Transformers The Hatchling

Discovery gone wrong

No POV

It had been three weeks since the battle and destruction at the space bridge and Storm had still not woken. Miko had tried everything but play the electric guitar on max amplifier, didn't do the trick, luckily, Bulkhead tried to stop her knowing that if Storm woke to that noise she would be very grumpy.

After the fight with Skyquake Ratchet and Optimus decided once Stormchaser awoke that she would remain in the silo as the risk of discovery from the Decepticons was still high. The kids also in that time made a pact that they would never bring homework back to base or at least do it away from Ratchet at all costs as their science projects under Ratchets care had landed them with a weeks worth of detentions. For Jack and Raf it had also cost them a further two weeks of working off the damages to the school. 

Bulkhead and Bee had their exploration shift which bore fruit in the discovery of a frozen pod which was thawing in the loading bay. Arcee and Optimus were the next to take on Exploration duties to the artic, just before they were about to leave the kids rolled into base. Jack walked up to Arcee. "I wasn't expecting a carpool." Arcee crossed her arms. "My turn for exploration duty." Jack looked so disappointed. "That's too bad. So you ok with keeping me inside on a nice day, great day for a ride." Wanting to go. "Artic exploration." Arcee added. Jack quickly changed his tune. "Inside where its warm see you later." Jack retreated back away from the ground bridge. Raf look disappointed "I always wanted to see snow." Optimus looked down at the youngest. "I would invite you to come along but the conditions in the artic are perilous even to us Autobots." Raf frowned but he understood Optimus was about to walk through the ground bridge but stopped and turned back to Raf. "Although I can bring back a snowball if you want?" Raf grinned in excitement. "Awesome." Raf left to catch up with Jack and Miko as Optimus and Arcee left via the ground bridge. Once the ground bridge powered down the computers crackled smoked, not good. "Bulkhead, Bee here now." Ratchet called the bots away from their charges with Bee busy Raf decided to go explore the base alone. 

Raf walked down the hall pretending to be with Optimus in the attic during a blizzard, His imagination was cut short by the clatter of metal nearby. Swinging round quick he sees a little robot startled Raf trips landing on his butt. The little robot seemed cute and just stared at him. "Where did you come from? I didn't know the autobots had any pets." The robot came closer interested in Raf. "You want to play fetch." Raf waved a large screw he had picked up off the floor which had the little robot jump around like a little puppy. Raf threw the screw laughing as the bot chased after it. "Good boy. Go get it!" The little robot caught the screw on the second bounce sparks flew as the little robot began to devour the metal. Raf concerned for its wellbeing stepped closer to stop it. "No don't eat that! You're going to choke!" By the time Raf finished his sentence the robot had eaten the screw and was running back to Raf. "Or not." Raf guessed that this was normal for the little bot. The little bot began to rub up against Raf's leg whirring away. Raf grinned at the little bot wondering why the Autobots hadn't mentioned the little bot. He decided to go ask Ratchet and show Miko and Jack. "Come on." the little followed Raf a short way before it stopped looking tired, Raf picked the little thing up and cradled it in his arms letting it fall asleep. 

A short while later the power went out for a few seconds before the back up generators kicked in prompting the two other tow kids to get up from their game and make their way to Ratchet and the others. Before they could join in on the conversation. Raf had called out. "Hey guys, look what I found." Looking down at the little bot. "We're bus- AHH" Ratchet screamed along with Bulkhead and Bee withdrawing their weapons aiming them at the tiny robot. Miko and Jack jumped in-between them trying to diffuse the situation. "Hey, Hey! What's with you guys?" Miko yelled in shock and confusion. "SCRAPLET! SCRAPLET!" Bulkhead yelled. Raf tried to see over Jacks shoulder. "What's a scraplet?" He asked still holding the little bot. Ratchet answered "The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron." Jack scoffed at the Autobots reaction to the tiny thing. "This? Are you kidding me?" Both Miko and Jack looked down at the bot still sleep amongst all the shouting. "You're giant robots, Scrappy here is.. Teeny." Miko said in disbelief. "You have no idea of the damage that teeny thing can do!" Bulkhead said panicked still aiming his cannon at the kids and bot. Raf couldn't believe his ear s looking down at the stirring bot. "Aw, he wouldn't hurt anything." The bot looked up at the three large robots in an instant it opened it mouth wide to show rows of teeth moving like that of a chainsaw. It leapt from Raf's arms and ran at the closest Autobot, Bumblebee who began to shoot with Bulkhead but missed. The scraplet latch onto Bumblebee's leg beginning to bite it's way up Bumblebee until Bumblebee finally shook it off to the ground. The scraplet got up and was ready to go again but Raf had found a crowbar and begun to hit the scraplet again and again until it stopped moving and kept going. Jack took the weapon off of Raf before he hurt himself. "Whoa, Easy there killer." Raf ran to Bee. "Whoa, I did not see that coming." Miko said stunned.

Bee was still on the floor, Ratchet knelt over him assessing the zigzagging wounds. "I'm sorry, Bumblebee." Raf full of guilt at his friend being hurt Bumblebee buzzed and whizzed about not to worry and that he was fine but Raf was still panicked and turned to Ratchet. "Is he gonna be okay." Raf asked Ratchet close to tears. "Only a mesh wound, he'll live." Ratchet concluded. "Now do you believe me? All scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal especially living metal ." Jack thinking it was all over sighed in relief that the metal piranha was a pile of scrap. "Well, bug squashed, game over, right?" Ratchet quickly popped that balloon. "No. When it comes to scraplets, there's never just one and I fear I know how they got in here" Ratchet walked out of the room everyone followed him weapon ready as Ratchet led them to the loading bay. 

Once in the loading bay the frozen block was now replaced with a large pod and broken open pod. "It's a trap, A scraplet trap." Ratchet shone a light into the pod finding it completely hollow except this time the object didn't house a cute adorable predacon hatchling. "UH, an empty scraplet trap." Bulkhead was nearly shaking in fear. "Most likely ejected into space eons ago, only to wind up in the arctic, where the temperature kept them is stasis." Ratchet explained to the group. "Until we brought the thaw." Jack added. "Now they're wide awake and ready to brunch." Miko was dreading were this was heading. "So.. How many are talking about?" Raf nervously asked. "Thousands and the power malfunctions and ground bridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well underway.

A loud roar split the tension followed by a series of crashes and explosions. "Stormchaser." Ratchet yelled running towards the commotion the squeals and roars got louder as the ground shook knocking the kids to the floor. Ratchet ran Storm berth room first. "By the Allspark!"