Disclaimer: The characters associated with Transformers are the property of Hasbro, Inc. The character of Impulse is property of me, Theresa Meyers. The characters and idea of the Humanobots are the property of my good friend Ingrid Rockstrom, as are the characters Stephanie McPherson (Silica), Mitchell McPherson (Randomax), and Dr. David McPherson (REM). I use these with her permission. This story is a fanfic dedicated to those TF fans who have loved the show since G1. It is in no way harmful to the show, and is intended for fanfiction entertainment...
by Theresa Meyers and Ingrid Rockstrom
"Okay Mitchell, let's get this straight, you can take photos of Dad's lab for my report."
"Sure sis," was the reply. Both children, a boy aged 12 and a girl aged 16, gathered their books together and entered their father's lab at ORITECH. It was an ordinary Friday afternoon in Portland, Oregon. The sun shone down on the paved street and reflected off the windows. Mitchell parked both of the ten-speed bikes at a nearby bike rack and followed his sister. Around his neck dangled a Pentax 35-mm, clearly showing that the accompanying bag on his shoulder was a camera case. His older sister carried a Trapper-Keeper full of clean notebook paper.
Dr. McPherson stared through his 250x microscope at his latest batch of plastic germinating bacteria. Upon hearing the creak of his door he raised his auburn haired head, spotting his two children. With a smile, he hugged them both and ushered them into his lab for the interview he'd promised.
"Thanks a lot Dad," Stephanie said after a few minutes. "This'll really help make my report a winner for sure!" She and her father sat at the lab bench across from one another. "Oh, Mitchell, get a shot of that table over there! So Dad, what's your latest invention?"
"I call it the Dream-A-Relaxer. It's supposed to be a device that promotes relaxation through use of special implants on the head. Just place the receiver on the chest above the heart, and relax. Instantly you will fall into a kaleidoscope of relaxing dreams. Once you wake up an hour later, you will be fully set for another sixteen hours. This device can be used on people who have insomnia, or even those who are mentally disturbed."
"You sound almost like you're selling it on TV!" giggled Mitchell.
"Very funny, little brother!" muttered Stephanie. "Dad, are there any... well problems with the device?"
"To tell you the truth, there are a few bugs in the system. I haven't perfected a way of controlling what illusions the device puts into one's mind. Yet, with more work, it could program the sub-conscious. There's also a risk of addiction from too much use. The subject could become dependent on the machine," warned Dr. McPherson.
"Gosh, I'd hate to see it fall into the wrong hands," said Stephanie grimly.
"Dad, can I just go out for a second, and get a coke from the machine?" asked Mitchell.
"Sure, do you have 45 cents?" asked the father.
"Yeah, thanks." Suddenly, there was a rumbling noise, like thunder, which rattled the windows.
"What was that?" gasped Stephanie. "Not an earthquake, I hope!"
"Probably just some airplanes from a nearby air force base or something," guessed Mitchell. He darted to the window to check. Stephanie frowned. Something felt very wrong to her. She and her father joined the boy at the window.
Dr. McPherson took a long hard look. "Those aren't ordinary planes, children," he breathed.
"Dad! What's going on?" gasped Stephanie, sensing her father's fear.
Laser blasts hit a nearby telephone pole. Instead of landing, the planes spun round, simultaneously sprouting arms and legs. Where three or four F-15 fighter planes had hovered stood a number of the fiercest robots anyone had ever seen. They dwarfed the cars in the parking lot, advancing towards the lab. "They've found out!" shouted Dr. McPherson, spinning from the window.
"What do we do?" cried Stephanie, in fear.
"Stay calm, kids, and listen to me. Mitchell, take the device there... and the plans and put them on your bikes." he instructed, rapidly disassembling the Dream-a-Relaxer and packing it into a cardboard box. Turning to his daughter he said, "Stephanie, come with me. We must get help."
"I know Dad," she said, following him. "We can call the Autobots." Stephanie passed him the headset and flipped the "on" switch.
Grimly he turned the dials for frequency. "I hope this works; Emergency Alert! We need help... come in Autobots."
Miles away in their Cascade hideout beneath Mt. St. Hillary, the Autobots were going about their usual business. The side panel of a large computer flashed, "INCOMING MESSAGE+++++" A sleek, blue and white robot named Jazz answered the call, "Autobot HQ here... Jazz speakin... what's the problem?"
"This is Dr. David McPherson from ORITECH! I have a revolutionary new invention here. we're under Decepticon attack. You must send help. My two children and I are at the following coordinates...."
"Prime, you'd better hear this," Instantly, the Autobot commander came to the console and spoke.
"This is Optimus Prime at Autobot Headquarters. Maintain your position. We're sending a patrol out to you now."
"Over and out.... and hurry!" finished Dr. McPherson, putting down the microphone. "Well, Prime's sending a patrol, but I must get the device out of here. Stephanie, you must be brave for me. Take Mitchell, the device and try to intercept the Autobot patrol."
"But what about you, Dad?" she asked, concerned.
"I'll be alright here. Someone has to distract the Decepticons. It's not any safer here. Hurry!"
"Dad.." Stephanie stammered. "Be... careful..."
"You too, honey..." he replied, hugging her one last time. "Now go!" Stephanie turned, and raced from the room. She met Mitchell in the back alley with the bikes.
"This isn't going to work," she said, precariously balancing the device across the bikes.
"Try making it lighter," suggested Mitchell. He separated the device into two parts, and placed them in the bike baskets.
"Okay, little brother," began the girl, mounting her bike. "On the count of three, we make a break for it. One... two... THREE!" They both raced off on their ten-speeds as fast as they could.
Meanwhile, a fusion blast tore a hole in the side of the lab. Through it stepped a few robots, each nearly thirty feet in height. Workers and technicians fled screaming in terror. The huge robots were terrifying, some with airplane wings mounted on their shoulders; cockpits on their chests. Guns blazed away. One robot even had a giant tape deck in his thoracic component. By far the most threatening was their leader, the tallest of all. Head almost brushing the high-vaulted ceiling, the robot was plated in battleship grey armor. His optic sensors glowed an evil red, and he carried a fusion cannon as black as death.
"It's here somewhere! Find it!" he boomed in a harsh metallic voice. Test tubes, flasks, and counters went flying as his minions did their work. "Soundwave! Activate your scanners of devices! I want every inch of this place searched!" he ordered to the large blue robot on his left... the one whose chest resembled a tape recorder.
"RAVAGE++++ eject," intoned Soundwave in a cold and purely electronic voice. Instantly a cassette flew from his chest, and transformed into a metallic panther. Ravage raced to the far wall, growling. "HE+++HAS+++ SOMETHING."
The Decepticon leader punched a hole, finding another group of white-coated lab technicians. Among them, holding up a ray pistol, stood the auburn haired Dr. McPherson. "Get out of here, Megatron!" he yelled defiantly.
"Ha, what courage!" laughed Megatron. "But be wise flesh creature... and tell me where it is!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play games with me! Tell me or I'll reduce your co-workers to bubbling protoplasm!"
"It's not here!"
"Megatron!" cried a higher pitched voice from outside. "Megatron!"
"Not now, Starscream!"
"But Megatron!"
"I said, not now!" growled Megatron to a tall silver robot with a scarlet chassis. Two inverted deltoid wings were mounted on Starscream's back, indicating his transform was a f-15.
"But two carbon units are escaping with the device!"
"Don't just stand there you idiot! Get after them!"
"Decepticons! Follow me!" Instantly Starscream transformed, followed by Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, and several others. They flew out in search of Stephanie and Mitchell.
Both children were now riding though another alley when they heard the sonic boom of planes overhead. Several random shots hit Stephanie's bike. "Ah! Eeek!"
"Sis! What happened?" asked Mitchell, as he pulled to a halt.
"My bike is broken! And my arm... hurts. What will we do now!" Stephanie lay on the ground, her bike on top of her. Mitchell lifted the cycle off her and helped her up.
"Quick! Hide the device! We'll find it later."
"Look out! Here comes Ravage!" warned Stephanie.
Ducking into a nearby alley, Mitchell covered the device with a cardboard box. "Hope the trash truck doesn't come," he muttered. They ran in a maze of streets and alleys but Ravage sticks close behind them. Mitchell leads his sister onto the main road, smack into Starscream's landed brigade.
"Well, well! What have we here?" sneers the leader.
"What should we do?" whispered Mitchell.
"We've got to use the Distraction Ray!" thinks Stephanie to him. "Oh, I know they'll see us, but what does it matter. No humans will see us anyway!"
Taking hands, brother and sister both drew in deep breaths. They raised their free hands, and a blue glow shone forth from their eyes. Energy streamed from their figures, growing into a radiance that blinded the Decepticons. "Aargh! My circuits!" cries Starscream.
"What's that racket?" howled Skywarp, clamping hands over his audio receptors.
By the time they came to their senses, they were under attack by an Autobot patrol. "I knew it! It was another lousy Autobot trick! Let's scram!"
"Wait!" cautions Starscream. "Where did that ray come from, exactly?" His skeptical mind refused to accept Frenzy's explanation.
"Who cares?" shouted Thundercracker. "Get those rotten four wheeled junkers!"
But the Decepticons were low on fuel from chasing the two children. The fully refueled Autobots are too much. And the McPhersons had disappeared during the attack.
"We've lost them!"
"Megatron's not gonna be happy," muttered Skywarp.
"Argh! Useless!" hissed Starscream. "Decepticons, retreat to Base!"
Several Autobots fire shots after the fleeing party. With a sonic boom they are gone. Ironhide looks down at the two children he'd shielded. "Yuh alright?" he asks.
"You got here just in the nick of time," answered Stephanie. "Another minute more, and we would have been finished."
"Where's this device?" asked an Autobot scout, Hound, who was one of the six following Ironhide.
"Oh, I hid it back there somewhere," responded Mitchell. "But I forgot where!"
"No problem. I'll sniff it out," offered Hound. They go off in search of the device.
"Thanks again for your help," said Stephanie again to Ironhide. "But what if they attack again?"
"Not much chance of that now," boasted Sunstreaker. "Huh, you should have seen the look on that Starscream's face when we showed up!"
"Well, you'll be safe once we all get to Autobot HQ," reassures Ironhide.
"Wow! you want us to go there with you?"
"Prime's orders. Autobots! Transform! " With a whir of machinery, the patrol transformed into their vehicle modes. Stephanie climbs into Ironhide's front seat. Mitchell pulls up in an army green jeep, with the device safely in back. Higher and higher into the Cascades they drive, out of Portland. Tall pines and hemlocks streak stately by on the highway. Nearly an hour later, Stephanie looks out the windshield to see a large snowcapped volcano with a huge spacecraft imbedded in its side. "Wow! Is that your Headquarters?"
"Yeeup."
After pulling through a labyrinth of steel lined corridors, Ironhide and the other Autobots stopped. Stephanie and Mitchell found themselves in the middle of a vast chamber. Computers of every type crammed the huge walls to the high ceiling, where enormous stalactites hung. Underfoot was a floor made of tightly fitting individual pieces of metal. Very slippery. But by far the most impressive sight was the giant screen of Teletran 1. Once transformed, Ironhide explained it was the brain of the Autobot HQ; the Ark's computer.
"OPTIMUS PRIME IS PRESENTLY IN CONFERENCE+++++" entente the huge machine with a nearly human voice.
"Why don't you two take a lil' look around, now that you're here. I'm sure he'll be done in jest a few minutes," suggested Ironhide.
A tall white Autobot stepped into the room. "Hey there Ironhide! You made it back!"
"Well hi there yourself," smiled Hound, standing next to Mitchell.
"Wheeljack, I'd like to introduce yuh to Stephanie and Mitchell. They sent the distress message."
"Hello there! I'm Wheeljack, and I can't wait to see your dad's great device." As he spoke, two lights on either side of his head pulsed with each word. Mitchell smiled and Hound held up the wrapped machine.
"Better take it to my lab for safe keeping,"
"Don't let Wheeljack around it too long..." warned Ironhide jokingly.
"I'll be right back Mitchell, I'm going to take a closer look at Teletran 1," announced Stephanie.
"Okay, sis."
Leaving Mitchell to chat with Wheeljack and Hound, Stephanie crossed over to the huge computer. To her shock she forgot to look where she was going and bumped into something solid and metallic. It was the leg of an Autobot. "Oops! Excuse me!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you down there. I was just checking Teletran 1!" spoke the Autobot. Stephanie got a closer look at the robot. She was the average height for an Autobot, between fifteen and twenty feet. Her torso and shins were gleaming violet, and her thighs silver. The Autobot's face peered down at her with a kindly smile. The oddest feature were the green triangular panels on her chest, top of the head, and shoulders. Arranged in threes on the panels were a number of odd round outlets. "Oh, aren't you one of the children I saw on the transmitter?"
"Yes, my name is Stephanie, and that man is my father. I have a little brother, Mitchell, around here somewhere. Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm known as Impulse. I'm a computer specialist, grade four."
"I see."
Just then Stephanie feels a tap on her shoulder. It's Mitchell. "Optimus Prime is coming," he says. Both turn around to face a group of Autobots leaving a huge doorway. As Stephanie leaves, both beings receive the feeling that they share a common bond. Both would always trust each other.
Optimus Prime stood impressively taller than all the others in the room. In a deep, friendly electronic voice he greeted the children, "Welcome to Autobot Headquarters. I recited you father's distress signal, and I assure you the Autobots will do all in our power to help."
Nervously, Stephanie approached the mighty leader. Standing up as straight as she could said, "Thank yo for saving us, Prime... sir. If Megatron got the device, I don't know what we'd do."
Prime bent down on one knee, to be better able to talk face to face. "Your father has been contacted. He instructs that you two stay here until 18:00 earth hours. All comforts shall be provided until then."
"Uh, Mr. Prime sir, there's one more thing you should know," muttered Mitchell. "Tell him sis," he urged, prodding Stephanie with one elbow.
"oh, alright already," she hissed. "Er, Optimus Prime,"
"Yes Stephanie, you can trust us. Go ahead and tell whatever is one your mind."
"You know,(how do I put this?) we're not just ordinary humans. You see... we are from another planet. We're what's known as ... Humanobots. Here, I'll prove it." With these words, Stephanie rolled up her left sleeve to reveal a red Autobot symbol outlined in blue on her arm. Everyone gasped with surprise.
"Humanobots. Hmm..." murmured Prime, rubbing his metallic chin with one huge hand. "I think I might have heard of such transorganic experiments. That makes it even more imperative that Megatron not get his hands on your father's device. He mustn't find out your secret."
"Thank you, Optimus Prime."
"I must leave temporarily. I have a session with Wheeljack to discuss your father's device. Make yourselves at home."
Just then, another Autobot arrived in the room. It was a yellow VW bug that transformed into a much smaller robot, about 8'tall. She sighted a young teenage boy about her own age wearing a canvas shirt and rugged work pants. "Spike? What are you doing here?"
"Stephanie?"
"Hey, you know me. Stephanie from school."
"Oh yeah," he remembered, scratching his head of brown hair. "So what are you doing here?"
"Believe me, it was quite an experience. My bike almost bought it, and I almost did too. That bike could've been me, you know."
"Whoa! Sounds like quite an adventure. Would you like to see a bit more of Autobot HQ while you're here?"
"Sure, but could we go outside first? I need a breath of fresh air, and somebody to talk with," said Stephanie as she followed Spike outside. They only stopped when they reached a ring of piled boulders clustered together.
"You know Spike, I don't come from around here."
"Oh, a lot of people move here from other states. Let me guess. You're from New York?"
"Not really. From somewhere out of the country."
"Australia?"
"No Spike... I..."
"Okay, you emigrated from Russia and changed your name... or wow! Maybe you're a refugee from East Berlin!"
"Well Spike," laughed Stephanie to his stream of guesses. "Actually, I'm from... outer space... another planet."
"Are you serious?" asked Spike, face lighting up. "Wow! Which solar system?"
"You believe me?"
"Sure. Which planet?"
"I come from Cybertron. You see... I'm a Humanobot; an Autobot that transforms into a human."
"That's crazy," laughed Spike. "Transformers can be almost any machine... but not anything... organic."
"I'll prove it." Stephanie leapt into the air, performing a back flip. With a sparkle of energy her flesh became metal, her nerves silicon. What landed was a seven foot tall slender robot, graceful and magenta. Spike gasped. "Well, what do you think?" asked the robot that was Stephanie only seconds before, speaking with a slightly tinny version of Stephanie's voice.
"Awesome..." gasped Spike, drawing in his breath in near disbelief. "Do you... do you go by a different name?"
"My true name is Silica. My brother is named Randomax, and my father REM#. But," she added, transforming back into her human form. "We stay in human mode nearly all the time. We wouldn't want the wrong people to find out. In fact, you're the first human I've revealed the secret to."
Back inside, Stephanie walked over to a bank of computers. There she saw Impulse, the Autobot computer specialist. "Let's see... how are you today, terminal x-33p?" Turning her audio receptor to the panel, the Autobot answered. "That's good. Interfacial access gained. Oh don't get so aggressive with me. I only mean to assist you..."
"Hi, Impulse," smiled Stephanie.
"Oh! Er... greetings, Stephanie."
"What are you doing?"
"Umm, I'm checking out this mini computer, if it will let me that is."
"What do you mean, it won't let you?"
"Well, it seems to have a mind of its own."
"I.. see... uh."
***************************************************************************
Meanwhile at Decepticon HQ, at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, Megatron was planning his next move. with him stood Starscream, Sky-warp, and Sound-wave.
"What do you mean... they got away?" he demanded.
"But... but," stammered Starscream. "The humans had some sort of thing they used to distract us. I couldn't see a thing..."
"You dumbkoff! I told you it was an Autobot trick!" contradicted Sky-warp.
"It was the human children, Megatron! They aren't ordinary humans."
"While you two are stumbling around, I have devised a plan.'
"Oh, how brilliant," smirked Starscream sarcastically. "But what is it?"
"Ahem. Those sentimental Autobots will most likely give the kids a ride home."
"What a minute Megatron. Why would you worry about that? The device is with the Autobots!"
"You imbecile! I just received news that the plans for the device are in Dr. McPherson's lab at his dwelling. I will send Reflector, and he will give us the coordinates and plans. We come in next morning and blast..."
"How very clever, Megatron! You surprise me."
"I bet I do. Now get lost! I have work to do. Sky-warp! Prepare to dispatch Reflector."
******************************************************************************
Back at Autobot HQ, its getting late. "It's time we went home, Optimus Prime," announced Stephanie.
"Of course. Ironhide! Will you take Mitchell and Stephanie home? Perceptor, I want you to go home with them, and keep a lookout. Report to me tomorrow morning."
"Thanks for everything, Optimus. Goodbye," called Stephanie, climbing into the front seat of the red van. Perceptor transformed into a microscope, shrinking to a small size and plopping into the passenger seat near her. Mitchell rode in back with the two bikes. Occasionally he'd stare out the side windows on the way home. Holding a map, Stephanie gave directions to the old Autobot. Suddenly, a bright flash catches his eye.
"Ironhide? Could you stop for a minute?"
"Sure thing kid. What's the matter?"
Mitchell climbs out and dashes over to the side of the road. A 35 mm camera sits in the sand. Mitchell picks up the camera and places it into his bag, completely ignoring the markings on it. "What a beauty. I'll add it to my collection."
"Hurry up, little brother!" calls Stephanie from the road.
"It's the next street down.." she directs, as they enter the suburbs of Portland.
"Camas?" asks Ironhide. "That's a weird name for a town!"
"It's home to us." Ironhide pulls up into an asphalt driveway in front of a Chesapeake style house.
"Alright kids. Now you take care... yuh hear! See y'all later!"
"Bye, Ironhide," call both children together, climbing out of the red van. Ironhide deposits their bikes on the driveway and roars off.
"Hope you won't mind staying with all the test tubes, Perceptor," says Stephanie, carrying the Autobot microscope.
"Aw sis," breaks in Mitchell. "With all Dad's microscopes he should feel right at home."
"Very funny Mitchell,"
"Home sweet home," sighed Mitchell, unlocking the door and swinging it wide open. Spotting the TV set in the den he groans, "Oh no! I missed HE-MAN and THUNDERCATS again!"
"You're too old for that," scolds Stephanie, shutting the door, and wiping her feet on the mat.
"Oh yeah?" asks Mitchell, hands on his hips. "You like to still watch `Inspector Gadget!' And anyway, who cares what happens to Scorpio and Felicia on Gen Hospital?"
"That's Frisco and Felicia! Anyway, I wait for Stacy to tell me what happens!" Stephanie grabs Mitchell's sweat shirt hood and pulls it over his short cropped hair.
"Oh, alright," resigns Mitchell, pulling off the hood and running fingers through his hair. "But I'm hungry for a pizza tonight. If you order one, I promise not to tease you about what you watch."
"Don't forget to show Perceptor our dad's lab. I'll just type in the combination." Both children pass through the den to the back yard where a back addition stands. With a few beeps and a click, the inner door slides open. Dr. McPherson's home lab was immaculate. Not a flask was disarrayed. Stephanie placed Perceptor down next to a pile of manilla folders. "There are Dad's plans for the device," she told him. "Guard them well."
"I will attempt my utmost," responded Perceptor with a slightly British accent in his voice.
Unknown to Perceptor, Mitchell had left the strange camera he'd found on a nearby lab bench. In the lab. "Maybe Dad can do a forensics check... and find out who it belongs to."
"Oh, Mitch, he's not Lt. Columbo!" groaned Stephanie. After one last check, they shut the door and locked the magnetic securer. Entering the kitchen, Stephanie picked up the phone. "I'll just call Dad at work... to see how things are going."
While Stephanie made the call, Mitchell pawed through the fridge. "Ah! Diet Pepsi!" he grinned. Taking one can, he pulled the cold metal tag off with a fresh spurt. Gratefully he swigged several mouthfuls of crisp cold soda.
"Dad says he won't be home until tomorrow morning. Well, I suggest we put some TV dinners in the microwave..."
"Aw! I thought we would order pizza for a change!"
"Oh, come one! That's the last time I eat Dominoes!"
"Okay, you win. Which one would yo like?"
"Just put any old one in."
After supper, Mitchell and Stephanie crawled up to bed. They had just completed a four hour move marathon of Friday the 13th. "Goodnight, sis,"
"`Nite, little brother." The teens slept blissfully in the cool of night. But woe to Perceptor in the lab!
********************************************************************************
The Autobot scientist sat on the table next to the secret Dream-A-Relaxer plans. He had been vigilant all night. Only Reflector, in the guise of the odd camera, escaped his gaze. Suddenly, the camera leapt and split into three separate robots... all jumping the microscope. Before Perceptor could react, one good swift kick sent him flying off the table. Dazed, he transformed to robot mode, his head crashing through the low roof. Instantly he blacked out. Reflector, all three parts of him, grabbed the plans. With a sickening crash and tinkle of glass, the Decepticons escaped and flew away into the dawn.
Mitchell shifted in the top bunk. "Darn birds," he muttered. Staring at his clock he saw it was half past eight. "Guess I could get up and watch Bugs Bunny soon." Sailing off of his top bunk he transformed into Randomax with a sparkle of energy. The blue and white robot boy tested his joints to make sure all was in working order. "Ah! Randomax Mitchell machine... zero defects!" he intoned, repeating a line from his favorite movie, Inner Space.
Now dressed, he met his sister on the stairs. "Last one downstairs makes breakfast!" she shouted, already two steps ahead.
"No way!" he cried, leaping onto the bannister and sliding to the floor below. Rapidly they ate cold cereal and milk while watching the rest of the Bugs Bunny, Road Runner show. While Mitchell munched his Frosted Flakes, he watched the coyote get mushed with a 100 ton weight yet again in his fruitless attempt to catch the Road Runner.
After they cleared up breakfast, Stephanie suggested checking in on Perceptor. They punched in the code as usual. To Mitchell's horror, he found the lab a shambles. Broken flasks and papers lay scattered everywhere. In the middle of it all lay Perceptor in robot mode, underneath a big hole in the ceiling. Stephanie could now see through a gap in the back wall the swimming pool. "Omigosh! Perceptor!" she cried.
"Hey! Yo! Perceptor, wake up!" shouted Mitchell.
"Please! Snap out of it!"
"Ooh!" groaned the Autobot, moving his head. "My paining cerebral case!" Pushing against the floor, he struggled to rise.
"What happened!" cried Stephanie.
Perceptor glanced around at the devastation. "Oh no! It was Reflector! I attempted to stop him... was overpowered... ugh."
"Great," groaned Mitchell, slapping a hand to his forehead.
"We've gotta contact Dad!" decided Stephanie, running hands through her head of sandy blonde hair, permed of course. "Megatron mustn't get those plans! Now we use the phone..."
"Forget that. The line's been cut! Anyway, he may already have them!"
"I don't care!" cried Stephanie, racing over to a nearby transmitter. "I'm calling the Autobots."
Suddenly the device exploded in a laser blast. The kids raced out of the wrecked lab. Staring up, Stephanie sized up the huge form of Starscream. "Be a good girl, and surrender. There are many of us..." Before he could finish his threat, he jumped from a shot fired by Perceptor. Instantly, the children were the victims of an all out attack.
"Shelter behind me," instructed the Autobot scientist.
"Perceptor! Call Optimus prime on your radio!" begged Mitchell.
"Unfortunately, that blast rendered my radio inoperative," admitted Perceptor as he opened fire. Laser blasts shot past the three as Perceptor tried his best to hold the Decepticons at bay. But he was only one against half a dozen. "Escape while you can..." he instructed.
"We'll get help to you," promised Stephanie. "Somehow."
"Make for the garage," suggested Mitchell, grabbing her hand. "Dad has an emergency transmitter there." Reaching the garage, they leapt inside. In the far corner, Stephanie grasped a walkie talkie unit, and transmitted a distress signal. A few squawks of static indicated a faint connection, but within seconds the radio died. "Great," muttered Mitchell, slapping his jeaned thigh.
"Maybe somebody received it."
"I doubt it. I suggest we make a run for it." With that, the children crept across towards the door. Opening it a crack, they peer both ways. The coast seemed clear enough. Stephanie stepped outside, followed by Mitchell. "Let's split up," he suggested.
"Take care, little brother," she whispered, squeezing his hand. She raced along the back fence to the pool, covered by its solar blanket. No one was in sight, except Laserbeak, who hovered over the back yard. "Hope that beryllium buzzard doesn't see me," she hoped. Quickly she sprinted to the cover of the spiral slide... but too late. With a squawk and blaring of laser cannons, the iron bird swooped down.
Evading blasts, Stephanie almost fell into the pool. Just in time she righted herself and raced to the front yard. Straight into the sights of Starscream. "Aha! You may have evaded Laserbeak, but Starscream has you now!" he grinned, scooping her up.
"Let me go, Star-crumb!" she shrilled. "You won't get away with this... I'll..."
"You'll quiet your vocalizer, human!" retorted the Aerospace Commander. He held her upside down, by the legs. A crude way of clutching a captive.
"Ayah! You've got me upside down, you... you... bucket of spare parts!"
"Oh, I should have known. Humans blood rushes to their heads. Pardon me," he leered in mock apology.
"Thank you... Yeow! The view is terrible... Its Megatron!" she cried.
"Well, if it isn't Miss daughter of the inventor," spoke the giant grey robot. His optics glared evil red. "I'm so glad to see you again. I have many questions..."
"Well, I'm not glad to see you!" retorted Stephanie. "And I've got lots of my own questions... like What have you done to Perceptor?"
"Perceptor has been dealt with. And we are searching for your sibling component."
"You'll never get away with this! And Mitchell will tell Optimus Prime all about this! Oh no!"
"I guess you spoke too soon, human," interrupted Megatron, indicating Soundwave. He held Mitchell in his cold steely grasp.
"Let me go! You let me go you #@$#@ tape deck!"
"Pew, what language. Remember you don't know who may be listening," chided Starscream. "Really, I thought you children had manners.
"DECEPTICONS! Back to Base!" thundered Megatron. At one wide swath of his arm the whole army took off. Soaring over the Cascades, they soon reached the Pacific Ocean. Stephanie cringed. Were the Decepticons considering a swim?
"NO! Don't drown us!"
"Oh, nonsense," laughed Megatron. "I thought humans liked to play in the ocean. Keep quiet and no harm will come to you... yet."
As Megatron spoke, the shimmering waters rippled. Fifteen foot swells became waterspouts as something broke the surface. It was a large tower, whose side opened. All of the Decepticon warriors flew inside, into an elevator shaft. Closing behind them, the door became one with the tower once more. The entire tower sank again beneath the waves.
Vast corridors of grim metal spread from a huge chamber. While the interiors of Autobot HQ were paneled in gold tinged metal, an eerie steely grey luster shone from the walls of the Decepticon Base. Not a shred of Earth was reflected in the Main Control Center. Mitchell even guessed it must be the main deck of a gigantic space cruiser. Soundwave placed both children in special restraints. Megatron stood before a huge computer screen and spoke a weird garbled speech to another robot back on Cybertron.
"We've got to get out of here," whispered Mitchell.
"When I give the signal..." murmured Stephanie. "Hey! Megatron!" she cried, shaking her hand at the Decepticons. "I advise you to let us go... immediately. OR suffer the consequences!"
"Hah, hah, hah! Go right ahead human," leered Megatron, head turned to glance at her. "Try to escape. I'm not stopping you."
With a cry of "HUMANOBOTS, TRANSFORM!" both children raced towards Megatron. To Stephanie's horror, nothing happened. Mitchell stared in shock. "I said, TRANSFORM!" she repeated, in vain. "What's happening!"
"Oh, did I forget to tell you about the restraining band? Your transformation mechanisms have been jammed, and your powers nullified. One attempt to remove them could mean your immediate termination."
"You... you... I can think of so many things to describe you... but being a decent person, I just can't say them!" shouted Stephanie.
"Hah. I thought so. But soon you'll tell me every thought between your audio receptors."
"Fat chance, bucket head!" piped in Mitchell.
"Your brother component talks too much," complained Starscream.
"You leave him alone!"
"Silence everyone! I've got more important errands then to listen to your idle prattle. Come, Starscream."
Stephanie and Mitchell huddled together, racking their brains. "You know sis. Maybe we can contact somebody."
"Oh, who? We lost our walkie-talkies... and transforming is out of the question,"
"We can talk with our minds."
"Wait.. that's right!"
"Oh, wait sis! I forgot. Autobots aren't telepathic, and our minds are blocked from dad."
"That's right, but if we combine our powers into one effort, I think I know someone who can hear us." Slowly they clasped hands, and their minds reached out. Together they thought a message of distress.
************************************************************************************
Impulse stopped suddenly in her check of Teletran 1. Leaning over, she placed a hand to the cybernetic outlets on her forehead.
"What gives?" asked Jazz, noticing her.
"It's someone... talking to me inside my mind. It's Stephanie... and Mitchell! They're in trouble! The Decepticons have the plans!"
"Where are they?"
"They are... ow! I've lost contact..."
***************************************************************************
Soundwave's mind scanner suddenly picked up odd thought impulses from the children. Immediately he broke their trance with a warning blast from his sonic pulse rifle.
"Hey! What's the big idea?"
Megatron rushed up. "What's going on here? I heard an unauthorized blast."
"The... human children... have attempted... contact with ... some other life form." answered Soundwave in his tonal voice.
"So, you thought you could use a telepathic link to get help, didn't you?" accused Megatron, glaring at the children. "Very nice try, but foolish."
"I was only trying to get some rest. Do you have a problem with that? Why don't you leave me and my brother alone?"
"You can't fool me, human. Soundwave can read any thought you have transmitted. Anyway, the Autobots won't be around to help you... for long."
"What do you mean?"
"Your father's Dream-a-Relaxer was quite an interesting invention. However, I made some... hah, hah, ... improvements."
"You didn't..." gasped Stephanie, mouth dropping open in horror. Nodding, Megatron gave a devilish grin. He turned to the huge video screen and pressed some buttons. "Watch," he ordered. "See how easily your friends shall be overcome." The McPherson children sat transfixed with fear. The screen buzzed with static that fused into a clear picture of Autobot HQ. "Courtesy of Laserbeak," grinned Megatron.
**************************************************************************************
Jazz and Impulse had just left on a survey mission. Optimus Prime stood in front of Teletran 1, ending an update with Dr. McPherson on the recent kidnaping. He hardly noticed the change in the atmosphere of the room around him. Many Autobots lay around, idle. Ironhide had just finished using the Dream-a-Relaxer. Rachet was giving Bumblebee a checkup. "You've been way too active, lately, Bumblebee. A few minutes on this little gadget of Dr. McPherson's and you'll be as good as new."
"I don't know, Ratchet. Stephanie said it wasn't tested very much and it could be dangerous."
"Come on. I tested it on almost every Autobot here, including myself. There's nothing that could go wrong."
"That's what I'm afraid of," gulped the little guy.
"I'm the doc, and I know what's best! Now cooperate!" shouted Ratchet, forcing Bumblebee to lie down on an examining table. As he strapped the yellow and grey robot down, Optimus Prime overheard his cries.
"What's going on here?"
"Prime! Don't let Ratchet put me on this thing! Everybody's going crazy!"
"Nonsense, prime," interrupted Ratchet. "He's just excited. Doesn't know what's good for him."
"Who gave you authorization to use that device, Ratchet? Anyway, since its use, that device seems to be the main attraction around here. Everyone's neglected their duties. Stop use of the machine at once. That's an order!"
"Now Prime, what's the matter with you? Everyone is so calm after only five minutes on this thing. Say, you've been under a lot of pressure lately, Optimus. I recommend that you spend some time on it yourself."
"Now Ratchet, I'm not exactly disagreeing with your diagnosis, but that machine has got to go!"
Just then, Ironhide strode over. "C'mon, Prime! Give it just one lil' try!"
"Ironhide and Ratchet have valid reasons," chimed in Prowl, the white and black military strategist. Other Autobots began to cluster around the Autobot commander.
"What's the matter with all of you?" asked Prime. "What's happening?"
"We were nice," growled Ironhide. "But now we gotta get rough! Get him!" he shouted.
"I don't know what you're doing, but I don't want to hurt you all," grunted Optimus, dodging Ironhide's charge. "But you leave me no choice." With that, Optimus fired his laser at the crowd. Ironhide, Trailbreaker, and Ratchet threw themselves at him, pinioning both his arms. Prime threw them aside, but others including Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, fired weapons at him. He fought bravely, but even with his super strength, there were far too many. Placing energon chains on him, they dragged him over to the device.
End of Part 1