I do not own Transformers Prime, If I did every episode would feature Knock Out.

Illuminated

"You got that history report done?" Arcee asked on their usual trip to school.

Jack chuckled down at her, "Come on, mom, I got it finished last night. Can't we just have a calm ride to school for once?" he leaned back and put his arms behind his head.

Even though she was in her vehicle mode, Jack could imagine she would be shaking her head, "Easy, Jack, we're here."

"Oh!" Jack scrambled to grab hold of the handlebars. The split second distraction took their eyes off the road and before they knew it, they were less than 10 feet away from a person. Before Jack could even react Arcee had already slammed on her breaks and swerved into a skidding stop.

The person didn't even flinch, merely raised their arm to prevent the dust that had been kicked up from getting on their face.

As Arcee managed park herself, Jack leapt off and ran over to them, his heart still pounding from the near crash, "Are you alright? I didn't even see you-"

They took off their red-tinted sunglasses to reveal a pair of grey-blue eyes, "Fine, Jackson, despite your best efforts."

Jack stumbled, falling back in shock, "Megerra?"

She caught him by his shirt, hanging her sunglasses on her collar before tugging him to his feet, "What's the matter?" she grinned revealing sharper than normal canines, "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Meg- I-it can't be you- you're-" Jack tripped on his words

"-Supposed to be in prison?" she tilted her head with a sort of threatening madness, it disappeared as she continued, "I was let out on account of police brutality."

"So you're on parole?" Jack asked hopefully.

She shoved her hands into her pockets, "Acquitted, actually."

"Wow, so how- how are people taking this?" he managed to ask, still riddled with disbelief.

"Don't know, don't care," she shrugged callously, "The trial was private."

The think silence between them was cut by the sound of two cars pulling up beside Arcee, Jack had never been more grateful for the sound of Bumblebee and Bulkhead's engines.

"I've got to go," he said, struggling not to sigh with relief.

She nodded as he ran off, placing her sunglasses back in their proper place with a sigh.

As Jack went to join his friends Miko seized him by his arm, "I saw you talking to the new girl, awsome! Where's she from? What's she like? Do you know if she likes metal?"

Jack stepped back and tried to get the questions ordered in his head, "For one she's not new, she's lived all over the place, and she's just not okay, not good at all."

Bumblebee made some of his usual chirps and whirrs, Raf nodded thoughtfully.

"Right," he said, "you should really get to know someone before judging them, not everyone makes a good first impression."

"I know everything I need to know about her, Raf. Some people make only bad impressions." Jack said.

"But you were talking to her," Miko pointed out, poking his chest.

"That's different," Jack said, throwing his hands up in exasperation, "she already knows me. She doesn't know you guys-"

"That's an easy fix!" Miko smiled, jumping down from the rail she was sitting on.

"What are you-"

"Hey! New GIRL! OVER HE-ERE!"

"Miko!" Jack protested in an urgent whisper.

Megerra looked over and walked up to them. She looked at Miko for a second before raising an eyebrow at Jack, "Friend of yours?"

Jack stepped back, her reappearance alone was overwhelming. Her presence in his circle of friends was enough to make him visibly uncomfortable, "Ummm..."

"Yup!" Miko stepped in front of him, "I'm Miko, and you are?"

Megerra crossed her arms, "Megerra," she answered after a moment, her voice flat, betraying no emotion.

"That's a cool name, Meg, so I heard you traveled around a lot, that sounds like fun."

"It's Megerra, and where did you hear that?" she looked over at Jack out of the corner of her eye, knowing full well the answer.

"From Jack of course," Miko said, as if it were nothing.

Megerra glared at Jack who threw his hands up in a helpless gesture.

Miko cut between them, her face awkwardly close to the much taller Megerra's, "You're like 22, aren't you a little old to be in highschool?"

"I'm nine-teen actually," her voice was still flat, but now it had an undertone of irritation.

"Oh, were you held back?" Miko asked.

"Miko!" Jack exclaimed.

"No, I missed some school, about a year and half's worth actually," she gave Jack a look of undisguised hatred that made him wince before looking back at Miko, "because I was in jail awaiting trial."

"What for? Is that were you got that scar?" Miko asked, pointing to the line of marred flesh that came from the bridge of her nose to under her right eye.

"For murder." the answer was given coldly without regret of any kind.

It was as if the whole world drained of color and became silent, even Miko's face dropped.

Megerra smirked joylessly, "What, did Jack neglect to tell you that?" she asked with a laugh.

Jack and Miko just stared.

Rafael was the first to break the silence, "Bu-but you were innocent, weren't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Megerra's smile softened, "Kids," she shook her head slowly.

"So, Megerra how long are you planning on staying in town? I mean with all the press and everything..." Jack asked nervously, his arm protectively in front of Miko.

She looked at Jack's arm and rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore it, "As long as I can fly under the radar, I guess." she said.

"Why are you really here Megerra?" Jack demanded suddenly a little bit of his strength returning, "There's nothing left for you in Jasper."

For a moment, she was silent, eyes wide as if startled by his sudden aggression, she looked down at the concrete. Her lips curled into something like a smile, but not quite. "Are you forgetting the promise I made you?" she asked, looking up at him, eyes flashing dangerously,

Jack's own eyes widened before darting back to his friends, "Megerra, I swear I only did what I thought was right." she could hear the panic in his voice as he stepped back, still shielding Miko.

Megerra's expression softened, seeming almost fatigued, "So did I, Jackson, we have different ideas of what that is."

Jack grabbed Miko by the hand and together they ran down the steps, Rafael a step behind them.

Megerra made no attempt to go after them, the fading sunlight of morning giving her gun-metal colored hair a dull orange glow as she watched them disappear around the corner.

Jack gave a light pant when they finally stopped running.

"Okay, what was all that about?" Miko demanded, wrenching her hand from Jack's.

"Yeah, is there something you're not telling us?" Rafael asked.

Jack just remained kneeled over, catching his breath.

"Yeah, just because she got out of jail recently doesn't mean she's going to go all nuts on us." said Miko.

"No, Miko," said Raf, looking up at her, "the way they were talking... you two knew each other, didn't you?"

Jack straightened himself, looking at his friends, his face slightly mournful, "She was my best friend, my hero."

"What happened?" Miko asked, her voice quiet, sympathetic.

"She lost her mind, and I sent her to jail." Jack's hands clenched at the admission. He never, ever expected to have to deal with this again.

His friends just stared at him, eyes wide.

I rewrote this story because I just wasn't happy with the way it was playing out in my head, I'll keep the old (unfinished) one up still, however. Review!