Hunt for the Thirteen

Relics

"Why in the world would someone send the relics of the 13 primes to Earth, the planet that is Unicron?" Mia asked when Maim was brought to the base.

"Who would think to look here." Maim responded.

The mammoth bot was surrounded by the autobots and their human allies as Optimus filled them in.

"According to Maim, Alpha Trion sent the relics of the 13 here to earth centuries ago, before our war." He explained. "He did so so that no force on Cybertron could ever wield them again."

"So why did he send her?" Clarissa asked. "And how? I thought Trion was dead."

"I was sent to Earth with relics ages ago." Maim answered.

"Wait wait wait." Sunstreaker began. "Have you been active your whole time on earth?"

"Since before humans, yes."

His mouth fell agape for a moment. "Why the frag didn't you, I don't know, come to tell us about this sooner?"

"Or help us fight the decepticons?" Sideswipe added.

"Or stop some major disasters here on earth?" Clarissa put in.

"I cannot interfere with Earth's growth. I am an observer, only to intervene when my sacred duty is to be preformed." Maim said seriously. "I'm like the Watcher."

"The who?" Asked Elita.

"From Marvel? Big-headed guy who sees everything in the multiverse? Nothing? Have you seen any of Earth's entertainment in all your time here?" Maim questioned.

"What is your duty?" Ultra Magnus interrupted.

Maim looked taken aback at first, as if her sacred century-spanning duty were of little consequence to earth entertainment.

"To protect the Earth when the relics reactivated." She said simply, as if it was obvious.

Silence.

"You mean," Thrust began. "That the relics of the primes, the most powerful things in cybertronian history, on earth are reactivating?"

"Yes."

"The requim blaster." Mia recited. "The forge. The quill and covenant."

"How does a human child know so much of cybertronian lore?" Maim asked curiously, smiling at the human girl.

"Drift taught us." Vram spoke up.

Drift looked bashful in turn. "They asked, I simply taught. Rewind helped."

Maim smiled at the ex-con, and at his conjunx endura Ratchet.

"Your human daughter, she has powers like Vector Prime, yes?" She asked.

Drift and Ratchet share a quick look.  All the autobots know of Bata's...gifts. But Maim...

"Don't worry." She reassured. "I already know all about her, and her twin Alex as well. When someone is born with her powers, she is noticed."

"Bata wasn't born with those powers." Ratchet corrected. "Her parents infused chemicals in her and got lucky."

"How much is luck and how much is fate?" Maim responded.

"Oh no. Another spiritual praiser." Ratchet moaned.

"Eh hem." Elita-1 interrupted. "Can we get back to the relics? Like why they are reactivating after centuries?"

Maim shrugged. "I don't know why."

The autobots were shocked.

"You don't know?" Ironhide questioned. "Isn't it your job to know?"

Maim shook her head. "It's my job to protect Earth when they reactivate."

"Is it because of Unicron?" Thrust suggested. "We did stop him from reawakening a few months ago."

"Where were you when that happened?" Chemico asked Maim.

"Watching Sonic 2. Knuckles is one of my favorite characters."

Everyone glared at her, except Optimus, who was too nice, and Mia, who shared Maim's interests.

"The relics," Maim began. "Have been scattered around earth. They have been dormant for all of their time on earth. Until yesterday."

"What happened yesterday?" Sideswipe asked.

Maim grimaced. "No clue. Few things could just reawaken a relic of the primes."

"How do you know they reawakened?" Clarissa asked.

"My spark...was made to grow in power when they came online. Not in a major way, but a way I could feel right away."

"Like heart burn." Hailey spoke.

"Exactly."

"So, where are the relics?" Optimus asked.

"Don't know." Maim responded.

"Okay, what do you know?" Elita snapped.

Maim seemed taken aback.

Mia and Clarissa shared a look. Maim was a bit like Cheetor when he first joined them. He hadn't understood the urgency the other bots had, and was a bit naive.

But there was where he and Maim differed. Though she seemed a airheaded, the others could feel a burning sense of duty pulsing in her. And she was not naive.

"I know that by reawakening, all cybertronian life on earth will soon know of the relics. There are only a handful of bots who know where the relics are." Maim explained.

"And you aren't one of them?" Thrust asked.

"As the only one on earth that knew of their existence for centuries, that did not seem smart in case I was corrupted or compromised." Maim pointed out.

"Alright, fair point. Who are the bots who do know?"

"They don't know." Maim responded.

"Okay, from here on out, explain instead of just saying you don't know." Elita-1 ordered, exasperated.

Maim blinked in confusion. "Okay. Sorry, I haven't talked to another being in centuries."

"Trion knew some bots needed to know where the relics were, in case they were ever needed again. But no one bot was made to hold all the locations. So he ingrained a program at random in 12 different bots that reveal the location of 1 relic.

If one of these bots dies, the program is randomly sent into another bot. No cybertronian is aware of this program and it can only be accessed by two things: Trion himself, or another of the 13, or their relic reawakening."

"Oh frag," Mia whispered.

"So, you know who these 12 are?" Windblade asked.

"Yes." Maim replied.

A chorus of "finally" goes through the base.

"You people really need to watch some tv." Maim rolled her eyes. "Or read more. Ever read "X-Men."

Mia smiled amongst the others' groans.

"So, don't keep us in suspense," she spoke up. "Who are the autobots who know the locations of the relics?"

Maim looked taken aback. "What makes you think they are autobots?"