☀️ Morning – Washington State Engineering Campus
Noah and Tyler walked briskly through the entrance hall. Students buzzed around them, rushing to classes. They approached the front desk.
Noah asked,
"Excuse me, we're looking for a student. Leandro Rowan DelaVega. Robotics major."
The receptionist typed quickly.
"Leandro? He's not on campus today. He submitted a leave notice. Personal matters."
Tyler exchanged a glance with Noah.
Noah nodded.
"Let's go. I've got his address from last night's G.I. database sweep."
🚙 On the Road – Cade Yeager's Pickup Truck
Cade was driving with a serious face, dust kicking up from his tires. Calmpdown and Jolt followed in their vehicle forms. A holographic map on his dashboard pulsed with a red signal over a scrapyard labeled:
"Signal Anomaly – Origin Point: DelaVega Auto Yard"
Cade muttered,
"So this is where the kid lives, huh…"
🛰️ Elsewhere – Military Base: G.I. Command Operations Sublevel
Colonel William Lennox stood at a high-tech digital table surrounded by his veteran strike team. Dozens of red blips blinked on the holographic map, each tagged with Spark fluctuation readings.
Lennox tapped one near Washington.
"This isn't ghost code. This is a live Spark infection pattern. Growing."
An analyst chimed in,
"One name keeps showing up near the anomaly spikes… Leandro R. DelaVega."
Lennox narrowed his eyes.
"Get Delta Team ready. We move by noon."
🏚️ Leandro's Backyard – Makeshift Bot Training Grounds
A chorus of robotic chatter echoed across the salvage yard. Junk had been cleared, revealing a dirt-packed field converted into a training zone—with target dummies, obstacle tracks, and reinforced barricades.
Leandro stood front and center, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and his signature black Adidas joggers with white stripes. His hair messy, eyes laser-sharp.
He clapped his hands.
"Alright. No field ops until we sharpen our basics. We train first. Then we hunt down those missing Sparks."
Ironhide stretched his shoulders.
Wheeljack quipped,
"Training to avoid dying horribly later? My favorite kind!"
Laughter spread through the bots—but a nervous undertone remained.
🚗 In Front of the DelaVega Auto Yard – A Convergence Begins
Cade's pickup truck rolled to a stop outside a rusted fence. Beyond it, Sofia and Leandro's best friend were working on an engine beside Jolt and Calmpdown in their bot forms.
Cade stepped out and shut his door.
Right then, another vehicle pulled up.
Noah and Tyler exited.
Noah smirked,
"Looks like someone beat us here."
Cade turned and squinted at the two younger men.
Sofia came out from the workshop, wiping her hands.
"Can I help you, sir?"
Cade nodded politely.
"I'm looking for Leandro. He live here?"
"Yeah. Why?" Sofia asked, a bit guarded.
Cade cracked a subtle smile.
"Let's just say… I need to talk to him about something that glows."
Sofia eyed him a moment, then motioned them around back.
"They're out behind the house. Follow me."
Suddenly, Noah stepped beside Cade.
Cade jumped slightly.
"Jeez! You sneak up like that often?"
Sofia chuckled.
"They're here for Leandro too."
Cade raised a brow.
"And you are?"
Noah extended a hand.
"Noah Díaz. G.I. And this is Tyler Reeve."
Cade shook his hand reluctantly.
"Great. Teenagers with credentials."
The group began walking past the yard, the sounds of training bots getting louder.
Unaware that their worlds were about to collide.
🔧 Backyard – Leandro's Salvage Yard, Training Grounds
The ground trembled softly under the weight of giant metal feet. In a wide open yard surrounded by stacked car wrecks and rusting machinery, dozens of bots—Autobots and former Decepticons alike—were in the middle of rigorous drills. Some sparred. Some raced. Others tossed around the remains of truck tires like they were frisbees.
As Cade, Noah, and Tyler stepped out of the workshop and into the sunlight—
They froze.
Noah muttered under his breath, eyes wide.
"Autobots… and Decepticons?"
Tyler squinted.
"They're not fighting? They're… training?"
Cade's eyes scanned the yard. He moved slowly, his gaze locking onto one particular figure—a yellow silhouette, freshly polished, standing proud near a training ring.
Bumblebee.
He stared.
Cade whispered in disbelief.
"…Bee?"
Bumblebee was mid-session, guiding two smaller bots, but his optics instantly shifted. He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with Cade.
Recognition. No words. Just silence between two war-battered survivors.
Meanwhile, Jolt and Clampdown, who had been tagging along in vehicle mode, suddenly transformed with full dramatic flair.
Clampdown shouted, arms wide like he was on stage.
"INTRODUCING—THE LEGENDARY CYBER DUO—JOLT AND CLAMPDOWN—IN METAL AND MIGHT!"
Jolt crossed his arms coolly.
"We've come from the past. And maybe the future, too."
A few bots turned their heads.
Some rolled their optics.
Wheeljack groaned from across the yard.
"Great. The clowns are back. Cover your audio receptors, kids."
Some bots chuckled. But most eyes stayed focused on the new humans—clearly outsiders in a place where trust came hard.
Ironhide stepped forward, his massive body tense, twin shoulder cannons warming up.
"Who are they?"
Then, Leandro stepped forward, calm but commanding, his black training shirt damp with sweat. He raised a hand.
"They're not enemies."
He locked eyes with Cade.
"I figured you'd show up sooner or later."
Cade studied Leandro, surprised by how different he looked from the kid on the intel sheet. There was something in his posture now—something battle-tested. Something earned.
Cade spoke low.
"I didn't expect to find you leading… all of this."
Leandro turned slightly, gesturing to the bots around him—Autobots, misfits, defected Decepticons.
His voice was steady.
"They're not soldiers. Not anymore. They're my family now."
Leandro turned toward the gathered bots and raised his voice with calm authority.
"Alright, everyone—back to training. One more round. Defensive formation."
The bots scattered back into action. Ironhide called out orders while a few ex-Decepticons resumed sparring. Jolt and Clampdown, ever the attention seekers, sprinted to join the formation like overenthusiastic cadets.
Jolt leaped into the air, shouting,
"Form the triangle! I'm the commander!"
Wheeljack muttered dryly,
"You'd make a better crash dummy."
Laughter rippled through the bots. But Leandro wasn't smiling. His gaze had locked onto Cade Yeager, the man who once built with Cybertronian tech, the man who survived the last war.
Leandro crossed his arms.
"You're here because of the signal… or because you heard about me?"
Cade's eyes narrowed. He gave a slow nod.
"Both. You've got a lot of people nervous, kid. Government. Lennox. Even a few surviving Autobots."
Noah, standing beside Tyler, added,
"G.I. tracked the spike, yeah. But honestly... I didn't expect this. At all."
Leandro took a slow breath.
"I'm not building an army. I'm building a home."
Cade stepped closer, his tone serious.
"Problem is... your home is filled with weapons. And some of them? Got blood-stained pasts."
Leandro didn't flinch.
"I know who they are. And they know too. But right now… they're not under anyone's control. They're free. And they chose to stay here."
Cade:
"You think Megatron gives a damn about their 'freedom'? That Spark virus—Necrotron—doesn't ask permission. It erases."
Leandro looked over at Bumblebee, who stood at a distance, silently watching.
"That's why I'm doing this. No one else was gonna save the bots that got left behind. No one thought they were worth it. So I chose to believe in them first."
Noah:
"You really trust they won't turn on you?"
Leandro:
"I trust humans can change. Why can't bots?"
Tyler:
"Damn. He's got a point."
In the distance, Clampdown and Wheeljack were now arguing over sparring tactics while Jolt tried climbing on Ironhide's shoulders—only to get tossed into a pile of tires.
Cade shook his head at the chaos.
"I can't tell if this is a team... or a circus."
Leandro chuckled softly.
"Honestly? I'm not sure either. But I think they might just save the world."