-Chicago, 1995-

The heavy clouds above the city of Chicago reflected the lights of skyscrapers that seemed to disappear into the mist that held the heat of the late summer storm in the palm of metropolitan's hand. The weatherman had called for tonight to be unseasonably warm and unseasonably wet for the sprawling city that seemed to be holding its breath for some unknown reason.

The pavement glittered and glistened with the reflection of the city's luster, but that light also produced shadows, which was what one young woman thrived in. Skipping from one dimly lit alley to another, she feared nothing except her own heartbeat that was so loud and so fierce, she could see it fluttering through her black tank top. Gone were her normal macabre garments to fight the heat, but she still wore her favorite boots that thudded against the pavement with every step.

Her ears perked up when she heard the deep purr of engines and her heart practically leapt from her chest as the dull rumble of a cheering crowd permeated through the alleyway where she stood. Walking slowly now, she marveled at the crowd that surrounded a large group of cars that rumbled idly on the sidelines. Men and women, all older than herself, talked amongst themselves, sipping at bottles that she had never been brave enough to try. She marveled at the women in their barely-there outfits on the arms of men that looked like they could snap her like a toothpick.

"Max!" Someone called and she swiveled where she stood to see a man waving at her. She waved back and strolled over to him, hands deep in the pockets of her jeans. He was tatted up, his dark hair shaved almost down to the skull, a ring planted firmly at the corner of his right eyebrow. Max grinned at him and glanced over at the cars that coughed exhaust into the stagnant night air.

"Hey Reyes, what's up?" She question as the man pulled her into a firm hug. He took a step back and furrowed his brow when he saw the ornament she wore on her face. Tapping the side of his nose to indicate the gaudy piece of jewelry at her nose, Max brushed her fingers against her nostril and laughed, pulling the trinket from her skin. "It's fake. My dad would have an aneurism if I came home with a nose ring."

"Honestly, knowing your dad, I'm surprised he hasn't keeled over already," Reyes responded with a laugh as one of the car engines revved loudly, causing him to wince. "Come on, the show's about to start."

Max nodded and shoved the faux ring back inside her nostril before joining Reyes at in the throngs of people, waiting on baited breath for the race to begin. The two vehicles, both modified to the point that she could barely tell what they were, rumbled their way to the starting point. She made mental notes of the sounds of the engines and the makes of the bodies. A red Acura Integra and a jet black Mazda RX-7 trundled to the faded white line and a scantily clad woman wearing nothing but nipple pasties and a black leather pleated skirt that practically reached her hips strolled out of the crowd, clutching a white handkerchief in her right hand. Stepping in front of the cars, her mouth morphed into a Cheshire cat grin and she raised the cloth like a flag of surrender. The crowd waited in hushed whispers as her graceful fingers allowed it to drop to the ground. The second it had left her grasp, the engines on both cars sputtered to life and with a scream of rubber against road, they were off down the blacktop to the roars of the crowd.

She felt the adrenaline course through her veins as she watched the masters of machine tear down the strip of road, taking a quick right and out of sight. The cries of the crowd diminished as Reyes laced his fingers behind his head and sighed.

"Alright, little girl. Gotta get ready to ride." He said with a smirk. Max flicked her eyes up at him.

"Come on, Reyes, you know I'm the better driver! Just give me a chance!" She pleaded, following him as he strolled towards his own car, an electric blue Toyota Supra which was allegedly, the quickest car in the home stretch, but bulky enough to slow him down on the corners and inner city workings. Max felt like she could drive that car into the ground.

Reyes shot her a look, "I don't think so, little girl. Vendetta here has a mind of her own and if you were to get in an accident with her…" He trailed off, shaking his head at the mere mention of Max destroying his baby, "No way. You can't just take her out."

Max scoffed and reached in the back pocket of her jeans, producing a box of Marlboros. Sticking one between her teeth, she motioned Reyes to give her a light, still glaring at the man. He chuckled, but did as the young woman asked, "I can drive just as well as any of these assholes out there," She mumbled through her now lit smoke. Deeply inhaling, the tobacco filling her lungs and the nicotine making her light headed, she closed her eyes, imagining herself racing along that track she had memorized like the back of her hand. "I just need someone to give me a chance."

Reyes chortled and pat her head belittlingly, "Maybe when you're older, girlie. For now, I have to get ready. Step back and watch how you really tear up this track." With a slight wave, he turned on his heel and walked towards the Supra. Max scowled and with her head down, angrily stormed into the crowd as the Integra and Mazda came screaming back towards the finish line. Max tilted her head as the Integra slowed, but the Mazda did not. The driver did not take into account the fact that it had rained only an hour before and with a screech of breaks, the driver overcorrected his maneuver. This was all it took to send his car into a fishtail, careening to the side. The tires caught a pothole and suddenly, the car was airborne. Max wasn't sure who screamed first, her or someone else, but what went up, had to come down. With a shriek of metal against the pavement, the car plummeted to its side, crumpling the exterior of the vehicle like a piece of wet paper. Max threw her hands over her ears as the crowd dispersed in a panic.

"Max?! Maxine!" She could hear someone calling her name, but in the chaos, she couldn't see who. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, planted on the spot, watching the car's back left side wheel spin pathetically, but she could feel something trickling down the side of her face, like a spider's kiss. Slowly, she reached up and brushed her skin with the back of her hand. In the yellow light, the blood on the back of her hand looked like tar. With a stifled gasp, Max willed her feet to begin to move on their own, traipsing back into the darkness and shadows that she was so very accustomed to.

-0318, Chicago-

Max peered up at the small townhouse, pursing her lips as she wiped blood off her face once again. She was pretty sure that her head wound had stopped bleeding almost an hour ago, but she had a feeling that the wound would reopen if she wasn't careful. If her father saw her with blood rushing down her face, he would put her in her grave, bring her to life again, and then murder her once more, just because he could.

However, the lights of the house were extinguished and a small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she shimmed up the trellis that clung to the house. Breathing deeply, she peered into her bedroom, the light of a streetlamp casting shadow across the worn carpet. She pressed her fingers at the bottom of the window and with a small groan, the pane of glass slid open, allowing her to get inside the small opening.

The second that she stepped foot into the carpet, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was very, very wrong. The scent of whiskey and cigarette smoke hung heady in the stagnant air of her room, much stronger that what was coming from her. Flicking her eyes to her desk, her heart dropped to her shoes when she saw the glow of a cherry hanging in the darkness.

"Enjoy your midnight tryst, did you, Maxine?" The cold, crisp voice of a man echoed through the small room and Max winced.

"I…I…" She had no way to defend herself, no excuse on her lips that would save her, "I'm sorry, Captain."

A chair scraped across the floor, the cherry rising in the blackness, "You're SORRY?! Breaking a dish on accident is something to be sorry for. Forgetting to clean the kitchen floor is something to be sorry about. No, Maxine. What you did is downright disgraceful and you should be ashamed of yourself! Hell, I'm ashamed of you right now! Now let me ask you again, did you enjoy your fucking midnight tryst?!"

Max looked down at the floor, where her shoes should have been, her heart now in her throat, "Y-Yes, Captain." She stuttered, trying to blink the tears from her eyes, "I was…"

He made a noise deep in his throat to cut her off, "I don't give a flying fuck where you were, Maxine. The fact of the matter is that if you don't get your head out of your ass, you will never graduate high school. Hell, you'll be dead within a year with a heroin needle in your arm and a baby on your hip! It would not surprise me!"

Max stood there, shaking as her father growled under his breath something she couldn't understand. Not that she was going to ask him to elaborate. "Tomorrow morning, mark my fucking words, girl, that window is getting nailed shut and I am ripping that trellis down, do you understand me?!" This came out as a bellow as he turned on his heel and wrenched open the door of her bedroom. Hand on the knob, he turned back to her, his shadow dark against the doorframe, "From here on out, you will be here in your room or you will have your ass in your desk at school, do I make myself perfectly fucking clear?!"

"Yes, Sir." Max whimpered as the door slammed shut behind him, the sound of a key turning in the lock the only thing that followed. She bit back a sob as she ran to her bedside table and switched on the lamp, running over to the mirror that hung on the back of the door. The entire left side of her face was coated with sticky residue. She guessed that something had hit her across the forehead when the car had crashed. There was no way she could use the washroom tonight, so instead reached into her closet, pulled out her rattiest shirt and dabbed away the blood as best she could. Exhaustion washed over her as she finally crawled between the sheets of her simple bed, closing her eyes as a single prayer escaped her lips.

"Someone, get me out of here, please." She murmured as she finally drifted off into oblivion.

Little did she know that someone had indeed, heard her cries for help from across the stars.

Hello my fellow Fanfictioneers! Long time no see! I fell off the writing bandwagon for a hot minute, but I hope that I will start putting out quality things for the reading. As always, favorites, follows, and reviews are appreciated.

ALSO: Just a heads up, this will not be following the Bayverse, but instead, will erase it altogether and begin with the Bumblebee Movie. I apologize if there is any confusion, but we are wiping the slate clean.

See you in Chapter 2!

~Morrigan