I can't believe I wrote chapter 1 so quickly.. Don't get used to this, I'm on vacation right now... Anyway, this ended up being shorter than I hoped, but I think it sets the story up well so I'm going to leave it.

I do not own Transformers, but Transformers owns me. OTL

I do own Kate.

Thank you for the favs and follows, and huge thank you to my first reviewer! Already! :D

Ch. 1 - More Than Meets the Eye

"What is an old truck doing in the middle of a valley? I didn't see any roads..." Kate reached up to the rusty old handle and was surprised to find it unlocked. She yanked the door open and dust floated down to settle on her shoulders and light brown hair. Ignoring her new accessories, Kate hoisted herself up into the truck's cabin. She peered around and noticed a strange marking on the wheel. Brushing the dust off, Kate discovered an engraving of a robot-like face. Her eyebrows furrowed together. "I've seen this before..." However, her memory failed her and she shrugged it off. "I know! I'll clean the truck off and maybe find a way to get it working again." With a new goal in mind, Kate hopped down and shut the door. She then started the journey back to campus before the sun could go down.

Over the next few weeks the hidden valley became Kate's secret getaway. Nearly every day after class, she would hurry down there to her truck. She had cleaned and dusted the truck and done her best to get rid of the rust. She wondered if she could restore the paint job as well.

"Well, it's Friday. Now you and I get a whole weekend together." Kate said to the semi. For a moment she thought she heard the truck hum quietly in response, but immediately waved away the thought. How could an inanimate truck understand her words? Suddenly, a low rumble jerked the girl out of her thoughts. A storm had rolled in without warning and was about to break overhead. As huge drops of rain began to splash on her nose, Kate gasped and clambered into the cab. The storm released it's full fury over the Earth. A particularly violent crash of thunder startled Kate, and her hand accidentally smacked the robot symbol on the steering wheel. Immediately, the truck roared to life. Kate was so startled that she fell backwards out of the truck onto the ground. Within seconds she was drenched. A deep voice echoed through the storm, "Are you okay?"

"Who said that? Where are you?" Kate shouted above the gale.

In response, the truck in began to transform right in front of her eyes. The hood popped up, the doors flew open, and the truck itself stood up. Metal shifted and squeaked until a humanoid robot towered in front of the trembling girl.

All of a sudden, stories her mother and grandmother used to tell her as a child came flooding into her memory banks. Stories of giant, transforming robots and an endless war they waged with each other flashed across her brain. So, it wasn't just a giant advertising campaign after all. The older generations were telling the truth. The Transformers were real, and one had just awoken right in front of her.

The robot leaned down to look Kate in the face (or at least as close as a giant robot could get), effectively jerking the girl out of her memories. The two blinked at each other for a couple seconds until Kate remembered how to move and talk again. "Uh.. I'm okay... A little wet though..." she stuttered.

"Oh. I am sorry," the Transformer apologized and reverted back into a truck. The doors opened and Kate only hesitated a moment before hopping in.

Happy to be out of the ever-worsening storm, Kate had a few questions to ask. "Who are you? How long have you been here? How do you do that whole transforming thing? Where are the rest of your people?" Yep, just a few questions.

"My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots, a group of autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron. Please tell me, child, what year is it?"

"My name is Kate, and it's 2014. Why?"

Optimus was silent for moment then said, his voice grave, "I have been in recharge for 30 years. There is much I do not know. But I can tell you what I remember. The year was 1984, and the Autobots and our mortal enemies, the Decepticons, were at battle once again..."

The ground and sky around Kate disappeared and were replaced with the image of a large, flat desert. It would have been a barren and desolate scene if not for the enormous battling transformers. Metal and energon littered the battlefield.

"Wheeljack better hurry up with that new weapon. We're not doing so well here," Ironhide shouted over the din. As if on cue, Wheeljack himself rolled up, towing a threatening-looking device behind him.

"I'm here now. Get ready to watch those Decepti-scum burn." Wheeljack's bright blue optics were bright with anticipation. He started to set up his masterpiece, Ironhide and Sideswipe covering for him. However, on the opposite side of the battle, Knockout was also setting up a creation of his own under the watchful eye of Soundwave.

Both sides pointed their weapons at the other side's leader, who were currently locked in combat. Wheeljack and Knockout pressed the triggers and fell back with the force of the blow. Two equally powerful blasts rocketed toward each other at immense speeds. Instead of hitting their targets, the two enormous blasts collided causing an explosion that could give the atom bomb a run for its money. The blast instantly rendered each Autobot and Decepticon unconscious.

"The next thing I remember is waking up in this storm with you," Optimus finished his story to a stunned and silent Kate. "I believe the blast created multiple versions of a space bridge. I cannot detect any Cybertronian signals on this planet. They must have been scattered across the universe. At least, I am hoping that is what happened, and none of their signals went offline

permanently..." The Prime's voice trailed off gravely.

Sensing his worry, Kate quickly changed the subject. "But what about you? I mean, somehow you're still on Earth. Shouldn't we call the army or National Geographic or something? I mean,

you're basically a living relic! I didn't even think you were real until today..."

"You've heard of me?" Optimus sounded surprised.

"Yeah, my mom and grandma would tell me stories. Actually, pretty much everyone's parents and grandparents have stories, but they had no proof. So, we started to question the stories. People eventually accepted the idea that it was all a giant toy advertisement..." Kate gestured toward the bot. "Guess we were wrong."

Optimus pondered this new bit of information, then sighed. "I do not know what to do. I will remain here for now and attempt to think of something. For now, please keep my presence a secret. I do not wish to bring unnecessary attention just yet."

Kate nodded. "Makes sense... Maybe I can help you out. My grandma has tons of stories about you guys, more so than other people's families it seemed. She might know what to do. May I ask her?"

Optimus pondered her request for a silent moment, then slowly nodded. "Perhaps her intel may prove helpful, especially if she already knows a lot about us."

Kate grinned and nodded. "She knows tons!"

While the new friends were talking, something was stirring in deep space. Well, many somethings were stirring. Optimus Prime's awakening had sent a signal into every corner of the universe.

Scattered Cybertronians were waking up and moving around. One word echoed deep in their sparks: Earth.

Who will make it to Earth first? Friend or foe? Stay tuned for the next installment of 'The Stories Are Real'!

Ahem. Sorry. How was it? Let me know if there are any typos, I'm editing this myself. Reviews are loved~

I also apologize if things don't make sense. I'll try to clear it all up in the next chapter or two...

Until next time!