tpf. Jasper, Nevada area and Wayward Island, Maine. It Came From Space. pt 1

[dens_extra_pups]

Optimus: *sound asleep despite having to be at the army base at dawn this morning. Spent the night walking a fussy baby, and then spent the wee smas affected by a fussing husband whose work marathon had finally caught up with him and made him lose his mind to the point that all he could say was that nothing mattered but feet* *it's a month after Soundwave's passing. First day of October*

Beau: *is that sleepy stumbling down the hall. He's not all the way awake yet*

Optimus: *no big hand comes to scoop him up and bring him to the mess. No voice admonishes him to wait for her*

Beau: *doesn't notice, at least until he runs into the door jamb as he enters the mess* *groggy confusion is a go*

Gabriel: *from the kitchen, followed by soothing words* Chief, don' move.

Beau: *confusion abounds* Bhuh?

Gabriel: *shadowy, wolf-like man has a very nice smile as he strides over* You get lost, sir? *

Beau: ... Ah ain't 'ad mah coffeh yet. 'S Optimus 'wake?

Gabriel: No, sir. I ain't seen the Lady. Here, lemme help you. *offers hand under arm for guidance*

Beau: ...Th't ain't lahk 'er... *is guided*

Gabriel: 'Er lil' girl was up all night. 'N then the doctor had some trouble. *pulls out chair*

Beau: ...Oh. *moving to sit down* Ah sh'ld let th' otha base know we's gon' be delayed...

Gabriel: *phone out* Is this somethin' I kin do?

Beau: *blink. Blink. Much thinking* *nod* Ah guess...

Gabriel: *gently* D'you have your phone, sir?

Beau: ... *gonna check for his phone now*

Gabriel: *phones Optimus*

Beau's phone: *rings*

Beau: *startled squawk, gets up quickly* *fishes phone out of pocket, looking sheepish*

Optimus: *sounds frazzled* //I'm up! Where are you, Beau?//

Beau: Th' mess.

Optimus: *hurried footsteps, and the sound of a smack into a corner of the hallway* //We have to go now.//

Beau: Ah w's gonna call th' otha base t' tell 'em th't we's gon' be late...

Optimus: //If we go now we won't be.// *stumble, and then she appears at the door, head turning as she searches for him*

Beau: *will move to get one of the travel mugs filled with coffee* Alrahght.

Gabriel: *presents pop tart*

Beau: Th'nks.

Gabriel: *makes sure he's got it in his hand right way up, and then fills the coffee cup and makes sure he's got that too*

Beau: *small nod of gratitude, will move to approach Optimus*

Optimus: *transforms and bumps into a wall, then opens her door*

Beau: *carefully climbing in and getting buckled up*

Optimus: *deep breath, and then carefully drives down the corridor and out of the base* *mutter* Tell me I'm going in the right direction.

Beau: K'n ground bridge.

Optimus: No. Because whatsisname doesn't like us using the alien tech, remember?

Beau: ... *grump* 'E needs t' git th't stick removed. *is a crankypants before coffee*

Optimus: You don't know how many times I've been tempted to let one of the Wreckers tell him that. *in about the same mood as her partner*

Beau: *just snorted his coffee*

Optimus: *grumble* Now I'm going to be sticky. Thanks a lot.

Beau: Ah don' put sugah 'n mah coffeh, y'u know th't... *sugar is for TEA*

Optimus: Look at what you just did to your tart.

Beau: ... *grump, sulk*

Optimus: *sighs, and then groans* My sensors aren't fully online.

Beau: Th't makes two'a us. *more sulk*

Optimus: But you're not driving. Hmm? Oh. Good morning, Cody Burns. *quiet chuckle* Thanks. I'll tell him.

Beau: Tell who? 'N wh't?

Optimus: Sorry. I answered a phone call out loud. My friend from Griffin Rock called to ask why his scientist friend couldn't get hold of Ratchet.

Beau: Oh. *snerk*

Optimus: The answer being that Ratchet's been sedated and stuffed in the R chamber. *grumbles about suicidal gophers*

Beau: W's 'e realleh ramblin' 'bout feet?

Optimus: *deep sigh* He's still dreaming about them.

Beau: Y'all need a vacation. *sips coffee*

Optimus: *quietly* I don't think I could have fun while one of my kid's only been widowed for a month and my husband's still trying to figure out what her husband did to fuse himself to a human body.

Beau: *quietly* Aneh word from Blaster yet?

Optimus: I have exact counts of the different makes of newborns that have come from the Well since September fourth.

Beau: 'N none are the one we're waiting for?

Optimus: *wearily* Nope.

Beau: *soft sigh* And Maria's been focusing on the animals and fixing her house...

Optimus: I've never mentioned the possibility of his return to her.

Beau: *quieter* How long does that sort of thing take?

Optimus: *sounds distracted* Fixer was less than a day.

Beau: ...Oh. *small frown as he thinks of how busy Maria's been over the past month, fixing up the house and the property it sits on* *quietly* Did Maria get the well she was talking about dug?

Optimus: Yes. A week ago. It's slightly saline, but she's got a filter. *still distracted* Beau... is that a bloody meteor coming at us?

Beau: *looks up* ... What the *BLEEP*?! It's coming right at us!

Optimus: *there's a shifting wrench, a rising up, and then a blast of sonics that changes the incoming flaming chunk of rock into a flaming hailstorm*

Beau: *CUSS*

Optimus: *bounces her passenger around as she deals with all the tiny brush fires trying to happen*

Beau: *very glad he doesn't get car sick* The scrap did that come from?!

Optimus: No idea. *sudden shudder, and she walks slowly over to the side of the road and lowers herself to the ground. Opens her windshield* Get... get out and let me catch my focus.

Beau: *unbuckles and gets out quickly* *looks up, worried about his partner* ... *jaw. DROPS* What. The. Scrap?!

Optimus: *lays down on her belly with her chin on the ground* *wearily* I'm a triple changer. Have been for about ten years now.

Beau: ... You mean you're like WakeJumper? *moving to put his hand on Optimus' muzzle*

Optimus: No. I wasn't born with it. I had to learn it. *intakes deeply, trying to get her mind out of a T Rex's fight or flight in response to sudden danger*

Beau: *sympathy, gentle patpats for the big, metallic muzzle* Are you going to be alright? I can still call the base and let them know we'll be late... That'd give you time to get more rest.

Optimus: *quietly* You're going to have to. My mind's jumping all over the place. *wince* Ratchet, enough feet.

Beau: *facepalm* I knew "Pacific Rim" was a bad idea for movie night.

Ratchet: *very concerned* -Optimus... Why didn't you tell me?-

Optimus: *tiredly* -I didn't want to think of it. The last time I changed I lost myself completely.- *Ratchet will be able to see the memories*

Ratchet: *can you feel how much he wants to be there to comfort you right now, Optimus*

Optimus: *wearily* -I wish I hadn't been so hard on the Dinobots.-

Ratchet: -We didn't know at the time what they were experiencing...-

Optimus: -Ignorance is no excuse.- *lifts her head and looks at Beau*

Beau: *on his phone and arguing with someone*

Optimus: Beau?

Beau: *gestures to indicate that he needs a moment* *to the person he's arguing with* Well, that's just tough. We're dealing with fallout and brush fires from the meteorite that nearly hit us, so unless you want to explain to General Bryce why you let brush fires get out of control instead of letting the people who happened to be in the area and trained to deal with that sort of thing deal with it, I suggest you back off.

Optimus: Oh scrap! *scrambles to her feet and blasts another piece of rock that was headed toward the desert*

Beau: *awks and drops his phone*

Ratchet: *worry!*

Optimus: -Quick, Ratchet. See if anything else is coming down!- *blasts another and starts fire stomping*

Ratchet: -On it!- *hurrying to the control center and checking the reports* -There's nothing else heading in your direction, but something big did land on Wayward Island...-

Optimus: *relief* -No one lives out there.-

Ratchet: -Still... It would be a good idea to have the team stationed on Griffin Rock investigate, just in case it's something hazardous to the environment, or to humans.-

Optimus: -On it.- *quick text to Cody*

Beau: *to Optimus* Please tell me there aren't more coming down on us?

Optimus: No. The rest have burned on entry. There was just a big one in Maine. *quick scan of the area to make sure she didn't miss anything*

Beau: ... Have Heatwave and his team been notified?

Optimus: Yes. They're going to investigate. *sighs and switches back to bot mode, and then to truck* I'm good to go.

Beau: Alright. *looks for his phone, ends the call*

Optimus: *deep sigh as the lines on the road seem to blur* I can already tell this is going to be a long day.


Wayward Island, Maine, two hours later


Bullet: *just drove the Darby Ava right up onto the beach* Whoops.

Cody: Owww... *sits up, rubbing his head, as his brothers do the same*

Heatwave: *pulling up to the shore in boat mode* Is everyone alright?

Boulder: *deep sigh as he looks around for complaining and expressions of fear and is reminded yet again that he won't be hearing that voice again* We're alright.

Cody: *glances over* Chase?

Chase: I am unharmed. *rises from the crouch that he went into when he braced for impact*

Bullet: *has jumped out and is now checking the boat for damage* She's okay, mon.

Cody: *jumps out next to her and looks around with a frown* This isn't where the meteor hit, but that looks like an impact crater over by that deadfall.

Graham: *frowns* It does. But it looks like an old one. See? It's mostly full of brush and dirt.

Chase: *as he exits the Darby Eva* Perhaps someone was here before us and relocated the source of the crater?

Graham: Why would they do that?

Boulder: *glances at Heatwave as the team leader draws close* This looks like it's been here for awhile.

Heatwave: *frowning as he studies the location* Whoever it was, they're long gone now.

Boulder: *peers more closely* Hey, is there something in there, back under the deadfall? It looks like it's made of plastic.

Cody: *is checking the screen of his phone to try and locate the meteor*

Heatwave: ... What would something made of plastic be doing way out here? *moving to investigate*

Graham: *busily scanning the area. Yells with surprise as an explosion suddenly jerks the ground out from under him and sends him flying*

Boulder: *instinctively moving to protect the humans*

Chase: Graham! *moving to try and grab hold of the engineer*

Graham: Oof! *hands over his head*

birds: *flying and screaming as the echoes die down*

Cody: *looks up and realizes that he's covered by a wall of white-marked grey* Bullet? Is everyone alright?

Graham: I... I think I'm alright. *looks up at Chase*

Chase: I am similarly unharmed.

Boulder: I'm okay.

Cade: Heatwave!

Chase: *looks up to see if Heatwave is injured, is fearing the worst*

Boulder: *scanning as he scrambles over to where he can see Heatwave's hand sticking out from under the heap of brush and deadwood* *voice hushed and dismayed* Oh no...

Cade: Oh no what?

Cody: *sharply* What's wrong?

Chase: Cade, Cody, Graham, please remain here. *moving to help Boulder*

Boulder: *moving away logs and brush* *still hushed and dismayed* Oh no...

Cody: *poised and tense as he watches with dismay*

Chase: *hoping against hope* It might not be as bad as it appears...

Boulder: *hands Chase Heatwave's hand. And his lower arm*

Chase: ...Oh, dear.

Boulder: *freezes* *voice muted* His spark's nearly out. We need a doctor!

Cody: *hits a button on his phone and then exclaims* No signal!

Chase: *trying his comms now, optics very bright* I have no comm signal, either!

Bullet: Nothin' for me, either. *deep scowl on her face as she tries to push the boat back into the water*

Boulder: No, that's no good, Bullet. We can't move him.

Bullet: *swears and looks furiously helpless*

Cody: We've got to do something!

voice: *starts laughing*

Chase: *startles and looks toward the voice*

Boulder: *does too, his attitude showing protectiveness toward his fallen teammate* *quietly* He's dying.

voice: There's nothing you can do, Autobot scum.

Chase: *protective stance is a go*

Cody: *angrily* Who are you?

Bullet: *narrow-eyed glare from where she's crouched by the boat*

Graham: *miserable and concerned*

bot: *steps out from behind a clump of evergreens. Is tall, deep purple, and cyclopean* *also wears a pointed badge on his chest*

Chase: *scowling now* Am I correct in guessing that this trap was your doing? *he is MIFFED*

bot: You are. Though I see that my efforts were wasted. You're only civilians. I can take care of you by hand.

Boulder: What...?

Graham: *can't help it. He looks scared*

Cody: My friend is dying.

bot: Yes. *voice sounds smug and dismissive* And there's nothing you can do about it.

Chase: *and now he's angry. And not being very logical. Because he just charged the unknown bot*

bot: *swift uppercut that catches the blue bot on the chin and sends him flying*

Boulder: *gasps and deflects Chase away from Heatwave*

Cody: Chase!

Graham: Ahhh!. *DUCK*

Chase: *landing with a hard thud* *moving to get up* I'm alright. *Not true. He's hurt*

bot: *contemptuously* When the Decepticons own this world useless weaklings like you will be eliminated.



Continued here