"The Cataclysm"

Part 2

The space bridge opened with a low hum, electricity cracking through the air. Quiet footsteps came through, echoing softly against the walls of the room. "These autobots keep getting more and more pathetic." The stranger's voice was irritated, but had patterns of amusement as well.

Ravage rumbled in greeting, drawing Soundwave from the diagnostics he was running on the decepticon firewalls. The feline-shaped cassette uncurled from his spot up high on the desk, beside his master, red optics glinting in the artificial lighting of their den. Soundwave, without turning to address the approaching mech, said, "Mission success?"

"Mission successful," Was the stranger's answer, low and harsh sounding. "your birds were excellent, they did everything they were supposed to flawlessly."

Soundwave finished tapping in the systems security codes and turned smoothly to his charge, and noted immediately that the mech, as usual, was bathed in the glowing energon of his prey. Of average height, perhaps even short, with stream-lined armor the color of the deep ocean and streaked with the silver welds of old scars. Upon seeing the mess the young mech was leaving on the floor, Soundwave activated a drone's pick-up protocol through a communication link.

Soundwave paid no mind to the little drone as it scurried out into the open. He was observing the filthy mech and his aerial cassettes, one perched on each shoulder and almost as dirty. Accessing the symbiote bond, Soundwave downloaded the data pack the two had collected on their mission. Lazerbeak shifted, a subtle gesture that Soundwave understood. Without a word, he raised his arm, offering a perch. Lazerbeak took flight at once, gliding to his master. He landed lightly with a ruffle of metallic feathers, huffing, "You always say that after every mission!"

Soundwave noted that Buzzsaw remained where she was, fluffed and preening at the praise. She had always been fond of the young mech. "Don't you like the feeling of being appreciated?" She chirped.

Lazerbeak decided not to answer, his annoyance clear through their bond. Soundwave lifted his free hand to absently stroke the cassette's back. Lazerbeak leaned into it with a low twitter of affection. Sifting through the intel they had gathered, Soundwave became silent.

"I can stop if you want me to," The other mech said, motioning with one hand, "next time Ravage can come with me." The feline yawned in response, but Soundwave could feel his interest peak at the suggestion. It had been a long time since he'd been outside of the den. "Or Rumble and Frenzy," he kept talking, "whoever Soundwave chooses."

Now the other bird was irritated. Buzzsaw squinted at her perch, "You would replace me?" Her tone was sharp with warning.

"Not willingly," He covered smoothly, dispelling her tension, "but all of you deserve to go out."

Buzzsaw agreed reluctantly. She could never stay angry with him. Ever since the first time the three of them had been sent to Earth to do some recon on the autobot territory, she'd been attached to him. Lazerbeak thought it was because of the mech's artistic ways with disposing autobots. Buzzsaw was among the more brutal of Soundwave's cassettes, so he found this believable.

The femme cassette shifted on the mech's shoulder, pulling a foot up against her belly in mockery of the earth birds. She settled back into her fluffed, content state.

"Negative," Soundwave said as he finished looking through the data. After extensively analyzing the mission, and concluding the offline autobot's identity, he turned fully to face them. "Rumble and Frenzy in medical stasis for upgrades. Ravage designed strictly for scouting. Buzzsaw, return." A mild look of disappointment on both of their faces, but his command was quickly obeyed. Lifting gracefully from the other's shoulder, she swooped soundlessly across the room to Soundwave's chest. Transforming down into her cassette form, she fit neatly into her compartment in his armor. She fell immediately into recharge.

Without being told, Lazerbeak followed, eager to rest after their mission. The weight of his symbiotes was a great comfort, though Soundwave would never let it be known.

"Hazard," Soundwave began. The mech focused completely on him. Soundwave was pleased by the mech's attentiveness. He had always been respectful, and so far entirely loyal to them despite his lineage. "Report mission success to Lord Megatron, terminated autobot by designation Powerglide. You have secured physical evidence of termination?"

"I have," Hazard said with a respectful bow of his head. He left then, leaving the den to carry out his orders and trailing autobot gore behind him.

Earth's sky had to be among the most colorful Optimus had seen.

This morning an entire palette of bright colors were striped across the dark sky. It had rained heavily sometime last night, and the dark clouds were a perfect obstacle for the sunlight to play over. It was peaceful, the air smelled like rain and life.

And death.

Optimus' tanks turned when they reached the escape pod, still smoking from impact though it had already been ripped apart...from the outside. He knew before he even saw the full extent of the damage that the new arrival was offline. They were too late, yet again.

How terrible it was to see such a beautiful morning ruined by the offlining of an autobot. The clearing was complete carnage. Energon and parts strewn across the earth, still glowing. Still warm. Perhaps if they'd gotten here a few minutes sooner, the mech would still be alive.

Optimus knelt in the center of it all, beside the dismembered body. Limbs hacked away. Chest plates blown to pieces by a firearm, the spark casing wrenched from inside and no where to be found. Head, missing. No. There. Mounted on the top of the damaged pod, like some kind of hood ornament. Optics dark, mouth gaping and the autobot badge scraped from the helm.

"Powerglide." Optimus' voice was much steadier than his spark, or even his processor.

Ironhide raged. He swung back a heavy foot and punted part of the pod so hard it disappeared into the tree line. "Fragging decepticons! I'll crush them all!"

The others were in various stages of anger and grief. Ratchet was beside the body, resting a hand soothingly over the offline mech's chest. "This makes four. Four we've lost in the last five years."

Every autobot that had come down to earth in that time, slain in the exact same manner. Pulled to pieces with different tools or weapons. Head mounted on a pike of some sort and spark missing, taken like a trophy. Anyone and everyone that had tried to reach them offline before they could even set foot outside of their pod.

Primus. What creature could do this? Decepticons were capable of anything, but how was it possible that this one beat them every time? How did he always know exactly when and where the new arrival would land?

Optimus stood to approach the pod. He took Powerglide's head from the ship's point and carried it gingerly back to the body, placing it upon the chest. He squatted down, bowing his head and shuttering his optics as he murmured a soft prayer to Primus. Partially to ask that the aerial arrived quickly to the Well, and partially to ask him to give them retribution.

"This is gettin' outta control!" Jazz cursed the decepticons violently, pacing through the brush. "Optimus, somethin' has to be done!"

"Its been out of control, but I agree," Prowl muttered, "we can't keep calling our soldiers home if Megatron destroys them as soon as they land."

Optimus stood up again. The words of his officers echoed in his suddenly blank processor. He stood over the mangled corpse of the aerial, trying to think.

Ironhide, still shaking in his rage, said, "We need to recruit another rescue unit, someone quick but strong enough to kick some decepticon aft. We're still expecting more autobots this month."

Optimus nearly flinched, thoughts immediately turning to their old rescue unit. A family. Small, quick, powerful and highly effective. He remembered the pair, bond mates. One, autobot blue, the other decepticon red. He couldn't stop himself from looking at the first bond he'd ever made, stretched into an endless wasteland, black and frigid with death. His adopted creation, before he bonded with Elita and before his son was sparked. The first to know his spark.

The first time his spark had shattered.

Optimus tried to turn away before he lost himself in grief. He rarely allowed himself to slip back into the past, but it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the fact that autobots were still dying. Sometimes he couldn't stop himself from remembering the small stretch of peace before, when times were better.

Their rescue unit was gone. She was offline and her mate was a thin husk of the mech he once was. None of them had heard from him or the sparkling since they left years ago. Jolt. Sundance. He thought about them often. Sundance crossed his processor every day.

Sundance.

A small hope bloomed inside of him, and he was finally able to pull his optics away from the empty bond. It was highly unlikely that Jolt would return to them, but Sundance...she was her mother's sparkling. She was quick, an aerial that could slice across the sky at break-neck speed since the day she got her wings. She must be strong. They had all imagined that she would grow into something powerful and predatory. Optimus imagined that Sundance would be more than enough to find and guard autobots until the rest of them arrived.

Outside of his thoughts, his officers were discussing a list of eligible autobots. "Ghost would be an appropriate member-"

"Pits, Prowl! No one likes tha femme! She's cold as ice!"

"Wheeljack?"

"NO."

"Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are fast and strong enough-"

"But they lack respect, and adequate medical skills."

"Well if medical skills are what you're looking for, we're fragged. The only ones of notable skill are Ratchet and Wheeljack."

"Not Wheeljack!"

Optimus turned his gaze to them as the calm suggestions turned into a heated debate. He said, "None of them would be fast enough. The only way to reach new arrivals in time would be by an aerial's wings."

"Jetfire?! He's too old and senile!" Ratchet scoffed.

"No, not Jetfire."

"Then who? He's our only aerial." Prowl's face plates twisted into an expression of concern, "Sir, what are you thinking?"

Optimus looked at them each, before his optics settled on Ratchet. "Sundance." His voice was soft, a whisper that was almost inaudible. Still, they heard, and they reacted. Ratchet was stunned, a completely blank look taking over his expression while Ironhide considered it. Prowl arrived on earth after Sundance had taken her remaining parent away from base, and had not known either of them. Still, he appeared curious.

Jazz responded first, "'Dance? Would she even...?"

"No ones heard from her in an age, Optimus," Ratchet shook himself out of his shock to narrow his optics at him, "and the way she left...how do we know she won't turn us away when we enter her territory?"

"We don't. Sundance is by far our best and possibly only option. She has always been swift, and her senses have always been as sharp as her creator's." Optimus looked back down at Powerglide, "this is a risk we must take if we want this tragedy to stop here."

"The boss has got a point," Jazz said, "whas the worst she can do ta us?"

"Nothing we haven't seen before," Ratchet nodded slowly. "It would be wise if some of us stayed behind. The less, the better, to appear less threatening."

"You make it sound like she won't be welcoming," Ironhide said, pale blue optics narrowing to suspicious slits, "Sundance knows us, pits we've been watching over her since she was created."

"Sundance has also changed," Ratchet pointed a finger at him, "and you would do well to remember that. That entire family has been torn apart, and its a work of Primus that her or her mech creator survived. She could be highly unstable."

Ironhide made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Yeah, yeah."

Optimus nodded with finality, "We will go to the junk yard after we have seen to Powerglide."

Megatron could feel it when Hazard stepped into the room.

The drones paused in their consistent tapping over keys, optics turning away from the rows of monitors to stare. They all knew what the young abomination was, a half breed, a sinful union of factions and very clearly having more enemy traits than decepticon ones. His armor. His stance. Even his color, an autobot blue muted a few shades to appear black at first glance. It unsettled the drones.

Or, perhaps, it was the energon dripping down his frame.

If there was one color Hazard loved to wear, it was the stain of his enemy's life.

Megatron turned slowly to address the mech, giving a subtle raise of his optic ridges at the mess the younger was tracking all over his floor. Hazard stopped a respectful distance away, at the bottom of the stair way and well below Megatron's head. A sign of submission. Hazard fisted a hand on his chest and bowed deeply, visor averted. More energon ran down to pool at his feet.

Megatron took one look at the mech, and said, "I see you've come back successful, Hazard, unless your prowess has failed you."

"Negative, my lord," Hazard said, straightening only when he knew Megatron was addressing him. He lowered his arm, "Soundwave's training is solid. The autobot designated Powerglide met his end this hour. I bring you another spark to add to your collection." The spark casing was produced, held out towards him like an underling making an offering to his god.

"You do me proud, Hazard." Indeed, he did. Hazard was such a massive improvement from Megatron's previous little abomination. She had been a failure of the worst kind, and her betrayal still ached within him as an open wound. So much had been invested in her, and so much lost with only a dead, cold bond to show for it.

This one was different. Megatron knew the look of complete devotion in his subjects' optics. He knew when he had a loyal soldier, such as Soundwave, and when he had a useless glitch of a mech, such as Starscream. Hazard happened to be the former.

"I am proud to still be of service," Hazard's tongue was smoother than his rugged voice, often considered his greatest weapon. It was a wonder how a sparkling raised by Soundwave came to be so talented with words.

Megatron approached him, stepping down the stairs. Hazard remained as he was, bowing his head once more when they were on the same level. Submission, not cowardice. A quality Megatron wanted in all of his soldiers. Plucking the dead spark from his open hand, Megatron examined it. It was remarkably clean, undamaged other than a few nicks on the edge. Hazard was always very careful with the spark so not to damage it, preferring to offline his victims through energon-loss, shock and terror.

"Has Soundwave located the autobot base?" Megatron closed his claws over the casing, holding it gently like it was the most precious of treasures.

"No, my lord, but you will be informed first when he does."

"Good." Megatron looked the mech over, checking for injuries. There was nothing marring his armor but the scars of his training he'd taken when he was younger. "Did the autobot fight?"

He couldn't see past the mech's black visor, there to hide the true color of his optics, so he couldn't see the mech's gaze. Megatron imagined that they were bright, though. "He tried."

Megatron grinned. Yes, Hazard was more of a decepticon than she had ever been. He had already offlined four autobots, doing more for their cause in five years than Demona had done in the first century of her existence.

Dismissing the mech from the control room, Megatron mused over recent events. The tables were turning. Soon the autobots would be in their grasp, writhing and begging for mercy.

So very soon.

Sundance had claimed Gears' junkyard as her territory, and from the looks of it, had completely neglected to take care of it. The once wide, smooth gravel drive was now narrow and riddled with weeds. Tall stalks of vegetation grew around the piles of discarded machinery left to rust. A few more additions had been made, some school buses that had been retired here before Gears' death several years ago.

Ratchet observed all of this, third and final member of their group. He trailed behind Optimus and Ironhide, optics scanning the unkempt yard. He scoffed at it. Gears would never have let it get this overgrown. A junk yard it may have been, but the woman had always made it a point to keep it clean and manicured.

Overall, the territory was clearly unwelcoming. Aside a few deep claw marks that scarily resembled dinobot tracks, the dirt was settled in a smooth layer that hadn't been disturbed in some time. There was no tire tracks. No human foot prints. No one had been here in years. The other mechs came to the same conclusion. A tension settled over the three autobots as they tread carefully through the stacks of vehicles. They all felt uncertain about this.

"Do you see her?" Optimus asked quietly, voice barely above a whisper like he was trying to keep from waking a terrible monster.

"No." Ironhide's pale optics were squinted as he carefully looked for any signs of the femme.

A voice drifted down to them from up high, "Who dares set foot in my domain?" They all whirled around to face the speaker. Ironhide's cannons spun to life.

The voice was undeniably female, undeniably threatening. Optimus was the first to spot her, perching high on a mountain of debris. His optics widened. "Sundance?"

Far out of reach, the femme lounged like a gargoyle on a tower at the rusty peak, red, red optics glaring down at them with the distinct glint of caution. She was massive, with elegantly curled horns crowning her helm proudly. Her head was held high on a serpentine neck, poised like a swan's. Colossal wings were folded neatly against her back.

Her gaze was guarded as she observed them. Ratchet stared openly at her, trying to make sense of the massive beast the small sparkling had grown into. The last he'd seen her, she was tiny and spark-broken. Now she was as long as the biggest aerials from nose to tail, and regal as a queen. "Optimus." She greeted, tone still edged with warning as if they were unwanted strangers.

Ironhide pushed forward, glaring up at her, "Where have you been?!"

"Here." She said.

"Primus, you've grown," Ratchet said softly. His voice hardened then, and he raised a hand to point at her, "Why haven't I seen you? You've missed every appointment made to go to the med bay-"

"I have no interest in pointless chatter." She interrupted, "you must want something if you've come this far from base. Speak quickly."

Primus, the nerve. Ratchet vented in annoyance. She was nothing like the Sundance he knew, and he could only blame the decepticons for destroying her spark...and her remaining parent for letting her grow up isolated and angry. Jolt. A sudden sadness threatened to consume him as he thought of his student. If only Jolt had realized he still had someone left, if only he'd been able to pull through it and comfort his sparkling...

"We've come to ask for your help," Optimus said, "we are in need of a rescue unit, and you are the only autobot in our ranks qualified for the task."

"And what exactly qualifies me? I have no interest in joining a 'rescue unit'." Still as closed off as before. There was no warmth, no softness in her. It unsettled Ratchet further. She had been a sweet sparkling once, full of life and always seeking a trusted friend out for story-telling.

Optimus seemed at a loss for what to do. A strained edge started to take over his voice, "You are swift in the air and your olfactory senses are the finest here on earth. You are able to track and rescue wounded mechs effectively, and you are strong enough to fight if a decepticon tries to beat you to them."

"Flattering words." Sundance wasn't convinced.

Ratchet scoffed, "Whats happened to you, sparkling?! What have you become?"

"Ratchet," Optimus said softly, cutting him a cautioning look. Sundance's vivid gaze had already slid toward him, though, and now bore through his armor to his very spark. There was a glint in them now, like light reflecting off a dagger.

"What happened to me?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper, then suddenly it hardened. "I grew up." The slightest tensing in her shoulders and in a single smooth motion, she was standing to curve her neck down towards them. The sunlight caught her black, serrated dentals sharply, reflecting down into their optics.

But it was not her teeth Ratchet was looking at. It was her frame. Slender and long, almost too thin. Dusty plates of dull red armor seemed to hang loosely on an emaciated body, tendons and cables drawn taunt beneath. In some places, she was dis-proportioned, as if that part of her body never finished growing. And her armor. Rose red, but lacking the luster it used to have. Dull and almost faded in color, a reaction to low energon levels that was similar to the turning-blue of human skin when there wasn't enough oxygen cycling through.

It was very clear to him then that she had starved once or several times in her younger days. Sundance had consumed just enough to survive, and it had physically, and apparently emotionally, effected her.

Ratchet's spark squeezed. "Primus." He hesitated, analyzing the situation. The degeneration of her frame, the neglect on the junkyard, the clear absence of Jolt. Raising his voice, he demanded, "There must be something we can offer you. You're clearly not thriving here!"

"There is nothing you can offer me," She hissed through her dentals, red optics narrow slits. Her jagged wings opened, casting long shadows across them and blocking out the sun. A sharp flick of her head, motioning them to leave. "You have worn out your welcome here, mechs. Leave now or face my fire." Her voice steadily lowered until it bled into a long, rolling growl.

"You listen here, you little-" Ironhide started, tromping forward a step. His optics widened when she rose up, shifting her weight to her legs to raise her claw-shaped hands into the air. The energon blade on her tail whipped through the air while her lethal jaws opened and a roar shook the air around them. Her wings arced high, then swept down with a gust of wind that sent them staggering back a step.

The buses that made her throne groaned beneath her weight and suddenly she was landing in front of them, settling almost softly on feet armed with hook-like claws that could render the thickest armor useless. She turned herself to the side, showing them the intimidating length of her body. Longer than Optimus was tall, and every square inch of her covered in jagged, predacon-style armor.

"No," She said, her optics round with rage, "you will listen to me. No one sets foot in my territory and survives."

"Sundance," Optimus began, backing away another step. He motioned for Ratchet and Ironhide to follow. They did so, reluctantly, "we don't want to fight. We came here seeking your help, not your fury."

Her head lifted and she slowly shifted her weight into her front legs. Sundance's tail waved behind her, and Ratchet realized that they were all in strike range. Her answer was clear, and Ratchet, desperate and despaired by the savage change in the femme's behavior, scrambled for some sort of solution.

There must be something that would pacify her. Ratchet couldn't hope for her agreement to help them, it seemed she was far beyond helping anyone. Optimus' voice lowered, edged with a warning of his own, "Sundance. Youngling, don't do this."

"You want to fight?" Ironhide rumbled, squaring up. He pounded his fists together, sparks flying on impact, "lets see how tough you are now that you've grown into your big-bot armor."

Sundance's face plates twitched with annoyance. Her head whipped to his direction, face rearranging into a snarl. The elegant curve of her unnaturally thin neck captured Ratchet's attention, and suddenly he knew. Lunging forward a step in his excitement, Ratchet started, "Energon!"

Startled, Sundance swung her tail towards him with the intent to maim or even offline. Ratchet just barely managed to duck the gleaming energon blade, and stayed crouched low to the ground in a submissive posture. Her red optics seared into him and her dentals were now fully bared, but she was hesitating.

Seeing that he had her attention, Ratchet said, "We will trade you energon for your help."

She turned towards him suddenly like she was going to attack. Ratchet tensed but held his ground. Sundance said, "How much."

Ratchet studied her posture, and when he saw that she was more interested than threatened, he slowly relaxed. "As much as you want, youngling."

A moment of tense silence passed between them as she considered. Ratchet chanced a look at his companions. Optimus caught on, "We have been collecting energon from earths hidden mines for several human years. We have built up a great store of energon on base."

"I want a fourth of it." She said.

Ironhide sputtered, "A fraggin' fourth?!"

Sundance snarled at him, "A third, then."

Ratchet cut the mech a sharp look.

"After you've helped us safely retrieve new arrivals." Optimus swore, "You will be given enough to fully refuel before you leave to find them."

Sundance narrowed her optics at them, "And just who exactly will I be retrieving?"

The relief that flooded through the autobots was almost tangible. Ratchet finally straightened, though slowly so he didn't agitate the femme into attacking again. He fell quiet as Optimus told Sundance about the next expected arrivals. She listened, her posture threatening but still. Ratchet allowed himself to relax, feeling very much that they had, as the humans said, 'dodged a bullet'.

"Hazard," Buzzsaw sang, gliding down the dark, jagged hall of Megatron's war ship. Her optics were fixed on the solid mech walking quietly by himself, "Soundwave requests your presence."

The mech stopped, turning on one foot. His visor fell upon her, dark and emotionless. His lip plates pulled into a smile, though it wasn't a kind one. Nothing about this mech was kind. She'd seen what he did to his enemies, and it was poetry in motion. Hazard was so beautifully savage when he fought and offlined, it was almost a shame he couldn't slaughter all day.

"Then Hazard will answer," He said. She swooped lazily towards him to land lightly on his shoulder. Hazard raised a hand in offering and she happily pushed her head into his palm. His fingers stroked down the synthetic feathers on her back. She and the rest of Soundwave's symbiotes were the only ones he was ever gentle with, but he was especially fond of her. The knowledge always made her fluff with pride.

She was his favorite, and everyone knew it.

He changed directions and started towards the exit of the ship. "How was recharge?"

"Good enough," Buzzsaw said, twisting her beak into her wings to mock-preen. She'd spent so long in recon on Earth that she never quite got out of the habits of organic creatures. "I see you cleaned up. How long did it take this time?"

"Four earth hours," Hazard said, gesturing with a hand, "and thirty-three minutes. I had bits and pieces of Aerialbot down in my gears. It was annoying digging all of them out."

Buzzsaw hummed, "how long did you wear the energon of that pathetic autobot?" If the mech had his way, he'd be coated in the energon of his kills for days after it'd been spilled. Buzzsaw and Lazerbeak had remained in recharge for three to recover energy spent in keeping up with him on his hunt, so she supposed that he had cleaned up recently.

"Until Starscream complained about the stink and threatened to pester lord Megatron over it." Hazard approached the exit. The doors read his signature and slid open easily, and out they went. Buzzsaw lifted her head to gaze at planet Earth from their perch here on the moon. Her optics studied the swirling clouds, the shades of blue and green splattered across the surface.

"Not long then, I imagine." She turned her attention elsewhere, now looking at the mech's profile.

"Not long," Hazard confirmed. "I told him that if he didn't like the smell of autobot energon, I would happily replace it with his. He didn't have much to say after that."

Buzzsaw chortled. It was well known that none of Starscream's trine were fond of Hazard. Hazard had never fully accepted them as his superiors, either. It had always been amusing to Buzzsaw, how Hazard absolutely refused to bow down to anyone but Soundwave and Megatron. Outside of them, rank meant nothing to him. Second in command, general of the seekers, they were all just meaningless words to him.

It didn't seem to bother either, Megatron or Soundwave, that he had no respect for ranks. As long as he did his job.

Buzzsaw was content to stand on his shoulder and rest as Hazard approached Soundwave's den. She went about pulling all of her metal feathers straight as he set foot inside the cavernous den a ways from the war ship. She twittered fondly at her master when she felt how near he was through their bond.

Soundwave was at work, as always, his gaze on the screen and hands tapping silently on the keyboard. If she hadn't known him so well or felt the caress of acknowledgment in their bond, she would have said their entrance went unnoticed. Hazard respectfully waited to be addressed, all manners in the presence of the closest thing any of them had ever had to a parent.

Soundwave maintained his typing speed, visor reflecting the glow of the monitors. "Autobot escape pods in Earth's orbit. Hazard will locate and terminate any surviving autobots. Buzzsaw will accompany Hazard to monitor and ensure mission success."

Buzzsaw sat ruffled on the mech's shoulder, pride shining in her optics when she was once again chosen to accompany the mech. Her gaze shifted to Lazerbeak though, who was perched on Soundwave's shoulder and glaring back at them. "Are you too tired to enjoy the show, Lazerbeak?"

"I've seen enough of his shows for now," Lazerbeak rasped.

"Lazerbeak will lead a separate mission," Soundwave tapped in the final command before turning smoothly to face them when Hazard spoke up, his voice carrying a questioning note.

"You said escape pods. More than one autobot?"

"Affirmative. Locate and terminate any and all autobots on site. Command acknowledged?"

"Acknowledged," Hazard's voice became serious again, "just tell me where to go, Soundwave."

"Coordinates download in process."

Metal grated on metal with a sharp squeal when she shoved her claws under the door and forced it up. Not all the way-half of the rails were rusted out so it wasn't possible. It was just enough for her to squeeze in through if she folded her wings down close enough to her body. From there, it was a matter of belly-crawling and maneuvering through layers upon layers of debris that acted as walls of a nest. Walls that were specifically crafted for protection and to hold heat.

Sundance made her way to the center of the cluttered nest, sliding down on her front to the floor. She stood back up with a small shake, a feeble attempt to clear the grit from her joints. At the center of the hollow was a mech, propped up on a wall of softer materials. She stepped over his dusty legs and rested her head against his chest to listen to the soft hum of his systems. His spark was too pale and damaged to give off enough warmth to feel through his brittle armor.

Satisfied that there was no change in his condition, Sundance retrieved what cubes the autobots had given her to refuel with and set the majority of them aside for him before she carefully set up a transfusion. While keeping a close optic on the process, she drank the cube she had set aside for herself.

Ratchet had been up her aft about consuming each one she was given, but her creator needed it more than she did and she was more than conditioned to thrive under poor conditions. Once finished, she checked his vitals again.

Sundance then raised her own body temperature and nestled under his arm to warm his body. He was unresponsive, as always, and the silence was suffocating. Anything else would have felt wrong by now.

Sundance allowed her optics to close for a time, resting while she could before she took flight for the first time in years. The constant quiet of her home, once filled with the laughter of an entire family, followed her deep into recharge.

Hours before dusk she woke up inside of a toasty nest. She rested her head against her mech creator's chest once more to make sure he was still stable before she stood up and started to slink back out.

Once outside, Sundance climbed her throne of buses and fixed her optics on the horizon. The autobots contacted her with a ping, Prime's voice issuing coordinates and a gentle "good luck, youngling".

Sundance rumbled in acknowledgment before she launched from her perch and spiraled into the clouds.

Hazard held completely still, a lion in the brush with eyes on it's prey. Buzzsaw was crouched down on his shoulder, red optics watching the scene unfold with the same intensity.

"Do you see what I see?" She sang softly in his audial.

Hazard chuckled, watching as the stranger-unlike any autobot he'd ever seen or heard of- glided down in tight and efficent circles. She landed, moonlight glinting off of her jagged armor. She looked more decepticon than he did, but Hazard didn't dare hold his breath about it.

Buzzsaw shifted on her feet, nestling down on his armor with her metal feathers fluffed in mockery of a real bird. "The pods haven't landed yet." She whispered, "so she's not one of our targets."

"No." Hazard watched as the dragon quickly assessed her surroundings before finding a place to settle. He narrowed his eyes at this. Clearly, she wasn't concerned or a novice since she wasn't busy anxiously pacing. "Either the autobots have decided they care enough about their people to send a guard or its one of ours looking for an enemy spark to win Megatron's favor."

Buzzsaw kept her eyes on the stranger when the pods breached the atmosphere and came rushing towards them. They still had a few minutes before landing. Hazard glanced up at them, calculated the distance in his head, then returned his attention to the femme again who was also peering up at the pods with the most disinterested expression on her face.

The ground shook with impact as two pods, one noticeably bigger than the other, hit the ground. The femme stretched out in the grass below didn't so much as blink. Hazard made a note to keep an optic on her. There was something to be said about her complete calm, something dangerous and unpredictable. Buzzsaw tightened her talons on his shoulder plates, dragging his attention back to the pods when they opened with a low hiss.

Huge mechs climbed out- Buzzsaw hissed at the sight of them. "Dinobots."

"Slag," Hazard muttered.

They both leaned forward when the larger of the dinobots noticed the femme lounging in their midst and pivoted towards her with his body already tensed for battle. He spat out some demands at the femme, who ignored them with the same cool demeanor. When he stomped up to her, she finally spoke, though her voice was too soft and toneless to reach them. The mech paused briefly, before he swept out with a giant fist.

"This is going to get ugly." Hazard said under his breath.

"I'm not here for a fight," Sundance warned, "but if you start one with me I will end you."

The dinobot-grimlock- was as big of an aft as Sundance had heard. The earth shook violently beneath his weight as he closed in on her with full intent to trample. Sundance remained as she was, stretched out on her side.

She quietly assessed the situation, conserving every ounce of precious energy until the last second. Obviously, Grimlock was her priority since he was the biggest and the most aggressive. The other, who she couldn't name, was hanging back on the sidelines but alert to them. He could and would jump in as soon as things went south for the larger mech. Things were going to get messy fast.

And that was perfectly fine. Sundance smiled at the mech, lip plates lifting to show gleaming black dentals.

Grimlock closed the distance between them and Sundance unfurled like a rose in bloom. She slid past his fists like smoke, propelling herself off of the earth and around his body. Her claws rent through him. She cinched herself around the bulk of his body and spun her armor. Flames erupted through the gaps in the plates, melting the first layers of his protoform armor.

The mech stumbled, grappling for a hold on her but his fingers kept getting caught in her armor. He bellowed, the sound vibrating in the air. The call was answered by a second less impressive roar as the second mech leaped into the fray. Sundance swung her head out and caught his extended arm in her jaws. She clamped her dentals down then flung him clear across the field.

Grimlock seethed with fury, going as far as to throw himself down and roll in an attempt to crush her beneath his body weight. The grass caught on fire, rapidly spreading around them. Sundance grew light headed at the assault but held on. She bore down on his frame, determined to completely strip him of armor.

Her comm's pinged, Optimus' baritone filling her head. "Do we have confirmed landing?"

"Yes," Sundance snarled, "and if you want to keep your dinobots online, I'd suggest you get down here before I tear out their sparks."

She dropped the link before he could respond, rearranging her body across his back so she had access to his neck. Sinking her claws into the armor there, she forced it back and unleashed a stream of fire on the bare spot.

The smaller mech returned with renewed energy, shouting obscenities at her in cybertronian. Grimlock, however, was too busy thrashing and sent him tumbling back through the burning grass with an accidental kick. A hand finally closed on her tail and squeezed. Her armor, already weaker than it should be, caved.

Sundance snarled, twisting hard across his back to snap one of his fingers off with her dentals. The hand loosened and she slipped free. She dropped from his bulk and retreated safely into the flames to regroup. The smaller mech was waiting for her there, his arms encircling her lower body. Sundance turned on him bit down on his nape to drag him across the earth.

"Now that," Buzzsaw chortled, "is impressive."

"I thought she was an autobot," Hazard said, watching as the three beast formers turned the field into a complete warzone. Though it was two against one, the femme was firmly holding her own against both dinobots. To be fair, though, the two mechs weren't doing themselves any favors by constantly hitting or trampling each other. If they worked more like a team, they might have had her in a clinch by now.

"Autobots don't fight like that," Buzzsaw was enraptured in the fight, her optics glowing a shade brighter than usual when someone's cables were wrenched free, showering the field with glowing energon that made the flames jump ravenously. "That," She said, "is pure decepticon fury. She fights like you do. Not to kill, but to completely destroy. Watch, she'll be bathing in their energon at the end of this."

Both dinobots were roaring in their rage, maimed but still standing strong. The femme had crushed armor plates on her tail and torso, places that they had managed to snag her. They came at her from two different directions. She rolled almost lazily through their feet and the idiots ended up headbutting each other. Hazard rolled his optics, "Morons."

Hazard placed both palms on the ground, leaning ever forward. He just couldn't get close enough, drawn in by the femme's lethal prowess in battle. No matter what they tried on her, she slipped out of it or broke free before debilitating damage could be done. Truly, she was something else. If she was a decepticon, she was a valuable asset to their ranks. However, Hazard could not for the life of him figure out why Megatron wasn't utilizing her like one. How had he not seen or even heard of her before now?

"Autobots," Buzzsaw nudged his cheek plate with her wing. "orders?"

Hazard considered their options. Unlike Buzzsaw, he didn't believe the femme was a decepticon. Maybe a third party, like a mercenary, or a very disillusioned autobot. But not a decepticon. Which left them with a problem.

If she was a merc, she was here for a bounty, and she'd protect that bounty from anyone who would take it from her. If she was an autobot, she could be there to protect the dinobots from him, and simply be asserting her dominance over Grimlock so he didn't try anything. Either way, they could find themselves up against three very powerful, very pissed off enemies. Then there was the autobots approaching. It was too much for him and Buzzsaw alone, and he wasn't about to risk one of Soundwave's cassettes, Megatron's orders or not.

"We hang back and let them sort it out. As long as the fire doesn't reach us over here, they have no reason to come this way." Hazard answered.

"Can we at least see how this little throwdown ends?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Hazard said honestly. Buzzsaw made a pleased chirp and they settled in for the match's conclusion.

If Grimlock was mad before, he was absolutely livid now. His optics glowed with his wrath. It filled every square inch of his frame to the point of bursting. He shook with it, his breath was deep and loud. Smoke billowed out of his mouth in thick, black plumes. His little friend was at his side in a similar state. The femme waited across from them, as bored as ever.

The dinobots charged. The femme rolled out of the way. The smaller mech pivoted first to follow her. The larger's momentum sent him sliding through the dirt. The femme bounced unto the smaller mech then used him as launch pad to get to Grimlock's back. Her mouth closed around his shoulder, and thats how the autobots found them.

Optimus and his friends came peeling into the field and immediately transformed, all at once, to encircle the three beast formers. Optimus spat some nonsense out about a truce, ordering all of them to stand down and move away from each other.

Grimlock ignored the new mechs and kept grabbing for the femme who pulled a quick maneuver that had the huge idiot falling to his aft. She left him and strode several paces away from any of them.

"An autobot?" Buzzsaw blinked, "shes an autobot?"

"Thats what I thought." Hazard said.

"How did you know?"

"Just a feeling." Hazard watched the strange femme closely, almost completely dismissing the others from his thoughts. She was back to resting in the grass, her body turned towards their perch. Her optics were closed, as if she was taking the break to rest. Hazard squinted at her. Minimal to moderate damage after a tangle with two dinobots. Impressive.

The femme's optics opened, staring right at them. Hazard felt Buzzsaw go rigid. He remained completely still, staring back. He couldn't tell if she saw them or not, but if she did she was in no hurry to alert anyone.

Her optics were...red? And Hazard couldn't look away from them, no matter how hard he tried. Something shifted within, something small but somehow monumental at the same time. Before his optics her face changed. Shape, color, size. A face he didn't remember but knew.

"Hazard? Hazard!" A wing opened in his vision, blocking the femme from sight.

Hazard snapped out of it. With a soft vent, he said, "We'll return to Soundwave. Theres nothing the two of us can do here. Maybe Lazerbeak will bring enough intel back to cover all of our afts."

"One can hope," Buzzsaw purred.

Quietly, they left.

It was the first time in several trips that Hazard had returned to the decepticons empty handed. Soundwave and Megatron each demanded a report and he was loathe to tell them it was a failure. However, Megatron showed interest in the intel on the femme beast-former so it wasn't a complete loss. Buzzsaw parted with him to return to Soundwave, leaving him alone to return to the barracks.

Hazard walked in silence, thoughts focused on the femme's red optics. What was it about them that had moved him so much? Red optics were nothing special. He saw them every day. What made hers any different-

He stopped, staring out of the corner of his optics at the shadows in the hall. Red optics, peering at him from the dark.

"What now," Hazard said tonelessly.

"A little bird told me that you failed to terminate a dinobot after someone else beat him senseless." Starscream emerged, a smug gleam in his optics.

"One failed mission opposed to your countless? Opposed to all of your mutinies?"

The smugness died. Starscream rumbled, "Watch yourself, Hazard. You won't always be the golden child. I'll be watching when you fall from lord Megatron's favor."

"Don't you have some aft-kissing to do?"

Starscream scowled, walking past Hazard. He ignored the way how the seeker's shoulder purposely clipped his with a roll of his optics.

Hazard froze again when he saw yet another pair of red optics. These less hostile, less cunning. She stood in Starscream's shadow, translucent like she had malfunctioning cloaking tech. Her gaze roved over the space, searching for something unseen. She walked the opposite direction of the seeker, footsteps silent, and paused right at the wall to turn and make optic contact with him. Hazard went rigid.

Come. It was less of a word and more of a pull in his chest that drew him toward her. Stubbornly, Hazard stayed exactly where he was. The femme's optics softened. She looked away from him and walked right through the wall.

Hazard stood alone in the hallway for a time after, fighting to process the day's events.

It looks like this arc is going to be longer than originally intended (Four to five parts instead of three) and will feature some other characters in the series its based on in some very alternate roles. Fun.

For new readers- things get a bit confusing so I'll try to break it down for you. Cataclysm is a short AU story arc based on characters from my TF series, which currently has six published stories (when its completely finished, it will have nine) plus Reflections, which is a series of one-shorts and/or concepts that didn't appear in the series.

In case you're not following my other updated fics, I'll drop the info here as well. Aside from this arc in Reflections, I will update I Like it Heavy tomorrow and am in the process of completely rewriting The Guardian, which was what started this entire mess back in 2008.

On my profile is a more extensive list of what I'll be focusing on in the immediate future, current projects and new ones, if anyones interested.

Thank you for stopping by and reading. Let me know what you think, reviews are always appreciated. Love to you all.

Transformers and its original characters do not belong to me. Sundance, Hazard, other OCs mentioned and this story do.