Rian: Because if nothing ever happened to the main character, it would be quite boring XD The worse it becomes for him, the more fun it is for us!
Misgel: Rian, I think we need to talk to a therapist.
Jack didn't know how long he was in the darkness. It could have been hours...or days for all he knew. Little sound penetrated the depths, leaving him clueless about what was happening beyond this hellish nightmare.
The Autobot base was gone. Had anyone gotten out? Did any survive? And what about Jasper? The town was a stone's throw away from the newfound Decepticon citadel. Everyone in the city had to have seen it. Did they evacuate? What about Mom? What if she didn't get out in time, or was taken by the 'Cons?
And where was Miko? Where had they taken her? Was she in own cell, like this? Was she back in Knock Out's mad laboratory? Or at the mercy of another Decepticon? Jack prayed it wasn't Megatron.
In the two years Jack had spent with the Autobots, he had only spoken with the warlord once. The only reason he managed to survive was because the Decepticon warlord was trapped underneath tons of sedimentary rock, helpless. Even though, the young boy had frozen in terror looking into hellish optics and the deep voice that had made his ribcage rattle. He had been terrified, even though all he had to do was flip the switch of the driller and terminate the evil tyrant once and for all.
He could have finished the war. He could have saved Earth, his friends, his family.
He didn't. He thought he was doing the right thing. Megatron, after eons of war, was defenseless. He had no way to fight back, defend himself. It wouldn't have been ending a war, it would be murder. Besides, it wasn't Jack's decision to make. Megatron was Optimus Prime's greatest enemy. The Last Prime had the right to wield of hammer of justice, not a mere human, too young to even understand the politics of his own world. No, Jack couldn't bring himself to kill the warlord.
Now he regretted it.
Cybertron would have been saved. Arcee and the others would have been alive. Just the thought made Jack's spark ache, instead of the twisting of the chest he was so used to. It was all his fault. He couldn't defend himself against the Decepticons. Instead, the teenager had just watched at the Autobots throw away their entire cause just for him. Now they were dead.
It shouldn't have happened. Optimus shouldn't have given up everything for three kids! And now... now they were in a worst position than ever before. Trapped under the heel of a merciless warlord, in some pitch black box on a ship that never stopped moving. There was no telling where he was, or even if it was night or day.
Jack should never have got on that stupid bike. Everything would have been better for everyone if he, Miko, and Raf hadn't gotten involved.
The mech pressed himself against the far corner of the cell, curled in a ball of misery and self-pity. He was like that for a long time, and was like that way when there was a sound of the lock disengaging. The door swooshed open, having dim, alien fluorescent light fill the room. Jack didn't have to look up to recognize the slow, heavy pedes of Megatron.
"You're doing about as well as I expected," the warlord sneered at him.
Jack didn't respond to him, remaining in his corner, arms slung over his knees. The human-turned-Cybertronian couldn't tell if the sterling monster was being sarcastic or not, and he honestly didn't care. He just wanted the bastard to leave him the hell alone. He heard Megatron pause a distance away from him. He glanced up with dim optics to see what the twisted tyrant was up to.
"Come here, boy," he ordered, waving his claws.
"No," Jack defied with a crackling voice of static. He wasn't going to be Megatron's plaything.
He expected a harsh snarl for his open disobedience, but instead Megatron merely chuckled lowly.
"You misunderstand, little one," the tyrant growled. "You are in no position to deny me."
"I am not one of your foot soldiers—"
"Oh? And what were you to the Autobots? Were you not their pet?"
Jack's spark ached at the mention of the name.
"They're my family," the boy spat. He didn't use past tense.
His choice of words made his captor let out a harsh laugh.
"Family?" he repeated, like it was completely foreign to him. His red optics narrowed in disdain. "Humans are insects. A single Cybertronian could crush an army of you. You are nothing compared to us. If the Autobots truly thought of you as their equals, they were truly weaker than I thought."
Immediately boiling heat rushed through Jack's veins. "Don't you dare talk about them—"
"I will refer to them as however I like! You have no authority here, human. You may wear our skin, but you are still lesser than a drone. You should be grateful that I spared you."
Grateful?! If Jack felt anything, if wasn't graciousness.
"As if I wanted to be like any of you in the first place!" he growled angrily, forcing himself unsteadily onto wobbly legs, using the wall for support. "Your kind shouldn't have ever been here in the first place! If you view organics as lowly as you claim then you would never have bothered hiding something as valuable as energon here!" The mech's entire frame was quivering with rage. "If you hate me so much, why did you bother saving me?!"
"Despite your inferior organic origins, there is still a use for you yet. One which I intend to take full advantage of. But make no mistake, if I restored you, I can just as easily terminate you."
With that warning, Megatron's fusion cannon hummed to life. Jack couldn't help but recoil, his wings slamming against the wall (oh, God, he had wings), as the evil purple glow of the barrel aimed at his spark.
"Now. Come. To. Me," Megatron snarled, lowly, deadly.
The youngling's wings quivered. Looking into those burning, crimson optics, he realized his captor was telling the truth. The warlord would kill him, without a moment's hesitation. He wanted to dare the tyrant to go ahead and do it, to defy him one last time. Death was better than a life as a slave. But then the insult died on his tongue—glossa.
Miko.
What would happen to her? She would be left at this monster's mercy, and Jack wouldn't be able to help her. No, he couldn't do that to his best friend. Miko needed him. They needed each other. Jack had to survive, not for his sake, but for hers. Even if it meant bending to this monster's will.
He whimpered, wings shaking visibly as he took a step forward, swallowing his pride. And proving to Megatron he was little more than a dog surrendering to its master's will.
"Very good," Megatron grinned, pleased with the result.
Jack felt awkward, as he felt his legs trying to support his weight and energon redirecting to new fuel lines. The youngling felt like a baby taking its first steps as he wobbled towards Megatron, using all his concentration on one step at a time. He wondered how silly he must have looked, a full-grown Cybertronian unable to walk, but the warlord said nothing after his initial praise. The tyrant was surprisingly patient as he closed the distance, but did not lower his fusion cannon until Jack was an arms-length away.
Wings pressed to his back, the human-turned-Cybertronian did not dare look his captor in the optic. Even though, he sensed that awful gaze raking up and down his frame, like a collector observing a relic at an auction.
"Let me look at you, boy," Megatron ordered.
Realizing what the Decepticon leader wanted, Jack slowly turned, struggling to keep his balance. He trembled when Megatron stopped him by grabbing a wing, finding the appendage to be highly sensitive as the Decepticon ran a claw down the edges.
"You are of unusual make—you're obviously not a grounder, yet you're too heavy to be a proper Seeker," Megatron mused curiously.
The youngling couldn't reply, only whining at the cold touch, which felt amplified on his wing. He could feel everything! The temperature, the humidity, the air pressure—it was making him crazy! He didn't how to reply, anyway.
Unusual make? What did that mean? Jack vaguely remembered Arcee had explained Cybertronians came in certain frame types, usually to a specific class. At least he wasn't a Seeker. He didn't want to be like Starscream.
"No matter. Come," Megatron ordered as he released his hold on the wing. "There is someone who desires to see you."
That sinister grin had returned, Jack tensing as Megatron watched his every movement. Unwillingly, he took further steps behind the warlord, following behind as his captor led the way. He was less wobbly, but was still slow and careful, struggling to keep up with Megatron's long strides. Even though the boy was considerably taller than when he was as a human, the size difference between him and the titan was still ridiculous. The human-turned-Cybertronian barely came to his chest, and barely half as broad. No being should be allowed to be as big as Megatron.
Jack did not want to acknowledge his captor, instead trying to observe his surroundings. But the winding corridors were filled with soldiers, making his spark sink. Especially when he failed to notice a familiar figure.
"Where's Miko?" he demanded. When Megatron merely frowned, he added, "My friend."
"Alive," the warlord answered simply. Jack knew he couldn't believe a word he said. As leader of the Decepticons, Megatron was a skilled liar.
"I want to see her."
"Behave, and I will consider it."
Jack fell silent. He knew it meant that if he didn't do as Megatron said, he could threaten to kill her to force him to cooperate.
"...Where are we going?" the youngling asked after a moment's silence. "Who's this guy you want me to meet?"
"An old friend," Megatron replied.
How the Decepticon leader went from a powerful orator to almost a mute, Jack would never understand. Realizing he couldn't pull a clear answer, the youngling went silent for the rest of the long trip. Finally they came to a door that opened at their approach.
Jack quivered when he recognized they were in a laboratory, similar to the one he first woke up in, filled with metal slabs covered in obscure tools. The mech noticed Starscream, Knock Out, and Soundwave were present, all wearing their own expression. Starscream was pouting with a disgusted look on his faceplates, arms crossed defensively over his chest. Knock Out looked smug, with a triumphant smirk on his lips. Soundwave was as impassive and silent as ever.
Suddenly heavy, slow pedes reached Jack's audial receptors. The youngling turned to the source, only to freeze at the sight of the scariest Decepticon he had ever met. The mech was twice his own size, broad and tall. Dark purple armor ended in sharp edges and his servos ended in claws. Or servo. Jack's gaze locked on the arm that made up a gigantic cannon, a cable leading from the massive weapon to the stranger's back. But that wasn't the most distinguishable feature.
The Decepticon had no face, only a single, large, glowing red optic. It spiraled a few cycles, as if the stranger was analyzing his surroundings.
"Shockwave," Megatron greeted with a flash of fangs, opening arms as if to embrace the mech. His dangerous growl turned into an excited bark. "Just the tactical advantage I needed."
"Is this the former organic I was informed of?" Shockwave stated, straight to business as that since red optic zeroed in on Jack. The boy quivered.
"Indeed," Megatron smirked, turning to face his prisoner, claws cupping his chin. "Though he has thus far showed obedience, I expect that to change soon enough."
The youngling jerked his helm out of his captor's grip with a snarl. He tried to eye the Decepticons in the room, but it was hard to keep them all in sight. Instead, he focused on the newcomer, Shockwave. He did not like this mech. The Decepticon spoke in a deep bass, his voice reverberating across the room. It was cold, calculating, devoid of any emotion. Just hard logic.
"If I may, my liege, I wish to run scans to understand his biology," Shockwave requested.
"Do with him as you will, Shockwave."
Before Jack could work up a protest, the silver warlord shoved his prisoner towards the one-optic mech. The Decepticons seemed rather amused at his yelp of surprise as he was sent stumbling across the room. Unable to catch his balance, he fell forward, watching the floor rushing up. Only to halt when a thick arm caught his middle.
Jack could only wheeze helplessly as Shockwave plucked him up and threw him over his shoulder like he was a sack of potatoes. He thought he heard a sadistic cackle, but he couldn't find the source. Instead, the dark world panned and came to a jarring halt as his back slammed against a slab. Before the prisoner could think about getting up, restraints appeared around his limbs. No, no, not again! He immediately began struggling, which seemed to amuse his tormentors all the more.
"As much as I would love to stick around," Starscream announced in a low drawl, already moving towards the exit, "I have other things to attend to."
Jack saw the antenna on Shockwave's helm fold back before the second-in-command did. Despite his large size, the Decepticon was impossibly fast as he closed the distance between him and the Seeker. Starscream let out a squawk as Shockwave seized his arm in a crushing grip.
"Do not think for a moment, Starscream, that I have forgotten that you left me in the mercy of the Autobots!" the Decepticon roared, his monotone voice suddenly filled with bitter resentment. "You abandoned me in the wastelands, left me for scrap on Cybertron!"
"B-but the explosion—" Starscream stammered out in a hurry, and Jack would be lying if he said he didn't derive enjoyment out of his terror. "The spacebridge—no one saw you come out!"
Shockwave didn't seem to buy it. Without warning, the Decepticon wheeled around, throwing Starscream across the room. The Seeker was able to catch himself on a table, just before his helm was skewered by a razor-sharp tool. Before he could straighten, however, Shockwave seized the back of his head and shoved the flyer back down.
"I am tempted to force you to share my perception of things," Shockwave growled, menacingly. Starscream whimpered as the sharp tip came dangerously close to his optic.
"M-Master!" the second-in-commander cried, almost begging. "Are you really going to allow one lieutenant to harm another?" Megatron made no reply. "...Master?"
"…I'm thinking."
Starscream's optics widened when he realized he was on his own, only to squawk when Shockwave gave a threatening shove.
"I only did what I thought was best for the mission!" the Seeker yelped. Metal groaned as both mechs pushed against each other, the tool scraping the delicate lenses of Starscream's optic. He sputtered, "B-but I do feel compelled to add it was my very error in judgement to make this happy accident possible!"
"Your argument..." Shockwave seethed, his grip unrelenting, and Jack braced for the killing blow. Only for it to never come. "...is logical."
With that, the Decepticon stepped back and released his captive. As Starscream was shoved away, he swiped his claws at the mech with a vicious snarl.
"Exemplary teamwork," Megatron praised, claws behind his back. He seemed merely amused at the entire skeptical, not at all concerned his subordinates had just tried to kill each other.
It made Jack shiver. He knew Decepticons were unpredictable at best, but to see them so openly willing to terminate each other, just to settle old scores... When only a few minutes ago, Megatron easily threatened to waste his prisoner. How was he going to survive?
Whatever it takes, he assured himself. He was going to make it through this—no matter what it took. And eventually, he and Miko would make it out of here.
He watched Starscream storm out of the lab, effectively humiliated, muttering Cybertronian curses. Meanwhile, the remaining Decepticons turned their attention to their prisoner, much to Jack's dismay.
"Now, Shockwave, begin your tests," Megatron ordered. "I am eager for results."
T-tests? Jack struggled against his bonds, even though he knew it was useless.
"Spirited, isn't he?" Knock Out drawled. "Though not as bad as the other one." Other one? Miko? "I could sense her fields from the other side of the ship."
"They will learn," Megatron said simply.
"F-fields?" Jack echoed, confused. "What are those?"
Knock Out rolled his optics, as if it was an absurd question. "You really don't know anything, do you?" When the youngling just stared, the medic went on, "Energy fields? Cloaks? Any of this ring a bell?"
"Um..."
"If you are going to explain," Shockwave droned from where was tapping away on a console. "Do so quickly. His EM fields are disrupting my concentration."
"Fields—waves of energy that Cybertronians naturally give off. Each is unique to the 'Bot it belongs to," Knock Out began with a haughty drawl. "It is also the means by which we pick up signatures—thus the need for cloaking for both sides to hide from one another."
Jack was just all the more confused. He knew each 'Bot had a distinct signature, especially between Decepticons and Autobots. But he never heard of them 'disrupting concentration'. He jumped when silver claws suddenly lay across his chest. He looked up, trembling, at Megatron looming over him, optics narrowed. What was—
Suddenly he felt something press against him. It was not physical, instead teasing the sensors of his processor. But it was strong. Dominating. His word would be obeyed, or he would terminate them. Jack's spark went cold. It was Megatron. His "field," at least. The presence retracted along with the warlord's servo.
"Now extend yours, youngling," the titan ordered.
Extend? How? He couldn't even move! But seeing the tyrant's glare boring into him, the former human shuttered his optics in concentration. He tried to imagine his mind touching the world around him, but of course all that got him was a dull ache in his helm. Venting, he instead shifted his focus to Megatron. He tried to search for that overpowering presence. He felt a part of himself reaching out, and his field obeyed. His captor made a pleased smile.
"Very good," he praised, like a dog accomplishing a trick. "Now retract it."
Jack reeled back his imaginary hand, and he felt his fields close in tight around him. Unknowingly, finally giving Shockwave enough peace to approach.
Jack tensed at the sight of the purple mech being so close when he was so vulnerable. The prisoner squirmed uncomfortably under that singular gaze.
"What is he going to do?" Jack asked, though the former human wasn't sure if he actually wanted to know, considering how he and Starscream had just been going at it.
Instead of answering, Shockwave just tapped a few buttons on the console next to him. Suddenly a translucent light shone over the youngling. He felt a buzzing sensation in his chassis, but not painful. The light vanished and Shockwave hummed.
"Energon and nanites levels are low, as to be expected, if this really is the subject's first days of life," Shockwave rumbled. "Although, question remains how did you survive direct exposure to such massive amounts of cyber-matter. Unfiltered energy should have terminate such a frail being."
Jack growled at the last words. For beings that wanted him to join their ranks, they did not mind demeaning him. He flinched when suddenly a servo lay in the top of his helm, silencing him. He tried to flinch away from Megatron's grip, but the warlord held firm.
"I don't know," Jack seethed, curling his hands into fists. "It just did."
His answer, short and blunt, did not satisfy Shockwave's curiosity.
"Were the organics already exposed to Cybertron's atmosphere?" Shockwave asked of his lord.
"No," Megatron replied. "The humans were sealed in glass tubes to preserve their lives and value as bargaining chips. They would have been useless to me dead."
"Quite curious. If the organics were contained, it would suggest they were protected from the initial blast of the Omega Lock. It explains why they were not immediately destroyed. Furthermore, the containment could have controlled the exposure."
As Shockwave droned on, Megatron's claw absentmindedly stroked Jack's helm. He growled in warning, but the titan did not hear him, his attention completely directed to his chief scientist.
"So is he one of us? Or is there flesh underneath this hide?" At his words, Megatron plucked a wire of Jack's arm, electing a squeak at the sensitive sensation.
"It appears his body is completely composed of Cybernite. There is even the presence of the cyber-nucleic acid."
Jack couldn't understand anything he were saying. Cybernite? Cyber-nucleic acid? Suddenly the teenager felt like he was in his biology class, listening to his teacher drone on in a foreign language. His spark hurt. The school was probably gone now...
Along with everyone in it—had anyone survive the attack or had they... had they all...
"Are there signs or traces of anything unusual in their systems?" Megatron persisted, claws still strumming over his head.
"Everything appears to be functioning normally," Shockwave assured. "There is even a presence of a transformation cog."
The word roused Jack from his depressed stupor. A T-cog? It was bio-mechanism, which allowed the Cybertronians to transform into their alternative modes. The boy remembered the incident with MECH, a advanced terrorist group, hungry for Cybertronian secrets, had stolen Bumblebee's T-cog. Stripped of speed and a proper disguise, the scout was almost rendered useless. But if Jack had one...
He really was a Transformer...
Suddenly a strange sound from Shockwave once again stripped him from his thoughts. "Impossible..."
"What is it?" Megatron demanded, startled enough to finally take his claws off his prisoner. Giving the boy the slightest sense of relief.
"A discovery. I need to preform a second scan, to be sure." Shockwave did such, and the dilated optic did not change.
"What?" Jack said, terrified there was something wrong with him.
"It appears the T-cog has dual cycle chambers."
Jack was all the more confused, but not the Decepticons. Knock Out gasped and even Soundwave jerked in surprise. Megatron's scowl turned into a wide, terrifying grin.
"A triple-changer," he purred.
A what?
"Th-that's impossible!" Knock Out protested. "Out of all the Decepticon ranks, the only triple-changer we had was Blitzwing! A human couldn't possibly be one." The medic fixed the mutant with a heated glare. "Please don't tell me he's a lunatic, too."
"No," Megatron refused. "He's very special."
Jack shivered when the claws returned to his helm, this time with slow, deliberate strokes. It took him a few moments to get his vocalizer working.
"W-what's a triple-changer?" he asked.
"A Cybertronian that can scan two alternative modes," Megatron explained in that happy purr, looking down at his prisoner like a lion holding a lamb. "They are very rare. Said to be the reincarnations of Amalgamous Prime."
Amal-what? Jack only heard a mouthful of a name he could never hope to pronounce.
"He would be a powerful asset—or a formidable foe," Shockwave added in, causing the grin to widen on Megatron's faceplates.
"Indeed. Thus it is quite fortunate that he will be serving our cause," Megatron purred out, ceasing his strokes to clutch Jack's face.
He winced, leaning away to dislodge the hand. The grip tightened, forcing him to look back up. Jack trembled as he looked into those awful optics, glowing crimson like a demon's. He tried to summon whatever courage he had left.
"I w-won't be one of y-you," he stammered, hating he didn't sound as strong as he wanted.
"Oh, little one." Suddenly another set of claws stroked his shoulder. The youngling hissed as the tips touched the brand there, still tender. The Decepticon insignia. "You already are."
Jack was so frozen by that predatory grin that he didn't realize the restraints disappeared. Until suddenly metal arms slipped underneath his body and plucked him into the air. His spark—which was unmoving seconds ago—was now pulsing rapidly as he felt himself press against a warm chassis—Megatron's chest. One arm was wrapped around the youngling's shoulders and the other was around his knees.
"W-what the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" he shouted, pushing as best he could against Megatron. Jack squirmed like a cat trying to get away, but the sterling titan merely held him tighter, keeping him in place.
"I recommend giving him a steady supply of energon," Shockwave reported, as if oblivious to Jack's distress. "He will require a sufficient amount to power the conversion cog."
"Very well."
The Decepticon leader ignored the struggling youngling as he lumbered out of the lab. Jack couldn't blush like he did as a human, but his frame felt hot with humiliation as he spotted the Decepticons' amused gazes. He was desperate enough to rake his claws he didn't know he had across Megatron's chest, electing an awful sound and leaving shallow grooves, but the warlord didn't even flinch. Jack wiggled and hissed and clawed the whole way until they finally came to a door.
One arm holding his prisoner, Megatron inputted the access code and stepped inside. Jack didn't bother looking around, instead twisting and sending both his heels into his captor's chassis. The added leverage was enough for the human-turned-Cybertronian to rip himself out of Megatron's grip. He handed in a tangle of limbs on the floor with a clang. Before the warlord could snatch him, Jack leaped to his pedes and charged for the still open door.
Sure enough, the sterling titan easily blocked it with his broad frame alone. Jack saw the claws coming for him, and he quickly ducked out of the way. His escape blocked, the youngling instead retreated further into the room. He vaulted over a cushioned slab and pressed himself in the furthest corner. With a hiss, he raised his claws and his wings went straight up.
"Such spirit!" Megatron merely laughed.
"I don't know what's going through that twisted head of yours," Jack growled, "but if you think I'm going to willingly go along with you—"
"Oh, but you will," Megatron cut him off, slowly walking towards him, Jack feeling increasingly threatened. "If you want that femme of yours to survive, you'll do exactly as I say."
Jack froze at the mention of his friend. Miko...
The girl was hot-headed and even naïve, and gave the more mature teenager a headache (especially she played that deafening Bulgarian shriek metal or decided to run into a groundbridge). But she was his best friend. Her bubbly, energetic nature was contagious, enough she pulled Jack out of his comfort zone once or twice. They bickered and played pranks on each other, but talked and comforted each other. They knew things about each other no one else knew. Jack loved her, like the little sister he never had.
He couldn't risk her life like that. Mom always raised him to take care of others, not because she was a nurse, so he would not become the man she had married. Jack didn't want to be anything like the man that claimed to be his father. A father didn't walk out on his two-year-old son and his wife, just because he grew "tired" of the family role and wanted to pursue other pleasures. That was why Jack was the one to step up, to protect his mother, to take care of himself, to be the responsible one.
And he had to be responsible for Miko.
It left him with a pit in his stomach—he was trapped. If he fought, Miko could be killed, and he would still be stuck on the ship, provided Megatron didn't outright kill him for resisting. And if he didn't fight, then he would be submitting to the warlord's will. Doing as he commanded, whatever that may be, for the life of his friend.
Jack didn't realize his wings lowered and his audial fins flattened in his anxiety, allowing Megatron to see his weakening resolve.
"Are you willing to let her die?" the Decepticon leader taunted. "Just like you let the Autobots?"
The youngling winced like the monster had struck him, but stood his ground. "Th-that was your fault! You were the one—"
"No, Jack," Megatron purred, electing yet another flinch. To hear the warlord speak his name sent a chill down his spinal strut. "You destroyed the Autobots." Jack just stared, not understanding, and his captor went on, mocking, "It was Soundwave that found you, you know. It was all too easy for us to trace your activities, which led us to the Autobot base."
Suddenly that chill turned into ice. H-he compromised the base? B-but— His thoughts were cut off when his captor took a long step towards him.
"It was your fault that Cybertron is still a dead planet. That Autobots chose you over our own home. And now the Omega Lock is gone, and the Autobots are dead."
"N-n-no," Jack stammered, his vocalizer glitching in his distress. "I didn't want—I never—"
"It's because of you that your organic friends are the way they are now," Megatron went on to say, relishing the fact that the youngling on the verge of full-on panic attack now. "Even the little one was converted—and later perished when the Autobot base was destroyed. Along with that little city that had hidden it from me for so long."
R-Raf? Ever since he woke up, Jack was so focused on his living nightmare he failed to realize the youngest of the trio was not with them. N-no, not Raf— He was the most innocent, out of all of them. He always had a positive outlook, that everything would be alright, and he always found the solution when others couldn't. He was wiser beyond his years, but the older two always watched over him like a little brother. He-he was dead...
Along with everyone else...
The Autobots, his friends, Mom... Even Jasper, his home, was destroyed.
Everyone was dead. And he was alone.
Jack's wings were flat on his back now as he pressed against the wall. His plating audibly rattled as Megatron took another step forward. His huge form blocked out the rest of the room, suffocating the traumatized boy.
"Nonono..." Jack said lowly in rapid succession.
This couldn't be real! It had to be a dream— H-He was going to wake up any minute now, smell his mothe'rs tofu breakfast and head on to school. Jack looked down, optics wide and unable to look Megatron in the face as he slid down to the floor, clutching his helm.
He flinched when suddenly huge servos wrapped around his wrists, pulling his arms away. He looked up, only to greeted by red optics. Megatron's expression was inscrutable as his claws cupped the side of Jack's helm, ignoring the burst of shivers the touch caused.
"The Decepticons are your family now," Megatron whispered. Jack didn't have the energy to resist as the warlord took his face in his servos, pressing his helm against his. "We will take care you."
Suddenly a staticky, ugly sound escaped Jack's lips. He felt all his energy drain from him a single moment. The world around him closed in, crushing against him, tearing him apart. He saw it turn upside down, from a perfect dream with all of his friends to a hellish nightmare of coldness and cruelty. Jack's new body, weakened from the constant stress, finally gave out. He couldn't catch himself as his helm fell on Megatron's shoulder.
Instead of throwing him away, the titan's thick arms wrapped him, possessively. Feeling the hot frame around the youngling made a wail erupt from his vocalizer. Megatron didn't silence him as he sobbed, bawling as loud as he could, something wet slipping from his optics and trailing down his faceplates. A servo laid across the back of his helm and gentle tips of talons rubbed circles on his wings.
Megatron held Jack until his tears were spent, sobs turning into hiccups as he started to shut down. His optics were vacant, staring out at the wall on the other side of the room. All the while, Megatron never released him from his hold.
The warlord slowly stood, as if careful with the frail being in his arms. Jack buried his face in his neck, ignoring the pull of wires as the Decepticon looked down at him. Megatron moved, his steps rhythmic as he crossed the room. The youngling was limp as he was laid across a soft material. A berth...?
Jack felt rather than saw Megatron sit on the edge. The human-turned-Cybertronian couldn't move as the silver titan used the dull side of his claw to wipe the lubricants from his optics, stroking down from his helm to his back to his wings.
"Recharge, my little one," the Decepticon leader murmured, in a sickly soft tone.
Jack needed no invitation to offline his optics. There was a distinct hum as his systems went into forced recharge.
