Author's Note: So, I was thinking (a dangerous pastime I know) and I feel like the prologue I had here didn't really feel like a prologue. Therefore that chapter you all read was actually Chapter 1 of Story Arc. So sorry.

If you've already seen this chap, hit the previous chapter button please and read the actual prologue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the crazy plot and the crazier OCs.

Low snoring penetrated the dark lab. The lights lining the high ceiling were dim, set to their lowest setting to aid the snoring one in sleep.

A huge door opened at the end of the lab opposite the snoring. Bright light streamed in from the large opening casting everything in sharp contrasts. A humanoid shape filled the door way, but didn't block out all of the light. The snores paused momentarily before a tired long suffering groan issued forth from a mass of blankets on a tall counter. A chuckle sounded from the door, and the being-the Autobot-standing there stepped forward.

The next second the lights flickered slightly and the lights returned to their normal setting, flooding the lab with bright light. Another long suffering groan and the mass of blankets shifted. The Autobot walked towards the mass and prodded it with a finger gently. He seemed to smile, but it was hard to tell with the mask covering the lower half of his face.

"C'mon Liz. It's time to wake up!" The Autobot engineer exclaimed far too happily in his New York accented voice.

Something was mumbled into the blankets that sounded a bit like, "Nnurfmenerf."

"Sorry I didn't quite catch that."

"Not time yet..." Her voice was muffled by the blankets her face was still buried in.

A sigh. "It's nine Liz. As in nine in the morning."

"'Xactly. I was up late helpin' you..."

"You fell asleep around two am. Therefore you have had eight hours of sleep. That's the recommended amount."

"So? I was crunching numbers with Perce earlier. Spend five hours with him while he goes on and on about integers and-and the Pythagorean Theorem. It's exhausting."

"... Why was he talking about the theorem that tells you the length of the sides of a right triangle? I thought he were trying to find some way to get us home?"

"I don't know! I'm an engineer, not a theoretical physicist!... Woah, major Doctor McCoy moment right there..." The engineer flopped back into the blankets.

Wheeljack just chuckled again and continued to prod the human awake.

Elizabeth ruffled her wet hair (dirty blonde again, she had died it back) as she entered Ratchet's med bay. The ambulance was bent over some part he was repairing, probably for Optimus. He was a regular in the med bay at the moment.

It had been two months since the Autobots' arrival at JPL. Since then the government had granted the Autobots the building in which they arrived, and they had adjusted it to their needs. Wheeljack got a lab (surprisingly he hadn't blown it up yet), Perceptor did too, and Ratchet got a med bay. The others had to share quarters, but the largest lab had been converted into a Rec Room of sorts complete with a humungous TV. That was where most of the bots spent their time. After all, there where no Decepticons to fight here, so it got boring for most of the warriors.

"Hey Ratch'." The human greeted. "New parts come in?"

"Yes." was the short tempered reply she got.

"Hmmm... How's Prime doing?" Elizabeth asked as she climbed one of the ladders to the berths.

"You can see for yourself in a minute, he's due for a check up."

"'Kay." The human engineer settled on her back staring at the brightly lit ceiling.

Sure enough, just as Ratchet had predicted, a minute later Optimus came through the doors of the med bay.

The side that had been blasted by the General (may the bastard rot in prison for the rest of his natural life) was roughly patched up with an odd steel-like substance that Wheeljack had created covering his internal components. It stood out like a sore thumb next to the bright red plating surrounding it. Ratchet hadn't liked using the Earth material as an armor substitute but he had no choice. On the Ark he had access to Cybertronian metals. Here, where ever they were, he didn't.

The Prime's vents sighed as he sank carefully onto an improvised medical berth.

"Yo, Opt."

"Hello Elizabeth. How have you been?" Optimus asked carefully ignoring Ratchet as he pried the patch off.

"Eh." the human said, rolling onto her stomach putting her chin in her hands and kicking her legs in the air behind her. "Was crunchin' numbers with Percy yesterday. He used so many words I didn't know... Google was the best thing on Earth yesterday. Not that it isn't normally."

The Autobot leader nodded slightly and hissed in pain when Ratchet touched something sensitive.

"So," Elizabeth said quickly to bring Prime's attention off the pain. Ratchet didn't have any pain represents to use so Optimus was constantly getting pain signals from the wound. "You coming to Movie Night tonight? I got Avatar, and I swear to God it's the best movie since-since... I dunno, the Universe was created."

"Alright, I'll come. Only because it was the best movie since the creation of the Universe."

"Alright!" The human shouted, fist pumping into the air.

:D And the first chap of story arc number two is done!

It picks up. Do not fear.

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