A/N: Edited 1/6/2019

Identifying the beginning of the end would be a difficult task for even the sharpest. Too many factors played a role, too many people played a part. Luckily for those taking on the challenge, hindsight is 20/20. It makes the insignificant, significant.

And so we can say that the end began with a pizza. Or rather, the lack of one.

Transformers: 'Til the Day When All Are One

Humanity

Saturday was pizza day, the only day of the week Andromeda Doe would allow herself to spend money on decent food. She'd order a pizza, watch a movie, sip on some pop and relax after a long week of work and school. She had a system. Perhaps not the best, but it would do.

Most of the time. The delivery man for Toni's Pizza called in sick, throwing a significant wrench into her plans. There was no way she was trying a different restaurant. It just wouldn't be the same.

She withheld an irritated huff as she listed to the old woman apologize over the phone. Takeout was the only option available.

"It's fine, Mrs. Marino," Andromeda lied through her teeth. "No big deal."

"Thank you for being so understanding, dear," Mrs. Marino replied. "I'd hate to lose a regular. Is there anything else you'd like, besides the usual?"

"No, that'll be it."

"Your order will be done in about twenty minutes then, thank you for choosing Toni's Pizza."

"See you then," Andromeda replied before hanging up her phone and tossing it away. Sighing loudly, she fell back onto her bed, head hitting one of her many pillows. From where she laid, she had a perfect view of her arranged star sticker covered ceiling. Tracing the constellations with her eyes, she took a breath.

"Six more months," she reminded herself under her breath. Her soft voice was amplified by her quiet apartment as she repeated herself. "Just six more months."

A screaming match began in the apartment next door. Something about groceries. This made Andromeda sigh again. Six months would be short in retrospect, but for now? "Damn, six more months of this."

Sitting up in bed, she resigned herself to getting dressed. Unwilling to change, she made do with her baggy jeans and old t-shirt, opting instead to put a jacket. It would both protect against the cold and judgmental eyes. She then pulled on the well-worn tennis shoes she found at the thrift store, grabbed her phone, and headed out.

The hall outside was well lit, but the stairs were not. Quick on her feet, she jogged out of the building. Strange characters liked to linger in dark places and Andromeda didn't have the energy for an encounter.

Once outside the building, she pulled up her jacket's hood. The thick coiled curls of her head stuck out funny, but at least it was warm.

Winter in Mission City tended to be cold and windy, so luck was on her side when her hood stayed on. There wasn't even the slightest breeze.

Five minutes later, Andromeda reached an intersection. Just ten minutes more and she'd been enjoying some traditional Italian pizza.

Her stomach grumbled at the thought.

Pedestrian crossing began a moment after she had reached the street. She had taken one step into the road when a sleek yellow car raced through the red light. Startled by the sudden traffic violation, Andromeda stumbled backward onto her rear. Oddly enough, the yellow car wasn't alone. A large black truck, another expensive silver car, a Peterbilt and an emergency vehicle, followed by several black vans, all ran that red light. It was bizarre to say the least, and the young woman sat stunned as she watched the caravan go. It was a miracle they didn't crash into anyone or each other.

"Ey lady, you alright?" a young voice broke through her stupor. Andromeda turned to head to see a kid, no more than 13, standing next to her with a skateboard. "They didn't hit you, did they?"

"Um," she blinked and shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine." She stood up and looked toward where the group of cars drove. "Thanks."

The kid shrugged. "Don't mention it." With a kick, he took off down the crosswalk on his skateboard. He was halfway through when Andromeda realized she should get moving too. The red 'stop' hand was already beginning to flash.

The rest of the walk to Toni's was uneventful and soon she was sitting on an empty bench outside, waiting for her name to be called.

A jet passed overhead, making her wince. She was not a fan of loud noises, which sucked given how close Mission City was to a military base.

"Takeout for Doe!"

Andromeda stood with a grunt and rolled her shoulders. Finally. She could almost taste it. The question of what movie to watch flitted across her mind as she turned to go inside.

That's when it happened.

A sonic boom echoed through the city, followed by an explosion that shook the ground. The front windows of Toni's, along with all the glass in the surrounding area, shattered. A rain of shards fell to the street below from affected skyscrapers. Andromeda instinctively crouched and covered her head.

For a moment it was as if the entire city froze and held its breath, waiting for what would come next.

It wouldn't wait for long.

Another explosion boomed from somewhere nearby and the silence transformed into screams.

Andromeda stood as soon as the ground was steady, adrenaline flooding her systems. Flight or flight took over and, as there was nothing to fight, she had but one choice.

She took off down the street, a singular thought in her mind. Run. Where, she didn't know. Her feet pounded the concrete as her dark hair flew behind her. Muddy brown eyes scanned for the source of the sounds as she ran, though she saw nothing but fellow runners and destruction. So much destruction. Chunks were taken out of buildings. Glass covered the ground. Cars were crushed and overturned. And yet, she could see no cause.

Then she spotted him. That teen who had talked to her at the intersection. He was standing in the middle of the street, staring at something out of her sight. She ran up to him and immediately began shouting.

"What're you doing?!" she exclaimed between gasped breaths. She grabbed the kid's shoulders and began hauling him away. "Run! We need cover!"

That's what she was running for. Cover. Perhaps the subway. The more irrational side of her said she needed to go home and hide under her blankets. It had worked when she was a kid.

The kid was silent for what seemed like ages before speaking. "Holy sh-" he was cut off by another crash. The noise came from the direction he was staring in, to Andromeda's right. Brows furrowed in both anxiety and a morbid sense of curiosity, she turned her tunnel vision that way. And nearly fainted.

Two robots, Titans, fought in the center of a nearby intersection. One was blue and red, while the other was a grayish silver. Bombs dropped on them from above, highlighting their battle. It was like a scene from an action movie as they broke through buildings as a kid would a sandcastle.

When the red one fell, yards in front of her, she should have run. Andromeda should have reacted like the kid, snapped out of her shock, and ran like hell away from the scene.

Instead, she felt her heart leap into her throat and froze, still as a statue. It didn't take the kid long to deem her a lost cause, leaving her the only spectator.

That is until seemingly out of nowhere, another person stood in the intersection. He held something in his arms that looked somewhat cubic and lifted it in a taunting gesture.

The grey robot rushed him.

What happened next Andromeda would only recall in dreams and nightmares. A wave of something unidentifiable washed over her and, suddenly, the cube began dissolving. Bolts of pure energy erupted from it, most of which struck the grey robot. It began screaming in what sounded like pain.

Could robots feel pain?

A flash of light accompanied by a near-sonic boom sent her to the ground.

And then she felt it.

It was itching, crawling, trying to get into her. Warmth turned into searing heat as something invaded her body. She could feel herself changing, warping, twisting into something alien. Aberrant. There was no end to the pain.

With a silent cry, Andromeda tipped sideways, unaware as her head hit the concrete. Blissful nothingness enveloped her.

E/N: This is my first ever Transformers fanfiction (at least that I've posted), so please be gentle. Some of the plots and themes are overdone, I know, but I wanted to explore them myself. Reviews are appreciated and encouraged!