Ruby - Transformers: Order and Chaos

Prologue

Optimus Prime knew something was wrong. Megatron was dead, but that didn't mean much these days. Ruby might be dead, and that meant everything.

Bumble Bee was content to do as he was commanded, pleased as he was to have his commander back. However the rest of the autobots – Drift, Hound, Hot Rod, and Crosshairs – were tired. Tired of humanity, tired of saving a planet that did not thank them for it, and mostly, tired of saying goodbye to dead comrades. They wanted to leave.

Cade Yeager wanted to visit his daughter, Tessa. When they spoke on the phone, she told him no, his mission was too important. She would come to visit him instead. And that was enough.

Former Sector Eight (forma-former Sector Seven) Agent Simmons still had work to do. Research into ancient alien history and mythology, backdoor hacking of classified files and maybe he'd even look into the gods and the stars. He'd be happy as a pig in mud if it wasn't for the uncertainty of the life of his friend. Oh, and having to put up with the presence of his nonsense sprouting father.

Ex-army Major Lennox was stuck between a rock and a hard place. His friends, his brothers in arms, needed his help. But his boss, his country, needed his cooperation. The lives of his young family depended on it.

Thomas Evans had to keep busy. He did one of two things at all times: cancer research, or training. Unless avoiding Optimus counted as a third thing. But he did that all of the time. Until Ruby, his beloved fiancé and savoir of the world, was returned to his side and back in full health, he could do nothing else.

Ruby did not feel like the savoir of the world. She felt in need of a savoir. She couldn't stop staring at the pale band of skin around her right wrist where her bracelet should sit. Instead, she was kept alive by a possessive demon of an alien, who was painfully stealing her power for goodness only knew what. However she looked at it, she was going to die. And soon.

Quintessa didn't seem to mind that her plot to restore the planet Cybertron had failed. She was The Creator, she was a god. And so she had a plan B.