Transformers: Hybrid Theory

Chapter 1.

A/N -

This is going to be a bit of an experiment for me! This isn't just a canon divergent AU from something, but a whole reformulated AU!

It's a humanized Transformers AU. Mostly based on the Bayverse, but with dashes of inspiration taken from... Just, everywhere!

I also mixed it with a few dashes of Nier Automata for setting and character design. (Something very hard to convey through text, ahhh... But I have designs in my brain!! I swear.)

I hope y'all enjoy.

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"Bumblebee, This is Prime. Our connection to the Well of All Sparks is located somewhere within that settlement. Discover what you can, and report back to me."

"10-4." Bumblebee replied, before switching off her radio. But...she couldn't help but let out a tiny chuckle- afterwards, her commander always spoke so formally on these jobs! It was kind of cute.

...Though, she had to take any sort of relief she could in such a glum situation. For, Bumblebee was on the first mission in N.E.S.T. operation 'Cemetery Wind', a massive gambit. One that, if successful, could change the world. But, had a much, much larger chance of just being a gigantic waste of time and resources. Really, to most of the team it seemed like a ridiculous long shot...

See, there's a secret bunker far beneath the Hoover Dam. Primarily for infrastructure workers, and the like. Nothing really special. But the rumor was that, based on some of Millie's calculations... It may have been in such a perfect spot that it was untouched by the radiation that was suffocating the world.

The world may have ended only a short decade ago, but - like the cockroaches they were, the human race just refused to die.

If they could access any of the power that dam had charged up- then, well, the world was at the Cybertrons' fingertips. The Destrons had always had the upper hand in this war, but maybe this could turn the tide...They could save the world and finally set our sights on trying to help the ravaged planet recover.

But, baby steps. This was a mission Bumblebee couldn't take alone, she was just entrusted with taking the first leap. There was supposedly a contact with more information in a settlement called Tranquility - where the city of Las Vegas used to be.

She sat in a cargo plane emblazoned with the logo for a long-gone shipping company called 'Stratosphere'. The damn thing had been built nearly 40 years ago and seemed to only stay together because of the crew's collective wishes. With a small, bored sigh - she took a look out the window. Thankfully, they were nearly at the drop point. How ironic that what was once a hotspot of wealth, opulence, and flat-out greed was now home to a set of stragglers just trying to survive.

It was her job to do everything she could to help these people. So, with a deep breath - she stood up from the cold metal bench and entered the equally mechanical embrace of her N.E.S.T 'Backpedal' Exoskeleton. N.B.E was the official acronym, but everyone who didn't have a stick jammed up their ass just called it a mech suit!

Some would call it 'massively out of date', 'past its prime'. Or 'downright Archaic' - but she preferred 'Trusty!' Suuuure, it'd started to become a biiiit rusted because the coating had scratched off - and it had a few...dozen bullet holes, but it never steered her wrong!

Plus, it had one killer feature - a landing system that let her take skydives like this and make it to the ground unharmed! To aid with this, along with some jet boosters in the mech's feet - was a pair of wings jutting out the back. They had a strange, angular design that almost made them look like doors - but, hey, she wasn't an aerodynamics engineer. If it worked, it worked.

Funny thing, her suit's yellow color scheme and those wings was what caused N.E.S.T. to christen her Agent Codename 'Bumblebee.' The name was a bit silly, but it was perfectly fitting since she was very silly!

"We're here." Called the pilot over the intercom. And, with a small smile - Bumblebee flipped down her helmet's wind visor and jumped out of the cargo hold.

While the landing was extremely smooth - Bumblebee unfortunately had to make the bulk of the journey on foot. The Destrons had far, far more advanced radar technology than anything the Cybertrons could cloak against. Each plane they had was worth their weight in gold, so it'd be a massive disaster if they lost even one.

Really, it was no biiiiiig worry... Her mech-suot has built in thrusters allowing her to move nearly 60 miles an hour, with an inbuilt GPS System meaning she didn't have to manually steer. There was even an option for her to essentially fast forward the journey, with in-built anesthetia to knock you out. The option she took, while the wind blowing on the few bits of skin left bare by her mech's design felt nice, it was also just... so boring. Burnt husks of buildings, roads, and vegetation that all looked the same.

–

The Destrons, though, were always two steps ahead.

A small, skeletal analysis drone called 'Frenzy' was basically created with the one purpose - to watch a specialized radar that could track Mechsuits. The ones the Destrons had, of course - Make sure none of their colleagues went AWOL. But also it meant the Cybertrons'.

The alert was swiftly spread over the base - A full screen alert reading "Warning! An active, unrecognized N.B.E. signature was detected on the coast of California."

"I'm going to kill whoever that is!" Roared Bonecrusher, a short woman with a twisted mild. One quick to anger - who delighted in causing pain and suffering. The reason she joined the Destrons was solely to inflict as much of it as possible.

"No." Replied the Destrons' commander, Starscream. "Whoever it is would be much more useful to us alive. They more likely than not have some reason for stepping into a no-man's land."

Frenzy had already calculated, based on trajectory and speed, where the mystery guest might be heading and calculated a path to intercept. One that could be updated and changed on the fly, since they had control over most remaining radio frequencies.

The mindless robot's creator, Barricade, crossed her arms and nodded. "I shall move to intercept, my lord." She couldn't trust anyone else with her favorite pet. But, in all actually - she was the capable candidate. A smooth talker - The only Destron who could probably wring truthful information without torture.