Dawn. A military base somewhere in the Western States. Military personel scuttled about in a hurry to relieve the nightshift and get the day schedule started. Training soldiers jogged by while other people began the day more relaxed with a cup of steaming coffee. A dark giant watched all of this from the shadows of one of the many hangars. It was so bizzar and strange to Ironhide to watch this race of tiny fleshlings go about military life which is something he knew all to well.

"there's more to them than meets the optic." a smooth voice rippled the morning air from behind him. He did't even have to turn around to know that Arcee ,the stealth 'bot extrordinair, had snuck up behind him. He turned around anyway.

"I've heard that one before." he rumbled in a voice that was almost as deep as their Prime's.

The smaller bot smirked slightly.

"they're so tiny and squishy. This time Optimuse really did go to far." He turned back to look out into the strange world beyond the bay doors. The first fleshling he saw upon his arrival who went by the designation Agent Fowler, stood several yards away near another building arguing with another man in a suit.

"you'll get use to them. And ,who knows, maybe you'll even make friends." Arcee gave him a good-hearted punch on his large bicep casing which was as high as she could comfortably reach.

Ironhide grunted his distain for that idea. As if he ,the Decepticons worst nightmare, would be seen shooting the breeze with a tiny fleshling ,laughing and chatting about 'the good ol' days'. He could probably step on one and not even know it.

Bulkhead and Smokescreen rolled up beside them in their alt modes.

"We're out on patrols. Wanna come with?" Bulkhead asked

"what about Miko. She'll be ticked if you don't show" Arcee warned

"I called her. She's in Tokyo with her parents"

"and the groundbridge isn't powerful enough ,yet, to go that far" Smokescreen finished for him "so wanna come with?"

"sorry ,boys but I've some catching-up to do with -a friend" with her last words she turned to the newest member of their group and gave him a hinting look.

"right on" Smokescreen chimed "say hi to Jack for us"

"will do" Arcee said as she walked away and transformed into her alt mode in one smooth movement and sped away activating her holographic rider.

"how about you? big guy?" Smokescreen asked Ironhide "wanna see me beat you in a drag race?"

"you couldn't beat me even if I was in recharge" Ironhide transformed down into the handsome GMC truck he'd picked out for himself. So far it was the best thing he liked on this organic planet. Drag racing and other types of shenanigans were against the rules when on duty but Smokescreen needed to be taught a lesson. He was new and inexperienced but he'd soon learn why Ironhide was feared among the Decepticons and even among some of his fellow Autobots.

The military base ,the Autobots were still getting use to calling home, was situated in a dry, barren wasteland rich only in dry bunches of vegetation and brownish red dust. All around on all sides were jagged stony pinnacles shielding the base's location. The perfect place to hide anything that was a big as a house.

0000

"Katt-ashleyyyy..." a tiny ,ghostly voice called ,drifting through the silent house. It had an eerie effect in the weak, dawn light.

"Katt-ashleyyyy..." the voice called again. The rumpled blankets on top of the bed shifted slightly and then became still once more.

Kattashley Donavon opened her sleepy eyes to see the door slowly open with a spine-shivering creak revealing nothing but blackness ,but she was still mostly asleep to register that.

"Katt-ashleyyyy..." the voice was closer this time. Just beyond the doorway. Kat's eyes opened wider and she stared at the empty blackness and very slowly sat up. She saw the very slightest outlines of someone standing in a white nightgown.

Dead silence.

"mornin' ,Daisy" Kat yawned as the younger girl stepped out of the dark hallway into her room. She clutched her precious Blues Clues doll under her chin.

"Story." the three-year-old demanded.

"It's five in the morning." Kat informed her baby cousin.

"I want a story." Daisy was the youngest of Kat's cousins and was use to getting her way. She climbed into the bed with her and waited for her story. Wiping the sleep from her eyes Kat began; "once upon a time there was a little girl who would always wake everybody in the village up really early. People didn't like it because they liked to sleep in now and then so one day they just couldn't take it any more and put the little girl in a sack and threw her in the river."

"no!" Daisy protested "I don't like this story. Nother one."

"Fine. Once upon a time there was a little girl-"

"nno!" Daisy shook her head making her short ,perfectly blond hair wag violently from side to side "about Blues Clues" she held out her toy.

"This little girl was a very good friend of Blue."

The sweet smile on Daisy's face informed Kat she was doing good so far.

"they would go on adventures together and they got along very well. But this little girl had a problem of always waking Blue up really early in the morning and Blue really hated that. So one day she just had enough so she put the little girl in a sack and-"

"nno!" Daisy shook her head "no sack."

"no sack?"

"no."

"Okay. Blue just had enough so when they were walking along one early morning Blue pushed the little girl into the river."

"nnnoooo!" Daisy jumped up and down.

"alright, then."

Daisy did this every morning no matter what day it was. Kat even gave up setting her alarm as Daisy came in and woke her up every morning before it even went off. But she couldn't get annoyed to much at the little kid as she was the little kid's second best friend. Next to Blue.

Today was Saturday and Kat didn't have to be anywhere for a while still so she took her time with breakfast. Aunt Justine potted cheerfully about in the kitchen reaching over her heavily pregnant belly for what she needed. Being an only child Kat thought moving in with her Dad's sister and her children would be a major change but ,to her delighted surprise, she actually liked it more. Sure, there were a few bumps in the road but they always found a way and ,besides, being a student at the McHaussen Summer School for Artistic Youth, she was to busy with dance class and vocal lessons to really participate in their family life.

"what's on your agenda today, Hon?" Aunt Justine asked ,plopping another pancake on Kat's plate.

"got a practice room booked at McHaussen for three hours then I thought I'd do some riding at Katrina's."

"Sounds like the perfect Saturday for you." Justine chuckled.

"I hope so."

She really did. She could really use a day off right now after the first two weeks of the opening of the summer school. Kat loved to dance and she was terribly excited to be going to the school and being around other students who loved it as much as she did. Before coming here she pictured herself making new friends and sleep-overs and hang-outs. Turns out its not that easy making friends as it is making enemies. Jennifer Lodern and her posse of tragically fake blond friends were out to make Kat miserable for some strange reason. They played cruel pranks on her and would even get her into trouble with the teachers. If Kat's luck held out, she could get by without even seeing any of them today.

She finished breakfast, slung her duffle bag over her shoulder and waved her good-bye to Auntie Justine through the kitchen window. She waved back ,her mid-section looking like she had a basketball hidden under her shirt. The nine o'clock bus was on time and soon Kat's heels clicked on the polished floor of McHaussen.

0000

"Poland! five separate sightings!" Agent Fowler barked "Lithuania, evidence, and I quote 'large imprints through the wilderness like strange giant footprints. Tell me something ,Ratchet, what are you planning to do about this?"

The red and white Cybertronian medic looked at the reports himself on the screen. Yes, a pattern was defiantly forming. What kind of pattern, he was still unsure. "clearly they're searching for something." he said looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular.

"Oh really!" the Agent bellowed "I've got a government agency ,that doesn't exist, and to comities breathing down my neck and you tell me 'clearly they're searching for something'. Well, I'll tell you what; what ever it is ,I'm betting my favorite star-spangled shorts it has nothing to do with making adorable little cupcakes!"

"they're slowly pressing North, North, East." Ratchet found it best to ignore Fowler's ramblings and continue with the problems at hand or he would be constantly referring to the human's internet resources for explanations to what Fowler was talking about.

"What does that tell us." the agent demanded.

"not much...I don't know."

"you don't know?! sweet Roosevelt" Fowler threw his hands in the air and began pacing angrily on the catwalk.

"It could be a number of things they're looking for." Ratchet interceded before the man blew a gasket "but I would venture to say they are as depleted in energon reserves as we are. Late in the war both sides sent energon vessels on coordinates to distant planets in hope of collecting them later. The magnetic poles would be the ideal place to start looking for these vessels." Ratchet didn't quite believe this, the Decepticons would have scavenged them eons ago. There was only a slim chance that they didn't.

"well, we better do something about that." Fowler gripped the steel railing ,failing to notice the man in uniform entering through a side door that let out right onto the catwalk. His eyes immediately locked onto the giant Cybertronian.

"holy crap!" he gasped running both his hands through his buzz-cut hair.

"Officer! this is a restricted area!" Fowler barked.

"It's HUGE!"

Ratchet only looked on and waited for the man to get a hold of his senses.

"I heard they were big but that is HUGE!"

"Officer!" Fowler barked again shocking the soldier back into reality "restricted area! get lost."

The soldier stiffened to attention and saluted "Officer Brody reporting ,sir , sorry about that. " he was all military once more but his eyes still darted to catch glances of Ratchet who still remained silent. "The survivors of the Quatar incident have landed, hangar seventeen."

"yes," Fowler turned back to Ratchet "a full out attack on a military base. Looks like the 'cons are getting a little too chummy. And in the Middle East to. How does that fit into your North, North, East scenario."

"I'm a medic, not an intel officer!"

"HOLY CRAP!"

"Officer! what are you still doing here!"

The young man stood a second then saluted and hurried away all the while looking shocked beyond belief.

"video footage of the base attack and reports will be streamed to your computers. Find what the 'cons are up to BEFORE they destroy the planet for Uncle Sam's sake." Fowler ordered before slamming the door behind him with a clank.

"Find what the 'cons are up to before they destroy the planet" Ratchet mocked in a bad-tempered attitude "wouldn't I like to show him the bottom of my ped. I have more then enough to do deal with than put up with the likes of him." Turning back to the large screen installed for his use he resumed his search for an explanation to the Decepticons bizzar maneuvers. He found the file of the most recent ,and so far, most direct attack on the Human military.

The video was blurred and very poor quality but he was able to enhance the resolutoin enough to make out important details. It was still very difficult to see ,though, until he activated his distance and depth modulator and saw the grid outline of the being on the screen. It was only a breif moment as whom ever recorded the footage never held still but Ratchet was able to capture an image he was almost sure he identified. His faceplates screwed into confusion as he paused the video and slowly backed it up ,clip by clip, until he found the spot. His optics widened as he realized what ,or more accuratly, who he was looking at.

"Primus save us all..." He mumbled.

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Sorry for not making this chapter longer ,I really wanted to, but I was to busy so I had to cut it.

Shoutout to " thedragabot". Bringing my attention to my spelling boo-boos is well appreciated. Thank you. You're wonderful.