Chapter 4: Prelude

"What do you mean Cybertron is gone?" Ratchet implored, "Entire planets don't just vanish!"

"Of course not." the red 'bot tossed a 'small' device to the medic, who pressed a button to open a screen, "It floated away."

"This doesn't make any sense! Planets don't leave their orbits without a major collision or significant gravitational distortion. There's no sign of such an event in these readings."

"I checked the readings five times. The last two were done after checking the sensors. The data is solid."

"It can't be." Ratchet pulled the screen up on the larger computer and pointed to several points on a star map, "Based on these readings the planet moved out of the system at a steady rate and was totally unaffected by coming within the gravitational radius of several planets."

"What could do this kind of thing?" Arcee stood and asked.

"Nothing!" Ratchet exclaimed.

Bumblebee beeped a series of noises, putting in his two cents and Raf looked at him curiously, "What's a Trypticon?"

Optimus elaborated, "Trypticon was a massive station that the decepticons converted into a transformer and turned against us. It was the size of a small outpost."

Arcee added, "Which would be about the same square miles as a small Earth city, but much taller. I'd say in station mode he would be about the size of Manhattan, including the subway system underground."

I winced at the thought of a 'con that large hitting Earth, "That's absolutely terrifying."

Bumblebee beeped in agreement.

"Aside from being really scary though, I don't see a 'bot moving a planet. Even one that big. Not that I know what size Cybertron is."

Ratchet did, "About the size of Earth's moon... You're right. Even if Trypticon was still alive he couldn't move Cybertron, especially not this fast." he studied the readings more closely, "The missing planet is playing havoc on the local system. Char, the closest planet to our sun will collide with it within a century. There's a chance that such an event will make the sun go supernova... wiping out our home solar system."

Hot Rod apparently didn't know that from the data, "What? But what about Nebulos? That planet has life on it! Billions will die!"

Ratchet looked grim, "Nebulos broke orbit after Cybertron passed by it just like these two other planets here. All three hurdling out of the solar system at a rate that will take them out of the range of the blast by the time that it occurs. Unfortunately..."

Raf frowned, "Breaking orbit like that might have destroyed everything on the planet already. Even if it didn't, getting further away from their sun will plunge that world into an ice age and probably wipe out all life on it. Plus the loose planets will head through other systems eventually, so will Cybertron. There's no telling how many planets are gonna be destroyed. Every one of these four planets could break the orbits of any number of other planets, which could do the same."

I was, of course, dumbstruck, "So basically this is the eventual end of the universe?"

Ratchet shook his head, "Of course not. Mathematically speaking it's only the end of a few hundred thousand solar systems. It's small consolation, but most of them not life-bearing, and it will take eons for all but the closest ones to be affected. Only The fate of Nebulos is in immediate danger."

No one spoke for several moments, it was Ratchet that moved the topic along, "It may seem small after learning that entire solar systems are going to be destroyed, but there is also a few moons completely missing from both Cybertron and the planets that were shifted from their orbits. Unlike Cybertron, these seem to have actually vanished... or rather blown up."

Optimus looked over the data, but he probably didn't get the subtle details, "Was there a collision of some kind?"

"It seems so, but the calculations seem to indicate that Cybertron didn't slow down afterward. Such an impact would logically have stopped it."

Miko, of all people, was the one to bring up a valid point, "Then something's gotta be moving it."

I thought on it, and came up with nothing solid, "That still doesn't give us any clue about what. Ratchet, could all the animated dead of Cybertron combined move the planet?"

"Maybe. There's innumerable dead in the planet itself. I'd need to run some calculations, but at a glance it seems to be moving too fast for that."

Hot Rod stepped up, "Well, you can work on that, but we have more pressing issues at hand."

Ratchet turned, "More pressing than a planet full of undead moving our direction and destroying entire solar systems on the way?"

"Well for one, there's nothing we can do about that right now. Two: at that rate even a grunt could tell you it will take the planet well over a decade to get here. We have smaller but more immediate problems that we can actually do something about."

Optimus looked to the younger 'bot, "Tell us what you mean, Hot Rod."

"Well," a pained expression crossed his face, as if he was recalling something painful, and he turned to cast his gaze on Raf, Miko, and me, "You kids might not know this, but transformers are birthed from something called the 'Well of All Sparks' where the creator of all life on our planet, the AllSpark, creates beings called protoforms and endows them with a spark of life. They are then taught by caretakers how to transform and become full-fledged transformers. We had to launch the AllSpark into space to prevent Megatron from capturing it. Which means the Well could no longer birth new protoforms."

Arcee gave Hot Rod a curious look, "The AllSpark was destroyed recently, you can't have found it."

The crimson 'bot shook his head and began to speak,but Optimus had deduced what it was and cut him off, "The cargo you mentioned... were they protoforms?"

Hot Rod nodded, shocking everyone. Bulkhead was the one to ask the question, "How's that possible? I-I mean, there weren't any new protoforms after the AllSpark launched and we didn't get any new ones right before we launched it. We would have raised them already."

"My crew has been working as mercenaries on various inhabited worlds, seeking a place to settle down, but many of my crewmates were actually scientists. They were trying to find a way for transformers to reproduce without the AllSpark. Namely building our own protoforms. They don't have sparks though. Research was advancing pretty well towards using a sort of 'budding' process to produce new sparks, but the crew was killed right on the verge of what might have been the final tests. There was also a theory that we could use the Matrix to make sparks through a similar means."

"Matrix?" I asked.

Optimus turned to me, "The Autobot Matrix of Leadership, a sacred relic that is the symbol of hope for our people. There are many legends about it and it is known to be able to reformat a select few transformers."

"Namely the new prime," Arcee added, "but it can sometimes be used to heal 'bots. I'm only alive today because of that."

"That function is not reliable though." Optimus elaborated, "It only works when it chooses to. Arcee lives not because of my actions, but because it was not her time to die."

Miko got the point back to center, "So basically you fired these baby 'bots to the corners of the Earth to keep them out of 'con hands, but if they're captured Megatron could make more 'cons?"

Hot Rod's expression was grave, "Worse. The techs said that the process might give the new spark traits of the parents. What I'm saying is he could use the research to mass produce an army of Megatron Juniors. One of him is bad enough, can you imagine what his offspring would be like?"

Bulkhead shivered, "That... would not be good."

Ratchet frowned, "It's worse than that."

"What could be worse than an army of Megatrons?"

The medic turned, "Protoforms are sheathed in energon that is in a state of fluctuation between energy and matter. If those pods are breached and a catalyst introduced-"

Hot Rod went wide-eyed, "Anything within miles of it would be vaporized."

I gasped, and it hurt, but that wasn't important, "How big a blast are we talking here?"

"I aimed for areas away from civilizations, but at least of couple of them could kill a few thousand humans if set off."

Arcee sighed, "Hot-Shot, you sure know how to make things more complicated don't you."

"Don't you of all 'bots talk about making things more complicated than they need to be." That line from him caught my attention. Who were they to each other? That made it sound like they were an item once, "I didn't know about the unstable energon thing. I'm not a tech!" He moved over to the console, entering some numbers, "It's not a problem if we recover them. I have the coordinates I launched them to, we can-" Hot Rod suddenly stopped, his expression going blank in realization of something he wished he hadn't.

"What is it?" Arcee pressed.

"I just remembered... my ship has the research data on it and the coordinates."

"You didn't delete it?"

"I thought we would want it! We need to move fast. Soundwave will be able to crack the defenses with enough time."

"You idiot!"

"I didn't have time to copy the research data. Excuse me for wanting to save our species from extinction and maintain the one remaining legacy of my crew!"

"Enough." Optimus interjected, "We will split up and recover as much as we can."

Ratchet sighed, "There's only six of us Optimus and six objectives. Arcee is fit enough for salvage, but if there's battle she won't be anywhere near one hundred percent and we will stretched too thin to aid anyone that gets in trouble."

Arcee stood up for herself, "I can handle it."

Hot Rod spoke up again, "My ship will probably bring the most attention. The other places would probably be completely combat free since the 'cons wouldn't have the exact coordinates yet."

Optimus nodded, "True. Hot Rod and I will double up and salvage the data from the ship. Ratchet will remain on standby. Bring up the map and we shall see which of the pods we must recover with the greatest haste."

Ratchet obliged, "The pods closest to civilization are here, here, and here. Those are the most dangerous and the easiest for the decepticons to locate."

Optimus ran through the possible scenarios in his mind, "The Everglades, the Amazon, and the Tokyo Bay."

Miko went wide-eyed, "How the heck is right next to Tokyo far from civilization?"

Hot Rod shrugged, "It was a mistake in the heat of the moment."

Optimus turned to Miko, "If I recall correctly, you are originally from that country."

"Yeah."

"Bulkhead. You are the best equipped for diving and our best bet for lifting the pod from the bay. Take Miko with you, but not to the site. She speaks the language and would be able to smooth things over better with locals if they spot you."

"Alright, Optimus, if you say so."

Miko jumped with excitement, "Yes! Tokyo is awesome! Plus I know the perfect excuse for Bulkhead, and the places we should avoid."

Optimus continued, "Bumblebee, scan some all-terrain tires and go recover the pod in the Everglades. Arcee will handle the Amazon. Of the three it seems to be the least likely to draw decepticons and the terrain would play well into her strengths as an agile fighter."

"Good choice, Optimus." Arcee had to agree.

Ratchet glanced at me and then turned to Optimus, "It may seem a strange request, Optimus, but I would like you to allow Jack to accompany her."

Both Arceee and I exclaimed our surprise, but Arcee was the most adamant, "He's still hurt!"

"So are you. He's in good enough condition now to ride on your vehicle mode and he can probably move around without risking his health. Do you remember what I mentioned to you earlier?"

Hot Rod was in the dark on the matter and Optimus seemed equally perplexed, but both of them knew we had no time to discuss it. He was talking about the odd effect I had on her health. For some reason, humans made energon better, and that made 'bots heal faster. Arcee still shook her head, "I could take Raf for that. Jack's not in any condition to risk conflict with 'cons."

"Raf wouldn't work as well." Ratchet noted, and motioned at me, "Just trust me and take him."

Arcee looked at me, concerned. So I put her mind at ease, "I'm fine Arcee. I actually feel a lot better. I won't be jumping around, but I promise to stay out of your way and keep away from the 'cons if they come."

She frowned... still worried, "Fine."

I got the feeling we were both thinking back at the same time, and both feeling a bit uneasy.

About a year ago...

I sighed, looking at the failing grade on my science project.

"It's just one bad grade, Jack. You do pretty well normally so I don't think it will bring down your evaluation any."

"My average, Arcee. This isn't a military school structure. The final grades are averages of all my other grades."

"Same thing, just different terms and slightly different methods." she mused as we chatted in a corner of the base just moments after I'd reported my grade to the others alongside Miko and Raf. Arcee was leaning casually on a side of the platform I was standing on.

"Yeah, it's no big deal, but I got an earful from my mom and I'm really bummed out about it anyway."

"Sorry, Jack. I should have refused Ratchet's help more strongly. I could have actually pulled rank on him."

I shook my head, "It's my fault too. I could have said no, but I blew off the responsibility. In hindsight I should have suggested we work on it where he couldn't see us and let him think I used his."

"Yeah."

"Its not like I wasn't enjoying it. Working on something with you like that was really nice."

Arcee was slightly taken aback, but brushed it aside, "I... kinda liked it too. Just tackling a silly trivial problem with a friend with no real pressure was a nice change of pace." something suddenly occurred to her, "Come to think of it, why did you decide to make a motorcycle engine? Your project was way more complicated than what the others picked."

"Well. I like motorcycles." I admitted, slightly embarrassed for some reason.

Arcee grinned, "I noticed. I recall a certain person proclaiming his love for me and then stroking all my feminine curves with incredibly detailed adoration."

"That was..." I found myself backpedaling a little, but caught myself, "Haha, sorry about that. I didn't know you were alive at the time. Boy, I probably really creeped you out."

She laughed, "Yeah. I admit I nearly jumped out of my alt mode when you did that, but when you sat on me I really just wanted you to go away."

"Sorry."

Realizing she'd misspoken, Arcee held her hands up as if to push back the misunderstanding, "I don't hold it against you, no need to say you're sorry. It was kind of weird and embarrassing in hindsight, but its nothing. It didn't bother me that much."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to think I'm weird."

"Jack, you're having a conversation with a two-story tall transforming robot about how you accidentally sexually harassed her. Even as that robot and not a human, I think you qualify as a bit odd." she teased, "Not that I mind. It's a good odd."

I had to admit, the situation was weird, especially since I was still slightly attracted to the robot in question. Maybe. I still wasn't totally positive what the strange feeling I had for her was. I barely knew her, but there was something there. Like a kind of chemistry or something that was different from friendship. I had no siblings so I couldn't compare it to a sisterly bond, and I was pretty sure I wasn't in love with her. It was confusing to say the least, but I really enjoyed every moment I spent with her.

"Something wrong, Jack? You kinda spaced out there."

Snapping to attention, I shook my head, "No, I was just thinking. Anyway, I don't think of you guys as any different than the rest of us. You just happen to be bigger, stronger, and from somewhere else. You have the same feelings as we do, so you might as well be the same."

Arcee seemed a little surprised again, but quickly smiled very slightly in approval, "Well, thank you Jack. If every human on the planet had the same opinion I'm sure we wouldn't need to hide."

"I'm sure someday you'll be able to call this place home and walk down the streets like every other person."

Arcee suddenly turned away, her expression turned grim.

I could tell I'd made her think about her real home: Cybertron. When they'd first landed, there was a chance she might have one day been able to return, but Megatron had turned the place into a hive of ravenous undead monstrosities. It was almost certainly hopeless, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you homesick."

The weary autobot shook the memories from her thoughts and put on a kind expression, "It's fine. I miss it, but Earth is my home now. I'll accept that one day."

"I don't want you to give up hope on Cybertron. Something might change."

"Yeah... but..." she sighed, "Let's talk about something else."

"Alright..." I was at a loss for words as to what subject we could shift to.

I seemed that for a while Arcee was at a loss as well, but then something occurred to her, "Have you ever been camping?"

"No. Not really, why do you ask?"

"No reason, I just figured it would be a chance to get to know more about the planet and get a change of scenery. I can't get away often or for very long... but I just got in the mood for it I guess."

"Well that's fine. I'll look into getting some camping supplies. I have a bit of money I was setting aside to buy a motorcycle."

"You sure you want to use that money?"

I smiled,"Do I need another bike?"

End of flashback...

We've never taken that camping trip, but a week later we'd planned on it. There was an energon spike in the woods of Montana, and we had fully intended to take a working holiday, but then it turned out it wasn't an energon deposit or a crashed probe. It was Airachnid's ship...

"Jack, let's go. This is no time for spacing out." Arcee ordered, notably lacking conviction. Maybe she'd recalled bad woodland memories as well. Putting the past aside, things were changing. I could feel it in the air. It was like the calm before the storm. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one that felt like this mission was only the prelude to what was coming next. I'm even more sure that none of us were expecting it to change things so much.

Next Chapter: Scourge

Preview: The race for the protoforms begins, a new threat appears, and more flashbacks!

Note: Thanks for the reviews, but a bit of feedback in them would also be appreciated.