So… a little plot bunny decided to bite me recently after watching some old X-Men episodes and decided on this story… Now, for those of you who've seen X-Men, you know what's coming~ On a side note, I thought that since Jack was given the Key, why not also give him the strongest force in the universe? He deserves it for what we all put him through… I'm looking at you, BlackWolf219… Ha-ha, I kid, Blackwolf~ you and I should collaborate on a fun 'Versus' fic… My Phoenix!Jack against your Ghost Rider!Jack…. It'll be fun~
Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers: Prime or X-Men… If I did, this would be a ten-part episode and not a fanfic…
Warnings for this chapter: a bit of gore, and my suck-tacularness…
This chapter dedicated to Megatron's Blackfire for always helping me out with my ideas.
The light blue glow the Key to Vector Sigma was giving off did little to calm him down. How he managed to pull the damn thing off its perch was beyond him; then again, Jack was still trying to comprehend the existence of life on other planets and galaxies, and how a scraplet decided to ignore its brethren and the Insecticon in favor of his arm. Its teeth, as sharp as they were, managed to go through his space suit and, unfortunately, through the flesh of his arm as well. He was lucky enough to pull the thing off him, and it had scrambled to the Insecticon being devoured before ultimately falling to its demise. In a state of panic, Jack had grabbed the key (with his injured arm, surprisingly), and managed to run all the way to the entrance of the chamber when the adrenaline gave out and the blood loss kicked in.
He sank to his knees from the sudden dizziness, and somehow managed to brace himself with his good arm as he fell over on his side. He instinctively tightened his grip on the key, which was a bad move on his part because his arm throbbed with agonizing pain, making him bleed even more on the metal artifact. Jack briefly wondered if the scraplet bit him hard enough to give his radius (or was it his ulna?) hairline fractures, and at this point he knew he was on the verge of losing consciousness and most likely his own life if he was starting to remember medical terms and most of the names of the bones that made up the skeletal system. He also wondered if he was going to die of blood loss first or asphyxiation; apparently, his lungs didn't like the air that was an odd mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, and, surprisingly, neon. Jack could already feel his chest tightening around his lungs, which he suspected were filled with fluid with the way he couldn't breathe right and felt sloshing around in there when he fell over.
'I'm going to die of asphyxiation first… No doubt about it…' He thought to himself as he felt blood start to trickle from his nose. 'All because I let my guard down for one measly second…' He sighed mentally. 'Arcee… Please come quick…' he prayed silently as he looked down at the now-bloodied key in his hand. His thoughts drifted back to when Optimus gave him the key, thinking it was nothing that important. Then he began thinking of Optimus, and how important he was, not just to the Autobots, but to him. It wasn't long until he began to think about all the Autobots and the friends he made along the way. The one that stood out the most in his memories was Arcee; she was the elder sister he never got the chance of having due to a miscarriage his mother had before she had him. He liked to think that meeting and befriending Arcee was God's way of apologizing and making it up to him. And while their initial meeting wasn't the best they could've had, the events and moments they shared that followed just seemed to strengthen their relationship even more. He hoped the femme was alright; at least then someone could take the key back and get back Optimus. Jack was shaken out of his thoughts as he coughed violently, splattering the inside of his helmet with blood. He grimaced in pain and disgust at the sight of his own saliva mixed with blood. He was right; his lungs were full of liquid… though technically blood wasn't really a liquid… More of a tissue if he remembered correctly from that night his mom had to drag him along one of her evening classes at the medical college when he was seven… And there he went again with medical babble. As his vision began to blur, he looked down at the key again through the splattered visor and thought the key was glowing brighter.
'Please…' He prayed as he brought the key to his chest, wincing as his arm throbbed again, 'If anyone can hear me… If there's any deity or being out there… I beg you… Help me... Please… Help me… save… my family…" Jack's eyes fluttered and closed, and his arm plopped on the ground, splattering the floor with blood. They key fell into the puddle, glowing brighter as it fell into Jack's blood. A beam suddenly shot out of the key and into the device it was once placed in, making the keyhole shift and open wider. The beam then faded out, and the key stopped glowing. The relic seemed to disintegrate into the blood, crumbling away until there was a pile of metallic dust sitting on the puddle. The machine began to glow blue, and blue fire shot out of the opening the key had made. The fire manifested into the shape of what looked like an eagle and floated over Jack's prone form.
"Jackson Darby." It spoke with an ethereal voice. "I have heard your pleas to save your allies. I have also seen your memories and am impressed you would sacrifice your own life for these Cybertronian beings. Because of this, Primus and I believe you are worthy of harnessing my power." Tendrils of flame crawled from the tail of the firebird and began to encircle the unconscious form of Jack. The fire healed his arm in seconds and easily burned away the suit before encasing him in a cocoon made of blue fire.
"I shall help you, Jackson Darby." It stated as the puddle of blood began to glow. It seeped into the cocoon and pooled around the teen's chest before taking the form of the Key. A fire tendril reached down to it, and the blood was transformed back into the Key to Vector Sigma. As it imbedded into his chest, the key began to glow, and blue, glowing wires began to branch out and take the form of the firebird hovering above him.
"Rise from the ashes, Jackson Darby." The spirit commanded before diving into the cocoon and becoming part of the growing fire. After a minute, the flames calmed down, and the cocoon dissipated. Jack now wore simple black pants, black boots, and a blue, sleeveless shirt with a deep neckline that showed off the key on his chest. The Key, as well as the insignia of the bird, glowed a deep blue, pulsing in tune with his heartbeat.
"Wake up, Jackson Darby. Become the Phoenix." Jack's eyes shot open at the command. They glowed an intense blue that they almost looked white, as if they were windows to the fiery energy dwelling inside him. Pulling himself up to his feet, the teen stared ahead at the tunnel before blue fire began to seep out of his body. A falcon cry echoed through the chamber before he flew out in a flash and leaving a trail of fire behind him.
Before you ask, no, I will not pair him up with Arcee... They seem more like brother and sister to me than anything...