Hot Rod was happy to see his old friends on Earth, he had honestly thought no other Cybertronian would be on the planet except for him and his crew. The Lost Light had left Cybertron while it was still peaceful and though things were tense, it was not so bad, last he checked. To hear from Cliffjumper how bad things had gotten after he and his crew left was very spark breaking. Vivian, his sweet little Mademoiselle stayed by his side to give him silent support as he received the news about Cybertron. They had returned to the farm and Hot Rod had directed them to the oversized barn, clicking a few buttons and the insides changed.
Nautica was as the humans say, an angel from above, whenever she was not flirting with her sparkmate Demolisher. After the Lost Light had crashed on Earth half a millennia ago it was little Archie and Ed who found them. Or rather stumbled on them while the two brothers were sneaking out of their overly luxurious home. Their parents were not amused but they were kind and told them how their ancestors had met Cybertronian Knights before. It had given Ultra Magnus hope, he had been close to giving up the mission but the relics and items the Witwickies had was proof they existed.
Cliffjumper, "Are you alright?"
Hot Rod, "I don't know what to say. Is the Allspark really gone?"
Bumblebee, -Not necessarily, we tracked it here to this planet.-
Hot Rod blinked, "A lot of Cybertronians and Cybertronian items seem to end up here."
Cliffjumper was amused, "Really?"
Hot Rod nodded, "A few years ago Cyclonus, found a Cybertronian cache filled with white Energon."
Bumblebee's optics widened, -What?-
Cliffjumper's mouth plate fell, "That's healing Energon. How in Primus name?"
Hot Rod, "Yeah, that was our reaction too. We stored it away in our ship obviously. Tailgate is in charge of keeping it safe along with Cyclonus"
Vivian muttered, "I hope they get together soon. Their mooning for each other is cute but it's getting frustrating lately."
Bumblebee, :So, this is love, hm hm hm hm ~:
Raph who had been listening quietly giggles at that, "I would like to meet your crew one day Hot Rod."
Hot Rod turned to the adorable red head, "I have no doubt they will love meeting you too little spark."
Sam was sitting next to Raph, "So any news from the rest of the team?"
Miles, "If they are coming they better get here early, there will be a really heavy snow storm tonight."
Hot Rod nodded, "Agreed, snow storms can be very harsh out here."
Bumblebee was alarmed, -Does it get that bad?-
Hot Rod, "Yes, as my crew can attest. It can be bad. Deepscrew was frozen solid when he ignored the human warnings and went off to patrol in the harsh weather."
Bumblebee looked at the screen which was connected to cameras around the large farm area and stared at the gently falling snow. It was hard for him to believe something that looks so harmless could be dangerous to them. Either way Cliffjumper seemed happy they had a proper base they could use instead of simply hiding and pretending to be an Earth vehicle. It had it's perks obviously but they were soldiers first, staying still for so long was not in their nature.
Miles, "Look on the bright side, you get to enjoy Christmas even though you can't do much in the storm."
Cliffjumper smiled at his enthusiastic charge, "Of course Miles. I would be lying if I said we were not curious about it."
Hot Rod laughed, "Humans love to party, they give my party obsessed brother Hotshot a run for his money."
Sam smiled listening to them it was good to hear more backstories about them, he had always been fond of Transformers, it did not change after he jumped Universes. Sam still loved them, but he would never tell them why or how, that was for him to know and from the looks on his cousin and friends faces, they love them too. At least the three who were currently inside this barn turned base, he didn't even know there was such a high tech building on this farm. It did explain the large size and why it was so far away from other farm areas in this district.
Bumblebee, :Whatcha thinking?:
Sam, "Me? Just thinking I like you three. I like you a lot."
Hot Rod, "Dawwwww, we like you all too."
Vivian, "Good to hear."
Miles, "You are looking forward to meeting the others too, aren't you?"
Sam, "You got that right."
Raph, "I bet they will be cool too. Just like you guys."
Bumblebee had to stop himself from picking up his young charges and cradling them close to his spark. They may be human but they were his human sparklings, age be damned, he was going to watch over them. As they were talking there was a knock and their mothers entered carrying dinner for them, reminding them to eat. Cliffjumper assured them they would ensure their charges ate on time but after the older ladies left, Vivian proposed they should eat early. She explained, if the new arrivals did arrive, they might land in the middle of the storm, the wind was starting to pick up.
Raph, "You are right, will they be alright?"
Hot Rod cooed at the young red head, "Don't worry little man, Optimus is the smartest Mech and leader I know. He will make sure his team reaches here safely. In the meantime, eat up, Bee, Cliff, help me set up the medical centre. You mentioned Ratchet was part of the group."
Bumblebee nodded, -Is Nautica around? She would be happy to see her Carrier again.-
Hot Rod gave an amused smile, "I'm afraid, she went into hibernation last month. She has been working non stop on decrypting a Cybertronian relic. I had to order her to rest. If I had known you all would be arriving, I would have waited and let Ratchet nag her instead."
Cliffjumper, "Oh, Ratchet is going to nag her anyway. You know how the Hatchet can be when it comes to his sparklings."
Bumblebee followed Hot Rod looking back at his charges who were settled at one of the human sized tables. Hot Rod's crew no doubt added it for their human partners, the yellow scout never thought the day will come when the arrogant aristocrat will end up having an organic partner. But then again the Witwickies seem to be part of the noble line, though they don't act like it or mention it, not even once when they were there. He shared glances with Cliffjumper who had similar thought while observing the young Lost Light Captain, he seems to have matured.
Raph, "Mom made her special Sumdac curry. Yay."
Vivian, "Nice, it goes well with Judy's criss cross bun."
Sam, "Hey Miles, is that your Dad's Christmas special loaf?"
Miles blinked, "Nope, it doesn't have cherry tomatoes, it's the Christmas weekly loaf, don't ask me why. All I know is that it's delicious."
Vivian, "Sam, do you know when Dani and Cody will arrive?"
Sam, "Tomorrow evening. Dani has her final test today. If she clears it, she is becoming a full fledged rescue worker."
Raph, "That is so cool."
Miles, "I knew it, she is the hero of the family."
Vivian chuckled as her cousins and his friends talked about everything that happened so far and their cousins who were coming over the next day. It will be a hectic day no doubt considering tomorrow would be Christmas Eve too and they would all be celebrating. Knowing Hot Rod for as long as she did he would pester the others into joining the celebrations, she was very curious about this Optimus Prime though. Hot Rod held him in high regard and respect which was very rare for him and her curiosity was now peaked.
Hot Rod, Cliffjumper and Bumblebee worked together clearing one of the largest buildings by the entrance and setting it up with medical equipment. Bee suspected the equipment belonged to Nautica which Hot Rod confirmed they did and not to worry, Nautica already gave him a list of who can use her equipment before she went to recharge. Ratchet was one of the few who were allowed access and use of her prized equipments and Bee was curious on seeing a human on the list. Hot Rod paused, the late human was Nautica's partner a very kind man with a knack for tinkering.
Bee, -What happened to him?-
Hot Rod, "Humans only live one vorn of our time Bee. He was already in his fourties when we met him. He passed away in his sleep a few years before Archie did."
Cliff, "Archie? You mean Archibald Witwicky?"
Hot Rod nodded, "Yes, ah, Bee, that goes there mate."
Bee, -Right.-
Before Cliffjumper could say anything else a perimeter alarm went off and the three rushed back to the main area. There on the screen were Autobot signatures five of them heading towards the farm. The humans slowly entered the main room looking at the screen curiously where the five signatures blinked. Hot Rod announced he would go meet them while the rest stayed at the base. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee started to protest but before Hot Rod said anything it was Sam who answered and stopped them. Primus bless the little guy.
Sam, "It's snowing our there. You are not fitted with the right gears yet."
Bumblebee, :I'm tough.:
Sam, "We know you are but look, the snow has become heavier. You are not used to driving through it yet. Please at least wait till we put some friction chains on your wheels okay?"
Cliffjumper, "Like the ones Hot Rod has? I thought he was into punk fashion."
Miles took out friction chains from one of the crates, "It does look that way, doesn't it? Now come on. The faster we put this on you the faster you can go out."
Hot Rod left the two with the humans and left to bring Optimus and his team to the base muttering about black ice. Though it was not fatal to them, the damages caused can still be very painful and severe. Bumblebee who heard the mutterings became alarmed and asked about the black ice which Sam and the others explained along with other driving problems that occure. Cliffjumper was quiet as Miles put the chains around his wheels while asking him if it was too tight or not.
Cliffjumper, "You humans sure have to deal with a lot of stuff, don't you?"
Miles, "That is an understatement big guy. I can confidently tell you every year many humans die because of natural disasters."
Bumblebee muttered, -And fragged up humans who think killing human sparklings is a good solution.-
Raph, "Sparklings? What's that?"
Sam, "Raph, did you understand what Bumblebee was saying just now?"
Raph, "Yeah, I did."
Cliffjumper, "He was speaking Cybertronian little one."
Raph, "Oh... I didn't realize."
Sam hummed, "You always did have a knack for picking up languages. How many did you take this year? Six?"
Raph flushed, "Well mom's family is Spanish so that's a given and Dad's English, Sanskrit I find interesting and Hiragana is... You are learning different languages too Sam. You as well Vivian, mastery in fifteen languages."
Vivian was helping Sam fit the chains, "That may be true but neither I nor Sam pick up language at the speed you do Raph. At your age I only mastered English and old Gaelic."
Sam, "And I just have four languages under my belt so far Raph."
Bumblebee, :You are a gift.:
Raph flushed and decided to just drop the subject, "I hope Hot Rod returns safely."
Cliffjumper eyed the flustered child and chuckled kindly, "Hot Rod is serious about safety. They will be fine. In fact, I think they are already here."
A green coloured Ambulance was the one to come first and he was basically hauling the rest of the group into the medicine bay that had been set up. Sam and the others watched wide eyed as the small Ambulance hauled a large truck, a fancy Chevy, the latest GMV pick up truck and three of the newest scooters that came out in the market. They could hear the Ambulance cursing up a storm as he dragged them to the medical bay and shut the door blocking the view. Sam almost laughed, almost, that sounded like something Ratchet would do and watching it was just hilarious.
Miles, "Hey Cliff, who was who?"
Cliffjumper, "The one in front was Ratchet, followed by Jazz and Ironhide. The three scooters were Arcee and finally our boss bot, Optimus Prime."
Sam, "You sure Optimus is the one in charge?"
Bumblebee looked at his charge who looked thoroughly amused, :He is the boss.:
Raph was skeptical, "Really? Cause Ratchet sure looked like he was the one in control."
Cliffjumper, "Medical officer. They are always the one in control if it's your health on the line and none of us had to deal with snow before."
Vivian, "Ah, where's Hot Rod? Thought he'd be back too."
Cliffjumper, "He went to inform your parents."
Hot Rod entered after a while with the three pairs of parents behind him. Sam's parents joined him and Vivian while Raph's parents sat next to him and Bumblebee. Miles parents made themselves comfortable on the couch and the three boys started to ask them questions. How long did they knew? Why didn't they say anything? Why weren't they told? The adults looked at each other then nodded before starting to explain everything to the kids. As it turns out every adult that belonged to the Witwiccans knew, and those who became trusted friends were brought in as well.
They suspected it when they noticed the similar Cybertronian symbol on the vehicles and how quick both vehicles were to look good as new. No human made car could look that good in a few days, no matter how much paint, wax or fixing you did after becoming very old. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee looked sheepish at that and the adults continued to explain they would have told the kids as they hit adulthood though now it was unnecessary to do so. After a while the new arrivals stepped inside the large main base with the largest bot looking happy to see Cliffjumper and Bumblebee.
Optimus, "Greetings I am Optimus Prime. Hot Rod had informed me about the situation and how the Witwickies have been helping him and his crew. Thank you."
Ron shook his head, "Ronald Witwicky, call me Ron, my lovely wife Judy our dear son, Sam and my sweet niece, Vivian. No need for thanks, it is a mutual relationship. Besides, they shared information about the planets of the solar system with the rest of the world."
Rad's eyes twinkled, "Bradley Darby, my lovely wife Sari and this adorable child is Raphael. What Ron is trying to say is, we are even, no one owes anyone nothing."
Dave nodded, "David Lancaster, call me Dave, my wife Katie and the one hanging on to your red coloured man is our son Miles. Your men kept our kids safe. If anything we are the ones who owe you now."
Sari nodded, "Hot Rod informed us about the fight that happened and how Bumblebee and Cliffjumper here kept you three safe."
Judy, "We can't thank you enough."
Katie, "Our kids are our whole world, you know?"
Optimus, "I understand but we need your help in return."
Ratchet spoke up, "Before we continue I want to give all five of you a check up. You were involved in a fight."
Raph, "Five? You mean us too?"
Ratchet, "Yes little one. Just in case."
Sam, "Okay, guess we won't have to go through the trouble of going to the hospital and come up with an excuse why."
Miles was about to protest but agreed after thinking about it though Bumblebee and Cliffjumper shrunk on themselves. Ratchet grumbled about how children had more sense then adult Mechs sometimes as he started to scan them. The female parental units watched with curious eyes and asked him questions which Ratchet answered with a lot of patience. Judy then mentioned setting up a meeting between him and the kids official Doctor so they can exchange notes, it would make things easier. Ratchet agreed to the meeting but it would be to possible after New Years as Dr Nate was back in Tranquility.
In the meantime Optimus introduced the others to them, Arcee getting curious looks but no one questioned it yet. Arcee though was asking Hot Rod about her younger sibling Tailgate which surprised Sam, he remembers in Transformers Prime they were partners not siblings. Guess different dimensions also created different bonds, he wondered what else was different and felt his fanboy feelings awaken at the prospect. Ratchet was soon checking Cliffjumper and Bumblebee while scolding them to be more careful. Optimus in the mean time had made himself comfortable next to Jazz and Ironhide who were observing everyone.
Optimus talked over the comm, "Well, what do think?"
Ironhide, "This group of humans can be trusted. They look like they will do anything for their sparklings."
Jazz agreed, "Yeah, and have you seen how the sparklings look at Cliff and Bee. Like they are next best thing second to Primus."
Optimus rumbled, "I thought the same. I only hope we can keep them safe."
Jazz got up announcing, "I'm going to ensure this base is secured tight."
Arcee, "I'll help."
Optimus turned to Sam and paused noticing the boy was already watching him, "Sam."
Sam perked up, "Yes?"
Optimus bent down, "The help I mentioned earlier, we require Archibald Witwicky's glasses."
Sam, "Okay."
Optimus, "I understand that the glasses are important.. Wait, just like that?"
Sam gave him a kind smile, "I have just met you but I can easily say, I trust you. So, yes, just like that. However there is a problem."
Ironhide, "What problem? Tell me, I'll deal with it."
Raph giggled, "It's not a person big guy."
Sam, "Look outside. The storm has picked up, we are going to be stuck here till it stops."
Ratchet took out a wrench, "Optimus Prime, do not even think about going out there. I just fixed the frozen Energon lines on your frames."
Optimus raised his servos, "No, of course not, Ratchet. I believe it will be safer to mobilize after the storm passes."
Miles nodded, "Yeah, so I was curious. Why do you need the glasses?"
Optimus, "That young Miles is a long story."
Rad grinned at them, "Seeing we are not going anywhere tonight, I say we have time for a story."
Optimus nodded agreeing with the blond haired man and just like in the first movie, Optimus projected images around them while telling the tale. Sam marvelled looking at Cybertron before the war, the movie had not added the colourful details, but that was a movie and this was reality. Then, Optimus explained the war, how it started and the role Megatron and he played in it. After that he explained how the Allspark had become important to everyone in Cybertron.
Their mothers gasped on learning how they lost their children, Raph cuddling closer to Bee while Miles hugged Cliff. Sam winced on seeing the broken bodies and understood the gravity of the situations, he was now worried about the future. He hoped he can find a way to save the Allspark. Optimus continued to explain the rest of the events with the cube being launched, Megatron going after it and crash landing on Earth. Then he showed how Archibald found it years ago and how the coordinates were on the glasses.
Ron hummed, "Dad was at the Arctic and I would not recommend going there during this season."
Hot Rod nodded, "Not unless you have someone who specializes in traveling through cold places with freezing snow and water."
Ratchet, "Perhaps we should research more."
Sam walked closer to Optimus and pat his leg or rather pedes in comfort, "Don't worry, Optimus, the glasses are safe at home. You will get them but just promise you will be careful."
Optimus rumbled smiling at the young human, "Of course Samuel, I will take your warnings to spark."
Sam, "It will be okay. We will help you. You are not alone. Also just call me Sam."
Optimus watched the young human who was younger then, even his youngest soldiers sit beside him and watch the others mingle among each other. Ratchet and Ironhide were also observing the young human and Ratchet commed that, he scanned and found he was excited to meet them. While the adults and the two boys had reservations Sam had no such qualms about being close to them for some reason. Ironhide though commed he could not figure out the child like the others, his eyes held secrets. Optimus placed his servos around Sam making the brunette smile brightly at him instead of flinching away like he had expected.
Optimus, 'Whatever he knows or is hiding, I have a feeling we will find out. How bad could it be? He is a child.'
[A. N.: Yay, they are on Earth.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
See you next year.]