DISCLAIMERS: I don't own Transformers. They just came over from Hasbro to visit and be general pains-in-the-aft. All the humans in the story are mine. Rated Mature for coarse language.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a character sketch I wrote to get a feel for some of the NPCs in a Mechamorphosis game I'm creating. All the TFs mentioned in the story are Exiles. They have only been on Earth a few months. Based on real life events. Ok, on to the story.

Chapter One

The woman stood at the bus stop in abject misery. It was pouring rain, there was no bus shelter, her umbrella was toast and she had just had the worst interview ever. On top of it all, she had just found out that she was pregnant, which itself was good news but meant morning sickness. (A man must have named it because any woman KNOWS; it doesn't stop in the afternoon.)

She huddled closer under her jacket. Man life sucked and where the hell was that damn bus! Damn she needed that awful job, damn that bastard that interviewed her and damn that bitch for firing her! Damn this rotten weather, damn EI for making her drag her sick butt out into it to find a new damn job! Damn this morning sickness! She glowered out at the raindrops.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted some headlights.

Ah, finally, the bus, she thought. Hope began to fill her as she entertained thoughts of not being rained on for a little while.

Until she saw the lights were too low for the bus, they were approaching too fast and they were headed straight at her.

The woman shrieked in terror and tried to run or jump out of the way. She only succeeded in falling over her own feet into a puddle. She looked up in horror at her approaching death.

Then the impossible happened...

The car swerved at the last second and missed her.

It skidded on the wet street, wheels spinning as it desperately fought for traction. Out of control, it hydroplaned across the street, jumped the curb and slammed into a tree.

She stared at the vehicle for a moment from the safety of her puddle; adrenalin singing in her ears, then her body remembered that it didn't like sudden movements. She heaved up what little lunch she had choked down an hour ago and then continued to retch, dry heaves shaking her body. She crouched on hands and knees in the water, eyes closed, trying to draw in deep breaths to still her heaving insides. She thought she heard someone say something but her ears were still roaring.

Someone touched her back. "Hey, are you okay?"

She nodded her head slowly still breathing deep and slow. Her churning stomach was starting to settle. The driver, she thought. Thank god, it looks like he's OK. The moron. She turned towards the voice. Expecting to see a young man, she was startled to just see a pair of boots. Very large black and silver boots. Being worn by someone – thing? – very large crouched beside her. She slowly looked upwards.

Black and silver were joined by red, crowned off with two faintly glowing blue 'eyes'? It was vaguely human in shape but the resemblance stopped there. It was predominately red in color with the black and silver as accents.

"Are you sure you are alright?" It asked again as she gaped at it.

Nope, she thought

It reached out with one huge hand, presumably to touch her again or pick her up, she wasn't sure, but she wasn't sitting still this time. She scrambled backwards out of reach, flailing and splashing.

"Oh my fucking god! What the hell are you!"

"Who." It answered. It didn't seem like a question or a name.

"Huh?"

"'Who' the hell are you? I'm a 'who' not a 'what'." It remained where it was gazing curiously at her.

Oh great! A close encounter with an intergalactic smart ass. Beam me up Scotty, now I've seen everything. She shivered. The panic induced adrenalin rush hadn't worn off, she was still 'fight or flight', but it wasn't enough to keep her warm as the rising wind pulled the remaining heat from her body.

"You sure you're okay? Expelling your coolants like that didn't seem too healthy. Come on, I know a great doctor. I'll take you to see him." It reached towards her again, this time with both hands.

She shrieked in terror and scrambled backwards again, feet trying to gain purchase on the submerged pavement. She almost gained her feet to run but lost traction and fell again, this time hitting her head on the curb, hard. Darkness met her instead of escape.