-Primeverse AU set where Predacons Rising didn't happen; Cybertron was just fixed with the Allspark without any interference. Ratchet had left with everyone else and advised Unit E remotely.-


Chapter 1: Unprecedented

A short vacation away from the political and physical mess of rebuilding Cybertron and a chance to clear his head was all Ratchet had wanted this trip to be. Visit Earth, see the kids, and return home after a few days with sharper focus. Instead, he'd come across a new problem to agonize over, and one -he realized with dread- he should have prevented years prior.

But he hadn't. Now the situation was infinitely worse off than it should have ever been allowed to get.

He sat on the berth in the dark hangar, ringing his servos together as he recalled everything that brought him to this night. The mech kept cycling through the memories time and time again, trying to see if there was a clue or missing piece that could fix it all. If there was, it kept eluding him.

The first time it happened, it'd looked like a glitch.

A few Earth days after the events of restoring both Optimus and the Matrix, a weak Cybertronian signature caught his attention. He'd been doing a system overview in the hangar, just to make sure that there were no cracks in the code to be exploited or any other faults when the blip on the radar made itself known.

The medic had scrutinized the screens and the equipment, pulling up new windows to see if he could locate the source in Jasper but it vanished as soon as it'd appeared. He'd vented a sharp huff, then had the computers run a quick diagnostic.

Nothing, they were in perfect working order.

Ratchet dismissed it all with a roll of his optics. Without a signal, there was little more he could do other than note that it happened. It'd been so brief and weak that there likely wouldn't be any residual traces either, and with so much else to focus on, he didn't feel that this was a matter worth everyone's attention. Primus, this was barely worth his notice even now.

The Decepticons were up to something new, and they needed to be prepared.

The second time it appeared was shortly after Smokescreen had joined in their ranks. For a moment the new signature looked like it'd been overlaid with another, indicating that two different signals were occupying the same space -something usually only seen when Minicons could integrate themselves with larger Cybertronians. But that made no sense here, Smokescreen didn't have a companion. Ratchet was trying to decode just what this was, attempting to call the younger mech when the blip vanished.

Later that evening Smokescreen denied seeing or coming across any other Cybertronians, he'd just been hanging out with Jack after getting off on the wrong foot a few days earlier. The elder 'bot just grunted in reply. Perhaps it was because Smokescreen's unique signature wasn't fully recognized or integrated into the system yet? It was the most likely theory.

The last time he'd seen it, it'd only been him and the children in the base. It'd been one of the rarer, slower days where nothing of too much importance beyond routine drills and recon procedures happened. Things were slow, comfortable, and this time, he was prepared.

Just as it'd done before, a weak reading was picked up and put on the screen, showing its location to be within the concrete walls of the base's interior. Acting quickly, Ratchet put the base into lockdown with a few strokes of the keyboard. 'I don't know how it got in, but it's certainly not getting out!'

"Stay here," he'd shouted as he'd rushed by the confused children, Miko calling after him in protest. 'If something's here, I have to be the one to protect them!' He immediately commed his leader. ::Optimus, we might have a situation!::

::Ratchet? What is the matter?:: The reply sounded both surprised and anxious.

::There's an unidentified Cybertronian energy signature inside the base. I put it all on lockdown, the kids are safe, but they haven't been told about the danger. I don't want them to panic.:: The red and white mech went on as he trekked the halls. ::But I can't seem to find anything!::

::Groundbridge us back, we will help you search.:: An urgent undertone ran through the Prime's words.

::Thank you.:: The medic felt relief as he made his way back through the darkened tunnels, eventually coming to the console again.

"What is it? What's going on?" Jack asked from where he sat on the couch, Rafael curled up next to him.

"Yeah, what's the big idea turning off the lights and running around in the dark?" Miko quipped.

"Just a quick maintenance check," he lied poorly.

"Don't you need power for that?" The girl narrowed her eyes, not buying his answer.

"Not for what I needed to check; if it was on and I stuck a servo inside, it probably would have gotten ripped off." He hoped that was a more convincing argument.

He flipped a few emergency switches and brought the machines back online, summoning the groundbridge in seconds. A crackling spiral of green and white opened, and the portal allowed the other Autobots to enter in. Ratchet gave the screens a furtive look, 'still there. Good.'

All the bots spoke over their comms, not voicing their anxieties or questions aloud, and only exchanging pleasantries with the kids -all of whom were none the wiser. Prime issued the orders in rapid succession: Bumblebee and Bulkhead were to stay and act as protection for the humans, while Arcee and Smokescreen tried to flush the intruder out towards either Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus, or himself. Ratchet would watch the monitor and silently radio the others about the intruder's whereabouts. They agreed, then went about their tasks easily. No one acted out of the ordinary, a seamless operation taking place as they found their stations within the bunker's concrete walls.

::Has it moved yet?:: Wheeljack sounded eager for a fight.

The medic discreetly pulled up the layout of the base, enhanced it, and pinpointed the room where it should be. 'No,' he thought as confusion swarmed his processors. ::It says it's here with Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and I.::

::But there's nothing here!:: Bulkhead glanced around the room while the scout beside him flexed his doorwings nervously.

::Is it invisible?:: Arcee pressed. ::Do you think you can get a thermal view of the room?::

::Hold on.:: Ratchet typed quickly, pulling up an overhead view of the room and saw-

'Scrap, not again! We almost had it.' He lowered his optics at the keyboard. ::There's nothing here, the signal's gone.::

::Are you sure?:: Optimus was hesitant to relax.

::Positive, it's not on any of the maps anymore.::

::So this was a false alarm?:: Ultra Magnus flippantly prodded.

::It appears so. I'm sorry for making such a fuss.::

::It is better to be safe, Ratchet.:: The Prime assured, and everyone broke off to go about their private duties.

The medic turned off the screens he'd pulled up, grinding his denta in frustration and embarrassment. He'd look at them later, maybe there was something fortelling its abrupt exit.

'Later' hadn't come until earlier today, years after the last event. Since he'd been prompted to take a break on Earth to escape the stress, Ratchet wanted to make a quick stop to see the children. It would do him some good to relax in their company and swap stories for a while before resting and returning back home. That way not only could he see for himself just how everyone was doing, but he could bring back any news for the others. He knew Bulkhead was definitely going to ask about Miko, and Bee had already made him promise to say 'hi' to Rafael for him. Arcee didn't speak her wishes, but she shared a look with the medic and he understood.

They missed them. Everyone did, even Ultra Magnus seemed as if he was expecting an outburst or two from one of their smaller companions every time they all collected together at the end of the day. And despite Ratchet's insistence otherwise, sometimes the quiet of Cybertron greatly unnerved him; Earth felt lived in, bubbling with comfortable energy and atmosphere, whereas his home planet…

Even though progress on rebuilding it was going smoothly, and refugees were finally arriving, it was mostly barren and isolated. Cities once bursting with civilians and colors now stood empty, desolate, and desecrated. It felt cold, some places looking and feeling like nothing had changed at all. When there were people, they were scared, or they argued, and some even demanded power or refused help.

It was a mess.

One too many arguments with an injured mech had caused Optimus to come forward and tell Ratchet to take a break. "Only to clear your head," the Prime had assured him. "Why not visit Earth?"

So here he was, on a world that was his home away from home, and feeling better already.

At least, that how it'd been in the beginning of the night.

It began pleasantly, everyone had agreed to meet the old 'bot in the hangar they'd used for a secondary base after their first home had been destroyed. He hadn't been back within Unit E's walls since that day where he'd left with the other Autobots for the revitalization effort on Cybertron, although he was in touch with the humans almost every other day. Yet seeing them again, Primus, it was far better than just hearing their voices via transmission.

June wasn't present when he arrived, and neither was Fowler. They'd both been assigned work that night, though the mech had a hunch they just wanted to give everyone some private time.

Rafael was doing quite well, attending schooling for engineering and computer science. He'd grown significantly, though he was still a bit shorter than the others. He was as bright-eyed and cheerful as ever, nearly glowing with elation. It was a joke among the Autobots that Raf acted like an excited Sparkling at times, and sure enough, he was doing so. It was incredibly endearing.

Miko, in order to stay in America for both school and Unit E, had gone out to California for an art degree, and her technique had greatly improved! She had many tales of strange events and people she'd met while in the program, as well as many new music suggestions and samples for Bulkhead. Ratchet was grateful her enthusiasm was so contagious, he'd missed her spirited sense of self confidence, and even her noisy demeanor.

Jack, on the other hand, worried him. He didn't talk much, content to let his friends lead the conversation, and only chimed in occasionally. When he did speak, the mech was too fixated on how exhausted the boy looked, or how pale his color had become. He wasn't healthy, and it was a far cry from the calm, confident nature he'd possessed before. He was clearly trying to save face, as if he wasn't as badly off as the medic suspected he was, which only made the mech more anxious.

Nevertheless, it was great to be there with all of them. As the evening ticked on by, the conversation eventually died down. Raf left first, then Miko, but before the last of the trio could follow suit, Ratchet couldn't help asking for him to stay a bit longer so he could get to the bottom of it all.

"Jack, are you feeling well?" He kept his voice soft, not wanting to seem overbearing. "You were really quiet."

"Honestly, I don't know," the young man sighed. "I've been to the doctors a lot lately, and they can't figure out what's wrong. Some say it's nothing, others say it's everything from insomnia to heartburn." He shrugged, "I'm not really sure what's going on, I just don't feel 'right.'"

"Perhaps I can help." The medic's arm plating shifted, and a small scanner emerged.

"Sure," Jack gave an exasperated grin as a small flicker of light danced over him. "I don't think you're going to find anything though, I've already undergone an MRI and a CAT scan."

Ratchet didn't respond, he was too stunned to look anywhere besides the readings on the screen embedded into his arm. Something in his memory clicked, and he then frantically pulled up the image from years ago, comparing the results. "This shouldn't be possible," he rapsed.

"Okay, now you're scaring me," Jack crossed his arms over his chest defensively. "What's wrong?"

Ratchet looked down at the human, then back at the results.

In the image from years before, when he'd said that there wasn't another Cybertronian life signal in the room, he was wrong.

'By the Allspark.'

There was a minute trace of a signature coming from the boy, one he'd missed in his rush to find a much larger intruder. And the scan he'd just taken confirmed it, only now, it was far stronger than ever before, and it looked like it was going to continue to grow.

Jackson Darby had a Spark, and it was killing him from the inside out.

He didn't take the news well.

"That's crazy! How could this even be possible?"

"I'm not sure," the Autobot paused, trying to recall anything that would help. And then it hit him. "The first time," dread filled his tanks. "The first time I thought I saw something was just after your visit to Cybertron and Vector Sigma," his optics widened in horrified realization. "You were with Smokescreen the night I thought he encountered an unidentified Cybertronian, you were in the room when I thought we had an intruder in the base!" He studied the youth before him, "all this time, it was you."

That gave them both pause, and eventually the human spoke first. "But that was years ago, how could I have had a Spark all this time? And how could that have even happened at all?! Humans aren't supposed to have these!" He absentmindedly rubbed his chest with a hand, if the pained expression he wore was any indication, the source of the problem was acting up again.

"I cannot say for certain, but exposure to some of the most powerful forces on Cybertron may have left its mark." The medic looked at the screens again, "if it's any consolation, it looks to be extremely healthy."

"Unlike the rest of me," the boy countered dryly.

"I didn't mea-"

"It's okay," he shook his head. "So, what happens now? Am I going to die?" His voice sounded as small as he must have felt.

Ratchet didn't have an answer.

He still didn't, even hours later. Only a few things were clear at the moment: Jack was dying, and he'd been dying for years. The mech knew he never should have left with the others, he would have noticed the signs earlier if he'd been consulting Unit E on the ground! Surely he would have been able to do something far sooner! They might have been able to fix this! What could he do now? If the humans' technology wasn't capable of even picking up a Spark's signal, then what hope did they have at removing it? And should they even remove it? Sparks were the essence of one's entire being, removing it could kill Jack just as easily as letting it continue to mature. Yet if they didn't, it'd just keep worsening the boy's condition.

'What can I do? I'm not sure I can fix this.'

He untangled his servos, dropping them into his lap with a sullen, clanging noise, then rose to his pedes, slowly walking over to the console. 'I need to tell them.'

::Ratchet to Autobot base: is anyone there?::

::Ratchet? Aren't you supposed to be relaxing?::

::That'll come soon, Smokescreen.:: The medic heard faint voices in the background on the other's side. ::Who else is with you?::

::Everyone, you actually called at a pretty good time. Why?::

'Pits,' he thought somberly. 'Well, at least I'll only have to explain this once.'

::Hey is everything okay down there?::

Ratchet was thankful that the long-distance communications didn't have live video screens for once. ::Jack's dying.::

Everyone went silent, save for Optimus.

::Ratchet, explain.::


Jack didn't sleep well that night, not that such a thing was unusual for him anymore. He stared at the ceiling of his room blankly, thoughts spiraling out of control as he laid in his bed. He'd had a feeling that things were bad, but this? Jack'd faced his mortality before many times, but back then he'd had the Autobots' help. Some childish, small part of him had believed that they could not be harmed, that they were indomitable. But as the war dragged on and the battles grew more intense, it became obvious that no one was safe.

'I'm going to die!'

Not even Optimus.

'What am I going to tell mom?'

And he'd gone to Vector Sigma to bring him back.

'How's she going to take this?'

And now it may have ended up costing him his life.

'Does it even matter?'

His hand was at his chest, rubbing the sore spot that'd started this entire nightmare. One doctor had said he might have heart damage, and now he wished that was the case. At least then it'd be a human heart in a human body, and there were ways to heal and fix it. But this? This was unheard of, unimaginable, impossible.

'Impossible, like how aliens weren't supposed to exist. And how their wars weren't supposed to exist, or traveling the galaxy in a split-second.'

It figured that if all the other impossible things could happen to him, then this would as well.

He turned over, now lying on his chest which ached in protest. He tried to slow his breathing, every breath burning slightly. Bit by bit he relaxed, warmth replacing the pain and radiating outward, all the way to the tips of his fingers and toes. It'd been a comforting feeling when this happened many times before, but now, the knowledge of what this was and what it was doing to him robbed it of that effect.

His cellphone suddenly buzzed, catching him by surprise. He jumped, a spike of pain running through him from the reaction. Jack gingerly reached for the offending device, trying his best to not cause another attack. He turned it on, and a message displayed itself on the screen.

'You're going to be alright. We have a plan, we're going to make this right.'

He squeezed his phone slightly, resisting the urge to cry. It would agitate his chest, and only make it feel worse.

Eventually he succumbed to sleep, the phone still in his hand.


Of all the phenomena of Earth, Ratchet thought sunrises were the most beautiful. He sat in his alt mode, parked in an open field as the warm rays of light spread over the sleeping terrain, waking it up for a new day. As he watched, he sent out two messages: a promise to Jack, and a prayer to Primus.

'Help us, please.'