We were once a peaceful race of intelligent, mechanical beings. But then came the war, between the Autobots who fought for freedom, and the Decepticons who dreamt of tyranny. Overmatched and outnumbered, our defeat was all but certain.
But in the war's final days, one Autobot ship escaped the battle. It was carrying a secret cargo, which would have changed our planet's fate. A desperate mission.
Our final hope... a hope, that vanished.
A 22-year-old Braedey Martin was fast asleep in his bed until his alarm went off. Braedey yawned and opened his eyes, only to see Ravage looking down at him. Braedey smiled, now patting his helm, the mechanical feline growling and purring back with its blue optics looking back, urging him to get up.
"All right, all right. I'm up." Braedey sighed to himself.
After the Battle of Egypt, Braedey had salvaged the remains of the Decepticon mechanical feline, but he'd taken him down and reprograms his internal systems, using the power of the AllSpark to rebuild Ravage, even taking off the sharp quills and the harpoon tail, leaving only a long gun barrel at the tail tip, as well as giving Ravage a more feline-shape head and two blue optics, the teeth also been filed down and made safer for those around him. Braedey even gave him a new coat of silver and blue paint, giving him a new style, plus the Autobot logo on the left shoulder. He also built in some other functions inside of Ravage.
"Braedey! Get down here!" Braedey's wife, Jasmine, called out from downstairs.
"I'm coming, honey!" Braedey shouted out in response. "Everyone is fragging bothering me to get up, when I'm busting my behind on missions with Lennox and Optimus." He muttered.
Yes. Braedey had joined up with Colonel Lennox's task force NEST with the Autobots, and he had also been promoted to position of Major, even close ranking of third-in-line amongst the Autobot ranks. He had been working with the Autobots ever since what happened in Egypt, even helping with Earth-related problems and human conflicts, not ones with Decepticons. He also got married to Jasmine, their ceremony being one of the best for them, Bumblebee driving the couple to their new home in Washington DC., the two setting up their home there.
Braedey brushed his teeth and grabbed his gear. He goes forth downstairs and he saw food on the table, but no there was sign of his wife.
"Jasmine?" Braedey called and looked around, but still no sign of his wife. "Ravage, see if you can sniff her out." Ravage growled in acknowledgement and released a blue beam from his optics that scanned the living room. No sign of her. "Odd... where is she?"
Suddenly, Braedey gets jumped from behind and feels feels a pair of arms and legs wrap around his neck and waist. "Did I get you?" Jasmine's voice asked in a teasing manner.
Braedey pulls her off, making her sit on the counter. "You got pretty close. I'd say, uh, maybe a seven or eight." He did take note that Jasmine looked a little plump around her belly and thighs, but he did not question it. Possibly just had some snacks and such.
"Eight? Really?" Jasmine smirked playfully. "You're terrible when it comes to rating things."
"And you're terrible accepting the hard truth." Braedey spoke back with a cocky tone.
"Oh." Jasmine looked down and now screamed as she looked at her feet. Braedey followed her gaze and he sighed at who was on the ground.
Brains only stood as tall as reaching the knee of a human's leg, having wild Einstein-like blue electro 'hair' sticking up, blue optics being differently shaped; one appearing to be a regular blue optic, while the other appears to be magnified, and his body made with components that seem to come from a laptop of some kind.
"Get lucky." Brains snickered.
"Will you get out of here?" Braedey said with a grunt, now kicking the small Autobot across the floor like a football.
"She's good." Brains added in. Braedey shook his head and picked him up.
"Yesterday, I found him looking through my underwear drawer." Jasmine now stated to Braedey, grabbing her coat.
"Did some research." Brains stated. "Looking real good, too." He snickered only for Braedey to then smack him. "Oh! No need to hit me!"
Jasmine now opened the door. "Well, I'm off. Love you, babe."
"I love you too. Take care honey." Braedey called back, then he puts Brains down. As she left, he opened the balcony door, now seeing Wheelie and Shadow there.
"Freaking shorting my circuits out here!" Wheelie cried out as Shadow shook the rain off him. "It's inhumane, what it is. Making us live in box on a balcony, right next to beast! Like a common animal!" Wheelie ranted.
"Quit complaining, all right? This was the deal for you guys when it came to staying with us, Wheelie." Braedey stated to the RC monster truck robot. "You and Brains and can't just barge in without permission."
"Oh, yeah? According to who? Ms. Warrior Goddess?" Wheelie snorted as he hopped onto Shadow's back. "Giddyap, little doggie! Hah!" He rides Shadow into the room and jumped on the couch next to Ravage. "Yo, Brains, wassup?"
"Doing good." Brains nodded back.
"Aw crap, I've seen this one." Wheelie groaned at the TV, seeing it playing Star Trek. "It's the one where Spock goes nuts. You know, Braedey, you think it's safe keeping Jasmine here in the city with us? I mean, what happens if the Decepticons try to kidnap her?"
"Mm, that ain't gone be good." Brains agreed.
Braedey sighed to himself. "Guys, I think about this every waking day of my life. But she's the one that's persistent to stay, which I have no problem with whatsoever. Plus, we're now married and living the best life for us both."
"Yeah, well, you be sure to remind her that we're not your pets! And we're not your toys!" Brains sneered. "Alright? We're an advanced, genius, alien race, just looking for a home."
"Duly noted." Braedey replied back.
"Major Martin, come in!" Braedey heard this coming from the military radio.
Braedey grabbed his radio. "This is Major Braedey Martin, go ahead."
"The Autobots are about to roll out, sir!" The solider's voice answered back. "We've got another possible sighting in Ukraine."
"Roger. I'm on my way!" Braedey acknowledged. He shuts off his radio and suits up. He cocks his rifle, puts on his vest, and heads for the door. "Ravage, let's roll out!" Ravage activates his cannons and pounces off the couch, after Braedey.
"Hurry back for dinner!" Wheelie called out.
Once outside, Ravage leaps overhead of Braedey, his body now shifting and changing form, becoming that of a Harley Davidson Fatboy motorcycle, the brunette landing on the saddle, and they head off to NEST Headquarters at once with a racing roar.
In the years since our arrival, our new home Earth, has seen much change. Energon detectors guard its cities now. Long-range Defence systems watch the skies. So now we assist our allies in solving human conflicts, to prevent mankind from bringing harm to itself.
We work in secret teams on various missions around the globe. And all the while, we search for signs of our true enemies' return.
Braedey and Colonel Lennox are right now walking into a government building in Kiev, Ukraine. The two of them have on black suits and ties to make them both look dignified, as they are waiting for a representative of the General Counsel with the Ukrainian Department of Energy. Eventually, they meet up with the individual, all three of them up on the second floor of the building, within the shadows.
"I am Voshkod, General Counsel with Ukrainian Department of Energy." The representative began his explanation to the two Americans softly and quietly. "My government will officially deny that we are having this conversation."
"Very well." Braedey acknowledged. "What do you wish to inform us about?" He asked.
Voshkod continues. "At one of our decommissioned facilities, a discovery was made, which I fear may be alien in nature."
This got both Lennox and Braedey's attention. "What is the designation of the facility?" The latter asked, now looking very serious.
"The facility's name is Chernobyl." Voshkod informed.
'Of course.' Braedey thought to himself softly. 'Chernobyl...'
The next morning, a group of soldiers are standing outside of an abandoned facility, the building looking like that of a relic of the former Soviet Union. The fence looks to be rusted and old, the gate having a faded red/white colour scheme, while the buildings seem to be left abandoned and left to rust away to the ravages of time. The town nearby looked to be a capsule frozen in time; belongings were all scattered across the streets as cars from 1980s Soviet Union looked abandoned with the doors open and were starting to rust away overtime. In the distance, the languishing remains of a decommissioned and destroyed nuclear power plant could be seen.
At this moment, a soldier notices something up ahead and approaching the facility. As it got closer, the soldier can see its a red/blue Peterbilt 379 truck with a silver trailer hitched up behind it, as well as a red/green Hummer H2 ambulance. The guards immediately raise the gate, now allowing the two vehicles to drive into the facility grounds.
Inside of Optimus' cab at the driver's seat is Braedey, Lennox riding shotgun alongside him. The two of them are in their combat gear attire, ready for action and all prepped for anything. "Alright. Let's go in, find what we're looking for, then get back home." Braedey says, arming his pistol.
"Ratchet and I shall remain on standby in case." Optimus says on his radio. "Ratchet will also be ready in case of medical assistance."
"Right. Voshkod should be just up ahead." Lennox adds in.
Optimus and Ratchet now drive up into the courtyard of the facility, and come to a stop with a hiss of their brakes. Lennox and Braedey, and their team all climb out of Optimus and Ratchet, armed and ready for action. Voshkod and his men then walk up to them.
"Mr. Voshkod." Lennox greeted.
"Ukraine. Sight of the worst nuclear disaster in the world in 1986." Braedey sighed deeply.
"I hear Chernobyl won't be habitable again for another 20,000 years?" Lennox asked.
"At least." Voshkod sighed deeply. "Ukraine was the most fertile land. It's a tragedy."
"It was a disaster that shouldn't have happened." Braedey then stated firmly.
"This way." Voshkod said, pointing over to a building.
Braedey turned to the soldiers. "Gear up! We have about 60 minutes on the ground. Watch your radiation levels, and check on Energon readings, and keep your eyes on the swivel."
"Mr. Voshkod, where's your protective gear?" Lennox asked to the Ukrainian representative.
"It will not matter. For me, it is a matter of time." Voshkod then lead the soldiers on forth inside the facility. "Through the school. Yuri will take you below. And one other thing, Major, there were some energy experiments." Braedey then noticed Voshkod staring at something up above and turned to see nothing there. "It can wait." Voshkod laughed nervously before leaving.
"Odd..." Braedey muttered.
Braedey gave the hand signal to the soldiers, then he and Lennox took the lead. "Alright. Keep moving in formation and stay tight." Lennox ordered, as they head on deeper into the facility.
Lennox and Braedey began to approach the location of the energy spikes, the brunette's eyes glowing briefly as he took a scan. "Okay, it's gotta be here somewhere." Braedey informed.
"Braedey, I think we've found it, whatever this thing is." Lennox informed.
"Optimus, we have a visual." Braedey said on Comms, then joined with Lennox as he inspected the object in front of them. It looked like some kind of metal sphere box with a glowing blue light inside, multiple connections connected to the sphere, and it seems to be hooked to the top and bottom of the huge structure it's inside of. "Looks like whatever it is, it's housed in some kind of metal harness." Braedey explained as he shone his torch at the object. He looks around, trying to piece everything together. "It seems the power surge from this thing must've caused Reactor No.4 to explode, which led to the meltdown."
"Hang on a sec. What the heck is this?" Lennox stopped her as he spotted something else: several cases covered in dust. He gestured Braedey down to the crates.
Braedey wiped some of the dust to reveal a red space logo. "What the-? Guys, look at this. Why the hell does this crate have Soviet space program markings on it?"
"Sputnik?" One soldier wondered.
"Why would the crates of the Soviet space program be doing here at an abandoned nuclear power plant?" Braedey questioned aloud.
"Energon readings, sir!" One soldier reported as a weird bellowing sound echo through the building, getting louder every second. "It's strong. Below us. It's coming fast."
The NEST soldiers all raise their weapons when suddenly, a humongous mechanical drill-like worm the size of a huge train with multiple smaller drills bursts through the wall with a metallic screech and snarl. Braedey and the soldiers immediately start firing their guns at the alien drill which had no affect as it started to grab several soldiers. One soldier pushed Lennox out of the way before getting impaled by one of the drills. Another drill spots the part and creates a claw before grabbing it and the massive drill started to head towards the surface.
"Oh scrap! It's got the component!" Braedey called out as Braedey now used a grapple gun to chase after it. "Optimus! Ratchet! It's got the harness! It's heading your way."
The surviving soldiers all began to run off and head back upstairs, their enemy now being the humongous robotic alien drill that just attacked them. They had their target, and they were on their way to the surface.
Outside, as the driller is now making a run for it, Optimus giving chase as the driller makes holes in the roofs of a nearby building, trying to escape and head off. The soldiers scramble off to find more heavier weapons because there is no way their assault rifles will do any kind of damage to the alien driller. As Optimus floors his accelerator, his engine roaring loudly, the driller breaks out as Optimus collides with it, causing the Peterbilt to transform in the air before crashing the ground. Optimus' battle mask forms up, as his trailer suddenly transforms into his personal armoury with all of his weapons inside, all primed and energised.
"Weapons up! Heavy weapons up!" Lennox ordered.
Braedey, now having formed his arms into that of guns and weapons, and the soldiers are not far behind as Optimus grabbed a shield from the armoury, while deploying one of his swords, before charging in.
"Stay behind me." Optimus called out as the soldiers get ambushed by the smaller drills as they proceed to fire at it.
Braedey's weapons have a lot more firepower with the weapons both ranged and melee as he shot forward and fired both cannons and rockets at the drills, causing some proper damage before getting knocked to the ground by one of the tentacles. Fortunately, he gets to his feet, opening fire and torching many of the tentacles. Optimus then jumped over the smaller drill and uses his Energon Sword to slice it off, that drill having the metal harness part as it falls to the ground.
"Securing the target." Braedey called out as he grabbed it before it gets stolen again.
The alien driller suddenly stopped it's attack, as it opened a section on it's back, allowing a Cybertronian to step out and reveal itself to everyone.
This Cybertronian stands 40ft tall, with a black and grey colour scheme. He has a broad chest with a ribcage-like piece, which narrows down to a thin waist, whilst the legs are thickly armoured. He has one right silver hand and one left arm that is a long barrel cannon, which has an ammunition belt attached from his back to his cannon. The most unnerving thing about this Cybertronian is the single red optic that takes up the entire facial plate of the helm.
"Optimus Prime..." The Cybertronian spoke in a dark yet calculating voice.
Optimus gets into a defensive stance, snarling out in anger and protecting Braedey. Lennox and the soldiers start to get back up as they could see the driller machine heading back down underground, fleeing away from the fight.
"What the hell was that thing?" Lennox asked out.
Braedey looked up at Optimus. "Optimus, was that Decepticon cyclops who I think it was?" He asked in dread.
"Indeed." Optimus nodded grimly. "That..." He walks up as he threw down the sword in hand, and putting down the shield. "...is Shockwave."
"But I thought you guys said that Shockwave was left behind on Cybertron." Braedey stated in confusion. "How can he be here on Earth?" He asked as he retracted his weapons and tools into his arms.
Lennox then looks down at the harness. "And why was he after this?" He asks to Optimus.
Optimus walked up with Braedey, then he kneeled down to examine the component before them. "It's... impossible." The Prime muttered out. "This is an engine part, from a long lost Autobot ship."
"A ship?" Braedey wondered in curiosity. "What ship?"
After the NEST team had recollected their gear and evaluated the damage around, the team began to look for Voshkod to inform them about what had happened. But when they did find him, they found him dead at the driver's seat in his car, bullet holes shot through the windshield and his body slumped against the wheel.
Somebody didn't want him to say something... But who, what and why?