Memory Lane

Ratchet was looking for more connecting wires in the supply room. He knew he'd have to wrap his project up soon, or else the danger of the Polarity Gauntlet overloading would be too great. His sensors detected an extremely charged bolt of lightning that touched the Earth near the silo. His frown turned to a look of panic as a piercing scream ripped through his audio sensors. Ratchet ran back to the children, and he sped up when he heard Jack yell Miko's name.

"What happened?" Ratchet demanded.

Jack was gently cradling Miko in his arms. To say the young man was distressed would have been a flagrant understatement. His heart was pounding and there was panic behind his eyes. Ratchet's gaze traveled to Miko and he inwardly gasped. The ends of the Asian's hair was slightly singed and the wires and tubes still connected to the Gauntlet were fried. It didn't take long for the old medic's mind to put two and two together. A shaking, distraught voice brought him back to the present.

"I-I tried to unhook it, but when it overloaded Miko..." Jack was on the verge of tears as guilt welled up inside of him. The memory of her hand pushing his off of the unstable Gauntlet was replaying in his mind.

"Quickly! We must get Miko to a hospital." Ratchet transformed, which allowed Jack to carry his friend into the ambulance-in-disguise.

Ratchet remotely activated the Ground Bridge to an alley near the hospital June worked at. He adjusted his rear-view mirror to see Jack holding Miko's hand. He was whispering something the red and white medic couldn't hear. They reached the hospital and Jack jumped out as Ratchet opened the doors. He wheeled the gurney that Miko was laying on into the hospital.

"I need a doctor!" he pleaded. "My friend was electrocuted!"

"Jack? Honey, what's going on?" June questioned. Jack had never been happier to see his mother. Even if she did embarrass him when she was being overprotective or... He was getting way off topic. He tried to speak, but couldn't formulate a sentence. The adrenaline in his body was clouding his thoughts.

"Miko was electrocuted when she, uh, touched a steel shipping container that was, um, struck by lightning." Jack's mind desperately came up with an absurd lie, but he didn't care. All that mattered was whether or not Miko would be all right.

His mother gave him a look that said, "We'll talk later."

The next few minutes were a blur as his friend was swept away to one of the many rooms. A nurse told him to sit down while they stabilized his friend. He briefly remembered blushing and mumbling something like, "She's not my girlfriend." He froze when he realized she hadn't even said the word girlfriend.

The small part of his brain not drowning in worry, embarrassment, and adrenaline yelled at him to call the base and update them on Miko's status. After he filled everyone in, his mom found him.

"Jack, sweetie, you can go see Miko now if you like. She's stable now."

He ran past her, and then stopped when he realized he didn't know what room she was in. June called out behind him, "She's in room 104, dear."

Jack was panting when he made it to Miko's room, having sprinted the whole way there. He sat beside her bed and took her hand. His throat tightened up and his eyes stung as he gazed upon the girl who had probably saved his life.

"Miko..." He whispered. He choked back a sob as he bowed his head.

Jack almost had a heart attack when his phone rang. It was Arcee.

"Hey, Arcee."

"Hey, partner. How's Miko doing?"

Jack looked over at the unconscious form next to him. "Mom said she's doing better. Hopefully she'll wake up soon."

"Jack, Optimus wants me to pick you up for a debriefing. I'll be there soon. Can you meet me outside?"

"Sure thing, Arcee." Jack stood up and started to leave. Half-way to the door, he stopped and turned around. He hesitantly kissed his friend on the forehead before going outside to wait for his guardian.

The ride back to base quiet, and Arcee sensed that something else had happened earlier this afternoon. There was more to the story than Jack had originally said. Her partner dismounted when they were inside the base. He heard the familiar sound of transforming behind him. The young man walked with his head slightly inclined to the ground.

A strong, husky voice said his name. Jack turned to look at Optimus, but he couldn't meet his optics. How could he? Jack was supposed to keep Miko safe, but instead, she was in the hospital. This was all his fault. There was a torrent of emotions swirling around his mind. Worry. Guilt. Fear. Anger. Shame. Everything inside of him threatened to boil over and break him down. Stop it, he told himself. Keep it together.

"Yes, Optimus?" Jack finally replied, still not making eye contact.

"I understand that this is difficult for you, but we need to know everything that happened when the Polarity Gauntlet overloaded." Optimus' optics were gently looking down at the oldest of their human charges.

Jack finally looked up at the leader of the Autobots. He closed his eyes and was forced to remember the horror he had witnessed mere hour beforehand. All of the events that had transpired during Ratchet's examination of the Gauntlet flooded out as Jack told them exactly what had happened. When he started to tell them about Miko sweeping his hands off of the magnetic device, Jack choked up.

"Your mom said she was going to be fine, though. Right?" Bulkhead inquired with uncertainty.

"Yeah. Optimus, with your permission I'd like to go back to the hospital. I... I want to be there when Miko wakes up." Jack looked at the Prime with a pleading expression.

Optimus' optics softened when he said, "Of course, Jack. However, you may want to call your mother and inform her of everything that has taken place today."

Jack nodded and called his mom. After informing his mother of the basics of what happened, he took what felt like the first breath he'd had in hours.

"Jack, honey, I brought a pair of Miko's clothes over to the hospital. She still unconscious, though. You'll still be able to see her, if you hurry." June said, traces of exhaustion in her voice.

"Okay, mom. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Jack headed downstairs and prepared to depart.

"Ratchet, ready the Ground Bridge."

The worried teenager barely restrained himself from running through the swirling, green vortex. There was a flash of bright light as he was transported to the alley next to the hospital.