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Seraphim

A Transformers Multiverse Fanfiction Piece

By Rai WhiteNoize

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Universe: 2007 Live Action Movie (Main); Micron Trilogy; Animated; Generation 01 (Secondary); Robots in Disguise (Supplementary)

Genre: Action & Adventure; Romance; Drama & Angst; Suspense & Horror; Humor

Timeline: The Year 2008

Rating: R

Summary: Snow white and small, she fell from the sky, neither a Transformer nor a Human, but something painfully in between. And with her, a herald and one fallen, a harbinger from space. –.01– Various pairings and eventual character death.

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, they would have long revolted and offered me up to the maw of Unicron – Who wouldn't have wanted me in the first place. So no, I don't own Transformers, HasTak does. Lucky bastards. I wish I owned Ratbat. I don't.

Warnings: Language; Violence; Adult Situations; Blood & Mild Gore; Alcohol Consumption; Eventual Character Death; General Fandom Crack

Notes: Tried to write something halfway epic – You tell me if I failed or not, I just really wanted to write something over Christmas break that didn't drip of sex and slash – Just ample amounts of violent drama and feel good humor. LAM meets Micron Trilogy and Animated, with a healthy sprinkle of G1 throwbacks and fandom homages and a smidgen of Robots in Disguise. Hodgepodge of continuity characters and OCs thrown into the mix, with heavy influence drawn from some rather epic RP sessions with my brothers and meh street posse. Beware the seemingly disjointed feel and heavy use of pre-established relationships.

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Chapter One: Ignition!

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Samuel James Witwicky had never had it so good.

Granted, it wasn't as though his life before all this was anything tragic – As with any adolescent youth, he had his fair share of manhandling at the hands of the school's jocks and crushing put downs from the female population; but that aside he had a pretty sweet life: A best friend who looked past all his quirks and occasional lapses into odd behavior, parents who loved him and gave him a reasonable amount of freedom (If not a slightly mortifying amount of personal embarrassment and awkward situations), a fairly decent family background that could boast of real mettle, and one hell of a bitching Chihuahua.

But the arrival of a 'piece of crap Camaro' into his then 17 year old life had proven to be the biggest miracle of his life, bringing with it a tale and battle of great endeavor and incredible disbelief. His car was no ordinary car, but a giant alien robot who spoke via his car radio and kicked serious ass while taking names; a giant alien robot who helped snagged him the girl of his dreams and the indelible pleasure of saving the world; a giant alien robot who brought with him four more of his kind, each as unique and awe inspiring as he had been – And still was – Nearly a whole year ago.

So yes, despite the rather pleasant but decidedly shallow life he had lived earlier, Samuel James Witwicky's life had, at the moment, never been so good.

He leaned back against the hood of his said alien car in amiable silence, soft melodic crooning drifting into the air from the vehicle's radio. All around him were the signs of fall – Dried, warm colored leaves littered the ground in a carpet of scarlet, russet, and orange; the sky an ever melancholy shade of deep blue and dampened grey. Running a finger over the length of the bumblebee yellow hood and chuckling to himself, the male youth found it only strangely appropriate that the serene calm that had descended on them was to be broken, not unpleasantly, by the sound of several rumbling motors and rubber wheels pulling to a stop on all sides.

Not bothering to turn his head from the comfortable nook it was nestled in, the teenager raised a hand in a friendly wave, unconsciously smiling as he heard the tell tale sounds of gears and parts rearranging themselves – Themselves, being towering, quasi-organic, colossal robots with the ability to hide in plain sight under the guise of everyday, un extraterrestrial vehicles. Gathering himself as he felt his companion beneath him shift, the dark haired youth slid off the hood, turning to watch as his ride rose from the ground, components and mechanisms all turning and grinding in a familiar but no less awe inspiring show.

He forced his eyes away as a familiar feminine voice chirped up to his side, followed almost immediately by a gruff growl emanating from the black and silver mech that loomed over her petite frame.

"Oh, don't growl at me, mister! You should be thanking me for getting you off babysitting duty, if anything."

"It isn't 'babysitting', you insufferable little femme, I –"

Stifling a laugh of his own, Sam leant against his just finished transforming guardian, said guardian raising an optic ridge at the two. "…Babysitting? Wouldn't whatever child Ironhide were to sit on simply be crushed beyond recognition?" The smaller, yellow robot asked innocently. "That's true," Sam teased, earning himself a look of pure abhorrence from the weapons specialist, who was promptly ignored by the female he had brought along with him.

"Indubitably, Honey Bee," She beamed, tucking a stray strand of almond hair behind her ear as she ambled over, "Crushed into nothing more than an unpleasant stain on his behind."

Roaring, the Topkick sputtered indignantly, "For the last time, woman, I was not 'babysitting', I was merely fulfilling my duty of protecting William and Sarah's offspring, a duty –" He looked pointedly at the Camaro, "That I am sure most of us here would understand!"

Grinning still, the young woman – Lulu Isabelle Tang – Sauntered over to the cross Autobot, wrapping her arms best she could around his leg and pressing the side of her face against the cool, dark metal. "Sush, 'Hide, I know you were," Looking up into his cobalt optics, her expression sobered, and he shifted a little so that he was crouched down over her as she reached up and caught the sides of his faceplates in her fingers. "And for that, you know the Lennox family are eternally grateful, and none of us here would dream of taking that away from you." Slowly, almost uncertainly, the dark mech raised a finger and pressed it gently against the side of the girl's face, expression softening.

"And you know she only pulled you away from your duties because Optimus wanted all of us here,"

Jerking upright violently, as if some sort of spell had been broken, Ironhide snapped back straight, optics blazing momentarily in embarrassment. If robots could blush, Sam was certain the mech would be as red as the flames that licked a certain Peterbilt 379's cab, but decided – Rather wisely – Not to mention this fact out loud, lest the bot in question decide it best to aim his guns at him.

Off to his side, the Search and Rescue Hummer who had been brazen enough to offer the comment to begin with just smirked knowingly, arms crossed nonchalantly before him. "Prime's orders." The pickup truck opened his mouth to protest violently, but the low rumbling sound of hydraulic breaks and 4.3 metric tons of drool worthy trucker machinery pulling to a stop behind them caused whatever aggressive rebuttal the weapons specialist had in mind to be cut short, the small human female gesturing behind her. "Speak of the devil," She chuckled, running a free hand over her newly shortened and loosely curled brunette locks.

"Devil, am I now?" Pulling to an echoing stop next to the undisputable savior of the earth –Also known as Sam Witwicky in their small circle of mismatched friends – An imposing hauler type Big Rig began to rearrange itself deftly, camshaft and actuators and all sorts of internal machinery restructuring itself with only the mildest hiss of hydraulics and binary audio until it revealed itself to be a singularly imposing, 28 feet tall, flaming Semi with a totally bitching paint job and the warmest pair of azure optics you could ever hope to lock eyes with in your lifetime.

"Her words, not mine."

Beside them the smallest of their mechanical companions spoke up, voice soft and delicate from having lay dormant for so long, "I believe it is her intention to allude to your paint job – Or at least, to your sense of impeccably terrible timing." Raising an optic ridge in curiosity, the leader of the Autobots turned his attention to the human youth in front of him, getting down on a knee and lowering his gaze to meet theirs.

"Worse timing ever, Optimus," Sam managed between chuckles, leaning against his kick ass Camaro turned robot in an attempt to keep himself upright. Nodding in agreement, Lulu clasped her hands in front of her, all theatrical flair and dramatic movements, "To be torn so suddenly and without warning from his beloved charge, alas! Such cruel fate and twist of irony!" She pressed her back against Bumblebee's leg as a short, snappish snarl escaped the black mech's vocalizers, arms wrapped around herself to keep the giggle fit under control. Cracking a small smile, the Autobot leader gently patted his friend's shoulder reassuringly, earning himself a more pointed growl – And thoroughly ignoring him through vorns and vorns and vorns of practice – Allowing himself a rare moment to indulge in his comrades' merriment.

But pleasant as it was, he had called them out here for a reason, and that reason could not wait for much longer to be addressed. Clearing his throat – A motion so totally pointless for a Transformer, more of a habit picked from his time amongst the humans more than anything – He gave the children a moment's pause to regain their composure, before he opened his mouth to focus on his peers, all serious business and tempered patience.

"There are others coming," He began, almost slowly, eyeing each individual around him for their reaction before continuing, "Three, to be precise, all of confirmed Autobot allegiance." It took a moment or two to sink in, and when the full weight of the implications his words brought with them came to light, the result was spontaneous.

"More? Three more?"

"Are you serious, Optimus?"

"When did they contact you, and how long has it been?"

"Are they coming here?"

"…Who are they?"

It had been the smallest of their respective races – Bumblebee and Lulu – Who had voiced the query as to their new teammates' identities, and while Prime's expression softened momentarily, their was an undeniable air of concern evident in his pronounced features. "In that order: Yes, three more of our kind and faction are on their way here now as we speak – Perhaps they will be entering Earth's atmosphere in several cycles, if all goes well – And I could not be anymore serious than I already am, Ironhide." He paused slightly, a more troubled expression flittering through his face for a moment, before being replaced be a look of eerie calm. "They contacted me not more than an Orbital Cycle ago, and from the trajectory they seem to be coming towards Earth, they should in fact have little trouble arriving at the outskirts of Tranquility."

A moment of thoughtful silence passed between the group, only to be broken by a mechanical chirp. "You still haven't told us who they are, Optimus. Anyone we know?"

Optimus started slightly, body language all but screaming his apparent discomfort at revealing the their newest arrivals' identities, raising all sorts of suspicion from the assembly. "Prime," Ironhide began, pulling his leader away from the group, none too gently, by the shoulder plates. "Is their any reason you seem… Reluctant to spill who the new arrivals are?" Next to them, Ratchet made his presence known, elbowing his way closer to the Big Rig and waiving his medical buzz saw dangerously close to their commander's face. "Indeed. This isn't like you, Optimus." Resisting the urge to raise his faceplate, the blue and red truck resisted for only a moment longer, before resigning to his fate, shoulders sagging slightly.

"Well, the new arrivals… One of them is Skyfire,"

At the mention of the name the Autobots gathered about let out a sound of decidedly delighted surprise, Bumblebee's cerulean optics glowing in glee. "Skyfire? Skyfire is coming here?" Bumblebee let out a string of happy little chirps, clasping his hands together and swaying on the back of his feet in barely containable delight. "Who's Skyfire?" Sam piped up, tugging at his friend's arm. "Oh, you'd like him, Sam!" Bumblebee chirruped, optics pleasant little crescents of bliss, "He's a very good friend of mine, an Autobot scientist of sorts."

Ratchet let out a most undignified snort. "Of sorts? Bumblebee, the bot's a certified genius. Granted, not the way Perceptor is," A mild look of curiosity passed over the human's faces at the unfamiliar name, "Skyfire is one of Cybertron's most prominent, most celebrated scientific minds ever to have come from Altihex," The two humans perched between the contrastingly bright yellow and neon yellow robots raised their heads in slight question, noticing all the little names and places the medic bot let unconsciously slip, "An accomplished explorer, expert inventor, and superior problem solver – That mech could easily solve whatever conundrum the universe could throw at him, and then some." The chief medical officer practically purred, front bumper puffing out in pride.

"Sounds like a real piece of work," Sam chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he digested all the new information passed down on him – Never mind he didn't understand half of the things said, but if the one called Skyfire was really arriving shortly, then it didn't really matter. "Hmm." Next to him, a thoughtful look on her face, Lulu placed a hand on her chin and wandered over to Optimus, plum orbs eyeing the leader with a decidedly mischievous expression. "Well, that's one new Autobot arriving, but you said earlier that there were three." Grinning unapologetically, she continued with a hint of teasing in her voice, "So what of the other two?"

Prime's optics widened only a moment, but it was a look that did not go unnoticed among his Cybertronian peers. "Optimus, what's the matter? Who are the other two arriving?" Ironhide took the Prime one by his shoulder plates, shaking him slightly, but not unkindly. "The other two, well they –" Stealing a glance at their CMO, he sheepishly continued, optics trailing down onto the floor. "They're the twins."

A moment that could only be described as stony, icy silence prevailed around the trio of upper commanding officers, a sort of painful, uncomfortable moment of calm before a tragedy.

"THE TWINS?!"

Ratchet all but roared in an uncharacteristic gesture of all out loss of self control, arms flying up empathically – Violently, almost, Ironhide jerking his head back just in time to miss having the neon painted mech's fingers from colliding with his nose plates – Indigo optics widening in indignant fury and piqued distaste. "The twins are coming?!" He was beside himself in righteous, passionate ferocity, "Do you mean to tell me you had little intention of informing me that those two, those fragging, Primus forsaken sons of glitches –" Sam and Lulu winced at the sharp tone and unexpected curses coming from the otherwise passive and level headed mech, "Are coming here? Here, where I will be forced to tend to their every ridiculous and avoidable injury, here where I am to be subjected to the majority of their insidious pranks?!"

Prime opened his mouth to answer the terribly and frightening medic, before thinking better of it and closing his mouth. He tentatively placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder, optics dimming slightly – A Cybertronian equivalent of a wince. "Ratchet, please. Surely they won't be causing you that much trouble –"

"Are you mad, Optimus? Are you aware of who you're talking about here?" Next to them (At a decidedly safe distance away from the frustrated CMO's hands) the shining black weapons specialist brought his hands to his hips, expression as grave as it would have been had they been talking about the Decepticons. Sparing a glance up at the Camaro behind them, Sam whispered, "Twins? You guys have twins on your planet?" Bumblebee crouched down and brought his face closer to the two humans in front of him, a decidedly amused expression on his face plates. "Yes, Sam. We have twins. Although," He looked thoughtful for a moment, "Not in the same way you have twins here on your planet." "Uh-huh… And what are they exactly – Some kind of terrible duo or something? The way Ratchet and Ironhide are going on about them," He gestured behind him at the three commanding officers, Ratchet practically throttling Prime whilst their leader tried (And failed) to placate the aggravated medic, the Topkick looking mighty tempted to join the medical officer in his attempts to strangle Prime, "You'd think they were the harbingers of the galaxy or something."

Bumblebee snickered softly, placing a finger over his charge's head and stroking his hair affectionately. "You've never met the twins, so it's easy for you to say something like that." He composed himself, not looking forward to the prospect of his mirth calling attention to himself, especially with the neon yellow bot wearing a look of murder on his face plates. "Those two are…" He looked for the right words, "Those two have a very loose definition of the words 'decency', 'respect', and 'bodily harm', if you want to know the truth. Granted, Sideswipe isn't nearly as terrible as his brother Sunstreaker can be – That bot is the biggest self absorbed narcissist you could ever hope to meet, and with good reason too."

“Hmm, sounds like a fun bunch," Sam said dryly, eyeing the trine of commanding officers behind them. Next to him, Lulu had a most contemplative look – The kind of look she usually got before she decided she'd march in a dress of celery against hunger or take to living in a cardboard box for a month to protest power inefficient houses. "So tell us more about those two – Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, was it? Cute names…"

Bumblebee chirruped, getting down into a more comfortable position and helping the two teens climb on up his knees. "Let's see… Sideswipe is the younger one, though not by a whole lot. He's the instigator of whatever pranks they're pulling, the action and the brute force. Not that Sunstreaker isn't all brute force himself, mind you." The Camaro nodded to himself, "He's actually a real nice guy, if you can forgive him for dropping you in pink pain and smothering you with feathers – Sunstreaker on the other hand, now that guy's a real piece of work."

"Oh, he's so much more than that," Behind them the mini crisis that was Ratchet's semi breakdown seemed to have calmed down somewhat, Prime looking rather sheepish off to one side while Ratchet sat hulked in another, muttering vehemently to himself and fingering his pipe wrench dangerously. Ironhide conceded to joining the trio of youths, getting comfortable himself and ignoring Lulu as she crawled up his knee and snuggled none too subtly against his leg. "Sunstreaker is the most arrogant, insane, insufferable, sociopathic little sunshine colored menace ever to grace the halls of Cybertron," The older mech huffed, hands thrown up into the air for added emphasis. "The bot believes himself to be Primus' gift to the universe, strutting around like he's metal sex incarnate with those absurd fins on either side of his head!"

Lulu raised an eyebrow, "…Metal sex?"

Ironhide pointedly ignored her, a low growling sound emanating from his vocal processors at some stirred up memories. "And don't get me – Or Ratchet, for that matter – Started on his brother's utter idiocy and simpering compulsion for the plainly stupid –" "Aww, Ironhide, they aren't that bad, not really," Bumblebee began, only to meep and stop himself when the Topkick directed a look that could melt paint off at the bubbly yellow bee, optics flaring scarlet momentarily, "Oh, you would say that," He rumbled, fingers clenching and unclenching unconsciously before Lulu reached up and took hold of one with both her hands. He looked down at her, distracted, and Bumblebee hastily continued, "Sideswipe isn't as bad as Sunstreaker though, you have to admit. He just does what he does for the laughs it brings him, and you know those two are the way they are because it's the only way they can be." At those words his own optics dimmed, to the point where it seemed as though he had gone offline, and Ironhide let out a small puff of air from his vocalizers and leaned back slightly, expression grim and almost unreadable.

Lulu looked up at him from her perch on his lap, her own concern mirroring Sam's as the boy stood up and tapped his Guardian lightly. "…Bee? You OK?" Whatever it was that had taken Bumblebee to the dark place was gone now, the small Cybertronian chirping brightly at Sam's anxious query. "Of course, Sam. I was just… Thinking, is all."

Though Sam looked rather dubious at his friend's reassurance, he decided it best to let it pass – Whatever was bothering these two was something he could not hope to understand. Sometimes, it was easy to forget all the crap and bad things they'd gone through before meeting their human charges, and when little dredges of remembrance came swelling up to the surface, all he could hope to do was be there if he was needed.

The bittersweet repose came to an end at the sound of a motorcycle's deep, reverberating engine wailing through the night, four pairs of optics and two sets of eyes focusing on the clearing they themselves had come in just moments before to see a sleek, silver and green Harley Davidson Touring Bike slide gracefully down the gravel road, slowing to a pristine stop just inches away from the two humans. The driver removed her helmet with little trouble, waves of lovely chocolate hair tumbling out and over feminine ivory shoulders and bright green blue eyes catching Sam's own warm brown ones as he smiled almost shyly, offering a hand to help the female off the bike. "Hey 'Kaela," Lulu chirped, sidestepping the loving couple as she waited patiently for the other rider to disembark, the shoulder length blond hair and khaki shorts giving away his identity even before he worked is own helmet off.

"Miles," She greeted amicably, running a hand absently over the length of the motorcycle's fuselage, tiny tremors and clicking motions reverberating up her fingers. Stepping aside, she watched with amusement as the Touring bike expanded, limbs unfolding from beneath the fuel tank, handlebars and wheels shifting to form legs and arms, a head sliding out of the fuel tank and a broad bumper-chest catching the light as internal machinations rearranged themselves and the bike took on a decidedly more anthropomorphic, humanoid shape.

Luminescent navy orbs turned to little half moons as the motorcycle turned robot smiled affectionately down at his small charge – Granted, he was the smallest of the assembled Autobots present, just barely coming up to Bumblebee’s chest plates and having very little in the ways of 'looking down', so he was one to talk – And wasted no time in picking Lulu up, gently as he could, and perching her lovingly on a shoulder plate. "Hello to you too, Dirge," She smiled, placing her hands on the side of his faceplates and nuzzling her cheek against his in a show of warm, guardian-charge affection.

Back on the ground, Sam was still grinning like a kid in a candy store at his gorgeous, juvenile record free girlfriend Mikaela Banes, the latter holding on to his hand and smiling right back at him (Grated, not so much like a kid in a candy store herself). She pulled him over and gave him a quick peck on the lips, snaking her arms under his and around his back as she cuddled against her boyfriend of nearly a year. Next to them, Miles Lancaster made a face, only to have his attempts at childish humor thwarted by his own lack of animosity towards the two.

Putting his helmet aside, the blond ambled over to Bumblebee instead, raising a hand in a gesture for a high five. The bot indulged him, raising a finger and very lightly tapping it against the youth's open palm, chirruping in affection. "Hey Miles," Sam greeted, arms now linked loosely around Mikaela's waist, and Miles waived back at his best friend. "Sammy."

Mikaela broke away from her boyfriend with another sweet kiss, Ironhide making a sort of disgustedly disgruntled noise, and Lulu tittering happily, and the mechanic went straight to her guardian's side, tucking her chocolate brown hair behind and ear and pulling a small digital camera from her messenger bag. "I got the pictures you wanted, Optimus," She said offhandedly, smiling as Ratchet bent over and ran a finger to smooth down some loose strands of hair against the side of her face, his earlier rage ebbing away at the sight of his precious, talented charge. It was little surprise, to find the medic and the mechanic were guardian and guarded, her presence around him being like the most potent of sedatives and his presence around her like the father figure she never had, her own father in prison all those years she was growing up.

Optimus smiled warmly at the human female, "Thank you, Mikaela." She continued fiddling with the small electronic device, manipulating the camera to bring up the pictures she and Miles had taken when Cape Dirge had escorted them both to the outskirts of Tranquility to monitor the skies for signs of Autobot (Or, in a worse case scenario, Decepticon) descent. She had been paired up with Miles – If it had been Sam, the two would be far too busy with each other to pay any attention to the skies, and if it were Lulu, the two were bound to engage in what Ironhide so fondly referred to as "accursed femme speak".

Optimus gingerly took the small earth device in between his metal fingers, hooking it up to his optical projector and firing it up against the backdrop of trees to the left of their immediate vicinity. Almost instantly images of Tranquility's clear Autumn skies covered the lush green vegetation, nothing at first but rolling clouds and warm colors, then suddenly, three almost indistinct, fiery shapes still a ways off, but coming ever closer.

"Hmm… They're quite close," Optimus spoke slowly, choosing his words, warily eyeing his metallic companions, "If they maintain the speed they currently have going on now, they should land –""With 'land' being the operative word," Cape Dirge offered to the side, "At the boundary of Tranquility in no less than several Groons, perhaps less."

Behind him, Ratchet made a sound that could only be described as 'pain personified', and Ironhide let out a loud and long suffering outtake of air. "What's eating them?" Mikaela asked, lightly placing a hand against Bumblebee's leg. The honey yellow bot clasped his hands together, and Mikaela had the distinct impression the robot was smiling lopsidedly at her inquiry. "Twins," Sam offered offhandedly, himself struggling between putting on a solemn face and having a giggle fit – A totally manly giggle fit, of course. "Twins?" wandering over to the small congregation of human adolescents and giant robot, the Harley Davidson had a rather choked look on his face plates, getting down on his knees and placing his hands down on the ground.

"Yes, twins!" Lulu replied, happily anticipating the arrival of some fresh new faces, "And a bot called 'Skyfire', I believe." "Skyfire too?" Dirge's optics brightened for an instant, a smile erupting on his lips. "That's great! I haven't seen Skyfire in ages…!" The small three wheeler cooed happily to himself, optics shifting into gleeful little half moons, "The last time I saw him, he and his brothers were finishing their Elite Guard training back on Iacon, and I was just being dispatched to Tyger Pax… Good times, good times…"

"Well at least the younger ones are happy about this," Said younger ones turned their attention back to the three older Autobots, Ratchet sulking and Ironhide huffing, with a perplexed and only slightly agitated Prime caught in the middle. "I'll say," Miles concurred, leaning back and propping his arms behind his head. Cape Dirge and Bumblebee let out matching little chirps, the latter turning to his young charge and continuing, "And the twins! Oh, you'd like them, Lulu, they're charming."

Bumblebee chuckled. "Charming? Well, perhaps Sideswipe can be considered charming," He paused slightly, "But Sunstreaker?" The Tang girl gave the Camaro a look, tilting her head to the side. "That bad, huh?" Ironhide took the opportunity to cut in to answer her query (Cape Dirge was obviously blindsided by his admiration for the two; but at least Bumblebee still had enough sense to know Sunstreaker was not the most worship-able of mechs), "He's a self centered, egotistical little slagger – A total sociopath, if I ever met one. How much more," Inappropriate air quotes were added here, "'Bad' could you want it to be?"

"Aww, don't be mean, Ironhide!" The Harley Davidson pouted (It never failed to amaze the humans how expressive these giant alien robots could be) in mock hurt, "Sunny ain't that bad, once you get to know him. And he's all sorts of mellow when he's with Sides, so it's cool."

"Let's see how mellow you think he is when he pulls your fuselage out for calling him 'Sunny'," Was the tart retort he got for defending the twin terrors, the weapons specialist growling wholeheartedly to himself as a small, sharp beeping sound emitted from the Chief Medical Officer's person, catching everyone's attention and drawing them closer to the bright yellow Autobot in a mix of interest, perplexity, confusion, and expectancy.

Looking up, Ratchet let out a most pained of groans, "They're here."

So there they were, five Autobot aligned Cybertrons and four human youths, standing in a huddled circle just outside the forested outskirts of Tranquility, several pairs of eyes and optics watching the sky with steadfast concentration and unfaltering resolution as what appeared to be a trio of large, metallic asteroids came hurling down from the sky, bits and fragments of alien steel and space debris dislodging from their larger forms even before they reached the planet's lower atmosphere.

No one dared move as the trio of organic machinery plummeted towards them, cantering off at the last second to narrowly avoid crashing into the ragtag group of humans and Transformers. The largest one, ahead of the two by a moment or so, landed in a half-burning heap a little ways to their right, over where the greenery was scarcest, the second smaller one hitting a hard left and crashing next to the relatively deserted interstate. The final one, no smaller than the second, came to a direct stop mere inches from the Peterbilt truck, smoke waifing up from the rapidly cooling alien vessel.

Sam and Mikaela unconsciously reached for one another's hands, fingers clasping tight as the honey yellow Camaro picked the couple up and propped them on his shoulder plate, Lulu and Miles actually attempting to get closer to the smoldering wreck only to be stopped when Ironhide picked the female up and placed her securely on his own shoulder plate, Miles coming to a stop just behind the Autobot Commander's leg.

They watched in never quite get over-able awe as the mess from space shifted, the whirling of gears and hissing of hydraulics breaking the silent night air as the formerly rectangular vessel rearranged itself and stood, a slim but muscled Protoform with bright sapphire optics and an air of open friendliness visible in it's stance. He blinked a few times, casting a look around before noticing the entourage assembled just a little ways off from him, and smiled, waiving most causally.

"Hey!"

There was a moment of shared silence, before the smaller bots let out matching chirrups of glee, rushing forward and throwing their arms around the silver bot. "Sides! Oh, hey!" Dirge cooed happily to the newcomer's left, optics wide with childish, innocent delight; Bumblebee taking the new arrival's servo and directing his attention to the two stunned teenagers on his shoulder plate. "Sam, Mikaela, lookit! This is Sideswipe!" The excitable Autobot introduced, aforementioned adolescents giving the new mech wide eyed looks.

Mikaela, ever the lady with her head on right, quickly recovered first, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and flashing the Protoform a most dazzling smile. "Pleasure to meet you," She greeted confidently, reaching out to offer the bot a handshake. He looked at her hand for a moment, then took on that decidedly 'dull' look the Autobots tended to put on whenever they scanned the world wide web for a bit of information new and foreign to them. Recovering quickly and offering a finger, the younger twin shook her hand as best he could, mouth plates forming an 'ooh' as he eyed the female appreciatively.

"Hello there, beautiful," He greeted smoothly, smirking almost lecherously as he brought his face closer to Bumblebee's shoulder plate. Sam let out a small 'ahh', shaking his head and settling on waiving, almost shyly, at the new arrival. "He-Hey yourself," He joked, stuttering only once under the robot's azure gaze. Sideswipe raised an optic ridge, studying the human male for a moment before chuckling, "Slag, you've got yourself a funny, funny charge there, Bee."

Dirge perked up, hastily (But carefully) snatching Lulu up from Ironhide's side, ignoring the annoyed look he shot him; holding her up to the charming twin's line of sight excitedly. "Look at my charge, Sides – Isn't she pretty?" Lulu had the sudden, almost laughable and very distinct impression Cape Dirge was showing her off as one would show off a trophy of sorts, and chuckled a bit to herself at the thought – She certainly hoped the bot would think she was prettier than Sam… They obviously hadn't been around humans long enough for their novelty to wear off on their younger, more excitable companions, which was always a treat, if not occasionally mortifying.

"Hi, Sideswipe." She greeted him cheerfully, waiving with more gusto than Sam had put in to his own greeting, her other hand clutching tightly at Dirge's fingers. Sideswipe titled his head to the side for a moment, scrutinizing the girl in the Harley Davidson's grip, that smirk never quite leaving his mouth as he went about the motions of being thoroughly entertained. "Wow, got yourself a real looker there, CD." The green on silver Autobot sniggered, pulling Lulu close to his chassis. "Don't I know it," He replied, stealing a quick glance at the weapon specialist off to his side, a laugh threatening to erupt from within when he caught the barely smothered down look of irate indignance coming from the older mech.

Down bellow, Miles would have rolled his eyes if he didn't find the whole situation entirely too kick ass awesome, as he chanced a wave up at the towering bot and barked out a hello. Sideswipe looked down at the blond male, bending over and scooping him up in his hands. "Hello to you too," He paused, allowing the boy to supply his name. "Miles Lancaster. Call me Miles."

"Right. Hello to you too, Mules." The silver Protoform turned his attention back to the mechanic, very gently taking her from the Camaro's grasp and handing Miles over to Bumblebee, "And what about you, gorgeous – You taken?" She opened her mouth to respond, a smile tugging at her lips, when the Search and Rescue Hummer cut in, snatching her away from Sideswipe's open fingers. "Yeah, she does, actually." He said curtly, optics giving the Autobot a look that could kill hardier mechs. It hardly seemed to faze the latter though.

"Aww, that's too bad," he whimpered, a look of mock hurt on his face plates. "Such a shame."

"What is," A voice over to his left inquired, and the small party turned as one to look at the source of the query – A very tall, very sleek looking white Protoform, easily dwarfing even the tall Optimus Prime, with wicked wings jutting out just so over on either side of his form. "Oh, those wings are gorgeous," Lulu had gasped, eyes growing wide at the sight of the slender appendages, motioning for Cape Dirge to bring her a little closer to the new bot as Sam gawked like a fish out of water and Miles let out an appreciative whistle.

"Why thank you," He smiled, voice a pleasant, slightly accented baritone not entirely unlike Prime's, but on a smoother, less aged note. "Allow me to introduce myself," He began, getting down on one knee so that the motorcycle could better reach him, "My name is Skyfire." Sam made a small noise beside them, looking up at Bumblebee, "Ah, so that's Skyfire!" He observed the larger Cybertronian, nodding to his guardian, "You're right – He's really cool."

Skyfire looked a tad embarrassed for a moment, shrugging it off and approaching the two, "No, I'm really not that…" A quick cross reference check on the world wide web, "Cool." "No way man," Miles countered, nervousness melting away completely as he conversed with the flyer, "You’re like, more than just cool. It's like, well, it's like…" "It's like if someone threw confetti over cool, it'd be Skyfire?" Lulu offered, strange humor surfacing as Dirge finally put her down, noticing for the first time that Prime had yet to speak.

Ambling over to their leader, Dirge gently placed a servo over his commanding officer's arm, concern flickering in his optics. "…Sir?" He asked, head tilted to the side. Optimus started a little, glancing down at the concerned reconnaissance operative, "Forgive me, I'm quite alright, thank you." He glanced back at the sight before him, "I was simply… Admiring the scenery." It had been long, far too long, since such happy reunions had come to pass, and he wanted to treasure it in silence for a little longer, to appreciate the camaraderie before he went about the business of debriefing them all and finding them suitable alt modes.

"And what do we have here?"

A slightly haughty, high pitched voice asked rather snootily, a silver Protoform not unlike Sideswipe in appearance pushed his way past Skyfire, hardly giving the other mech a backward glance as he stopped just short of his twin's side. "Don't tell me you're all getting together and forgetting about moi," Ratchet let out a strangled sort of sound, a sort of half moan whimper, before shaking a fist at the haughty Autobot. "Mute it, you sociopathic sunflower," He growled, fingers twitching to pick something heavy and chuck it right between the new comer's optics.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Ratchet," The impetuous older twin scoffed, pausing as he eyed the strange little congregation before him. "Oh, and the gang's all here," He murmured drolly, leaning a shoulder plate against his twin and letting out an intake of warm air. "Hey everybody," The impromptu shoulder rest motioned to the human youth, "Meet my twin, Sunny." "Don't call me that," His twin snarled, roughly pushing him aside and sulking, "The name's Sunstreaker, and you should all be humbled to meet such a beautiful creature such as myself."

Ironhide let out an equally sharp intake of air, azure optics momentarily flashing scarlet, "Insufferable, you mean," He rumbled, crossing his arms over his chassis at the older twin. Skyfire shook his head at the nasty behavior the golden twin was displaying, placing a hand over his helm (At which Sunstreaker had let out a violent snarl, twisting roughly to get away from the other's fingers) and attempting to placate the situation, "Forgive him, everyone –It has been a long, hard trip."

"I'll say," The more amicable twin agreed, turning to amble happily over to Optimus. "Hey boss bot!' He practically cooed, "How's it hanging?" The Peterbilt smiled down at the much younger Autobot, his own patience for the twins and their antics much longer than most others were (No surprise there, he was Prime, after all), and placed a servo over Sideswipe's shoulder plate. "Tired, but otherwise, surviving."

Sideswipe grinned affectionately up at their Supreme Commander, placing a hand over his mouth plates and leaning over all conspiracy-like, "I bet," He sniggered, stealing a glance over at the CMO, who was currently being restrained by the Topkick pickup truck and the Camaro as he attempted to throttle the vain, abrasive twin; the twin who had obviously said something flippantly that irritated the cantankerous medic quite violently, the shuttle shaking his head as he pinched at his nasal plates with a servo, the much smaller Harley-Davidson looking entirely too amused at the whole situation unfolding before him while the humans watched in muted awe.

It was going to be a long, very long, night…

It was cold, and dark, and very, very lonely.

She couldn't be sure how long she had been feeling that way, or how long she had been left by herself, but she could tell (The only thing she could tell), it wasn't suppose to be that way. There was the slow, licking sensation of heat washing over her sensory network just then, three times from behind her and passing her without a glance back, though for a moment she felt as though she must have imagined it; because it was gone when she tried to focus on the feeling, but then gravity kicked in and she was feeling something now, was falling fast and hard and it was hot and bright but still very, very lonely.

The last thing she remembered before being swallowed by a darkness darker than the cosmos had been a very fleeting memory, an emotion rather than an image, but she had lost it even before she could grasp at what it was.

"…And you're certain the little one is there?"

The ebony figure let out a snort at his long time companion's unwillingness to believe in the information he had procured, his fingers dancing over his golden horns for a moment before a wave of temporary insanity threatened to bowl him over, gleeful abandoned replaced by ominous solemnity. "As certain as I am of my identity," He rumbled darkly, and the midnight blue mech considered this for a moment, crimson optic band flickering slightly. "So not very certain, then."

---

And there! *confetti throw* First chapter done for the world to read, and I'm all a twitter. Succeeded in getting the twins and Skyfire into the first chapter, and I have to admit, I am enjoying this sooo much. If anyone thinks my portrayal of Sunstreaker is rather… Rude and brusque, please remember, he did just come hurdling in form the vastness of space into some Primus Forsaken dirtball of a planet, so he isn't in the best of moods. Hopefully, he'll get nicer… Ish. Nicer-ish as time goes by. After all, I do love the guy, fins and all. *bricked* I don't know if I managed to convey my Skyfire properly, as I wanted him to be a hodgepodge of his Galaxy Force and G1 self, but I have to admit I'm pleased with how Sideswipe practically wrote himself. Updates soon, thought they will be slow – Not because the story is coming to me slowly (I already know how this baby ends), but because I don't have much time to write chapters at this point in time. Hopefully, I can get a chapter done over the weekend, so maybe… One chapter a week? We'll see. Please review, I'd really love to know what you all thought of my first legitimate attempt at true, not from an RP Transformers fanfiction piece. All flames will be directed to the masters of paranoia and fire, Red Alert and Inferno, while reviews and suggestions will be much appreciated. So until next time, see you around! *blow kiss*

Art Note: I should be posting art for this on my DeviantART account – The link is in my profile page, or you can just look for "whitenoize" in DeviantART if going to read my personal information is too much of a chore. XD