you first to make you aware.” Ariel added. 

Wheeler was stunned and put his hands on his head before slowly grinning with his eyes beaming, then he jumped around cheering “I knew it! I KNEW IT!! I knew aliens were real and among us! Iknewit! Iknewit! Iknewit! Iknewit!” 

Orion was stunned. 

“Hey, you say you were like this for twenty-six years, Orion. Does that mean YOU’RE part alien?” Wheeler asked while examining Optimus’ arm with glee. 

“Uh, no. More like a mutant cyborg.” he felt awkward as Ariel giggled. 

“Cyborg? So you’ve got cybernetic parts that make you do this? Where?” Wheeler checked him out. 

“He has robotic parts on a genetic level. Ariel and him now have a set of DNA and CNA which allows them to switch from one set to the other at will.” Telly explained while walking along the railing. 

“CNA?! How does that work? Does everyone on your planet Cybertron have it? Does that mean YOU and Ariel can change too? Tell me! Tell me EVERYTHING! Please?” Wheeler picked Telly up smiling. 

Telly turned his head towards Optimus smirking “And you were worried about him.” 

“I still am.” Optimus rubbed the back of his head. 

Ariel took Telly and put him back on the railing “Wheeler, it’s good that you are so enthusiastic about this as we will need it, but please take this seriously too. As we mentioned before, while Telly here is a good alien AI, he alone with his boss as well as Orion and I are on an important mission. And-” 

Wheeler’s doorbell rang “Huh? Boy that pizza sure came here fast.” 

He went to the door and opened it, but it was not the pizza delivery man. It was two big burly cops who let themselves in and transformed right in front of everyone. 

“Oh... Right. These are those bad aliens the Decepticons, aren’t they?” Wheeler pointed to them while up against the wall. 

“Comply and we won’t need to be bad. We only want the shard, and our fight is with the Autobots over there.” the yellow faced Decepticon spoke in a tired tone. 

“So get the hack out, little man! Or we’ll be worse than bad!” the other bot with a gray face shook his fist in Wheeler’s face “By the way they’re taking the bird too!” 

“How dare you break in and threaten this man!” Optimus stepped in between them. 

Ariel transformed into Elita-One and went to her husband’s side “Wheeler, Telly, run!” 

“Fine. I will.” Wheeler smirked before making a run for it, but as he did, he took his picture under one arm and Telly under the other. 

“Hey! Barricade, go after him! I’ll deal with Optimus!” the yellow faced bot commanded. 

“Sure, take the easy job, Fanzone!” Barricade grumbled while running after Wheeler. 

“Elita, protect Wheeler and Telly!” Optimus commanded as he held Fanzone back, and she complied running after Barricade. 

Wheeler ran down the basement stairs while holding the picture and Telly who was confused “What are you doing?! This is a dead end!” 

“I know what I’m doing. Trust me.” Wheeler calmly said as he approached a wall in his basement which doubled up as a makeshift gym “Take the piece that’s the shard.” 

Telly complied by picking the piece off with his beak while Wheeler pressed a few parts on a stained glass picture revealing that it was mechanical and the wall opened to reveal a safe room. 

“After you.” Wheeler allowed Telly to fly in and that is when Barricade stepped in. 

“Give me the shard, you runt!” he growled. 

“It’s all yours IF you can find it.” Wheeler grinned as he slammed the picture down causing the thousands of pieces to come apart all over the floor and then leapt into his safe room with the wall closing behind him. 

“NOOOOOOO!! YOU LITTLE PRICK!!” Barricade yelled while punching the wall. 

“Nice distraction. Now to ground bridge out of here.” Telly tried to do so by letting out and echoing hoot, but it resulting in him coughing static “Uh oh. I can’t! How reinforced are these walls?” 

Wheeler’s face fell “Um... I did design them after volcanic shelters so... Uh oh.” 

They watched the wall begin to crack and dent towards them as Telly perched and hid behind Wheeler’s back. In a few moments, Barricade managed to break a hole through the wall door and bent it open like a flower while shouting. Both Wheeler and Telly shouted in response, but just as he was about to reach in for them, something pulled him back dragging from behind. He fell on the floor while getting dragged a bit. He looked to notice a ribbon made of pink laser was wrapped around his ankle. On the other end of the ribbon was Elita-One who managed whose scepter morphed into some kind of battle ribbon wand. Barricade grumbled and tried to pull her back, but the ribbon disappeared, so he picked up a dumbbell and threw it at her. Luckily, her barrier saved her. 

Upstairs, Fanzone and Optimus were brawling it out with punches, kicks and wrestling moves. However, the Decepticon got exceptionally nasty when he picked up the coffee table and threw it at his opponent. Optimus materialized his axe and chopped it in half only to get tackled by Fanzone to the ground. Once pinned down, Fanzone repeatedly punched him in the face and though he had his mask on, Optimus’ head rang like an alarm and he still felt the impacts. 

“Ha ha! Optimus Prime? More like Optimass Prime! You’re pathetic!” Fanzone mocked him. 

“You broke into a man’s home to rob him while disguising yourself as an officer of the law and you call ME pathetic?” Optimus shot back at him. 

Fanzone frowned and punched him again “SHUT UP!! Do you have ANY idea what we went through?! How it felt like to make ourselves like this?! To wake up in as strange a world as it comes with NOTHING and knowing your home is DEAD?!” 

“Then give me an idea. Make me understand why you’re doing all this.” Optimus choked while his neck was gripped. 

Fanzone was taken aback and pulled back his hands. Optimus then used this as his chance to headbutt him and then kick him off before getting up feeling dizzy. 

“B-But NOT while you’re sitting on me!” he shook his head regaining his focus. 

“Why you-” Fanzone was then knocked out by Optimus uppercutting him in the jaw and even knocking his helmet off in the process. 

In the meantime, Elita-One still had her barrier up while Barricade continued to hit it with the dumbbells. Every time he did, it would flicker indicating that keeping it up was taking a lot out of her, and she was visibly sweating. 

“Isn’t there something we can do?!” Wheeler watched in horror. 

Telly then had a thought “There IS!! I was so panicked, I forgot that YOU are an Autobot too!” 

“I am?” Wheeler asked just before Telly changed into an orb gave him an energon shot on his chest before he transformed into a white and silver robotic elf with the red robot face symbol on his chest “I am!!” 

“I dub you Wheeljack!” Telly cheered. 

After a few more blows, Elita-One fell down to one knee looking like she was going to faint as her barrier finally faded. Barricade was about to hit her while chuckling, when the sound of a chainsaw was heard behind him. He turned around to see a laser chainsaw slicing through the wall, and Wheeler kicked his way through still brandishing the chainsaw with a mask and goggles on. This scared Barricade into running back up the stairs screaming like a child. He pushed Optimus out of the way and rushed to Fanzone who was waking up. 

“There’s a maniac with a chainsaw down there!” he whimpered while holding onto him. 

“A maniac?” Fanzone then heard the chainsaw and Wheeljack stepped forward mocking revving it making Barricade jump and then get caught by his cohort bridal style “AHHH!! A MANIAC!!” 

With that, they opened a ground bridge and they warped away. Wheeljack shut off his chainsaw which folded itself up before he packed it onto his toolbelt. 

His mask and goggles automatically sheathed “Joke’s on you jerks. I NEVER use my tools to hurt anyone.” 

“Elita! Elita!” Optimus could be heard from the basement and Wheeljack rushed back down to see him on one knee holding her “Elita, say something. Good Lord, you feel so warm!” 

“She passed out from using her... her magic. I think she’s exhausted herself, OP.” Wheeljack got down on one knee too. 

“Don’t panic. She just needs an energon shot.” Telly floated over and gave her one. 

Her breathing became normal and her body instantly cooled as she opened her eyes blinking then smiled “Did we win?” 

“Yes. Thanks to Wheeljack here. Our scientist.” Telly floated to his side. 

Wheeljack blushed “Wow. This really is the best of my life. I always wanted to be a scientist.” 

“You’re NOT?” Telly his eye pinned. 

“Well, no. It's a long story, but I’m more interested in yours! I mean, we’re HEROES in it after all.” Wheeljack grinned wide raising his arm. 

“Oh boy.” Optimus chuckled. 

“I think it’s safe to say he’s joining us, dear.” Ariel giggled. 

“First, allow me to repair your home, Wheeljack. It’s the least I can do.” Telly hovered around while assessing the damage before shining a beam on what was broken and it got fixed like magic. 

“How did you do THAT?!” Wheeljack looked at the repaired bench feeling it. 

“Oh, it’s just my nanotech beam. Fixing inanimate objects is simple, but fixing more complex things like your custom appliance will take time.” Telly explained before moving onto the cracked walls. 

“Thanks, but leave the appliances to me. I’m getting ideas.” Wheeljack grinned with excitement.