"Are you sure about this...?" Sunbeam asked as she and Miko sat on a specially made gurney for Autobots.
"Abso-freakin'-lutely! Ready the speed gun guys!" Miko exclaimed.
"It's ready, Miko!" Jack confirmed, raising a thumb into the air. Sunbeam pushed the gurney away from the wall, causing it to roll at amazing speed into the far wall with a loud crash!.
"Will you kids quit fooling around with my equipment?! They're not toys!" Ratchet shouted. The kids and Sunbeam just laughed before Sunbeam yelped in pain and clutched her wound.
"Okay, that hurt," she muttered.
"It wouldn't hurt so much if you'd just listen when I say not to do anything to put stress on your body!" Ratchet scolded Sunbeam, who shrugged it off.
"It'll be fine. 'Sides, at least the kids're havin' fun! I'll rest when they go home," Sunbeam pointed out.
"Let's do it again!" Miko exclaimed.
"That's probably not a good idea, Miko," Jack admitted.
"Whatever. Let's find something else to do!" Miko insisted. The kids ended up playing video games together while Sunbeam watched and cheered them on from the sidelines.
After a short while, Sunbeam heard someone open a door and walk into the base. She took a position between the kids and the door, preparing to protect them from whatever came through the door.
"I brought you kids lunch, since I figured you hadn't- well hello," June Darby said. Sunbeam didn't answer. She just looked on in a mix of confusion and fear because she didn't understand why she was so afraid of someone who looked and smelled like Jack. "What's your name?"
"Mom, this is Sunbeam. She's new, and isn't used to humans yet. She only likes us because we're not adults," Jack introduced the bot to his mom.
"Nice to meet you. I trust you've been keeping my son and his friends out of trouble?" June asked with a smile.
"Please, she's caused more problems than she's solved," Ratchet remarked.
"Don't mind him. So, what's your deal? Are you from Cybertron like our friend Ratchet, here?" June wondered aloud. Sunbeam sheepishly shook her head.
"N-No ma'am..." she answered.
"Ma'am?!" The kids questioned.
"No need to be so formal. Just call me June. I'm Jack's mom," June suggested.
"Alright then...June...that's a pretty name," Sunbeam admitted.
"Well thanks! Anyway, I have to head back to work, but I'll see you when I get off," June stated.
"Bye!" The kids waved to June, and she left.
"So...that's your mom, huh?" Sunbeam asked Jack teasingly.
"Don't even think about it," Jack ordered. Sunbeam just laughed.
"Don't worry, I'm still not used to adults anyway, so it'd be a cold day in the underworld if I actually spoke to her," Sunbeam admitted nervously.
"Hey, Sunbeam! Have you ever been to a concert?!" Miko questioned.
"No," Sunbeam shook her head.
"Then today's your lucky day! You get to witness our first real concert!" Miko exclaimed.
"Wow! This is such an honor!" Sunbeam shouted in excitement.
"Uh...but we don't even have any songs yet..." Raf pointed out.
"That's fine! I was gonna go out and try to transform again," Sunbeam admitted.
"Cool! I'll go cheer you on!" Miko offered.
"I don't think that'll help, but sure!" Sunbeam agreed. So, Sunbeam and the kids went outside and looked on toward the town, but a police officer and German shepherd/wolf K-9 caught Sunbeam's eye as they were searching for something.
"What're they doing?" Sunbeam asked.
"Probably looking for that kid who went missing last week," Jack stated. Sunbeam's eyes were glued to the dog, and she soon realized that she had been scanning the animal.
"Let me see if this works..." she mumbled.
"Huh?" The kids started, unable to finish before Sunbeam successfully transformed into a K-9.
"Sweet!" Miko bounced up and down.
"I've always wanted a dog," Raf admitted, patting Sunbeam's head.
"Just like you've always wanted to see snow?" Miko teased.
"Yeah," Raf replied before Miko ruffled his hair.
"I love how simple little kids can be," Miko remarked with a grin, earning a sideways glare from Raf.
"Well, now it looks like we have one," Jack stated.
The kids were playing with the newly transformed Sunbeam when June returned to check up on them later that night. She grinned at the robotic looking dog.
"Who's this new autobot?" She asked, kneeling to pet it, only to have Sunbeam hide behind Jack and sink to the floor. "Oh, it's the same one from earlier. I think I might have something in my purse to help with her nervousness..." June pulled a foam stress ball out of her purse and tossed it across the room.
June and the kids played fetch with Sunbeam until it was time for the kids to go home. Luckily, Sunbeam had managed to warm up to June a little, allowing the adult to pat her on the head as she left with the kids.
The next day....
"Hey, Raf, wanna race?!" Miko asked. Raf nodded and the two ran to grab their controllers.
"Your mom...does she work a lot?" Sunbeam wondered aloud.
"Almost constantly. But, she makes time for us when she can," Jack admitted. Sunbeam thought for a moment. "What's up?"
"I'm thinking," Sunbeam stated.
"Well, don't hurt yourself," Jack remarked. Sunbeam crossed her arms in a pout.
"Shut up, Jack," she responded. Jack just laughed.
"Well, I'm gonna go see who wins this race! My money's on Raf," Jack said as he walked away. Sunbeam went over and tapped Ratchet on the shoulder.
"What do you want?" Ratchet questioned.
"Well Ya don't gotta be mean," Sunbeam replied. "I want to help out Jack."
"With what?" Ratchet asked.
"With money! His mom's workin' all the time, so I think they need it," Sunbeam explained.
"You probably shouldn't meddle in people's lives. They tend to not like that," Ratchet deadpanned. Sunbeam gave him a pouty look before squeezing between him and the computer. "What the-"
"How do you spell 'jobs'?" Sunbeam asked, turning to Ratchet, who let out a huff of annoyance.
"J," he started. Sunbeam found the letter and pressed it before giving a nod. "O."
"Got it!" Sunbeam replied.
"B," Ratchet continued.
"Aw man! I can't believe I lost!" Miko exclaimed.
"You were the one who wanted to race," Raf pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. Let's play something else!" Miko suggested.
"Okay," Jack and Raf agreed.
"Hey, kids! Check it out! There's a dogsled competition in Alaska!" Sunbeam shouted, showing off a flier that she had printed out.
"Cool!" Miko yelled.
"Yeah! Read it, Jack!" Sunbeam insisted, handing Jack the flier.
"It says that the race spans over 1,000 miles in Northern Alaska, and the winner gets $50,000," Jack read aloud, skimming over parts that weren't important.
"Isn't it awesome?!" Sunbeam pointed out. "We could help a lot of people with that money!"
"But...that's 1,000 miles in freezing temperatures, in a form you aren't familiar with yet...are you sure you're ready for that?" Jack asked.
"Of course! So, wanna go with me, Jack?!" Sunbeam begged.
"I'd have to ask mom," Jack stated.
"Alright! We're goin' to Alaska!" Sunbeam shouted happily.
"If she says yes," Jack added. Sunbeam nodded in agreement.
"Only if she says yes," Sunbeam replied.
"No," June Darby declined later that night.
"C'mon, Miss. Darby! It'll be a great learning experience, and I'll take good care of him," Sunbeam assured her. "Besides, a dogsled race isn't exactly the most dangerous thing he's done."
"I don't know...why do you even want to do this?" June asked, to which Sunbeam smiled.
"I wanna help out!" She answered simply.
"Alright fine....but you have to really bundle up! And...I have to be there in the audience," June insisted.
"Right behind the finish line," Sunbeam agreed with a wink.
So the next day, Jack and Sunbeam got ready for their race, with Jack getting bundled up in coats and gloves and snowboots, and Sunbeam transforming into her dog form and running around to warm up.
"Make sure you exercise restraint, and if your wound for some unknown reason opens up again or causes any problems, you come right back here. Both of you," Ratchet stated. Jack nodded, and so did Sunbeam.
"Guess I can't make you wear your helmet on this one, can I?" June asked as the trio walked through the ground bridge.
Sunbeam and Jack entered into the race, and June got a picture of the two of them to commemorate their first, and hopefully only, sled race. They had bought a sled and harness from a small shop just before arriving at the venue.
"Good luck, you two. Go win that prize," June encouraged them. With that, Jack and Sunbeam took their positions at the starting line.
"Alright, this should only take about a day, so we'll be back before school on Monday," Jack stated. Sunbeam nodded.
"Don't worry. I already made your mom let ya come here, I'd never try to convince her to take ya outta school," she assured him.
"Well then, aren't I lucky?" Jack remarked. Sunbeam just laughed before hearing the gunshot that signaled the beginning of the race.