A New Dawn - Transformers Prime (4)

Chapter Twenty-Four

[Arcee]

  "Everything's turning up empty again," Ratchet grumbled, saying the same sentence for maybe the millionth time. The base was empty, reminding me of the very first one we had and to the time before we met the kids. While Raf had been here constantly to help Ratchet, he'd gone home for the day an hour ago. Miko and Jack usually popped in and out throughout the day, and Finn visited once or twice a day. Amanda never came though, and I wanted to reach out to her, but was urged against it by Jack.

  "She's going through something right now, Arcee. Let us take care of it. There's a lot of pressure on her, and I don't think being talked to by an Autobot will help... no offense and all."

  But without a single hit on Tempest over the course of two weeks, things were getting dull. There was still a lot of work to be done on Cybertron, and I think all three of us Autobots still here were itching to head back. It was fun and all to see the kids again, and drive around the town, there was still work to do.

  "Ratchet, I don't know if we're any help at this point," Bulkhead admitted, interrupting my thoughts, and I nodded as the wrecker voiced my own thoughts.

  Bumblebee shrugged. "But what if something comes up? You guys remember Tempest from the war, she was ruthless and unpredictable. Maybe she wants our guards down."

  "Tempest was all over the place, but she was also commanded by Megatron," I said. "She's on her own now, which means everything we might think we know about her is out the window. We've never faced her acting on her own command."

  We all fell silent before Ratchet spoke again.

  "The question is, what is she after?" He said. "We know she wants to take Earth, but how does she intend to do so?"

  This time, instead of falling silent, an alert from the base's computers filled our ears. Ratchet immediately spun around, typing away rapidly.

  "Scans are picking up three Cybertronians on the move in Siberia," He said.

  "Can you tell if they're normal or tiny?" Bulkhead asked.

  The medic shook his head. "No just that they are moving rapidly upon a research facility. Opening ground bridge to those coordina-" Another alarm cut him off, making us all frown.

  "What is it this time?" I asked.

  "In the Congo," Ratchet informed us. "Four more Cybertronians in the same location as another research facility. You'll have to split up and-" One more alarm interrupted him again.

  "Okay, this isn't good," Bulkhead said.

  "Ratchet, we're going to have to send each of us to a different location," I said, making the call. He nodded, when another alarm went off.

  "Now this isn't good," Bumblebee muttered.

  "How fast can we get reinforcements from Cybertron?" I demanded.

  Ratchet shook his head. "Not fast enough."

  "Then who's supposed to go to the last one?" Bulkhead asked.

  "Contact Amanda," I blurted before I even noticed.

  Still, Ratchet nodded. "I will. Now, first bridge to Siberia. Go."

[Amanda]

  All five of us spilled out of my Jeep, and I hit the ground striding to Ratchet, who was standing at the main computers of the base. When he had called me, Finn, Miko, Jack, Raf and I had been in the middle of an argument about who had made the best milkshakes in Fernley. Though I did a slightly petty move and let it ring for a bit, I'd immediately acted when the medic informed me of what happened.