Jagged Edges

The dark expanse of space stretches endlessly, an ocean of stars as witnesses to unlimited untold stories. Among them, a small escape pod flies through the void, bearing its precious cargo. Inside, perfectly safe in the confines of the sleek, metallic shell, is one of the artificial Cybertronians created by the secret project known as 'Mimicry'. She lies dormant, not aware of the journey she's going to go through or the fate that awaits her on a distant planet lightyears away called Earth.

Project Mimicry had been an ambitious endeavor undertaken by Cybertronians, aiming to create artificial versions of their own species. Unfortunately, the little lab rats turned out to be far more sentient-and in some cases, smart-smarter than their creators had anticipated. Each creation was a sentient and intelligent being, though 173 had the unique talent of being highly skilled at coding and similar tasks, even if she didn't excel in broader intelligence. After a particularly chaotic series of events, she found herself in an escape pod, speeding away from Cybertron and the people on it.

As she hurtled through space, unconscious and cocooned in the pod's protective amber glow, Earth's vibrant blue and greens began to loom larger and larger. Hours passed as the escape pod plummeted through Earth's atmosphere, orange and yellow flames slowly licking at its outer shell. As it enters Earth's atmosphere, the friction simply heats it to a glowing red, making it just a simple bright streak against the night sky. To an untrained eye, it might appear as just another shooting star, but if you look close enough, it is an object of great interest. The birds, sensing imminent danger, flew away from the area.

Without stirring, she descended, the pod's autopilot mechanisms working furiously to ensure a relatively safe landing. Finally, with a rippling crash, the escape pod landed in a secluded forest. The area is eerily silent after the crash, save for the cooling hiss of the escape pod and forest animals chattering. The escape pod sent out an emergency signal, which would be the start of her journey.

On the Nemesis...

Megatron had called Knockout and a few Vehicons for a simple mission: find a certain escape pod and bring whatever it has inside back.

"Soundwave has discovered a cybertronian pod landing recently. He intercepted its emergency signal so it would not reach the Autobots. It is safe to assume that there will be no distractions while you retrieve the... Let's say, 'package'."

Knockout nodded in understanding. "Do we know if this pod is of Decepticon origin?"

"No, Knockout. That is the reason why we need to get it before the Autobots do."

"But Lord Megatron, it might be an Autobot spy. I could be walking right into an ambush!"

"It could be a Decepticon, who may have sustained injuries or harm, and your intervention would be beneficial for their recovery. Thus, move forward. You are all dismissed."

"Yes, Lord Megatron." Knockout nodded, turning to walk off, muttering something about him being a 'pain in the aft'. The Vehicons followed.

Despite the pod's impact, she remained blissfully unaware of her new surroundings. Meanwhile, the impact had not gone unnoticed. The Decepticons, always on the lookout for anything that might give them an edge, quickly triangulated the location of the crash site with the help of the signal. Within an hour, the Decepticons have reached the area, their crimson optics glowing in the dim light of the forest. They walked for a bit before finding a trail that led to the escape pod.

"Looks like we've got something interesting here," Knockout muttered, approaching the wreckage.

The escape pod was unmistakably Cybertronian in origin. Carefully, he tried to pry open the pod's hatch, but it was protected with a code. The Decepticons exchanged looks of intrigue. It's cargo must be important, right? "Take the pod back to base. Lord Megatron will want to see this," instructed the cherry-red bot.

One vehicon reached Soundwave. After receiving nothing but silence, it was safe to assume Soundwave was there and would open a groundbridge soon enough. Without wasting any time, the vehicons seized the pod and its potential occupant, transforming and transporting it back to the Nemesis.

They popped in the communications center, where Soundwave just blankly stared at them. They all hastily left because of how creepy Soundwave's gaze was. He seriously gets off staring at people. On the walk to the medbay, Knockout whistled a familiar tune that all the vehicons couldn't quite get.

The doors to the medbay slid open with a hiss. Knockout motioned for the vehicons to put the escape pod on the examination table. "Thank you," he hummed.

The vehicons left knowing that their work for now is done. Now, Knockout took his time to examine the escape pod up close. Its origin was definitely from Tagan Heights, one of the most strategically valuable regions of Cybertron. The escape pod was too small to be carrying a Cybertronian..

Knockout frowned at the escape pod's slightly cracked console, his digits flying over the controls as he tried to input the opening sequence. The code should have worked by now. But instead of the hiss of decompressing air, the pod remained silent, its surface ice cold.

This kind of technology shouldn't even exist anymore. It was old. Like, really old. "This shouldn't even exist anymore," he muttered, his metaphorical brow furrowing in confusion. "Where did you come from, and why are you so old?"

After several failed attempts, Knockout gave up.

"Why can't I just push a button like every other pod? Of course, the person that decided to manufacture this probably thought that emergency exits need puzzles too." He pushed random buttons despite knowing better. The pod beeped. "Oh great, I've activated 'self destruct' mode.." He mumbled sarcastically.

He was a doctor, not a locksmith. But he had one more method: act like he didn't care and hope it would open. "Alright, fine, be that way. Have fun staying inside your little tomb."

The console remained silent, as it should be. Knockout growled in frustration, turning around and searching through the storage cabinets for a tool to pry it open.

"You're pretty good-looking," he told the escape pod conversationally. "For your age, that is." He found the crowbar, grinning and holding it up. "But I bet you're going to look even better with this baby."

But before he could even use the crowbar, a partial message appeared on the screen, glitching in and out:

"I hacked into the pod... She's not what... termination protocol...danger!"

He leaned closer. "What the frag is this?"