A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Metalhead411: The M-rated stories will be worked on after I dish out a few chapters of Rising. Foxbear: I'm glad you like the interactions between Jack and Optimus; I intend to explore their father/son relationship. Negima Uzumaki: I'm afraid Jack won't become a techno-organic, but if you read my first story "Cyber-Ninja", he becomes something like that. Guardian of Azarath: The Key will play a role in what I have planned soon enough. Jesdavi: Your comment gave me an idea for later on. I was checking SSjMasta's updated story when I notice Metalhead's review. "Beat me to the punch", huh? That was funny.

Chapter 2

June Darby woke up in the middle of the Autobase command center, her joints stiff from sleeping in a chair. She noticed the blanket she placed on her son when he fell asleep was now on her. She smiled, knowing Jack must have placed it on her while she slept. Since he was a child, he'd always tried to look after her, especially after her husband, Jack's father, left. His departure forced her to begin working more often at the hospital and spend less time with Jack.

She became worried that her son might fall in with a bad crowd without her guidance, yet somehow it was the exact opposite. He was responsible, caring, and never caused any trouble. He never gave his teachers any reason to alert her other than to praise his model behavior. When he became a teenager, June expected to start acting out and getting into trouble, but again he exceeded her expectations. The first thing he did was get a job at the K/O Burger joint.

Not the most glamorous of jobs, but his minimum wage did keep a roof over their heads provided a great deal of help for June. She had initially insisted that he keep the money, given that he earned it, but he refused. He merely stated that it was his way of helping her like she had done for him. There were times where June wondered how Jack could have learned such responsibility given that she was often absent from his life due to her work. She wondered if he acted that way because of his father.

When he left, Jack initially did not understand due to his age, but when he got older, her knew exactly what had happened. Jack said he didn't care about his father and that he was coward for running away from his responsibilities. Perhaps the reason why Jack never caused trouble was because he was afraid of becoming like his father. Getting a job and helping to pay the bills might have been his way of saying he was nothing like him. Nevertheless, June could not be prouder of her son for all he'd done, not just for her, but for all those he cared about.

She walked down the corridor of the base to look for her son. She wanted to make sure he was okay and not lost in the large maze that made up the Autobot base. She checked in room after room, stumbling into one of the 'Bots' rooms from time to time. She came across a slightly opened door and peered inside. There, she found Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, huddled over what appeared to be a large desk.

His optics were closed, meaning he was sleeping or "recharging" as they called it. But why was he sitting in a chair? There was berth a few feet away from the desk, so why? June knew from experience that sleeping in a chair with such confined space could be uncomfortable. Even if Cybertronians drastically differed from humans, June was certain their joints could still get sore.

She chuckled at the thought of them using oil to loosen their joints, but decided to examine. She found a latter that led up to the desk. She carefully climbed it and got on to the large metal surface. When she looked to where the Prime's arm was outstretched, she kicked herself for not bringing a camera. Beneath Optimus' large hand was her son, Jack, sleeping comfortably.

June's heart swelled at the sight before her. Since meeting the Prime, June was amazed by many things about him. He possessed a very sophisticated dialect, using words and terms that most people, even senior citizens, couldn't understand, but the meaning always got through. His voice was a deep baritone that carried years of battle with it, meaning he'd seen his fair share of action. And he rarely let his true emotions show, his face always calm, yet stern.

June looked up at the Prime, his face looking the most peaceful she had ever seen it. She felt her cheeks grow hot for some reason. He was simply sleeping, yet he looked so handsome; more handsome than any man she'd ever met. She shook her head; what was she thinking! When she acted disappointed when he wasn't around, she was merely joking, but now…

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she noticed Jack waking up. His blue eyes fluttered open as he took in his surroundings.

"Mom?" he yawned. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question?" she smiled. Jack looked around and found himself underneath Optimus' hand.

"How did I get in here?" he chuckled nervously.

"How indeed?" she gave him a look. Just then, Optimus' opened his optics and looked down at the mother and son.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," June said. "I just wanted to know how Jack ended up in here." The Prime lifted his hand so Jack could get up. Going down the ladder, Jack left the room, not wanting to be around when Optimus talked to his mom about what's been going on.

"Last night, Jack wandered into my quarters trying to burn off excess energy he attained from an unpleasant dream he had."

"What was this dream about?" she asked. She remembered telling Optimus about Jack's dreams and how he would just brush them off.

"He did not go into detail, but he did say he has been having them since returning from Vector Sigma. He merely claims that they hold no meaning and will pass with time."

"But you think otherwise."

"I do not know what to think, Nurse Darby, but I will do everything in my power to protect Jack as best I can."

The woman smiled warmly, "Thank you."

ShadowStrike Rising

The morning went by as usual; since it was a weekend and Jack had the day off from work, he and Arcee simply hung around base until Bulkhead and Bumblebee returned with Miko and Raf. They were watching an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond". The three 'Bots were intrigued by the day to day life of the Barone family.

"Why is it that every week, these people get into some kind of trouble?" Arcee asked.

"That's the point of the show," Jack explained. "And aren't we one to talk about getting into trouble every week." The femme merely frowned and kept watching television.

"I kinda feel bad for that Robert guy," Bulkhead said. "He never catches a break."

"He does later when he marries his wife, Amy," Miko said.

"Even then," Raf said, "he's still got a very bad case of 'mommy issues'."

"Marie's kinda like your mom, eh Jack?" Miko giggled. "Overprotective and tends to baby you."

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Prime!" the voice of Agent Fowler bellowed throughout the base, his face appearing on the television screen.

"We were watching that!" Miko whined.

"Agent Fowler," Optimus entered the room with June in his hand. "What is the situation?"

"MECH is back and this time they mean business," the Agent said. "I'm just about to arrive at your base to brief you in person." Indeed, the proximity sensor blared as Agent Fowler's chopper landed on the roof of the silo. Within minutes, he was standing before everyone. "Earlier today, I was informed by the Japanese government that the Prime Minister, Oroku Saki, had been taken hostage by Silas and his boys."

"Why kidnap the Prime Minister?" Miko asked.

"They want the 'Bots to come and surrender themselves for whatever experiments they have planned. They've given you three hours to show yourselves at these coordinates or they'll kill the PM." The coordinates appeared on screen.

"Ratchet," Optimus rumbled. "Activate the ground-bridge. We will see to it that no harm comes to the Prime Minister." The medic did as instructed and the swirling vortex of the ground-bridge. "Autobots, roll out!" The 'Bots transformed and disappeared in the bridge. No sooner than that did Miko immediately run after them, causing Jack and Raf to go after her. Not wanting her son in any danger, June followed along with Fowler.

Ratchet turned around and saw no one was there; he pinched the bridge of his "nose", "For Primus' sake."

ShadowStrike Rising

In the mountains of Japan, Silas and his soldiers that formed the group, MECH, were hard at work keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble. The scarred man turned to find the Prime Minister, Oroku Saki, safely secured against a rock to prevent him from escaping. The man had short, spiky, black hair and a mustache/goatee combination. He had dark brown eyes and was dressed in a black suit. It was rather easy to capture him, despite his muscular build.

Silas waited patiently for the Autobots to arrive and make a daring rescue; that's when they would be caught in MECH's trap. Once an officer in Special Forces, Silas grew distasteful with the way the world functioned and chose to follow a new path to newer world order. He gathered several men from different military organizations to form MECH. Their goal: to usher this world into a new world order through the use of the most advanced technology they could find. Of course, they had their backers, who shall remain anonymous until MECH's goal is achieved.

And in recent months, they had found a way to achieve that goal through the alien race of transforming aliens. Silas had heard rumors of their existence but paid them no mind until MECH's attempt to steal the D.N.G.S. It was a nuclear powered device that Silas intended to use help power their new weaponry. He thought it would be simple enough to steal; all they had to do is take down the fighter jet carrying the cargo. The pilot proved more capable than they thought and managed to drive them away.

When they finally located the D.N.G.S., it was now being transported by a convoy of civilian vehicles. The "drivers", however, were far from civilians. They managed to keep MECH at bay long enough to enter a tunnel and sneak the D.N.G.S. onto a train. Things got interesting when fighter jets appeared out of nowhere and fired upon the vehicles. The trailer supposedly carrying the D.N.G.S. was destroyed, but there was no radiation.

But what interested Silas even more was the fact the four civilian vehicles changed their form to reveal themselves as massive alien titans. They did battle with the fighter jets, who had also transformed, keeping them busy while MECH went after the D.N.G.S. According to his men, when they boarded the train, there was a young man and an Asian girl guarding the device, but they were civilians. MECH didn't have time to think about how they could have possibly gotten on the train, because one of the aliens (who was no doubt the leader) was catching up to them.

Realizing that they didn't have the right technology to face this visitor, Silas ordered a retreat. Afterwards, he destroyed the tracks so the train would crash and destroy the D.N.G.S. However, the alien being managed to stop the train. From that day on, MECH had a new objective: capture these "Autobots" and use their technology to usher the world into a new order. Such a task was not easy.

MECH spent months learning about these "Cybertronians" and their weaknesses. They developed weapons to neutralize the aliens so they could be captured and studied. After months of research, MECH made is move by capturing the "Decepticon" Breakdown. They'd managed to open him up and began studying his biology. Everything was going smoothly until one of the Autobots managed to locate them and attacked.

After a massive battle, MECH was forced to retreat yet again when reinforcements arrived. However, the managed to use the data they obtained from Breakdown to initiate Project: Chimera. Despite this, MECH still needed to study another "Transformer". They discovered a Decepticon distress beacon and decided to investigate. Little did they know, it was a trap set by a female Decepticon named Airachnid.

After subduing Silas and his men, the spider-like creature made a deal with them; locate and capture the human known as Jack Darby and they would be allowed to study the remains of his guardian "Arcee". After locating Mr. Darby via his social networking page, MECH took his mother, June Darby, hostage. Immediately, Mr. Darby and his guardian arrived and were quickly subdued. While Airachnid made sport of Jack, MECH went to work examining Arcee, but their attempts to obtain any parts were thwarted when she recovered and escaped. Silas was more than happy to allow Arcee and Airachnid fight it out; no matter who won, the spoils from the battle would be theirs.

But Silas made a grave error in underestimating Mr. Darby. When the boy had seemingly pleaded with Silas to let his mother go, he actually did this in order to steal Silas' radio device. He alerted the military to MECH's presence and they arrived just in time to save Jack and his friends. Silas was both angered and intrigued by Mr. Darby's intuitiveness. He also learned how the Cybertronian obtained vehicle modes, so it wasn't a total loss.

Now, MECH had a full proof plan to capture the Autobots and complete Project: Chimera. The man was drawn from his thoughts when one his men approached him.

"Silas," he said, "the Autobots have arrived."

"Excellent," he said. His men took their positions as the Autobots approached, towering above them all. They drew their weapons, but Silas aimed a rifle at the Prime Minister. "Come now; you wouldn't risk the life of the Prime Minister would you?"

"Silas," Optimus Prime said. "Release him at once. We are here as you requested."

"He'll be released as soon as your stand down and surrender yourselves." The 'Bots withdrew their weapons, earning a smirk from Silas.

"Now summon your fifth member so you can't pull any tricks."

The Prime's optics narrowed as he activated his comm-link, "Ratchet, Silas has requested that you join us. Bridge yourself here at once." The bridge opened up and Ratchet stepped through.

"Optimus," the medic said, "You should know that the children, as well Nurse Darby and Agent Fowler left the base." No sooner than Ratchet's announcement, several MECH soldiers arrived with the 'Bots' human allies in tow, guns to their heads.

"Silas, release them," Optimus ordered. "They have nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary, Optimus Prime," Silas grinned darkly. "At least one of them does." He walked over and was face to face with Jack. "We meet again, Mr. Darby."

"Get away from him!" Arcee snapped.

"Back off, Si," Fowler said. "You can't think you're gonna get out of this easily do you?"

"Rest assured, Agent Fowler," Silas said. "As long as my demands are met, no one will be hurt. Not badly at least. But as for Mr. Darby, I am intrigued as to the extent of his intuitiveness." Suddenly, Jack spun around and snatched the MECH soldier's gun and hit him with the barrel, knocking him out. Everyone looked on in shock, save for Silas, who merely raised an eyebrow, "Martial arts training?"

"Muay Thai," Jack took a stance. "My grandparents, rest their souls, were martial arts fans and I often spent my summers at training camps. Had a real knack for it."

Silas took a stance of his own, "Let's see how good you are." Silas threw a punch, which Jack instantly blocked. He threw another, only for Jack to block him again, "Impressive." He threw a spin kick at the boy, who merely jumped over him and grabbed him from behind. They struggled while everyone present watched.

Silas threw Jack off him and sent him into the rock where the Prime Minister was. "An impressive showing, Mr. Darby, but I'm afraid the show is over."

"You're right," Jack smirked. He pulled the knife he snatched from Silas and cut the Prime Minister free. He fell to his knees and coughed as Jack helped him up. "Are you alright sir?"

"I am fine," he rasped. "Thank you, young man."

"Silas," Optimus and the other 'Bots drew their weapons again. "You have no more bargaining chips; surrender!" Right about now, Silas should have scared for his life, but the man still had a dark grin spread across his face. Jack didn't know why, but his thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in his chest. Jack looked down to find a blade piercing his body. He turned to find Oroku Saki, his dark brown eyes icily staring at the boy.

"Jack!" June shrieked at the sight.

"What have you done with the real Prime Minister, Si?" Fowler demanded.

Rather than answer himself, the PM spoke first, "I assure you, Special Agent Fowler that I am very much the Prime Minister of Japan: Oroku Saki. If you're wondering why I am attacking your comrade, it is because this was a trap."

"You mean you work for MECH?" Miko asked.

"I am one of their supporters," he said, his voice deep and cold. "I am far from a lowly servant." He pulled out a rifle and fired at Bumblebee, sending the scout into darkness.

"'Bee!" Raf cried.

"His bright colors were annoying," Saki grabbed Jack by his throat, the blade still in his chest, and dragged him over to a cliff. "Can you see young, blood? My ancestors often visited this cliff side to perform coming of age rituals." He pulled Jack to his feet, "When a boy turned thirteen, he was thrown from the Cliffside. The only way to be considered a man in my clan was to climb back up. You're a little older, but let us see if you can do the same." Without another word, Saki pushed Jack over the cliff, his body disappearing in the fog.

"Jack!" Arcee screamed.

"By the AllSpark," Ratchet gasped. Before any of the 'Bots could say anything further, the MECH soldiers fired on them, knocking them out with their EMP rifles. Optimus was the last to fall into unconsciousness, his last thoughts of how only just last night, Jack was sleeping under his hand and now he was gone.

ShadowStrike Rising

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Next time: Jack dead? Can the Autobots escape MECH's grasp and get passed the loss of their friend? Is he really gone?