Hello, this is my first Transformers story (but not my first ever story). I've completely fallen in love with Transformers Prime and as such have had some plot bunnies running around in my head. I do not intend this story to be a Mary-Sue story. I plan on using my OC to create new and different situation for the Bots that I think would be interesting to see. If it gets a little Mary-Sue-ish, please let me know kindly. This first chapter just sort of explains how my OC gets involved. Please let me know if you would like to see more. Sincerely, madlibs44
Chapter 1:
The highway was peaceful at two in the morning. Only a handful of car headlights broke through the darkness. A young college student headed for home in that peaceful dark, driving her red four-door. Her name was Michelle and she sat relaxed against the driver's seat. The cruise set to just above the speed limit and travel tunes emitting softly from the speakers, Michelle honestly believed this to be one of the most relaxing moments of her life. Humming softly with the music, she reached down to grab her soda for a quick sip. Glancing back up through the windshield, she noticed that she was coming up to a lone semi without a trailer.
'Hm,' she mused to herself, 'wonder what he's doing out here so late without any cargo.'
Deciding that she really didn't need to concern herself with the business of the semi, Michelle glanced in her rearview to check that she could shift lanes safely. Her heart almost skipped a beat when a pair of headlights suddenly blinked on off the side of the road and pulled onto the highway.
"Crap!" she hissed quietly, double-checking her speed in fear that it may be a cop. She wasn't speeding. She glanced back at the car again and realized that it didn't have any lights flashing. Laughing softly at herself, she returned her attention to the semi that she was closing in on. "Ah, Michelle you're too jumpy for your own good."
Click, click, click. Her turn signal came on after a slight tap and the red car shifted into the left lane to pass the semi. Michelle glanced quickly at the truck as she passed and smiled at the beautiful red paint job. 'Wow, I wish my car could look that nice.'
Her little car finally passed the semi and she glanced in her mirrors to see if it was safe to return to the right lane. As if in response, the semi flashed his high-beams at her as a signal that it was safe to switch back. Or at least that's what she assumed it meant. As she was changing lanes, Michelle began to hear the whir of a helicopter overcome her music.
The young woman nearly slammed on her brakes in surprise as a bright spotlight suddenly shone from the helicopter, the light enveloping her car and the semi behind her. "What the hell?"
A voice came from the helicopter but through all the noise and the shock, Michelle didn't understand a word of it. She jumped as the semi flashed his lights at her several times again and began to speed up behind her. Taking the hint, she stepped on the gas. Even when her speed had reached 90mph (and she had never gone even that fast before), the semi was still on her bumper trying to get her to go faster.
"I'm going!" she cried out frantically, even though nobody would hear her.
Suddenly, Michelle went deaf as a large explosion sounded from behind her. Fire and smoke filled her vision as her car spun around from the force of the explosion. All she could do was simply hold on tight and pray to God. She felt as if she would throw up when her car suddenly stopped its spin, but not of its own accord.
Michelle slumped against the steering wheel, breathing heavily. Her breathe caught in her throat when she noticed a giant metal hand holding the hood of her car. Following the arm connected to the hand, she was awed to find what looked like a large robot. In shock, she thought almost calmly, 'He's red… Just like that semi."
A booming voice startled her out of her paralyzing shock, "You must leave now. Drive to safety."
Michelle nodded dumbly and fumbled to restart her car and shift it into drive. The robot gently picked her car up and set it back on the road facing her original direction. She pressed on the gas and winced as he car chugged away, sounding significantly worse than it had before the explosion. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized that her headlights were out. After barely half a mile down the highway, she slowed her car to a stop and looked back at what was now a blazing battle. Dazed and in shock, she simply watched as the large robot dodged fire and disabled the weapons mounted on the now several cars surrounding him. Michelle idly wondered where they had all come from, why they were attacking the robot, and why wasn't the robot fighting back. She flinched away when she saw the robot look back at her car, blue eyes piercing the darkness.
That second glance back cost the robot as he was finally hit by something, Michelle didn't know what. The robot fell to his knees as electricity arced over his body. Suddenly, Michelle realized that she needed to help the robot. A small voice in the back of her mind told her to drive away as fast as she could. But her heart told her to help those who had helped her and without a second thought, she turned her car around towards the battle and floored it. The strangely-clad soldiers weren't expecting her to return and barely jumped out of the way as her car barreled into the fight. After passing the robot, Michelle slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel, skidding around in a 360. She smiled triumphantly at having done so successfully on her first try, the adrenaline boosting her confidence and rashness.
The robot gazed down at her as the soldiers began to recover before folding in on itself to become the semi that she had seen earlier. Michelle stared in awe.
"Drive now!" the semi called to her urgently.
Michelle didn't even bother debating his advice as another, smaller explosion occurred and she slammed on the gas. Her car shot past the semi and she glanced back, concerned that it wasn't following, but was relieved to see it once again on her bumper. Her speedometer reached past 100mph as they pulled quickly away from the wreckage of the battle.
Without warning, a glowing green vortex, as Michelle could only describe it, appeared in front of them on the highway. Startled and afraid, she slammed on the breaks but the semi behind her simply pushed her into the green vortex.
"Wait! Sto-!" Michelle's scream was cut off as the vortex closed behind them.
Michelle gripped the steering wheel of her car tightly and shut her eyes as they passed through the vortex. It was extremely unpleasant and the feeling of nausea returned full force. The sensation that her bones were vibrating only lasted a few seconds, though, and soon after, she felt her car come to a stop. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself in her car sitting in a large enclosed space, an annoyed white and orange robot staring down at her.
The college student froze at the sound of whirring and clinking behind her and glanced at the rearview mirror to see two large feet behind her car. She followed the feet as they stepped around her car and over to the other robot, who turned his annoyed look to at the semi-now-turned-robot.
"Optimus," he sighed, "Just how many humans are we going to end up babysitting?"
Something in the back Michelle's mind prickled at 'babysitting' but her shock was too overwhelming for her to really care. Standing in front of her were two giant robots! Why? How did it end up like this? She decided she was never going drive alone that late again. Weird shit apparently happens on highways in the middle of the night. Two large feet standing in front of her car pulled her out of her jumbled thoughts. Leaning forward slightly to look through the top of her windshield, Michelle could still only see the top of his "chest".
"It would be easier to speak with you if you were to step out," a deep voice boomed from high above her. Michelle took a deep breath and slowly opened her car door before finally stepping out. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the giant robot suddenly dropped down to one knee. "What is your name?"
The girl in question opened and closed her mouth several times before answering, "Michelle…. Michelle White."
The large red robot smiled very slightly before his face became emotionless again. "My name is Optimus Prime. This is my medic, Ratchet."
Optimus indicated the smaller white and orange robot standing behind him, who just huffed and returned to what looked like a large computer. Michelle huffed right back at him before turning back to Optimus. She timidly asked, "Where are we?... Who were those people that attacked us... I mean, you?"
Optimus looked away almost apologetically, "The humans who attacked me are part of a terrorist organization known as MECH. Unfortunately, they have no qualms about hurting their own kind and thus, you were drawn into our fight. For your own safety, I brought you here to our base."
Michelle nodded dumbly as she glanced around their 'base'. She half listened as Optimus explained how he lead a team known as Autobots and an eons-long war originating on their planet of Cybertron. She noted the odd presence of a human couch that seemed very out of place in the base. Shrugging it off as something to figure out later, she glanced back at her car.
"My car!" she cried with dismay. Before her, sitting low on now flat tires, was her poor, first car. Its red paint job was scratched, smeared, and blackened from burns and soot. The hood had a large, hand-shaped dent in the front. The front license plate was completely gone and the headlights were hanging by wires. The back windshield, she just noticed now, had a large crack across it. The poor college student had saved for several years to afford a car, even a cheap one such as this, and now it was totaled.
Behind her, Optimus glanced up at Ratchet, who rolled his optics before sighing, "I might be able to fix it if I have time. I think this would be better left for Agent Fowler to take care of, though."
Optimus gazed back down at the now frantic young woman in front of him. "Do you require transportation immediately? I believe it would be best for you to stay here until our liaison, Agent Fowler, can arrive here and speak with you about what you witnessed this evening."
"I guess I can stay," Michelle replied hesitantly. "Nobody's expecting me anywhere tonight."
Ratchet scoffed and narrowed his optics at the young woman. "That doesn't sound safe, travelling without anybody knowing where you are or where you are going. The other children report in to their parents almost hourly."
"I'm not a child. My parents don't need to know where I am, especially since I've been in college for nearly three years now," Michelle crossed her arms and glared up at the medic. She hid a grimace as she felt slight tremors run through her body.
Optimus stood up to his full height and gestured towards the couch, effectively ending any further argument. "I don't know what humans require for a full recharge but I have seen Jack resting on the couch before. I hope that is satisfactory at least for tonight."
Michelle nodded shakily before turning to head towards the couch. Except that there was a giant foot in her way. She craned her neck back to look up at the grouchy medic. She gripped her hands tightly as her body twitched.
Ratchet narrowed his optics at the human. "Why did your body suddenly start shaking?"
Michelle was now gripping her hands tight enough to cause the knuckles to go white. Taking a deep breath, she answered, "I'm having a panic attack. I shake uncontrollably when I have a panic attack."
Ratchet straightened immediately, "I'll contact Nurse Darby and bridge her hear immediately-."
"No, that's not necessary," Michelle interrupted through her now chattering teeth. "I just need to lie down and calm down. It'll stop in like 10 minutes."
Ratchet seemed about to protest but Optimus held up a hand. "You've experienced this before I presume?" When she nodded, he continued, "Then we'll allow you to rest but if you're condition persists for more than 10 minutes, we will contact Nurse Darby."
Michelle sighed and continued towards the couch, climbing the stairs slowly, "Fair enough."
"We should let her calm down, old friend," the Autobot leader suggested. As Michelle lay down on the beaten up old couch, Ratchet followed Optimus Prime out of the main hangar.
Ten minutes later on the dot, Ratchet returned to find the human fast asleep on the couch. Grumbling something about human health issues, he returned to his computer station and his work, though more quietly than normal.
So that's it for the first chapter. Please review and let me know if you're interested in reading more.