Hold on now. Most of you have seen the words "Pretender Prime." I wouldn't exactly call him that. It's a bit harder to explain. We're not talking about like the one Alice or anyone from MasterForce. (Yes, I have seen it, but only a few episodes.) What I'm about to show you is a little more different. You'll know what I mean in the next chapter.

But enough of that. Here's the new chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter Three

"I'm not following," Fowler said.

"When Optimus surrendered the Matrix, he lost more than just the collective wisdom of the Primes," Ratchet explained. "He lost himself."

"That doesn't follow," Arcee spoke. "Optimus knew Megatron."

"They were like BFFs," Bulkhead added.

Bumblebee gave a series of confused and sad tones.

"If Optimus did not remember his own name, perhaps it is because the title of Prime hasn't yet been granted to him," Ratchet stated.

"Huh?" Fowler asked.

"What?" Jack demanded.

"Say again?" Miko asked.

"With the power of the Matrix no longer within him, it would stand to reason that Optimus has reverted to his Pre-Prime state — the historical archivist Orion Pax," Ratchet said.

"Are you telling me Prime thinks he's some kind of librarian and a Decepticon?! " Fowler shouted.

"Being a Decepticon is a choice, Agent Fowler," Ratchet said. "One that I have a hard time believing Optimus would make at any point in his life."

"So if he's riding with the Cons…" Bulkhead started.

"It's because Megatron's working some kind of voodoo," Arcee finished with a growl.

"Orion Pax may not currently be an Autobot in here," Ratchet said, pointing to his helm, "but I must believe he will never stop being one in here." He placed a shaky servo on his spark, his voice cracking. "We mustlocate him, to know for certain."

"Hold up!" Fowler protested. "I have a chip lodged in my behind that lets Uncle Sam know when I stop for doughnuts. Are you telling me that you can't just track Prime?"

"Optimus' signal has not reappeared since he embarked for Earth's core," Ratchet said. "But we must get to work finding him if we have any hope of initiating his contingency plan."

It was the Autobots' turn to look confused.

"Contingency plan?" Arcee asked.

"What contingency?" Bulkhead questioned.

"Is that even a word?" Miko demanded.

"The key card!" Jack exclaimed in realization as he held it up. "So what's it do?"

"It grants access to Vector Sigma," Ratchet said, softly. "The repository of the wisdom of the Primes."

"Is that some sort of super computer?" Raf piped up.

"So, we can just download Optimus' memories back into him?" Jack asked, excitement building in him, "Great. Which one's the Big V? Over here? Somewhere in the back?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "Vector Sigma is more than a supercomputer, Jack," he whispered. "It is an ancient source of mystical power on Cybertron."

"Well, that shouldn't be so hard," Miko said. "All you guys gotta do is get to Cybertron and receive this power to get Optimus back."

Every Autobot looked at other.

"Uh, what's the problem?" Raf asked.

"Jack, it's not that simple," Bulkhead. "Optimus gave you the key, meaning it's you that has to do the job."

Fowler did not look happy. "Absolutely not!" he shouted. "Why send a boy to do a Bot's job?"

"Because only a Prime can access Vector Sigma or one chosen by a Prime," Ratchet explained. "Optimus gave the key card to Jack. It is now imprinted with his own unique biosignature."

"So you mean Jack's like some honorary Prime?" Miko asked.

"Let's just say that Jack is the only one who can return Optimus to the Autobot we knew," Ratchet said.

Jack looked at the key. "Why me?"

"Maybe Optimus believed there was more to Jack than meets the eye?" Arcee said, helpfully.

"All of which is moot," Ratchet said. "The key card is useless without the means of reaching Cybertron, which we at present do not possess."

"Dude, what about that?" Miko groaned, pointing at the ground bridge.

"Miko, the ground bridge barely got them into Earth's orbit, remember?" Raf said.

"Yeah!" she said. "But Ratchet built it. Can't you just turbocharge the thing?"

The CMO paused, his green-tinted optics glinted with a spark of intrigue.


It seemed as if months have passed by, when in reality it had only been one day. Jack had resumed work at a local café by that time. With all of the things that had been happening after Unicron, there was so much on his mind that he almost messed up on two orders. His employer was upset about it and gave him a warning.

But Jack couldn't help but think about Optimus. He could feel the key around his neck pulsing. He managed to find a chain in his room and managed to let it hang around his neck so his hand could be free for activity. He promised to keep it safe, and he refused to let it out of his sights.

"Off for the day, Darby?" Mabel asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Just another day like the rest."

"I'll bet," Kyle laughed.

A motorcycle's engine roared to life. All three of them turned around. Much to Jack's surprise and total shock, Arcee drove up to them.

"Five pm, Jack," Arcee said. "Your shift is over. Let's go."

Jack felt awkward as he co-workers looked at him.

"Gee, Darby. You haven't been living here for a month and already you picked up someone," Kyle said.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jack groaned. "She's a friend of mine from Jasper."

"Right," Mabel nodded. "We'll see you later."

And they took off.

"Didn't mean to decimate your social life," Arcee whispered.

"Not mad, but you kinda picked a bad time for that," Jack sighed. "Any sign of Optimus?"

There was a brief silence from her.

"Not today," she said, sadly.

There was a hole in Jack's heart, and he swore it felt like it was growing. Was this how the war was going to end?

He was surprised when a small voice in his head spoke.

No, Jackson. It's not over yet.


"You weren't able to determine the Decepticons' location?" Ratchet hissed after a failed scouting/search and rescue mission once they arrived. "Or if Optimus was even aboard the ship?!"

"I couldn't confirm," Arcee answered back. "I was this close to knowing when Soundwave interfered."

Bulkhead gave a growl and smashed his servo onto one of Ratchet's tools.

"Bulkhead—"

"What?" Bulkhead hissed. "You needed that? The only thing I need is our head honcho back!"

"Ratchet!" Fowler cried over the video screen. "What happened out there? Reports indicate at least a dozen wounded! The heats on me to provide some explanation! You Bots better get your act together or the Pentagon will make me shut down your base!"

And he cut out.

"But where would you go?" Raf asked.

"Who knows!" Ratchet growled. "Maybe they'll ship us out to some island or fire us out into space! Wouldn't that be a welcome relief!"

"I don't blame Fowler," Arcee said "Optimus would have evacuated all humans in the area before engaging the Cons!"

The yellow scout whirred angrily.

"We don't know what Optimus would have done because he's not here!" Bulkhead snarled.

Realization dawned on Jack. "Um, guys?"

"You're pretty good at stating the obvious, Bulk. Anything else you'd like to mention that we already know?" Arcee snapped, getting up into the Wrecker's face.

"Nothing I can say in front of the children," he hissed.

"GUYS!" Jack yelled.

Everyone looked at him.

"Aren't we overlooking the one positive? Nobody's talking about what the Cons just got their claws on!"

"Yes, we managed to allow them to finally acquire a power source for their space bridge!" Ratchet snorted.

"And how exactly would that be a positive?" Arcee asked.

Jack smacked his forehead.

"Oh!" Raf realized. "We let them finish it so we can commandeer it and get Jack onto Cybertron!"

"Whoa!" Miko said. "That's a pretty good idea!"

Arcee laughed. "Oh, well if Miko thinks it's a good idea—" she started, earning her a glare from Bulkhead.

"Nobody's saying it will be easy," Jack said, calmly. "But you've seized a space bridge before—"

"We blew one up!" Bulkhead proclaimed. "That's a whole lot different than three of us seizing and holding one."

Bumblebee gave a few chirps.

"Bee's right," Arcee said."We'd have to find that thing first."

"Uh, hello! If it's a space bridge isn't it…?" Miko pointed upwards.

"The term space refers to its transport range, not its physical location," Ratchet sighed. "And we've been monitoring Earth's orbit since the last one. We'd know if it were there."

"So the bridge could be somewhere here on Earth," Jack suggested.

"Like trying to find a servo in a scrap yard," Bulkhead muttered.

"Then maybe we'd better start looking," Arcee said, calming down.

"But the fact remains: we do not know what the Decepticons have in store for Optimus, or if he's truly safe from harm," Ratchet started.


The base had been melancholy for five days, a sadness that hung over the occupants like a storm cloud.

Jack leaned against the railing, tapping the key against the metal. Suddenly, the ground bridge opened up, Bulkhead and Ratchet coming through.

"We've found the Decepticon space bridge!" Ratchet crowed. "We're going to get our leader back!"

The kids all perked up.

"Let's get everyone else here," Bulkhead said. "Hurry Ratch! I can't wait to share the news!"

The ground bridge flashed to life twice, letting Bumblebee and Arcee come back home.

"They found the space bridge!" Miko cheered.

"Thank Primus!" Arcee sighed.

Bumblebee gave an exultant whirring sound.

"The Decepticon space bridge is located right here, deep within an energon mine," Ratchet said pointing to a flashing Decepticon insignia.

"Adjacent to a raw fuel supply…clever," Arcee said. "What's our Intel?"

"A reliable source," he said, avoiding her gaze. "Do we have a consensus?"

Jack nodded. He was ready.

"But how do we know if anyone can breathe in your atmosphere?" Raf asked.

"I'll hook Jack up," Fowler said, coming to the boy's defense. "Completely state of the art. I still have connections at NASA."

"Now that that's settled," Ratchet said, "Here is the plan. We will ground bridge directly into the energon mine and make our way to the space bridge chamber, neutralizing any Decepticon forces we encounter. Once we secure the bridge, we will send for Jack. Stealth must be an absolute priority. We most certainly will be outnumbered. If a Decepticon should transmit an alert to their warship…"

"The odds become four hundred to one," Bulkhead finished.

"The Decepticons have scrambled our signals in the past," Ratchet said. "I believe that we repay them in kind. And so, scrambling their communications upon entry will certainly provide an edge in this regard."

"Taking the bridge is the easy part," Arcee said. "You three need to hold it long enough for Jack and me to get to Cybertron and back."

"Rafael climbed to the top of the rope in gym class. We can do this," Ratchet said.

"What does gym class have to do with anything?" Miko asked. "And if Ratchet gets to go on a commando raid, I'm going too."

Jack shook his head. Same old Miko.

"Miko," Ratchet growled, coming towards her, "you will help Rafael operate our ground bridge and manage the communications hub."

She gave a frustrated yell and stalked off.

"Can't go to Cybertron, can't storm the Decepticon space bridge," she growled.


"She's kind of talky," Amalgamous observed.

"Astute observation, Captain Obvious," Nexus commented.

"Thank you."

"Amal, do you know what sarcasm is?" Nexus asked.

Amalgamous snorted. "Of course I do. I invented it!"

"You did not," Nexus drawled.

"I wish I did."

"Alright, you rugrats," Alchemist spoke as he appeared. "That's enough for the time."

"How's Onyx?" Nexus asked.

"He's more anxious than angry right now, so be careful," Alchemist cautioned. "The time for the boy to leave Cybertron is amongst us. Be prepare for his arrival, Nexus."

"I still don't want to do this," Nexus gulped.

"Ah, c'mon," Amalgamous piped. "It'll be fun. Just imagine how fun the conversation will be between you two."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Nexus groaned.


"He's almost ready," he said. "He'll be out in a minute."

"How about now?" Jack said from behind them.

"Strike team to base," Ratchet's voice said over the line. "Objective secured."

"That's your cue," Fowler said, turning around to face Jack.

Jack nodded and climbed down the ladder. He put on his helmet before walking towards the glowing ground bridge. He paused, looking back at the group.

"Bring me back a souvenir!" Raf smiled.

"So, what happens when you have to go to the bathroom?" Miko asked.

"Safe journey, son," Fowler said.

Jack gave a smile and walked backwards a bit before giving a crisp salute to the groups and walked through the ground bridge.

"Locking on to Cybertron," Ratchet said.

"You ready?" Arcee asked.

Jack held the key in his palm. "Let's do this," he said.

"I'll leave the space bridge open in order to eliminate any communication lag over the great distance," Ratchet said, "and make it easier for you to locate when you're ready to return."

"Easier to locate?" Jack asked. "You're not bridging us straight to the Big V?"

"Vector Sigma's true location is shrouded in myth and rumor, Jack," Ratchet explained. "It is said the path of the Primes leads there. We must be confident that Optimus will guide you,"

Jack looked at the key again as it glittered in the deep light before carefully putting it away.

"Don't worry," Arcee said with confidence. "Space-bridging is just like ground-bridging—"

Ratchet activated it, the roar of the energies swirling through the rings drowned out most of the outside sound.

"Just a little more intense!" the femme shouted over the noise.

Jack nodded as the two of them walked through the space bridge and into a war-torn, ash grey landscape.

"I can't believe it," Jack whispered. "I'm actually on another planet! Arcee, this is incredible!"

She didn't answer.

"Arcee?" Jack asked, turning towards her.

She stared off into the distance. "This isn't how I wanted you to see my home," she whispered, voice cracking.

"I'm sorry," Jack muttered.

"In the fog of war it's hard to see beyond the next leg of the mission, or the next punch in the fight," Arcee whispered. "We did everything to save Cybertron, but when the fog finally lifted there wasn't much left to save."

"Arcee! Jack! Do you copy?" Ratchet's voice crackled over the link.

"Roger, we're on Cybertron," Jack said through his.

"Just keep the sightseeing to a minimum, huh?" Bulkhead teased.

"Indeed," Ratchet replied. "We don't know if your journey ahead is five clicks or five thousand."

"Understood," Arcee said. "We're out."

"Okay," Jack said, pulling the key out. "Ratchet said the card would guide us, but I don't see how or what I'm supposed to—"

The key gave a wild vibrate and flashed with white light.

"There you go," Arcee said as she transformed and Jack got on.


They had been driving for about a half hour when Jack lifted the key again.

"That way," Jack said as the key flashed once more.

"Toward Kaon?" Arcee asked as a massive city rose into view.

"The Decepticon capital. Swell," he said sarcastically.

Arcee hit the brakes once more as she swerved to the side. "We're on foot from here," she said before transforming.

"Con's?" Jack asked.

"Vermin," she hissed. "Which way now, Key Bearer?"

Jack lifted the key again, waving it slightly back and forth until the bright white flash came. "This way!"

"Watch yourself," Arcee said. "Cybertron might be dead to the eye, but I have a strange feeling that something is alive."

Jack shuddered as he kept walking. He sure hoped she was wrong.


The remaining Primes were getting either anxious or excited. They had successfully transported the boy onto their world. Soon they could have Nexus confront the boy so they could get this done.

Unfortunately for them, somewhere in a different part of the galaxy, someone had a plan of his own. A very dark one.


"We must be close," Jack said.

The two walked up to the main doors right up to a statue of Megatron.

"Well, someone's a bit full of himself," Jack muttered. "Come on, the key says its inside."

They walked into what looked like an arena The key flashed wildly and the ground shook. Large cracks formed in the metallic surface of the planet. The key shone the brightest and vibrated wildly. Support beams of the arena collapsed onto the ground and the ground broke apart, revealing a gateway

The rumbling stopped and the team walked towards the entryway. The key flashed and the doors glowed with bright blue light before sliding open.

"Vector Sigma's down there?" Jack asked as he peered down hallway.

"Kaon didn't always belong to the Decepticons," Arcee said. "Megatron took it as a capital. Apparently without ever realizing what lay underneath their feet!"

Jack heard something crumble and looked up right as a shrieking noise came from a huge, black shape falling from the sky.

Jack couldn't move, he was too scared. Thankfully, Arcee wasn't.

She shoved the boy out of the shape's way. Arcee set Jack down and began shooting at the — what in the world was that thing?

The creature gave a harsh screech and charged Arcee, knocking her off her pedes as Jack ducked.

"Arcee!" he shouted, running towards her.

The bot-beetle behemoth glared venomously Jack. A shot rang out, pinging against the monster's tough armor. Arcee flipped over the creature, shooting all the way as it charged at her. Jack put his hand to his comm.

"We're being attacked," he said. "By some kind of giant bot-beetle!"

"An Insecticon!" Ratchet cried, incredulously.

"A what?" Jack demanded "What the heck are they still doing here?! I thought you said they all left!"

Arcee dashed forwards in her vehicle form. His guardian suddenly transformed back and slid backwards towards him, firing the whole way.

"Jack, go!" she yelled.

"Seriously?" he cried.

"DO IT!" she shrieked. "You made it this far, and Optimus is counting on you. We're all counting on you."

He looked at the key. It glowed softly. He backed behind the doors until they shut. But that didn't stop Jack from seeing Arcee looking at him and getting tackled by that monster.

"She'll be fine," Jack muttered to himself, "She's a tough one."


"He comes," Prima said. "Are you ready, Nexus?"

Nexus hesitated, but he gave him a stoic pose and nodded. "Ready."

"Go, brother, and good luck."

Nexus turned away from them and started to walk away. They watched until he vanished into thin air.

"I get a feeling that boy could get into more situations than just with the Autobots," Vector said.

"I hope not," Onyx prayed.


After he had gotten so he couldn't see the doors anymore Jack froze. He thought he had heard something. He looked around, using the key as his flashlight.

Nothing.

He looked ahead and saw nothing but dark and scattered pieces of metal. Jack glanced around again, finally spotting a metal pipe embedded in the wall. He went over and tugged on it until it came loose. It wasn't a blaster or a sword, but at least it was something and he continued his trek.

Jack finally came to a set of doors much like the ones outside. He held up the key, and the doors flashed, sliding gracefully open to reveal a large chamber.

He walked in, taking in everything about the chamber — it's high, vaulted ceiling, the elegant glyphs etched upon the walls, the large platform in the center…

Jack smiled and put a hand to his comm. "Hey, everyone, I'm in."

He heard multiple cheers from the other end. Jack walked over to the platform and watched as it glowed a gentle blue at one point. He walked over. Maybe this is where it goes?

Jack placed the key upon the platform and watched as it transformed into its original size. The platform suddenly blazed with bright blue light and the part Jack was standing on jerked backwards!

"Whoa!" Jack yelped as he fell to the ground.

Suddenly, the part began to tilt upwards. He began sliding as he backed up, finally ending up falling onto the ground. Jack stood upright and faced the now unveiled, pure white light of Vector Sigma.

Three sets of pulsating, undulating rings rose up from the center of the platform, and the metal surrounding the key glowed.

"This is…wow," he breathed, "Commencing download…I think."


Nexus could feel himself being pulled closer to the key. All he had to do was travel through the spiritual realm and pass into Jack's subconscious through the key. Once the entire mission was completed, they young Prime would confront Jack spiritually and negotiate there.

"I hope it works," he prayed as he entered the key.


"This is taking a while," he said.

"Of course it is!" Ratchet scoffed, "We are talking about the collective wisdom of the Primes."

Jack heard that whirring sound again and he slowly turned around.

Oh, god no.

There were scraplets swarming into the tavern and drew themselves towards Vector Sigma. The last time Jack had seen one was when they infested the base and nearly took everyone out.

Jack swung at them with his pipe, crushing a few of them.

"What is it, Jack?" Ratchet asked.

"Scraplets!" the boy sorcerer yelled.

"Oh, why did it have to be scraplets?" Bulkhead moaned.

Jack growled as he began smashing some of them off of Vector Sigma. He heard the slowing whirring sounds of Vector Sigma and turned back towards it. The scraplets had begun to chew through the outer layer.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Don't quit now!" Jack yelled.

He heard the sound of a high pitched engine come through the hallway.

"Arcee!" Jack shouted.

Right as the Insecticon flew in. It transformed and started stalking towards the boy.

"Back. Off. Bug!" he shouted, swinging his pipe.

It gave a screech as it glared at Jack and it suddenly backed off. Jack looked at the scraplets and then at the bug. Guess it's not just the Autobots who are terrified of scraplets. A plan began to build in Jack's head as he reached behind him and grabbed one of the pests.

"Hey, guys!" he shouted, grinning. "The main course!"

Jack threw the little sucker as far as he could towards the Insecticon. The little pest flew speedily towards the bug, and its companions stopped eating to look at a perfectly huge meal. Jack winced as the enemy's screams ripped through the still air. He stumbled blindly as he fell apart and down into the abyss below the walkway.

Jack turned around and faced Vector Sigma, right as a low, but loud beeping sound emitted from the computer.

It was done!

He ran forwards right as the bright rings sank back beneath the platform and retrieved the key. He gasped as he felt something run through him. Ratchet never mentioned this to happen once the mission was accomplished. What had just happened?

Jack heard the rumbling purr of an engine. He tensed and looked at the entrance, only to relax as a dark blue motorcycle rushed through. Arcee transformed and stood looking at him.

"I have the Matrix," Jack said, holding it up.

"Let's roll," Arcee said, as she transformed and Jack mounted.


"He has done it," Vector sighed.

"What comes next?" Onyx asked. He had eventually got over it that they were going to choose the boy as they're champion and was eager to see what would happen.

"Nothing yet," Prima answered. "All we can do now is wait."


"We're almost there!" Jack yelled, watching as they came to their destination.

"Ratchet," Arcee said, "we have the Matrix, we're coming through." She suddenly came to a halt. "Ratchet?" she asked. "Something's wrong,"

"He would have answered us," Jack confirmed. "But we can't not go through, can we?"

"Megatron could be waiting for us," Arcee said. "That Insecticon could have alerted him. For all we know, he could be waiting on the other side to extinguish us both."

"Maybe," Jack said. "But maybe he's lowered his guard a bit."

"He wouldn't be expecting us," Arcee said. "Jack, you're a genius!"

The blue femme transformed and gunned her engine. Jack followed her. As soon as he ran through, Jack saw Orion Pax. The archivist stiffened slightly and turned towards the boy. Jack held up the key.

"Are you certain I am worthy?" Orion asked.

"You have no idea," Jack said, closing one eye as he lifted the key.

A thin beam of white light streaked from the key and into Orion's chassis, which opened and revealed the Matrix of Leadership.

Jack heard thundering footsteps and he turned to face Megatron, who engaged his blade to strike the two of them down. The key suddenly flew out of Jack's hand and into a large black servo.

"No!" Megatron shouted, plunging his blade down…

Right as two servos caught it in midair.

"Megatron," Optimus Prime growled, battle mask engaging. "Be gone!" He hit him right in the faceplates, sending the warlord tumbling backwards.

Optimus wasn't satisfied with one hit. He got up, and attacked the warlord viciously. Jack saw the other Autobots get unsteadily up to their pedes right as Optimus sent Megatron crashing into the wall.

"Ratchet," Optimus said calmly. "How did we arrive here?"

"Long story old friend," Ratchet explained.

"Base to Arcee, we're reading five Autobot life signals down there. Is Prime with you?" Fowler's voice called.

"And Jack," she replied.

Megatron heaved himself back up as he growled angrily. The Autobots proceeded to fire upon him as a ground bridge opened up beside them.

"It's ours!" Arcee yelled.

"Autobots! Fall back!" Optimus ordered.

Arcee grabbed Jack and we went through the ground bridge.

"Jack!" Miko yelled as Jack came through, helmet in hand. She and Raf came running up to him

Everyone turned back to the ground bridge just in time to see Optimus walk through.

"Optimus?" Raf asked, timidly.

The Prime smiled down at him.

"Hello, Rafael," he said, gently.

"The big guy remembers us!" Miko whooped.

Optimus looked at his shoulder, confused, at the Decepticon insignia.

"Although, it seems that there is much I do not remember," he replied even softer.

"Optimus," Ratchet said, "It truly has been our darkest hour. But know this: from every indication…your spark never ceased being that of an Autobot."


Darkness. He was surrounded by darkness.

The voices were...accurate. Muffled. But at the same time, too clear.

He tried to recognize the voices. It slipped from his mind as quickly as it had come as he tried to pry his eyes open. The world was spinning and blurring.

It was a maddening. He knew for sure that time was slipping by, the familiar voices rising over the talking and the yells of whoever passed by him. The realization was clear as day.

He was asleep. He had retired for the night to get some rest. Now he had no idea as to what was going on.

"Wake up," a gentle voice called. "Wake up."

The teen's eyes finally opened. He found himself in a void full of stars and nebulae. He found himself sitting on the ground of hard dirt.

"Over here..." the voice called again. Jack turned around and saw a figure. A Cybertronian. This one may have been just slightly taller than Optimus, yet Jack couldn't help but feel as if looking at someone twice the size of the Prime he knew. Maybe it was because of the armor. The mech had broad shoulders and upper torso, wide legs and his arms, from the shoulder joints down to the fingertips. Jack focused his sight on the mech's helm, which had his optics covered by a blue visor.

"Hiya, Jack."