When the humans try to come up with a weapon against the Decepticons, things get really bad.

Optimus is stranded in the Midwest as a human

with no memories.

Disclaimer: Transformers are copyrighted by

Hasbro, DreamWorks, and Paramount. I just write

this stuff for fun. However, my OC Laura Kencally

is my own invention. Please do not use without permission

*--- * = thoughts

^---^ comm

Prologue

Red eyes that weren't really eyes looked into his own. He stood,

towering above the trees, hearing himself call a command as

he struggled with his foe. Then there was a bright flash that

seared his optic nerves, and massive pain thoughout his body.

He wanted to scream but wasn't able to even moan. It felt like

the very atoms in his body were changing. Everything happen

fast, yet it seemed like he was moving in slow motion. He was

shrinking! And something else was happening, too horrible to

contemplate. Then it was over. He stood up shaky, trying to

process what had happen to him, knowing something was very

wrong, but unable to say what. Explosions echoed around him,

cutting him off from answers, from friends, from hope. Then the

red eyes spotted him again. They were now so very far above

and he flinched back defensively. Someone else must have seen

him because he heard someone yell, "RUN!!!! Get out of here!!

He hesitated, his hand tightening around the dagger that he

carried. He seemed to remember that he'd had it before.

A harsh voice snarled, "Get the fleshling!!!! He realized suddenly

that he was now the focus of the battle. And he was now defenseless.

So he ran. He bolted under the owner of the demon eyes, heading

straight for the forest, away from the beach. Sand kicked up behind

him, his feet slipped on broken black glass that had been created by

the heat of whatever had happened. Blood dripped from his cuts, and it

hurt. But he didn't stop. He finally dove off the beach and tore

Into the forest aware that somehow for the first time in his very long life

he was alone, lost, and a gut wrenching terror was blinding him from

anything but running. Running to get away. He tripped over branches

And bushes. Explosions now ripped through the sky and crashed down

In front of him or far behind him. Then a blast hit right behind him and he

was lifted up into the air, crashing headfirst into a tree. Everything went

black for a second and then those eyes in a inhuman metallic face were

coming closer, closer closer,…..

Chapter 1… On the Road

"MIKE! Snap out of it doggoneit! It's the nightmare. WAKE UP
YOU CRAZY S.O.B.!" Laura was yelling at nearly the top of her lungs.

The bed before her was a mess, and the man in it was tangled

In the sheets. Strangely he wasn't screaming, which Laura had

always found weird. But he was groaning a deep, bass rumble

that seemed to covey the most heartbreaking distress. Laura sighed,

Seeing she wasn't getting through to him and knowing he WOULD

deck her if she shook him she decided that she had no choice.

Grabbing the squrit bottle off the nightstand she carefully aimed and

let loose with a stream of water straight into his face. "Wuh! What

the…."he sputtered, his eyes still closed. The insistent beeping in the

background was loud in the sudden silence that descended.

He wiped away the liquid with the back of his hand. Opened his eyes,

which were facing the crazed alarm clock. "Oh slag! I slept through the

alarm again., didn't I?" he asked as he turned back to Laura. She paused

a moment, marveling again at his beautiful blue eyes. She had never, ever

seen another human with eyes that shade. "I'm afraid so, Mike. And you

were having the NIGHTMARE," she added as she grabbed a towel and

tossed it to him. He scowled then shrugged and said," I'll have to hurry if we

want to get on the road before Rush Hour. Did you get your shower already?"

Laura nodded then reached over and began unwinding the sheets from

around him. ""I just don't know how you manage to always get so tangled

up in the bed at night, Mickey." Mickey -- Michael Patton -- managed to get

free of the sheets at last, and his deep voice spoke volumes, even if he didn't

growl. "Mike is okay, Laura. Or my full first name. Not Mickey!" "You're so darnn

touchy. Oh, all right," she said as she caught the pointed look. "I should know

better after you have an episode of THAT! I'll go order breakfast for us and

you just pop in the shower. Meet me downstairs in 10."

Mike walked to the front room of the truck stop. Laura was already there and reading the newspaper. Her cell stuck out from the top of her old leather jacket and she was happily drinking a coffee with plenty of sugar and flavored cream. She nodded at her partner but refrained from saying anything. They had had a long standing agreement that they didn't talk to each other more then necessary before they both got some caffeine in their systems. Instead she eyed him with a little satisfaction. After all he was a handsome man. And he was totally devoted to her. Mike was a tall man standing about six and a half feet high. He had shoulder-length dark brown hair that had gold highlights. His skin was pale and he had good muscle tone, though he didn't look like a bodybuilder or something like that. And he was strong. Very strong, almost inhumanly so. But just as she reached that train of thought, there was an interruption. It was rare but not unheard of for a bike gang to stop at a trucker's place. And they were far out of their usual haunts in the Mid-West. Near the border with Mexico and Laura remembered grimly all the stories she'd heard when they had took the job about a bike gang hitting on female truckers and even stopping trucks on the highway and busting up their loads for fun. And here was the gang now swaggering in and throwing an intimidating look at the little Chinese guy and his wife that ran the small stop. Mike was still getting his coffee when the leader of the bikers flopped down in the seat across from her, his cronies hanging off the back of the seat. There were maybe six or seven in all. "Well, lookie here," said the biker, showing rotten teeth blowing foul breath in Laura's direction. "What's a cute lil' chick like you doin' way out here?" Laura had no illusions about her appearance. She was tall and overweight. She wasn't any kind of a beauty. At least to most people. But this guy was just out for what he could get. Laura sighed slightly as she saw her partner come back. Things were gonna get ugly fast

Mike spotted the boys as he turned back. He shook his head as he considered events. * First the NIGHTMARE, and now this. What's Laura always excusing herself with these days. Ah, 'Getting out on the wrong side of the bed' and I think I'm starting to understand her. * The bikers were watching Laura, not paying any attention to him, which is what he wanted. For such a tall and imposing person, Mike was very good at fading out of the picture. "Excuse me, " came the bass rumble "You're in my seat and you are bothering my partner. That is not a wise idea." The boy/man looked up, and up and swallowed. To cover his momentary slip, he snarled, "Back off, old man. I saw her first. She's your partner, why ain't ya staying with her 'stead of grabbin' some joe!" Laura looked up as well now and watched Mike intently. And she saw what she wanted to see. The flash of light in his eyes, almost as if he had turned on the light. "I had my eyes on her when I walked in the room. Unlike some punks. I know my limits. And you've just pushed the wrong buttons."

The biker gang got ready to rumble but Mike quickly defused the situation by grabbing the punk in his seat and twisting hs arm almost dislocating it in one smooth motion. "I think you better leave, "Mike said softly watching the others and keeping the leader in front of him. The bikers were stunned. It had been so long since someone stood up to them that they couldn't figure out what to do. As for the boy, and boy he was at the moment, he was pleading with Mike not to break his arm. "Look, okay, all right, I ain't meanin' no diss man. I mean ya know she's cool we're cool Right?" "Apologize to her then get out of here and don't EVER come back." Mike said, his anger distinctly plain. "Sorry lady I didn't mean nuthiing!!!" Mike let the kid go and gave him a kick in the pants to encourage him. "GET!!" he suddenly yelled.

"Nice timing," Laura commented as Mike resumed his seat and started in on his coffee. There was quiet between them for so long that Laura was starting to get impatient. Mike wasn't one for lots of chatter most times but this was weird. Then Laura noted that he was looking anywhere but at her face. Oh, great. The last time he had pulled that was the first time he had had that stupid DREAM. "All right Michael! Spill it. What is it this frigging time!" Mike whipped his head up and stared at Laura. Their eyes met and Laura suddenly found herself in the shower looking at a pale-skinned well-muscled shoulder. It was the left one and it had a blotchy red mark. Laura knew what she was looking at then and paid close attention. There was scar tissue around the mark, but it no longer looked like some kind of birthmark. It looked like a tattoo, of a red mask. Laura closed her eyes, returning to the here-and-now. "Oy-ve! Okaies, now that's a problem." she muttered. Mike gave a bark of laughter that had no humor in it. "You could say that. I doubt I'll be able to wear tanks from now on. And if someone's looking for me, I'm sure they'll know about this." Laura shrugged, earning her a sour look. "You're acting like I'm porcelain again. When a you gonna get it though your silly head that I'm more then just your average woman!" Her eye flared white and Mike reflected that he'd really done it this time. Having a partner that could melt your brain and smash your face in with one blow without even touching you, well it was a pretty good idea not to piss her off. Laura Joann Kencally was far from your average girl.

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Well… I didn't think it was gonna go like this! I thought I was gonna put more in this chapter, but as usual my writing makes itself up! Still I hope everyone like the prologue and first chapter. By the way this is set after ROTF though I haven't seen it yet. So I'm hoping the book is closer to the movie then usual.

Please Review so I can improve.

Love

Laureas