Prologue

Present day.

Earth. It was one of the youngest planets among the many in the known universe. It was home to many creatures, including the human race; still a young and primitive species, yet remarkably adaptable. Earth was filled with fresh resources – resources which had previously interested the Transformers in this planet.

After their home planet, Cybertron, had been engulfed in warfare, the Transformers, as humans referred to them, had sought refuge on Earth. Originally, the Autobots had come to Earth in search of an artifact called the Allspark, an alien relic able to create life within electrical and mechanical devices. The only source of life for them, without it the Transformers' race would cease to exist. The Autobots were losing this war, only a few now remaining on Earth. But with the Allspark, they had a chance to end the feud. Optimus Prime and the other Autobots were devoted to protecting the Earth and the human race from their long-time rivals, the Decepticons.

At Mission City, the Allspark had met its fate. Samuel Witwicky had destroyed the Allspark, but he had killed Megatron in the process. The Autobots had highly underestimated the human race. Living with the members of N.E.S.T. as equals, they had worked for over two years as a team before Megatron had returned. And this time, Megatron had taken the life of their beloved leader – Optimus Prime.

Sam had managed to revive Optimus, the only one capable of defeating the Fallen, with the Matrix of Leadership in Egypt. With the Fallen determined to activate the Sun Harvester, destroying Earth in the process, the battle was intense. Many comrades had fallen, including Sam, but through sheer will and the power of the ancient Primes, he had returned to help the Autobots save the Earth and Optimus. This was not the last time that Samuel Witwicky would come to the Autobots' aid.

During the Battle of Chicago, Sam had helped saved the Earth for a third time. Sentinel Prime had betrayed the trust of his fellow 'bots to side with the Decepticons. In this fight several great warriors, including Ironhide, had been lost. Sam had helped to destroy the space bridge before the Decepticons were able to bring Cybertron to Earth, and the Autobots' home was destroyed right in front of their eyes. Starscream and Megatron were brought down, and Optimus had executed Sentinel for his treachery.

Humans around the world were left devastated following the battle. Many lives were lost. Chicago was destroyed. Despite their help, the American Government had declared the Autobots a threat to society. The Government had given the Autobots an ultimatum: to leave Earth for good or stay, hidden and secret, with no more involvement with either the Government or N.E.S.T.

It had taken Optimus Prime a long time to decide what to do. As leader, Prime had found that it was getting harder and harder to make the right choices for him and his team. They had always been so loyal to him. The Autobots remained strong, but they were few in numbers. The others had protested against his judgment at first, but Earth was their home, as much as it was for the humans. He had decided that no matter what, even without the respect of the human race, they would remain on Earth, protecting it and its inhabitants from any hostile beings.

With Ratchet's help, Prime had devised a plan. They would have to camouflage themselves, but this was a difficult task to achieve. They would need to be undetectable by both humans and Decepticons. They already had holographic forms, but Ratchet was able to come up with solid versions of these forms. Now they faced the challenge of learning to live as humans.

No-one outside the few selected people within the Government could know of the plan. There was always the risk of the Decepticons coming back. Many hid on Earth in the shadows and they all, human and Autobot, knew this. They separated the Autobots amongst the few elite in order to be sure that there would not be trouble.

Major General William Lennox (who had recently been promoted after the Battle of Chicago), was watching over Optimus Prime and Ratchet.. Next up was the ex-N.E.S.T. member, Robert Epps. He was in charge of keeping watch over Sideswipe and Mirage. Then there was General Morshower. He was in charge of the Wreckers: Topspin, Roadbuster, and Leadfoot. No one knew how to handle these assholes but the General himself.

The Government was unsure what to do about Wheelie and Brains. They proved themselves to be useful in the Battle of Chicago, but Sam had agreed not to take them in again after he had become engaged to Carly, for her sake. Carly had never been fond of them or the other Autobots and it had been hard enough to convince her to let them take care of Bumblebee. Sam could not disappoint Bumblebee, though; they shared a special friendship.

Seymour Simmons had been convinced by the government to take the two Autobots under his watch, Wheelie and Brains. He was familiar with the alien race. After his years in Sector 7 he was able to handle anything (or so he thought). He knew it would be a challenge, but it was his chance to prove to his beloved Government that this was why they needed military divisions like his previous employer.

The other few Autobots that were left such as Arcee, Chromia and the twins had remained under care of other N.E.S.T. members.

Once N.E.S.T. had been deactivated, the Autobots had said their goodbyes to one another. It was hard for all of them, especially Optimus Prime. He had always loved his fellow 'bots as if they were family. And to him, they were. They were all what he had left of Cybertron. He loved each one for who and what they were. It would be hard to adjust to not seeing them every day. But for everyone's safety, he knew that this was the right choice. He could not bear to lose another comrade. Even if the war had been paused due to the passing of Megatron and Starscream, deep down inside Optimus knew somewhere or somehow the Decepticons were planning something. It had been at least six months since they had seen or heard of any Decepticon activity. But those days were over. The Autobots were no longer warriors, but human beings.

It would take the Autobots a long time to adjust to their new lives. They had to learn the simplest human tasks. At times, it almost felt like the Autobots were infants. They had to learn a lot in such a short time – the basics: proper grooming, table manners, doing chores - before being place under the care of their human guardians. But they had to be sure that they are capable of adapting to their new bodies. They had to deceive humans that worked and lived near them, but they had to deceive their enemies as well – for everyone's protection. Earth could not bear another full-fledged alien war.

Barricade frowned internally as he approached the Decepticons' hidden base in Canada. It was hidden away in the mountains, concealing their source of Energon from anyone or anything that may be able to detect it. It was too far north. The few remaining Decepticons on Earth remained hidden. Barricade knew that he had to take charge following the demise of their master. They had fled the scene before Prime's attack.

The officer looked down at his tiny companion, Igor, before he transformed. Barricade cursed. He still could not figure out how the Autobots just seemed to drop off the radar. It was almost as though they had vanished from Earth. He knew that couldn't be true; the Autobots had nowhere else to hide.

He reached over and punched a nearby cliff wall. He cursed once again, closing his eyes. He missed his master. "How is the experiment proceeding?" he asked, looking over at the tiny wretch. He knew with how spread out the Decepticons were on this planet. It would be difficult without Soundwave to contact them. He was determined to bring Megatron back. Without him, the Decepticons would be a mess.

Igor slowly hopped over to the other. "It's going well, Barricade," he smirked in response. "We only need Energon to bring back our beloved master and our fellow Decepticons. Then we can continue with the experiment."

Energon was hard to find on Earth. The Decepticons had hidden Energon here for generations. Barricade knew, though, that only the commanding officers had known where these deposits were hidden. He needed the help of Soundwave and the others to find these deposits, but it was difficult to do on his own. He did not have the tools or resources. Igor was the only other Decepticon that had come with him to Canada for refuge.

Barricade knew that he had to bring his master back soon. Megatron was the only one who could lead the Decepticons. No matter how many times Starscream tried, they did not take orders well from anyone else, and Barricade knew that Megatron was the only one who was strong enough to go up against Prime.

"We must hurry," Barricade hissed at the small Decepticon. "Without our brothers, we are in a vulnerable state. We must bring back our master as soon as possible and continue with our plans. Prime and the Autobots must die. Otherwise, our kind will die."

Igor just glanced up at the taller 'con, smirking in response. "Yes, yes...to have Master back, will be a great pleasure to watch the Autobots die at his hands again."

Barricade just looked over at the remains of Megatron's body. He moved over to his master's detached hand, gripping it as he looked up at the sky.