|
|
Welcome to Earth
It was a beautiful
morning. The sun was blazing brightly in a cloudless blue sky, the air
was warm and clear, and the grass and trees around the newly constructed
Autobot city were a deep, rich emerald green. Despite his schedule, Optimus
Prime couldn't help stopping by the city's gate to admire the day's beauty.
Four years
we've been here. Barely a blink of an eye, and already it feels as much
like home as Cybertron does. More so, perhaps, he thought wryly. After
all, here we're in power, accepted. Here, it's the Decepticons who have
to run and hide.
Besides, how
long had it been since there'd been sunlight on Cybertron, anyway? The
planet had been wandering in space since before any living Transformer
could remember. And given our life spans, that is a VERY long time,
the Autobot leader mused.
The sound of
thrusters ripping through the atmosphere tore Prime out of his thoughts.
The war on Cybertron, though technically lost to the Decepticons, was in
reality a stalemate, able to advance no further on either side thanks to
lack of resources. Currently the war depended on control of Earth, and
the energy it could supply. For that reason, the Autobots were importing
new troops, from any of the Cybertronian resistance cells they could find.
Today's shuttle landing was bringing in a new load.
It didn't take
long for Prime to reach the shuttle landing area. There were, he reflected,
advantages to being a large truck. By the time the shuttle had completed
its landing, he was back in robot mode and waiting by the end of the stairway.
First off the
shuttle was a middle-sized blue and gray robot who moved with the caution
of an old veteran. With a mild shock, Prime realized that the approaching
Autobot was older even than Ironhide, a rare thing for their race.
"Name's Kup,
reporting for duty," the newcomer rasped, saluting.
"Nice to meet
you, Kup." Optimus returned the salute. There was a loud "thunk" from the
shuttle, followed by some muffled laughter.
Kup shook his
head. "Turbo-revvin' punks," he grumbled. There was a hint of amusement
in his voice, however.
Next came a
stream of Autobots culled from various resistance cells. They all introduced
themselves, but Prime found that he couldn't quite keep them separated.
The faces blurred into each other, and all he really noticed was how young
they were. Far too young.
Just then, a
flash of color drew his attention to the shuttle door once more. Optimus
blinked at what he saw there. Most Autobots had bright color schemes, but
none quite as vivid as the young bot stepping out onto the gangway. His
red, orange and yellow paint job made him look almost as if he was on fire.
Wide blue eyes
stared at everything around in wonder, as the young Autobot attempted to
take everything in at once. Inevitably, his lack of attention caught up
with him, and his foot missed a step, sending him tumbling to the ground.
At the bottom, a pink fembot tried to hide her laughter behind one hand,
while a much burlier green bot just rested his face in his palms.
Pushing himself
into a sitting position, the fallen robot looked up at his friends with
a grin. "Yeah, yeah. Stop laughing and help me up, Arcee."
Arcee did as
she was asked, still chuckling. As she grasped one of the offered hands,
she looked over her shoulder at her companion. "Come on, Springer, help
out here."
"I'm seriously
considering reporting in and saying I don't know you two," the green bot
retorted, but he moved to assist as well. Between the two of them, Arcee
and Springer managed to pull their friend off the ground and move towards
the edge of the landing field.
Upon seeing
Prime standing at the edge of the field, a look of complete embarrassment
crossed the red robot's face. Prime fought to hide his amusement as the
mortified trio saluted him.
"Uh, Springer,
reporting for duty, sir," Springer began. "We're resistance cell 14...
or what's left of it, anyway." His expression was grim, but his tone was
matter-of-fact. Prime nodded. For Transformers, death quickly became a
way of life.
"Arcee, sir,"
the pink robot added quietly.
"Uh... Hot Rod,"
the final member of the trio confessed. "Sir. I'm not usually so clumsy,
it's just that..."
"It's a lot
to take in at once," Prime finished understandingly. "It's very different
from Cybertron."
Hot Rod nodded
excitedly. "Yeah! All the plants-- I've never seen anything like them before!"
Springer rolled
his eyes, but said nothing.
"It's a beautiful
planet," Optimus agreed.
"Yeah." Hot
Rod's tone was suddenly a bit more subdued. "I just hope we don't destroy
it the way we have Cybertron."
The Autobot
leader nodded. "Indeed. Why don't the three of you head in to the city
and get processed. It'll take you a while to settle in."
The three younger
bots saluted once more. "Yes sir!" Then the three of them headed off to
the city, Hot Rod's companions teasing him unmercifully as they went.
"They're your
problem now, thank goodness." A voice from behind made Prime look over
his shoulder. A blue and white robot of about his own height was watching
the retreating trio with an amused expression.
"Magnus. Good
to see you again," Prime smiled. "It's been a long time."
"Too long,"
his friend agreed. "It's nice to hand this crew over to you and just be
a soldier again. The Terrible Trio are YOUR responsibility now, and I'm
glad of it."
If he'd been
human, Optimus would have arched an eyebrow. "The Terrible Trio?"
"That's what
they call them," Ultra Magnus confirmed.
"The Decepticons?"
"Their commanders.
The three of them are enough to drive you up the nearest wall."
Optimus chuckled
slightly. "They seem a little energetic, I suppose, but they weren't that
bad." Turning, the two Autobots began to head back towards the city.
"They're not
bad," Magnus agreed. "They're excellent soldiers, and they never disobey
orders. It's just... Well, alone, they're all right. Springer is... SLIGHLY
insubordinate, although it's mainly confined to a lot of smart remarks.
Arcee just does what she does, and that's pretty much the end of the matter.
Hot Rod, on the other hand, has enough energy to power half the Autobot
army. I have no idea where he gets it, considering what resistance cells
usually live on. He's constantly moving, and has a tendency to get in over
his head. Then he promptly gets himself out again. He's got no discipline
or sense of decorum, and I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful time
trying to keep him from getting killed. And with the three of them together,
the effect only gets worse."
Optimus laughed.
"Sounds like fun. I think this is the beginning of something very interesting."
The sun glinted
off Autobot City as the two made their way back home.