Transformers: Technorganic

"normal"

bond/thoughts

radio

::comm::

A/N: Okay, this really needed a massive overhaul/edit, so guess what this week's project was? I didn't expect to update it, but when I went back to read it, I realized that Riella's character had undergone some major changes since I first wrote this. Also, I've gotten better at writing since this story. When it was first written, Riella was a borderline self-insert. Some people can write those well; I can't. Thus, in the interests of continuity and having my best writing available on-site, all chapters have been edited, some pretty significantly. The Riella in this story is now a much closer match for the Riella who appears in "Diabolus Ex Machina" and the last few chapters of "Operation Earth". In addition, I added a whole new chapter ("Hold Your Ground") between chapters 12 and 13. The storyline is roughly the same, but diverges more from the movie and focuses more on Riella and Prowl's thoughts and characters. "Expecting the Unexpected" has already been edited, and "Operation Earth" is up next, so keep an eye open for changes to those as well.

And now that my ridiculously long author's note is finished, on with the story!

Chapter 1: Message

Before time began, there was the Cube. We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life. That was how our race was born. For a time, we lived in harmony, but like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil. And so began the war - a war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death, and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home, searching every star, every world. And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called Earth. But we were already too late…

Present Day: Earth

For once, Tranquility, Nevada was living up to its name. The nighttime silence was broken only by crickets and the occasional car engine on main roads. It was, to the relief of the two figures in a shadowy back alley, almost the perfect night for stealth activity.

Stepping carefully out of the shadows, the young woman made her way quickly away from the buildings and up a slight hill. She was tall for a woman, a fact accentuated by her heeled motorcycle boots, and wore a leather jacket, long pants, and gloves that left her face and blond hair the only visible part of her skin even though it was a warm night. Her blue-green eyes practically seemed to glow in the semidarkness, highlighting the fact that her eyebrows curved slightly upward instead of down.

When she reached the top of the hill, she stepped out of the dim glow of the streetlights again. Standing in the shadows, she waited for a few seconds, then touched a finger lightly against the side of her head, muttering, "Blasted signal. Do you read?" She tilted her head a bit, listening to the inaudible response, then said softly, "Acknowledged. What is your location?" She listened again for a bit longer. "Copy that. I'm sending you the coordinates of a junkyard approximately halfway between our locations. Meet us there in half a standard hour."

She listened again, then turned and walked back down the hill briskly, blond ponytail swinging behind her. On the road below, almost hidden in the shadow of a building, was a sleek black and gold motorcycle. She went straight to it, swung one leg over the seat, and rested her hands on the handlebars, tapping her finger lightly against the metal.

The motorcycle rumbled to life immediately, its engine quieter than most. It pulled out of the shadows and headed onto the main road, taking the turns with the confidence of a driver who knew exactly where to go. The young woman didn't speak again until they arrived outside a metal fence surrounding a junkyard, then she stepped off the motorcycle. She looked around, then removed a small object from under her jacket and flipped a switch on it. She looked at it for a moment before glancing down and nodding once at her bike.

The motorcycle's engine rumbled and clicked as it began shifting and changing shape. A moment later, it rose off the ground and stood up, no longer a motorcycle but a sixteen-foot-tall black and gold robot. Reaching down with one large hand, it lifted the woman onto its shoulder, then carefully stepped over the fence and set her down. The two made their way to a small rise near the center of the junkyard, where the robot settled into a sitting position. The woman climbed up onto its leg and sat down. From a distance, neither would be particularly noticeable among all the metal in the area; one reason why they'd chosen a junkyard as their meeting place.

The robot bent down slightly so that its face was close to the woman's before speaking, almost inaudibly. "Riella, is everything alright? I know you're not used to being on organic planets anymore. You seem…uncomfortable." Its voice was metallic, but distinctly masculine.

Riella responded just as quietly. "I'm fine, Prowl. Remember that discussion we had about this. Organic planets mean very little to me anymore. I'm as capable of completing this mission as you."

"Of course." Prowl nodded and rested his hand lightly on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to imply that you were incapable. You are on edge; I simply wondered why."

"I understand." Riella relaxed into the touch. "I can honestly say the discomfort comes mostly from unfamiliarity. Being in organic mode exclusively is quite an adjustment. For both of us, I'm sure."

"Fair point." Prowl chuckled softly, then straightened up at the sound of a car engine. Incoming, he added over the bond. Riella smiled. After so long alone, it wasn't easy to remember that with others around they had to actually talk.

Riella slid off Prowl's knee and climbed to the top of the rise, as Prowl stood up behind her. They watched as the battered yellow Camaro drove through the gates and up to them, then transformed into a robot slightly taller than Prowl. Riella smiled up at it and rested a hand on one of its knees, the only thing she could reach from her current height. "Good to see you again, Bee."

Bumblebee looked down at her, faceplates curving into a smile, and a response played softly from his radio. Hello to you too. Riella didn't recognize the sound clip, but it got the point across.

"So, you made contact with him, and located the coordinates to the AllSpark?" Prowl got right to the issue at hand.

Bumblebee made a slight chirping noise, and nodded.

"Well, we need to transmit the message, then." Riella, can you keep the scanner running? Galaxy-wide message will be easy to spot.

"Affirmative", Riella said dryly, adding Remember Bee can't hear you this way, as she took out the device from her jacket again. The two robots began transmitting data into a galaxy-wide comm message. ::AllSpark located. Autobots follow coordinates to planet Earth.::

As they transmitted, Riella turned on her scanner, checking to ensure they were still alone. She registered two dogs, probably guards, several humans too far away to be a threat - and then one human, far closer.

"Bee!" she hissed. "The human you were supposed to be watching..."

All three turned to look. Just behind a pile of scrap metal, a young human male was crouching, frantically whispering into a cellphone. When he saw that they had noticed him, he dropped the phone and started backing away...then bolted as the two junkyard dogs pulled free of their restraints and chased after him.

Prowl rattled off a basic plan he'd probably been waiting months to use. "Bumblebee, divide and conquer. Holoform time. Bring him home if you can, but do not break cover. Contact us again after you do that. Riella, help me finish sending the message. We need another ten minutes of transmission at least."

Bumblebee acknowledged and sped off. Riella moved over to Prowl's side and placed a hand on his leg, channeling the message into her comm system and taking Bumblebee's place in the message transferal.

When the message had been completed, Prowl transformed back to his motorcycle mode. Riella swung her leg over the seat easily, and the two left the junkyard as quietly as possible, heading back toward the outskirts of the city.