Classified - Switching Gears

Plot

The Decepticons, Bombshock, Tracer and Dropshot walk into the area around an airbase and are noticed by a soldier, who calls for help, soon a load of military vehicles arrive and take on the robots, the battle commences and the Decepticons are easily winning, but remember to be careful as they're being watched by Simon Clay, a member of a clandestine group of Humans, who are working with some Decepticons for some reason. Nearby, a small family are driving by, and the son records the battle on his phone and plans to post it on his blog, but his greedy mother wants to sell it to a news program instead.

The Decepticons are still winning their battle, albeit with Bombshock injured, when Optimus and Ironhide unexpectedly are airdropped in.

Optimus and Ironhide join the battle and easily take down Tracer and Dropshot. Bombshock threatens to kill a load of humans if Optimus doesn't surrender, but the two Autobots instead quickly take him out, however Optimus is worried due to a transmission he picked up during the battle between the three Decepticons and another unknown person. Clay contacts his boss, who tells him to return to base now.

Kevin is around his friend Gilbert's house trying to study for an assignment for school, but Gilbert's sister's boyfriend Douglas has thrown her a party and it's too loud. The two boys decide to join the party and get something to eat instead. At the party Kevin sees a news report on the TV about the battle, and gets angry, as he hates the robots.

At Edwards Air Base, Ratchet, Bumblebee and some NEST officers are waiting for Optimus and Ironhide to return when they see the news report about the fight in Nevada when they pick up the signal of some Cybertronians arriving on the planet and head out to see who they are.

Kevin gets annoyed at the party when Douglas turns over the TV report and says that the robots are just a hoax, but Kevin says that's not true, as his parents were killed during the robot battle in Mission City, Kevin leaves the party in a strop. On the way home Kevin sees a meteorite falling nearby, and decides to go investigate it, and see if it can get him a good grade at school, since he can't do his homework with the party happening.

Ratchet and Bumblebee are being airlifted to the crash site, but are 20 minutes away, and wonder what trouble can happen in the time it takes them to get there. Kevin arrives at the crash site, and finds a robot coming out of the impact zone and watches as the robot stand nearby. Kevin gets afraid and accidentally lets off the flash on his phone, alerting the robot to his presence, Kevin backs away with his bike in fear, but the robot grabs him, just as another vehicle smashes into his bike, crushing it. Kevin thanks the robot (Gears) for him saving his life, and the two introduce themselves to eachother.

In the vehicle that almost hit Kevin, Clay is shaken and needs to calm down, as the last thing he needs is to have a hit and run to deal with right now. He continue on back to base again.

Kevin's brother (and legal guardian) Duana calls to see how he is, but during the conversation his phone goes dead as a second meteor arrives, which Gears identifies as Reverb, who has the ability to black out machinery. The two robots fight, and Gears wins, he opts not to kill him, in case he booby-trapped himself in case of death, Gears scans an old SUV nearby and takes it on as his alternate mode. Kevin gets inside and leaves with Gears, as he detected local authorities on their way before.

Gears explains to Kevin that he's on Earth to secure and guard a munitions stronghold nearby before the Decepticons can get to it, Kevin thinks he means the Hawthorne Army Depot, where his brother works and tries to call him, but Gears says that Reverb fried it when he landed. Gears tries to take Kevin back to his home, but Kevin insists on him joining him to Hawthorne, as he knows where it, and Gears doesn't. The two of them plan to erect a hologram over Kevin, so they can use him to get past the security.

Ratchet, Bumblebee and the NEST team land at the crash site and find Reverb alive, Reverb lies and says he's a Decepticon defector and that Gears killed a human child and was on the way to Hawthorne. The Autobots aren't sure if it's true so they take him with them (in restraints) to check on Hawthorne.

Gears and Kevin are stopped by a roadblock and put up the hologram, and manage to talk their way in by pretending that Duane is expecting him. Ratchet and Bumblebee are on their way to Hawthorne with Reverb and use inter-Autobot radio to talk about how Bumblebee doesn't believe his story, but Ratchet wants to believe that he's a defector, as that's what they've been wanting for decades now.

Ironhide and Optimus are in a warehouse waiting to return to base, when they are told about the meteors and communications black out in Nevada, and Optimus deduces that the attack earlier was just a test or something for what is actually happening, and asks what else is of worth nearby, Optimus suggests Hawthorne, but doesn't think it's important enough for this type of attack, but the reaction of some of the Generals in the room tells him that there's something more important there as well.

The two are inside Hawthorne's perimeter, and Gears tries to ditch Kevin again, but Kevin exploits that Gears' internal compass is playing up, and makes him take him with him again, the two of them get talking, and Kevin explains that his parents were killed by the Decepticons in Mission City, and Gears tells Kevin that Reverb killed his friend Tailgate 10 years ago (given more of a reason for his hunting him down). Gears detects two objects approaching them and tells Kevin to get to a safe point.

Gears is attacked by a pair of human-made radio controlled tanks and engages them in battle, he quickly takes them down, and the two run off towards their goal, an old hill, which is on top of the munitions store, Gears explains that it's an ancient Cybertronian store, not human made and the two enter the store to start the defence of it. They hear a helicopter outside and Gears goes to present himself to them as an Autobot, but when they get out they see Reverb, who breaks free of his restraints and attacks Gears, who in turn goes to protect Kevin.

Ratchet and Bumblebee are watching the fight, and are unsure who to help when Kevin appears and explains that Gears is an Autobot and Reverb is the Decepticon. Gears and Reverb fight inside the cave-store and Reverb knocks out Gears with his cannon. Outside, Duane and his team arrive and the two brothers reunite and he asks his brother for help against Reverb.

Inside the cave Reverb goes through the weapons and grabs a cylinder one and plans to test it on the Autobots and humans outside before bringing it to Megatron. Reverb exits and attacks the Autobots, and uses the cylinder weapon on the humans, including Duane, seemingly vaporizing them all. Kevin runs to Gears as he has a plan to defeat Reverb, just as Reverb is about to kill Ratchet, Optimus and Ironhide arrive.

Reverb manages to use his new weapons to defeat all the Autobots, but he sees Tailgate entering the cave behind him (Gears has erected a hologram of his dead friend over Kevin as a distraction). Inside the cave Reverb is ambushed by Gears, and the Autobots defeat him, but they refuse to kill him, taking him prisoner instead.

In the aftermath, Gears is introduced to the other Autobots and Kevin learns that the cylinder object isn't a wepaon at all, it's a transporter, meaning that Duane and his team might not be dead after all, just sent elsewhere.

Kevin is allowed to stay with the Autobots at NEST due to his parents being dead, and his brother missing, on the condition that he needs to keep up school work with a tutor, and Gears volunteers to act as his guardian.

Elsewhere Clay contacts his boss again to say that he's returned to base, and that Reverb failed in his mission, but his boss corrects him that it was a success as they now know more for Project Nightbridge, and that their next step is soon.

Douglas Porter  hangs up his phone, revealed to the audience as being Clay's boss. DUN DUN DUH!!!!

Characters

Autobot

Gears - Rusty SUV

Optimus Prime - Truck Cab

Ironhide - Pick Up Truck

Bumblebee - Concept Camaro

Ratchet - Humvee

Tailgate (Mentioned/Hologram) Real Version Killed by Reverb

Gears' other Friends (Mentioned) Killed by Reverb

Decepticon

Reverb - Motorcycle Captured by NEST

Bombshock - Artillery Cannon Truck Killed by Optimus Prime

Tracer Killed by Ironhide

Dropshot Killed by Optimus Prime

The Fallen (Mentioned)

Megatron (Mentioned)

Human

Kevin Bowman

Douglas Porter/Stealth Leader

Simon Clay/Stealth One

Sergeant Duane Bowman Teleported away by Reverb's Cylinder

Gilbert Poole

Charlene Poole

Colonel Barnes

General Marcus

General Wichenstein

General Camden

Duane's Team Teleported away by Reverb's Cylinder

NEST

Military Guys

TV News Caster

Cody

Cody's Parents

Party Goers and Staff

Major Lennox (Mentioned)

Mr and Mrs Bowman (Mentioned) Killed in Mission City

Mr and Mrs Poole (Mentioned)

Mr Porter (Mentioned)

Notes

• This novel is set some point after Revenge of the Fallen, but definitely before Dark of the Moon (since Ironhide is still alive here)
• However no characters from after the first movie appeared here (The Fallen was mentioned however)
• Bombshock seems to be based on the PCC toy
• It's a bit weird that they used Tailgate as the friend who died here...couldn't they have used another character from the toyline who hadn't appeared anywhere else yet?
• Despite the message from The Fallen in ROTF, not everyone seems to believe that Earth has been invaded by giant robots, it's also not common knowledge that they can turn into vehicles
• Why is Douglas Porter so insistent on people not believing in the Transformers as being real? I'm sure that'll be a plot point in a future novella!
• Bumblebee mostly communicates with internal Autobot radio in this story rather than using sound bytes...YAY!!
• There being hidden Cybertronian weapons caches on Earth is reused in Prime with the artifacts of Iacon.
• Unusually, this novella reveals the name of the next part (Battle Mountain) at the end, implying that this entire series has been planned out in some detail before production.
• This comic can still be in continuity with the IDW Movie comics as well, as Gears never appeared there, and Reverb was still alive by the start of the DOTM comics.