Project: Adaptation
[Location: Unknown]
The laboratory was dark, lit sparsely by monitor screens, emergency lighting, and a stack of blue glowing crystals stacked towards the center of the room. The air was stale from the air system being shut down, trapping its one occupant with the stench of mechanical fluids and fumes.
She made her way over to the main computer by feel mostly, the metallic floor jagged from the earthquake that shook the structure not fifteen minutes before. She was fortunate that it was still a sturdy structure despite the years it had apparently been abandoned. She had hidden under the work bench that her project rested on, gladly to have sacrificed it for her own life.
With the rough feel of the worn keyboard under her fingertips she began to enter the commands she needed to get the back-up generator online. Without it operating the air system she would suffocate soon, her head already swimming from the sour air she was taking in.
A thrum reverberated through the laboratory. Good, the back-up was online. Next coding went in to getting the air system back online. It took a few minutes, but she heard the system choking on itself as a small breeze moved past her. It was something, but chances were it wasn't going to be enough.
With a sigh she got the lights to come on, but was only successful with less than maybe half of the lighting. Most of it was focused over the project behind her. On a huge table that spanned over half of the room itself rested a mechanical form.
With a look back to see if it was damaged, the woman gave a tired sigh. Guess she wasn't blessed that easily. Turning back to her computer she began her video report.
"This is Ellan Greer, head and only worker on Project: Adaptation in reference to Elite Soldier Number One. Again I state for the record that I am doing this AGAINST MY WILL." She took in a breath of the still sour air. "Apparently a major earthquake struck the area and the laboratory suffered some damage. Unfortunately the project seems to have survived."
She sat back in her chair a bit, the old thing squeaking in protest. "Also the main power seems to have been damaged and so, too, have the air circulation systems. My air is bad and doesn't seem to be getting any better with the back-up systems running. Silas, you soulless bastard, I'll make sure you pay for what you've done."
As the room around her began to shake again, causing bits of dirt and metal to shower down, Ellan bolted from her chair and ran as fast as she could back to the table. The stack of energon crystals had shaken loose from its original placement, and now danced around the floor in a noisy clatter. She lost her footing as she tried to jump over the sizeable crystals, stumbling and hitting her head on the side of the table. With herself dazed, she couldn't move as more of the large crystals fell behind her on her legs, pinning her to the table with the metallic creature she despised so much.
Above her one of the light supporting girders gave and swung down towards her. She only had time to look up at it as it approached from behind. A jagged piece of metal stabbed through the abdomen from behind, the live wires sparking. The electricity shot through her body, reacting to the crystals around her. Pain and fire shot through her body as she was electrocuted, her natural response to reach out for safety causing her to grip the metallic creature's arm. The world blacked out around her as the rumbling eased.
When she came to, her head was in pieces. Giving a groan she reached up to rub her forehead but was greeted with the most awful sound of metal scraping across metal. Opening her eyes she had to blink a few times. She was seeing a data read out like what the cameras gave her through the creature's optics. System diagnostics, energy level, and other motor functions needed for a machine. She sat up, looking at the metal girder that rested across her legs. And she froze.
It wasn't her legs she was looking at, it was the machine's legs. Focusing on the girder, she reached out and gently picked it up, feeling sick as she watched the body that was trapped under it move with it, since it was still pinned like a bug. The energon crystals were dark, their energy expended.
Forcing her hands to be steady, she gently cradled the body in them, pulling it free from the girder. It was her body. Her long red hair that she kept braided back. Her blue jeans that had holes worn in them from excessive use. The burnt and bloody lab coat she had been given to wear while she worked in this prison. And the black shirt she was given as a spare when she had complained long enough about needing clean clothing.
The worst idea ever had happened. Her nightmare came true. She was trapped in that metallic monstrosity's body! Cradling her old body close to her she looked up and around to see what had survived of the building. There was some natural light coming from across the room. Apparently the building she had been trapped in wasn't as structurally sound as she had thought. Good thing, now she could get some help.
Gently cradling her body with one hand on her torso, like a mother holding a child, she found her feet and slowly made her way over towards the light. Looking into the hole, she became dismal as she realized just how far underground she really was. Fortunately the hole seemed big enough for her to climb through as she was now. Carefully, as to not crush her human body, Ellan slowly made her way up to the surface.
[Location: Outside of Jasper, Nevada]
Despite all warnings from Ratchet about going out after the trimmers that had hit, Miko was not about ready to pass up her opportunity for her favorite activity. Having Bulkhead rush at his top speed down a nearly sheer cliff side. It was a beautiful afternoon, even if all the news talked about was the earthquake that happened almost a hundred miles north of the Autobot base.
Bulkhead was as into the activity as his human was when a blip appeared on his radar. Skidding to a halt at the bottom of the ride, he did a near three-sixty as he focused.
"Whoohooo!" the human strapped in his passenger seat hollered with her arms out in a victorious pose. "That was great Bulk! Do it again!"
"Hold up, Miko. I picked something up on my scanners."
"Awww…" naturally the Japanese teen sulked in her seat at having to wait.
The heavy duty green truck drove towards where the signal was coming from. It was energon. Almost walking energon, by the way it was moving. "Bulkhead to base. Ratchet, are you getting this?"
At the base the medical bot was looking at his screen as the readout gave him the same thing that Bulkhead's sensors had picked up. "It is an energon signature. Very faint and appears to be moving. I'm opening up a ground bridge for you and sending you to investigate."
"Understood."
"Alright!" Miko hopped about in her seat as her bot drove towards the blue portal. "About time we got some action!"
"Miko, there's no telling what we're going to find there, so stay put if I have to transform." Again he felt the little woman pouting in her seat as they drove the much shorter distance through the ground bridge.
It opened up deep in the desert, the hot air and sand blowing past them. Not too far off a large figure was walking east, against the wind. It had turned as the ground bridge opened up to its left and watched as a large green truck emerged.
Bulkhead came to a stop as he watched the figure turn towards them, seeing the human it was cradling in its arms like a child. When it started to walk closer to them both he and Miko saw the blue line of liquid energon running down its legs from a wound to its side. Letting Miko out, Bulkhead transformed and held up his hands to the figure.
"We're not going to hurt you…" he said as gently as he could.
The metallic being just looked in his eyes and held the human out to him with both of its hands. "Help … me…" was all it said before it collapsed, the human landing limply in the Autobot's hands.
"Bulkhead to Ratchet. We have a situation here…"
[Author's Note]
HUGE THANKS TO Anonymous BW FG for letting me know that I put the whole wrong chapter for my Prologue! It's been that way for goodness almost two whole months. *blush* I'm so sorry for everyone that has read it and not understood exactly what happened.
I DO NOT OWN TRANSFORMERS PRIME NOR ANY CHARACTER IN THE SHOW. I'm just a fan that wanted to have a bit of fun with adding an OC into the TF Prime world.
Thank you for taking your time to read this and I hope to have more posted soon.
