A/N: First rewritten chapter. I'm allowed to write short stories during enrichment class in school. My teacher recognizes this as a short story I'm able to write for this. All-in-all, it might lead to faster updates.


The sun beat down on the soldiers backs. The group of seven men and one child trudged through the desert towards a single metal structure. Silence was as heavy as each soldiers packs they left behind.

After twenty more grueling minutes the group reached the structure.

"Go see if you can get signal now," the dark hair man said. His skin was well tanned from being based in Qatar, and his hazel eyes were dull with grief. An African-American nodded slightly and walked towards the tower. He noticed a metal pot on a pile of rubble and grabbed it, dumping the water on his head.

A white skinned man with a hat and a darker skinned man, each holding guns, kept lookout in front of the tower. A rumbling noise was heard and the tower jumped a few feet in the air. It hit the ground a few feet away from the darker skinned man and it's bang caused the lighter skinned man to turn around.

"What the hell was that?" he asked. The darker man turned to him.

"Qué quiere decir '¿qué diablos fue eso? Unos metros más allá y lo hubiera golpeado el culo," he stated in spanish. He had a tendency to do that when he was freaked. The other man slowly turned away.

"English dude. English." The black haired man, known as Captain Will Lennox, sighed lightly. His wife and baby girl's faces were still on his mind.

Lennox looked around at the group and allowed a few more minutes of rest. They were cut short by a soft Shing! from behind Lennox.

"Woah!" The African-American, known as Epps, exclaimed. He lifted his gun and pointed while Lennox spun around; his own gun was now in hand. All the soldiers started firing and the shape of a strange metal creature.

A screech was heard as it dug its way back underground. All the soldiers were tense as they waited; guns were pointed at the ground.

"Woah, mother-. What the hell was that?" someone exclaimed.

It re-emerged a few seconds later and stabbed the sunhat man's backpack. The talon got stuck and the man was swung around in the air. The pack finally broke and he flew towards his friends.

"Run!" Lennox yelled. The whole group made a mad dash for the town just in the distance. Lennox made sure he had a grip on the child as they ran so he wouldn't fall behind.

The town people reacted with screams. The woman and children rushed inside houses while the men grabbed shotguns and joined the soldiers in the firefight. Lennox ran with the boy to a house. A man opened the door and let them in.

"Papa!" the boy said. Lennox let them hug for a moment before he spoke.

"Do you have a telephone? Telephone?" He made a calling motion with his hand as he spoke.

"Telephone?"

"Yes yes! Telephone." The man ran into another room and returned with a phone.

"Thank you!" Lennox dialed the operator and brought the phone to his ear. "This is an emergency Pentagon call! I need you to... Do you understand? It's an emergency Pentagon... No I don't have a credit card!" he yelled. A wall exploded right next to him as more noise flooded into the house.

"Sir, the attitude is not going to speed things up any bit at all. I'm going to ask you to speak into the mouthpiece very clearly," the operator stated.

"I'm in the middle of a war! This is frigging ridiculous!" Lennox ran from the house and slid to a halt behind Epps. "Epps where's your wallet?"

"Pocket!"

"Which pocket?"

"My back pocket!"

"You got ten back pockets!"

"Left cheek! Left cheek! Left cheek!" Lennox located the wallet and told the operator the info.

"Also, sir, have you heard about our premium plus world-service gold package?" the operator asked.

"No I don't want a premium package!" Lennox looked over the rubble he was using as cover and located Epps. Throwing the phone he called out, "Epps! Pentagon!" Epps grabbed the phone as Lennox readied his weapon and defended his friend. After hearing snippets of the conversation Lennox noticed a USAF drone in the distance. Ten minutes later two Warthogs *Which my dad adores.* flew over. Epps directed them as a barrage of bullets hit the creature.

Epps directed the second plane, which he called 'Spooky Three Two', to use 105 sabot rounds. The rounds descended upon the machine causing it to retreat underground leaving part of its tail. Lennox called out for Fig, who he didn't see anywhere, and ran towards moaning. There he found an injured Fig. Before anyone could do something Lennox fell backwards from a strange shockwave. He hit the ground with a Thunk! as his head hit a stone.


Lennox slowly opened his eyes. His head pounded and he made out a fuzzy figure standing above him. He noticed the chair he'd been sleeping on was laying on the ground along with him. He looked back to the figure and scowled.

"Stop laughing, Epps," he muttered. That only caused Epps to laugh harder. After a minuted it died down.

"Why you on the ground, man? Bad dream?" he asked.

"A strange alteration of our first contact with Skorponok."

"Alteration?"

"It had to incorporate the sudden fall somehow." Epps chuckled and put out a hand. Lennox grabbed it and was pulled upright by his friend. He rubbed his sore head then laughed and hugged his pouting friend.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" a deep voice asked. It had a calming effect on people, though it asserted authority when necessary.

"I'm fine Optimus. Just a headache now," Lennox called to the giant robot. It was looking towards the platform worriedly. It's armor was blue with red flames and his face had a slight frown.

Lennox blinked a few more times to get rid of the sleepiness then walked to his still on computer console. Only one new email. Lennox scanned over it and frowned at the news. Energon signals in, of all places, Qatar.

"I feel psychic," he stated to his friend who was leaning over his shoulder.

"Don't let it get to your head," Epps mumbled. Reading more, Lennox straightened up and sighed. More risked lives, coming up. He looked towards the large mech who was staring intently at the pair.

"Energon readings in Qatar." The large robot sighed and his shoulders visibly sagged.

"Who knew so many Decepticons were on this planet," he muttered. He then turned towards Ratchet who was walking from the hall leading to the medbay and the 'Bots berths. He stopped dead in his tracks as his optics registered what he saw. Epps was slowly recovering from shock and starting to chuckle. Lennox was still staring with an unhinged jaw.

"Ratchet. Why are you pink?" Optimus asked. The now neon pink robot whipped his optics around the room, searching for his targets. Two wrenches were out, one in each servo.

"Take a wild shot."

"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker?"

"Yep." The 'Bots optics landed on a tarp in the corner that hadn't been there before. He marched towards it and ripped it off the two cars. One silver Corvette and one metallic gold Lamborghini. Both cars shot forward and tried to escape but still got a wrench thrown somewhere at them. Lennox and Epps were now laughing hysterically despite the recent news. Ratchet shot them a death glare but did nothing else.

"Now. I have a feeling you were coming to speak to me. What is it about?" Ratchet snapped. Optimus started out of his daze and made sure to keep optic contact. He didn't trust himself and nobot wanted a new dent in their helm.

"Energon signals were detected in Qatar." The medic lost his stern glare and stared for a second. He then spun around and marched to the medbay while muttering to himself. He knew Prime wanted him with the team. Before he turned down the hall he looked towards his leader.

"When are we leaving?" he called. Optimus turned to Lennox who held up a finger. He collected himself from a scuffle he somehow got in with Epps and looked back towards the leader.

"I say we should leave tomorrow at 0400."

"That early!" Epps whined. Lennox laughed at his friends childish behavior. Optimus let a small smile reach his lips. He looked towards Ratchet who nodded then proceeded to his medbay where he would wash the paint off.

"Where are we going at four in the morning?" Sideswipe started slightly and looked towards the mech.

"Qatar. You and Sunstreaker are staying here," Optimus said. He finished with a glare that said he wouldn't budge from the verdict.

"Fine with me. Don't wanna wake up early, anyway," Sunstreaker huffed. Sideswipe shot him a look then turned back to Prime as his twin left towards the berths.

"Why can't we come?"

"Punishment."

"For what?" Sideswipe protested. Optimus raised an optic ridge.

"For painting Ratchet," the prime stated. Sideswipe grumbled and stalked towards the berths.

"Fine." All three stared after him as work continued below them.

"I don't trust him if he gave up that easily," Lennox said.

"My thoughts exactly," Epps agreed. Prime nodded.

"I'll have Prowl keep an eye on them." Lennox looked towards the leader. The mech understood the unasked question.

"Ratchet, Jolt, Mudflap, Skids, possibly the Wreckers, and I will go with you." Lennox nodded then proceeded to send a heads up to his men. Tomorrow would be a day of fighting.

Next day; 0300:

Lennox's alarm woke him. He grumbled and smacked the device on the bedside table. Sitting up he stretched and rubbed his eyes. He then jumped out of bed, showered, threw on simple underclothes, then dressed in his black uniform. He was surprised how much time had flown as he tied his shoes. He woke up at 3 and it was now 3:30. He stood and rushed to the rec room, grabbing a cup of coffee.

Rushing to the armory he gulped down his coffee. As he entered he set the cup on a nearby shelf. Men were already in the room grabbing guns and ammo. Lennox grabbed an M16, grenades, ammo, the usual and walked into the hangar. Epps noticed and walked over.

"Hey, ya heard?" he asked.

"Heard what?"

"The Wreckers are meeting us in Qatar. The kicker is that each Wrecker has a charge, assigned by Morshower."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Seems Morshower has a spec ops group made entirely of teens. Three of them, including the leader, are the Wreckers of the group. They are unleashed if they're about to be overrun, though they do some background fighting. The leader is also a sniper," Epps informed.

"Nice." The pilot announced they were five minutes to takeoff so the group of soldiers and 'Bots entered the plane. By the time everyone was settled in, the plane was in takeoff. It was silent because everyone and bot was tired or nervous. Lennox, being part of the tired group, laid his head back and fell asleep.

Unknown POV:

"Y'all ready?"

"Heck yeah! I get to fight some 'Cons, finally."

"You gonna use some of the techniques I taught ya?" the scottish voice asked.

"I taught you the techniques Roadbuster!" a young male voice argued.

"Now how would ya do that, Danny?"

"Don't call me that!" I heard Roadbuster chuckle. He loved teasing his charge and best friend, my SiC. The argument continued while I was distracted causing me to miss a funny part. I knew because my guardian, Topspin, was laughing. It was hard to get him to do that. Leadfoot just snored in synch with Henry, my TiC.

How'd he become my TiC again? I asked myself. He was so lazy when not fighting, making Leadfoot his perfect guardian. Roadbuster and Dan both loved to tease each other. Topspin and I were both quiet, smart, and tactful.

Topspin laughed again, causing me to shake with his sitting frame. I was laying my head against his abdomen as I sat in his lap. His armor kept me warm and he didn't move too much. I groaned as the two continued to bicker like siblings. This plane ride was 20 hours long, and if they fought the whole time I would't be able to sleep. I shifted slightly in Topspin's lap. He chuckled in sympathy and ran a digit down my back.

The bickering lasted for ten minutes before I heard the pilot groan. That made me sit up and immediately silence the two with a deadly glare. Topspin looked at me from his laying position. He had decided to lay down and had set me on the ground so he could curl up in the plane.

"If you two don't shut up, I will allow the pilot to open the hatch so I can personally push you out," I growled. The pilot's soft chuckle floated from the cockpit. Dan was about to argue when I sent him another glare.

"Go to sleep or stare into space. Either one." I laid back down and pressed up against Topspin's abdomen. He rested a servo over me to protect me and keep me warm. I heard Dan grumble something but I let it go, seeing as I was so close to sleep. The motion of the plane and Topspin's insides lulled me to sleep.

Lennox and Autobots

The group arrived at Qatar first. The scorching Saudi Arabian sun immediately shone down on the group without mercy.

"Can't say I missed this weather," Epps said as he stood beside his CO. The Autobots were out a waiting for our departure.

"Do you know how much longer the others'll be?" Lennox asked Epps.

"What makes you think I know? You're the psychic." Lennox chuckled at that then turned towards the plane. He walked back inside and towards the pilot. The pilot noticed them and saluted Lennox.

"At ease. Do you know when the next plane will get here?"

"Actually I just spoke with that pilot. They should get here...," The sound of an engine and a shadow on the distant part of the runway announced the arrival of the group. "Now." Lennox turned towards the pilot and thanked him before exiting the plane. The second C-17 landed and taxied right next to the first. The hatch fell to the ground and three familiar supped out race cars exited. Three teens in spec ops uniforms exited behind them.

The first, a girl, was the tallest by an inch and had a light build but Lennox had a feeling she was stronger than she looked. A Colt M4A1 SOPMOD *Special Operation Peculiar MODification* was slung across her shoulder so she was ready for a firefight. A Harris M86 was slung around her back. Lennox assumed she was the leader since Epps said the leader was also a sniper. She was dressed in a special ops uniform though it was tan instead of black. Her dark brown hair was in a perfect braid down her back so it wouldn't get in the way and her skin was tanned enough so she was the darkest skinned of the three.

The boy on her right had black hair, a strong build, and was the shortest by a hair. His skin was the lightest of the three, though he had the heaviest weaponry of the three. His primary was a Knights Armament M4 MWS *Modular Weapon System*. His secondary made every soldier do a double take. It was a foldable Browning M2 HMG *Heavy Machine Gun*, one of the heaviest guns the soldiers knew. Yet the kid wasn't even slumping as he walked with it strapped around his back. A small smirk was on his face.

The third teen on the girl's left had dirty blonde hair. He seemed to be the mixture of the group. His skin was a normal tan, he had a moderate build, and he was the middle in height. His primary was an M16 while his secondary was an old M1917 Enfield.

Each teen neared the group behind the Wreckers and branched off as they drove towards Optimus. The three stopped in front of Lennox and stood at ease.

"Welcome to Qatar and its wonderful weather," Epps said first. The black haired boy chuckled and Lennox noticed his eyes. They were a dull blue, just darker than the Autobots.

"I'm Colonel Will Lennox and this is Sergeant Robert Epps," Lennox introduced. The girl looked towards him.

"I'm Colonel Anima Black. This is Major Daniel Flame, my SiC, and Captain Henry Tread, my TiC." She pointed to each boy in turn. The black haired boy was Major Flame and the other was Captain Tread. Lennox noticed he had a slight scowl and dull red eyes. Colonel Black had dull purple eyes that made it look like they were all black. Lennox smiled and nodded then turned to his troops.

"Pack up! Let's move." People jumped into the nearest Autobot, except for the Wreckers, if they didn't have a ride in one of the military vehicles. Lennox and Epps jumped into Optimus while each teen jumped into their corresponding Wrecker guardian. They all drove single file following the military vehicles towards where the signals were located. Each being had some form of adrenaline pumping through them.

Ani (Anima) POV

Two hours had passed and I was tired. You would think my body would be well rested from the sleep on the plane but no, it was still tired. It didn't help that Topspin kept his interior at a calming temperature. I laid my head back into the racing seat and closed my eyes. Just as I was gonna fall asleep Topspin tightened the harness slightly.

"I'm trying to sleep," I moaned. A chuckle came through the radio that he somehow had followed by his voice.

"How are you going to spot any 'Cons if you're sleeping?" His voice had a slight british accent and was making me want to fall back asleep.

"Magic." Topspin chuckled again and I smiled at how easy it was for me to make my guardian laugh. I closed my eyes again and fell asleep.

(-_-)

"Does anyone else feel that?" Lennox's voice awakened me through the humans comm. I groaned and opened my heavy eyelids again. I stretched then stayed still to see if I could feel anything. Sure enough, the ground was rumbling.

"Yeah," I said. Others agreed with me over the comm channel. Topspin was silent before a shadow covered him. I looked out the window the best I could and a strangled cry left my lips.

"Ani?" Topspin asked, concerned.

"Missiles," I squeaked out. The chatter on the comm stopped right away and I heard Henry's surprised grunt. Silence for a few seconds before,

"Incoming!" The shout caused me to jump slightly. Then the convoy broke apart to dodge by themselves. The missiles started touching ground making every car to have to do crazy turns. I grabbed the safety net and one of the roll cage bars as Topspin tried his best to dodge the missiles.

We were almost in the clear when one hit right next to Topspins front left wheel. He jerked and spun around as I closed my eyes and gripped the bar with enough force to break it if Topspin wasn't Cybertronian. We slid to a halt in the sand as I slowly opened my eyes. We were out of the missile field both saw a silver form racing towards us.

"Sideswipe," Topspin muttered. The car shot past and drove right into the middle of the blasts. He drove towards Optimus and jumped, transforming midair. His arm turned into a shield as he crouched, yelling something at the rest of the 'Bots. Each one suddenly transformed and did the same.

"Topspin, why aren't you transforming?" A small grunt was my only reply. I jumped from the cockpit and laid on my back. Even though he was sinking into the sand I could still fit under him. That's where I found it. His transformation cog was damaged.

With my simple knowledge I temporarily fixed it. I crawled out from underneath as my guardian transformed. His blue self was sandy everywhere and his pincers were out. He looked towards the horizon and took a defensive stance in front of me. I pulled my sniper out and aimed. I noticed the vehicle was actually Cybertronian and smirked. I flipped a switch on the gun as a high tech glowing purple crossword puzzle formed on the whole gun.

I aimed once again and shot. The vehicle swerved and suddenly rolled. They transformed mid roll and landed on a knee. I didn't recognize the mech as he glared at Topspin. He then noticed me and a surprised expression crossed his faceplates. He then smirked himself and I spun around, instantly understanding. All the missiles were headed towards Topspin and me.

Luckily 'Spin noticed and grabbed me before I felt the explosions. 'Spin lost his balance and fell, causing me to hit my head. The deep laughter of the unknown 'Con and 'Spins warmth were the last things I registered before falling into the suffocating blackness.


A/N: I gotta say, I'm ready to fall asleep right now. Sorry this took forever. I'm gonna still follow some plots from the original though it may seem completely different. One strange thing. We're talking about translation in math and a vertex that is moved on a grid is called a prime. One of the points was B so when it was moved it became B prime. I immediately thought Bee Prime; who would wanna see that? Bee as a Prime?