Chapter 1: Cataclysm
[Collier-Seminole State Park, Naples, Florida]
"Hey, watch your step. I don't want to be the one to tell mom that you got mauled by a gator." Said Yasmin, age 19, the eldest of the three sisters.
"Why are we even down here at the swamp anyway?" asked Michelle, age 16 the youngest of the trio.
"Sometimes Yasmin likes to take stupid adventures, Michelle." Said Andrea, Age 18, the middle child as she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but aren't we supposed to be at a party soon?" Michelle asked.
"It doesn't start until sundown, so we've got a couple of hours to kill. Plus we might be able to see a big gator or something." Yasmin explained.
"More like big mosquitoes," Andrea growled.
The rays from the sun filtered through the thick mangrove branches overhead. The nocturnal wildlife began to stir, chirping, and croaking as the sun got lower. Yasmin and her sisters followed the trail through the park, taking in the scenery.
Suddenly, massive flocks of birds hurriedly took flight, loudly squawking as they vacated the area. The rest of the park's wildlife became silent, no more croaking or chirping whatsoever. The girls froze in their tracks, trying to figure out what was happening. As if on cue, two thunderous explosions racked the atmosphere, causing Yasmin to look up and see a pair of bright orange objects headed straight for them.
"Go, move!" Yasmin yelled as she grabbed her sisters' arms and began sprinting away.
Seconds later, the projectiles impacted the ground, launching the girls about 20 feet into some foliage. Andrea was the first to recover, examining her brand new shirt to see that it was badly ripped, "Ain't no way, I just bought this" Andrea complained while brushing sticks and dirt off her arms.
Yasmin, who had smacked head-first into the base of a tree, laid face down in the grass for a second. The impact; cushioned by her now-ruined braids, was quite rough. "You two alright?" She muttered, with no reply,
Nearby, Michelle let out a blood-curdling scream, Yasmin groaned and got to her feet, rushing over to her youngest sister's aid. Andrea, who was already standing over there, had a puzzled look on her face, "Did you break something?" Andrea asked, watching Michelle flail violently.
"There's a spider on me!" Michelle screamed as she swept the spider off her arm. Yasmin and Andrea looked at each other and burst out in laughter.
"We thought you were dying," Yasmin said flatly.
"It could have been deadly!" Michelle protested.
"I swear you're so dramatic," Andrea complained.
The trio climbed out of the bushes and directed their gaze towards the impact site. The trail the girls had been walking on was destroyed, in its place was a large pillar of dust and smoke.
"Woah," Michelle said as she attempted to get a better look at the crash site. Andrea reached out and tried to grab her sister by the arm to stop her, but Michelle was too quick. The other two followed after Michelle and stopped at the edge of the 30-foot deep crater.
Michelle could feel the heat from the crater as she stood by the edge. Yasmin and Andrea quickly caught up to her as they stared down into the pit. Large, metallic objects sat at the bottom. They were covered in dirt, debris, and had strange symbols on certain parts of them. The objects had jagged edges and numerous interlocking gears. The girls had trouble making out what they were supposed to be.
Andrea immediately pulled her phone out to record the phenomenon, whereas Michelle attempted to get a closer look at the foreign object. Yasmin immediately threw her hand out to stop Michelle in her tracks.
"Stop, you don't know what that thing is, and it's way too hot to go down there. That thing could be radioactive for all you know." Yasmin said firmly.
Michelle rolled her eyes, "You're just like mom!" she barked at Yasmin.
Yasmin's expression went from protective concern to anger and irritation, "If you continued walking down into that pit, it would only take a matter of seconds for the heat to burn your skin off. I'm curious about it too but we need to keep our distance."
"Andrea, stop recording and call mom. Tell her to get ahold of the fire department and some park rangers just in case the blaze spreads." Yasmin told her sister.
"I'm missing out on viral content, but alright," Andrea muttered as she started putting her mom's number in.
About 20 miles away, State Trooper Audrey Hansen was scarfing down a hamburger when her phone rang. She glanced down at the screen, realizing that her daughter was calling. Audrey wrapped her burger up and placed it in the Wendy's bag next to her. She quickly answered the phone, casually trying to start a conversation with Andrea. "Hey, baby, what's up?" She asked.
"Mom, stop what you're doing and send units to Collier-Seminole state park. Some meteors hit and there could be a fire or something." Andrea rapidly said.
"Woah, there… slow down. Why are you in the park? And, and… Meteors? What the heck is going on?" Audrey yelled.
"Just get down here, NOW!" Andrea said whilst hanging up.
Audrey clenched her phone in her fist, angrily seething about her daughter's situation. "I'm gonna choke that girl." She muttered.
Officer Hansen put her key in the ignition and fired up her Ford Mustang Police Interceptor. Audrey flipped her siren on and grabbed her radio. "This is Officer Hansen responding to a citizen's distress call at Collier-Seminole State Park, going code 3."
"This is Dispatch, we don't recall sending any reports to that area." A male voice over the radio stated.
"You didn't. My daughter called me, they need firefighters down there ASAP. Send medical teams just in case." Audrey had her foot mashed on the accelerator as she weaved in and out of traffic, cars barely having time to move out her way.
"Gotcha, go get your daughters. We'll handle the rest." The dispatch operator stated calmly before he began contacting other emergency services.
Back in the park, both meteors began shifting and expanding. The one closer to the girls had a forceful, rough transition, whereas the one further away had a smooth, orderly transition. Soon both began to take a large humanoid shape, the tops of their heads coming out of the craters. "They're robots!" Michelle exclaimed.
The large mechs had bulky bodies and stood at about 20 feet tall. One had a more feminine shape accompanied by a sandy brown color scheme with olive green accents, and the other had a masculine body with a purple and grey color scheme.
The purple robot immediately noticed the girls standing at the edge of the crater. Its eyes studied the small lifeforms with curiosity. A few seconds passed and an evil smirk formed across his face. He reached out to try and grab the girls which screamed and dived out of the way.
The second robot with the tan color scheme quickly lunged at her twin, uppercutting the purple one out of the crater and causing him to smack into a nearby tree.
The tan robot stepped over to the girls, who were frozen in shock as they processed what just happened. The robot squatted to eye level and began speaking to the trio, "Run… get out of here now!" the robot shouted at the girls.
Michelle, Andrea, and Yasmin began sprinting away from the giant robots, Yasmin pulling ahead of her sisters as they fled from the park. It didn't take long for a brawl to erupt between the robots, the both of them slugging hits at each other as they desperately tried to gain the upper hand.
The purple robot threw a hard punch at his opponent, which caught his fist before it could connect. Both of them stared at each other with a burning intensity. The tan one finally spoke to her twin, seething with anger. "You disgust me, Steelsmith. You aren't even on this rock for a minute and you're already trying to terrorize its inhabitants."
"And? What's it to you, Pathway?" Steelsmith grumbled as he punched his sister in the gut. Pathway fell over, clutching her abdomen in pain. Steelsmith kicked Pathway over, knocking her on her back.
"You spent the entire war following me around, trying to bring me to justice. You never left me alone, always trying to control me. Now when I find a planet where I can hide, you follow me here too. Being a Decepticon was the best decision I ever made, It's a better life than being under Prime and his stupid speeches." Steelsmith said as he stood over his sister.
"Steelsmith, please… just… don't hurt anyone." Pathway pleaded
"I don't take orders from you. Stay out of my way before I'm forced to kill you." Said Steelsmith as he delivered a knockout blow. The Decepticon sighed and began to head in the direction of the girls, trying to find a way out of the park.
A few hundred yards ahead, Yasmin and her sisters were nearing the park exit. They could hear the footsteps of the giant closing in on them. Michelle began to panic, looking behind her as she could see Steelsmith's blood-red eyes through the shadows.
"Guys, he's back!" Michelle screamed.
Yasmin started reaching for her car keys, attempting to unlock her Nissan Maxima sedan. The car alarm made a chirp, signaling it was unlocked. The girls all piled inside of the car, Yasmin jamming the key in the ignition to start the car.
Yasmin put the car in gear and began to pull off. They made it about 20 feet until Steelsmith snatched the rear axle of the sedan out from under them, causing the sedan to slide to a halt. Many other parkgoers noticed this and began to panic, screaming and running to their cars or hiding under nearby tables.
"I didn't give you permission to leave," Steelsmith said.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Yasmin screamed as she hopped out of the driver's seat. "I don't care who you are or where you're from, you must've lost your mind," she yelled as she marched up to Steelsmith.
Steelsmith was shocked and confused as the young girl began chewing him out. The only people who talked to him like that were Megatron, Starscream, and Blackout. For such a small lifeform to explode with that level of anger was baffling.
"Hey, I just need to-" Steelsmith began before Yasmin cut him off.
"No, you need to shut your mouth. That car was 6 grand and a gift from my aunt. Now it's destroyed and I don't have a way to get around or away from you!" Yasmin huffed.
Steelsmith rolled his eyes and transformed his arm into a cannon, pointing it at Yasmin, "Tell me how to get out of here before I turn you into a pile of ash." He threatened as he began charging the weapon.
Yasmin swallowed hard, "Shit!" she thought to herself as a green charge began building at the back of the barrel. Her scowl stayed firm on her face as she was still upset about her car. But she didn't let her attitude overshadow her will to live. "Just keep walking straight out the lot and you have 2 options, turn right and you will head to Miami. Turn left, and you go to Naples. Miami is much farther but has more places to hide, Naples is closer but you'd be found within days.
Steelsmith retracted his cannon and smiled. "Thanks, kid, now was that so hard?" Yasmin stuck her middle finger up at the robot, not amused with the situation at all.
Off in the distance, a lone siren paired with a V8 engine could be heard, "It's Mom!" Michelle exclaimed.
"What is that?" Steelsmith questioned. "What's coming?" he demanded, pulling his cannons back out.
"Woah, woah, wait!" Yasmin yelled. "That's our mother. Don't hurt her!"
Steelsmith scoffed at the girls, "Why should I care?"
Audrey sped through the entrance of the park swinging her mustang around a corner until her kids were in view. A look of terror formed on her face as she saw the enormous robot aiming cannons at her.
Audrey slammed on her brakes, using her car to block the park entrance. The State Trooper grabbed her shotgun from the center console and racked it. Audrey slid out of the car and hid behind the door as she analyzed the situation.
Steelsmith pointed one of his cannons back at Yasmin, panicking at the situation whilst Audrey gripped the handle of her shotgun, finger itching on the trigger.
"Lower your weapon!" Audrey barked at the Steelsmith.
"Lower yours first," Steelsmith responded.
"I can't, you've got my babies held hostage and I'm not about to let you hurt them," Audrey said shakily.
The sound of dozens of sirens drew closer as the standoff grew tenser. "Additional units are gonna be here soon, we'll have you outnumbered. If you want to avoid getting lit up like a Christmas tree then you better stand down."
Steelsmith gritted his teeth and snarled, "You're bold, just like your little girl here… But you're in my way." Steelsmith fired without warning and turned Audrey's car into superheated shrapnel.
Audrey was launched 50 feet from the explosion, her body lay face-down in a nearby ditch. She was bleeding heavily from nearly every part of her body and burn marks covered most of her uniform.
Michelle and Andrea screamed from inside their car, Yasmin on the other hand stood silently, her legs getting weak and her eyes welling up. Andrea and Michelle bolted out of the car to their mother's side, Yasmin following close behind them.
Audrey could hear her daughter's footsteps get closer. The girls turned their mother on her back as she coughed up smoke and blood. The blaring sound of sirens rang in Audrey's ears, her daughters were gathered around her, checking her injuries and trying to keep her alert. Audrey raised her bloodied hand and stroked Michelle's cheek right before she lost consciousness. "Mom!" The girls yelled simultaneously.
A few minutes earlier, back near the crash site, Pathway's eyes fluttered open to a now darkened forest. The Autobot looked around while her combat systems rebooted, trying to remember what happened. The events after the crash flooded Pathway's mind, "The Kids!" she exclaimed while rushing to her feet. Pathway examined the area around her, looking for footprints in the loose, sandy soil.
Before Pathway could finish examining the prints, she could hear Steelsmith's blaster go off in the distance, followed by an explosion and screams. Pathway reached toward her lower back for the assault rifle that rested right above her hips. The Autobot unclipped the weapon, chambering a round before sprinting towards the conflict.
Once Pathway got near the parking lot, she took cover behind a tree, careful not to alert others to her presence. Pathway peeked around the tree and saw the smoldering wreckage of what used to be a car. She could also see and hear Yasmin and her Sisters surrounding someone on the ground.
"What the hell happened?" Pathway thought to herself.
"Mom, please wake up…" Is one of the few things Pathway could pick up from that distance.
"He didn't." Pathway said to herself as her mind began racing. "Those poor girls, for what?" She thought as her emotions welled.
Pathway's rage took over as she threw her rifle down and tackled Steelsmith, sitting on top of him while throwing punches at his face. Pathway smashed her twin's skull against the asphalt so hard that Steelsmith's cranial structure began to leak Energon.
Steelsmith tried shielding himself with his hands, but Pathway slapped them out of the way. "How dare you?" Pathway howled. Tears began streaming down her face as her punches grew weaker.
"You never take a second to think about your actions!" Pathway screamed. The Autobot stood up, Then placed her foot on her brother's chest, "You better pray on Primus' spark that their mom lives, or I'll kill you myself," Pathway promised, looking at her brother pass out from energon loss.
Seconds later the fleet of emergency vehicles rounded the corner. Pathway quickly looked around the parking lot to see if there were any vehicles she could scan, but they were either too small or too far to get a proper scan. The Autobot grabbed her assault rifle and sprinted through the woods to avoid detection.
Back in the parking lot, a plethora of firefighters and paramedics were tending to Audrey's excruciating wounds. The rest of the firemen were putting out the massive blaze caused by the transformer's arrival, as well as dousing what was left of Audrey's mustang.
Police officers and state troopers surrounded Steelsmith with shotguns and assault rifles while the Decepticon lay battered on the ground. One officer was taking a report from Yasmin, jotting down notes about the incident. Yasmin was struggling to even talk, balling up her fists and gritting her teeth.
Yasmin watched as her mother was rolled into an ambulance on a stretcher, her younger sisters hopping in the back as well. Andrea poked her head out the door before it shut, "Yasmin, come on we gotta go!" She yelled.
The officer questioning Yasmin gestured toward the ambulance, telling Yasmin to go. Yasmin shook her head, "No, I'll meet you at the hospital."
"Oookay?" Andrea said with a confused face before shutting the door as the ambulance peeled off. After about 10 minutes, Yasmin finished giving her statement to the officer. He clicked his pen and began walking back to his cruiser. "I can give you a ride to the hospital if you'd like," the officer offered.
"Thank you, but I've got my own ride," Yasmin stated as she looked at the massive footprints Pathway left in the woods. The officer nodded and turned away, "I thought your car was destroyed?" he said, whipping back around... but by the time he looked, Yasmin was gone into the darkness.
Pathway was sitting against a large oak tree when she heard tiny footsteps approaching. She peeked around the tree to get a visual of who or what it was. Yasmin looked up and saw Pathway's glowing, yellow eyes poking out from behind the tree.
"I can see you," Yasmin stated as she drew closer to Pathway.
Pathway came from behind the tree and walked up to Yasmin, hanging her head in shame, "I'm so sorry kid. I wish I could've come sooner, I feel awful-" Pathway said before Yasmin raised her hand and cut her off. "It's not your fault. I just came to say thank you." Yasmin replied.
"For what? I failed to protect you." Pathway grumbled.
"For trying your best. You still saved our lives today." Yasmin said.
"That's what Autobots are supposed to do. Part of the Job." Pathway replied.
Pathway knelt to eye level with Yasmin, the two of them stared at each other for a second, before Yasmin finally began explaining the real reason for coming to find Pathway.
"Look, I understand that you're not from here. That means that you don't have a place to stay, and you don't know your way around. Since you put your life on the line for us the least I can do is help you out." Yasmin explained.
Pathway pondered the offer, then reluctantly nodded her head. "I'm only agreeing to this because Steelsmith is going to escape. And when he does, there's gonna be a target on your whole family's back." Pathway said grimly, "But we really need to get to your mom, she didn't look too good earlier."
"You're right, but you're gonna stick out like a sore thumb at the hospital. Not to be mean but you're big as hell, and I don't think a trench coat will cover the fact that you're a walking tank," Yasmin said, stumped at the predicament.
"What's a trench coat?" Pathway questioned.
"It's a… Never mind, I'll explain later." Yasmin said.
"Alright then, anyway I'll take care of the disguise part of things." Pathway began explaining.
"How?" Yasmin replied.
"I have the ability to transform into a vehicle that fits my overall build. Do you know where I can find some?" the Autobot asked.
"Yeah, I know a place. I'll guide you," said Yasmin
"Cool. Well, climb on up, kid," Pathway said, reaching down to let Yasmin climb into her hand, before placing her on her shoulder. "Where to?" Pathway asked.
Yasmin pondered for a second, "Just keep running north, eventually, you'll make it to Highway 75." She directed.
Pathway nodded and used her built-in electromagnetic sensors to calculate which way was north. After the Autobot got a fix on where she needed to go, she began sprinting towards the freeway. Yasmin used her arms to block the wind from blowing in her face.
"We never did exchange names, did we?" Pathway said.
"Nah, we didn't… my name is Yasmin Hansen."
"That's an interesting name, mine is Pathway. It's nice to meet you, Yasmin."
After a few minutes of running, Pathway could see the lights from vehicles on the freeway as they sped past, "Is that I-75 up there?" She asked Yasmin.
"Yeah, get to the side of the road and we'll wait for something you like," Yasmin said. "Also use the trees for cover, you'll give someone a heart attack if they see you."
"What's a heart attack?" Pathway asked.
"We'll discuss that later, right now, focus on finding a vehicle," Yasmin said. "I'll add that to my list of human terms and biology that you should know." She finished
Pathway chuckled and began scanning the road for any potential vehicles to transform into. The Autobot needed something big, but not too big. Many trucks and cars had driven past, but none fit her style quite right.
"I think an older ford pickup truck would fit your build, Pathway," Yasmin suggested, showing a picture on her phone.
"Noted," Pathway said.
After a few minutes Pathway finally found the perfect vehicle, A 1994 Ford F-350. She scanned the pickup and began shifting the plates in her body to match the shape of the truck and all its details. "How do I look?" Pathway asked Yasmin.
"Pretty good," Yasmin said as her phone buzzed, it was a message from Andrea. 'Where are you? It's not looking good over here.' It read.
"We gotta go, now," Yasmin said flatly.
Pathway transformed into her newly acquired alt-mode, popping her door open for Yasmin to get in. The 19-year-old climbed into the driver's seat and grabbed the steering wheel. "Let me drive," Yasmin requested.
"Sure, you know the area better than I do." Pathway stated. Yasmin threw the truck in gear and sped off towards the hospital. Yasmin weaved in and out of traffic, making sure she didn't crash into anyone while also pushing her driving skills to the limit. After several miles and near-crashes later, Yasmin found her exit.
Merging to the right, Yasmin stood on the brakes, causing the F-250 to fishtail down the ramp. Yasmin gripped the steering wheel with both hands, mashing the gas pedal into a well-executed drift. White smoke from the tires clouded the intersection as Yasmin sailed through the green light.
"Wow, you're really moving, kid. How'd you learn to drive like this?" Pathway asked, impressed.
"I'm not trying to be mean, but I've gotta focus," Yasmin huffed.
"Okay." Pathway said quietly.
After Yasmin ran multiple red lights, cut through many back roads, and nearly tripled the speed limit, she finally got within view of the hospital. Yasmin pulled into the entrance, parking near the back of the visitors' lot.
Yasmin hopped out of the driver's seat and closed the door, "Stay here, I'll be back when I can." Yasmin said to Pathway before heading to the lobby. Yasmin approached the front desk and spoke with the clerk about where her mother and sisters were. "Room 516, take the elevator up to the 5th floor, go through the double doors and it'll be the first room on the left." The clerk said.
"Thank you," Yasmin said before getting on the elevator. The teenager's heart was racing as the elevator rose to the 5th floor. As soon as the doors had opened, Yasmin bolted out towards her mother's room. Police officers and nurses were surrounding the door of room 516. They looked bleak and depressed, which wasn't a good sign.
When Yasmin got close to the door, A few officers noticed her approaching and began to shuffle out of the way. One nurse tried to reach out and get Yasmin's attention but was stopped after an officer put his hand on her shoulder, The nurse looked up at him as he shook his head, "Just let her go." He whispered.
Yasmin turned the handle and pushed the door open, not knowing what she was gonna see on the other side. Michelle was sitting in a chair crying by the door on the other side of the door, while Andrea was standing over their mother.
Michelle stood up and hugged her older sister, bawling into her shoulder. Yasmin held Michelle tightly, then loosened her grip. "How is she?" Yasmin asked. Michelle just shook her head and sat back in the chair.
Yasmin paced over to the bed and stood next to Andrea. Audrey was lying in the bed with a fresh hospital gown and multiple machines hooked up to her. Yasmin noticed that the burn marks on her mother's body were much worse than she originally thought.
Audrey's eyes slowly opened and locked their gaze with Yasmin's, "Hey Pumpkin," Audrey said weakly.
"Hey ma," Yasmin responded.
"Girls I need the three of you to listen up, Michelle get over here," Audrey ordered.
Michelle quickly moved to the bedside and waited for Audrey to continue speaking.
Through a couple of hoarse coughs and a pained groan, Audrey mustered the strength to speak despite her critical injuries, "Let's not beat around the bush. I'm about to go a lot sooner than I wanted to, but seeing the women that the 3 of you have come to be has made me the proudest mom on the planet." Audrey said firmly.
"I trust you all not to fight after I go. Don't blame yourselves and don't blame each other. The only one at fault here is that damn robot. You three need to watch each other's back and get ahead in life. Leave all your drama behind you, and use this moment to set a fire in your heart," Audrey said before she broke out into a violent cough, hacking up large amounts of blood.
The girls winced at their dying mother, not knowing which words would be her last. Tears welled up in Yasmin's eyes as the guilt began to wash over her, "Mom, please don't go," she said with a shaky voice.
Audrey's coughing fit stopped and she slowly rolled back over, "I'm sorry, girls. I love you all so much-" Audrey said with a final breath. A single tear rolled down Audrey Hansen's face as her eyes glazed over and her rough breathing ceased.
Yasmin glanced up to see the heart monitor flatline, the world seemed to come to a halt around her. All sounds, movements, and emotions had been nullified at that moment.
"She's gone," Yasmin said flatly before walking slowly out of the room.