So this chapter will be just a bit shorter than my usual length, just to get the ball rolling before we get back to the usual length.

Hope you guys don't mind and enjoy the chapter!

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

(Robyn PoV)

[Earth]

"Happy Birthday to me…" I sigh, swinging my legs off the edge of the rock I'm sitting on. I know my uncle has a 'situation' that popped up and he can't say no to the government, even for family, but still…

It was my 18th birthday yesterday (technically yesterday, since it's just after midnight), and he could only stop by on the way to some base and give me a small cake with 18 candles.

My gift was $750 cash for a car, per our agreement that I pay half.

He sang Happy Birthday, saw me blow out the candles, kissed my temple, and put a piece of cake in tupperware to eat later before leaving with profuse apologies and a promise to see me as soon as possible to buy a car and celebrate my birthday together.

I exhale, laying down again to look up at the stars. It's unfair how little I get to see my uncle despite him being my legal guardian.

It's clear he doesn't like it, either, but such is life when you're in the military, I guess.

Hang on…is that a-maybe tonight isn't a total waste!

A shooting star!

I wish my uncle could be home more often…

I wish, then realize it's getting bigger! And closer!

It's a meteor! Heading right for me!

Just in time, I jump off the rock, rolling and somehow getting to my feet and running before I'm knocked over by the force of the impact.

My ears ringing a little, I pick myself up, turning to see whatever was left of the meteor. Only fair after it nearly killed me…

Whoa! It completely destroyed the rock!

Wait…is it…moving?

What the hell?!

I swear it stands, illuminated by the nearly full moon. It's metal, whatever it is.

Is it some kind of robot? It looks almost human…

My shoe slips on debris as I back up and I let out a gasp as I hit the ground hard on my butt.

I see the thing turn to me and I instinctively sprint for the trail, but I don't get very far before a large metal…foot (I think) slams down right in front of me.

I scream even as I pivot and a hand grabs my torso and lifts me up.

"Easy, human. I'm not gonna hurt you."

It speaks?! It speaks English?!

I pound on the giant hand holding me, but likely don't accomplish anything but hurting my hands. "Let me go!" I scream. "Put me down!" This thing's grip is tight, making my panic worse as I struggle futilely in the hand.

"Ok, I will. Just let me explain, please. I promise I'm not going to hurt you, ok?"

I try to ignore my racing heart and slightly aching ribs as I nod, swallowing and praying this thing is telling the truth.

It almost sounds female, with glowing blue eyes and some kind of earpiece sticking up from either side of her head as she crouches to put me down then stays crouched.

"There. Now, first things first, my name is M-196. It's nice to meet you."

I manage a smile. "N-nice to meet you, too. Um…what are you?"

"An autonomous robotic organism, or Autobot for short." She answers patiently.

A disturbing thought then occurs to me. "You…aren't gonna have to kill me cus I saw you, right?"

The woman smiles like this is absurd. "If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have picked you up."

Shaking myself, I nod. "Right. Sorry." I then take a breath. "Where do you come from?"

"From the planet Cybertron."

Sounds like something out of a comic book or cartoon!

Then I frown. "So why are you here?" I ask, unable to help it.

"Because our world is no longer habitable after centuries of bitter civil war, and because your planet is where we hope to seek refuge and rendezvous."

"And then what?"

"Hopefully nothing but regrouping and leaving," She shrugs, "but…"

I frown. "But what?"

She sighs. "But our ship is damaged and we fear our enemies, the Decepticons, may have pursued us even as far as this remote world. I was sent here to ascertain what happened to the scout we sent down 28 of your solar cycles ago. We've had no contact since just after his arrival, and haven't been able to determine why. His life signal, though faint, has remained active, but we cannot contact him. He sent a brief distress signal before we lost contact again, which is distressing. Especially since we picked up two signals we believe are two Decepticons entering Earth's atmosphere soon after the distress signal. We fear they're after B-127. I was given orders to find him, defend the planet, and establish a base to regroup at for our leader, Optimus Prime."

I nod and take a slightly shaky breath. "Ok…ok. So, if I got this right, you were involved in some kind of super long war, you had to leave your planet because it's not habitable, you want to regroup on Earth before heading back home, but first you're here to find a scout that's missing and possibly hunted by your enemies, the Decepticons, right?"

It's a lot to take in, but it's also exciting! It's like the plot of a movie or something, but it's real life!

I subtly pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming as the robot chuckles. "Yeah, that's the gist of it, sure enough. Now," her face gets grave. "B-127 is a black and yellow Autobot, and we traced his signal to roughly this coastal region before we lost it. Have you seen any vehicles around here with this symbol on it?" She projects a symbol onto the ground and I find myself staring at it for a long moment.

It looks cool and official, like some kind of robotic face, one I instantly know I can trust.

Unfortunately, I have to shake my head. I'd never seen it before... "No, I haven't. I'm sorry."

She groans, then smiles at me. "That's ok. Just keep an eye out, alright?"

I smile back. "I will." She hangs her head a little, so I instinctively pat it. "You ok?"

She takes what sounds like a shaky breath (even if I don't know whether they breathe oxygen like we do) and exhales. "I just…we came out of the Well of Allsparks together, B-127 and I. We've hardly ever been apart since then. I…I'm worried about him."

She's genuinely really worried. She's sentient…

I hug as much of her as I can, which is just around her neck. "We'll find him, ok? I promise. I'll keep a lookout and you can-well, I'm not sure, but we won't give up, ok?"

She gently pats my back and I step back. "Thanks, uh…"

"Robyn." I smile. "Robyn Burns." I shake a finger of M-196's hand and suddenly can't stop a yawn. "Sorry."

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I just need sleep." I feel myself slowing down now the adrenaline is wearing off.

"Sleep?"

"Yeah. I guess you'd call it rest mode or something. It's like powering down, ish."

"Hmm, weird." She chuckles, an odd tinny sound, but not unpleasant. "If you can help me get somewhere I can access information to find B-127, Robyn, I'd be extremely grateful."

I nod. "We have a computer at the library I work at, which has internet. You can maybe access it there. I work tomorrow, so I can take you there with me."

M-196 nods. "Alright then. For now, I'm assuming you don't 'sleep' out here exposed like this."

I laugh. "No no. I live in a house. C'mon." I realize I'm taking an alien home with me, but also can't help my gut feeling I'm doing the right thing as I lead the way to the trail.

"Here, to make this go quicker for both of us, let me give you a boost." At my nod, I am lifted more gently and placed on her shoulder, which is at least fairly flat.

I hold one of her spike-things coming off the earpiece and she walks forward, seeing the trail.

"Thanks, M-196."

"You hardly weigh anything to me, so don't worry about it. I just follow this pathway?"

"To the bottom of the mountain, yeah." I reply, feeling her powerful movements as she thumps along. "So, who's Optimus Prime?" I ask.

"He's…well, he's like a mentor to me and B-127. For a while, we were alone on a world at war, hunted by 'Cons who thought we were Autobots, scrounging for Energon, but Optimus took us in and cared for us, even though we didn't join his Autobots right away. He won us over when he defended us from 'Cons. We joined there and then. Since then, we've been learning from him, helping him end this perpetual war any way we can."

"Sorry, but…what's Energon?"

"Our lifeblood, the fuel that keeps us going. It's a glowing blue liquid we ingest or inject. It flows through us, powering our bodies."

"Interesting. Kinda like our blood, only we don't drink it." I chuckle.

"I see. Anyway, Prime isn't just a name. It's a title. It means Optimus is leader of all of Cyertron, but his appointment to the position was met with his trusted friend Megatron betraying him and starting the war with his radical Decepticons." She shrugs, which nearly makes me lose my grip. "At least, that's the story. I wasn't around for that part."

The trailhead is coming up and I suddenly realize I have no idea how I'm going to hide a giant robot lady.

"Uh…M-196, humans aren't used to giant robots, so is there some kind of-whoa!" I'm set gently down and M-196 shifts herself to become some kind of futuristic car, the door opening to let me in. "Oh my gosh…this is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me!" There's no seat inside, so I kneel and sit back on my heels, bracing against her equivalent of a dashboard.

"Do humans not use vehicles?" M-196 asks coyly, the voice coming from an Autobot symbol glowing on a screen.

"No, we do. It's just…they don't look like this. At all."

"Well, if show me a car, I can scan it." M-196 replies and if she were a robot, I feel like she'd have shrugged.

"Wait what?"

"I can change my vehicle mode to blend in."

"That's so cool!"

"It's just a way to get around quicker than walking."

"Fair, I guess. Uh, take the right turn out of the trailhead parking lot and follow this road til you see signs for Brighton Falls. Then head into the town."

"Thanks. So you live in that town?"

"Yup, with my uncle, but he's not here right now, so it's just us."

"'Uncle'?"

"My dad's sister."

"'Dad'? 'Sister'?"

I frown. "Do they not have family units on Cybertron?" I guess robots wouldn't really know what families are. Oops...

"Apparently not. What's a family unit?"

"Well, there's a man and woman at the head of it, like leaders, but also kinda like a mentor. They're called fathers if they're male and mothers if they're female and they, uh, well let's just say they can have kids-young humans or children-and they educate the kids, help them develop and grow as people. Uncle means the father or mother's sister, which is a sibling, meaning the group of kids under the father and mother. Parents, if you want to talk about both of them at once."

"Hmm, so these parents teach these children…what exactly?"

"Well, things like math, literacy, history, science, and just stuff about life. They give advice and help the kids grow to be better people."

"Sounds like a lot of responsibility."

"It is, but most humans consider it an honor to help the new generation grow to be the best they can be so they can, in turn, help the next generation. It's a cycle."

"I like that."

The town wasn't far from the trail I'd hiked, so soon enough we're on the outskirts.

I spot the used car dealership Uncle Jack would've taken me to if he could've been home the entire day on my birthday coming up on the left.

"Hey, that business right there sells cars, so you can find one to scan there." I point out.

"Thanks."

I sigh. "My uncle was supposed to take me there for my 18th birthday yesterday, but he got called away on some 'situation' that came up. He works for the government, so when they call, he has to go, regardless of what's going on."

"Sounds rough."

"It can be." I chuckle. "But it's always fun when he can be home."

"He seems like a good, uh, human."

"I would be called a woman and he's called a man."

"Oh. Why do you have so many names for things?"

I chuckle and shrug. "I dunno. There's the dealership, so pick out a car." I gesture to the side of the road and she pulls off just shy of it, pulling behind some trees that border the dealership before opening the door for me.

"Are there surveillance devices here?" She asks.

"Uh…probably, but I doubt they point over here. They're more concerned with the cars. I wouldn't get any closer, either way."

"I'm not picking up any devices that would see us, so here goes nothing. Keep a lookout, will you?"

I nod, even as she transforms and crouches to look around.

There's an iridescent green 1975 Mustang Cobra II on the far corner of the lot and I can't help staring.

M-196 follows my gaze. "That a good car?" She asks.

"Yeah. I'd planned on test-driving it with my uncle. I ride the bus this way to work, so it caught my eye."

"Then stand back."

I do and she scans it before shifting herself and seconds later that same green Mustang Cobra II is idling next to me. Once again, the door opens to let me in.

"Looks awesome!" I buckle in and we keep driving.

"Human cars are…interesting." M-196 muses a bit coyly.

"It's just a way of getting around faster than walking." I repeat her earlier line, smirking.

M-196 laughs. "...Fair point. Now, which way do I go?"

I direct her toward the town and to the house. "Well, here we are." I unbuckle and M-196 transforms, surveying the house.

"It's small."

I chuckle. "Well, yeah. Humans live here, not, uh, aliens from Cybertron."

"Cybertronian." M-196 corrects. "We're called Cybertronians."

I nod. "Good to know. Now, I don't want to tell you what to do, but obviously, giant robots are weird to humans so be careful." I yawn. "I really need to go to bed…" I yawn again and start walking toward the front door. "Goodnight."

"I'll see you when the sun is shining on the atmosphere." M-196 calls.

I unlock the door and head inside, then notice the voicemail button on the house phone station is beeping.

I hit play.

It's Uncle Jack! "Hey, sweetheart. Look, I know you're really disappointed I had to leave yesterday but listen. Turns out, there's a situation in Texas I've been ordered to respond to, but I'll be checking in with you tomorrow morning to make sure everything's ok after that meteor crashed, so I'll see you soon! I won't be able to stay long, just a quick sweep, but I wanted to give you the heads up. I love you, Robyn. See you soon."

I pale. Oh shit! I should have known Uncle Jack would pick up M-196 coming to Earth!

I run outside to find M-196 sitting against the house, her finger on her earpiece.

"You alright?" She asks. It's clear I'd interrupted something, so I take a breath.

"First, sorry I interrupted. Second, my uncle is coming tomorrow morning to check on me after your crash landing."

She frowns. "What?"

"My uncle left a message saying he has to go to Texas, but that he's stopping tomorrow to check on me cus he heard about the 'meteor' crash. We have to hide you before he gets here! I'm not supposed to buy a car without him!"

M-196 nods, still looking a little confused. "Right. I'll hide before he gets here, don't worry. Now, go back inside and sleep."

I nod, the momentary sense of urgency fading now I'd delivered the news. "Ok, yeah…man, I'm tired…"

I head inside and into the bathroom, brushing my teeth and changing into my usual tank top and shorts.

This is exciting!

I know I'll have to lie to Uncle Jack tomorrow, but…I think this is the right thing to do. M-196 is clearly worried about her friend and if she can find him, they can help their friends and that Optimus Prime guy…

I'll have to talk to Charlie tomorrow, see if we can meet up and I can ask her about…about the symbol.

I smile as I wash my face with some warm water. What are the odds I'd be the ones to find a car-robot-alien, and one with some grand mission to boot? I hope I can help her, somehow…

Gosh…I can't keep my eyes…open…

ZzZzZz

=#=#=#=#=

(Mayfly PoV)

"M-196, respond." Optimus is saying as I tune back into the channel. I'd had to mute myself and lower the audio on the channel when Robyn came back outside. Optimus had commed me, anxious to know my status.

"Sorry, sir. As I was-"

"What happened?" Optimus asks worriedly.

"I, uh, I met a local. She needed to talk to me for a moment." I answer and then have to assure Optimus of the situation as he expresses concern. "It's alright, sir, I promise."

"If you are certain this encounter will not jeopardize your mission."

"It shouldn't, sir, and perhaps she can even assist me in adjusting to Earth and finding B-127."

"I see. Good luck, soldier." He nods and I nod back.

"Thank you, sir. I'll find B-127. I promise."

With that, I end the transmission, knowing there was no chance of anyone but Optimus having heard me if he didn't want them to.

After all, if the story is true, Optimus had once been a humble data clerk in the Iacon Hall of Records. If anyone knows how to hide something as simple as a comm line, it's him.

I sigh and switch to my new alt-form, not looking forward to being like this for a while. Not that it's very uncomfortable, but it's not what I'm used to, especially not for extended periods of time like this. But my cover on Earth appears to depend on it.

Ah, well. Soon, it'll all be worth it, if I can find B-127 and help him complete his mission to make a rendevous point for us Autobots.

I get the feeling meeting Robyn will turn out fortuitous.

Or at least, I'm trusting my luck that it won't end up being a mistake.

I settle down, wondering what 'sleep' is like. Humans seem to need it every solar cycle. I'll bet it's like stasis…

Time for all that later, though. Soon, I'll find B-127 and somewhere we can set up a base.

Soon, the Autobots will have a new base and new hope to one day retake Cybertron and end the war.

That is, provided Primus is with us.