Hunt for the Thirteen

Return

Mia looked back, but the battle's dust cloud barely registered even with her armor's enhanced vision.

"Anything?" Clarice asked as Cheetor pumped under their feet, racing to get even farther away.

"No. I can't even see Victorion or--wait, wait, what's that?"

Mia pointed up to the sky so Cheetor could see it.

Something was flying through the sky behind them. It would be over them in just a...

In an instant, whatever it was crashed just inches behind Cheetor, with such force to send him head over heels, Mia and Clarice falling off.

Mia felt herself pulled down into the small crater made by the UFO--unidentified falling object.

She hit the ground hard. The armor covering her head fell away, and she stared at stone. She wasn't facing the object.

She felt dizzy, even though she hadn't hit her head. She turned onto her back, looking up at the blue sky.

Things were getting darker with her vision. She fought to stay awake and examine what had crashed into them.

She recognized it from the pictures.

The enigma of combination.

She gasped as it flew off the ground and hovered only inches above her.

It was bigger than her, but with the blink of an eye, it had shrunk down to a size a little smaller than her chest.

As if in slow motion, the enigma sunk down, fading to almost a ghostly state, and sunk into her chest.

Mia tried to scream. She tried to get up. She tried to call for Cheetor or Clarice or Clarissa or Bee.

But all she could do was hiss, convulse, and grab at her chest as it felt like someone had reached into her gut and was pulling at every organ and muscle in her body.

You are the one I was looking for.

A voice rang out through her brain, shaking her skull.

We will go far. Don't be afraid.

But she was. More afraid than when her parents had died or when she got stuck in a cave with Kaon or held in Megatron's grip.

Because she had no idea who she was dealing with.

But as she felt herself pulled out of her own body, she figured it out.

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"Mia!" Optimus called out when the human didn't respond.

She looked so tiny, standing against combiners and Megatron.

But she also looked off...

She wore her yellow armor up to her neck so her face was revealed.
Mia's grin was too big for her face, and the intelligence in her eyes had dimmed to a mysterious smoulder.

"Hello Prime." She finally spoke, but the voice sent shivers up everyone's spine.

It sounded like Mia, in concept, but there was an odd echo to it, like someone else was talking.

Suddenly, Devastator stomped his foot, cause all but the combiners and Mia to fall to the sandy ground.

"Human have Enigma!" He roared. "DEVASTATOR WANT ENIGMA! GIVE ENIGMA TO DEVASTATOR!"

"Mia run!" Bee cried as the giant green combiner crouched down, prepared to crush their resident human genius.

Bee sped out, prepared to grab the girl before that happened, while Victorion moved to attack Davastator.

But the construction combiner froze. Not of his own free will, evidenced by his groans and complaints.

"Hey, why can't Devastator move?!"

Everyone else was frozen as well--in shock!

Mia stood below the frozen combiner, one arm outstretched.

Devastator's groans got louder and more frantic.

"What--WHAT WRONG! Devastator...having trouble...keeping it together...AHHHH!"

Green light blinded all present for a moment, but they could see the forms of the individual constructions involuntarily break apart.

The de-constructed bots of Devastator screamed as they crashed to the grounds.

"Mia..."  Victorian looked down at her human friend in awe.

But Maim looked at her fellow nerd in fear.

"Mia?" Bee asked cautiously.

Mia giggled--a high-pitched, nasally one instead of her usual deep gut chuckle.

She looked up to meet Bee's optics. Her eyes glowed unnaturally, that too-big grin becoming even more creepy.

"Mia can't hear you anymore."

That sent fear into fight. The decepticons readied their weapons. Optimus was a little surprised they hadn't attacked already, as Mia had basically defeated Devastator.

Bruticus was the only decepticon who didn't move. He looked down at Mia in wonder and fear. Because for all his stupidity, he understood they could not win against this.

"What a thing to wake up to," Mia said as she walked past Bee, towards Optimus and Megatron.

Elita looked into Prime's eyes, asking a question in silence.

He shook his head. He didn't know either.

"A war. One even worse than the one between by siblings. But that was more of a tiff anyway." Mia stopped before the two leaders. "You two must be the head hunchoes. Megatron and Optimus Prime."

Before they could respond, she continued.

"Megatron, eh? You get that name from my brother? Ha, cause let me tell you, from this human's memories, I can tell you are nothing like him."

Optimus observed his little human ally. Was she acting? Mia had done crazier plans before...

But the other combiners were staring at her in awe. She must really have the enigma. But where was it?

"Megatronus? Your brother." Megatron chuckled darkly. "I thought you only had that sister Clarissa."

The smile fell, shifting into a fanged grimace. "I thought I had made it clear; I am not Mia Cordel."

Megatron leaned down. "Then who are you?"

The smile was back, somehow larger than before.

Mia held out her hand. "Nexus Prime. Pleased to meet you. Now kindly get out of my way."