Honey sprinted across the sandy dirt toward the flare that hung ahead of her. It was difficult to make out against the bright, sunlit sky, but it was there. A flickering rhombus with little tails off to the side. She supposed it looked a bit like a Masonic symbol, but the resemblance was probably coincidental. She would arrive soon at her current pace, which was causing a few problems- namely, the sand in the air really stung as she ran through it. Her current outfit- a short, orange-and-white sun dress- did little to impede the biting granules.

I could make a wrap of some sort. Or I could wait on that. I'm almost there. Yeah, I'll definitely make a wrap after I get there.

She leapt over a short hill and found several figures ahead of her. Honey skidded to a halt in their midst. Interestingly, they all looked quite human. Except one.

"You must be Miss Kisaragi, yesss," said the tall purple robot wearing scattered pieces of Tyrannosaurus Rex. Honey recognized him instantly- he had been in the earlier rounds. He was not who she was expecting.

"Nice to see you again, Honey!" giggled Tobio nervously.

She returned his smile, while quickly scanning the others. "Nice to see you, too, Tobio."

The other team members were varied: A tall, imposingly built man with dark sunglasses and a black leather jacket, armed with a scoped pistol; a woman in a trenchcoat carrying an assault rifle; a boy with a bright red jacket and gaudy-looking goggles, and the diminutive Tobio.

Not the oddest crowd I've seen... But I'm not sure what to make of them yet.

"Miss Kisaragi, I am delighted that you could join us," said the large robot. "This marks the founding of a glorious new team, with a clear vision and philosophy."

Honey tilted her head skeptically. "And that would be…?"

The robot made an offended-sounding snort, and continued. "Each one of you dons the appearance of a human, but the reality is that you are much more. Each one of you embraces technology to exceed the limits of the human body. In that sense, you are beings that have transcended beyond mere machines- you are perfect humans, and you are the key to humanity's future. Together, we are the Transcendent Technomorphs."

"Ay! Yo intiendo!" exclaimed the boy in the red jacket. "The symbol is two 'T's leaning into each other!"

"Correct, Mr. Salazar," said the large robot.

"Oh," muttered Honey. "I thought it was a Masonic symbol."

The large robot frowned down at her.

"You were wrong."

Honey smiled. The moment had come.

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"Yes, I was wrong. But I'm not wrong to point out that you are in fact Megatron, former leader of a questionable team of failures!"

The robot smiled. "Kusanagi, show her the photograph."

The woman in the trenchcoat pulled something out of one of her many pockets and handed it to Honey without a word. It was indeed a photograph, which showed two robots similar in appearance to the one before her. The only difference between the two was a slight variation in color.

"You see," the robot explained, "Megatron and I share a chassis style, so I am confused for him often. I am in reality a humble mech by the name of Joe, and I wish nothing but peace and happiness on those around me."

Honey looked at the photograph and back up at the Cybertronian.

Well… they are different colors. Megatron's a light purple and Joe here is pretty clearly a dark pink. But I'm certain there's a more sinister reason for their similarity.

"Now that we have worked past that misunderstanding, it is time for me to explain your roles. Honey, you will provide close-range combat support for-"

"Just wait one second!" shouted Honey, throwing an index finger towards Joe. "You claim that you're not Megatron… that you love everyone around you. And Megatron said that he despised organics."

"My patience wears thin with this nonsense, Kisaragi."

Honey grinned up at him smugly. "I just find it highly suspicious, then… that you're assembling a team exclusively composed of non-organics!"

"Miss Kisaragi! Are you trying to undermine my authority, and by extension, your team?"

"One, I didn't say I was going to join. Two, I've got a thing against being lied to, especially by a jerk like you. So yeah, I am trying to undermine your authority. I'm out of here."

Honey turned and began to walk away, satisfied that she had done her part for love and truth. That is, until the bullet passed within inches of her ear. She slowly, passively turned back to find the big man's pistol aimed at her, the barrel still smoking.

"Miss Kisaragi, I'm afraid we can't simply let you go. I can't have you spreading lies about this team," said Joe with an evil grin. "And I also think that you will change your mind about us after I demonstrate to you the power of the Transcendent Technomorphs."

"Orders?" asked the man with the pistol, keeping his eyes on Honey- or at least that's what Honey assumed was going on behind the sunglasses.

"Terminate her," Joe growled. "With extreme prejudice."