Ruby - Transformers: Dark of the Moon fanfic

Ukraine

Ukraine. A beautiful country in some parts, and utterly destroyed in others. One place in particular.

In the early evening, a chill started to settle over a procession of vehicles. An old, grey Sentara led the way, dwarfed by the magnificent red and blue flamed Peterbilt truck that followed.  Four black cars brought up the rear.

They followed a thin track that led to the outskirts of an abandoned town: Chernobyl.

It was slow going; the ground was very uneven and littered with debris and icy patches. More than once the Sentara skidded and threatened to spin out of control. Eventually, the track ran out. 

With an unhealthy squeak, the driver's door of the Sentara opened and an old, sullen-looking man wearing grandpa glasses eased himself out. Major Lennox climbed down from the cab of the truck, and the small team of men he had brought with him got out of the cars behind.

"It's a shame," the old man said with an eastern accent, "Ukraine used to be famous for its wondrously fertile lands,"

Major Lennox followed his gaze around the town square, "My god, is it really twenty thousand years before it can be inhabited again?"

The old man bowed his head, "At least that,"

 The town lay in shambles. The glass of every single window was smashed and littered on the ground along with wood, plaster and paper. The colourful truck shone like a beacon as everything around it was shaded grey. Even the light scattering of snow was dull.  

"Ok men," the Major raised his voice, "Gear up, keep on eye on radiation and energon levels, where's Ruby?"

"Right here, sir,"

Walking from the cab of the truck was a girl, who should now be referred to as a woman. She had long, golden hair that fell in soft waves down her back, bright blue eyes sparkling against pale skin, and delicate features.

She was a world apart from the soldiers, who wore radiation suits over their bullet-proof vests and gas masks. She wore black skinny jeans and a vivid red, deep V-neck sweater along with black heels. She looked more ready to take to the catwalk than explore Chernobyl. 

Ruby walked graciously to Major Lennox's side and took the gas mask from him without question. She fitted it over her head before proceeding to pull on her protective suit. It was actually welcoming against the cold.

"Right," said the old man, who was simply known as Al, "Let's go through the school."

The team followed Al through the dim corridors and ruined classrooms. Glass crunched underfoot, torn wires hung from the ceilings and dark holes peppered the walls like perfect hiding places for creatures of the night. 

Al shuddered and spooked often, jumping especially high when Major Lennox tapped him on the shoulder;

"Al," he said, his voice muffled slightly by his mask, "Where is your protective gear?"

"It does not matter," replied the old man, "It is only a matter of time for me,"

The Major questioned him no further and the team continued to follow him deeper into the tangled building. They left the classrooms behind and ventured underground, to where the secret labs had once been. If they had been able to smell anything other than the rubber of their gas masks, the team would have recoiled at the scent of rot, damp and rat feces.

The main lab was obvious. It was a huge room, as high as it was wide. It looked as if its workers had been constructing a large machine. 

Stairs ran up the walls to many levels and platforms met in the middle of the room around a large hole. The soldiers spread out and switched their torches on, searching through the rubble. One man remained at the doorway, constantly scanning the room for both radiation and energon readings. The device emitted a steady stream of beeps. Radiation had been high the whole time they had been here, and an energon reading had existed too, something that should be very scarce on Earth.