-1Holy cow, 50 reviews… insert bug-eyed amazement here
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A discussion between all six of them on the travel capabilities of a typical Decepticon led them to decide to head for the mountains. They would find a narrow valley and set up camp there, since a narrow valley would make it hard for a flying Decepticon to maneuver and the surrounding mountain peaks would make it nearly impossible for an earthbound Decepticon to get anywhere near, much less threaten them. They had actually been planning this for a while, since they needed a home base, or at least someplace where they wouldn't have to worry about being discovered, and the discovery of Sarah only made it a bigger concern. The other Decepticons would surely return, to begin the war anew, and none of them wanted any humans to get involved, much less caught in the crossfire. Much as it pained the lot of them, Sarah was an exception to that rule. She had to be, since she herself was going to be the focus of the new war.
Their quest took them clean out of California and they headed due north, eventually ending up in the state of Washington. They knew from internet research that deep in the heart of that state there were great wide swaths of untouched forests, and as such it would be perfect for their needs. And so, in a nameless valley known only to a select few, they began to set up their new headquarters. Digging into a sheer cliff face, they tunneled out passageways and storage rooms and all else they could possibly need. It seemed odd to Sarah, but they had all the materials to make the interior for a perfectly respectable Autobot-sized building. Whatever they had done before she came into the picture, it had sure earned them friends in some pretty high places. It took a lot less time to finish than she would have thought, but that was to be expected since they were all very strong and she was the only one who needed to sleep. Even though she was no more than a mere human, they still found her help invaluable when it came time to rig up a main computer system. Her powers were still growing, they found, as she shaped metal with ease and sculpted energy into matter to make the base's computer. Piece by piece it took shape before her as she willed it, programs crafted with a level of care and precision far beyond that of a human as the All Spark guided her hand.
Soon it was done, and she stood outside the new base alongside the others, admiring their handiwork. "Wow," she said. "It took Noah and his three sons to build the Ark, and we've made this." She looked at the mountain they'd dug it out of. "And it's even got a mountain for a resting place. How fitting. Now all we need is a bunch of animals and we're set." A sigh heralded a short pause. "I wonder if this was how Noah felt. Huh, us against the world." A short mental shuffle through internet information filled Optimus in on what she was referring to, and it seemed to fit. The last hope of his people's survival cast adrift in a sea of stars, coming to rest on this planet, in this place… "Then that is what we will call it," he eventually decided. "The Ark."
Things were very quiet as the lot of them settled into their new home. It wasn't perfect; no, for some it was far from it. Bumblebee lamented the lack of roads suitable for racing and Ironhide wanted some action. Jazz, for his part, was perfectly happy to just sit and blare loud music for all to hear. Ratchet was happy as long as no one got hurt. There were plenty of places for Rumble to hide and scare the absolute heck out of whoever he could catch, so he was happy too. Sarah was happy to just sit back and relax for a while, especially after all the craziness she had gone through upon discovering her power. Things were mostly perfect for her. She was beginning to trust the Autobots, and to understand why they had reacted to her choice of friends the way they had.
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Things are pretty quiet right now, but they won't stay that way for long…