Chapter 1 - Ruins

Cybertron

It was once a small haven, secreted away in the vast wastes of Cybertron, any outsiders ignorant to its existence. The inhabitants, those wanting nothing to do with the war that was tearing the planet apart, kept themselves hidden, only sending out small parties to secure provisions when needed. But now, this small haven was a burning wreck, a flame licked abomination of its former splendour, no thanks to a recent, and very much unexpected Decepticon raid. They'd made off with what they could before sending a small party of Seekers back to destroy everything in sight. The fires were still raging, feeding on the left over fuel, the cubes of Energon they couldn't reach secured firmly in a bunker that was now in ruins. In the distance, Contrail could see the young Cybertronian circling frantically above the towering flames, his yellow and red colours seemingly glowing in the firelight. Beyond the din of the raging fires, a voice could be heard, torn by the stresses of over use, yet still carrying a terrified and frantic note. The one who circled tightly called back, his voice just as frantic. Contrail watched as the youngster made a swoop in the brief lull in the flames, only to be beaten back by another violent explosion, one that vibrated through the air, rattling the old Cybertronian's circuits to the core. One of the last standing walls collapsed inward, into the fire. Contrail forced himself forward, as fast as his ageing propulsion system would allow. His hand shot out and clamped firmly around the ankle of the youngster.

''Lemme go!'' He snapped angrily, casting an irritated look over his shoulder. ''My sister's still down there!''
''Solar, if you go into those flames, you will not be comming back out!'' Contrail snarled. ''We cannot afford to lose another member of our already struggling community!''
Solar paused in his struggles to glare at his elder. Then his sister screamed again, her plea for rescue so desperate and ragged, it almost tore Contrail's Spark in two.
''Let me go.'' Flare said, almost calmly.
''No.'' Was the reply; Simple, yet horribly effective.
Contrail gave one last tug on Solar's leg and forced him to start flying away from the devastation.
''We have re-located to the North. When the fire's died down, we will come back to see what the extent of the damage truly is.''
Solar grumbled something that Contrail chose to ignore and allowed himself to be dragged along through the smokey air.



Flare could see the fire crawling closer and closer to a stack of remarkably untouched Energon cubes. As the fire creeped toward her, she dragged herself away, to huddle in a corner full of rubble and cracks. Her left leg was badly damaged, to the point where she couldn't put any large amount of weight on it. It hurt enough, without having to put up with the pain of having the limb snap off through trying to stand upright. Her propulsion sytem was offline and one by one, her sensors were shutting down. Already were the sounds around her muffled, the crackling and angry spitting of the fire sounding as if it had been smothered by something heavy and soft. Her vision was becomming an irritating array of static and jumping and jerking images, and her vocal processor felt like it was being slowly shattered by the effort she was putting into her cries for help. Heaving herself across the debris riddled floor with her hands and right leg, which itself was badly damaged, she came to rest against the corner she'd been eyeing up. She leaned against it, trusting it with her weight. She cast her fading blue optics upward, toward the patch of sky the roof once obscured, and through the flames. A familiar figure was circling, as if searching. She barely recognised it as her twin brother, Solar, his beaten and scarred form a similiar shape, and of same colouration as herself. She could've swore he shouted something, but it was incredibly hard to tell. The flames had taken the last stack of untouched Energon, and another violent explosion shook the foundations and the remains that were still standing. The wall she was huddled against collapsed inward. Her arms instantly came up above her head, to try and shield herself against it. The heat had tripled in intensity. It felt like her circuits were melting inside her. Then everything went quiet. The din of the fire faded into nothingness. Her audio receptors had just failed. She cast a hopeful look skywards again, and managed to catch a fuzzy glimpse of her brother turning tail and fleeing. Her Spark sank. She sat and watched the encroaching fires from the relative safety of her corner. The way in which the wall had fallen had inadvertantly created a shelter around her of sorts, like a cuccoon. A few moments passed, the fire starting to melt her armoured feet and her optics flickered angrily before rendering her in darkness.

If the young Cybertronian were to still be consciouse, and fully functioning, she'd have taken note of the sounds that underscored the main din of the fire; engines. Powerful engines. There was another group of Decepticons on their way, to see if they could pillage anything more. The flames swayed and then came in on themselves, as if being blown out. The flames bowed and arced in the same direction and a pair of bulky figures emerged.
''Burnout, keep those flames at bay. I've discovered the source of that signal.'' Said a heavily armoured Decepticon, his deep purple, spiked armour glittering ominously in the fire light.
The one he called Burnout, a Decepticon much larger than he, or any of his other comrades, nodded, and kept his large rotar blade at hand and pointed toward the fire, blowing it in one direction, away from his commanding officer and away from the figure that sat awkwardly in a ruined corner. He hunkered down and inspected the body, running a pointed finger tip across the panel line of Flare's left shoulder.
''Hmmm... Very interesting...'' He mused quietly. ''This one doesn't bear a faction insignia. And she's still online. Though just barely.''
''Then she will be of use to us?'' Burnout rumbled, paying very little heed to the flames he was keeping at bay. It was, afterall, something he'd done many, many times before.
''That she will, old friend. That she will.'' He said and rose, gripping a damaged arm and pulling, throwing Flare over his shoulder.
''Burnout, we have much to do, and very little time in which to do it. Leave the fires be and transform. I am entrusting this girl into your care.''
''And what would you like me to do?''
''Take her to see Propshaft. See if he can get her back online. You know the drill.''
''Yes, Crash.'' Burnout rumbled obediently.

Burnout follwed Crash and stepped from the fire. He eyed up Flare curiously. He doubted that even if she was an Autobot, like many an Autobot before her, even much bigger, he would easily crush her. Once clear of the flames and in a relatively open space, Burnout transformed, panels sliding around and flowing into position, a large rotar blade taking place at the rear and a much smaller one comming into being at the front of the newly formed Cybertronian chopper. Burnout lowered the main hatch and the unkown Cybertronian was deposited within.
''I shall return within five hours.'' Crash said before turning and rounding up the rest of his men to go on a hunt for the other survivors.
It is going to be an interesting day.... Burnout mused as he took off and headed back to base.



Earth

''Then explain to me just why the Space Bridge isn't working anymore?'' Krusher growled angrily as he loomed over Roadtrain.
The transformed KAMAZ continued to glare. It's always my fault, isn't it? He thought bitterly.
''I've tried explaining to you that I don't know!'' Roadtrain snapped irritably, flailing his arms slightly out of exasperation. ''Fixing things isn't my forte. You should know this by now.''
Krusher's retaliation was lost somewhere in the immediate vicinity of his processor and what passed off as his mouth when a JCB digger trundled into the room.
''What is it this time, Steele?'' Krusher grumbled, waiting impatiently for the inevitable bad news.
''The Epitaph is ready for launch.'' Steele anounced.
''The bad news?''
''We've figured the problem with the Bridge....'' The digger prouted legs and arms and rose to its feet. ''Someone's taken the teleport modulator...''
There was a moment of silence. Krusher turned away from Roadtrain and faced the Constructicon.
''..... How...?'' Krusher asked, truly puzzled by the news.
''Uhm, between shifts, someone activated the Space Bridge from outside, came in, grabbed what they wanted and promptly left again before the Bridge sealed itself again.''

''Who stole it?''
Steele gave what passed as a helpless shrug.
''No idea. I only build things, I don't programme computers or the like.''
''Yeah, that was Wire Cutter's thing, so if someone hadn't have lost his temper so badly, we'd be halfway to the next inhabited planet by now.'' Roadtrain pointed out.
Krusher merely grumbled and dismissed what the transporter had just said.
''Autobots?'' He prompted.
Again, a shrug.
''Doubt it. Those tunnels are sealed tight, just like you ordered. Even with Raid and Galaxy, I doubt they'd have gotten through by now.''
''Well stop your doubting. Go check the tunnels haven't been breached. And you,'' He said, turning on Steele again, ''Continue dismanteling the Space Bridge. Whether it's missing parts or not, I refuse to let the Autobots get ahold of it! Now move it!''
Roadtrain grumbled and walked off, cleary unhappy with his orders as Steele ambled back toward the Space Bridge cavern, leaving their disgruntled leader to finish packing the last of the viewing monitors.

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