Authors note: I do not own Beast Wars or its characters, I am merely borrowing some of its elements.

BEAST WARS AND HUMANS TOO? (WHAT IS THIS?!)

Prologue

"So, it begins," a deep voice resonated, eyes peeled upon the screen he used to watch two timelines at once.

Thoraphansohlk had existed for a long, long time – longer than most of his brethren. He had seen and done things so horrible, he dared not speak a word of it. Time was eternal for the Vok. They were a species whose life was eternal unless mortally wounded and weakened beyond their ability to heal. It was called 'Shadowing'. Their essence was light and at their weakest, could be overcome by the darkness. It had one of either two options: extinguish their life force or convert them to become a Kov. They were the enemy of the Vok – the antithesis, the creatures that served as the balance, because where there was light, there was darkness and where there was life and creation, there was death and destruction.

Earth was and would always be a battleground for the war that had waged between them for as long as they had existed; and they would use the species they had waited millennia to evolve and, unlike humanity's forebears, they were unaware of certain events which had… disrupted the initial project, but that was neither here nor there. Shifting slightly, he switched on a screen that showed the Earth as what was now compared to what it had been so long ago. It showed a human they would be extracting very, very soon. One they had been watching for a long time.

"So, we are ready," he said and in answer, a yellow light melded from the shadows and crept forward, hovering in mid-air.

Before Thoraphansohlk's eyes, that light began to stretch and squash in on itself like play-dough – before forming what resembled a human-like shape, mimicking him. It was an eerie sight to watch as the orb formed translucent yellow, glowing skin as it shaped that of a human male, but with no distinguishing features. That changed as the frame vibrated, growing what had not been there before: a face. The attention to detail told him that this Vok had been practising; as their kind also possessed the ability to shift and change their form to mimic other creatures.

It was a skill that was very useful to creatures that literally glowed like a light.

"And how shall we extract the subject?" he asked, the name that was often shortened into a very generic name amongst humans. "We already know humans react adversely to what they cannot explain."

"I have that covered," Thoraphansohlk replied, stepping away from the shadows in a purple male human form. He was fiercer than the yellow one, tendrils of dark purple appendages acting as hair – like a male Medusa, and he somehow made it both fiercely handsome and terrifying. Although, should he wish to appear noble he would switch terrifying for rather handsome locks, if he did not say so himself. He held up a sphere and presented it to the yellow one. "This contains a powerful sedative and poison. The subject will need to have a severe neural fever before we can recode its DNA. The others wish to test its mental capabilities beyond what was first decided upon. Our enemy has already grabbed a male subject and have pushed the war early. Time is of the essence. We shall prepare a storm in which to avoid suspicion. Amongst all the chaos, no one will notice."

"Understood." The yellow one bowed and disappeared; heading for the portal that would take him to the coordinates of the subject: a female human unaware her life was going to be changed forever.

Staring at the idle and blank screen of her computer, a young woman mused that the day had started like any other day. She had been aware of the world, but not conscious enough to be awake before her alarm had even sounded. Then three times, at five minute intervals: her alarm had gone off telling her to get up and get ready for work. As always, she had arrived thirty minutes early – even before the shift supervisor. Not that the bastard even did anything but sit down and be a nuisance – but his presence was mandatory. So, she had spent the better half of the day doing pretty much everything before she had been finally allowed to leave and go home.

Late.

Again...

As was her ritual, especially on a Friday when she had no work for the weekend: she logged into FaceBook that didn't have her real name, DeviantArt, Youtube, Fanfiction and then played either Spider Solitaire or Bejewelled when she needed a change of pace. She probably would have spent all night (and well into the morning) on her computer, if the growing storm outside hadn't taken out a major power line and had temporality flicked off all the power – given her a bloody heart attack. That dangerously brewing storm had grown progressively stronger and closer as she counted the time between each flash of lightning. She thought it was a strange storm; it had come upon the landscape all too quickly for it to be 'normal'.

She wasn't a suspicious soul believing in mythical occurrences – (she did believe in coincidence and good-old karma) – but this storm had her pondering if there really were supernatural beings were really out there with the way the storm blasted its way through the streets, uprooting trees and sending rubbish bins sprawling; allowing litter to frolic widely in the gust joined by wayward leaves. Just watching the frantic, wild dance was making her a bit dizzy as they spun and twirled about.

Anyone who was outside right now was made or on call for emergencies; and she saluted those who braved the weather to help others when they too may have families at home, waiting for them to return safe and sound. She didn't think she could do it, which was why she was latched onto her chair, straining against her instincts demanding she run for sanctuary under her bed – most probably with the added security blanket included. Even as she forced herself to remain calm, flashes of strange technicoloured light struck her paranoia and wonderment, and agitated by the unfamiliarity of such a feat of nature... Though, she had doubts this was natural.

'This is what happens when you watch too much science fiction...'

Groaning, she tried to banish the thought of aliens conquering earth. "This is just my luck," she instead muttered sarcastically to herself, half to complain about her situation and half to let out some of her increasing agitation. Her therapists had stated she kept too much bottled inside and suggested she talk to herself. She had promptly perked a brow at that comment and stated she did that all the time... So, they gave her anti-depressants that she never took. A little smirk twitched at her little rebellion, zipping up her black-hooded jacket and slid her hands into her pockets, jumping at an extremely close crash of thunder. "I am alone... in a quite possibly supernatural, storm disaster... And no one will be able to hear me scream."

(Okay, so talking aloud wasn't exactly helping her, but admitting you had a problem was the first step to overcoming it, right? RIGHT?!)

Deciding to keep herself busy, she headed for her room and pulled out a travelling backpack – deciding to pack her stuff. If worse came to worse, she might need to bravely venture out into the storm. She had a friend a few blocks away she could visit; having someone to talk to other than the voices in her head would do her some good. She had never been a participant in a natural disaster before. Oh, she had experienced her fair share of floods and close calls with fire, but she had never been alone and this was where she cursed not listening to everything her SES-trained mother had deigned to teach her.

And so, her paranoia demanded she be prepared for the worst situations; and as she shoved the necessities, food and water, little female necessaries – she also grabbed her IPod and Mp3 chargers. Music was a good distraction and both items contained at least a thousand songs each. If nothing else, it would ensure she had plenty to occupy her mind with. She spotted a few fire-lighters and shoved them in, remembering fire was always a good beacon – provided you knew how to use and control it properly. In that case, she hoped a big bonfire was efficient enough and if she did manage to make herself a fire: it would serve as light and warmth.

Not a bad outcome, either way.

"This is where you wish you were a scout," she sighed, having located everything she thought she might need.

On impulse she unplugged all the devices in the house – all but the home phone. She even took out all the light bulbs. She wasn't sure of the possibility of an electrical surge that could make them explode: call her paranoid, but she'd rather avoid it happening. She could deal with a bit of pain but that didn't mean she sought it out – even if she always managed to get a paper cut. Electric shock just did not appeal to her in any way. In fact, it was one of the top five ways she didn't want to die under: drowning/burning, poison, running out of air, and being eaten alive.

Without the hum of machines, she found herself feeling more alone now than ever before. She huddled herself in the kitchen, latching onto the bag filled with some of her belongings. She was twitching as she thought about all her jewellery, paintings and drawings but she kept them in a steel-tight, vault-like cupboard. She had bought it specifically because it was said to outlast fires and flood. She could sleep safely knowing that her more precious, sentimental belongings would be safe.

She jumped again as lightning crashed somewhere near; curling tighter around her bag, trying to ignore the strange storm as best she could but it was easier said than done.

Unbeknownst to her: a strange hole ripped open the sky and a ball of light, the size of a bus that had been folded up and smoothed down into the shape of a basketball hovered over her house. It pulsated in a rhythm like a heartbeat, strong and steady. Its edges started flashing and all too suddenly... it folded in on itself as if it was an orange being squeezed. It shook erratically as if pulled by conflicting magnets before abruptly zooming in on her home like a tactical ballistic missile.

And its target: ...her.

A strange sensation of spiders crawling down her spine and nerves caused her to stand to attention. From behind her eyes she noticed the windows light up as if the sun was shining, but the storm hadn't ended. The other side was still dark. Snapping her eyes open, having not realised she'd closed them: she felt the terror she had tried so desperately to keep at bay. She dropped to the floor, curling into herself as something collided with the window – crying out in shock. The impact broke the glass and shot a shower of debris that nicked her skin as she kept her head covered. Cautiously, she lifted her head and witnessed a bright glowing light veer towards her.

Terror unlike anything she remembered coursed through her veins. She screamed as it approached, her eyes reflexively closing as it slammed her in the chest before she could react.

It caught her mid-scream and she froze; eyes wide in silent pain...

As the world slowly faded around her, she felt electrical currents run through every vein, artery and nerve ending. It was excruciating but she could not move, could not scream. She was aware her heart thudded wildly in her chest as if attempting to gallop free of its confines; a glow began to glimmer under her skin, kicking fear into overdrive, but then – there was nothing; no pain, no feeling and all she could do was blink up at the ceiling, her vision blurring in and out. She couldn't tell if what she was seeing was really there; her eyes tried to focus, but bleary-eyed as she was the edges of her vision began to grow darker, and darker...

Before her mind was enveloped by darkness, her final vision was the image of a weird –and glowing–Creature.

Darker eyes blinked at her but then: everything went dark and she was lost to the darkness...

It was cold; a feeling of weightlessness pressed at her subconscious as she tried to move, but she didn't expect to find pressure on her wrists. Truth was she had no idea what she was expecting and so, eyelids heavy, she opened her eyes but all she saw was a bright, merciless light. Crying out, she squeezed her eyes shut, heading turning instinctively to shield her from the pain: it was bright, too bright! Blinking rapidly a few times to adjust, she squinted through the blur, and... Her heart dropped from where it had sat. A few heartbeats passed before she felt a building pressure situated around her chest; and it took her a few moments to realise she was holding her breath. She heaved in gulp-full upon gulp-full of sweet, blessed oxygen and instinct took over from where shock had taken her breath away, but her eyes did not move from the sight before her: a scene pulled purely from a science-fiction move.

Mechanical devices of unknown purpose were... everywhere. Everything was made of metal. She could not find a single plant and worse: there were no windows. She had no way of knowing where she was. She didn't need to panic and move around like she had a seizure to realise she was bound. The pressure on her wrists and legs told her logical mind that no matter what she did, she would not be getting free; however the primitive part couldn't resist the need to tug and twist in an attempt to do so. Only when the pain of stretching her limbs and rubbing her skin raw had worn her out, did she realise she was cold... and completely naked beneath a strange liquid-sheet covering her body.

The sound that came out of her mouth was pulled straight out of a startled rat, struggling again. It was electric blue with black and ruby-red blots merging, twisting and twirling over her. Distracted by the colours, she thought it seemed to react to her fear as it appeared to make an effort to calm her down. She became aware of soothing pulses, caressing across her skin like a mother reassuring their child everything was okay. Despite herself she began to relax, slipping into a trance-like state half aware as a singular tendril broke free from the mass and climbed up her neck, split in two then hovered above her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide as awareness stampeded into motion as two would-be eyes blinked at her. For a moment, nothing happened and then everything went still.

She watched it and it watched her – and then it pierced through her pupils.

She screamed but it was over before her mind registered whatever pain there could have-should have been.

Heart thudding, she tried to make sense of what had just happened because She didn't feel any pain and so slowly, hesitantly… she blinked open her eyes and felt as if she had been blind and hadn't noticed. She had been lucky with her eyes. Her father had been severely long-sighted and her mother had been severely short-sighted. She had gotten midrange and hadn't needed glasses, but now... details she had missed before were now startlingly clear.

'Hawk eye vision' just about covered it and curious, she looked to the far side where movement had flickered in the corners of her peripheral vision. She had twisted her head and neck in an almost-unnatural angle to find what had caught her eye... And, as it turned out there were glowing balls of light everywhere and there were many, many different colours. Awed, she could only stare when suddenly: a bright yellow ball broke free from the merge of flashing streams. She noticed self-consciously that the liquid-blanket that had been the only source of her modesty had disappeared. She wondered where the hell it had gone, panic rising in her throat but the yellow ball had already approached.

Dark yellow would-be eyes, blinked down at her. "Human!" a guttural voice snapped from somewhere; and she flinched as she felt her heart race again.

She closed her eyes but when nothing happened, she opened them. She saw the... ball of light change its shape, growing into a humanoid form. It kept its glowing yellow eyes, but upon the sight of something short of kind-of familiar: she almost wept with relief, but this – whatever it was – probably had taken that form so she didn't have another panic attack and faint, which was only an assumption – perhaps a hope. Or simply a delusion. She could go with delusion. All of this was just one big delusion. Yes, that sounded right.

"What is your name, human?" the thing asked. This time, he/she/it was gentle in its tone and hovered close beside her.

"C-C-C-C," she stuttered. She stopped immediately. Her pride, no matter how freaked out it was would not accept being seen as a fool. She cleared her throat and made an effort to be calm, if only to ensure she didn't panic and subject herself to its mercy... if it had any that was. When she was sure she wouldn't trip over her words, she looked at the... thing, "Caitlin," and this time with a confidence she didn't feel: "My name is Caitlin."

"Caitlin," the stranger repeated, testing the weight of the word on it's... 'Tongue?' (Did it even have one?) A satisfied expression swept over its 'face' (which was too large and glow-y... like Edward Cullen had stepped into the sunlight... except more bright and alien. Not that it looked anything remotely like him, though). "Caitlin," it repeated and seemed to grow taller a few inches, its 'arms' sweeping behind its back. It was then she realised it was... floating in mid-air. "I take it you are wondering why you are here, and... what has happened to you."

She blinked, running over his words. 'Yes, those are some valued questions', she thought inwardly. 'Why hadn't I asked those when I woke up?'

"More or less," she spoke when she realised she'd been quiet for too long. Perplexed, feeling out of her depth and then blinked at a certain small but rather important, detail. A surge of terror laced its way through her spine and speared her stomach with a swirl of nausea and grasped her heart, constricting it. "Wait! What do you mean by.., 'What has happened to me'?"

The humanoid sighed with feeling. It compliantly raised its 'hands' so as not to appear threatening (or it might have been his intention. Caitlin didn't feel any less threatened by its impossible existence).

'Good luck with that!' were her thoughts on his attempts.

Then he spoke and to her surprise his tone sounded... nervous? "You would not be able to survive in our... spaceship. If we had left you as you were. That liquid you saw earlier... was in fact, your soul."

"My soul?!" she deadpanned... first balls of light that could change ship, to aliens and spaceships... and now souls? What did she do in a past life?! "Say what?!"

It smiled at her confusion (and how dare he, she would have punched him right then and there if she could. As it was, all she could do was grit her teeth and level a death glare; the kind you were surprised didn't set the object of their anger to combust into flames). "More or less," he (or at least she thought it was a he) said in a frustratingly humoured tone. "But, it is the physical representation of your soul, mixed with the DNA and essence, of one of our own. It was merged with yours. Now, you are something of a hybrid between our species." As if noticing her increasing panic, he added reassuringly, "But don't worry. You appear as human as you were. You have not been harmed at all. You have only gained... unique abilities?"

'Why did he have to say it like a question? Is he not sure of what's going on? Does that mean he's merely a... solider? Do these people have soldiers? What am I doing here?'

"So," she managed to say as her mind ran through the implications and her thoughts raced through multiple tangents. She couldn't completely comprehend what she'd been told. "So basically, you like: reconstructed my DNA?" she asked. This was not something her mind could easily wrap around. Her soul had just been laid out bare before a species she'd never encountered. Everything that was her was encoded in her DNA and soul... and these strange beings had trifled with it, gone through it with neither her knowledge nor her permission.

Confusion, fear and now anger coursed through her veins like liquid hot metal with a keen desire to kill the creature for breaching something so sacred, so private, so her. She wanted to cover herself up, she wanted to attack, main and torture this... thing for daring to change her, but she didn't act on this desire for two reasons one; she didn't know if they could die and two; she was bound.

"Yes," he chuckled, ignorant of her emotions. "My name is... Well, you can call me Sam."

That stumped her, breaking through the red haze that crossed her vision to be replaced by incredulous wonder. "Sam?" She tried to wrap her head around the fact that this alien was called Sam of all things, but she supposed she could count it as a blessing. She could at least pronounce the name and not annoying the strange living organism that talked to her like other 'person' – as it were.

Breathing in, she could do nothing to change what had happened. She had no power here. She felt as insignificant. Grime beneath the shoe. Unwanted dust on the ornaments you never used yet left out to decorate the home. Needless items that just hung around. The comparison made her heart settle in the bottom of her stomach, dark and hopeless. She wished she could grab her hair and yell in frustration. She wanted to rip, shred and tear something – anything – apart. The impulse startled her momentarily, and she sighed. She would have to react as she wished when she was able.

But what was she doing here? And what was he? These were questions she was not sure she wanted to know, but curiosity was such a demanding little thing. So dangerous, so tempting – such sirens in the night whispering all the deepest, darkest desires in your ears – enticing you to look into the box. What came out of it, however, was Schrodinger's cat. Was it alive? Was it dead? Was it good? Was it bad? It was both. It was neither. It was one or the other. It was both simultaneously.

That meant she had to know...

Peering up at him, she asked: "So... What am I doing here? And what are you?!"

Sighing to himself, Sam stepped closer and waved his 'hand' over her body as she watched detachedly (while on the inside she was squirming. She was naked for crying out loud! No one other than her mother and her sisters had ever seen her in this state!) But when whatever had been binding her disappeared, emotion showed in the form of surprise with the freedom of being able to sit up. She did so, slowly – well, she did that the second time she tried to sit up. The first try had landed her back down on the table, head spinning violently.

'How long was I lying there?' she wondered silently, before wrapping an arm over her chest, lifting her legs in a way to hide her lower privates. She looked up at the intrigued alien with a deep blush, self-conscious, embarrassed and feeling more exposed then she would have liked and not just because she was naked. "Um," she mumbled, unable to look him in the eye, "is there something I can wear?"

He chuckled as if amused, but before she could react and hit him with... something, he clapped his hands and turned his back as two smaller balls of light appeared.

Startled, she launched herself away as one red and one white took the forms of would-be nurses, which was as close as she could describe them. Without so much as an introduction, they summoned a sleeveless black shirt and pants – seemingly out of thin air. So out of depth, she chose not to question how that was possible and quickly got dressed. The material was unlike anything she'd known; it seemed like a second layer of skin, smoother than silk and wasn't uncomfortable in any way. When she was given a pair of boots, she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction with a: "Cool" as she slipped them on. They were like those shit-kicker boots.

Finally dressed, she turned to the 'nurses' and remembered her manners, giving them a small bow because she didn't know what else to do. "Thank you."

They smiled in reply, "You are most welcome."

She watched as they returned to their ball form and she had to blink at the sudden change, the ease of it. It seemed they practised that a lot and were used to it; perhaps being a ball of light had its downsides, though she didn't think they ever needed a torch to see where they were going in the dark. Murder in the Dark would be hell to play and Hide and Seek? – Forget it!

"It is rare for us to see a human," Sam said and her attention shifted to him, finding the alien perched on a chair she didn't remember seeing. She was struck by the odd sight of such a 'human' action from the alien, but she supposed no matter what you looked like, sitting down was a good way to rest your feet – if you had any. "So, you've attracted a lot of attention," he smiled, bring her out of her stupor.

Intrigued, she tilted her head to the side and considered the alien, "What for?"

His reaction could only be described as sheepish as he rubbed at the back of his 'neck'.

"It is rare for us to pick up a human," he said and her attention shifted to him, finding him perched on a chair she didn't remember seeing. She was truck at the odd sight of such a 'humanised' action from the alien, but she supposed no matter what you looked like, sitting down was a good way to rest your feet – if you had any. "So, you've attracted a lot of attention," he smiled, bringing her out of her stupor.

She tilted her head to the side, curious, "What for?"

"Humans are... interesting to us. Even I find your kind interesting."

"How so?"

Sam leant forward slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Mostly I am intrigued by how a science experiment can grow into such a mass of cultures."

Head titling, she frowned as she picked up the words: 'science experiment' put together. She figured the appropriate reaction would be outrage, fear, confusion but she was a little too overwhelmed by this to be angry of being compared to a lab rat. Besides... she'd been called worse. She folded her arms and propped her herself against the table she'd woken on, needing a distraction. This alien was providing her with conversation, which would help her come to terms with all this (if she ever could). It helped she knew something of the subject. She had studied society and culture for a while, finding it something of interest. She wouldn't say she was an expert, but learning was something of a hobby. Unless it was about maths. Don't talk to her about maths. She hated, despised, and loathed it.

Running her tongue across her back teeth, she turned away from the alien, still unable to look into his eyes. "Different people and places breed different cultures and beliefs. Languages differ from country to country. It's just the way it is," she shrugged and gestured between them, this time looking at him. "Prime example right here... you're a glowing mass of subatomic particles and I'm flesh and bone... Actually," she paused and took a closer look at him. "What the hell are you made of? ...Stardust?"

Sam stared at her for a moment then burst out laughing. Once he had calmed down he explained; "We are beings of pure energy and we have the ability to manipulate our forms if we so desire." He gestured to his current form, "Which you can see with your own eyes. And some of us have... what's your human word for it? Ah yes... telekinetic abilities. We are able to learn languages easily and we are the oldest living things in the entirety of existence."

"And you find us mere humans... interesting?" she mused, unable to keep her incredulous amusement at bay.

"Yes. Your species is a survivalist, adaptable and driven. And there are so much broad differences across your kind..." he trailed off; shuffling in what she thought was embarrassment. He cleared his 'throat' and scratched the back of his head. He was making a lot of human-like mannerisms. It seemed almost too natural, so she wondered just how this alien had learned so much about humans... "Talking about this wasn't on my agenda, but it seems I can't help myself. Out of curiosity... what would you say is your belief?"

"In regards to...?"

"Life," he replied seriously. "Do you believe in a God or many? Do you think you will be judged on the day you die?"

She breathed out, unsure whether what to say. "That is a loaded question, coming from someone who says my kind is just... what was it? Science experiment?"

Human and alien looked at each other for a moment, but it was Sam who looked away first. "You're entire species was a by-product of a project gone wrong. It was scheduled for termination, but there were... complications," he said as he leant on the table beside her, leaving a respectable distance between them. "My kind has one true enemy... they are called the Kov. I am of the Vok. We have... differences of opinion in how we should exist in the universe. Earth was one of our battle grounds millennia ago."

She narrowed her eyes. "Sounds like these differences of opinion have yet to be negotiated."

"You are correct."

She didn't know what to say about that. She felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. This entire situation was weird. She was talking to quite possibly one of the creators of Earth. He and his species were the reason she even existed. It was mindboggling and just... it was just unreal, but it was. She felt her legs give out and she fell to the floor, groaning. Blackness dotted the corners of her vision as she tried to breath. Her heart was beating too fast. She was having a panic attack. She remembered those. They were annoying and she happened to get them. Steeling her nerve, she formed a fist, reared back then slammed her fist into the ground.

The resulting pain helped regain her equilibrium. "Fuck..."

"What was that?" Sam asked, hovering over her with what appeared to be concern on his face.

"A severe reaction to stress or fear. Probably both..." she replied as she hugged her hand to her chest.

"Oh," Sam said after a moment then shuffled on the spot. "I apologise if I have frightened you."

She snorted and inspected her hand. She could open and close it just fine, she had just lightly bruised it. It would be stiff and a bit painful to move, but otherwise… it would quickly go away. When she didn't hear anything else from Sam, she glanced up at him. "Agnostic."

"What?"

"You asked me what my belief was. I'm agnostic."

"And what is that?"

"The belief, no... hope, that there is something out there. I exist for no higher purpose than to live my life however I see fit to," she smiled and then frowned. "But when I die... that is the biggest mystery. Some say we'll see a white light. Some see the gates of heaven. I will find out for myself. If it's just the void I will see... then so be it. So long as I lived my life the way I wanted to. I think that's all anyone can hope for in life."

Sam was silent at that, but before he could speak – a purple ball of light burst into being before them. She blinked and froze as a meaner looking version of a humanoid appeared. For some reason, she had the sudden image of Thor; the Norse God of Thunder. But, unlike Chris Hemsworth – he wasn't as handsome. She was rather intimidated by it. The feeling she got from him was... unpleasant. "Why is this human not ready?" the new one demanded harshly, speaking directly to Sam.

She reflexively flinched under that tone of voice, feeling an urge to duck behind cover.

"She has yet to be tested to see if she's ready," one of the 'nurses' said, appearing before the unknown one. her eyes widened as various mechanical things came racing towards her. Many, many needles and sharp, pointy objects... She had a healthy wariness and dislike of them... "We were just beginning before you arrived."

She tried not to make faces as her face and entire body was pressed and prodded. Her arms were made to move in consecutive circles; then up and down. The same with her legs... Her eyes widened when very-sharp, needles began to poke at – and into – her skin. She saw vials filled with different colours but then, indescribable pain seared through her. It burnt her insides in erratic flushes of hot and cold until they were the same. Reflexively, her head threw back and her mouth widened in a silent scream, but a sharp jab in the middle of her spine tore it out. It pierced the silence like thunder and through it all, she was dimly aware of an unknown male speaking... "...urry up! There can be no delays! ...Samaghopijkho!"

"Yes sir!" Sam's voice cut through the pain and she tried to focus on it. Anything to help ignore the pain!

"Inform her of what she is meant to do. Then, report back to me!"

"Yes sir!"

The pain was too great, but concerned alien yellow eyes flashed in the darkness as they peered down at her. Then, she was lost in a sea of impenetrable black...

When Caitlin regained consciousness for the second time and opened her eyes: she was helped into a sitting position by Sam. He looked apologetic, she noticed amidst the dizziness and his humanoid hand was warm on her shoulder as he caught her against him. Her limbs were shaky and weak from the shock of – whatever the hell that had been. "We were going to do that slower," he explained, "but it appears Thoraphansohlk was too impatient. I am very sorry about that. It was not my intention to cause you unnecessary harm. The procedure can... have nasty side effects."

Sight still multiplied, she could only glare in his general direction as she was lead from the room; in too much pain to procreate a proper response. The 'nurses' came to remove the needles from her arm and after checking her over, deemed her ready to leave as they allowed her to finally sit back down. She dropped back on the table; more like, and listened as Sam continued his explanations.

"Now: You need to know that you were randomly chosen by the Vok – which is my race. We had two other candidates before you. You will be going on a mission back in time... before humans had even formed. There, you will meet two species of the same descent: The Maximals and the Predacons."

"The who? And what?" she exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around it. All she got was a blank card of confusion written over her face.

First one war between aliens and now another war between other aliens! How many damned alien species were there in the universe?!

"The Maximals and Predacons are descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively. Living robots with thoughts and feelings," Sam tried to explain; only to succeed in confusing her even more. "They are robots with the ability to alter their form. The Autobots and Decepticons were more exclusively... robotic, in their forms. The Maximals and Predacons however; are able to transform into animals. They held a war on Earth a millennia before your time. You are going back there to make sure the Maximals win."

Sam directed down a hallway, towards an unknown location whilst she processed the information given to her. Robots: living, breathing, thinking and feeling robots? She was living every scientist's wet dream… Actually, that was a disturbing thought. She was going to have to scrub her brain out later… Frowning she looked at the yellow Vok: "Why the Maximals? Why not help the Predacons?"

"The Maximals are what you would call the 'good' side. They have the best interests for life on Earth. The Predacons aim to conquer the galaxy."

She could feel the migraine expand. The bastard was even gathering an army. "But hasn't this already happened? Why am I going back in time?!"

"The Kov have sent their own human to aid the Predacons," Sam explained as he stopped at a large door reaching higher than she could see. She looked up at it, agape; and wondered just how big this god-damned thing was? Sam turned to face her, capturing her eye. He looked sincere. "I am sorry that it's you, but it's up to you to aid the Maximals. All life on Earth rests on this mission to succeed."

'I doubt that,' she thought grimly. 'You should have picked a soldier... Best I could do is hope they don't see me Or hear me. Do these robots of thermo imaging like a snake?'

"No pressure then," she muttered sarcastically, still utterly confused why in the seven blazes of hell this was happening. Her thoughts ran wild within, all pessimistic and broody. She bet there was a perpetual dark cloud hovering over her head – complete with thunder and rain. Well… if she remembered Ouran High School Club correctly, she should grow some mushrooms in a closet…

They ran over everything Sam told her and then a door opened before them, drawing her attention immediately. She gulped as the doors opened and Sam lead her inside to Thor (She had decided to call him that. Not only was it, coincidently, in the first four letters of his name: he looked like the Thunder God. A very, very scary demonic looking one, that is). He was the one who had scared her in the medical room. Once they stood below him, Thor placed a glowing hand onto the armrest of his seat. He looked suitably like a demon lord atop his thrown and his dark voice suited her impression of him being anything but sunshine and puppies... "You have been told what you are required to do?"

Her response was an instant salute with a: "YES SIR!" before she added a hesitant, low bow. "But if they're machines… What can I do? I'm nothing special. I can cross my eyes, meow like a cat but I can't strategise a war. I've never been in one. Why did you choose me?! I. Am. No. One." She immediately stopped, frightened by the intensity of her own voice. She had never yelled back at someone. At least, not for a long, long time – long enough to be shocked into silence and could only stare and watch the purple alien as he stared down at her, and then deem her worthy of his words.

"You have been granted abilities to help you. They will develop as you use them, growing stronger. Two of these gifts would be what you humans call telepathy and telekinesis. Are you familiar with those terms?" he drawled like he thought she did not have the capacity to keep up with him. He even had the audacity to look bored as he promptly pulled the rug from beneath her feet.

"I'm familiar with the terms," she glared up at him. He was insulting her while he was explaining them. She could have punched him if she hadn't felt more than a little insignificant.

"Those will be among the gifts you will acquire when you are strong enough. The rest will come instinctively, when you need them. However, it is up to you to learn them. When you are ready, some of our agents will teach you." Thor spread his arm to the side, gesturing to a tube that opened up at his right. It definitely looked alien. No human could have replicated the design; it was so… hauntingly pretty the way it opened up… almost like it was a flower. "This device will take you back in time. It will send you to the appropriate moment to meet the Maximals. It will be a painful journey. Time travel is not for the faint of heart. So, you must be absolutely ready."

Strange, it almost seemed as if the purple menace was concerned. "I'm going alone?" she asked, her voice a higher octave than normal as she twined her fingers together nervously. Alone? By herself? One human amongst a group of machines in a war she really shouldn't even be entering? Karma might be at work here, but did she really deserve this?

"Yes," he replied and for an instant his gaze seemed to soften with something that resembled sympathy and concern, but then it was gone like a mirage as he added: "However, you might find help from us here and there. We will warn you if the timeframe has been disrupted or if there are things you must change. You will be our solider. Our tool. Our pawn."

Clutching her heart through her shirt, fear impounded her senses making it almost impossible to him to go to hell and pick someone else. She did not think he would take it well. Gulping, she turned to the one creature that seemed to be on her side, while still unable to help. He was more familiar to her than the hard-spoken, cruel-toned purple ball of light. "Sam?" she asked tentatively. She needed some assurance, even if it was from a freaky strange alien that had destroyed (albeit not perfect, but still, it had been her world) life.

"Yes?" Sam asked, turning his gaze onto her. Unlike Thor, his eyes were gentle.

She wrapped her arms over her chest and looked away from him, "Will you wish me luck for me?"

Sam looked at her and smiled sadly. He approached her slowly and carefully as if she was going to bolt. She probably would if he moved too fast, he thought. Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her his best encouraging smile. "Good luck Caitlin. You will succeed. Don't worry about it. You'll be fine."

"Thank you. Okay," she said more firmly; steeling herself and turned to Thor, "I'm ready. I've always wanted to go back in time, anyway."

Unlike before, her gaze was steady and determined. Thor nodded as if he approved of this change and gestured for her to enter the device.

Sam kept smiling until Caitlin had turned her back and only then did he allow the frown to cross his face. It wasn't right sending her alone but Thor had been adamant that this was the way. The truth was she hadn't been randomly selected. The Vok had been studying her for a long, long time – ever since a chance encounter. They had learned she was adaptable to new situations, able to overcome extreme emotional trauma and whilst the loss of loved ones could scar her, she could deal with the pain and loss without sinking into soul-sucking despair. Her entire world could come crashing down again and again, but she could just keep going.

Why Thor had specifically chosen Caitlin out of all the potential subjects, Sam did not quite know. There had been other people with better knowledge of electronics and warfare. Caitlin knew none of this and the adjustments they had made to her DNA would enable her to possess abilities beyond human imagination. She was going to need it after all, but adjusting DNA was a tricky processes. There were always complications, risks and side-effects and no one could be sure what those would be. Changing the DNA in turn changed the entire chemistry of the brain; Caitlin now had access to more areas of her brain. She would be forever changed: she would never be a normal human again.

What would happen to her was anyone's guess...

Sam sighed. He would never admit it but he'd taken a liking to her. One did not remain unaffected by watching a person grow over time. He had seen her cry and laugh and grit her teeth as she shouldered her burdens. No... He could not remain impartial to her despite all the warnings not to get too involved with the human. His musings were interrupted when he sensed a presence at his side. He titled his gaze in that direction and found a ball of light that had seen many, many millennia: it was a female Vok and perhaps the oldest living thing he knew. She was older than Thoraphansohlk and infinitely wiser. She might be a bit eccentric and withdrawn from her brethren, but her council was always sought (although, not always followed).

She kept her eyes on the human as she asked him: "You care for her?"

Sam turned to watch as Caitlin entered the machine, body language hesitant and cautious. "I care," he admitted heavily.

The ball of light chuckled before taking on a blue-and-green female form. This time she wore a dress as was her whimsy, the creativity of humans had always intrigued her. She patted him on the shoulder and looked into his centre with a gaze that saw everything, but unlike Thoraphansohlk: she cared. "Take heart and believe in her. She's a human. They are known for their extreme efficiency to survive... even when we tried to destroy their world at one point."

Sam nodded, knowing only a little of that tid-bit of information. He was among the younger of his species. He had never seen Earth grow and he knew that but the end of all this: Caitlin might develop a dislike of the Vok and by default, himself. The human in question caught his eye, watching him from the window in the machine. A countdown began in the language of the Vok...

She closed her eyes, preparing for what might happen. She felt rather than saw the room begin to move. She felt sick as it went faster and faster; and before she knew it...

She blacked out.

Sam watched as the light within the tube became brighter and brighter and her form was undistinguishable within. He couldn't turn away as the brightness increased or even when the pulsating beams of their most powerful energy source began to flicker and do its job; and then suddenly... She was gone. Thoraphanasohlkj turned to Sam, and nodded to him. "It was successful. She will have a long road ahead of her. Let us hope that she is able to handle that human sent to the past by our enemies."

Without waiting for a reply, he nodded to the female Kov and then the purple globe disappeared into the distance, leaving the pair alone.

"Yes" Sam replied blankly as he turned back to the tube where Caitlin had disappeared, "Let us hope."

The elder light, blue and green watched the exchange in silence – disappearing before the purple could deign to speak to her.

"You annoy me, Gaia," Thor growled out into the silence.