Jack's Older Sister

3. Unexpected (Edited)

*~*~*~*At base: Ayla's POV*~*~*~*

I'm just sitting on the couch. Optimus came to get me early this morning. There is nothing there for me to do.

"Thank goodness for peace and quiet. House guests can be such a bother." Ratchet huffed in annoyance. He really must not like the other kids then...

"Hey, I'm here!" I said, hoping I wasn't being ignored as is a common occurrence at home with Jack and mom.

"Yes, but you're not annoying." he explained simply. That actually made me feel happy though.

"Touché." I said, watching what he was doing. Hey? What can I say, I was curious.

We suddenly hear a clanking sound that sounds like small metal feet on cement flooring.

"Optimus?" Ratchet asks. We then hear the clanking again, but louder. Something then jumps out at him. "By the Allspark!" he exclaims. He then tries to whack the thing with a metal pole, but the little creature breaks one of his tools. "I needed that!" he said, annoyed and I giggled. He turned his head and glared at me at that. The thing then jumps at his face, but Optimus comes out, and shoots the thing. It then tries to get up, but Optimus steps on it, crushing it. "And stay broken!" Ratchet said in indignation. "Now, what could have caused that?!" He asks, bewildered.

"I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark Energon." Optimus said, his expression showing fear for the human race.

*~*~*~*With Megatron*~*~*~*

"Lord Megatron?" Starscream asked, a little skittish.

"It's as if the blood of Unicron, the Destroyer flows through my veins. As if... I hear his very thoughts!" Megatron said. "I now know what I must do." He said, grabbing a shard of the dark substance.

"And what can I do to assist you, master?" Starscream asked, scared of what his leader might say.

"Quit groveling, and await my command." He ordered, fed up with the seeker's antics.

*~*~*~*With Ayla and Optimus and Ratchet: Ayla's POV*~*~*~*

"If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead." Optimus explained to us so we understand what's going on. (Me and Ratchet, since no one else is there yet.)

"That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online, but Dark Energon? It's so scarce it seems to be virtually non-existent. What would it be doing on Earth?" Ratchet questioned in confusion and worry.

"It was transported. By Megatron." Optimus said, knowing his nemesis was up to no good with the substance.

"For what purpose?" he asked, flustered and bewildered by what he might need it for.

"To conquer this planet, by raising an army of the undead." The Prime said gravely.

"Well, Megatron would have to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world would he find that many Cybertronian dead?" The medic asked in confusion, but opening with a joke to hopefully lighten the mood a bit.

Suddenly the others pulled in. "That was awesome!" Jack said happily.

"Can we do it again?" Raf asked Bumblebee, hoping to play the racing game they were playing like that in his alt mode again.

"Sweet!" Miko said to Bulkhead, having enjoyed a day of dun bashing. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Uh?" Bulkhead said as he pulled Miko's guitar out of his cab compartment in confusion, handing it to the young Asian girl.

"Sorry! Must have left that in the backseat!" She said, still excited from the fun.

"Ayla, I didn't see you this morning. Did you leave early?" Jack asked curiously.

"Yeah, Optimus picked me up early, he had stuff he needed to do." I answered simply.

"Ok, I was just curious." He replied, looking up at me, then to Arcee.

"That's fine." I replied back.

"Autobots, prepare to-" Optimus began to say before Arcee cut him off.

"Roll out?" She asked, annoyed. I silently went into the Ground Bridge area unnoticed, waiting for it to open. I was gonna pull escape artist to watch a battle because I wanted action.

"Remain here. Ratchet, you'll come with me. Arcee, we'll be outside of communications range for some time, so I'm putting you in charge." He told the two wheeler.

"Dude, you're biggest!" Miko said, pointing up to Bulkhead. "You should be the boss." She added as she found Bulkhead fun.

"Err, he never picks me..." He said in sadness. He knew Arcee was more responsible than himself.

"Optimus, with all due respect, playing body guard is one thing, but babysitting's another." Arcee said. "Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war." She added in a lower voice.

"My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing is as sharp as ever!" Said medic cut in indignantly.

"For the moment, it is only reconnaissance." Optimus replied briskly.

"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" Arcee asked pointedly.

"Arcee, much has changed in the last 24 hours, and we all need to adapt." He told the two-wheeler. "Ratchet, bridge us out!" He told the medic. Once the Ground Bridge was open, I bolted through and hid behind a large rock, waiting for the other two. Once the others came out, I silently followed behind them, keeping myself hidden from their view.

"Optimus, what do we hope to find here?" Ratchet asked in confusion and possible horror.

"The site of the largest Cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy." Optimus explained grimly.

"On Earth? You must be joking!" The medic said in exasperation.

"Do you recall the period late in war, when both sides began hiding their energon spoils off-world?" The Prime asked curiously.

"Of course, that's the reason energon deposits exist on planets such as this one." Ratchet said simply, wondering where he was going with this.

"It is also the reason battles came to be waged on planets such as this one. And I fear Megatron's memory is as long as history." Optimus answered, his voice gravitating lower as he thought.

They soon reached the site. "For the first time in my life, Optimus, I had hoped you were wrong." Ratchet said as I ran way ahead and climbed onto a giant rock quickly and sat on top. Little did I know that that would be the same rock Megatron himself was going to land on top of right now...

"Optimus! Been well? I see you brought your trusty watchdog. I was certain he would be convalescing in a scrap yard by now." Megatron said as I slightly backed away from him, even though I feel a pull from him in my chest where my heart is in the center of my chest. He must feel it too, for he looked down at me, and his eyes widened slightly, so slightly that it would be invisible to a normal person (Bot or human) but I saw it. I gave him a cheesy smile and waved at him by wiggling my fingers.

"Why don't you invite him down here for a check." Ratchet said as he pounded his fist into his open left hand.

"I know why you're here, Megatron." Optimus said to the Decepticon leader. That got Megatron's attention, because he looked back at Optimus and Ratchet.

"Hardly a surprise, Optimus. After all, you and I have been at this a long time. And your time has come to an end!" He yelled, holding up a purple shard of what appears to be energon, but a darker version. 'That must be the dark energon they were talking about earlier!' I thought as he threw it into the ground from on top of the rock formation.

"RISE, MY ARMY!" Megatron yelled the command and the Cybertronian dead were rising.

"By the Allspark!" Ratchet said in horror. He was horrified at the sight.

"BEHOLD, THE POWER OF DARK ENERGON!" Megatron yelled out to all in the area.

TO BE CONTINUED...