Alternate Project Horus

Part 1

"Hey, Strand!" The police chief waved me over, gesturing into his office. "What can I do for you, Chief?" I asked him, tired yet fully prepared to do whatever task he asked of me. "You're about to be promoted, Strand. To a very special new program." I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. "This program is top secret, not even I know about the details, though your resume caught the attention of those in charge. Your tendency to bend the rules and go off of your gut may actually get you far in this field." I blinked in surprise. For weeks I'd been fighting for my job, knowing the chief wanted to fire me. Now I'm being promoted? "I don't remember giving anyone my resume." I commented, confused. "To the best of my knowledge, all of you were cycled through by the company in charge. I'm just as surprised as you are. You're not the strongest, you're not the fastest or the most skilled, yet you were chosen above everyone else. For the first time in weeks.... You make me proud, Strand." He stood, offering me his hand. I shook it, standing as well. "When do I start?" I asked him. "Your ride will be here tonight at 10. Take the rest of the day off, prepare yourself. This may be the promotion of a lifetime." I nodded, smiling nervously. "Prepare a go bag. And remember to make your new employers sure they made the right choice."

The rest of the day flew by, and I was soon on my way back to the station. Upon arrival, a group of men in black suits greeted me. "Luna Jane Strand?" I nodded. "Yes, sir." I shook his hand as one of his buddies opened the van door for me. I took a seat, another man in a suit seated across from me. A strange symbol decorated the lapel of his suit jacket, red in color and unlike anything I'd ever seen. Then again.... I thought I saw the same symbol on the side of the van. "Greetings, Officer Strand. It's so good to finally meet you." The man began, crossing his legs and pursing his fingers together. "You may be wondering why of all of your colleagues, you were chosen. The answer is just as simple as it is complicated. You see, mankind is on the verge of a war that could mean the difference between survival and extinction. You are more of a soldier than a police officer, your tendency to put yourself on the frontline is exactly what we need."

"What are we at war against?"

A slight smile crossed his thin lips. "Something I can't explain, but worry not, you'll learn what of very shortly." What? Why can't he explain? He must have seen the confusion on my face, as he chuckled a bit. "All of our agents were confused at first. Some refused to work for us when they learned the truth about what's out there. We expect you will be different."

Another three hours passed before we came to a stop. One of the agents opened the door for me, ushering me inside what looked like a military base. Despite the hour, many people were awake and working, all running around busily. A mechanical click sounded behind me, and I turned to see the van we were all in was changing its shape, growing, into a vaguely humanoid shape. I stared at it, completely still as the man who greeted me stood beside me. "Officer, or should I say, Agent Strand, meet your first Autobot." All the air from my lungs and noise from my vocal cords was utterly stolen at the sight in front of me, all I could do was to stare at the.... For lack of a better word, robot; in front of me. "Hey, she's calmer than the others." It spoke with a man's voice, a low chuckle coming from its voice box. "What the hell....!?" I eventually spoke, earning laughter from both the man and the bot. "Yeah, we get that a lot." The robot shrugged, walking away.

"If you'd come this way, please."

The man extended an arm around my shoulders, leading me further inside. There were many more of those robots, some tall enough that they had to crouch down to fit in the building and some that were small enough that they barely stood over my head. "Welcome to Sector Seven. You may have guessed that this is a military compound, and you'd be right; everything done here is closely monitored by the US military. Obviously, you can't breathe a word of any of this to anyone on the outside." He led me to the barracks, some others already asleep on bunk beds and hammocks. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, Agent. You're going to be here awhile." I sat down on a bunk, looking down at my hands. How the hell did I get into this...?!