The Human Prime

Chapter 1: Cybertronian Contact

Mira didn't know much, but she did know this. Going towards an explosion from an object falling from the sky was probably a very bad idea. The twin youths ran towards it anyways. Artemis, her older sister by five seconds, was up ahead. She was much more fit than her twin Mira. It said that in their mother's womb twins usually do not last, vanishing twin syndrome. However, this was not the case. Artemis, the bully of the womb as it were, had begun to absorb her little sister very early on, but never finished the job. This made her a much stronger child physically in health and in strength, but made Mira very weak. Mira wasn't supposed to make it, but as luck would have it she did. Though, she was plagued with the worst immune system one could ask for and an even worse muscular strength. Mira always had to work harder to become as strong as Artemis was, but was catching up fast by pure determination and slight resentment.

Artemis, however, never considered her the stronger of the two of them or flaunted the fact that in reality she was. No, in fact she had total remorse toward her sister and felt fairly guilty. This guilt fueled her kindness and developed her into the responsible one. Taking care of her younger sister to make up for the trouble she had caused her without even realizing it.

Artemis waited for her sister to catch up then they both descended into the crater together. Mira was the first to see the two pods emerge from the smoke's cover. She rushed to them and examined their markings.

"Maybe their alien eggs or weapons that can blow us all up till were dust!" Mira favored the purple and black pod that was bound by chains.

"Or sacred capsule's containing information of their civilization." It was clear to both that it was something alien.

"What's a civilization?" Mira raised her eyebrow at her sister. Though they were twins, identical twins, they shared rather polar beliefs and interests. Mira believed in respect through fear and power and resulted to violence for the simplest of things. Artemis believed in compassion and knowledge, falling back on logic and the benefit of the doubt to solve her issues. One could consider the six year olds yin and yang.

"I think it is a big group of things living together." Artemis tried to recall the word she had learned just that day, but in honesty could not remember what it exactly meant.

"I said they could be alien eggs already." Mira returned to the pod and found a small slit the looked similar to a key hole, but shaped oddly. "Hey, there's a lock on it."

"Don't touch it Mira! We don't know what it could do." Artemis, even though the stronger of the two, was always the extra cautious one in everything they did. After all, someone had to be.

"Come on Artemis. Don't be a scaredy cat. Just take charge for once." Mira placed a hand over the key hole and felt something pulsing inside. It was like a little heartbeat. She smiled and felt a sense of power rush over her with each pulse. It was intoxicating and she wanted it for herself.

"Let's go home. It's getting dark and at least we know where and what it is. We can come back tomorrow morning and try and pry it open." Knowing that she wouldn't get her sister away from it if she suggested never coming back, Artemis met her sister half way.

"Alright, fine." Mira stood up and turned around. When Artemis turned her back to climb up the side of the crater, she looked back at the pod then followed.

THAT NIGHT

Mira snuck out of their bedroom window after her parents and sister were both asleep. She dare not wake up Artemis for she would just suggest otherwise of her plan. She climbed down the roof by jumping onto her father's car, knowing full well that she could use the key she hid in the rose bush to sneak back into the house later.

Mira turned to look at her success. Their house, more like a mansion, was modern looking, almost futuristic since most of the rooms were made with glass wall or white glossy titanium. Their parents were rich from black gold, oil. They rode on their discovery and investments like it was work horse and never gave up the lifestyle. She hated them. They preferred Artemis over her, even if they never admitted it. She was the obvious heir to the family fortune.

Despite the bad taste of resentment in her mouth, she turned toward their shed and lifted a screw driver and a hammer from it then headed towards the crater. Mira had forgotten to bring water with her, something that her weak body needed for even a short distance like this one due to her weak body. She pushed forward anyways, letting her determination fuel her crying muscles instead.

Approaching the pods again, she skidded down the crater and placed her hands on her favorite. It was still pulsing and still empowered her lust for strength. She placed the end of the screw driver into the key hole then proceeded to hammer away. Sometimes it would buzz angrily at her, suggesting it were alive when she would miss the screw driver and hit the pod, but then would continue to pulse.

The screw driver was almost all the way in the hole by the time it finally opened. Mira smirked and slipped her fingers around the top of the pod and lifted it as far open as the chains would allow. Inside was a black and purple plate. It was shaped oddly, looking like an art project meant to mimic a dagger's shape. She picked up the plate and turned it in her gaze. It was metal and something foreign, something that pulsed as if it were alive, as if it had spark to it.

In a second, the plate glowed and she dropped it. It stopped glowing instantly. She didn't drop it because it was glowing, but because she heard a voice. A dark, sinister voice that called to her inner hatred towards her family. Mira grazed her fingers on the surface of the plate and found it whispering to her again.

"Born from the rage of Unicron." She whispered back the words to the plate. She wondered why the alien artifact was talking about a mystical horned horse, but didn't doubt it. She had no reason to; it was granting her the power she so much wanted. She realized that all she had to do was allow it to become one with her and she could have it all. Mira gripped the plate hard enough to turn her knuckles white. The plate indeed absorbed into her skin and began forming markings onto her skin. With the markings came an overwhelming sense of power that engulfed her. She loved the whole sensation and found that more whispers were echoing in her head.

"So this is supposed to be an anti-matrix. Or at least, a taste of what it could have been." Her voice sounded darker and more enforced. It pleased her greatly. Even though she didn't know what the matrix was or the half of the things the voice told her, she knew she would learn them soon. "The Spark of Unicron? Spark?" She looked at her right arm; the markings had stained it, forming the complex shape of the dagger looking plate that had become more complex with absorption. She smirked at raised her hands up to the heavens.

Mira found she was talking to herself and dropped her hand. She would have to learn more about the visitors and the nature of them the voice was speaking of later. Right now, she wanted to take care of loose ends. She wanted to step out of the light of being a six year old child, and into the darkness of being an orphan.

Back at the House

Artemis awoke to a rising heat in the room. Her eyes shot open finding her door in flames. She rose from her bed and could feel heat from the floor below. The house was completely in flames. She could hear words and blasts exchanged from outside, but she didn't have time to think. Artemis escaped through the window and jumped onto her father's truck.

"Where's Mira?" She looked around and found the shed open. "You snuck out!" Artemis was furious, but there was no sense in yelling at thin air. She had to find Mira. Knowing to well what her sister loved to do, she started heading towards the crater.

Half way to the crater, she found footprints leading back to the house, newly made. She followed them figuring her sister already headed back, but then almost ran into her. Mira was standing in front of her holding a burnt match in one hand and a razor blade in the other.

"Mira, what are you doing?" Artemis was confused, her sister had some anger issues, but she never was crazy. She saw markings that led up her arm into her shirt's sleeve and also a small acute triangle on the side of her eye, all dark purple. "You touched that pod didn't you?"

"Touched it, opened it, and absorbed its contents. Now, I feel absolutely fantastic!" Mira tossed the match on the ground and advanced toward her with the blade.

"What did you do?" Artemis kept stepping back, afraid of her sister for the first time.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm burning away the pain. The memories, the favoritism, the old me, turning it all to ashes." Mira raised the blade toward Artemis making her quiver. "Only one more thing to take care of."

"The pod obviously had a disease that infected your mind Mira; if you put down the knife we can get Mom and Dad to hire someone to help you. Just calm down and we can figure this out." Artemis tripped over a large stone and struggled to get back to her feet as Mira took a large stop forward.

"Don't you get it Sis? Mom and Dad are dead and in a second, SO WILL YOU!" Mira stabbed Artemis in the chest and dragged the blade across until there was a large gash. She watched her sister gasp and hold the wound, her fingers easily staining with her own blood. She looked at her own hands and found her sisters blood staining them too, but was surprised to feel nothing but pure satisfaction. Mira walked away happily, convinced she was now an orphan and an only child and now she could pursue the alien life forms in which the voice had whispered so much about.

Artemis' half lidded eyes felt heavy. She felt as if she were going to die. No, she knew she was going to die. Her ears thought they heard humming, a fire truck. Thank goodness, maybe they could get her parents, but she knew they were dead too.

A flash of white made her think she was finally dying and was experiencing the recalling of her short life, but there was no memory. Only a flash then utter darkness.

5 days later

Artemis opened her eyes weakly. She felt that her eyes hadn't been used in such a long time that when she opened them, they ached and her sight was blurry. She heard someone gasp and a crash of tools hit the ground. So sore and confused, she raised herself slowly. She felt her chest and found no wound. Looking at it, she found that there wasn't even a scar. Was it all a dream? She looked around and found she wasn't in the woods or at home. It was room with metal cabinets and it reeked of rotting flesh, of death. She looked at a man, his face ghostly pale holding a surgical knife.

"Y-you were dead! You had no pulse or heartbeat for five days! How could you be alive?" At that moment he fainted and joined the other surgical tools on the ground.

"Five days?" She raised her hands and found that her skin did look pale, but color was slowly returning to them. She also found something else, markings. Lightish blue ones on her left arm that focused solely under her for arm instead of continuing up her arm like what she remembered from her sister. She got to her feet and looking into the mirror. There was also a symbol under her eye. It was hard to describe. It looked like a line that followed the curve of her eye and then spiked down at the end. It reminded her of the symbols on the pods and so did the markings on her arm. "I better get out of this morgue."

Artemis found herself feeling more energetic than before, as if she could do anything. She took a lab coat from the hook near the door before leaving then continued down the hall. Before she even knew it, she felt her head obtain a splitting headache. She stopped and gripped her head with one hand and the wall with the other. Her eyes turn blue as she began recalling something. The image was blurry, but she could see robots, or that's what she thought they were, fighting each other. She heard the name Primus being said as the fourteen bots took on a large one that was dark and had purple and black coloring.

"What is happening to me?" She began seeing only an angelic looking bot, his blue eyes etching into her brain. "You're Primus. Aren't you?" She didn't expect the image in her head to answer her.

"Yes." Primus answered, as the image began to become clearer. She believed she was having a day dream and in a sense she was. It was Primus' way of communicating with her, as she would soon find out. Through memories of his planet and daydreams, he could tell what she needed to know. "A great task is ahead of you."

"Task? I'm only six, what can I do?" She found this figure to be almost godlike, maybe perhaps, to his planet's people, this was god.

"In the future, you must help that last of my children. They have become diverse and I'm afraid that in the end, only one group will be left." His large metal hand extended toward her to get on. "I need you to face an evil that has spawned on your planet and fight against it like I had years ago."

"An evil." She remembered her sister, the symbols, the fighting that had revolved around him and the evil looking robot.

"Yes, I had taken care of Unicron years ago, but it seems that his evil has spread into a new form that I'm afraid only you can fight."

"My sister. Unicron, he leaked into my sister."

"It would seem so, but I will help you learn all about our planet. I will help you develop your skills. Your strength and wisdom."

"But you had thirteen others to help you! How am I supposed to take her on all by myself?"

"In the future, you will meet my children that have not strayed from my teachings. The Autobots, true Cybertronians. They will help you, but your sister will also develop allies. The Decepticons. In the end it will be your battle alone." Artemis was about to say something, but he stopped her. "You will be fine."

"Primus. Will you teach me more about you? More about your planet and its people. I am so confused. I feel so lost and I'm not sure where to start."

"I will teach you everything. At night, your dreams will be filled with my words and stories. In waking, I will show you memories, images of Cybertron. Images of its birth, thriving, and of course, its end. Don't worry human. You will learn and everything will make sense in time."

Twelve years later

Miko strummed on her guitar, making the blaring music echo off the walls of the abandoned missile silo. Bulkhead hummed in deep, low tones with every dramatic stroke of the strings. Ratchet clung to the sides of his head, giving an expression of pain.

"Uggg! Why are you even here on a Monday?" He didn't approve of the early morning racket being so used to blissful silence during the week.

"Spring Vacation Doc Bot." Miko stopped playing long enough to explain. "Schools out till Wednesdays so you get to see us for five days straight. Oh!" She turned to Bulkhead, throwing her hands in the air and then drew them close to her. "We should have a slumber party!"

"For Primus sake, Can I get some silence for a few Nano-cycles so I can get some work done?" Ratchet left to wonder the back rooms. Convinced he wouldn't get any work done at the computer. Optimus stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. At that moment, Arcee and Jack came screeching in followed by Bumblebee and Rafael. Ratchet threw his arms up then went to the back. At this point, Optimus didn't blame him.

"Morning Science Fiction Club." Jack joked while removed his helmet. Raf got out of the muscle car and ran up to Optimus.

"Good Morning Optimus." He looked up at the towering Autobot who smiled at the young human warmly.

"Good Morning Rafael." Optimus enjoyed the children's company. He found that it gave his Autobots the opportunity to learn more of earth, no matter if the information was helpful or not.

"That was great Arcee; I think you kicked up some real dust with that ride." Jack walked over to the amp and set down his helmet. Bumblebee buzzed loudly at Raf.

"You sure about that Bumblebee?" Raf smiled and hustled up the steps toward the TV. "Well, let's see." He took the controller and was ready to play him. Miko was ready to start playing again, but Ratchet returned and glared at her. She dropped her arms and decided she'd practice later. Jack sat down next to Raf and watched the match.

"Raf! Jack!" She called to them in which only Jack turned from watching the screen. "Sleep over till school starts!"

"Here?" Raf said in between smashing buttons, attempting to get ahead of Bumblebee's virtual car.

"Duh!" Miko crossed her arms.

"I don't know, what am I supposed to tell my mom?" He lowered the controller onto the table and looked over at her.

"I don't know tell her that you're staying at Jack's house." She shrugged and saw Jack stand up.

"You know my mom wouldn't let us do that." Jack was right of course. His mom, June, was very up tight.

"Who said we had to tell her?"

"Optimus." Ratchet called him over, in which Optimus stepped behind him.

"What is it?" He asked though he could see blinking dot on the screen.

"Energon in transit." Ratchet replied, but Optimus had already turned to round up his soldiers.

"Arcee, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, let's roll out." The Autobots shot into action and gathered around Optimus as Ratchet activated the ground bridge. Within moments, the Autobots were gone. Ratchet sighed heavily and turned to find Raf and Jack starring up at him. He knew what that look meant.

"She followed them. Didn't she?" He saw both of the boys nod and he let out another deep sigh. He went to make contact with Optimus' com-link. "Optimus, You've been followed."

At Library in Jasper, Nevada

Artemis placed her latest read back on the shelf. She would have been working, helping people find their material and such, but she found herself overtaken with the most natural instinct in her body, her need to learn. Soon her boss, an old woman named Minnie, informed her that she had to go on shelving duty. That was the most tolerant of all the jobs she had as a librarian for it meant she would be close to her pages.

She walked down with her cart filled with returned books and couldn't help, but feel out of place among those who had wondered the isles. The library wasn't used for solely knowledge seeking anymore; instead it was used for things more useless like "projects" and "presentations." Being an eighteen year old who had never went to school in her life, she found herself smarter than most of the people who walk into the library. Though, she couldn't take all of the credit.

Primus had taught her much about Cybertron, but he also taught her much in technology. In learning about technology, she learned things that could be used on her own planet. Mathematics, Science, metal work, of course engineering and plenty more, in which she used whenever she had enough money to get materials. What she didn't learn from Primus, she learned from reading books.

"Artemis!" She heard a familiar voice which made her smile as she placed yet another book on the shelf.

"Hello, Sam." Artemis felt a long thin arm wrap around her neck and hang on her side.

"We're going to the science fair at the school today? Right, right?" Samantha was an odd one. They met in the streets, under a highway over pass. She was an orphan of five; Artemis an orphan of seven by that time, so Artemis became the leader of their two girl group and made sure she was right and fine. She always made sure Samantha was fed before herself, had warm clothes, and a safe place to sleep. Even, when they turned age eight and six, began to make sure she got an education by reading her books from the library. I guess you could say that's how she became the librarian.

Samantha found herself very interested in computers. Though she never would be able to save enough money to get her own, she learned all she could on how computers were made and maintained. Before long her knowledge of them extended to media. She loved working with video cameras and microphones. Artemis swore is she ever got enough money, she'd get her a spy kit and she could play with that sort of stuff all she wanted.

"Of course, after I'm done working we'll go." Artemis reassured her. She remembered when Samantha and she joined another group of children who were too good for an orphanage. It was a large group and for the longest time they had a warm, comfortable place to rest (inside an old apartment building that had been meant for demolition for years but never got around too), but soon they had to part ways from them too. Now, they were alone living in an airplane hangar in the canyons outside Jasper.

"You are done." Samantha pointed to the cart. Artemis didn't even realize it, but she had placed the last book on the shelf already. The whole time she was recalling her life, she had been placing books on the shelves where they belong.

"Oh, then I guess we'll go now." She began pulling the cart back to the front desk, but Sam stopped her.

"I'll meet you at the usual. I have to pick up some food, yum food! Bye!" Samantha ran out the library rather fast. Poor Minnie didn't even get a chance to yell at her for being so loud before she ran out the door. The usual place, the over pass where they met. It wasn't too far from the library and it would be quick to get too. Now Samantha could spend hours stuffing her face, burning there money on fast food. Money in which they had so little of, but Artemis didn't mind. Rather she is full and happy then starved and miserable.

Artemis took a book from the shelf that read something about machine artificial intelligence. She didn't really pay attention to it, not even when she checked it out on her way out the door. She was worried about the common things on her mind. One that was less obvious. Primus and the memories, she hadn't had any for more than five years. She wondered if it was just that he had nothing less to teach her, but then she felt what she learned was so little. No, it must be a greater purpose. There was a moment in time that he was waiting for, to continue showing her the memories of Cybertron. It must be.

Her nose buried in a book, she heard cars pass by as she headed toward the over pass. Then she heard silence, which was rather unusual. She raised her head from her book and found that all the cars had been rerouted. Why would they reroute the cars if the road isn't damaged? Artemis had a feeling that this was important for her to witness. She slipped her book into her ragged book bag then ran as fast as she could till she could see the over pass.

The first thing she could sense was the loud boom of blaster fire and then the shriek of metal slamming against metal. She skidded to the edge where she could look down under the overpass. There they were, Cybertronians. She could name some of them, but she knew the sides. Decepticons were almost under the bridge, being pushed back the Autobots. Then she noticed something else, one of the Decepticons was holding a young girl in their long claws.

"They won't be able to do anything if they keep holding a hostage." Artemis looked around to see if there was anything she could do. She thought she would feel more prepared. Her life was designed around this exact encounter. She ran onto the bridge and look down at the Decepticons. She was right above the one who was holding the girl hostage. Artemis reached into her pack and took out a gauntlet.

The gauntlet was something Primus had taught her how to make. It was to make up for the fact that she was of flesh and blood rather than Energon and metal. It would allow her to defend herself if any Decepticon's crossed her path. She slipped it on, the metal joints of the fingers were a bit rusty and were hard to flex, but she managed. The gauntlet was designed to respond to certain hand gestures. Waving her arm to the side would release the thick one foot blade that aligned perfectly with her back hand while gripping her hand into a fist activated the blaster, all running off of the energy in her left arm that produced the markings.

Artemis stood up onto the edge of the bridge right over the Decepticon's head. She couldn't believe she was going to do this.

Autobot Viewpoint

Optimus told his Autobots to hold their ground. After finding out Miko had deliberately followed them into this dangerous situation, he was determined to find a way to get her back. So far, all they could do was follow that the Decepticon's said. They "dropped" their weapons, but they kept advancing towards them as the Decepticon's continued to back up.

"Release the Human child!" Optimus called out to them angrily. It was one thing to put his Autobots in danger with their risky actions, but to put one of the human children in danger.

"You stay back Autobots! Stay back or I'll-" They stepped a half a step back as a gesture they might run. Bumblebee buzzed at Optimus which cause him to look up.

"What's that?" Bulkhead was also looking up above the Decepticon's heads at a shadow standing in front of the sun. The figure jumped from its position on the bridge above the cons and dropped down towards the arm holding Miko. The next thing that happened came as a shock to everyone, besides Optimus of course. A blade on a gauntlet the figure was wearing jabbed itself into the Decepticon's for arm causing him to drop Miko then the figure dropped down to the ground itself and helped Miko up her feet to run.

Optimus brought his Autobots back from their daze and began shooting at the Decepticons. They immediately retreated believing it was no longer worth the reason they came. Miko rubbed her butt and tried to focus, but the sudden urge of randomness consumed her.

"Oh my god that was so awesome! You were like-like a super hero!" Miko got closer to the figure to get a better look and found that her hero was very ragged. The hoodie it wore was torn up in several places and the jeans were old looking and showed signs of wear. Even the hood that kept the figure's face from being seen right away was torn and not very good at keeping her identity a secret. "Are you a super hero?"

"Uh-" The voice belonged to a female, Miko was sure of it. She came closer to the girl, but she stepped back instinctively. Miko looked over at Bulkhead and pointed at the girl.

"Did you see that Bulkhead!" She waved her bot down who nodded and began to laugh in a booming, but joyful, tone.

"Totally, how'd you pull that off?" He began to walk closer to the two human's, but then the girl, the hero, began stepping back rapidly.

"Hey wait, he's a good guy." Miko turned back to the girl and had her hands up, but the girl was already making a run for it. She went to chase her down, but stopped when she saw Knockout, the Decepticon's so called scientist, come out from his hiding spot and scoop the girl up in his claws.

Artemis Viewpoint

Artemis couldn't believe that she got caught in this situation. All those teachings with Primus and she already got caught in a Decepticon trap. It was obvious that she needed more experience in the field. She tried to wiggle out of his grip, but with his claws tightly around her leg making it difficult to get a good shot on him. She could hear a voice that seemed so familiar calling her name. Artemis looked around and found Samantha starring at her from up on the hill.

"Artemis!" She called out and came skidding down the cement.

"No, no! Sam! Stay where you are! Don't come down here!" Artemis didn't want to have to worry about Sam. The Decepticon gipped her in his hand and transformed into a red car. She struggled in the seatbelt trying to get out. "Just great, this is just how I wanted to start my destiny." All of sudden a Taser like prong came out from the glove box and zapped her right between her eyes, then everything went black.

Autobot Viewpoint

Arcee went charging at Knockout first, trying to get him before he went into the ground bridge, but it was too late. He zoomed into the portal and it disappeared before she could get him. She punched the ground furiously then turned to find another human jumping from the ledge leading into the under pass and stumbling towards her. Something told her she would have a lot of explaining to do.

"A-A-Artemis." She frowned at the empty space where a portal once been. Miko looked sadly at the girl knowing that this was mostly her fault. Bumblebee buzzed sadly and looked at Optimus. His expression was serious, as always, but Arcee found his head was already forming a plan.

"Arcee." Optimus addressed her in which she shot up straight. "Bring the new human with us. We can't risk allowing the Decepticons go after her as well." He raised his arm to the side of his head. "Ratchet, we need a bridge. Lock onto my coordinates." Miko put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm Miko." She said lamely and guiltily.

"I'm Samantha." Samantha said realizing that she would be getting to know the group of unbelievable circumstances very well.