Fic! Reunions, Part 11
One more to go...and I'm still trying to think of a title for the next story. XD I also have to say it feels weird not scrambling to finish an Allspark entry on time. I keep forgetting I already submitted it. %D I kinda wish I could come up with something new for Halloween, but I haven't even had the energy to finish the outside decorations. Maybe something will come to me last minute. How would one scare Ironhide, anyway? ;D
Reunions - Part Eleven
The Stunticons had split up after leaving the junkyard. So far Arcee had located Dead End and kept tabs on him via radar while she followed Motormaster, who was easiest to track due to the noise of his empty carrier. She was about to veer away to find Breakdown when a yellow car turned onto the street and started to follow her. The black stripes over its hood and roof reassured her. She opened a private line that would either prove her right or, at worse, bounce back unheard from a regular vehicle. "It's about time you showed up!"
"My apologies," Bumblebee replied. "I had to sneak away before Sam could try to come along."
"Your voice is...different."
"Is it? Ah, that's right, we have not talked since you arrived. My vocal processor needs a little more time to heal. Ratchet said it should be correctly tuned within the year."
"That is good. I did not mean it sounded bad. Merely different."
"I figured. I'm sorry I haven't come by the base."
"Do not worry. But I will ask a favor."
"Yes?"
"Find Wildrider for me. I have tags on Dead End and I think I just found Breakdown. Obviously Motormaster is ahead. I believe they are going to leave town and may not engage us, but keep a safe distance just in case."
"Affirmative." Bumblebee took a left and kept the line open as he wound through the streets. "I saw the news of the incident in D.C. and Optimus told me about the Stunticons. What else have I missed?"
"Chromia, Ironhide, and Tracks are in East Oakland and we are waiting to hear from Rattlelatch, who is somewhere in the Mojave. We lost contact with him but the Stunticons showed up before we could locate him. There is a group of bots on the Ark who reported an attack by more Decepticons."
"Is there a front they haven't covered?"
"Assuming that Chromia's team and Rattlelatch were attacked, I would say no. It is unclear how they gained information on our whereabouts. I do know that we need to find out where they have been hiding."
"Agreed. And I have found Drag Strip. No sign of Wildrider yet."
"Keep looking. He has to be somewhere."
"Do you think they will leave the state?"
"I think they will rendezvous somewhere to regroup. They would be able to travel faster loaded on the carrier."
"Should we follow them all the way or get a general idea where they are going?"
"Unless you have an idea on how to stop a falling Ark, I say we get an exact location."
"Oh my."
~*~
Once again Lennox aided the Autobots, convincing the owners of WATP to allow access to their airwaves, pointing out the incident in D.C. and Keller's support of the Autobots. They agreed and could only stand back and stare as Broadcast worked his magic with the studio equipment. The station went off the air with a friendly message.
Ratchet and Perceptor waited at the back of the building, the medic looking around, beyond tense. He expected nosybodies to arrive anytime and interfere with their efforts to save said bodies. He was also waiting for another Decepticon to come crawling out of the underbrush at any second.
Perceptor tapped Ratchet's arm. Ratchet whirled, optics bright. The scientist jerked back, then lowered his hand to the medic's shoulder. "I suggest you make an effort to relax. I am the one with the challenge."
"I believe I explained why I am uneasy."
"Then perhaps you should focus on how you can most expediently repair anything that has a negative outcome."
"Oh, yes, that was an uplifting idea," Ratchet replied sarcastically. He was about to start pacing when the station's back door burst open and Broadcast dashed out with Lennox behind him. The comms officer went over to the electric meters and studied them for a moment then bounded over to Perceptor. "Looks like we're good to go. You ready?"
"Are you certain all of the parameters are correct?" the larger mech asked as he leaned over to let Broadcast climb onto his arm. "We must be certain of the correct frequency."
"Got it covered." Broadcast moved up to sit on Perceptor's shoulders and unplugged a cable from the back of his head with each hand. "We go live in five!" Matched panels slid away on either side of Perceptor's head and Broadcast plugged the cables into corresponding ports. Lennox glanced at Ratchet with a raised eyebrow.
"Broadcast can act as a living signal booster," the medic explained. "This is not the conventional way, but we are learning much about adaptability today."
Broadcast casually leaned an elbow on top of Perceptor's head. "And three... two... one..." As he had in the fight with Scorponok, he partially transformed with his arm-speakers tilted upward toward the station's tower. Perceptor shuttered his optics.
"I have obtained contact. It will enter the atmosphere in twenty-eight point five nine six seconds. I cannot adjust its course. It is caught in the gravity well." Twenty-nine seconds later he announced, "I have accessed the manual controls." Several tense minutes passed when he fell silent.
Ratchet opened a private line to Optimus. "Prime, what are your coordinates? We have succeeded in gaining control of the Ark, but it is still coming down. I think we will have to land it without a welcoming party present."
"Do the best you can," Optimus responded. "Even if it ends up sunk into a trench, it's better if it lands in the ocean."
"Roger."
~*~
Sam didn't notice that Bumblebee had left. He was riveted to the television set, as was most of America and a good part of the world. The President spoke encouraging words -- or at least seemed to; Sam was fairly certain he had introduced a few more new words, including an interesting amalgam of "autonomous robotic organisms" that made "Autobots" sound less cartoony. Before that he kept referring to them as Guardians. He mentioned some Renegades from their shared planet of "Robo-tron" and handed the podium over to Defense Secretary Keller with that awkward lead-in. Even Keller seemed peeved at the mishandling of intel.
Mikaela had come over and now they were holding each other's hands in worry as they sat on the couch, knowing how important this moment was. Ron paced behind the couch, while Judy sat in the adjacent armchair, muttering into a cup of tea. "That man...he wouldn't know right from left..." She continued to mumble between sips.
Mikaela was intent on the Defense Secretary's face. While the average person might not notice, she could see the weight on him. She had felt that same weight not too long ago. "C'mon, Mister Keller," she whispered, "We're counting on you." She squeezed Sam's hand.
Ron stopped and brought a fist down on the couch's top cushions in irritation. "This is going to lead to riots, I just know it."
"Quiet, Ron. He's going to speak." Judy gestured to the television with her saucer.
~*~
"First I want to assure the people of the world that the United States was not hiding the Autobots from the public. They chose to remain in seclusion, and as they are a free people themselves, we honored their wish to not be revealed. Even now they are concerned by the possible repercussions. A new division of the United States military will be assigned to the areas granted to the Autobots to avoid harm between any given parties. As I said earlier today, the Autobots are refugees who have suffered a great loss and are looking to the people of Earth for help and understanding."
Chromia raced up the roadway with a long-bed tow truck following farther behind. "Ironhide, Prime has ordered us to meet up with him en route north. The Ark is coming down. Bobby has agreed to bring Tracks to Autobase alone."
"The reason the Autobots came to Earth was for an artifact from their planet that had been launched into space. By chance its route was altered and it landed here around 10,000 BC. This artifact would bring life back to their dying planet. However, they were not the only ones from their planet searching for the artifact. A second group called Decepticons wanted the artifact for their own purposes.
"The Autobots set out to find the artifact and stop the Decepticons from doing harm to our planet. Unfortunately, they struck before the Autobots could regroup their five-man team. Only one was here when the Decepticons surfaced, and he was outnumbered eight to one."
The Secretary of Defense paused, gathering himself for the next secret to be revealed. "The attack on SOCCENT airforce base in Qatar was perpetrated by two Decepticons. They were attempting to collect information on the artifact and did not want any witnesses.
"But we did gain information on them, and we found an effective weapon against them."
The car carrier pulled into the parking lot outside the race track. A man in a pit crew suit waved both arms in the air and the carrier rolled toward him. The burly driver leaned out of the cab window. "Sorry for the delay, Bill. Got stuck in some unexpected traffic."
"No prob, Marty. We got plenty of time to get the new paint on those cars."
A teenaged boy in a yellow Camero and a young woman on a hot pink motorcycle looked across the parking lot, pretending to be gazing with interest at the race vehicles. The woman's helmet kept her frown of anger hidden.
"The artifact was in the hands of a government agency and so was easily transferred to the Autobots once an understanding was reached. The Decepticons also found the location and a battle was fought in Mission City, Nevada, in which a brave group of our Army Corps assisted in taking down one Decepticon, and then felled another by themselves. The final blow that defeated the Decepticons was the use of the artifact to destroy their leader. Yet this also resulted in the destruction of the artifact. The Autobots sacrificed the only thing that could save their planet in order to stop the Decepticons."
The furrow in the desert plain could have accommodated a new river. Optimus signaled for everyone to stay back as he approached the smoking engines that thrust outward from the mountain the Ark had plowed into. It had been about the best landing they could have expected, and although the land was in upheaval, the mountain had stopped the ship from demolishing the town on its opposite side.
Optimus carefully picked his way around the scattered rocks and sharp scraps of plating that had come off the ship. He had to dig out part of the hatch that led to the cargo bay. He pulled at it but it would not open.
He climbed back up to the furrow and headed back to the others. Then Ironhide cried out and pointed behind him. Optimus turned and saw a deformed mechanoid stagger out of the craft. He quickly realized it was one mech carrying another. Weapons went up as the scratched Decepticon symbol came into view, and also when a few in the team recognized the Autobot being carried.
"I am sorry I could not prevent the harm to him, but I assure you he is alive." Thundercracker held Bluestreak out for Optimus to take. Prime did so and confirmed that the wounded Autobot's spark was still online. Thundercracker crumpled to his knees, keeping himself partly upright with one hand. His voice remained strong. "I claim neutrality. I will bring no further harm to the Autobots."
"Since that incident the Autobots have been making an effort to recover. At the behest of their leader, more of their kind have come to Earth as they try to reunite and decide if there is still a way to save their planet. In the meantime, they wish to coexist with the people of Earth. They share interest in our culture. Among them are scientists, engineers, medical technicians, historians, and even music enthusiasts. We can teach them much, and in turn we will learn through our similarities."
Four meteors came down in the southern part of the Mojave Desert and sat for over an hour before transforming into rudimentary protoforms. Finding vehicle disguises would be difficult, but they had other business first. After another hour's search they found Rattlelatch, damaged to where he could not transform to alt mode but online and tinkering with the insides of two Decepticon spies he had brought down.
He repaired Prowl's neck, and with his instructions the team leader returned the favor. Twenty-eight hours of watching the interstate later, a compact car, a Highway Patrol vehicle, a sports car, an SUV, and a minivan with a cargo hitch were headed west on I-40. The latter two had already proclaimed they wanted different forms as soon as such could be found.
"I understand that this sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is not. What it is, is nothing to panic about. We are planning to restrict the Autobots to an area where they can recover and where no one need be concerned about them. Some of them may choose to be in contact with liaisons in order to educate themselves about our society. Our government will be working with them to ensure that boundaries are respected."
The Pentagon seemed like just one more variation of a battleground. Lennox felt out of sorts being there yet not in Army uniform, instead wearing his best suit. He refrained from tugging at the jacket as he followed Banachek down the white hallway.
Someone familiar, also looking out of place in a suit, was being lead up the hallway. Will tapped Tom's shoulder to signal him to stop. He then waited until Epps stopped, too. They exchanged nods and tight smiles.
"Good luck," Bobby said, reaching to shake Will's hand.
"You, too." Lennox clasped his other hand on top, then stepped back, offering another smile. He had taken note of Epps' new name tag. "Congratulations on the promotion."
Epps smirked. "Don't know about that, but it ain't every day you can tell your kids that you're the guy who gets to talk to the giant robots for the government."
Will chuckled then moved to follow Tom again. "Later." Epps nodded and gave one last salute to his former captain.
Tom continued to lead the way, turning to go down a short flight of stairs that lead to a single closed door, the word ARROW painted above it. "Ready?" he asked, his tone conveying that this was the point of no return.
Lennox knew then that the moment he had first gotten involved with the Transformers and survived had changed his life. He could not back out now. "Yes."
"As you may now be aware, the object that landed in the Southwest was the space craft belonging to the Autobots. A team of Decepticons sabotaged it then left for the deeper reaches of space. The sabotage was meant in spite, to strand the Autobots here. But they were able to control it long enough to bring it down where it would do the least damage. They intend to try to repair it so they can one day leave Earth. Until then, they are here...and we must accept that.
"May I direct you to the screen, and may I introduce you to the Autobot leader."
A tired-looking metal face appeared on the screen behind Keller, mouth and nose exposed, and eyes with such depth that many people changed their negative reactions immediately.
"Greetings. I am Optimus Prime. I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak with you..."
~*~
Judy Witwicky leaned forward in the armchair. "I never get tired of watching one of them talk. It's so interesting with those little gears going up and down like a player piano." Ron muttered something that sound like an agreement, but didn't move from his spot behind the other chair.
Mikaela rubbed the back of Sam's hand, knowing from his posture that he was just as tense as she felt. Like her, he was probably waiting for some loon to start screaming about invaders from Mars. Of course, even if it didn't happen during this broadcast, it was bound to happen in the coming days, weeks, and months. She was glad there had been no specific mention of who, exactly, the Autobots had interacted with. Plus, only Optimus and Trailbreaker had been shown, so everyone else could remain anonymous and hidden.
They might need to be more subtle about their Autobot badges, she thought, Or maybe their "drivers" could claim they supported the bots. She then giggled out loud at the thought of someone challenging Ironhide on his pro-alien choice.
Sam glanced at her. "What's so funny?"
"A crazy guy accusing Mister Arcstrom of being an idiot for siding with aliens by having their symbol on his tailgate."
Sam chuckled. "That would be fun to see. But I hope the guys don't get any trouble over this. If everyone would think about it, they'd see the Autobots obviously wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Just because you and your parents took it well doesn't mean everybody in the world can," she warned.
He grinned. "Hey, I'm a strange boy. I can handle giant robots, talking cars, and alien artifacts any day."
"Again, what about the rest of the world?"
"Their loss. I've got the cool car out of the deal."
"And a friend," she chimed in.
"Yup, and a friend. Even if he can't go to the arcade with me."
Mikaela slapped him lightly in the stomach. "And I'm chopped liver?"
"No. You're beautiful." Sam smiled and leaned to kiss her cheek.
"Shush!" Judy hissed, not looking at them. "Get a room. I want to hear what Optimus is saying." Mikaela suppressed another giggle. Mrs. Witwicky was the best mom ever.
~*~
Ratchet muttered as he completed the repair of Rattlelatch's leg. The junior engineer had provided decent instructions and Prowl had done well, but to the medic's professional eye there were refinements to be made. Rattlelatch seemed uncomfortable with the scrutiny.
"I can wait, you know. I could simply stay in my quarters and rest up while you do other work."
Ratchet snorted. "Oh, no. I need you at one hundred percent. With Perceptor at the Ark working on the ship's systems, I need someone to help me put Tracks back together. You would probably be better than I am at that given what you have done with those two birdbrains."
"Don't you mean, with those two birds' brains?" Rattlelatch grinned broadly.
"Stop attempting to brag. When you can get the Decepticon hideout from them I will be impressed. Corrupting their memory banks and blocking their signals is nothing exciting, merely virus-like. Yet, speaking of bugs..." Ratchet reset Rattlelatch's leg panels so that they slid into their correct positions, then he went to take a small container off of a shelf. "...see what you can do with this after we have done some work on Tracks. This one gave all our secrets away. If anything, find out how it discovered Autobase and how it got in, in the first place."
Rattlelatch peered into the container, looking like a kid at Christmas. "Ooh, that should be interesting."
"Hmm, yes, I thought you would see it that way. Now put it down. Tracks is waiting, and before long we will have an audio receptor-full of complaining."
Rattlelatch nodded and put the container aside. The metal rhinoceros beetle inside hissed. No one heard it.
~*~
Huffer was not liking perimeter duty that particular week. He had to stay in his alt mode and could not transform unless he drove into the garage. The misdirection field had been strengthened but everyone felt the junkyard was a compromised site. The Ark was no better, since only someone living in a cave with no connection to the outside world could have missed that crash. He was surprised the ship was still functional -- well, barely. Prime had told him that he would be called to the site as soon as Prowl's team was up and about. Ratchet had given strict orders that the four were to rest and completely recover from their ordeal first, then they could take up regular duties.
Bluestreak was in the med bay's ICU, along with Thundercracker who was in a similar damaged state yet always conscious. Huffer had not liked the idea of the Decepticon, former or not, being allowed repairs. Prowl had insisted upon it.
Huffer swerved into a stack of tires, knocking them over out of annoyance. "Hey!" Moonracer had driven up just in time to have a tire bounce off her hood. "What's the big idea?"
"Sorry," Huffer said, backing up. "I was thinking."
"About what? Wait, let me guess. Something that angered you?"
"Yeah, maybe. I was wondering what keeps Thundercracker awake."
"A guilty conscience?"
"Heh. Perhaps from the lives of Autobots on his hands?"
"Or he could have glitch," Moonracer suggested. "Personally, I feel sorry for him. He is in such a condition that if he wanted to live, the only option was to come to us."
"How is that worthy of sympathy? He had no choice, so all he could do was surrender." Huffer nudged at a nearby tire as if deciding whether to transform and clean them up.
"There is a difference between surrendering and asking for sanctuary. He is not a prisoner."
"That is your view. We could get much information out of him. Maybe find out where the Combaticons ran off to."
"We could use another flight-capable soldier, so we would be best offering him help so he will stop hating us."
"If he can be trusted to even care that much."
Moonracer sighed. "Well, I hope it is only a guilty conscience. Convincing him to pledge to our cause will be easier that way. A glitch, or nightmares, might only serve to anger him."
"Hn." Huffer rounded up another tire. "Are you going to relieve me from duty or not? I am going to rust waiting for Windcharger and Gears to get back. They could be here before Prowl's team is on their feet, and I need a change of scenery. Even if no scenery is Cybertron's scenery."
"Defluos VI came close, though," she said wistfully.
"Yeah. Except for the bot-eating pirahna."
"There was a sign about 'no swimming'. You should have obeyed it."
"I am going inside now. Pick up these tires, will ya? They should not be left just lying around where someone could trip over them."
Moonracer sighed again.
~*~
Ratchet massaged his right temple plating as he took a break from looking over the schematics Perceptor had sent him. The problem with the Ark as it stood now was that the crash had caused a misalignment in the condensed mode and regular mode, creating new hallways that didn't connect to where their predecessors had led, put walls in the middle of rooms, and removed doors completely. One airlock had created an impossibly strong vacuum between its doors. An existing hallway was putting out such a strong magnetic field that it disrupted the processor of anyone who entered it.
It was going to take a lot of work to make the ship livable. He had scratched the possibility of flyable completely. The small shuttle in the cargo bay might be salvaged, but it was no where near adequate to get all of them off the planet. Perhaps it could be a start...
He stared at the screen again, wondering about sending a message to Wheeljack's personal frequency. It would be a relief to have him available to supervise the deconstruction of the Ark and lend his expertise to modifying the mess they were left with.
But Ratchet shook his head, not wanting to calculate the odds. The only thing they all could do was continue to hope that more wayward Autobots were functional to receive Prime's message.
He leaned his head on his hands as he switched screens to a view of the Ark. Ironhide and Chromia had cleared the rocks and had been working to shape the mountain around the Ark into something resembling camouflage and more defensible terrain. " 'Crash it into a volcano,' he says. 'It will cover the impact,' he says. Next time I see him, I will tell him thank you for jinxing us." He exhaled loudly through his upper vents.
"Who jinxed us?" asked a voice from the back of the bay.
Ratchet turned and saw Bluestreak standing by a cabinet, leaning against the side. "What do you think you are doing, walking around without clearance?"
"I am not going to stay on that recharge berth forever. I want to see Earth. I want to know..." Ratchet waited for him to continue, eying him critically. The mech's posture was stiff, reserved. Bluestreak shook himself. "But you did not answer. Who jinxed us?"
"Ironhide. He and I were speaking of the Ark one day. His suggestion for bringing it down was flawed logically. Yet, here we are." Ratchet gestured to the screen.
Bluestreak came over, looking horrified at the view of the ship. He clenched his fists at his sides. "I will get Skywarp for this. He teleported aboard while Thundercracker and I were on surveillance and weapons. He knocked out Thundercracker first, then cornered me and told me their plans for the Ark's information databanks. Then he shot me. I started to have another flashback so I forced myself into stasis lock. I thought I would be able to come out of it and find out what he was doing, then I would try to stop him. But something in my processors was damaged and I never woke..."
He trailed off again and did not continue. Ratchet stood and clasped Bluestreak's shoulder with a reassuring grip.
~To Be Concluded~
Reunions - Part Eleven
The Stunticons had split up after leaving the junkyard. So far Arcee had located Dead End and kept tabs on him via radar while she followed Motormaster, who was easiest to track due to the noise of his empty carrier. She was about to veer away to find Breakdown when a yellow car turned onto the street and started to follow her. The black stripes over its hood and roof reassured her. She opened a private line that would either prove her right or, at worse, bounce back unheard from a regular vehicle. "It's about time you showed up!"
"My apologies," Bumblebee replied. "I had to sneak away before Sam could try to come along."
"Your voice is...different."
"Is it? Ah, that's right, we have not talked since you arrived. My vocal processor needs a little more time to heal. Ratchet said it should be correctly tuned within the year."
"That is good. I did not mean it sounded bad. Merely different."
"I figured. I'm sorry I haven't come by the base."
"Do not worry. But I will ask a favor."
"Yes?"
"Find Wildrider for me. I have tags on Dead End and I think I just found Breakdown. Obviously Motormaster is ahead. I believe they are going to leave town and may not engage us, but keep a safe distance just in case."
"Affirmative." Bumblebee took a left and kept the line open as he wound through the streets. "I saw the news of the incident in D.C. and Optimus told me about the Stunticons. What else have I missed?"
"Chromia, Ironhide, and Tracks are in East Oakland and we are waiting to hear from Rattlelatch, who is somewhere in the Mojave. We lost contact with him but the Stunticons showed up before we could locate him. There is a group of bots on the Ark who reported an attack by more Decepticons."
"Is there a front they haven't covered?"
"Assuming that Chromia's team and Rattlelatch were attacked, I would say no. It is unclear how they gained information on our whereabouts. I do know that we need to find out where they have been hiding."
"Agreed. And I have found Drag Strip. No sign of Wildrider yet."
"Keep looking. He has to be somewhere."
"Do you think they will leave the state?"
"I think they will rendezvous somewhere to regroup. They would be able to travel faster loaded on the carrier."
"Should we follow them all the way or get a general idea where they are going?"
"Unless you have an idea on how to stop a falling Ark, I say we get an exact location."
"Oh my."
~*~
Once again Lennox aided the Autobots, convincing the owners of WATP to allow access to their airwaves, pointing out the incident in D.C. and Keller's support of the Autobots. They agreed and could only stand back and stare as Broadcast worked his magic with the studio equipment. The station went off the air with a friendly message.
Ratchet and Perceptor waited at the back of the building, the medic looking around, beyond tense. He expected nosybodies to arrive anytime and interfere with their efforts to save said bodies. He was also waiting for another Decepticon to come crawling out of the underbrush at any second.
Perceptor tapped Ratchet's arm. Ratchet whirled, optics bright. The scientist jerked back, then lowered his hand to the medic's shoulder. "I suggest you make an effort to relax. I am the one with the challenge."
"I believe I explained why I am uneasy."
"Then perhaps you should focus on how you can most expediently repair anything that has a negative outcome."
"Oh, yes, that was an uplifting idea," Ratchet replied sarcastically. He was about to start pacing when the station's back door burst open and Broadcast dashed out with Lennox behind him. The comms officer went over to the electric meters and studied them for a moment then bounded over to Perceptor. "Looks like we're good to go. You ready?"
"Are you certain all of the parameters are correct?" the larger mech asked as he leaned over to let Broadcast climb onto his arm. "We must be certain of the correct frequency."
"Got it covered." Broadcast moved up to sit on Perceptor's shoulders and unplugged a cable from the back of his head with each hand. "We go live in five!" Matched panels slid away on either side of Perceptor's head and Broadcast plugged the cables into corresponding ports. Lennox glanced at Ratchet with a raised eyebrow.
"Broadcast can act as a living signal booster," the medic explained. "This is not the conventional way, but we are learning much about adaptability today."
Broadcast casually leaned an elbow on top of Perceptor's head. "And three... two... one..." As he had in the fight with Scorponok, he partially transformed with his arm-speakers tilted upward toward the station's tower. Perceptor shuttered his optics.
"I have obtained contact. It will enter the atmosphere in twenty-eight point five nine six seconds. I cannot adjust its course. It is caught in the gravity well." Twenty-nine seconds later he announced, "I have accessed the manual controls." Several tense minutes passed when he fell silent.
Ratchet opened a private line to Optimus. "Prime, what are your coordinates? We have succeeded in gaining control of the Ark, but it is still coming down. I think we will have to land it without a welcoming party present."
"Do the best you can," Optimus responded. "Even if it ends up sunk into a trench, it's better if it lands in the ocean."
"Roger."
~*~
Sam didn't notice that Bumblebee had left. He was riveted to the television set, as was most of America and a good part of the world. The President spoke encouraging words -- or at least seemed to; Sam was fairly certain he had introduced a few more new words, including an interesting amalgam of "autonomous robotic organisms" that made "Autobots" sound less cartoony. Before that he kept referring to them as Guardians. He mentioned some Renegades from their shared planet of "Robo-tron" and handed the podium over to Defense Secretary Keller with that awkward lead-in. Even Keller seemed peeved at the mishandling of intel.
Mikaela had come over and now they were holding each other's hands in worry as they sat on the couch, knowing how important this moment was. Ron paced behind the couch, while Judy sat in the adjacent armchair, muttering into a cup of tea. "That man...he wouldn't know right from left..." She continued to mumble between sips.
Mikaela was intent on the Defense Secretary's face. While the average person might not notice, she could see the weight on him. She had felt that same weight not too long ago. "C'mon, Mister Keller," she whispered, "We're counting on you." She squeezed Sam's hand.
Ron stopped and brought a fist down on the couch's top cushions in irritation. "This is going to lead to riots, I just know it."
"Quiet, Ron. He's going to speak." Judy gestured to the television with her saucer.
~*~
"First I want to assure the people of the world that the United States was not hiding the Autobots from the public. They chose to remain in seclusion, and as they are a free people themselves, we honored their wish to not be revealed. Even now they are concerned by the possible repercussions. A new division of the United States military will be assigned to the areas granted to the Autobots to avoid harm between any given parties. As I said earlier today, the Autobots are refugees who have suffered a great loss and are looking to the people of Earth for help and understanding."
Chromia raced up the roadway with a long-bed tow truck following farther behind. "Ironhide, Prime has ordered us to meet up with him en route north. The Ark is coming down. Bobby has agreed to bring Tracks to Autobase alone."
"The reason the Autobots came to Earth was for an artifact from their planet that had been launched into space. By chance its route was altered and it landed here around 10,000 BC. This artifact would bring life back to their dying planet. However, they were not the only ones from their planet searching for the artifact. A second group called Decepticons wanted the artifact for their own purposes.
"The Autobots set out to find the artifact and stop the Decepticons from doing harm to our planet. Unfortunately, they struck before the Autobots could regroup their five-man team. Only one was here when the Decepticons surfaced, and he was outnumbered eight to one."
The Secretary of Defense paused, gathering himself for the next secret to be revealed. "The attack on SOCCENT airforce base in Qatar was perpetrated by two Decepticons. They were attempting to collect information on the artifact and did not want any witnesses.
"But we did gain information on them, and we found an effective weapon against them."
The car carrier pulled into the parking lot outside the race track. A man in a pit crew suit waved both arms in the air and the carrier rolled toward him. The burly driver leaned out of the cab window. "Sorry for the delay, Bill. Got stuck in some unexpected traffic."
"No prob, Marty. We got plenty of time to get the new paint on those cars."
A teenaged boy in a yellow Camero and a young woman on a hot pink motorcycle looked across the parking lot, pretending to be gazing with interest at the race vehicles. The woman's helmet kept her frown of anger hidden.
"The artifact was in the hands of a government agency and so was easily transferred to the Autobots once an understanding was reached. The Decepticons also found the location and a battle was fought in Mission City, Nevada, in which a brave group of our Army Corps assisted in taking down one Decepticon, and then felled another by themselves. The final blow that defeated the Decepticons was the use of the artifact to destroy their leader. Yet this also resulted in the destruction of the artifact. The Autobots sacrificed the only thing that could save their planet in order to stop the Decepticons."
The furrow in the desert plain could have accommodated a new river. Optimus signaled for everyone to stay back as he approached the smoking engines that thrust outward from the mountain the Ark had plowed into. It had been about the best landing they could have expected, and although the land was in upheaval, the mountain had stopped the ship from demolishing the town on its opposite side.
Optimus carefully picked his way around the scattered rocks and sharp scraps of plating that had come off the ship. He had to dig out part of the hatch that led to the cargo bay. He pulled at it but it would not open.
He climbed back up to the furrow and headed back to the others. Then Ironhide cried out and pointed behind him. Optimus turned and saw a deformed mechanoid stagger out of the craft. He quickly realized it was one mech carrying another. Weapons went up as the scratched Decepticon symbol came into view, and also when a few in the team recognized the Autobot being carried.
"I am sorry I could not prevent the harm to him, but I assure you he is alive." Thundercracker held Bluestreak out for Optimus to take. Prime did so and confirmed that the wounded Autobot's spark was still online. Thundercracker crumpled to his knees, keeping himself partly upright with one hand. His voice remained strong. "I claim neutrality. I will bring no further harm to the Autobots."
"Since that incident the Autobots have been making an effort to recover. At the behest of their leader, more of their kind have come to Earth as they try to reunite and decide if there is still a way to save their planet. In the meantime, they wish to coexist with the people of Earth. They share interest in our culture. Among them are scientists, engineers, medical technicians, historians, and even music enthusiasts. We can teach them much, and in turn we will learn through our similarities."
Four meteors came down in the southern part of the Mojave Desert and sat for over an hour before transforming into rudimentary protoforms. Finding vehicle disguises would be difficult, but they had other business first. After another hour's search they found Rattlelatch, damaged to where he could not transform to alt mode but online and tinkering with the insides of two Decepticon spies he had brought down.
He repaired Prowl's neck, and with his instructions the team leader returned the favor. Twenty-eight hours of watching the interstate later, a compact car, a Highway Patrol vehicle, a sports car, an SUV, and a minivan with a cargo hitch were headed west on I-40. The latter two had already proclaimed they wanted different forms as soon as such could be found.
"I understand that this sounds like something out of science fiction, but it is not. What it is, is nothing to panic about. We are planning to restrict the Autobots to an area where they can recover and where no one need be concerned about them. Some of them may choose to be in contact with liaisons in order to educate themselves about our society. Our government will be working with them to ensure that boundaries are respected."
The Pentagon seemed like just one more variation of a battleground. Lennox felt out of sorts being there yet not in Army uniform, instead wearing his best suit. He refrained from tugging at the jacket as he followed Banachek down the white hallway.
Someone familiar, also looking out of place in a suit, was being lead up the hallway. Will tapped Tom's shoulder to signal him to stop. He then waited until Epps stopped, too. They exchanged nods and tight smiles.
"Good luck," Bobby said, reaching to shake Will's hand.
"You, too." Lennox clasped his other hand on top, then stepped back, offering another smile. He had taken note of Epps' new name tag. "Congratulations on the promotion."
Epps smirked. "Don't know about that, but it ain't every day you can tell your kids that you're the guy who gets to talk to the giant robots for the government."
Will chuckled then moved to follow Tom again. "Later." Epps nodded and gave one last salute to his former captain.
Tom continued to lead the way, turning to go down a short flight of stairs that lead to a single closed door, the word ARROW painted above it. "Ready?" he asked, his tone conveying that this was the point of no return.
Lennox knew then that the moment he had first gotten involved with the Transformers and survived had changed his life. He could not back out now. "Yes."
"As you may now be aware, the object that landed in the Southwest was the space craft belonging to the Autobots. A team of Decepticons sabotaged it then left for the deeper reaches of space. The sabotage was meant in spite, to strand the Autobots here. But they were able to control it long enough to bring it down where it would do the least damage. They intend to try to repair it so they can one day leave Earth. Until then, they are here...and we must accept that.
"May I direct you to the screen, and may I introduce you to the Autobot leader."
A tired-looking metal face appeared on the screen behind Keller, mouth and nose exposed, and eyes with such depth that many people changed their negative reactions immediately.
"Greetings. I am Optimus Prime. I am grateful to have this opportunity to speak with you..."
~*~
Judy Witwicky leaned forward in the armchair. "I never get tired of watching one of them talk. It's so interesting with those little gears going up and down like a player piano." Ron muttered something that sound like an agreement, but didn't move from his spot behind the other chair.
Mikaela rubbed the back of Sam's hand, knowing from his posture that he was just as tense as she felt. Like her, he was probably waiting for some loon to start screaming about invaders from Mars. Of course, even if it didn't happen during this broadcast, it was bound to happen in the coming days, weeks, and months. She was glad there had been no specific mention of who, exactly, the Autobots had interacted with. Plus, only Optimus and Trailbreaker had been shown, so everyone else could remain anonymous and hidden.
They might need to be more subtle about their Autobot badges, she thought, Or maybe their "drivers" could claim they supported the bots. She then giggled out loud at the thought of someone challenging Ironhide on his pro-alien choice.
Sam glanced at her. "What's so funny?"
"A crazy guy accusing Mister Arcstrom of being an idiot for siding with aliens by having their symbol on his tailgate."
Sam chuckled. "That would be fun to see. But I hope the guys don't get any trouble over this. If everyone would think about it, they'd see the Autobots obviously wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Just because you and your parents took it well doesn't mean everybody in the world can," she warned.
He grinned. "Hey, I'm a strange boy. I can handle giant robots, talking cars, and alien artifacts any day."
"Again, what about the rest of the world?"
"Their loss. I've got the cool car out of the deal."
"And a friend," she chimed in.
"Yup, and a friend. Even if he can't go to the arcade with me."
Mikaela slapped him lightly in the stomach. "And I'm chopped liver?"
"No. You're beautiful." Sam smiled and leaned to kiss her cheek.
"Shush!" Judy hissed, not looking at them. "Get a room. I want to hear what Optimus is saying." Mikaela suppressed another giggle. Mrs. Witwicky was the best mom ever.
~*~
Ratchet muttered as he completed the repair of Rattlelatch's leg. The junior engineer had provided decent instructions and Prowl had done well, but to the medic's professional eye there were refinements to be made. Rattlelatch seemed uncomfortable with the scrutiny.
"I can wait, you know. I could simply stay in my quarters and rest up while you do other work."
Ratchet snorted. "Oh, no. I need you at one hundred percent. With Perceptor at the Ark working on the ship's systems, I need someone to help me put Tracks back together. You would probably be better than I am at that given what you have done with those two birdbrains."
"Don't you mean, with those two birds' brains?" Rattlelatch grinned broadly.
"Stop attempting to brag. When you can get the Decepticon hideout from them I will be impressed. Corrupting their memory banks and blocking their signals is nothing exciting, merely virus-like. Yet, speaking of bugs..." Ratchet reset Rattlelatch's leg panels so that they slid into their correct positions, then he went to take a small container off of a shelf. "...see what you can do with this after we have done some work on Tracks. This one gave all our secrets away. If anything, find out how it discovered Autobase and how it got in, in the first place."
Rattlelatch peered into the container, looking like a kid at Christmas. "Ooh, that should be interesting."
"Hmm, yes, I thought you would see it that way. Now put it down. Tracks is waiting, and before long we will have an audio receptor-full of complaining."
Rattlelatch nodded and put the container aside. The metal rhinoceros beetle inside hissed. No one heard it.
~*~
Huffer was not liking perimeter duty that particular week. He had to stay in his alt mode and could not transform unless he drove into the garage. The misdirection field had been strengthened but everyone felt the junkyard was a compromised site. The Ark was no better, since only someone living in a cave with no connection to the outside world could have missed that crash. He was surprised the ship was still functional -- well, barely. Prime had told him that he would be called to the site as soon as Prowl's team was up and about. Ratchet had given strict orders that the four were to rest and completely recover from their ordeal first, then they could take up regular duties.
Bluestreak was in the med bay's ICU, along with Thundercracker who was in a similar damaged state yet always conscious. Huffer had not liked the idea of the Decepticon, former or not, being allowed repairs. Prowl had insisted upon it.
Huffer swerved into a stack of tires, knocking them over out of annoyance. "Hey!" Moonracer had driven up just in time to have a tire bounce off her hood. "What's the big idea?"
"Sorry," Huffer said, backing up. "I was thinking."
"About what? Wait, let me guess. Something that angered you?"
"Yeah, maybe. I was wondering what keeps Thundercracker awake."
"A guilty conscience?"
"Heh. Perhaps from the lives of Autobots on his hands?"
"Or he could have glitch," Moonracer suggested. "Personally, I feel sorry for him. He is in such a condition that if he wanted to live, the only option was to come to us."
"How is that worthy of sympathy? He had no choice, so all he could do was surrender." Huffer nudged at a nearby tire as if deciding whether to transform and clean them up.
"There is a difference between surrendering and asking for sanctuary. He is not a prisoner."
"That is your view. We could get much information out of him. Maybe find out where the Combaticons ran off to."
"We could use another flight-capable soldier, so we would be best offering him help so he will stop hating us."
"If he can be trusted to even care that much."
Moonracer sighed. "Well, I hope it is only a guilty conscience. Convincing him to pledge to our cause will be easier that way. A glitch, or nightmares, might only serve to anger him."
"Hn." Huffer rounded up another tire. "Are you going to relieve me from duty or not? I am going to rust waiting for Windcharger and Gears to get back. They could be here before Prowl's team is on their feet, and I need a change of scenery. Even if no scenery is Cybertron's scenery."
"Defluos VI came close, though," she said wistfully.
"Yeah. Except for the bot-eating pirahna."
"There was a sign about 'no swimming'. You should have obeyed it."
"I am going inside now. Pick up these tires, will ya? They should not be left just lying around where someone could trip over them."
Moonracer sighed again.
~*~
Ratchet massaged his right temple plating as he took a break from looking over the schematics Perceptor had sent him. The problem with the Ark as it stood now was that the crash had caused a misalignment in the condensed mode and regular mode, creating new hallways that didn't connect to where their predecessors had led, put walls in the middle of rooms, and removed doors completely. One airlock had created an impossibly strong vacuum between its doors. An existing hallway was putting out such a strong magnetic field that it disrupted the processor of anyone who entered it.
It was going to take a lot of work to make the ship livable. He had scratched the possibility of flyable completely. The small shuttle in the cargo bay might be salvaged, but it was no where near adequate to get all of them off the planet. Perhaps it could be a start...
He stared at the screen again, wondering about sending a message to Wheeljack's personal frequency. It would be a relief to have him available to supervise the deconstruction of the Ark and lend his expertise to modifying the mess they were left with.
But Ratchet shook his head, not wanting to calculate the odds. The only thing they all could do was continue to hope that more wayward Autobots were functional to receive Prime's message.
He leaned his head on his hands as he switched screens to a view of the Ark. Ironhide and Chromia had cleared the rocks and had been working to shape the mountain around the Ark into something resembling camouflage and more defensible terrain. " 'Crash it into a volcano,' he says. 'It will cover the impact,' he says. Next time I see him, I will tell him thank you for jinxing us." He exhaled loudly through his upper vents.
"Who jinxed us?" asked a voice from the back of the bay.
Ratchet turned and saw Bluestreak standing by a cabinet, leaning against the side. "What do you think you are doing, walking around without clearance?"
"I am not going to stay on that recharge berth forever. I want to see Earth. I want to know..." Ratchet waited for him to continue, eying him critically. The mech's posture was stiff, reserved. Bluestreak shook himself. "But you did not answer. Who jinxed us?"
"Ironhide. He and I were speaking of the Ark one day. His suggestion for bringing it down was flawed logically. Yet, here we are." Ratchet gestured to the screen.
Bluestreak came over, looking horrified at the view of the ship. He clenched his fists at his sides. "I will get Skywarp for this. He teleported aboard while Thundercracker and I were on surveillance and weapons. He knocked out Thundercracker first, then cornered me and told me their plans for the Ark's information databanks. Then he shot me. I started to have another flashback so I forced myself into stasis lock. I thought I would be able to come out of it and find out what he was doing, then I would try to stop him. But something in my processors was damaged and I never woke..."
He trailed off again and did not continue. Ratchet stood and clasped Bluestreak's shoulder with a reassuring grip.
~To Be Concluded~