This is a rewritten and edited version of Chapter 1 of my story. Basically, this story is Transformers done in the style of the TV series Once Upon A Time. Set in the Bayverse with hints of the Prime continuity.

Chapter 1
Moving Out

All that spun around her mind were four words: 'I'm outta here. Finally!'. After managing to somehow buy a smallish property out in some obsolete town, Miranda was finally moving out. She was at breaking point living in a run-down apartment in the inner suburbia of a crowded, old and rather large town. It had been a dreary existence for the tomboy. Roommates were in and out, and often they were either incredibly boring or incredibly annoying. The true breaking point for her was when she had found a pair of used underwear in her bed. A skimpy strip of anorexic-sized ladies' underwear. The worst part of that was her roommate was her roommate was a stout, young MAN. Out of this 'unsavory' behavior of her roommate, she had cracked it, destroyed almost all his belongings, almost destroyed HIM, leaving her petrified roomate cowering and shaking, and left for this mysterious new town. Allured by its statement of 'a residential area, two years young, with all the facilities you'll ever need!'. Damn brochure. It never told Miranda about the insanely winding roads. Truly there was 'more than meets the eye' to this town. Miranda looked over the crumpled brochure again, scoffed lightly, then scrunched it up and put it on the carseat next to her.

"Mind not messin' oop the cab, laddie? I haf' two jobs 'fter yer' messy ass!" yelled the taxi driver from the driver's seat. He was in his senior years, had slanted eyes with reddish pupils, and a prominent bush of a beard covering half his face. He wore a faded old military uniform, and had a cane resembling a fighter jet's landing gear, complete with wheels, which lay in the front passenger seat. Miranda had opted to sit in the back as the stupid cane had kept digging into her side when she had sat at the front. The front was now occupied by one of Miranda's luggage bags.

"Come on, pick 'oop the trash!"

Miranda groaned. She hated being told to clean up. She was a messy, undone individual, and HATED order. And 'Laddie'! LADDIE! Miranda groaned again. Her short, messy mop of deep, black hair and tall, stocky build was quite boyish, and she was often mistaken for a man. She snapped back at the old taxi driver, "First of all, it's LASS. Second of all, I'm Miranda."

"Goin' to Iacon? Are ye mad? There might be e'rrythin' her need 'ere boot it's fifty min'ootes to the nearest big ci'iy!"

Miranda cocked an eyebrow. The taxi driver's Scottish/Cockney accent was making it hard to understand him, but from what she heard, he had said something along the lines of: 'You're mad going to Iacon! The nearest big city is fifty minutes away!'.

"That's the point. I want to get away from the crowds. Anyway, what's your name, Mister..."

"Jeff Eyre. I used to belong to that grand ci'iy off o` `ere, but then ma` boss fired me from that wretched ol` mausoleum ah worked at. Ne`er liked that man. Nuttin` but destruction `e was! So ah packed mah bags and left for this `ere town yer movin` to!"

So he lived here too. He was 'getting away from all of it' as well. Miranda ran her fingers through her tangled hair. She yawned, and continued to talk to the driver.

"So how's it like in Iacon? You know, the residents, the facilities..."

"Ach, the people you be mee'in there, all then are nice as cake. 'Xept for that 'ol Tronus kid! One 'eck o' a terror, she is!"

"That 'Tronus' kid?" asked Miranda. In any town, there would always be one bad egg. By how the driver just described her, she really was a menace in that town.

"Megan Adrien Tronus. Act like she own the `ole town. An` in a way she does. `Er uncle`s the Mayor. She got all kind'a immun'ty in the town. She steal som' things, yer the witness, she'll pay yer to keep yer trap shut. Ne'er liked 'er either!"

What an old prune, thought Miranda to herself. This guy seemed to hate a lot of people. I mean, the Megan kid gave you money! Maybe she should become a 'witness' to something as well. She was quite low on money after buying this miraculously cheap property, once owned by a lady by the name of Serena Starr, and had already had some things delivered and set up in there. She then had another question for the old man.

"So who`s the mayor?"

"Ma 'ole boss. Theo Fallon Tronus. Nasty 'ole scrooge. Hates er'rythin'. Loves power, though. Actually, he on...Well, we're 'ere! Welcome to Iacon, lassie!" The old taxi driver pulled up in front of the town hall. Miranda stared at the town hall. It was a large building, with a majestic sign and a shiny purple sigil on the sign. It looked like a fox's head with a pronged crown. Could that be the town's coat of arms? Miranda dismissed it, and clawed for the door handle of the cab. Picking up her bags, she slowly clambered out of the vehicle.

To be continued...