A/N: OK so you're probably thinking "Chris, you said you were taking a break from Transformers." And yes, well, technically I still am. But I decided to allow myself one fic in the interim that I take a break from my big ones. And I do mean ONE fic. So I gave a lot of thought and time into if it'd be one of my current on-going fics, or something I had in mind that branched into the newest movie: The Last Knight, eventually.

Well guess what won? Well no need to guess you're here for the start of this as well now. LOL

Now this fic is not something I plan to make as long as my other fanfictions. Usually they're epics that are LONG while this one I'm hoping to fill in the time while I work on a rather big project involving Transformers elsewhere. (I'll post and give details to that at a later date so I won't leave you all out of it!) But for the sake of not burning myself out by tackling five different Transformers fics and a big project, this is basically going to be my one Transformers fic for a while.

Hopefully no one is too angry at me. I promise, I really have something fun and worthwhile in mind here. So here we go!

So two important notes if you've seen The Last Knight: Hot Rod will not be playing the same role as he did in that movie. (Frankly, I wanted to give him more of a character) That will be given to a different character. However, I am keeping the French accent because it is part of his characterization, but I will be toning it down.

Don't worry, spoilers pertaining to him will be saved for later down the road. So no need to worry about me going into parts that pertain to his role movie-wise until later on.

DISCLAIMER: I own only my OC as usual. Everyone recognizable is completely the property of whomever created them in their respective universes.

PAIRINGS: For once, there won't be any pairings at the outset. I'll update this later when more people have seen TLK because once we get into that, there will definitely be a few pairings. So I guess check back in a few weeks?

CHAPTER 1
On the Run

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS RUINS - TEN DAYS AFTER DECEPTICON INVASION

The war had been won, but if one looked at the results, they would never have known.

Chicago would take years to find a way to rebuild itself, or so the Autobots and humans figured. And the governments? Were already talking about the dangers the Autobots presented. Talking about the exile of the very people that stood to fight for their future - for their honor. They were all scared, all wondering what would happen. Especially after their allies at NEST had been ordered to return home and cease and desist operation.

Those pricks were sure thankful, weren't they?

And yet still, some of the Autobots who had scattered across the Earth had come to the aid of the humans. Some had decided that - despite all their misgivings, they wanted to help the humans. And that was why Hot Rod was there now, having come, covertly, by ship, all the way from across the pond at England to see the damage for himself.

Hot Rod wasn't even sure that many knew he was on Earth. Of course, Bumblebee did, but he had come long ago for reasons not entirely divulged to other Autobots. And so, the younger, black and orange mech with the small doorwings tried to avoid the other Autobots as best he could. Continuing to keep himself an anomaly, especially with tensions between the Cybertronians and the humans at such a painfully teetering edge.

Most would argue that the Lamborghini he'd scanned on the way there hadn't helped. But frankly, it was of better use to him than the distinctly European make of car he initially had been.

Thus far, as much as he searched he found no signs of life. No stirring in the rubble, no voices crying out for help. The deafening silence reminded him too solemnly of seeing his own home, reduced to ash during the latest days of Cybertron's brutal war.

He was convinced it was time to turn back, to return to the country he'd come to call home. There was going to be more casualties than survivors and he knew it. Furthermore, the more he looked at what he could best describe as a graveyard, the less the usually thick-plated mech wanted to be there.

He was on his way out of the city when he saw the boy falling.

The human fell as if he had come straight out of the sky, almost immediately grabbing the mech's attention. In the end, he would come to realize he'd fallen from the edge of a building, but at the moment, he did not pay much attention to that. Instead, he was focused on the fact that a survivor was there, and he was falling rapidly.

In this single moment, his decision would change the course of his life, and mission, forever.

Without a second thought he transformed faster than one could blink an eye. His optics launching upward as he sprung with his two feet and allowed the delicate young human to land in either of his outstretched palms. Then with a deafening thud, the young warrior landed on his two knees, huffing and puffing.

His blue optics lowered to stare at the young human that had fallen. It was curled into a ball, and oh so very tiny. His scans classified it as a male, probably no older than seven years old. And his two, light blue eyes, wide as saucers, stared up at him as though he were some sort of demon - there to harm him. Though if he had gotten caught up in this mess, Hot Rod truly could not blame the child.

He stood there - considering for a moment what to say to the boy. After all, he hadn't actually expected so late into the search to find anyone. And now, here was this dirty, must-covered child who stared up at him with terror in his eyes. And somehow, he had to find a way to calm him long enough to find out what to do with him..

And so, with a tiny, ghost of a smile, Hot Rod managed a single, though nerve-wracked sentence. "Bonjour, je m'appele Hot Rod," he managed, his thick French accent (oh how he hated it) obviously throwing the child off. "And who are you?"

The child simply looked at him in wonder.

ONE YEAR LATER - SIX MONTHS AFTER THE FORMATION OF CEMETARY WIND

"You got money for all of that, kid?"

Jace Windhill jumped high in the air, spinning around to meet the stare of the shop owner. Of course, he'd believed that the staff of a small, run-down gas station wouldn't pay much attention to a kid like him. The eight year old had tried to keep his head down, and his moves to stuff the food in his backpack as silent and stealthily as possible. But of course, here he was, caught red handed.

He swallowed quietly, moving to put the bag of chips back on the shelf as he turned to meet the gaze of the older, greasy looking man. "I'm sorry sir, I was just browsing," he replied pushing his brown hair from his eyes, and holding up a stick of gum. "I was actually just going to buy this."

The man gave a grimace, taking a swipe for his backpack. "Sure, kid. Let's see what's in the pack?"

"Hey! That's an invasion of privacy!" Jace snapped back defiantly. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Then you won't mind me seeing it."

With a violent yank, the man had snatched it from his hands. Leaving Jace sweating bullets, his voice catching in his throat as the man carefully spilled the contents onto the ground. Junk food, and a lot of it, fell with a clatter as Jace tried to smile and look innocent. Of course, not all of it belonged to the gas station - some of it he'd actually bought elsewhere (or stolen). But could he say... Busted?

The man gave him a look of pure anger, grabbing his arm. "Alright kid, where are your folks?"

It was a question that made Jace's heart stop. His head turned to look out the window, out toward the parking lot. He knew that if he wasn't careful, his answer was going to lead him down a dark, scary road. But what could he do? "Uh, I plead the fifth." He managed.

The man seemed to catch the nervousness and fear in his voice. "Are you in some kind of trouble kid? Because if you are, I need to help you," he looked the boy up and down, making him even more uncomfortable. "What are you hiding?"

"Nothing, his father is right here."

The sound of a familiar French accent made Jace relax silently. He felt the hand unlatch from his arm as he turned to see a man walking in. He was younger than most "father"s would be, dressed in a cool leather jacket, and a pair of dark shades. The man took a step behind Jace before scooping up his backpack. "Jace, grab what's actually yours and let's get going," the man replied. "Pour l'amore de Primus."

Jace did as he was told, letting out an audible groan. "Please forgive my son, monsieur. This is why we are on the road," the man spoke up as Jace moved to leave the store in a hurry. "He has a problem y'know. Not that he gets it from me..."

Jace was out the door quickly, grabbing one bag of chips as he went. In hopes that the shopkeep wouldn't notice until he was already long gone. He moved as quickly as he can towards the nice, black colored Lamborghini and slunk in as the door opened. "Jace," oh no, here it came. "What have I told you about stealing?"

There was another audible groan from Jace's lips. "If you're going to do it, be smart about it."

"Or at least steal something useful! Unlike junk food. Primus, how do you humans survive on that?"

The front seat went down to allow Jace into his "space" within the car. A small, makeshift bed made out of a soft blanket and a fluffy pillow, and some assorted items that had been set up when they'd started their journey a year ago.

It was hard to believe it had been a year of this same thing. Moving from place-to-place, keeping their heads down, making sure no one saw them for very long. This was the life he'd lead since the Autobot he'd come to call his guardian, Hot Rod, had saved him from a fall to his certain death in Chicago.

Initially, Hot Rod had intended to turn him into authorities. Especially after learning that Jace had been surviving on scraps and garbage during the entirety of the battle. But by the time he'd made it to a designated meeting spot, the world had gone to hell. They'd come back to an inhabitable city to the news of the Autobots official exile, to the fact that they were for all intents and purpose not welcome anymore.

He couldn't go into any government designated spot with Jace for fear he'd be attacked. And furthermore, Jace was too young to go by himself. Too many sick people were out there, even Hot Rod knew that enough to realize it was a bad idea.

So Hot Rod had taken Jace in the hopes that eventually, things would calm down, and get better. Hoping that one day, he could go back to his own designated "mission" and Jace could go with his own kind. But of course, things did not get better, they got worse.

Word spread through the com frequencies quickly that the Autobots and Decepticons alike were being hunted. Slowly, covertly, in a way that made the whole situation scary. And by the time that happened? Well, there was no telling what they'd do with Hot Rod, let alone Jace given he'd been with him for half a year by that point.

And so here they were: an alien fugitive, and an eight year old orphan on the run. "You need to be more careful, my young one. He could have taken you in, lead you right into their hands," Hot Rod scolded as gently as he could to his young charge. "You need to learn when the time is right to take action. And when we are simply meant to stay on the sidelines."

Jace shook his head. "I'd never give you up, Roddy. They don't even know I'm with you."

"Oh, mon ami, I wish we could say that for sure."

The child leaned back in his "bed" as they continued to drive, taking a handful of chips. "So where are we anyway?" he asked, his eyes watching as the scenery drove by. "That place you dropped me off for the bathroom at was creepy."

"Which is why I sent my holoform in to see where you were," Hot Rod was silent for a long moment following that statement. "We are somewhere in Texas. I have yet to figure out where. But you'd do well to keep a lower profile when we stop again."

"Yes, Roddy."

"You want some tunes in the meantime?" Hot Rod piped up. "Perhaps I can flip on a radio program."

With a shrug, Jace listened as the sounds of classic rock filled the inside of the car. His mind wandered as he watched quietly out the window, taking in the scenery as he sighed quietly. He wondered if when they got to the next "safe location" they might not finally be able to take a respite with the Autobots they'd made contact with - even for a little while.

And yet again, not for the first time, he wondered if it might finally be their last stop.

A/N: So yeah, this was more of an establishing chapter than anything. But what do you guys think? Hate me for taking the respite from other fics for a bit? Want to see more? Waiting on your thoughts!