Hello all, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. So far it's all progressing nicely and there are few plot twists so far. Give them time people. So, please enjoy and don't forget to review.

Disclaimer: Transformers and all other characters related to the 2007 movie are owned by their respective owners, not me.

Chapter 2: Attack

As the many citizens of the city known as Tranquillity all stopped work for their lunch breaks and congregated around the multitude of fast food outlets and coffee shacks that seemed to be almost an integral part of any American city, the sun had already long set and the moon had risen to take its place in the inky black skies above the military research facility in Qatar.

Scorponok's head broke the surface of the desert completely silently. His dulled metallic surface reflected none of the ample moonlight or starlight than shone even brighter out here with no light pollution to get in the way. Scorponok was preparing himself for his assault. He had assured himself of the location of his missing tail segment and was getting himself ready to break into the facility and take it back. Scorponok was not a very advanced Transformer, lacking the capacity for much rational thought, but he did understand the need for some stealth on a mission such as this. He had been watching the military traffic into and out of the base for two days now. Ever since his superior had levelled the SOCCENT forward military base, the troops and vehicles entering the Middle East still needed somewhere to land and refuel and many of the isolated facilities were being forced to double up as on the fly refuelling stations. The military presence was not heavy, only two or three tanks and less than half a dozen jets, but these were more than enough to handle Scorponok. He was a Decepticon built for anti-personnel battles, designed to harass the opponent until a larger Decepticon could administer the killing blow. He may not be able to take these weapons alone, at least without sustaining injuries at least equal to the one he had taken last time, the injury that had led him to this situation. But, it was late, security would be lax. All intruders would be expected from the air or the road, not from the sand itself. Scorponok submerged himself again, and moved in.

The security guard sat in his executive style swivel chair in the booth just inside the main gates. They were securely locked as per standard regulations. Not that any attack was expected, this lab did nothing of any real significance, it was just another research lab in the middle of nowhere, constructed by the American military in order to ensure that the North Koreans and Russians kept their money and their manpower stretched watching installations that most likely didn't need watching at all. It was one of the most boring jobs in the world watching this concrete block located in the middle of God's sandbox. Casually he flicked his gaze over to the radar scanner set into the wall, no foreign bodies detected. This installation may not do anything worth talking about, but it still had some forms of protection. Grunting with satisfaction, the guard took another swig from his mug of coffee, put his feet up on the desk, and continued to channel surf. The reception out here in the wilderness was awful; the best he could get was some terrible Arabic soap opera and archaic reruns of The Simpsons. Eventually, the guard got lucky. One of the American satellites must be making a pass overhead as the screen was filled with the image of a basketball game. The guard preferred baseball, but any sport was preferable to none. He sat back and prepared for the long haul until morning. Every so often, he looked at the 65 security screens on the wall in front of him.

Over an hour later, the guard's interest in the game was waning. With twelve minutes of play left, one team had built up a commanding fifteen point lead and the winner was all but assured. With nothing else to do, the guard scanned the security screens again. Odd. Camera 56 was displaying only static. The guard got up and tapped the screen impatiently with a finger. Frowning and with curses forming on his lips, he turned to consult the blueprints of the facility. It didn't take him long to find the little circle containing the number 56. It was in the next block over, a research lab investigating the effects of temperature on the night time activities of kangaroo rats. The guard swore, some snot-faced lab assistant must have left the specimen cages open and the rats must be loose. Grumbling, the guard grabbed his key ring from the hook on the wall. If left alone, those rats could wreck the equipment in the entire lab. He opened the door violently.

Three bullets hit him in the torso. Scorponok was a very good shot. Two of the bullets ruptured his lungs, and the third hit him in the heart. The man was dead before he hit the ground. Scorponok picked up the man's corpse, studied it for a brief second, flung it back into the booth and discreetly closed the door. Unless any troublemakers came looking for the guard, he'd remain undiscovered until next morning, and by that time, Scorponok would be well away. Scorponok skittered to the rear of the booth, where one severed cable lay. With one flick of his claw, the other 64 cables leading to the security cameras were cut. Turning on the spot, Scorponok headed to the east block, floor three, room 27. That, was where his tail was.

Like many other deserts on Earth, the Qatar desert was scorching hot during the day, but freezing cold at night. But humans are better adapted to working in the cold, so, even though it was the dead of night, experiments were still being conducted. Scorponok moved from shadow to shadow, never straying into light more than was absolutely necessary. Those few humans he encountered were avoided, or disposed of. It took only a few minutes to reach the door to the East block. It was locked, but two bullets in the keyhole soon sorted that problem. The door swung opened, bent and mangled from the force of the impacts. Scorponok scuttled inside. Those bullets hadn't been silenced and the metal had rung out far louder than anticipated. Someone would investigate before too long. The time for stealth had ended, now it was time for speed. There were two researchers in lab coats walking between rooms in the corridor as Scorponok approached, deciding to try and avoid detection within the building for as long as possible, the Decepticon dug his insectoid legs into the wall, and slowly ascended. The first researcher died instantly as Scorponok fell on top of him, all talons pointed downwards. The clank he made as he hit the floor caused the first researcher to spin round in shock. He turned just in time for a spray of bullets from Scorponok's gatling gun to hit him in the face. The man fell, blood pooling around his body. Scorponok's sensors scanned the walls quickly, searching for room 27. They found it and Scorponok threw himself at the door. Of the three armed military personnel standing on guard in the room, one was standing right in front of the door and was punctured by both shards of glass from the window set into the door, and insect legs, sharpened to razor sharp points. The remaining two guards opened up with their semi automatic rifles. Scorponok dashed to the side to take cover behind a research table. The remaining two guards and the three scientists all ducked as well. Scorponok snarled and leapt on top of the bench using the momentary height advantage to take pot shots at the group of five figures cowering in their makeshift cover. He hit the female researcher in the leg but was forced to duck sideways as three armour piercing rounds sliced into one of his legs. Growling at the impudence of the human, Scorponok fired at the research bench that the humans were sheltering behind, the force of his Cybertronian enhanced bullets pushing it backwards, pinning the humans between it and the wall. Scanners still constantly sweeping, Scorponok paused for a moment to locate his tail. It was strapped to a bench. Numerous wires attached it to various meters; all monitoring a different aspect of his limb. Still laying down suppressive fire, Scorponok edged closer to his tail. Then his sensors gave him some new information. Evidently the humans had been experimenting with different concentrations of acid, to see if any of them could be used as a weapon against his kind. Now, Scorponok was going to turn the tables. Bullets shattered the glass beakers containing the acid, causing the fluid to wash off the tables and onto the humans cowering below. Screams issued from the humans as the acid ate into their skin. But Scorponok thought nothing of that, with a thought and an activation of a few select subroutines, wires snaked from the area where Scorponok's tail tip should have been and latched onto the piece of metal laying on the bench. The surge of energy that coursed through Scorponok's mainframe was not as large as that which had shot through Frenzy, if it had been, then Scorponok would also have been forced to shut down. As it was, the only adverse side affect was a three second short out of his weapon systems, however, that was all the time one of the soldiers needed to throw a flash grenade over the bench. The world exploded into whiteness.

Irritated by the new development, Scorponok allowed his optical sensors to switch to infra-red mode, then, he sprinted towards the desk and, without hesitation, rammed his newly retrieved tail spike right through it. It impaled one of the scientists through the chest. Blood spattered the walls as the man died. The two military guards braced themselves against the wall, and with one mighty heave, overturned the bench so that it landed on top of Scorponok. The two guards leapt to their feet and began pumping bullets into those parts of Scorponok that were not covered by bench.

Scorponok burst out from underneath the bench. The piece of furniture soared through the air before landing on one of the two researchers left. As this human was made of less durable materials than the Decepticon, he expired amid the noise of multiple breaking bones. With a primeval roar of fury, Scorponok launched himself at the second of the guards, firing both his gatling guns as he went, Scorponok had no need to disembowel the man, he was dead long before Scorponok reached him. That left only one more guard and the woman. Scorponok leapt, not forwards, but backwards out into the corridor, and as he did, he fired one singular missile from his supply mounted within his arms. The room exploded, the doorway billowing yellow flame and acrid smoke as the fires ignited the chemicals within the laboratory. Scorponok ran down the corridor taking aim at the wall at the end.

A second missile blew a hole in the wall and Scorponok half leapt, half fell out of the hole onto the soft desert sand below. With only a brief pause, he turned to survey his handiwork. The entire top half of the building was burning and men were running for their vehicles, attacking an enemy that was no longer there. Scorponok primed three delayed action grenades and fired them into the compound. Without even looking back to see the destruction, Scorponok tunnelled into the sand as the explosions ripped the air.

Explosions ripped the air. The previously black night was alight with the fires of multiple explosions, and hundreds died as the perpetrator slid away beneath the sands.

Samuel Witwicky awoke with a cry; the dream had been so real he was surprised that he was not burning hot. But, of all the things to dream, why that? The metallic creature in his dream must have been a Transformer. There was no doubt in his mind about that, and neither was their any doubt as to the Transformer's allegiance. No Autobot would commit destruction on that large a scale. Almost instinctively, Sam reached for the radio by his bedside table. It was a large, chunky two wave radio. But its appearance deceived as to its capability. The radio had been modelled on that recovered from Jazz after the battle of Mission City. There were six numbers programmed in it. The first, if pressed would put him in direct connection with Ratchet, the Autobot's medical officer. Ratchet had spent a long time repairing all the injuries sustained in Mission City and, while he scoured the globe, trying to learn more about this new home that he and the other Autobots had found, he had offered his assistance if ever it was needed.

The second number would allow him to open communication channels with Ironhide. Unlike the other Autobots now on Earth, Ironhide expressed little desire to investigate this new world. In fact Ironhide had appointed himself a new role in life. He had become the guardian of Captain Lennox's family, much like Bumblebee was the guardian of Sam's.

The third number belonged to Lennox himself. Unlike Keller or Simmons, Lennox and his team were not so sure that the Decepticon threat was as over as the government maintained it was. Lennox had told Sam that if ever a Decepticon was even hinted at, to give him a call right away. Now, the humans knew what Decepticons were, and they wouldn't be caught off guard again. After all, Lennox still had a high status within the military, and his voice was much more likely to be heard than Sam's in the positions of power.

The fourth number on the radio linked to a corresponding radio held by Tom Banachek, previously the head of government special team Sector 7. Although all military commanders had been assured that Section 7 had been disbanded, Keller and Banachek agreed that the work done by the organisation was too vital to simply stop. As with Lennox, Banachek kept communication with Sam only as a kind of early warning system of a repeated threat.

The fifth channel was linked to one held by a person who was, now, the single most important person in Sam's life. Mikaela Banes. She and Sam were officially an item now, and though many people couldn't believe it, they were all unaware of the circumstances surrounding their attraction. Although Ratchet had offered to become Mikaela's guardian, she politely refused, saying that she was more than capable of handling any Decepticon threat on her own. Unsurprisingly, the Autobots hadn't believed her, and had given her a radio identical to Sam's to ensure her safety.

The sixth button was perhaps the most important one of all. It patched into the comm of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. Like Ratchet, Optimus was also exploring the world in order to learn more about its ways and peoples. However, like all of the Autobots, they had all agreed that their true hometown on the planet was that of Tranquillity, and all had promised that, after their journeys, Tranquillity was where they would stay.

The dream weighed heavily on Sam's mind and his finger hovered over the button marked "6". But, it was only a dream. He didn't want to call Optimus back from halfway across the world only for a dream. No, Sam thought as he pushed the radio back into his desk drawer, nothing would ever come of it. The cube was destroyed, Megatron was dead, and finally they could all relax.

Only a dream. Sam lay his head on the pillows again and let sleep consume him. It wasn't real. It didn't really happen.

3000 miles away in Qatar, the sand settled, as flames licked the sky.

So, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it, any comments or constructive criticisms can be sent to me through the little blue button below. Thanks, and good night