-Chapter 6: Torching the Welcome Wagon-
The four supercharged engines of Air Force One generated shrieking of a different kind, though as it cruised in circles high and wide over the eastern seaboard the sound they produced was not noticed within the heavily soundproofed interior. On either side of the much bigger plane, fully armed F-22s kept effortless pace. The fighter escort was rotated every few hours so that fresh pilots were always in the air, always on watch.
Inside the 747, a miniature version of the command center buried deep below ground near the capital monitored communications from all over the planet. It sat on a level below the Secret Service cabin. Within, agents were busy at work or catching up on sleep. Agents were good at that: you slept when you could because you never knew when the next catastrophe might announce itself.
No one was using the small boom box nestled under one seat. By the same token, no one noticed when its outlines began to shift and flow like silver-tinged oil, or when it astonishingly sprouted short legs and tiny feet. Unseen and unobserved, it lifted itself and scuttled crablike behind the shoes of the agent seated nearby.
Only when it was well out of sight did it transform completely. The four-and-a-half-foot-tall Decepticon promptly bulked out as he unfolded more mass from within his spindly limbs. Fully transformed, Frenzy clung to the walls as he crept out into the open. Silently, he scuttled off behind a row of unoccupied seats and tracked his way to the nearest access shaft.
Near the middle of the plane a staff sergeant paused for a moment to join other presidential aides. Some were sipping coffee or tea; most were chatting amiably. Ducking behind a wall as the fleshling passed him, Frenzy whispered into his comms.
"Rumble, meet at the service lift." His short-statured partner and troublemaking brother had joined him for this mission, stowed away somewhere else on this wretched human craft.
If Frenzy was the brains of the operation, then Rumble was certainly the brawn. He was a punk, always back-talking anyone who wasn't his superior and trying to throw his weight around. Most Decepticons found it hilarious, considering his diminutive size.
They soon didn't when they got a taste of his seismo-tumblers.
Stealing his way through the quiet corridors of the plane, Frenzy quickly found the internal elevator and slipped inside. It wasn't long before heavy footsteps and ambient energon radiation announced the arrival of Rumble. Unlike Frenzy, who was shaded in black and red, Rumble bore dark shades of purple and blue. The twin Minicons sealed themselves within the elevator as Frenzy toggled the descent. "I hate having to sneak around these fleshling freaks." Rumble complained. "Why couldn't we have just broken into someplace like what the others are doing?"
"Because they're being watched by Starscream, rust-for-circuits." Frenzy retorted. "We're trying to revive Megatron here, can't do that with his optics bearing down on us."
"Pfft, Starscream." Rumble scoffed. "I'd like to see him try to order me around."
"Don't cross your wires." Frenzy hissed. The elevator lurched to a stop and the doors slid open. The Minicon pair stepped out into the open and started tracing electrical signals. Frenzy led the way, the Decepticon pausing before a locked access panel labeled P.O.T.U.S. ONLY. Digits fashioned of an alloy not forged on Earth probed the edges of the panel: testing, feeling, analyzing. Then they ripped it off.
Revealed in the light of the storeroom was an open terminal. "Yeah, this is it." Several cables snaked out of the tips of his fingers as the rest of his hand split in two to reveal a data driver, which Frenzy promptly jacked into the access port. The cables clicked into other access points on the terminal, allowing the hacker full access to the servers. The terminal winked to life and a single small readout announced matter-of-factly, CONNECTING TO PENTAGON SECURE NETWORK.
"Cheap and shoddy." Rumble muttered, rolling his optics.
"Lower your volume. We can't afford to get caught." Frenzy hissed. "You know the weapons they pack, big enough to hurt a bulk like Soundwave. Imagine what they'd do to us."
"I'd like to see 'em try." Rumble retorted, crossing his servos. "You find the data yet?"
"It's not that simple." Frenzy retorted, applying more of his processing power. New words scrolled across the small readout.
SEARCHING SPECIAL ACCESS FILES. A mechanical shriek arose from Frenzy's data driver, his Cybertronian tech insistent and demanding of the primitive Earth tech like oil and water trying to mix. His internal mechanics contained micro-sized Tesla coils which generated additional electric energy he could channel into various subroutines, though it usually went to his weapons. Right now it was enhancing the speed and voracity of his driver as it hacked the system. Human voices echoed from somewhere in the sublevel, both Minicons jerking their helms in the direction of the noise. "What was that?!" Rumble hissed, his arm snapping up as his hand transformed into a micro-shock blaster.
"Silence 'em if you have to." Frenzy replied, preferring to remain the hacker. He probably should do something to keep his idiot brother in line, lest he do something stupid that alerted all the fleshlings on the plane. "No piledrivers!" He ordered in conclusion.
"You're no fun." Rumble huffed, letting the charge on his weapon die as his scans revealed no immediate threats.
"I'm trying to keep you from destroying the same plane we're on!" Frenzy retorted under his breath. "Now shut your manifold and let me work!" He dug through a few more access ports, images of data flicking across the readout like a dealer shuffling playing cards at inhuman speed. At last the file heading the robot was seeking appeared on the readout.
PROJECT ICE MAN—TOP SECRET SCI—SECTOR SEVEN ACCESS ONLY.
"Hey hey!" Frenzy joyously proclaimed as the file flashed across his optics. "Rumble! I've got it!"
"Finally!" His brother exclaimed. "Hurry up and continue with the next phase, better contact the boss too." Frenzy eagerly did so, part of his systems beginning to hack the human data and access the file while his comms relay patched him in to another Decepticon.
"Soundwave, I've found the file. Beginning download now." He reported.
"Continue as planned, drop trace microfile elements behind for future excursions. Expediency: recommended." A monotone voice instructed. Frenzy offered a quick nod as he focused hard on hacking the human's primitive system. There were enough layers that the process would take time, but the pitiful cyber-abilities of these fleshlings paled in comparison to his Cybertronian expertise.
If he could hack a security program designed by a brainiac like Wheeljack, this would be no trouble at all.
A new window insert appeared on the small monitor within the storeroom terminal on Air Force One. TRANSMITTING LOCAL SYSTEM CORRUPT TO PENTAGON NETWORK. This announcement was followed by a continuous line of streaming destinations. "Uploading virus now." Frenzy stated. Rumble seemed fidgety.
"I think there's fleshies closing in." He murmured.
"Don't shoot 'em yet." Said Frenzy.
"They're gettin' close!" Rumble retorted.
"I'm not done yet! The virus isn't even half-uploaded yet!" Snapped Frenzy. Lumbering footsteps drew closer as Frenzy focused entirely on his work, drowning out the noises around him. The one thing he couldn't drown out was the sudden voice of the human secret service agent who found them. "Freeze!" He shouted.
"That's it, I'm shootin' him!" Rumble called as he promptly blasted the human with a single bolt from his idly charging weapon. His body twitching as if struck by a dozen tasers simultaneously, the human slumped to the floor in a heap, his body clattering against a nearby wall. Frenzy never had a chance to berate his brother, for the startled cries of more humans followed by the thunderous pounding of more approaching footsteps.
"More on your right!" Frenzy called, scrambling to complete the upload. Rumble turned and raised his left arm, the hand automorphing into his seismic cannon, and fired a wave of energy that not only blew the humans clear down the hall but also crushed the machinery around it. "Hey! What did I say about 'no piledrivers'?!" An annoyed Frenzy shouted.
"I didn't use 'em!" Rumble retorted with a smirk. He'd tapped into the ambient energy his internal tumblers were generating and channeled it into his cannon. He didn't unleash it in full force like with his piledrivers, only using enough to knock the humans away.
Frenzy rolled his optics and renewed his focus. The small secondary terminal was blinking out straightforward percentages: 75% ... 90% ... TRANSMISSION COMPLETE. Next to it a secondary readout declared FILE FOUND: PROJECT ICE MAN. TYPE SPECIMAN DISCOVERED 1897. Frenzy just began his download when everything suddenly froze on the terminal before the readout screen went dark. "Scrap!" He exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
"An external source cut my connection with a lockout program! I couldn't complete the download!" A frustrated Frenzy complained. A few furious punches failed to trigger anything so the Minicon unplugged with a huff.
Seconds later more agent were pounding down the stairway at the other end of the room, guns drawn. Emitting an electronic hiss, Frenzy spun behind the first two arrivals as they advanced. Impossibly thin, impossibly sharp metal discs shot from the Decepticon's wrist. Both men went down as the agent at the other end of the room crouched and opened fire.
Electronic predictors faster than anything on Earth were able to note the dispersal of the individual bullets in the enclosed space and their trajectory. They were easily avoided. Rumble opened fire, shocking the human into submission. "So now what?"
"We get out of here!" Frenzy told him, arm morphing into his own micro-shock blaster as he fired crackling energy bursts at the humans. "Make us a exit!" He ordered.
"Been waiting for you to say that all day!" Rumble grinned and made for the nearest wall as Frenzy sprouted his twin neutron pistols and attacked the humans in his stead. Morphing both of his arms into his piledrivers, Rumble cocked the hammers and braced himself against the floor. "Get ready to crumble before Rumble!" He proudly, and loudly, shouted as both pistons were driven into the side of the plane. The first burst of seismic power crushed the metal and bent it outwards, the second blew open a massive hole, ripping the sheeted metal apart like it was nothing. Alarms began to blare as the plane's systems recognized the atmospheric seal had been broken. "Come on, Frenzy! Last one out's a fractyl egg!" Rumble jeered as he launched himself out of the exit, piledrivers morphing back into his arms.
"I hate it when he does that." Frenzy muttered as he turned and followed his brother. Most of the humans were now cowering behind solid objects to avoid getting sucked out... some of them weren't so lucky.
Emerging with a rush of air, Rumble and Frenzy found themselves thousands of feet high up in the air and rocketing in whatever direction the suction pull had been strongest. Rumble had no issue supporting himself as he transformed into the high-tech military drone he'd scanned in the cargo bay. Frenzy had to make due with microboosters inplanted in his pedes, bursts of violet flame generating self-sustained flight. "Soundwave, bad news. Outside interference cut my connection, I couldn't get the file. I was able to upload the virus so now we have easy remote access." Frenzy reported into his comms.
"Affirmative. Rendezvous at the LZ. We'll be waiting." Soundwave droned in response.
Some time later…
Returning from Qatar, the Decepticons made to rendezvous outside of Mission City. Barricade and Soundwave had pinpointed a shaded, unused portion of an overpass to use as cover and were soon joined by Tailwhip and Quake. Blackout had been sent on ahead to scout out the city for sign of Autobot activity. The sun was beginning to sink low in the sky, heralding the end of another Earth day even as the Cybertronians continued their tireless efforts.
Analyzing the data gathered from the Qatar base, Soundwave made a singular conclusion. "I can analyze the primitive insect coding and break down the file. However, I will require additional power to boost my capabilities."
"The city's power plant should give you the juice." Barricade determined. "We'll have to be careful about our approach." The heavy thump-thump-thump of copter rotors heralded the arrival of Blackout, his Pave Low form ducking dangerously low under the overpass before he converted to robot mode and stomped over to the group.
"I think our operation in Qatar attracted some unfortunate attention. Sector Seven has set up remote-controlled patrol vehicles across the city. Their weaponry can pack quite a wallop." He reported. "I managed to scan one and found that their mechanical design is similar to our own." The news had the Decepticons sharing looks of quizzical curiosity.
"Sector Seven must've found a way to reverse engineer Megatron's technology." Barricade mused. "And I thought these insects were dangerous already…"
"I'm afraid I have more bad news." Blackout rumbled. "I've intercepted a transmission that mentions Autobot reinforcements entering the atmosphere and that Optimus Prime is with them."
Optimus Prime. Leader of the Autobots and their greatest warrior. The very mention of the name sparked a million stories and legends in the brain modules of the Decepticons. The battle of Iacon where he single-handedly held off a Decepticon Extermination Squad. The siege of Trypticon Fortress where he managed to overwhelm Megatron's guards and lead an incursion so deep into Decepticon territory no Autobot had ever replicated since. Optimus was a warrior in a class of his own.
"Great, the sheriff's in town. And we haven't even begun cracking the file." Barricade muttered.
"I can take care of the Autobots." Tailwhip decided. He then started giving out orders. "Blackout, stay here and cover Soundwave. Quake, guard the perimeter and don't go trashing the place until we're done here." The tank-bot huffed an annoyed sigh from his intakes.
"Where's the fun in that?"
Barricade offered an approving hum. "Smart thinking, rookie. I'll go take out the Sector Seven units." He added. Even as he spoke, his brain module was generating a plan. "But if they're using our technology… we may have found a back door into their operating system."
"How do you mean?" Tailwhip asked.
"Still working on that." Barricade responded. "Soundwave, contact Stockade and have him rendezvous at my coordinates. Let's move, Decepticons!" Tailwhip was the first to take off, converting to vehicle mode as his helicopter form made to cross the river and use the waterfront as a guide. The other Decepticons made to move only for Blackout to speak up again.
"Barricade… I didn't want to say this in front of Starscream's pet, but the Sector Seven drones also had a Cybertronian energy signature." He revealed. Barricade's optics narrowed at the news.
"There's no way these savages could develop that on their own." He said.
"It would have to come from a genuine Cybertronian power source." Concurred Soundwave.
"Where would they get a hold of something like that?" Quake questioned.
"I don't know… But I got a hunch the rookie knows." Barricade mused, his gaze turning up to watch Tailwhip disappear into the distance.
Crossing the suspension bridge leading from Tranquility to Mission City, Blaster, Fastlane, and Blueshift drove across in their alt modes en route to rendezvous with the approaching Ironhide, Skyburst, and Evac. But while they were driving, a long range communication came across their transmitters. It was marked high priority and contained an elite-level data signature that could only come from a member of Autobot high command.
It was Optimus Prime.
"Blaster, Fastlane, I'm bringing reinforcements to your location." Their leader informed them. "Planetary scans indicate the humans have set up defences around the city. You must disable them to ensure our safe arrival."
"WIll do, Prime." Fastlane promptly responded. The Autobots promptly shifted gears and floored their accelerators.
"Optimus Prime is coming here?" Blueshift questioned in disbelief. "Things must be ramping up if he's coming in person."
"Since the exodus, Prime's only ever gotten involved if he deems the matter a high priority." Fastlane explained.
"Luckily the boss bot tends to trust us with our own devices." Blaster chimed in. "But if the humans are gettin' all excited, then we better do something about it. Last thing I wanna see are protoforms goin' up in smoke."
"Goes double for me, Blaster." Blueshift readily agreed.
"Set your scanners to maximum range, Autobots. We've got to track these defences down." Fastlane ordered.
Their pursuit led them to the Mission City shipping docks where dozens of sea-can containers sat stacked up in mountainous rows and mighty cargo vessels sat tied up to the piers. Roaming around the area were various Boeing MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters and black Cadillac Escalade SUVs, each one sporting a series of weapons. The SUVs came equipped with long-barreled browning machine guns while the helicopters were equipped with higher calibre automatic submachine guns. Blaster and Fastlane performed a remote scan of the vehicles… and were surprised by what they found.
"Are you getting the same reading, Blaster? My wires aren't crossed, are they?" Fastlane wondered.
"If your wires are crossed, then mine are too!" Blaster remarked. "I reckon this warrants a call to the boos bot."
Fastlane couldn't agree more and keyed up his comms. "Prime, come in. These vehicles belong to the Sector Seven organization that moved Megatron. Their hardware is of Cybertronian design. I think they've found a way to adapt Megatron's technology." He reported.
"They're also raidatin' this funky energy signature that ain't like any human-made power source." Blaster added. Optimus Prime's response was thoughtful.
"Interesting. I'll have Jazz look into it when we arrive. Tell no one of this. I don't want the others to be distracted with speculation. Prime out."
Taking his command in stride, the Autobot trio burst from their cover and attacked the Sector 7 vehicles. Laser blasts, rocket barrages, and ultrasonic impacts quickly reduced the vehicles to scrap metal. Some before they could even fire a shot. The helicopters proved a little more tricky, able to use their aerial advantage to avoid incoming shots and promptly retaliate with their machine guns. Blaster managed to find their weakness when his gyro blaster disrupted the helicopter's rotor functions and sent the remote-controlled vehicle tumbling into the water. "One unit down and a whole mess to go." Blaster remarked. "Readout's indicatin' this Sector Seven set themselves up all along the waterway."
"Like they're trying to guard the gateway into town." Fastlane mused. "Let's split up and start hitting targets. Prime Force needs a very clear shot and its up to us to give it to them."
Elsewhere…
Another of the Sector 7 SUVs patrolled silently down one of the side streets of Mission City. Following preprogrammed data, it was doing a decent job of blending in with the regular traffic.
All of a sudden, a black Saleen S281 police interceptor plowed into the side of the SUV, carried it into an adjacent alleyway where the vehicle slammed to a halt a fell still, smoke and steam pouring out from under the crumbled hood. Barricade transformed and eyed the semi-autonomous vehicle for a moment. "Stockade, you're up."
From around the corner, a Decepticon bearing the distinct vehicle components of an armored security truck emerged onto the scene. Like Barricade his face was covered by a plate and much like Soundwave his optics were concealed by a visor. With long, lanky limb servos and limber legs ending in feet encased by vehicular parts, Stockade certainly seemed the part of a fighter. A bruiser.
Thin trans-scanner beams swept over the Sector 7 SUV, analyzing every inch and copying the mechanics perfectly until an exact replica schematic was saved to Stockade's internal storage drives. He quickly transformed, the layers of armored truck giving way to the sleek exterior of a Cadillac Escalade sporting identical stylings and mechanics to its Sector 7 progenitor. "Interesting…" Stockade mused. "Plenty of Cybertronian tech included. Or, at least, a passable copy."
"And a back door into Sector Seven's computer system no doubt." Barricade accurately surmised.
"Yeah, the human network is intertwined with whatever Cybertronian ripoff tech is in this thing. Right now I have access to other vehicles in the area." Stockade confirmed. If Barricade was physically capable of smiling, his would've been the biggest grin right now.
"Well, talk about a stroke of luck. Can you reverse-upload your way into their mainframe?" He asked.
"Maybe. Might need Soundwave's help I can't quite make out how the integration works… might be too low-tech for even me to grasp. I can send you their current coordinates." Stockade responded. The cop-'Con tilted his head.
"Do it, then get back to the power plant and have him take a look. I'm going to torch the rest of Sector Seven's patrols."
Spread out across Mission City and Tranquility, the trio of Autobot warriors managed to successfully bring down Sector 7's attack squads, paving the way for the arrival of their allies. The sun had set, night had come, and the Autobots knew they still had plenty of work ahead of them. Standing among the smouldering remains of shot-out SUV's and wrecked helicopters, Fastlane hopped on comms. "You're all clear, Prime. Sector Seven defences have been eliminated." He reported.
"Happy landings, boss-bot!" Blaster added chipperly. From his position, Blueshift started looking around, as if expecting Optimus Prime to magically appear beside him. But the answer would not come from around him…
His sensors picked up an atmospheric disturbance that drew his attention away from the human city and upward. Blobs and streaks of light were illuminating the clouds from within. There was no thunder, so they could not be caused by lightning. Which meant they had to be caused by something else.
As the Autobots looked on, what appeared to be a small comet struck the atmosphere sharply, shattering into pieces. Or perhaps shatter was a disproportionate description. Separate would have been more accurate. It was also impossible. Comets did not separate when they struck atmosphere.
One segment was slammed into the hillside atop which Blaster was situated, barely a couple of fields away. Trees snapped, brush ignited, and dirt and rock flew in all directions as the piece of sky ground to a halt. The force of the impact shook the ground beneath his feet. Other pieces of the mysterious falling object were drawing attention elsewhere…
From patrons to participants, the attention of the crowd in the packed stadium was drawn away from the game being played down on the field and upward toward the flaming object that seemed to pass directly overhead, to crash into the ground not far away. It was not every day something from space came crashing down into the Earth, and a sight more impressive than watching the Riders beat the Colts 34-27…
Others started crashing down along the fringes of the city, near the industrial regions and ring roads. Grey Autobot protoforms began rising up and searching for vehicles to scan.
Unfortunately for many of them, Decepticon Tailwhip was waiting.
Having scanned a white with checker-stripe Bell 429 police helicopter, Starscream's protege blended in perfectly with the city scene. Quickly targeting the Autobot protoforms closest to him, Tailwhip swooped in to attack. The lightly-armored protoforms stood no chance against his weaponry, his electron laser and rockets cutting them down within seconds of arrival. Tailwhip went on a proper rampage, leaving dead protoforms in his wake as four were destroyed within the span of half an hour and Tailwhip's body count continued to rise…
But some of them managed to escape the slaughter. A blue and white Ford F-350 tow truck hurried away from the scene, making for the bridge to Tranquility and was followed close by a red Nissan Titan with a solid steel bed cover sporting a spoiler attachment. Where the motor company icons should have been, a new face-like insignia had replaced them…
"Barricade, come in. I've been able to take care of some of the Autobots." Tailwhip announced. "But I've got a fix on Prime's location. I'm heading there now."
"Rookie, you don't wanna mess with Optimus Prime. Many a Decepticon ended up in the scrap heap because they underestimated him." Barricade cautioned, his tone gravely serious. "Fall back to the power plant and help keep Soundwave in the clear. He's our top priority right now." With a begrudging grumble, Tailwhip transformed and moved to obey, leaving the remaining Autobots in the clear…
Elsewhere…
In a café in Tranquility two teens were clowning around with each other and with their food as a third friend filmed them with a compact video camera. The background changed radically when the windows imploded as something massive and glowing slammed into the street. While his friends screamed and panicked, the youth with the camera rushed toward the confusion to try to get it all recorded. Instead of flames and fear, his thoughts were filled with visions of network exposure and large royalty checks.
On another, lower hillside in an exclusive subdivision a peculiar thunderclap roused a five-year-old girl from her bed. Walking to the window of her bedroom, she was just in time to see something splash into the family pool, sending chlorinated water and a couple of inflatable water toys flying in all directions. Eyes widening, she whirled and raced back to her bed. From beneath the pillow she pulled out a single baby tooth, held it up, and smiled broadly as she inspected the wayward dentition. Her grin unequivocally revealed the tooth's recent previous location.
Embedded in the earth at the bottom of the ravine and directly in front of Blaster, a complex knot of steaming metal dripped white-hot silvery beads. Standing yards away, he could feel the heat coming off the object. The grille of his chest opened up and Rewind and Eject emerged, transforming into robot mode as they stood with Blaster to watch. As they looked on, the globs of liquid metal retraced their path, blending back into and being absorbed by the globe much as a ball of pure mercury would soak up smaller spheres. When the glistening orb began to crack open like a giant metal egg.
From within the sphere a metallic leg emerged. It was followed by a second, then by a pair of arms. A silhouette began to rise, higher and higher against the still-flaming, crackling scrub, until it was nearly thirty feet tall. Unmoved by the sight, the mechanical companions stood nearby, as if waiting for something more.
The immense shape that had emerged from the silvery egg started to turn toward them. Its attention was drawn away by a blast from an eighteen-wheeler barreling down the road above the ravine, revealed to be a 1994 Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck. Turning in the direction of the sound, the newly arrived alien mechanoid instantly and efficiently trans-scanned the big truck as it slowed to take a sharp curve. The process did not affect or alert either the truck or its oblivious driver. By the time the night-running transport had sped on past, a second, identical truck was facing them from the depths of the ravine, it's nose and cab in bright metallic red with the sleeper cab and rear wheel fenders shaded metallic blue.
From within the ravine the "truck's" engine growled. It sounded just like a Detroit diesel, only with something added. It was diesel-plus... diesel transformed.
The downtown street being vacant, there was no one to admire the exotic silver Pontiac Solstice as it rotated slowly on the turntable in the showroom window. Lumbering up to the glass, the alien exoskeleton was clearly not a potential customer. Not to purchase, perhaps, but in this case to copy. Trans-scan beams swept over every inch of the low-slung vehicle, recording it down to the last molecule of overpriced leather seats. Moments later, an identical Pontiac Solstice sat in the middle of the street, now in white with red-blue racing stripes marking the hood and roof…
Farther up the street, curiosity having overcome their fright, the teens in the café had joined their cameraman-wannabe companion in rushing toward the place where the flaming object had touched down. It would have been hard to miss the huge fiery hole that had been blasted into the side of an old electronics shop. They arrived at the same time as fire trucks and ambulances. Ever thinking, the youth with the camera was panning across the scene, taking in the confusion, the busy emergency teams, the badly damaged building.
"Hey, maybe it's a meteor!" he blurted suddenly. "Pieces of meteor are worth a lot of money." He would have put his camera aside and gone in search of potentially valuable fragments except that the heat emanating from the building prevented anyone from going inside. Around him and his friends, firefighters were unsnaking hoses and readying protective gear preparatory to searching the interior.
One of his friends was pointing. "Something's moving inside. There, look."
The shape he indicated was massive and unidentifiable. They caught only a glimpse of it before dark smoke boiling up from the flaming interior of the structure blotted out their view.
"What is it?" the youth with the camera wondered aloud. More movement—something coming toward them. He and his friends started to back up.
It was an emergency vehicle. A Dodge 4500 modified into a Demers MXP 170 Ambulance in distinct red-white colours. Bursting out of the smoke, it hung a hard right and took off up the street. It's close proximity gave the observing teens a good look at the paintwork. The red, the white, the heartrate marking, the Red Cross emblem… which happened to sport a peculiar silver face within it…
Warm mist rose from the expensive swimming pool behind the expensive house in the expensive suburb. Oblivious to all the expense around her, a little girl presently short one tooth but full of excitement pushed open a rear door and hurried out onto the concrete patio. That it was presently soaking wet with displaced pool water only added to her anticipation.
Swathed in steam, a dark shape loomed before her, rising slowly and compellingly from the depths of the pool. Straightening its legs, it towered above her. Utterly unafraid, the girl approached with one arm extended to offer up her recently departed tooth.
"Daddy says I get five dollars. But I want twenty."
Ignoring her, the robot's head swiveled to the right. The first mobile mechanism its detectors locked onto was a big grey Chevrolet Silverado 3500 pickup truck parked in a nearby driveway. Stepping out of the pool, it pushed aside a pair of mature fruit trees and smashed through the fence separating the girl's property from that of the neighbors.
By the time the girl's parents finally stumbled out the back door, the massive apparition was no longer visible.
Still half asleep, they could only eye their sodden, ruined backyard in shock. A sudden throaty roar caused the family to look up and toward the street where the back end of an oversized pickup truck with a fibreglass canopy over the bed was visible screeching toward the first intersection. They could see that it looked exactly like the one that belonged to the Camberwells next door. Only there was no motor company emblem on the trailer door, just a strange silvery face where it should have been…
A caravan of vehicles began pulling into the Tranquility junkyard in the dead of night. One by one, they filed in and assumed a formation, like a park-in for motor vehicle enthusiasts. It was an odd assortment to the human eye; a blue-flake Saturn Sky, a red-black GMC Topkick C4500, a red-silver Ford Mustang, a red Nissan Titan, a blue and white Ford F-350 tow truck, a red-white Demers MXP 170 Ambulance, a grey Chevrolet Silverado 3500 pickup truck, even a Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter in vivid orange-white coast guard colours. Last one in was a red-gold Scion xB and it was leading the red-blue Peterbilt 379 semi-trailer truck.
Assuming formation, the vehicles idled in place as they shifted position so their headlamps were collectively focused on the Peterbilt.
The eighteen-wheeler rumbled into the middle of the yard and halted less than a foot from the collective of vehicles. Its grille alone was considerably bigger than they were. But it did not remain as such for, as its lights winked out, the Peterbilt began to transform. The long nose split in two and unfurled to the side, giving room for the big silvery grille to slide back and form an abdomen beneath the two parted windows of the cab. Hands slid out from the halves of the nose, just as feet began to form and uncurl from the sleeper cab component, the entire rear of the semi collapsing and connecting together to form a pair of legs. The bright silver exhaust piped jutted out from shoulders as huge metallic limbs pushed itself to a standing position and complete the visage of a towering, radiant, bipedal mechanical life-form that stood before the vehicular assembly.
The only equivalent human emotion that could be attested to those present would be awe or reverance. A sense of respect radiating from among the various vehicles as they looked upon their leader. Their idol. Their hero. With bright optics gleaming above a silvery plate of metal, framed by twin jutting antenna, the leader of the Autobots surveyed his team. "Autobots, sound off." Optimus Prime ordered.
First up was the Ford Mustang, the grille, wheels and their wells splitting apart to form shoulders as the whole hood of the card became the central chassis, the rear of the vehicle thinning to form legs as arms sprouted from portions of doors. He stood up, his scarred helm on full display as he held himself with pride. "Reconaissance officer, Fastlane, reporting."
The Scion xB stood up next, the grille forming the chest of his chassis as the windows appeared on arms and the whole hood and front windshield assembly became his feet, his visored helm popping up with a grin on his faceplate. "Communications officer, Blaster, tuned up and ready to rock."
The Demers ambulance transformed, the boxy body wrapping itself around limbs to reduce its size as wheels took their place on the back of legs and floodlights and light bars framing each shoulder. "Medical officer, Ratchet, reporting."
The GMC Topkick quickly became the local veteran, with doors on his shoulders, each half of the split front end forming his central chassis, and the lower bed forming legs and feet. "Weapons specialist, Ironhide, present and accounted for."
The Pontiac Solstice quickly rose up on legs as the rear wheels tucked themselves into heels, the forward wheels becoming shoulders as a visor-shielded head popped out of the hood while the grille formed his chest. "Second lieutenant, Jazz."
The Chevrolet Silverado seemed to sprout limbs from out of nowhere as the hood and bed cab came together to form the front and rear of his chassis while the remained was divided between his limbs. "Defence strategist, Trailbreaker, online."
The Nissan Titan split in two in the front, the grille appearing on forearms as the wheels and their wells rose up to form shoulders. The pickup bed accordioned in on itself to create the back as legs flew out from underneath. "Support specialist, Salvage, fully operational."
The Ford F350 executed an apparent backflip as it rolled itself onto legs and feet forged from the forward end of the truck. A head emerged from within the long windshield as arms morphed out of the rear towing assembly with the hook and crane nestled comfortably between his shoulder struts. "Advance support, Longarm, reporting."
With a roar of thrusters, a familiar painted-up F-22 Raptor descended from the sky, transforming before it touched the ground. "Alpha Squad aerial specialist, Skyburst, reporting for duty."
The coast guard helicopter promptly transformed into his affable partner. "Alpha Squad air support, Evac, reporting for duty, sir."
Lastly, the Staurn Sky morphed into their young commander, who remained in awe of the iconic Cybertronians and Autobot legends now surrounding him. "Alpha Squad ranking officer, Blueshift, sounding off." He stated, accompanying his words with a crisp salute. "Optimus Prime, sir, it's an honor to serve. What's our next move?" Could he smile, Optimus would have. The young Autobot enthusiasm was appreciated. His was a bright spark amid the shadowed horrors of war and an inspiration for them all to keep fighting the good fight.
"Patience, young one. We still need more information." Optimus responded, his voice deep and resonating in person, a far cry from how it sounded over comms.
"Tell us what you need and Alpha Squad will find it." Blueshift quickly promised. But the Prime shook his helm.
"Negative. Someone else will handle that. I will summon you when you are needed." He stated. "Right now, Alpha Squad, I want you to recon the area and be vigilant for signs of Decepticon activity." His command was smartly followed as the three robots made to leave the junkyard, breaking into jogs as they did. Optimus Prime looked to the remainder of his crew, his members of his trusted inner-circle; Prime Force. "Blaster, Fastlane, I want you to bring us up to speed. We must establish the facts and move quickly before the Decepticons mobilize for themselves."