The Next Generation

Prologue: Not on Cybertron

Optimus was flying to his death, down the Well of Allsparks, ready and willing to give his life so that Cybertron could finally thrive once more.

Behind him, his engines stopped and he let gravity do the work, pulling him down. His enlarged frame nearly scrapped the edges of the Well, but he would not let the constriction deter him. He had a job to do. A job that would ensure the future of his homeworld and the mecha who had been in exodus for so long.

He could see the center of the planet from here, the glowing light that would soon explode with life. And that was okay. He was ready to finally be at peace. His job was done. Optimus offlined his optics and waited for impact.

The feeling of passing through such a powerful field of energy wasn't what he expected. His spark chamber opened, releasing the Allspark and his own spark into the collective energy of Primus.

This should have been the end.

But he was still falling.

Optimus onlined his optics in confusion and was immediately hit by a powerful gust of wind. It stung his optics and sent his armour flapping against his body like fabric. The bright metal that should have been melting his frame was gone, replaced with a dark tunnel devoid of cybermetal and light.

What? He was still alive?

Optimus tried to activate his jetpack again, but the controls were suddenly gone from his processor. He panicked for a moment, his optics widening in surprise. What was going on?

The seemingly bottomless pit beneath him suddenly brightened to an odd yellow color and Optimus slammed into it. Someone yelled loudly and the ground sunk inward beneath him, engulfing his frame in something soft and swishy— a consistency that wasn't normally found on a planet made of metal.

Optimus groaned and tried to get up, but just as he moved to push himself up, he felt something horrible in his arm. His armour was gone. He jumped to his pedes and stumbled forward, expecting to see exposed protoform on his arm, but instead he was greeted by human flesh. A quick glance down revealed that his entire frame was replaced with flesh and clothes.

"A human body," Optimus realized.

With those words, his chassis tightened and his body tensed. It felt like he was deep underwater, deep enough for the pressure to crush him. Except he wasn't underwater. Something was wrong.

"Kid, are you okay?"

Optimus whirled around and was faced by a short man with an incredibly round body. The man was wearing a yellow suit and it took Optimus a moment to realize that his fall had been broken by the human standing in front of him. Behind him was another, taller man with green hair and a sharp business suit.

"I'm fine," Optimus struggled to get the words out as his chassis tightened further. "What is going..." his voice trailed off, getting too quiet to be heard and Optimus tried to speak louder, but for some reason, it wasn't working. The edges of his vision darkened.

"He's not breathing," the green-haired man jumped forward and grabbed Optimus's shoulders. "Inhale. Inhale!"

Inhale? Optimus tried to remember if the kids had mentioned what that was. Hailing indoors? Hailing a cab? Maybe it was a food. No, wait, that's kale. Green stuff. Green, which was very different from the blackness taking over his optics and making him stumble further into the human's grasp.

Suddenly, a fist rammed into Optimus's midsection. He gasped and for a moment, his senses dimmed and he went offline. It lasted for only moments before he lurched up and took in another gulp of air. Breathing! What had seemed like a foreign concept seconds ago was now starting to make sense. Optimus found that the men had laid him down, but he rolled over onto his servos and knees, gasping and sucking in air before releasing it.

"There you go," the shorter, stouter man patted him on the back. "That was a bit unconventional, but good job Nighteye."

"And you, Fat Gum," Nighteye said as he knelt to Optimus's level.

Fat Gum nodded. "Hey, kid, when you feel well enough to speak, let me know if your back hurts."

"Why?" Nighteye asked.

"Not sure if my hand is wet or bloody," Fat Gum admitted. "It's too dark in here."

After a few more shaky breaths, Optimus picked his optics off the ground and looked at Nighteye and Fat Gum. "Are we on Earth?"

"Yes," he answered seriously. "Where specifically?"

"I don't know," Optimus stood up and looked around. They were standing at the bottom of a narrow tunnel that went straight down. The walls were made of blackened stones with green plants crawling skyward. "How did I get here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that," the man followed Optimus to his feet and continued to examine him. "Do you know your name?"

"Yes, I am Optimus Prime," Optimus turned to the man. "How did you find me in this enclosed space?"

Nighteye raised his chin thoughtfully. "I saw Fat Gum's near future, which included you falling through this well. We came down and he caught you just in time."

He saw someone's future?

"More importantly, how do you feel?" Fat Gum questioned. "Are you in any pain?"

"No, I'm fine," Optimus assured him.

"Alright," Fat Gum accepted it. "Then let's get you out of here, Prime."

Optimus looked up the well and frowned.

What was going on?

He decided to keep silent and observe, which the two humans seemed fine with as they led him toward a rope. Nighteye went up first and then Fat Gum grabbed Optimus and held the rope. It wasn't long before it began to lift and the two of them rose toward the surface. The light blinded Optimus at first and he waited for his optics to adjust. Above them, a small group of people were pulling the rope.

Fat Gum helped Optimus up and then climbed out of the well himself.

"What is that?" Nighteye dropped the rope and approached Optimus.

"Blue blood," Fat Gum examined Optimus's back. "Suneater, call an ambulance."

"I have to talk to them," a cloaked teenager whimpered before pulling out a phone. The blonde kid next to him smiled brightly and patted his back encouragingly.

Optimus pulled away from the two men. "Where are we?"

"Dahra City," Nighteye answered.

"No," Optimus looked around. "What country?"

"Japan?" Fat Gum frowned. "Why? Where were you last?"

Optimus looked down at his servos— no, his hands. The answer was simple, and yet so very complicated.

And it most certainly wasn't on Earth.