A/N: I DO NOT own Transformers and its characters/plot. Nor do I make a profit from it in any way. I did, however, create this story and whatever characters I decide to make up!
Chapter 1: Bad Omens
Three months have passed since the battle in Egypt between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Though time has passed since then, there are still battles between the factions on a smaller scale. Answering the call of Optimus Prime's message calling surviving Autobots to Earth, Cybertronians of both fractions make their arrival known and help their respective sides. After a recent battle, both sides use the time to recover from their injuries.
=0= Diego Garcia, Autobot Base: Optimus' Office
With the end of another battle, especially the very destructive ones, comes the never ending, and for some reason mandatory, paperwork to fill out. Not even the Autobot leader can evade it for long. Due to evading it, he is now at his desk with 5 tall piles of datapads, and even more scattered around the room, that need to be read, sorted, and signed.
Venting out air, the human equivalent to a sigh, in frustration, Optimus paused in his work.
How is it that, no matter how much paper work I complete, there are still piles more left? He fumed to himself.
Another sigh.
Why does it seem so quiet now? Usually, the sounds of the Rec room can be heard from the farthest reaches of the base. Optimus thought to himself. But he soon gets back to the mounds of work he still has left.
Crash!
Pieces to a previously new datapad lay on the floor in 2 perfect halves. Optimus just stares from the broken datapad to the top of an especially tall pile of datapads, where the broken one was just moments ago.
"I didn't even touch that pile yet, but somehow it fell. Wait… how is it even possible for something unbreakable to break. And I've never seen anything break cleanly in half when making contact with the floor like that", he thought out loud to no one in particular. "Nothing short of Ironhide stomping on one could even put a scratch on it. I guess I'll have to talk to Wheeljack about this later"
And with that he goes back to his daunting task, though the atmosphere of the room is now eerie and it soon spreads across the base.
=0= Autobot Base: Med Bay
The last battle with the Decepticons has left the Autobots with no casualties on their part, but leaves no shortage of injuries.
It also leaves a cranky Ratchet to deal with said injuries. Making matters worse is that the larger set of twins' latest prank has left quite a few bots, including First Aid, one of the new medics to arrive, in the Med Bay and causing more work for the already overworked Ratchet.
"Glitch-headed, pit spawned twins always causing me more work", grumbled the angered medic who was painfully fixing a newly revived Jazz's leg.
"Ouch! Watch it, I'mma injured mech after all", whined a restless and, by orders, berth ridden, Jazz. "Does this really have ta hurt so much?"
"Do you always have to whine so much? It doesn't have to hurt, but how else will you glitch-heads learn not to do stupid things that get you hurt and cause me more work if I make this painless for you? And why is it that, as soon as you are revived and repaired, you end up in here again not even an orn later?!"
In truth, it had been 25 hours and 5 minutes for Jazz to return to the Med Bay, but it's not wise to correct an already angry Ratchet and make him even more angry… then again Jazz isn't a very wise mech according to Ironhide.
"Aww! You just love seeing this handsome mech with an amazing smile. Admit it!"
Another wire is painfully pulled, causing more pain for Jazz and another yelp of pain.
"If you don't shut it, I'll never be done!" said Ratchet.
"Come on! Cut me some slack. I've spent most of my time in here and I'm sick of it!" Jazz whined some more. "Can't I go now?!"
"You have burned wires in your knee assembly and a punctured energon line just below it. I'd be done faster if you'd just shut your mouth!" And with that, Jazz promptly shuts up for 10 minutes it takes Ratchet to finish.
"There, you're done. Now leave my Med Bay before I knock you over the helm!" roared an annoyed Ratchet who was sick of Jazz's whining.
"You da best Ratch'!" And with that, Jazz was gone and speeding down the hall.
"Now to pick my next vict- erm patient" the medic said as he picked up one of his precious wrenches.
Crack!
His optics flew immediately to the wrench clutched in his servo. A very visible crack is now prominent on the wrench.
"How is it even possible for metal to crack like that? I bet the twins were playing with my tools again!" Ratchet bellowed, promising pain to an unsuspecting pair of pranksters.
=0= Autobot Base: Rec Room
Anyone recently released from the Med Bay, Autobots and humans alike were relaxing, talking, or eating. At the Autobot sized table, a discussion about the weird occurrences happening around base.
"And Teletran Two was acting weird" said Perceptor.
"I think something is seriously wrong" said Jazz.
"Yer just twitchy cu there's been no Decepticon activity and everyone is on edge waiting fer the next one. Nothing fishy 'bout that now, is there?" Ironhide calmly replied. Just as he lifted his energon cube to take a sip, it shattered to pieces and energon spilled all over his legs and joints. "Okay, maybe something is going on", he relented.
"That's not all, Wheeljack's new invention didn't blow up and the base's cameras are down, but Red Alert isn't panicking!" added Jazz.
A collective gasp answered that information. And one thought went through everyone's mind: Is the world ending?
=0= Decepticon Base: Rec Room
Most of the cons that were either getting energon or trying to avoid going to Hook to get their injuries healed are in the room.
"Anyone else notice something's wrong?" asked a random con.
"You mean how we haven't launched another attack or Starscream not mouthing off?" asked Barricade.
"No- well that too. But also Megatron hasn't beaten Starscream once, hasn't yelled at anyone or blown anything or anyone up! He's just sitting on his throne, deep in thought", the same mech corrected.
This led to gasps from everyone in the room and to one thought to run throughout everyone's processor: What the frag is wrong with the world?!
=0= Unknown dark forest
A glowing portal began to swirl and form. When it finally stabilized, dark figures emerged out of it.
: Departure complete. Arrival has been successful: said one into a comm link.
: Affirmative. Commence next phase: came the reply from the other end.
: Should we make our presence known: asked another of the group.
:No, keep to the shadows and observe until further orders: came the reply and the portal closed, plunging the forest into darkness once again.