::::Several Edits: Traded Knockout for a favorite G1 character and added a twist to... that character. trying to find a way to change the Rogue Mecha's armor in a non-cliche way so it doesn't resemble a certain villain in Mobian Angel. Tweaked Miko's outfit and added graffiti to her jacket that has a significant meaning.
See bottom for more.
Anywho, I don't own Transformers! Most of the Human character designs(mostly from TFPrime) belong to Lecidre on Derviantart!
Mecha. A word almost identical to Techno-Organic.
Believe it or not, but she knows the story behind Sari. She knows how Sari was originally a protoform that somehow wound up on Earth, and became a Techno-Organic when the famous Isaac Sumdac touched it out of curiosity. Instead of having a vehicle as an alt-mode, it was instead her human half as an alt.
And now, standing excitedly before her was the next generation of what she was. Mechas. The only difference between them and Sari: Mechas were people first who volunteered to become half Cybertronian. No one but Miko and her crew of Mechas and Pilots know of the Cybertronians story/known history. Miko hand picked the doctors in charge of surgery over the Mechas herself. She has her reasons and she will never tell a soul why, even though most already figured it out, but was wise and kept their mouth shut.
Miko P.O.V.
After the Launch I watched as Jackie led the new Pilots away to the other side of the hanger. I chuckled at the site of Ace excitedly ask an annoyed Jackie a bazillion questions. Ace reminds me so much of Bumblebee its scary. Shelly is definitely like Arcee. John and Shane, bickering brothers. In a sense, looking at them reminds me of the story Ratchet told me, the one of data clerk Orion Pax and gladiator Megatronus…
Then there's Ty. I know his dad, he's in charge of maintaining the hanger. Even now, in the corner of my eye, I see him in the ceiling running scans to make sure the barrier to surface is functioning properly and then fixing what's not up to par. As Ty walked away, I can tell he admires his dad. That's kinda another reason why I gave him Bulkhead. After all, MY Bulk once told me he used to be a construction worker before he became a Wrecker.
I closed my eyes remembering the good old days before reluctantly opening my eyes to the real world, and the new Mechas: Sara, Clairy, Aurora and Johnny.
"Alright! Listen up-!" I yelled getting their attention. I heard footsteps behind me as I spoke. I know who it was, and my guess was right when both fear and awe passed over the newbies.
"Here's how its going down." That woman interrupted me. I twitched, knowing she did so on purpose. I looked up at her.
It was Sora's mom, the pilot of Airachnid. She was in her 40's, shoulder length, layered black-ish purple hair, yellow eyes, lightly tanned skin and a tattoo of a spider on her hip. She wore black pants with a yellow belt, a black tank top under a purple low cut jacket that made every near-by man blush, and black boots with yellow laces. (1)
"You either do as I say…" She walked over to Johnny and cupped his chin. From the look in his eyes, he couldn't tell whether to be scared or look down a little. He made the smart decision on being scared stiff. "Or else." He gulped. I rolled my eyes.
"Excuse me?" I asked as she flinched. She looked at me in a weird way. "What?"
"Nice outfit." She sneered. Today, I decided to wear A black tanktop with a dark blue jean jacket and black pants with my favorite yellow belt and brown boots. On my jacket is Optimus' favorite quote in Japanese Kanji with the Cybertronian version around it. I didn't do English, because I did NOT want MECH to know what it was. (2)
"What about it?" I asked, daring her to comment. She wisely kept her mouth shut, but smirked nonetheless.
"Nothing, Commander Miko." She let Johnny go –who visibly relaxed- and sighed. "I have reports of a Rogue wandering around out on the surface." That got my attention. "I sent a few Pilots to investigate, and they say she's friendly."
"A friendly Rogue?" Johnny asked.
"Yes. Has Miko not explained?" She taunted.
"I was getting to that." I grumbled. Oh, yeah. She sooo reminds me of Airachnid. She smirked as if reading my thoughts.
"Well then. If you would like, I shall help the newbie's in your stead so as you could investigate our new… 'friend'." I raised a brow in suspicion.
"Oh? You want little old me to investigate? AND you'll babysit? What's the catch?" I accused. She scoffed.
"I'm only trying to help."
We had a stare down. Sorry, let me rephrase that. We glared each other down as if we can kill each other through that alone.
~/~
Meanwhile, with Jackie and the Pilots…
Jackie was starting to get annoyed by Ace's bazillion questions game, luckily, Ty noticed. As Ty distracted Ace, Jackie took this time to think. Which he hated, but he needed to right now. He stopped and turned so a he could see Miko lost in thought as well and the she-devil Pilot of Airachnid walk up behind her. He heard the conversation and was also curious about this friendly Rogue.
Could it be her? …Nah. It can't be. But… then again. He allowed a ghost of a smile to grace his faceplates. But then had to focus at the task at hand.
Looking down, he did a roll count: Sora, Ty, Shelly, Ace, John and Shane. Miko wasn't kidding, they really are like their Cybertronian doubles…
Anyway… Back to business. Fist things first: Getting them their new 'second skin' and teaching them how to pilot the damn things.
He smirked.
Wheeljack walked over to where Miko had some Pilots run maintenance and whatnot over the new Bots and Cons.
Meanwhile, as Wheeljack walked by, Ace was awestruck by the sheer size of him! Also, he noticed that Wheeljack wasn' armed.
Johnny looked to the side and saw that Sara wasn't surprised about anything! It's like this is as common as breathing! He stood there confused until she looked at him suspiciously. He had the decency to blush and turn away. She glared holes in his head for a minute until she slowly looked away.
Sora noticed her mother have a glare-down with Miko and couldn't help but smile. Why, because her mom was still living off of the pride she felt when Miko gave her another Femme with a spider Alt. Pride, because now she wasn't the only creepy spider lady, and also… they finally have something in common.
The newbies were startled when Wheeljack called them over. They ran trying to catch up to him.
A few minutes later found everyone in another room with Jackie out of Wheeljack. This room was like a sewing room made specifically for these suits. In the room was the Mecha: Arcee, and Pilot of Ratchet.
This Arcee was different from the one Shelly had, this Arcee was a teacher. (A/N- think Animated Arcee and Ratchet). Arcee was a Mecha. Parts of her armor were visible over her clothes. The dark red/black areas were her clothes (a black long sleeve shirt and pants covered by her white and pink armor.) Her helmet was away, so you can see her face. She was in her 40's with light skin, sandy blonde/greying hair, blue eyes and red lipstick. The blue optics normally seen in her Mecha form are also her glasses in her Human form.
Ratchet was in his 50's and looks surprisingly good for his age. He has hazel eyes, light skin, and hair that can't decide between white or ginger. He's currently standing up with his arms out as Arcee applies the finishing touches to his suit.
Wheeljack wolf whistles and the two blush furiously (Arcee subtly.) Ratchets uniform is similar to Arcee's half clothes/armor type outfit. But unlike hers, the 'armor' bit wasn't permanently attached to him. His were bits and pieces that fell off during battle and couldn't part with them so he asked Arcee to custom fit them into his uniform. Which was how they were found as Wheeljack and the newbies walked in.
"You sly little-" Wheeljack teases as Ratchets glare stopped him.
"One more word… I dare you." Ratchet growled. Arcee stood up and shook her head with a smile, causing Ratchet to blush.
"How can I help you Jackie?" She asked sweetly as the 'grown men' had a childish glare-down. Ace noticed the two weren't gonna budge and so stepped in.
"Uh, we're here to get our suits…?" He asked sheepishly. Arcee smiled in a motherly way and walked over to them.
"Oh, so you're the new recruits?"
"Yes ma'am." He answered politely.
She smiled and gestured for them to follow. Ace, Shelly, Ty, Sora, John and Shane followed her to and saw a large opening in the ceiling. (Think the inside of a massive library how it spirals up. Instead of books, it was filled with different clothing material for military, civilian, for different types of jobs, even bits of armor that fell off to be used for the pieces' Pilot.) Arcee stopped in the center of the large opening. Ace looked up and saw windows built into the walls that shot out some kind of yellow light (mimicking sunlight, but dim enough to resemble sunsets.) Each light filled the room up and gave Arcee a certain glow to her, causing Ratchet to blush…
"Now, could you step up and split into boys on one side-." While waving her hand to her left. "And girls over here." To her right. Everyone did as told. The guys went with Ratchet and the girls with Arcee. Wheeljack wandered off to the upper floors.
~/~
Airachnid was in a good mood. She's still living off of her pride for her daughter and was clearly showing it. Currently, she's teaching them how to be a Mecha (even though she's a Pilot, she has a lot of… friends who are Mecha'. So she knows the basics at least.)
"I need a volunteer. As I show you how it works, I expect all of you to pay attention." As she eyed them, Johnny stood up and bravely walked forward. She crossed her arms and eyed him curiously.
"Alright then." She walked over and spoke as she circled him like prey. "Now, the first things you need to know is what parts of have stayed and what is no longer there." She said as she knocked on his arm like you would a door. They were surprised to hear it sound –and feel- like metal. "Just because you look Human, doesn't mean you are anymore." She smirked as she looked at the other three. Clairy subtly hid behind Aurora, boosting Airachnids' ego.
"When you transform, several lines of light will flash from below your skin. That is the Energon pumping through your veins. It has replaced your blood and doubles as your power source. After the lights flash, your skin will lift up and change, moving and transforming, until it is replaced by your armor and other additions used only by you. No one else has what you do, so don't expect easy replacements." She warned.
She stopped in front of him and looked at him. "All you have to do is concentrate. That shouldn't be too hard for you, would it?" She teased with a smirk. He smirked at the challenge. Airachnid turned and faced the others with the same challenge.
Johnny closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt his pulse quicken and a warmth in his chest. The others watched in awe.
His skin briefly glowed those prophesied lights, lined on his skin. His skin lifted up and broke apart and went into his arms as red and black metal replaced them. His new skin looked like the original but somewhat transparent metallic black instead. His hair thinned and turned into razor-sharp wires that pulsed power and electricity. His blue eyes turned Decepticon red and showed homage to TFPrime Knockouts eyes... er, optics. On his back showed hidden wings and Jet engines showing his ability to fly. His shirt, pants and boots vanished and were replaced by layered black armor that looked dark red in the light. The layered armor on his legs made him look more buff than he was causing even Airachnid to stare. His legs looked like that of a runner and a gymnast. His boots gave way to reinforced boots with a power boost allowing him to jump insane heights.
Airachnid, after being around Miko long enough, knows that Johnny would've made a great Decepticon, at first glance. Airachnid made a mental note to talk to Miko about this later. But… then again… Behind her she saw Clairy and Aurora had just transformed.
Clairy's skin turned into a metallic blue, her blonde hair in a ponytail, turned into it's metal equivalent. Her glasses/goggles fused into her face turning into blue optics. The jeans she wore fused with her legs and her black boots grew taller until they reached her knees, topped with yellow knee pads. A yellow belt she wore wrapped around her waist like a skort (half shorts/half skirt) with holders for guns on both sides of her waist. Her black tank top and yellow vest vanished and replaced by a black belly top and yellow collar.
Airachnid recognized right away who she turned into. (A/N-Do you?)
Then she gazed at Aurora. They shared a look. Aurora was way too old to be part of the choice, hell her two sons were in here! She subtly shook her head so as to not discuss this in front of the others. The Pilot of Airachnid nodded. Aurora transformed with ease, already knowing what to do. (3)
As Miko rounded the corner and looked back at the Mecha's across the way. She held an unreadable look and the turned the corner to see James Primerson waiting patiently for her, sitting atop Optimus' shoulder.
Up on the Surface
The lone Mecha from earlier was running from rooftop to rooftop.
I have a visual. The voice of a Pilot stated through his Com Link.
He zoomed in and saw a flash of her 'hair'. She was so fast, he can only catch glimpses of her. This Rogue Mecha is famous for not only being among the few that are friendly, but also, rumored to have lived before the surface went to hell. THAT'S why they're after her, because she's only one –besides Miko- who knows what the world was like before. If they can catch her and convince her that they mean her no harm, then maybe, they can finally figure out their past…
"You ready Optimus?" Miko said from behind. Said Pilot stood tall to his full height. Miko walked up from behind in the form of Bulkhead. Her Bulkhead. Miko walked up as the sun tried desperately to appear through the smoke and toxic mist. Standing before her was Movieverse Optimus Prime.
He nodded and turned back to the direction the Mecha ran to. Miko walked up and cracked Bulk's knuckles. "Lets do this." She/he said with a smirk. Optimus chuckled and jumped off the tall skyscraper (A/N-reminiscent to RotF's intro when he dived out of the plane with a parachute. XD)
Miko smirked as she jumped without a parachute. She landed with expert ease on the concrete creating a large crater. She slowly looked up and saw the retreating form of the Prime down the long stretch of road chasing after the Rogue.
"Holograms? Really Star?"
"Sorry about that." Said a playful voice said behind.
Miko/Bulkhead turned and out came the Mecha they were after. She stood on the roof of a one story store, eye level with Bulkhead on the other side of the street.
She had metallic skin spray-painted black. Her 'hair' resembled Soundwaves tentacles' from RotF, but black and red. They also showed how the electricity flowed through them and had a clear transparent razor sharp, scale-like armor over it that was tinted black and red. She had black armor in cool layers (with a red shine in the light), going only on her sides, hands, arms and legs, leaving her front and back bare. There were faint blue glowing markings on it looking like the inside of a computer chip. On her legs were liquid metal blades extending the length of the bottom part of her legs up to her knees, and were razor thin. She also had blades as heels too, apparently, as well as razor blades as nails that matched her legs and heals. In the center of her hands was some kind of glowing blue power core that also had some kind of faint mist coming out of it. Her eyes were Autobot blue. (4)
"So, what were you doing out here, anyway?" Miko asked. Star smirked playfully.
"Causing some trouble, messing with your team. The usual." She smiled. Miko rolled her eyes with a smile. "I heard the Choice was last week. Anyone we know?"
"Yeah, Arcee, Blackarachnia, Bumblebee, Optimus and Megatron."
"Seriously?" Star raised a playful brow suspiciously.
"What?" Miko giggled. The two burst out laughing. Soon, the laughing died down and they turned serious.
"Miko, I need to talk to you, but not here. We need to figure out our next move-!"
"I know. You think I don't know? Why do you think I've been picky on those who pass the Choice? We've been like this for so long… And, the Autobots and Decepticons… They-!"
"Miko."
"Sorry…"
"You have NOTHING to apologize for."
"But-!"
"But nothing!" Star leaped off the building and hovered in front of her friend, like you would be if you were underwater. "Look at yourself! Miko… I'm worried about you."
"Worried? Why?! Why is everyone so worried about me lately?"
"…Because…because…" Star used her enhanced hearing and could swear she could hear Miko crying. Star grabbed a piece of Bulk's shoulder and pulled him in close and hugged his neck as if she was hugging Miko.
Around the corner. Stood Optimus, hearing the whole conversation…
With the Pilots…
If Johnny could see her now, she'd never hear the end of this…
Sora stood in the dressing room facing the mirror wearing her new suit. Though she did appreciate how hot she looked, she's still fuming at the comments soon to be heading her way.
"C'mon Sora!"
"Come on! I wanna see!" She groaned and prepared to face her own personnel hell. As She reluctantly opened the door, Shelly, and Arcee stood awestruck.
Sora wore the traditional black long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. Over that was the armor/suit, she had a black-gold trimmed, belly top with a gold necklace with red gems on it. She had matching shoulder pads with a gold spike on each. She had long gloves that turned into fingerless gloves with a gold line on the knuckles. Around her waist, she had some kind of black metal underwear that had red gems on it resembling spiders' eyes and a red hourglass in the middle near her belly-button. Also, over her pants, she wore tall, knee-length black boots with heels and hold trimming. On her neck was a black choker with a Decepticon emblem on it.
She twitched when one of the guys across the room wolf-whistled. Oh, she could almost hear Johnny's smirk, if he was nearby that is. Arcee walked over and handed her a custom made helmet that resembled BA's helmet. As she looked at Arcee, she merely winked before joining Shelly again.
Shelly wasn't embarrassed. She kept her black long sleeve shirt, but changed to black pants. She had a blue top similar to her Transformers', the wings were stitched into her shirt now like a really cool design. She had long blue gloves like Sora's , but had a pink trimming to it. Over her pants, she had a blue belt, like her Bots'. The pants had a blue thin lines going down them. She also had tall blue and black boots with pink trimming and a metal white kneeguard.
Miss. Arcee watched from a distance as the two girls looked at each other in the large mirror between their changing rooms. She smiled in remembrance on how she did the same thing back then.
"Ok, girls." She said getting their attention. "Have you noticed that your uniforms resemble your new Transformers?"
"Yeah, I was wondering about that. I see other Pilots like that too." Sora said looking a little confused.
"Why is that?" Shelly asked. Arcee smiled and went into teacher-mode.
"The reason we dress like this is to further our ability to control the Transformers." She pointed to the bits resembling their Transformers' armor. " These pieces of armor have the very wiring and coding to your partners. Every move you make, every facial expression, they copy. Did you see the launch earlier?" She asked knowingly. The girls fidgeted sheepishly as Arcee giggled. She gestured to Jackie.
"Remember how Wheeljack over there moved? It's the same thing, really."
"Cool." Sora whispered.
"So, remember, whenever you're in the hanger, you HAVE to wear your uniforms and take them off when you leave. After all, you never know what kind of Mission Miko has in store for you." She added with a chuckle, causing the girls to smile.
Later that night.
Later that night, Miko was saying goodbye as everyone went to bed after a long day. The lights dimmed so as there was only enough light to see shone in the room. As the last of them closed the door behind them, Miko set to work shutting the Transformers down and putting them into Recharge for the night. Just like earlier, she was back on the floating platform and punching in the codes.
Halfway through, she hesitated as thoughts about earlier came to mind. She looked up and saw each end every Transformer (minus those who are Mechas') that she knows.
She started to cry.
These were her friends… family! Bulkhead… She banged her fist on the railing and collapsed onto her knees clinging to the railing now above her. After everything. All the battles, all the adventures, every smile, tear, laugh… everything has come to down to this.
They are now just lifeless puppets.
Down below stood a figure, watching Miko with sad eyes.
Miko sensing she was being watched opened a small holo-screen to see who it was. Her eyes widened. She stood up and ran to the other side of the platform to see the figure gone. Behind her was the image still being shown.
The figure was hidden in the shadows but there were a few –very recognizable- things noticeable in the dim light. It was a teenage girl with two ponytails, red hair, a glimpse of a yellow dress and one blue eye glowing in the dark…
1) Airachnid: art/So-We-Meet-Again-298686795
2) Optimus' famous quote: ''Till All Are One"
3) Guess who she turns into?
4) Ok, In Mobian Angel, Sora (pilot of Blackarachnia) had this form when she was Robotisized. So, I'm trying to find a new form for star. I'm tempted on trading black and red for blue and metallic white. But that sounds really cliche...
