Title: Trial and Error

Author: The Magical Whovian

Fandom: Transformers (movieverse/bayverse with G1 influence); at the end of TF:2007

Summary: After Mission City, what if the shard of the Allspark didn't fall into Sam's hoodie pocket? What if it fell into the hands of a sarcastic, tech savvy barista who had the misfortune of being in Mission City during the fight? Follow Addie as she tries to survive being dragged into the world of an alien war, omnipotent power and a pair of mischievous twins.

Pairings: Eventual Sideswipe/OC (with some Sunstreaker added in)

Rating: T

Warnings: None as of now

Author's Note:

I know you are probably thinking "Why in the world is she creating a new story when she hasn't updated The Hidden Truth in two freakin' years?!" I've had this plot stuck in my head for a while now and I need to get it out, before I can even dream about updating The Hidden Truth. I promise, the next chapter of THT is in the works… I just need to release the plot to this story.

I got the idea for this story when I went to Universal Studios Hollywood and rode the Transformer ride and it's been plaguing me ever since. And yes, half my time was spent in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Hollywood and the other half was continuously riding the Transformers ride.

Thanks for being patient with me and I hope you enjoy this story!

-Poly

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Prologue: The Mission City Fiasco

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You know, I never really thought about how I would die. I mean everyone at one time takes those stupid prediction quizzes on Facebook that tells you when you'll get married, have kids and die, but I never, ever dreamed about the details of my death. Maybe a car crash… maybe a random mugging… maybe a heart attack, but never in detail… Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would die trapped under an absurdly large cappuccino machine… Yes, you read that correctly. A cappuccino machine.

So here I was, minding my own business, making overprice coffee for ritzy business man in a small coffee shop and deli on the bottom floor a huge two hundred story skyscraper in downtown Mission City. It wasn't much – it paid my rent. I did what I had to do to get by. I was covering a shift for a co-worker who took a last minute trip to visit her grandmother two states over. I wasn't even supposed to be working today. Today of all days.

So again, here I was, making coffee yada yada yada. As I was pouring steamed soy milk in an impatient man's large non-fat soy caramel latte, I glanced up through the large windows that make up most of building. My eyes followed a parade of military issue Humvees as they skidded to a stop in the middle of the street. Along with the Humvees were a collection of extremely nice sports cars. Odd, I thought to myself. I glanced around the modernistic coffee shop as other patrons started to notice the oddity just outside the building.

A number of military men exited the Humvees with large, scary-looking guns. A few of the coffee drinkers panicked at the sight of the guns and quickly (and ungracefully) made their way to the exit at the opposite end of the building. It was oddly quiet in the building as the commotion grew outside and the people inside the building ran to exits. It felt like everything was happening in slow motion, it didn't even have time to react. That's when I heard the beating of a helicopter nearing the building and a shout – "It's Starscream!"

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, an explosion shook the building, causing a large majority of the windows to blow inward, spraying shards of glass everywhere. I ducked down behind the counter, hoping to save myself from being impaled by glass. My ears rang as a slowly stood to peak over the counter, shaking shards out of my messy bun. I watched as military men ducked behind random cars, shooting at something out of sight. My senses where overloaded, the pop of shots continuously rang out in the distance, the whistles of missiles and booms of explosions rattled through my brain. I couldn't even think straight, the pounding of my heartbeat echoed in my ears.

What happened next was one hundred percent due to my own curiosity (and stupidity). I moved from behind the safety of the counter and went towards the gunfire and fighting. See, stupidity. Glass crunched under my Vans as I walked towards the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glimpse of what was happening outside. My eyes widened as not only did I see a group of military men fighting, but a twenty-foot robot playing rockem sockem robots with another equally large robot. Before I knew it, one robot – large dirty brown robot with… with helicopter blades on its back? – flew towards me, smashing into the building to my right. I fell back, falling hard on my ass. My hands trying to catch my fall and becoming a pin cushion for the shattered glass. The pain didn't register from the enormous amounts of adrenaline running through my system. I scrambled back as a big black robot lunged at the brown one. They wrestled one another for a bit, both getting as many hits as possible. Finally, the black one's arm changed into some type of cannon and shot the brown one in the gut at point-blank range, causing the brown one to splutter and gurgle as a blue substance leaked out of the hole in its gut and the corners of its mouth.

The black one stood up and mumbled something along the lines of "Decepticon scum…" and turned to return to the fight. But before it did, it turned to look at me. I let out an unimpressive squeak as its blue eye made contact with mine.

"You should find someplace safe to hide, human," it spoke, causing my eyes to widen, not expecting it speak to me... more or less, spare my life. I just saw it blow a hole in the gut of one if its own… I was easy prey compare to tall, brown and ugly.

When it didn't get a response from me, it made a sound like a scoff and turned away from me. "It's your life, human!" it called over its shoulder at me.

I slowly stood up and took a few steps forward to watch the large black robot return to the melee. Again, with the stupidity. I guess I'm just a sucker for doing the wrong direction and running into danger...

Just as was about to turn tail and run back into the skyscraper and hide until the nightmare was over, a large metal hand clamped around me and squeezed, lifting me up into the air. Wind rush around me as I came face to face with the brown robot shaking and spluttering against the building.

"Disgusting insects," it clicked, squeezing, causing the air to escape my lungs. I gasped for air, pounding on the top of its metal hand, causing the glass to log deeper into my skin. "What a pathetic species," it grumbled, spinning me a bit to get a better look at me. "Absolutely worthless." Just as I thought I was done for as black spots started to erupt in my vision and ribs crack under the pressure, a shot rang out, hitting tall, brown and ugly in the side of the head. This is where it gets gnarly, its head looked like someone tore a huge chuck out if it. Blue goop and chunks of metal flew everywhere – including on me. I closed my eyes, covering my head with my arms, as the blue substance splashed on my shoulders, chest and arms - burning straight through my clothes. With the robot completely dead, it dropped me ten feet onto the hard concrete, but I didn't even register the fall. All I could feel was the burning sensation from the blue acid.

Everything around me didn't matter any more – all I could focus on was the burning. The crippling, white hot, burning sensation that covered the front part of my body. I convulsed on the sidewalk as the pain racked my body, the pain unbearable. In a last ditch effort, I rolled onto my stomach and somehow stumbled into a somewhat upright position. The only thing I could think of was a way to stop the burning – the sink behind the counter in the coffee shop. I needed to wash this acidic substance off me. Looking back at it now, I have no idea how I managed to stumble back to the coffee shop. Adrenaline haze, I guess. I cannot even start to describe the pain.

I fumbled with the facet and turned on the cold water. The water soothed the pain for a split second, but nothing more. I did everything beside actually sitting in the sink to wash the substance off me… but it didn't stop the burn or the fact that my skin was stained blue. I swore to myself, tears streaming down my face.

How on god's green earth did I get in this situation? Oh yeah, I was nice and covered for a co-worker on my day off. That's the last time I do anything nice for a flippin' co-worker.

Oh, god it burned… the pain was unbearable!

Just as I cupped cold water in my hand and splashed it on my face, the building shuttered – ceiling tiles and glass fell all around me. I screamed as a support beam crashed down a few feet to my left, and another just beyond that. Just as I thought things couldn't get worse, a support beam fell right behind the cappuccino machine, sending it flying off the counter… straight at me. It crashed onto me, the weight felt like it was crushing me… the pain of the burns still festering on my skin. Dust, dirt and debris fell over me, covering me (and that cursed cappuccino machine) in a layer of nasty. I heard crashing and fighting above me. Screaming, yelling, and a bunch of things I could hardly make out. Debris continued to fall over me, burying me and making it hard to breath. Something smacked me in the forehead and I let out a pathetic moan - not one of my most moments.

And this is where we met. Me trapped under a cappuccino machine, dying a very pitiful death, mind you.

Fortunately, this is only the beginning of my story. This is where it all began… so, I guess this is like an origin story.

Yeah, take that Wolverine.

Published: May 30, 2016