Chapter 001: The Adventure Begins

Mikaela

"Hey girl."

Mikaela Banes turned to smile up at her best friend in the universe. "What's up Sam?"

The boy slid into the seat beside her on the picnic table. She grinned as he gave their mutual friend Miles a flirty wink across the table while stealing one of Miles' cookies. "Other than Miles' blood pressure?"

"Ah man! Sam!" the boy cried as he pulled his cookies closer to him. He pushed his glasses further up his nose. "My mom makes those only once a week! Don't eat em all!"

Sam shared a look with Mikaela. "Chill Miles, it was only one."

Miles grumbled something uncomplimentary underneath his breath. Mikaela shook her head and poked Sam. "Did you finally finish that genealogy project?"

He smiled. "Yeah. By the way," he said as he pulled a small pouch from his front pocket, "These are for you."

She took the pouch and gently opened it. "What are they?"

"My great-grandfather Archibald Witwicky's glasses." he said proudly.

"The same one that made that great discovery that made your family rich?" Miles asked as he pored over his chemistry textbook.

"One and the same." Sam smiled. "According to family legend, he had to make the trip back blind because his glasses had somehow become scratched beyond use."

Mikaela gently unfolded the antique frames and lifted them to her eyes. She noticed first that Captain Witwicky was apparently near sighted, and then the fact that the lenses were indeed nearly unusable. "I can still sort of see out of these." she murmured.

Sam made a moue with his lips. "Well, that's just the legend. Great-Grandpa probably made it home wearing them. He got new ones, but those are supposed to be souvenirs of the event."

She choked. "And you're giving them to me?!"

Sam nodded. "You're my best friend in the universe Mick. I think my grandfather would like you to have them if he knew how much you love antiques."

"But Sam, the family history-"

"Mick, no one has seen those things in over a hundred years. My Dad only just found them in the attic of my grandpa's when we were cleaning it out. Per ancestral order, we don't flaunt our wealth, nor do we talk about it all that much."

Mikaela nodded. "You don't even know what he found right?"

"Nope, not a clue. And if they way he talked about it is any indication, I don't think any of us really wants to know."


"Mikaela honey how was school?"

The girl smiled up at her mother. "It was okay. Look what Sam gave me."

Delilah Banes examined the glasses with curious eyes. "Why give you a pair of old glasses?"

"For the history. They belonged to his great-grandfather who was an explorer. Supposedly he found something really valuable, but it was kept secret from everybody. He made a killing off of it, and that's why Sam's family is loaded." Mikaela explained.

Delilah nodded. "I see. I always wondered though, why don't they live in a richer area?"

Mikaela shrugged. "It's just a tradition that they don't flaunt their wealth. They keep it on the down low, as Sam says."

Delilah shook her head. "Crazy bunch."

"Yeah, but a cool piece of history hunh?" Mikaela said as she took back her precious glasses.

Her mother turned back to the counter. "Your dad will be home soon. Want to help me with dinner?"

"Sure."

It was several hours later before Mikaela was able to sit down and give the glasses a thorough cleaning. She gently handled the frames, and was extra careful on the lenses. The strange patterns might have made the glass more fragile than age had done already. Once she was done, she gently placed them beside an old compass and map dating from the early twentieth century on her shelf.

She smiled and then sat down at her computer. She turned it on, and then logged onto the online game that she was currently addicted to. The title flashed up on the screen.

Massive Dynamics presents

Heavy Metal War

Mikaela logged onto her character and then smiled when she saw who was waiting for her. What's up Roddy?

The larger orange and yellow robot turned to her on the screen. Her own robot stood beside it, dwarfed even though the other was in reality only medium sized. Her robot was spindly and a dark teal. Well, well, if it isn't Bluelights.

Mikaela smiled at the screen. Yeah. Need any help bustin' Decepticon heads?

Help would be much appreciated. We've got a major incursion in the Las Vegas area. he told her.

I'm with you Rodimus. Anyone else joining us? Has Streetsmarts come online? she asked. Sam was usually on when she got on.

No, I haven't seen him yet, but Warhawk and Gator are already in Vegas. I was waiting for you.

Mikaela tried to tamp down on the rush of pleasure she felt. She'd been playing this game for months, and had met Rodimus after a week of playing. She really liked the guy, and after hours of hanging out with him, she had a little bit of a crush on him. Cool. Let's roll out!

Right behind you Blue!


Not that far from Mikaela's bedroom in Tranquility was the thriving metropolis known as Mission City. The tallest building in Mission was the skyscraper that housed the company called Massive Dynamics. The top floor housed the CEO's suite, which was currently inhabited by two men.

The first man was stretched out behind his desk, feet propped up and arms behind his head as he watched the massive computer screen on the wall. "She's good."

The lithe man at the computer in front on the screen nodded. "She's really good."

The first man slid his eyes to his comrade. "You seem to enjoy working with her. Do you want me to tap her?"

The other man didn't respond. "She's just a kid. I already checked on her."

"Kid or not, we could use as many allies as we can get." the first man said. "What's your real reason for not tapping her?"

The other man shook his head. "You want the truth?"

"The absolute truth."

"I like her too much to ask her to become one of us."

The first man nodded. "I can understand that. What I ask of you and your men is rather . . . Extreme."

"Not to mention, for all we know this girl is really a shy kid who's using the internet as a place to try to be someone she's not." the second man pointed out.

The first man smiled and shook his head. "It amazes me that more people don't realize that their personalities on the internet aren't someone they're not. Internet personas are merely other parts of their own nature coming to the fore and being nurtured."

"Oh, so the pedophiles posing as twelve year old boys are only tapping their inner twelve year old, hunh?" the second man asked sarcastically.

"There is a twelve year old in all of us, or do I need to ask why you get such an unholy pleasure in playing a game when you deal with the real thing?" the first man retorted. "Be it as it may, the girl is feisty and headstrong there in the world of Heavy Metal War, so somewhere within her is Bluelights, just waiting to be let free."


Elita-One

Elita felt her Companion's head and her Handler's processor pounding. It was times like these that she wished she were like those amazing Nebulons that only had one part to their being. Two heads was not better than one right now. "Ugh." she groaned.

"Elita-One?"

She onlined her optics and opened her eyes. "Grindcore?" she whispered.

The larger mech nodded and then bent down so that his Handler's immense face was level with both of her much smaller ones. "You took a nasty hit when they captured us."

Elita sat up slowly as she remembered the attack.

An aerial Decepticon strafed the area as she and Warpath duck under a destroyed building for cover. She looks over to her younger comrade. "Well, this isn't good." she said.

"No, I can't imagine what they're attacking us for. They can't even know that we're Autobots. They came at us from too high an angle."

"Uh oh, it looks like we'll find out soon. Ramjet's landed."

"Damn it." she muttered.

She looked back up at Grindcore and then around their holding cell. "Is Warpath alright? What did they do to him?"

"Warpath's fine. They took him out to begin work." Grindcore explained.

Elita tried to gain her feet. "Work on what?"

Grindcore-Companion's dark skin paled, and Elita realized that something was really wrong. "Starscream has returned. He is trying to build a new Allspark."

Elita felt her Companion's face go bloodless, which would make her appear dead. Her skin was abnormally fair on this world populated by dusky skinned Companions. "But . . . That is heresy. Have they not found the Allspark? Or is Starscream trying to consolidate more power for himself? And what of Megatron? By the Allspark and the gods of the Ancient Companions, what is going on?"

He shook his head. "Megatron is dead, and the Allspark is destroyed. All of this took place on a planet approximately five thousand light years away from galactic center. From what I've overheard, the planet is called Earth by its inhabitants."

Elita crawled over towards the wall and leaned against it. "That sounds shockingly egotistical."

"Well, from the release that was posted on the Teletran network, the planet can also be called Terra. Starscream came back with research that the natives did on the Allspark, and according to the release, he wants to recreate the Allspark in order to insure our survival." Grindcore explained.

Elita shook her head and looked back up at him. "How do you know this?"

Grindcore sneered. "Starscream gave me a data pad record of it so I would know that I was 'helping all of Cybertron'. Those were his words."

"Helping all of Cybertron by using slave labor." Elita muttered.

"I see you are as enthused by this as I am." Grindcore agreed.

Elita-Companion made a moue. "Why aren't we out working with Warpath?" Grindcore shrugged. "I know you weren't taken because you were still out. I'm not so sure why they didn't try to make me work."

Elita finally tried to stand, but she only made it as far as her knees. "Well," a grating voice purred, "I can see why Megatron would have wished to bring you into a trine."

Elita-One's head snapped up to meet the eyes and optics of the new Decepticon leader. "I would sooner become Unicron's concubine then enter into any sort of relationship with you."

Starscream waved aside the two mechs that flanked him and knelt to look through the bars, straight into Elita's eyes and optics. "If memory serves, you had wanted to. Megatron knew all about your little crush. He was amused by it I think, since he only mentioned it in passing once. He said that he had decided to give you a 'trial run' to see if he wished to enter into a liaison with you."

Elita did not show any emotion, but the blow to her spark was still the same. "And how would he have known about my little crush? As it is, that was long before he developed his fetish for whipping mechs."

Starscream-Companion's eyes glowed with malice. "His spies were numerous even before the final split. He knew, and he often lamented not keeping such a beautiful, naïve little thing like you around." Starscream's eyes and optics moved over her lazily. "I would agree. Thus, you can't have meant that mean little remark about preferring the Dark One to us. Megatron and I really aren't that bad."

Elita-Companion's face was emotionless a moment before a sweet smile wreathed her face. "Oh, I meant it. I said I would sooner become Unicron's concubine than be with you. Megatron was never apart of that equation."

Starscream would have loved to strike her, but the bars prevented it. "You're lucky you are to be of use to me, Elita-One. I understand that you were a serious student of the Allspark. I hope you still remember the patterns, since that will make your life so much easier."

"So, that's why Grindcore and I aren't out working. We're your specialized help." Elita nearly snarled.

Starscream nodded. "Yes. I figured you could use an assistant. Once the grunts complete the first section, you'll be called out to carve in the glyphs."

Elita nodded. "As you wish." she stated sardonically.

Starscream reached through the bars and took hold of her chin. "You will remember who the lord is here, or I could let the grunts carve in those symbols. If being with me would be the ultimate punishment for you, then being chained to my berth would be a fitting fate." he snarled as he pushed her away from him. Elita landed hard on an already bruised and scrapped hip, wincing in pain. Grindcore made a rush for the bars, appalled and enraged by Starscream's lack on manners towards a femme in a peaceful - or at least relatively peaceful - situation.

"Leave him Grindcore." Elita commanded. The other Autobot listened to her command reluctantly.

Starscream-Companion smirked. "The first section should be ready in a little over a joor." He walked away, but stopped. "Ramjet, get a medic down here to check her out. She must be in good condition to carry out her part."

"Yes, Lord Starscream."

Elita-One narrowed her eyes and optics. "Well, at least he isn't a total loss to the femme race." she muttered. Grindcore rushed back over to help her sit up straight.

"So, at least we know now what he wants with you." Grindcore said.

Elita nodded. "His plan cannot work. The Allspark was a gift from the Ancient Gods. Starscream likes to think he's a god, but we all know the truth."

Grindcore agreed. "He'll discover that his plan will come to naught soon enough."

She shook her head. "I'm afraid Grindcore. Why take prisoners to use as labor when I'm sure that there are plenty loyal enough to whoever is in power to do it for free anyway? He needs us for something more."