This fic grew out of a plot bunny that refused to go away. I know I should be working on Sanguine Red and Cobalt Blue, but this thing just wouldn't listen to me.

Let me know what you think.

Lucifer's Shadow

…

Prologue 1

…

It was dark outside. The night was young. Jack stared at the road ahead, fixated. A sickening feeling grew in his gut, as the news anchor's voice droned on through the radio. His palms were slick with sweat, and his heart was beating a mile a minute. The glow of the stereo screen threw shadows across the teenager's visage, and made his face appear more gaunt and skeletal. The dashboard clock read 8:30 p.m.

"Widespread panic has been reported all over the world, in response to the controversial and startling revelation of mechanical beings on our planet, which has caused uproar. Looting and riots have been taking place since this morning, and law enforcement agencies are overworked in keeping the violence to a minimum."

"Neither the President or the so-called 'Optimus Prime' has made a statement on the matter, but more and more countries, among them nuclear powers, India, Pakistan, and China, are demanding an explanation as to why the existence of dangerous alien machines has been kept a secret, and why three children have been kept in their custody …"

"Meanwhile, protesters in all major capitals of the world have taken to the streets, angrily claiming the Autobots are responsible for bringing, what most are calling, 'Judgment Day', and that they should leave the planet immediately. Most vocal, are the major religions around the globe, which are angrily denouncing the presence of the extraterrestrial machines themselves, and the existence of 'Unicorn'."

"It's Unicron," growled Jack, as he turned left. There was a stirring in the passenger seat, and Jack looked up at the rearview mirror. "You okay, Raf?"

"I'm fine," came the small voice. The young hacker watched the houses pass by. People were walking the streets, clutching belongings, packing them into cars. A bunch of strong men were lifting a heavy sofa into a pickup. Several couples were walking by, shopping bags filled with food stuff, stuffing them into their automobiles. Children sat, either on their front porch, or on the hoods of their parents' vehicles, looking shell shocked. It was an exodus. People were panicking, packing up and leaving, in the vain hope that they could find somewhere safe. The thought of giant mechanoids disguised as everyday vehicles had unsettled them. They'd heard the same thing was happening in every major city already. Neither of the boys could believe this was happening. They knew word about the Cybertronians would get out soon. They knew the big secret would leak out eventually. They just didn't expect it to be so soon…

It's amazing what a few conspiracy theorists and a stray file can lead to…

People noticed the sedan, and began pointing and yelling. A rock bounced off a window, leaving cracks. They knew who he was, who they were. They'd seen the footage.

Jackson Darby. Rafael Esquivel. Mikoto Nakadai.

Three names that had hit up more searches on Google than Steve Jobs' death. Jack shivered. "It's going to be okay, Raf," he said, trying to reassure the boy. Raf didn't respond or even make a sound. The young boy just drew his knees closer to his chest. The sedan turned left again, entering a deserted part of town. That was when Jack noticed her. From the looks of it, she'd gotten fed up of waiting at her host parents' house, and decided to hoof it. As the car drew closer, Miko looked up. Her eyes widened, and she ran forward, backpack swinging wildly. Jack slowed the car down, unbuckled, and stepped out, the cool night air stinging his cheeks.

"Did Optimus say anything yet?" she asked, as she stopped in front of the boy. Jack sighed and shook his head. There was silence between them. A heady wind blew. Miko drew a shuddering breath. "What a clusterfuck…" she groaned, the heel of her palm massaging her temple, "Total, grade-A clusterfuck…"

"They'll think of something," said Jack, softly, trying to reassure the girl, "It's Optimus we're talking about…"

Miko nodded, tight lipped. She hefted her backpack, and threw open the front door of the sedan, silently calling shotgun. "Let's just go…"

Jack sighed, climbed back into the driver's seat, and gunned the engine. The sedan made a U-turn, and plodded back the way it had come. Once again, the silence descended. Only the steady hum of the air conditioning kept them company. The radio had been switched off by Miko, of which Jack was glad. "How's he doing?" whispered Miko softly, eyes flicking to Jack. The young man shook his head, "Not good; he hasn't said much," he whispered back. Miko stole a glance back, towards Raf. The boy had averted his gaze from the windows, and seemed to be trying to fall asleep. Miko bit her lip, and looked away. There was no need to say it. Raf was simply too young to deal with this…

"Where are they Bridging us?" said Miko, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Somewhere outside of town, they said," mumbled Jack, "Ratchet thinks everyone's freaked out enough, and-"

He was cut short, when he hit the brakes, his eyes wide. Miko stared in shock, and Raf opened his eyes. Several meters away, forming a thick line that blocked the street, a large crowd of people stood; a large crowd composed of once friendly Jasper residents that were steadily growing larger. They glowered at the occupants of the sedan, and like magicians, instantly produced weapons; sticks, lead pipes, tire irons, bats. Jack swallowed, and turned around in his seat, only to see that their exit was blocked by a similar group of people, effectively surrounding them. Miko swore.

"I've changed my mind," she growled, "This is a clusterfuck."

A lone figure tore itself from the crowd. He held a wooden baseball bat, studded with rusted nail heads. His red bangs were illuminated by the streetlights, as was his yellow sneer. "Darby!" he called out.

"Crap, it's Vince," said Miko, as the delinquent advanced, swinging his bat. Jack swore, unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out. Miko did the same.

"Raf, stay in the car," she instructed, tersely, slamming the door. The two stood by the car, resolute, as Vince approached. "So," he drawled, "Here we are…"

"What do you want, Vince?" said Jack, glaring. Vince sneered back, the stench of nicotine wafting into their noses. "Where's that motorcycle, Darby? She ran out on you?"

"Don't you dare talk about Arcee like that…," hissed Miko, fists clenched.

"Don't talk to me like that," countered Vince, leveling is nail-studded bat in Miko's direction, "Got that, bitch?"

"What do you want, Vince?" repeated Jack, panic growing in his chest. Raf, who was watching all of this, eyes wide, drew out his cellphone, and began dialing a number. "Don't tell me," growled Vince, "This shit-mobile's a robot too, huh?" He jutted his chin towards the sedan. With a deft movement, Vince brought the bat forward, and smacked the car's front. "No? Thought so…"

"Shut up and tell me what you want," growled Jack.

"Oh, I don't want anything," grinned Vince, "Except maybe that little lost lamb over here…" He smiled, and winked lecherously at Miko, who snorted in disgust. "In your dreams, crack head…"

"Miko…" warned Jack, holding out an arm. He looked back at Vince, eyes narrowed, jaw set. "We don't want trouble, Vince…"

"Oh yeah?" he hissed, face contorted in a snarl, "Oh, yeah! Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you brought Terminator here, Darby!" Jack had only enough time to yelp and duck, before the baseball bat swung in his direction. It missed his head by inches, and smacked into the sedan's frame instead, denting it. Inside the car, Raf winced. "Vince, you bastard!" yelled Miko, as she raised a fist and sent it into Vince's face, eliciting a loud smack. The juvenile staggered from the blow, swearing. The people roared and surged forward, weapons raised, like a stampede of wildebeest. Religious chants rose from somewhere in the crowd.

"Into the car, now!" yelled Jack, pulling open the door, "NOW!"

Miko hesitated, fists raised, rage building up inside her like a plugged volcano. With a snarl of frustration, she reached for the door, only for Vince's bat to swing out of nowhere, and strike the girl in her midsection with the force of a boxer's punch. Miko gasped in pain, as she fell onto the tarmac, the breath blown out of her. A growing throb of agony was spreading across her torso; a bruise would form. She blinked the stars out of her eyes, just in time to hear Vince snarl like a beast.

"You bitch," he hissed, "You filthy bitch!"

Eyes the size of dinner plates, Miko rolled out of the way, just as Vince's nailed bat hit the blacktop. Picking herself up, Miko readied herself in a fighting stance, only to feel large, thick arms grab her from behind. Realizing her predicament, she roared, kicking and punching.

Jack spat out a profanity, as he began to unbuckle himself for the third time that evening. That was when a crowbar wedged into the door's seams and tore it open. Jack yelped as he was roughly pulled out by angry citizens. In the car's back seat, Rafael held his hands above his head, whimpering. The cellphone lay on the seat, forgotten…

"Hold her steady!" shouted Vince, as he raised his bat. There was an especially loud scream from the crowd. "She fucking bit me!" squealed a woman.

Ignoring Miko's teething problems, Vince struck his first blow. Miko screamed, agonized, as the studded bat smacked into her shoulder. There was a loud crack, and Miko's upper arm was suddenly at a strange angle. Tears of pain welled up in Miko's furious eyes, but she continued to fight regardless.

"Vince, you crazy asshole, let her go!" yelled Jack, face contorted in rage, as he struggled against many arms.

But Vince wasn't listening. He raised his weapon, intending to go for Miko's face, and cause some real damage to her-

A burst of green light. A swirling vortex of energy. The crowd, Vince included, drew back, stunned, as the Ground Bridge vortex expanded, throwing its light onto their faces. Panicked astonishment grew into shock, when two top-of-the-line sports cars leaped out of the portal. One was heavily angled, sharp edged, with a red, green and white paintjob. The other was also white, but more streamlined, with streaks of red and blue. A snazzy spoiler completed the look. Like an elaborate sleight-of-hand trick, the two vehicles transformed to bipedal mode. Wheeljack growled menacingly, as he clenched his servos into fists. Jazz finished his transformation with a breakdance move, and assumed a fighting stance. His blue optics burned behind his sky colored visor, eyeing the crowd. He thrust out his servo, and with an electrical hum, every single metallic weapon flew out of the mob's hands, and onto the servo-mag. The next second, Jazz clenched his fist, crushing the makeshift weapons, pieces falling out between his digits. It had all happened in the blink of an eye.

"Lettin' them kids go, might be a real good idea, you dig?" said Jazz, an optical brow raised.

The crowd scattered. Vince looked ready to kill, but thought better of it. He spat on the ground and scurried off with the rest, spouting curses over his shoulder. Wheeljack snorted at the backs of the fleeing humans, and then gently scooped a shaken Jack into his servo.

"You alright, kiddo?" he asked, softly, optics searching for damage.

"They were going to kill us," moaned Jack, shivering, "They were really going to kill us…"

"We got Raf's phone call," said Wheeljack, as the hacker himself clambered out of the car, shaking. A strained groan sounded from Miko's direction. Wheeljack turned to find Jazz picking up the girl, medical readouts flicking across his visor. "She's got a major injury," he said, pointing a digit to her shoulder, "Looks like we got here just in time…"

"Better get the kids to Ratchet," said Wheeljack, solemnly, "Jazz, hand Miko and Raf over to me; see if you can get their stuff out of the car."

"On it, Jackie," said Jazz, as he gently plucked a trembling Raf off the tarmac, and handed him and Miko to the Wrecker. Wheeljack sighed and strode back into the portal. "It's alright," he said, soothingly, "We've got your back." A haze of static flew across their bodies, as they crossed the Bridge, and reappeared in the welcoming warmth of Autobot Outpost Omega One.

Raf shuddered again, eyes scrunched closed. Miko noticed, and gently draped her undamaged arm around the boy, drawing him close. "Wheeljack," said Jack, massaging a sore spot, "Did Optimus…"

The mech shook his helm. "Nothing yet, kiddo…"

"Where are they? Are they hurt?" said a familiar voice. Ratchet had hurried over to them, his pedes smacking onto the deck plates, like massive bass drums. His faceplates had a look of intense anxiety. He ran a scanner over the children, and swore. "Get them to the medical bay NOW!"

Wheeljack nodded, and strode after Ratchet, wasting no time. June Darby, who had been tending to a stricken Bulkhead and a critical Bumblebee, uttered a cry of distress, her hand flying up to her mouth. "Oh my God! Wheeljack, what happened to them?"

"Angry mob," said Wheeljack, frowning bitterly, as he gently laid the children onto the human sized berths. June leapt forward, and began her diagnoses. "Jack's fine, and so is Raf," she said, voice shaking, "But Miko's going to need treatment for her shoulders…and they need something for shock…"

"I shall assist you," said Ratchet, as he snatched a data pad, and followed the nurse. "Wheeljack, stay with them," said the medic, as he passed Jazz, who was holding three large backpacks between his digits. The mech sighed, as he observed the doctors leave. "Been here just three weeks, and then this happens," he said, shaking his helm.

"You know what Prime said…," said Wheeljack, softly, as he looked towards the children. Jack and Miko were comforting little Raf, who had broken into shuddering tears. Miko looked up at the two bots, and shook her head sadly. Wheeljack turned back to Jazz. "You close the Bridge behind you?"

"Yep."

"Thanks…"

"When do they arrive?" asked Jazz, softly, as he gently laid down the backpacks on a metal table. "When do who arrive?" said Wheeljack, optical brows raised.

"Miko and Raf's Moms and Dads…"

Sit tight, kids; this is just the first Prologue! Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.

Thank you.

-Zapwing out.