A/N: This is a weird leap from my other story, but it's something I've been pondering for a while. I've noticed in a lot of other stories that feature interaction, no matter how brief, between the Cybertronian and Human characters the Cybertronians often get a free pass with how they treat the Human characters because they are awesome fighting robots. Although I love me some robot battle action and usually just ignore it to get to the plot or fight scenes, it sometimes sticks in my mind that they get away with it. Plus I love reading other stories that examine relationships but I don't see many, so I've decided to throw my hat into the ring with this style and hope that I don't get eaten alive for it. I'd like to warn people though that since this is a mostly analysis story the plot will be loose and mostly interaction-driven, focusing on the motivations and morals of characters and will probably be very, very boring.
Rating: T
Fandom: Transformers (Movie-verse)
Pairing(s): None
Warning(s): Mostly analytical story on the relationship of the Transformers and their relationship with Humans, so it might be really boring for most readers. That said, another warning might be that this is full of opinions and possibly incorrect conclusions made by me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, only Maria.
-Chapter One-
The sun rose as it often did over the quiet California terrain. The early morning fog seeped into the dirt, and distorted the slowly growing rays of light into a peaceful glow. A young woman named Maria Ramirez drifted about her small house in the otherwise devoid of settlement land, going through her morning ritual of brewing coffee and preparing breakfast. She sat down at her sparse wood kitchen table, a hot cup of joe in one hand and a newspaper in the other. As she read she tucked her dark, shaggy hair behind her ear, brushing the large, ugly scar running down the right side of her face as she did. She got it during the confusing and chaotic incident in Mission City over two years ago. Maria never quite figured out exactly what events took place that fateful day, but the things she was able to remember amidst the smoke and glaring explosions had rocked her to the core. While trying to escape to safety, she had been unfortunate enough to stumble across and witness the terrifying last moments of an apparently epic battle. Although most of her memories of that day were murky, the image of a dark, hulking metal being towering menacingly over a young boy with a glowing cube thrust out before him had forever been burned into her mind. After that though, all Maria recalled was a blinding flash and searing pain, then numb darkness. When she came to she was lying bandaged in a hospital bed, her family gazing down at her with worry in their eyes.
When the government covered it all up with some cock and bull story about "malfunctioning military drones" or something, Maria became more disillusioned than she already was, questioning her entire worldview, and isolated herself from society. She bought a dingy place in the middle of nowhere with a garage so she could keep working as a mechanic. While her lifestyle wasn't glamorous, exciting, or financially lucrative, she was content. She only ever made enough to get by, but she was never one for luxuries in the first place, preferring the basics over unnecessary creature comforts.
Maria finished her coffee and the newspaper and stood, mentally organizing all the errands she would have to run today, all of which involved going into town. She headed for her keys, passing the microwave along thew way. But before she could get very far, a sudden shooting pain emanating from her scar stunned her. Her old wound had ached at times, like when it's raining or it's cold outside, but never had it hurt like this. While she was still reeling, the microwave started to spark and run, almost as if it was being overpowered. After a few seconds of confusion, the device sputtered and died, a small stream of smoke billowing out from it. Maria, now recovered, could only stand motionless in shock. Her mind processed the bizarre incident slowly, each deduction trickling like molasses into place. Denial seeping in, the young woman concluded with a shake of her head that the two incidents were entirely unrelated, and now she needed a new microwave. She blindly grabbed for her keys and swept out the door and headed for her old truck, rubbing her face in befuddlement.
Several hundred miles away, Autobot leader Optimus Prime stood in front of a large electronic screen, monitoring the data that flowed across it when he saw the oddest energy blip appear before his optics. It only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared as if nothing was there in the first place. The large being's metallic brows furrowed together and he began analyzing and processing the readings the computer managed to pick up. The Autobot leader leaned forward, examining the data he received. He hummed thoughtfully to himself and stood back, regarding the screen.
"Hmm..." he hummed to himself in the otherwise empty room. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the table, ready for a night of deciphering the readings and preparing his report.
-End Chapter One-
A/N: How many people did i loose so far, huh? Well, I hope to get at least a little feedback on it. I've learned from my other story that I'll have to beg for reviews, so please, pleeeease be so kind as to tell me what you think! I'm open to harsh critique and suggestions if you're up to it! Also: if anyone wants to see what Maria looks like, check my profile for a link to a picture of her. Just so ya know.