Author's Notes:

Sinead: Well, I would heartily suggest watching at least all of season 1 for the moment. I probably will do my usual haring off canon deal, so really I probably will only use the actual plot as a guideline for my own plotlines.

AlphaSigma: Thankees. I'm glad you like.

Tristar: You're close about the Companions. The Earthborns are actually very easily explained, but that would ruin part of the story. (wink)

General Note: So, this chapter left me in a bit of a conundrum. I needed names for the Starscream clones, but fortunately for me three were already named through the toyline (Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Sunstorm). This left me the female clone and the liar clone. Liar was easy since on his TransWiki page it mentioned that his coloration is not unlike G1 Ramjet. But Female left me with a problem. I thought about calling her either Dirge or Thrust to keep with the G1 Seeker theme, but neither name fit to me. Then, while going over the Seeker entry I found that in some of the Generation 2 European marking the Seekers were refered to as Skyraiders. Bingo! I liked it, so I used it. If she actually gets a name in the near future, I'll go back and change her name to the canonical one. For now, Female Starscream will be refered to as Skyraider in my fic.

Chapter 002: Warm Welcome

Isaac Sumdac paced around his personal laboratory like caged tiger. It had been nearly an hour since the incident at his Lake Erie plant and still no sign of Sari. Captain Fanzone had told him to head back to his headquarters not fifteen minutes after the strange robots disappeared.

"Look Mr. Sumdac, we'll find your daughter, but we can't have you hanging around annoying us."

Isaac snorted. Like being there would really help.

"Isaac, please, you're getting worked up for nothing. I'm sure Sari is fine."

Isaac looked up to the one being that he had called friend for the last fifty years. "I know Magnus, but I still worry."

The severed head and paralyzed man on the dais merely blinked. "She will be fine."

Isaac shook his head again and walked to the door. "I must go back. I can't stand it here!"

Megatron didn't say anything as Isaac walked out, but the moment he was alone he let loose a string of curses. "Autobots! After all these solar cycles? Impossible!"

But he'd seen the vids himself. Optimus Prime and his ragtag band of insects were still running around. And now they had his Sari. Oh, Isaac might claim her as his daughter, but she was so much more than a mere human child. Megatron scowled. He would not lose her, not after all the work he'd put into her.

He'd made sure that Isaac remembered that he had a daughter. Isaac could sit in the lab all day and forget that there was a world outside, but Megatron made sure that Isaac went in and spent time with Sari. He made sure that Sari's tutor-bot taught her absolutely everything she would need to know. He was the one who had ordered her clothes and designed every single toy that she had played with as a child.

Megatron-Companion clenched his fist.

Sari Sumdac was his, and no fragging Autobot slag-pile could have her.

Optimus-Companion was still slightly puzzled by the little femme that sat in the cab of his vehicle mode Handler. She was like one of the Minicons of legend, a pixie whose main job in life had been to confound unwary Cybertronians. She was staring out at the water with wonder.

"This must be what it's like to scuba dive." she murmured.

"You've never been?" he asked.

She looked over and smiled at him. "My dad's never taken me because he's always so busy in his lab. He doesn't want me to do things on my own because he's afraid -" she abruptly stopped.

Optimus gestured for her to continue. "Afraid of what?"

She shook her head. "I shouldn't say. I really shouldn't tell you." She sighed. "But maybe you'd be more apt to understand."

Optimus stayed silent. Sari took a deep breath and for the first time in her entire life, she admitted to another soul just what she was. "I'm a cyborg."

Optimus-Companion cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong with that? According to that definition, I'm a cyborg."

Sari gasped. "You are?"

"Technically yes. As you must have noticed, for each of us there are two parts. As I understand it from the fifty stel-years worth of transmissions that I've been receiving via Teletran, a cyborg is part human, part machine." He gestured between himself and the wheel. "The being that is Optimus Prime is half organic, half machine. I am a cyborg in the technical sense. What you do to one of us, you do to both."

Sari was wide eyed. "I noticed, but . . ."

"But you didn't want to think about it."

"Yeah. It's just too . . . Too out there." she admitted.

Optimus-Companion smiled. "Well, if it helps, I'm having a tough time realizing that you do not in fact have two halves. The thought of containing such a forceful personality into one body staggers me."

Sari vaguely realized that he was complimenting her. "Thanks. I guess."

He looked up. The surface was close. "We're almost there."

Sari looked up too and sighed. "I hope Dad isn't losing too much hair. I can't believe I completely forgot about him."

Optimus-Companion grinned. "You were excited. I would probably have done the same."

She looked over at him. "You guys have dads?"

Optimus-Companion sighed. "Yes, we do." he said forlornly.

Sari was about to ask when they broke the surface. Instantly, light filled the cab. The people on the shore began to run around like crazy as they went up a ramp onto the dry land. Sari quickly hopped out and ran forward with her arms raised. "It's okay, it's okay! I'm fine!"

Isaac ran forward. "Sari! Sari!"

Sari hugged Isaac close but she snuck a peek behind her. The Autobots were watching her and warily studying the cops behind her. "Dad, I have some friends for you to meet." She turned back to the Autobots. "These are my new friends. Meet the Autobots."

Isaac looked at the assembled group in awe. Autobots?! Like Magnus? "Ah, I am so glad to meet you! You saved my Sari!"

The one that Isaac assumed was the leader cocked his head. "Um, no problem."

Isaac stepped back from Sari and faced the Autobots. Fanzone strode over to them and huffed. "So, who're these clowns?"

Optimus took offense to the belligerent tone of this fat Earthling. "We are Autobot Maintenance Crew number 4783."

"Maintenance Crew?" Fanzone asked. "If you're a maintenance crew I don't wanna see an actual battle squadron." he said, pointing to the mass of gelatinous goo that Sumdac's workers were still cleaning up.

Optimus-Companion blushed a little bit. Bumblebee snorted and shot exhaust. "Eh, it's only Boss-bot here who has the moves. He's Academy trained."

Sari glanced at Optimus. She guessed that this Academy was something big to them. "Hey, why don't you guys introduce yourselves to my father and Captain Fanzone?"

Optimus nodded. "I am Optimus Prime and this is my crew." he said gesturing to the robots and men behind him. "We are visitors here."

"I guessed as much." Fanzone muttered.

Isaac shot the police officer a look. "If I may, why are you here?"

"We were attacked by a group of Decepticons and crashed here. According to the records on our ship, that was over fifty of your years ago." Optimus explained.

Isaac nodded. That fit with what Magnus had told him. "Is this all of you?"

Optimus-Companion gave him a puzzled look, and Isaac glanced up at the robot to notice that like Magnus, he had amazingly expressive facial features. "Yes, this is my entire team, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Prowl."

It was Isaac's turn to be puzzled. No Magnus? "Ah, well, I welcome you belatedly to Earth. I wish to extend my hospitality especially." He held out his hand.

Hesitantly, Optimus-Companion took it. "Thank you." he murmured.

Thus, Isaac Sumdac and Captain Fanzone had their first impression of the Autobot leader. Sumdac was reminded strongly of Magnus. Both of them had the same modest manner and way of speaking. Fanzone's shrewd mind knew a rookie when he saw one. This Optimus guy was either still very new to his authority or he didn't have a clue how he should approach a situation such as this.

Sari looked from her father and Fanzone to the Autobots. She smiled. "Hey Dad, can we keep em?"

Starscream growled low in his throat and deep in his engine. "Fifty stellar cycles and still no sign of that blasted Autobot ship! Damn you Megatron!"

"Oh gracious leader! I'm sure we'll find it!"

"Yes, we'll find it soon, I'm sure."

"Humph, if I were leader we would have found it already!"

"But what if Megatron's still around? He'll kill us for our part in his demise I'm sure!"

"Oh, would all of you shut your traps!"

Starscream smiled at the lash of Skyraider's tongue. His single female clone stood at his side glaring at the rest of his herd of clones. Skywarp, Thundercracker, Sunstorm, and Ramjet all quickly did her bidding. She wasn't second in command of his Seekers for nothing.

Starscream stood and the male clones all cowered. Even the egomaniac Thundercracker knew not to cross Starscream when he was in a mood such as this one. He scanned their Companion's faces. All of them looked exactly like him save for the respective dyes he used on their hair. Skyraider's hair was still dark like his because he knew that there was no way he would mistake her for one of the others. He strode down to the viewing screen and stared up at it. "Nothing."

Skyraider walked forward and laid a hand on his arm. "We cannot give up sir. We must find the Allspark and take Cybertron."

Starscream looked down at her. He knew that it was completely and utterly wrong, but her loved this femme with all his being. It was all that Blackarachnia had accused him of - being in love with himself. But then again Blackarachnia was a viral glitch. She had had the gall to refuse his suit when she first joined them, and for that alone he would always hate her.

He covered her hand with his. "We will find it."

Sunstorm cleared his throat. "Oh gracious leader, we have a signal!"

"What is it?"

"If it isn't the Allspark, then it's something just as powerful."

Starscream sneered but laughed at the same time. He remembered well the last time he'd heard those exact words spoken. "Then get us to it. I want that Allspark!"

Optimus took in all the scrutiny with a bit of discomfort. He wasn't sure he was liking this kind of attention. All the humans were looking at them like they were Primus' gift to the world, and Optimus was faithful enough to view that as a sacrilege. Sounds buzzed in his ears and audio receptors, but he couldn't pick any out individually. They were all blending together in his head.

He tried to smile, but he felt so, so stilted. So unsure. Since he had been a sparkling he'd dreamed about being a hero. He still remembered so long ago in one of his classes he'd been asked what his dream job would be. He had been so terribly small, so terribly optimistic. He'd blurted out in class that he wanted to be a hero. The rest of the children had burst into laughter, all except two.

"Hey, I want to be a hero too!"

"What's wrong with being a hero? It's a lot better than what you malfunctions want to be."

Optimus suppressed the pang of pain and regret just in time for someone or some newsbot to click off a picture. Here he was, being lauded as a hero, but he didn't feel like this was truly it. He wasn't a hero, just an imposter. The real hero was Bumblebee for jumping into that thing and Ratchet for devising the override program. All he'd done was hand out some high handed orders and get absorbed by that thing.

"I would like to thank our new friends for their help at my factory, and I personally extend a hand of friendship and peace to the Autobots. I hope my fellow men do the same!" Isaac intoned from the stage.

Optimus plastered a smile on his face and stepped forward. Well, there was no point in disappointing Isaac Sumdac and the people of this planet. His team wasn't a band of great warriors. They were just a ragtag bunch of maintenance bots, too asocial, wacked out, or washed up to work anywhere else in the Autobot forces. This would probably be these Autobots' last moment of triumph.

Sari walked up next and smiled up at her friends. Optimus noticed that she glanced at Prowl several times during her father's long winded speech, and he wondered if the girl realized that she was well on her way to being infatuated. He couldn't really fault her though. Prowl was a handsome mech whether he really knew it or not, and Sari was obviously a healthy human deep in her adolescence. Teenage infatuation wasn't that big a deal.

Optimus realized that it was his turn to speak. "I speak for my team in saying that we are just as glad to be here as you are to have us."

The crowd went wild. He smiled shyly, and not a few of the younger females in the audience felt the need to swoon. This alien guy was incredibly hot.

"And we hope that you don't mind us sticking around for awhile." he added.

Isaac and the Mayor nodded in agreement. "Stick around as long as you like!" Isaac said.

Optimus nodded and he waved. Bumblebee sidled up to him and began to wave in earnest as well. Bulkhead's booming laugh washed over the crowd and drowned out Prowl's sigh and Ratchet's growl. They reluctantly joined in the waving, but Optimus knew that his navigator and his medic were not happy with the attention. He decided to try and get them out of there as quickly as possible.

He leaned down to Sari. "Hey, when can we leave?"

She glanced up at him and then at the others. "In a few minutes. The press is going to want pictures and try to set up interviews. If you like, I can do all the talking."

Optimus nodded. "Please. Can you try to make it quick? The others and I want to get out of here."

"Sure. I'll ask the press if we can set up another time since you guys aren't used to all the attention. Does that work as an excuse?" she whispered.

"It's the truth isn't it?" Optimus answered with a grin. He didn't realize that the entire crowd could see him consulting with Sari. The female half of the crowd went wild and Optimus looked up with a startled look.

Sari laughed. "Well, I see which one of you is going to be the heartthrob."

Optimus blinked as his Handler looked up that word. He made a puzzled face. "They find me that attractive?"

Sari cocked a brow at him. "Optimus, I don't know about Cybertron, but here you're a hottie."

Optimus looked back at the crowd. He wasn't so sure he wanted to be the heartthrob or the hottie or whatever else they thought to call him. He didn't want to be a pretty face to them and he was beginning to think that he didn't want to be their idol either. This wasn't what real heroes were, right?