Episode One - Hidden Agency

Location: Somewhere in Oregon

Timedate: 6th January 2023

Blending in deep within the highly dense forest, a long dark green missile carrier drove as slowly as painstakingly possible. The light of the full moon streaked in through between the trees as the howling of wolves and chattering of birds echoed in the ambient distance. The thick round barrels of the carrier rotated all around in a complete circular motion, scanning about for any amount of life or hint of threat, with a spotlight or two to light the way.

Then soon enough, a faint revving sound could heard in the deep, dark distance, along with another pair of headlights peering across the forest ground and passing by the bottoms of the trees. The carrier's barrels quickly halted and spun left and right frantically, looking to see who or what it might actually be. He hesitated from firing as to not create an unnecessary disturbance in the environment and draw any unwanted attention.

Soon enough, the revving sound grew closer and louder and a light grew brighter right behind the carrier. Turning the barrels to behind, the carrier spotted what seemed to be a pair of headlights, encouraged to ready fire if necessary. As the tension peaked, the source of the headlights eventually became clear as a green and magenta jeep-van soon slowed down and drove up to the tank quite casually.

For but a brief moment, among the quietly running engines and drifting forest ambience, the air was still and uneasy between the two vehicles. The jeep was right in the carrier's crosshairs, but somehow the large vehicle couldn't fire right away. Not just from the very close range, but also the uncertainty of exactly who or what this strange car may be.

"Identify yourself," the carrier ordered with a cold, deep, masculine voice.

"Very assertive one, you are," the jeep stated the obvious in an almost feminine voice.

"When you're being hunted while on a hunt, that can happen to you," the carrier spoke back before transforming and revealing his true form. A bulky mech with the twin barrels upon his back and a visor that glowed with a malicious orange. "Are you Autobot... or Decepticon?"

"And what if I say neither?" The jeep asked back.

"Then you are neither," the lorry-bot huffed off.

"What be your name, my big bot?" The jeep asked with a rather flirtatious tone. "And whatcha doing out here in the middle of this pale moonlit night?"

"I am Onslaught, leader of the Combaticons" the mech introduced himself. "And I'm searching for my fellow Combaticons: Brawl, Swindle and Hardtop". Onslaught looked down and over at the jeep, still slightly irritated from not knowing of this stranger's identity yet. "And you are...?

"Call me Flareshade," the jeep introduced herself in return before she too transformed and revealed her somewhat androgynous humanoid form. "And like you, I too am forced to hide from humans who call themselves ghosts".

"How do you know about G.H.O.S.T.?" Onslaught questioned.

"What transformer on Earth, Autobot, Decepticon, or otherwise, haven't heard of G.H.O.S.T. at this point?" Flareshade sassed back. "Some of my friends have been captured by them too".

"As are some of my comrades as well," Onslaught nodded. "Megatron made a great mistake in making a deal with these humans, and an even greater mistake in making a deal with the Autobots and Optimus Prime himself". He huffed with cringe just from mentioning such a name.

"You're not alone in possessing such a sentiment, my big friend," Flareshade calmly agreed. "How would you like to join T.H.I.N.G.?"

"T.H.I.N.G.?" Onslaught cocked a steel brow.

"The Tactical Hazardous Intelligence and Neutralisation Guild," Flareshade elaborated. "An alliance of humans, transformers, and other lifeforms united under one shared desire and purpose; to rid off the Autobots and other threats from the face of the galaxy and bring all sentient life under one righteous order".

Onslaught took it all in with a slightly cocking brow of scepticism. "Sounds like my kind of purpose".

"And I'm sure it is," Flareshade nodded. "Now, I also happen to be on a mission as well; searching for possibly a powerful artefact that dates all the way back to ancient Cybertronian. A few artefacts in fact, one of which is the fabled Star Sabre, a sword unlike any other, a source of nigh-unlimited power".

"Hmm, I'm tempted to ask why you would even need something like that when a ton of power means barely much without a good mind full of tactic and strategy," Onslaught boasted as he tapped the side of his head.

"Oh you've no idea, my big friend," Flareshade stated. "Plus, having to go out on such a mission all alone and by myself can get a little boring. Always fun to have someone beside you to fight and blast things with". She then offered an extended hand and servo to Onslaught. "So whadya say, big pal?"

An uneasy silence followed for a while as Onslaught took in the offer and thought it out and over, calculating what outcome and opportunities may come from such a deal. Hunting down ancient powerful weapons that can be used to turn the tide and take down the Autobots and any Decepticon who chose the defect once and for all. Also, cooperating with alien lifeforms like humans seemed like an alien thought to him, but he had learnt that this world, Earth, had spawned its own share of Decepticons in human skin. Vicious evil networks that live under the mark of cobras.

"Consider me in," Onslaught soon accepted.

"It's a date then," Flareshade smiled lucidly. "Let's ride".

To be continued...