AN: Even after working almost 10h and sleeping only 5h I still managed to finish this, enjoy!

The Autobot leader had allowed himself the small pleasure of extended recharge time. It was a rare treat, being in charge of a team constantly on their guard meant there were no days off and one bot´s problem was his problem. In all truth he hadn´t been able to go into recharge for a while, with Cliffjumper offlining for a second time and the new additions to their ranks his processor hadn´t quiet down for a while.

When Optimus went to greet Ratchet, who he suspected of already being hard at work to identify the mysterious substance, the medbot wasn´t alone. While Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were nowhere to be seen there was a small pile of assorted machinery parts on the floor and the Makers were almost all present.

Solarflare was talking with Ratchet about where to store the various metal parts and, upon seeing the Autobot leader, gave a small nod and a tentative wave while approaching the bigger mech. "Good morning, Optimus. We´re just transferring some equipment and personal belongings before shutting down our base to give back to the human government."

"Good morning to you all as well. I can see there´s not much you´ve decided to bring." Optimus had been expecting a bigger variety of personal belongings. Taking into account the three younger bots there was an unusual lack of sentimental-worthy objects in the metal pile.

"Well, Rad, Silver and Mayhem already decided on their quarters so all their belongings are already properly stored… as much as they´ll ever be. Here´s just most of our functioning or usable equipment. We´ve already disabled our groundbridge and Ratchet told us where to store all the spare parts in case yours needs it. This last trip was one way only, we won´t be going back again." There was evident sadness in Solarflare´s voice at the end. She´d been forced to leave the place she considered home for a second time because of the war that stupid ex-gladiator managed to rile up.

"And I hope you get this over with soon. I need to concentrate and I can´t do that with this much noise." Ratchet had went back to looking into his microscope and when he looked into one of the screens displaying analysis results he wanted to hit a certain someone over the helm with a wrench. "This blasted equipment is only giving me inconclusive results and of all the parts they brought none can replace the one Bulkhead crushed. Before I can find out what this goo is made out of I have to fix what that oaf broke."

"I could help you. Forger, you know." Doomsday approached Ratchet but he raised an arm to stop her in her tracks with a sour face. "What? I could totally fix this if you´d let me."

"When I need high-caliber weapons of destruction I´ll ask for your assistance. For now don´t touch anything."

The femme huffed and crossed her arms. "That is a widely used misconception!"

"Do not fret, Ratchet, you shall have your personal space soon enough." Optimus gave a reassuring smile but the medbot only grumbled and attempted to focus on his work once again. Extending his servo Solarflare mimicked the gesture for a handshake. "Allow me to formally welcome you to your new home. May I ask where Mayhem and Radical are? Or even Airachnid."

"Well our resident wall-crawler is up the somewhere laying some webs. Don´t worry, they won´t interfere with your equipment, it just makes her feel safer. As for the two, I think Bumblebee´s showing them around the base."

"That´s partially true." Doomsday gave a nervous laugh. "Mayhem may convinced Bulkhead to go for a drive with her when you weren´t looking."

Solarflare felt her optic twitch at the realization Mayhem had slinked away undetected. Again. "And how do you know that?" How had she not seen that coming? Her daughter couldn´t stand still for long before running of to who knows where.

"She told me to tell you in case you noticed she was missing. Besides, how much trouble can she get into? She´s got an Autobot with her."

"Mayhem!"

"What?"

"Will you come down, I´m supposed to be protecting you!"

"You come up here! The view is amazing, you´ll love it."

"I´m so scrapped."

"Silverbot, did you know about this?" The Maker leader turned to her son and his imposing stature did nothing to lessen her glare.

"…Maybe." Was the only thing the triple-changer could say. He diverted his gaze from her optics but could still feel his Carrier´s gaze boring into his very spark.

With a heavy sigh Solarflare turned back to the Forger. "Doomsday, sometimes I wonder how you managed to raise Radical without costing him a few pieces."

"Hey! I may have lost him on a few occasions, mainly when he got into air vents, but I assure you my parenting skills have not let me down."

As if to prove her point Bumblebee and Radical chose that moment to appear, the smaller bot riding the scout´s shoulders. "Hi, mom!" He gave an animated wave.

"See, he´s still in one piece." Doomsday´s response didn´t change from a glare before she turned to her son. "What were you up to?"

"I got my gaming system set up and played some racing games against Bee."

The scout gave a few animated beeps and his frame shook with what would have been laughter.

"No fair! You´ve been driving a lot longer than I have, no matter if I have more experience with Earth videogames. If it was a flight simulated I´d have kicked your aft."

While Radical was still talking animatedly Silverbot approached the red and blue mech and spoke in a lower tone. "Optimus, I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I need to put my prejudices aside if we´re all going to fight together from now on. I hope you can forgive me."

Optimus gave a smile to the taller triple-changer and offered him a handshake too, one the taller mech accepted. "We all have our pasts, Silverbot, there is nothing to forgive. I see that the talk with Arcee went well."

Silverbot thanked Solus their species wasn´t capable of blushing. "We just exchanged a few ideas, that´s all." Looking over the Autobot leader´s shoulder he focused his optics on something small and scuttling though the floor. "Hey Ratchet, I didn´t know you could build autonomous tools." He turned to the medbot doing his best to work though the noise.

"I can´t." Ratchet didn´t look up from his microscope, annoyed at such a stupid question.

"Then what´s that?" Silverbot pointed at the spider-like metal creature approaching the medbot from behind.

"Watch out!" Screamed Solarflare when the small contraption´s intentions became clear.

The spider-like claw ran at Ratchet and launched itself at him, the bot barely having enough time after running to look around to doge the surprise attack and pick up a metal pipe to defend himself with.

"By the Allspark!" He tried to bash the creature with his weapon, all the while the other bots could only stare in surprise from shock, but it was impossible for him to hit such a fast target. The claw ran between the computer screens and blasters activated, prepared to shoot it, but Ratchet cut in. "Not the console, you fools!" The creature cut the microscope the medbot was using in two. "I needed that!"

When the metal spider jumped up the walkway above and ran along the railing everyone took aim once again to shoot it down but then Airachnid appeared out of nowhere from above, grabbing the claw and crushing it against the floor at the end of her fall. She stood up and took a good look at everyone. "Anyone care to explain to me what did I just destroy?"

When the attentions diverted to Doomsday the femme was quick to shoot down the unspoken accusations. "Don´t look at me, I haven´t built anything like that since we left Cybertron."

"It was not Doomsday." Optimus feared the answer was worse than they´d ever expected. "I have a grave suspicion on the likelier cause: dark energon."

"You´re serious?" Solarflare glared at the Prime. "Are you telling me not only will my team have to fight against Megatron himself we will also run the risk of contamination by Unicron´s blood?" She pointed at the claw.

Radical jumped from Bumblebee's shoulders and approached the destroyed piece of machinery with caution, however Ratchet was swift in getting a glass container and dumping the crushed metal pieces inside it before the sparkling could protest.

"Just because you fixed a few bugs doesn´t mean you´re allowed to handle dangerous samples." The medbot turned to his makeshift lab and placed the container in a metal casing which he sealed right after.

Radical crossed his arms and went to stand near his Carrier in what he´d deny was a pout. "Spoilsport."

"I regret to inform you that it may well be the case, Solarflare. If the residue Arcee found in Cliffjumper brought the broken equipment to life it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead." Continued the bigger Autobot, not liking where his mind was leading him to. He might have discovered Megatron´s latest plot and he did not like what he was imagining.

Ratchet brought a servo to his chin in thought. "That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online but dark energon? It´s so scarce it´s to be virtually non-existent, much less here on this planet."

"Well then can any of you two explain me what it´s doing here on Earth?" The Maker leader as getting impatient. They hadn´t signed up to deal with what could be seen as the Cybertronian equivalent of necromancy or even voodoo.

"It was transported by Megatron. And, if I am correct he plans to conquer Earth by raising an army of the undead." Said Optimus in a grave tone.

"Megatron will need to break quite a few toaster ovens." Joked Ratchet at the thought of the Decepticon leader creating an army of human appliances. "I mean, where on this word would he find that many Cybertronian dead?"

"You hear that, Doomsday? Turns out you won´t be the one to make this asteroid blow up." Airachnid turned to her friend and put a servo around her neck.

Optimus and Ratchet turned to look at the Forger who pulled away from the spider-femme and put her servos up in defense. "Joking! She´s joking. Because I´m a Forger I have this innate urge to tinker with things that strike my fancy and I may or may have not made a few hand grenades just for fun."

Before the moment could get any more awkward Arcee arrived from patrol followed closely by Bulkhead and Mayhem. The three bots transformed from their altmodes and couldn´t make heads or tails from the ambiance in the room.

"What´s with all the weird faces?" Asked Mayhem seemingly not remembering she´d left without a warning to Solarflare.

"Autobots prepare to…" Optimus began giving his orders before looking around at the Makers.

"Roll out?" Asked Arcee, unsure why her leader had stopped mid-sentence.

"Remain here. Ratchet and Solarflare, you´ll come with me. Arcee, we´ll be outside communications range for some time so I´m putting you in charge."

"With all due respect playing babysitting with battle-ready bots to me seems like a waste of time. Besides Ratchet hasn´t been in the field since the war."

Taking offense to the two-wheeler´s comment the mech in question was quick to respond. "Hey! My pistons may be rusty but my hearing is a sharp as ever."

"Care to have them polished?" Airachnid dangled by one of her webs in front of Ratchet, a wide grin on her faceplates. The medic groaned before turning his back to her but she only giggled at the action.

Arcee ignored what they all just witnessed to move to her second objection. "And you have no idea of Solarflare´s fighting abilities."

Also taking offense to the underestimating of her fighting skills the seeker was just as quick in defending herself. "I´ll have you know, young lady, that before you could even walk I was training with bots twice my size."

"For the moment it´s only reconnaissance." Optimus did not want to raise an alarm before being sure of his suspicions.

"He´s lying." Silverbot called out the Prime on his actions. "You´re worried and do a terrible job at hiding it."

"Unfortunately much has changed in the last twenty four hours and we all need to adapt. Ratchet, bridge us out."

Ratchet activated the groundbridge and before following Optimus and Solarflare on their way out he kneeled in front of Radical and announced what he hoped was not a stupid decision on his part. "Help with the bridge while I´m gone."

"You mean it?!" The sparkling lit up at the chance of being helpful

"Someone should be able to take care of this primitive technology while I´m not here."

The three bots walked through the groundbridge, Solarflare turning around just before they disappeared to wave at her friends and offspring, mouthing ´We´ll talk later´ to Mayhem. Even with the dark energon in the picture there was no way she´d forget her daughter´s actions. When they were gone the portal shut off and the eight remaining bots were left unsure on what to do while their leaders were gone.

"So we stand around here doing nothing while they go fight bad guys? So unfair." Mayhem was the first to break the silence with her complaint. She was just as strong as her Carrier, why should she be left behind?

"You can help by taking all those spare parts and storing them." Said Arcee before turning to the green wrecker. "I´m going on patrol."

"But Optimus told us to stay." Bulkhead did not fancy being left alone with the Makers. Mayhem was already a handful and more than he could deal with.

"When you´re in charge you can call the shots. Bee, with me." The scout stiffened at the orders and looked dejectedly at Radical before complying with the beeping equivalent of a sigh. "Bulkhead, you´re in charge." Arcee gave her order before transforming along Bumblebee and driving off into the desert.

"First day here and we´re already being pretty much left home alone." Commented Airachnid from her perch up on the walkway. "Are you all this trusting?"

Bulkhead could only groan internally. He could lead out on the field against hordes of Cons, fighting and shouting orders like there was no tomorrow, but he was dealing with Makers, the same bots he´d been told to avoid his whole life. Their leader had went off with Optimus and Ratchet, did that mean they´d go lawless on him? Primus, he hoped not. Before he could conjure up any more distressing scenarios in his processor the proximity alarm came to life and the elevator began its descent.

"Prime!" The elevator came to life and Agent Fowler came out looking very much pissed off. He looked around, attempting to find the giant robot he was looking for among the others but no such luck. His superiors had fallen so hard on top of him he might as well have the bruises to prove it.

"Agent Fowler!" Bulkhead just saw his day go from bad to worse in record time.

"Tough luck man, dude´s out." Mayhem answered the agent´s unspoken question with a shrug and a nod towards the offlined groundbridge.

"Well where did he go? Wait, don´t tell me. He´s out pancaking a mini-mall. Now I don´t know what language you bots speak on your planet-"

"At least six, actually." Radical did not resist the opportunity to show off some of his knowledge, even if outdated with Cybertron uninhabited and all.

"Whatever the case, Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons and blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska what the word ´handle´ means in English. He hope he has a good excuse by the time he gets back because I am not feeling patient." Agent Fowler went back into the elevator, unable to stare at any more giant robots without bursting a vessel, but paused before pressing the button. "In the meantime I´ll try to stall but this will not end well, I guarantee you that." And with that he was off to try and maintain his job long enough for the Autobot leader to come back wherever he was.