Bike
Ratchet arrived at the Autobot rendezvous—a cavern located in the Redwood National Park, as dusk began falling. Under the waning sunlight, the weary rebels took shelter in the cavern, where their leader Optimus Prime delivered a rousing message to lift their spirits.
"My friends, we have all been granted safe passage to Earth because of the actions of one individual. Though our future is uncertain, together we will forge a path towards a better Cybertron. Until all are one."
Like a beacon of hope, Optimus Prime's words cleared the cloud of apprehension hanging over his friends' sparks. Bolstering the conviction they would need to begin the preparation of their base the next day.
While the mechanically gifted Autobots set to work constructing the base and installing a mainframe for mission support and communications, the others not on shift passed the time in other ways. To Ratchet's chagrin.
Ratchet was tolerant of the old bicycle Bumblebee had taken apart, at first. Throwing the bicycle wheel in the air like a frisbee was a good way of keeping reflexes sharp. Jazz stumbling into walls to catch the flying object wasn't even that bothersome, as long as he didn't crash into important equipment. What Ratchet couldn't tolerate was that slagging bell.
Long periods of alternating between work and breaks had put Bumblebee in a playful mood. When playing frisbee wasn't enough to entertain, Bumblebee took great delight on sneaking up on bots and ringing the small bell he had detached from the bike. But Bumblebee's antics soon came to an end when he chose the wrong target.
"Bumblebee, if you don't stop ringin' that bell, I'm gonna pound you into a garbage cube." Ironhide warned the young bot, having had enough of the constant distractions.
Putting his hands up like a criminal obeying police instructions, Bumblebee dropped the bell which clattered on the floor and made a hasty getaway.
Ambulance
In the following weeks of constructing the Autobot base, not once did Ratchet think to take some time off for himself. He took the mandatory daily breaks, of course, but never used them like everyone else. Jazz enjoyed listening to music, Prowl utilized breaks for conducting drills, while Hound and Ironhide observed Earth's terrain for reconnaissance.
Dwelling on the past was Ratchet's choice of pastime, who used this time to mourn his fallen brethren and dwell on the sorry state of Cybertron.
Arcee, who recognized the sad look in his optics was having none of it, and asked Ratchet to join her on a cliff top—the end of a trail with a gorgeous view of the beach below that Ratchet was sure to appreciate.
"So, what did you want to show me, Arcee?" The worn medic asked Arcee, after driving through the wide open roads surrounding the Redwood National Park.
"This." Arcee emphasized their vantage point, overlooking the beach below. "You've been working so hard, you barely have any time to enjoy the scenery."
"It has its charms." Ratchet begrudgingly acknowledged the beauty of the planet that had given them all a second chance.
Ratchet and Arcee admired the view of seagulls soaring the sky and the waves gently lapping the shore, until a sense of calmness washed over them and they were ready to leave. The two took a trail home, quietly taking in the warm amber and pink tones of the setting sun, when they encountered two people who looked in need of help.
A woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, was using her shoulder to support the weight of her limping grandfather. Who by the look on his face, seemed less pained than his worried granddaughter.
"It's not your fault, Susan. I'm the one who wanted to go hiking. I didn't think I would lose my footing." The older man reassured the young lady, fraught with regret.
"But I was so looking forward to spending a nice day out with you. We should have picked something safer." Susan cried out, thinking of all the different outings they could have done, that wouldn't have resulted in bruising her grandfather's leg.
"You can't see a sunset like this, sitting at home playing Scrabble, now can you?"
"You're right…" Susan smiled at her grandfather, giving Ratchet who had overheard the whole conversation an idea.
"Need a ride?" Ratchet opened the doors of his ambulance mode, as the two family members walked by.
"Okay?" Susan, who was beginning to tire from carrying her grandfather, hesitantly agreed. Who was she to deny the helpful offer?
"What's an ambulance and a pink convertible doing in the middle of a trail?
"Enjoying the trail just like you." Ratchet answered, making the skeptical Cecil frown with skepticism. "...While we search for the owner of the convertible of who reported an injury." Ratchet added, after thinking carefully. Finally convincing the stubborn Cecil.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Cecil asked impatiently and took Susan's hand, who hauled him into the ambulance.
Not wanting to blow their cover, Arcee stayed back, while Ratchet drove the cranky patient to his car. They were alike in many ways. Adventurous, yet caring. Stubborn, but quick to shoulder blame upon themselves. Ratchet had spared the man the discomfort of a long, arduous walk home. And Arcee hoped that seeing a mirror reflection of himself, had helped Ratchet allow others to help him.
Junkyard
Ratchet knew that building an Autobot headquarters with finite amount of materials was going to be difficult.
Most scouting trips at local junkyards who wouldn't miss a car or two, proved to be fruitful in 'reappropriating' (as Prowl logically put it) metal to build their base of operations. But the owners of said junkyards would eventually catch on to the missing goods, and the Autobots had no choice but to move on.
Jazz, on the other hand didn't take kindly to sitting on his afterburners doing nothing and brought in some questionable, but useful income earned by his after hours drag racing. A pity the Autobots had no way of walking into a store and acquiring what they needed.
But maybe they didn't have to.
Placing his trust in the two adolescents he had encountered during his first contact with Earth, Ratchet and Hound travelled to the junkyard Dean and Marcus worked at.
"His antennas were grey."
"No! They were red, to match the colour of an ambulance. His face was grey, that's what you're remembering." Dean corrected Marcus, as the boy who misremembered the exact details of the Autobot medic attempted to draw Ratchet from memory.
Tap, tap, tap. A knocking on the window interrupted their conversation. The giant robot had brought a friend.
"There's more of you?!" Marcus asked with astonishment, drinking in the appearance of the tall, green Autobot standing beside Ratchet. There was no way he could forget the colours of that one. He looked just like the Jeep in his toybox. Amongst his several green, plastic toy soldiers he employed to conduct imaginary warfare in his bedroom.
"Our numbers are bigger than meets the eye." Hound agreed, which was another way of saying: There's more of us, but we're not telling you how many.
"But my friend here tells me, that he did you two a little favour. Do you think you could find us some sheets of metal and cars that won't attract suspicion if they went missing?" Hound asked, diverting their attention to the task at hand.
"You'll be well compensated." Ratchet added, producing a brown shoulder bag filled with bank notes.
"Uh… yeah. Let me see what I can find." Marcus ran back to the office. Leaving the door open enough for his uncle's dog Elvis they were dog sitting, to make his getaway.
Uncertain what to make of the figure almost as tall as a tree, Elvis approached the towering Hound with caution.
"That's Elvis. The dog Marcus' uncle sometimes brings when he drops us off. Our boss, Anne even lets him stay with us sometimes!" Dean explained, happy to talk about his cool, understanding boss.
Crouching down to make himself less threatening, Hound reached out to the 'hound dog' who had warmed up to him and patted his first Earth animal, who wagged his tail with appreciation.
Author's Note: Only 90's kids will remember this. Like if you got the Transformers Animated reference. The time jump with Charlie will be in the next chapter (also the last.)
There were some things like a source of replenishable metal that I needed to establish, so the base would be completed in the future.