Chapter 4
Arcee woke up to the sound of movement outside in the halls. Her optics fluttered open and she put up a hand to block out the sun's light from her vision.
The two-wheeler sat up, putting her feet on the ground but not moving from her berth. The only thing on her mind at the moment was Jack. She remembered their fight and how she ended up crying herself to sleep. She also remembered the awful dream she had until it somehow became joyful and happy. It was as if something in the middle of the night got her to relax and dream peacefully.
Unfortunately for her, that was all a dream and reality hit her hard. The words shared during her conflict with her boyfriend still stung but she also felt guilty about them. Arcee didn't want to fight with him and she had spoken without thinking first. She never meant to insult him, all she wanted to do was find out why he had been distancing himself from everyone, distancing himself from her. She missed the compassionate man she fell in love with, she missed his soft lips pressed against his, she missed his caring attitude for her well-being and safety. And now, Arcee may have ended their entire relationship.
Just the thought of life without her Jack got her tearing up. In all her centuries of being alive, the two-wheeler had never been so emotional on a subject, but the topic of relationships always got her to show her true nature, especially when it came to Jack. She really did love him deeply, with all her spark and soul. The teen had changed her life ever since the day she met him. At first she hated him and thought he was just an annoying organic that got in her way. Later on however, she realized just how charming he really is. His heroics and the fact that he would rush into any battle to save her touched her spark. His bravery and courage as well as his caring nature showed her that he was so much more than just another human. Jack was someone who would do anything to protect her and it is for that reason why she fell in love with him. Later when he confessed that he too shared the same feelings as her, her entire existence was given a new meaning. Though he did not say it, she knew that he loved her, just as much as her, if not more.
But sitting on the edge of her berth, Arcee felt like she had lost that love given to her. She had allowed him to distance himself from her. It was her fault that their relationship may be over and if she truly did lose the love of her life, there was no one to blame but herself.
She would soon find out that she had lost so much more.
...
When Arcee walked into the command center she was surprised to see everyone else already there. Normally she was the first one up and it seems like she was a bit tardy this morning.
Optimus was the first to notice the two-wheeler's arrival and ended his conversation with Ultra Magnus for a moment.
"How are you this morning Arcee?" the Prime asked, partially because it has become accustom for him to ask during a greeting, but also because he remembered Arcee crying as she entered the base last night and was concerned that something had happened.
Arcee rubbed her left arm with her right hand, shaking her head in response.
Ultra Magnus peered down at the two-wheeler. "Are you ill? Perhaps that is why your mood has become so stagnant."
"There is no need sir, I'm not ill."
The lieutenant nodded his head and gave her space, although there was clearly something bothering her. The sound of metal scraping across the floor caught his attention and he watched as Bulkhead worked his way over, dragging his left leg with him. Following was Wheeljack, still recovering from his close encounter with death by taking small and careful steps, along with Ratchet, Bumblebee and Smokescreen.
"Easy Wheeljack" Ratchet warned. "Too much strain could get you right back into your medical berth again."
The wrecker rolled his eyes. "Relax doc, I'm taking small steps, just like you said."
"That better be all that you do..." the medic grunted under his breath.
Arcee looked at the two wreckers who stopped in front of her to join the conversation. Both of them had been badly injured and she was surprised to see them up and moving so soon.
"Looks like you guys are recovering quickly" she said.
"Doesn't feel like it" Bulkhead answered, stretching out his legs.
"As long as you get those chicken legs moving, you should be fine" Arcee said, cracking a really bad joke. She smiled weakly and the others could tell that something was up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that her smile was completely fake.
Bulkhead raised an eyebrow at the two-wheeler while Ratchet shot Optimus a look. The Prime nodded his head, telling him that there was indeed something wrong.
"So... um, Arcee... did you...uh...talk with Jack yesterday?" Smokescreen asked, scratching the back of his head.
The others focused their attention on Arcee, all of them waiting for an answer. They had all seen her show of emotion last night and had pieced together that it was probably something to do with Jack. After all, they did send her out to talk with him.
The two-wheeler shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. Just the mention of his name got her feeling a familiar pain in her spark.
"... I did talk with *Jack* yesterday" Arcee responded quietly, croaking a bit when she said her boyfriend's name.
"Are you okay Arcee?" Wheeljack asked softly, noticing her struggling to say Jack's name.
She took a deep breath and tried not to break down in front of everyone.
"I-I'm... no. I'm not okay."
Everyone saw that she was really having a hard time recalling what happened during her talk with Jack and Optimus took it upon himself to comfort the two-wheeler. The Prime gently placed a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. When he did, he saw the pain and sadness that she experienced.
"Arcee, did something occur between you and Jack?" he asked with authority but also gentle enough to not get her to react badly.
"We... we had a fight" she answered quietly. "We said some nasty things, I said some nasty things, and then we ended it."
Bumblebee beeped a question and gave her a sympathetic look.
"I-I don't know. I didn't mean the things I said, I wasn't thinking. It was just in the heat of the moment and it all came out. I don't know if we broke up or not, but if we did, I...I..."
She was struggling to hold in her tears but luckily Optimus jumped in before she could go on.
"Arcee, if I may have a word with you for a moment."
The two-wheeler nodded her head and walked towards the medical bay with Optimus following right behind her. The group watched as the two of them disappeared into the next room.
"While I do not understand relationships very well, nonetheless human relationships, it is quite clear that Arcee is having a tough time dealing with her argument with Jack. Does she normally become this upset?" Ultra Magnus asked.
"No, only when she has been truly hurt emotionally does her state become so dejected. She had a similar attitude when Jack had been taken by MECH, however I do not believe it has escalated to that point yet." Ratchet answered.
"Yeah, when she had her emotional breakdown last time, she was utterly devastated" Bulkhead added. "Lucky for us, it's not that bad, otherwise we'd be seeing a completely different side of Arcee that I don't think you've ever seen before."
Ultra Magnus nodded and a moment of silence came between them as they tried to hear what the two were saying in the other room. Unfortunately they were either too far away or were speaking in a very quiet tone.
"What do you think Optimus is saying to her?" Smokescreen asked. "I mean, how much does he know about relationships?"
"This may surprise you but Optimus knows a thing or two about romance. In fact, he has a sparkmate" Ratchet said, getting everyone's attention. Ultra Magnus nodded his head and it seemed like he was the only other person with this knowledge.
"What? The commander with a sparkmate?" Wheeljack asked astonished.
"Who?" Smokescreen questioned, Bumblebee asking the same question with his beeps.
"Indeed, Optimus was romantically involved even prior to the war." Ultra Magnus confirmed.
"Once again, with who?" Smokescreen asked. The lieutenant fixed him a look and the rookie corrected himself. "...sir."
"Remember your manners soldier. Do you recall of the Autobot named Elita-1?"
"I remember hearing of her. Wasn't she one of Optimus' lieutenants?" Bulkhead asked.
"That is correct, however Optimus saw her as his equal. She was tasked with commanding the Delta Team and oversaw all major operations." Ultra Magnus explained. "Elita-1 was a mighty warrior and always remained true to the Autobot cause. Her bravery and courage reassembles that of Optimus which is why some believed she may hold the title of a Prime one day. However, Elita-1 remained humble about her position and refused any glory given to her."
"What happened to her, sir?" Smokescreen asked.
"That is out of the extent of my knowledge. I believe Ratchet has further information regarding her location."
The medic nodded and recalled the last days on Cybertron. "Elita-1 escaped Cybertron on the Ark and when we were forced to separate, Optimus had her placed as the commander of the vessel. I am unsure of where the Ark is at this point in time, however Optimus occasionally tells me that he feels her presence somewhere beyond the stars."
"Wow, now I feel bad for the commander. I mean, being separated from his sparkmate must come back to pinch him sometimes." Wheeljack stated. Bumblebee also added his own statement of remorse with a string of sad beeps.
"Optimus and Elita-1 are warriors that deserve the highest of honors. They may be separated physically, but their sparkbond remains strong. For this reason, I believe Optimus is indeed the only one who can understand Arcee's emotions. It would be best if we allowed them to talk it out and wait for their return."
The Autobots faced the medical bay and stood in silence.
...
Arcee shuffled her feet and looked down at the floor as Optimus stood over her. She could feel his optics trailing her and she knew he was trying to find a way of approaching this carefully.
"Arcee," he began. "I have known you for many years now and never have I seen you so emotionally hurt. I understand the loss of Tailgate and Cliffjumper left you with scars that may never heal, however I can see that your connection with Jack is much more important to you."
The two-wheeler sighed sadly. "It is Optimus. He's changed my life so much, for the better, and just the thought of losing him hurts. I love him Optimus but I feel like he's lost the love he once showed me before, like he's forgotten about me and has moved on."
"Is it the thought of losing his love, or being separated from him that hurts more?"
"I-I don't know. Both." She answered painfully. "I don't want any of those things to happen, but after the fight with him yesterday, that just might be the case. I'm so stubborn that I might have ruined the best thing that's ever happened to me. Argg! I'm such an idiot!"
The Prime could tell that this was a very tough subject for her and her frustration is getting the better of her. However, he could still see the sadness behind her anger and how much it is affecting her.
"Tell me Arcee, how much do you love Jack?"
"I love him with all my spark Optimus. I've never loved anyone as strong as I do for him. I'd lay my life down for him."
"And do you think he would do the same for you?"
Arcee thought for a moment before answering.
"...he would."
Optimus nodded his head. "Arcee, I've been watching your relationship with Jack grow ever since the day you brought him in. I've seen how happy he makes you and I believe you have yet to notice your presence has the same effect on him as well. Jack shares the same love you have for him and that will never change. Though darkness clouds his life at this moment, I sense a bright future for him, one where you play a crucial role for his happiness. Do not believe your argument has changed his feelings towards you."
Arcee nodded her head as his words sunk in. He was right, and she knew it.
"As you may know, my relationship with your sister has grown to be something amazing. Our sparks have bonded and Elita-1 and I will remain sparkmates until death do us apart. Though we may be separated, perhaps light years apart, I know that our connection will never fade. I feel it inside my spark, just as I know it does for her."
"I'm so sorry Optimus" Arcee said.
The Prime smiled gently. "Do not be sorry Arcee. I tell you this because I know your relationship with Jack is just as strong. Though you may not have done the ritual for becoming sparkmates, I can see that you think of him every day, not only in your mind, but in your spark as well. Do not be afraid of losing his love Arcee, for I know that that will never happen."
A single tear trickled down her cheek as the two-wheeler smiled. Optimus had a way of words that can always make things better. Although, she still felt the pain and sadness inside of her, there was truth in his words and Arcee knew that Jack would never lose sight of the love and care he's shown towards her.
"Thank you Optimus" she said and earned a nod from the Prime.
The two of them walked back to the command center in silence. Optimus could still see that his talk with her hadn't had an effect on her feelings, however he was glad to see that she was in a slightly better mood.
...
When they returned back to the main room, the other Autobots were still gathered around waiting for them. They frowned when they saw Arcee stumble in, once again rubbing her left arm and looking at the ground, but Optimus gave them a look that told them that she was doing better.
Bumblebee checked the time on the control console and suddenly let off a couple of rushed beeps.
"Scrap you're right Bee. We better get going otherwise they'll be late for school." Bulkhead said, dragging himself over to the center of the room.
"Ah ah ah! I have not yet cleared you for active duties!" Ratchet warned.
"Come on Ratchet, all I'm doing is sending Miko to school. Besides, you're always saying how I need to move around and I haven't done that in my vehicle mode yet."
The medic grumbled something and placed a hand on his face, shaking his head.
"Very well, however you must return back here immediately!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it" Bulkhead said. He then changed his attitude and looked at Arcee softly. "Arcee, um, you coming too?"
The Autobots held their breath as they waited for Arcee's response. The two-wheeler looked at the ground and it seemed like she was thinking about it.
"I-I'm not ready to see Jack yet" she said quietly.
Bulkhead was about to say something but Optimus shook his head at him. The green wrecker nodded back and transformed along with Bumblebee, speeding out of the command center.
It was only the morning and their day was already going pretty bad.
...
About six hours later, Raf and Miko excited the school, waiting for their Autobot guardians to pick them up. A moment later, the familiar green SUV appeared and two doors shot open.
"Hey Bulk, where's Bee?" Raf asked as he crawled in.
"He's helping Ratchet move some stuff around, nothing to be worried about." He replied through the radio. Once the two kids were safely strapped in, they were on their way.
"So how's Arcee?" Miko asked. They had been told about what happened in the morning and have been concerned about he bleu female.
"Not good. She's either sulking around or in her room doing whatever she does. Either way, try not to tick her off today ok Miko? You know how emotional she is right now and it's best if we don't do anything to make it worse."
The two kids nodded and sat in silence as they drove towards the hidden Autobot base. They had just reached the edge of the town when Raf mentioned something that was quite important.
"Um, Bulkhead, did Arcee mention anything about Jack?"
"Not much other than the fight. She did say that he was pushing her away but that was all. Why?"
"I don't think I saw him at school today. Did you Miko?"
"Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure he was marked absent in our history class."
"Does he usually skip school?" Bulkhead asked.
"Not often. Unless something important got in the way, he's usually there."
The three of them drove in silence, pondering the thought of why Jack would skip school. Suddenly, all at once, they remembered the last time he went missing.
"Scrap..." Bulkhead said, changing gears.
The green SUV sped down the road at an insane speed, zooming past signs and going well over the speed limit. They had to get back to base fast, for they feared the worst has happened.
...
Moments later, Bulkhead came to a sudden stop in the base and the two kids quickly exited his vehicle mode. Once all possessions were out of him, he transformed back into his bipedal form. The Autobots were already gathered in the command center and it seemed Agent Fowler decided to pay them a visit. As always, when Optimus saw them, he broke conversation with the agent and greeted.
"Good afternoon Raf, Miko. How was scho-"
"Sorry Optimus but we have an emergency" Bulkhead interrupted, turning to the two kids.
"Emergency?" Agent Fowler asked.
"Perhaps it would be best if you explained your situation before we acted upon it." Optimus suggested.
"Well you see Optimus, Jack didn't show up at school today and he never misses a day." Miko explained.
Arcee, who was sitting in the corner, perked up when she heard Miko mention Jack skipping school. She immediately got up and ran over to them.
"Did you say Jack skipped school? Where is he?"
"We don't know. We thought that maybe it had something to do with your fight."
Arcee shook her head and turned to Optimus. She also remembered the last time Jack went missing and she couldn't handle it is it happened again. "Optimus we need to find him. What if he's been captured again? What if he's in trouble? What if-"
"Arcee, you must calm down. I do not believe he has encountered any danger."
"How are you so sure Optimus?" Ratchet asked.
"Have you forgotten that he is always accompanied by Agent 000? I believe if his well-being was put into harm's way, surely Agent 000 would have taken control over his body. It also stands to reason that Jack would have contacted us in the case of an emergency but that is not the case."
"Are you positive Jack did not appear at school?" Ratchet asked Miko and Raf.
"About 99% sure" Raf answered.
The medic scratched his chin. "Perhaps we could-"
All of a sudden, the proximity alarms went off and Ratchet practically jumped out of his skin. Lucky for him, everyone was too busy with their own thoughts so they didn't see his little scare.
Quickly, he moved over to the computer console and saw the familiar white sedan approaching the base.
"It is only Mrs. Darby" he said.
Moments later, the car came to a halt and June stepped out of the vehicle. A furrowed eyebrow and eyes as sharp as an eagle's told the group that she was angry, really angry.
"Where is he" she growled.
The Autobots shared looks with each other, confused about who she was talking about.
"Mrs. Darby, who exactly might you be referring to?" Optimus asked gently, careful not to get on her bad side.
"I come home from work and the first thing I get is a phone call from Principal Evans telling me that Jack skipped school today" she said angrily. "I've allowed him to roam around freely, but once he goes against my trust by skipping school, he's crossing the line."
Ratchet, who was afraid Arcee was going to start getting worked up again, raised his two hands and tried to calm the nurse down.
"Mrs. Darby, we understand your anger but there is no need to express that in front of us" the medic said, motioning his head towards Arcee. "We are also unsure of Jack's location."
Just like that, June's anger disappeared. She saw Ratchet's clue for her and she turned to look at Arcee. The poor two-wheeler had such a sad face that the nurse's heart broke just by looking at her.
She motioned for Ratchet to come closer so that she could whisper something into his audio processor.
"Is this something to do with their fight? Jack mentioned it but didn't talk too much about it."
"It is very possible Mrs. Darby" the medic whispered back. "To my understandings, Arcee has been taking their conflict quite seriously."
The two medical experts shared a look before turning back to the others.
"Do you think Jack's been kidnapped again?" June asked.
"We have concluded that it is highly unlikely Jack's disappearance is on account of capture." Optimus explained.
"If you want, I could try to get the military to fly some jets around to look for him." Agent Fowler suggested. "Although I'd have to pull a lot of strings to make that happen. Looking for missing kids is not something the army does."
"Thank you Agent Fowler but your assistance is not necessary. It is best if we find a solution using the resources that we already possess."
For a moment, they all stood there silently, thinking about possible places Jack could have gone. Suddenly, Arcee broke the dead air.
"This is all my fault!" She blurted out. "He hates me now and it's because of me that he disappeared!"
"Arcee dear, you can't say that" June comforted, her motherly instincts kicking in. She had to admit, it was extremely odd to talk to Arcee as if she were a child. After all, the blue female has been around far longer than she has. "Jack doesn't hate you and you can't blame yourself for what happened. Every relationship has its fights, even ones as strong as yours."
The two-wheeler didn't respond, instead looking away so that the others wouldn't see her emotions. She felt a small hand rub her knee but she knew it was only June trying to comfort her.
"Come on, are we just going to sit around or are we going to find Jack?" Wheeljack demanded.
Bumblebee let out a series of beeps and Optimus nodded in agreement.
"Bumblebee is correct. We do not possess any knowledge of Jack's whereabouts." The Prime said, turning to June. "However, perhaps Mrs. Darby's assistance may provide some light on our situation."
"I'm sorry Optimus but I know just as much as the rest of you. Jack hasn't told me anything about where he goes in his spare time."
The Autobot leader rubbed his chin. "Do you recall the last time you saw Jack?"
"Last night, right before he went off to bed. We were watching some television in the living room and he said something about being tired."
"What TV show?" Miko asked curiously.
"How would that help in any way shape or form?" Smokescreen said, earning a shrug from Miko.
"Maybe he saw something on TV and he decided to go check it out."
Ratchet grumbled in annoyance and ignored Miko's poor sense of humor. He thought for a moment about if they had any more clues to where Jack may have gone.
"And what of the morning?" he asked June.
"Well, when i woke up, Jack wasn't in his room, but that's normal. I went downstairs and saw that his car wasn't in the garage so I assumed he went on his morning ride."
The medic processed the information being told to him and suddenly an idea popped into his head. "Aha!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers.
"You got something Ratchet?" Raf asked.
"I do indeed" he said, quickly moving towards the computer console. "I have forgotten about the chip we installed into Jack's car a few days prior."
"You secretly bugged his car so that you could track him?" June asked.
"Yes, that is how we were able to pinpoint his location yesterday evening." Ratchet explained.
"Mrs. Darby, we apologize if you believe that we have invaded Jack's privacy. However, his lack of appearance has gotten us concerned and we were left with no choice but to install a tracker to his vehicle." Optimus added.
"It's fine. I've been trying to figure out where he goes in his spare time so at least one of us knew where he was." June answered.
Ratchet, along with Raf, began activating the tracker they placed and typed in commands to run the program installed with it as well. After a moment, a small blue dot appeared on the screen, pinpointing the location of the black Honda Civic.
"That's very peculiar..." the medic said, taking a closer look at the coordinates. "Rafael, are you positive that this is his location?"
"Yeah, I just ran it twice to make sure it didn't glitch or something" Raf answered, looking up at his computer. "That's where the tracker is, no mistake."
"Did you find him?" Arcee asked gently.
The medic scratched his head. "It is strange. You see, the program indicates the tracker's location somewhere inside the base."
"What? But we've been here all day" Smokescreen said. "If Jack was in the base, we would have seen him come in."
"Perhaps we will receive our answer once we locate the vehicle" Optimus suggested.
Ratchet nodded and quickly uploaded the coordinate to his scanner. Once it was complete, he grabbed the piece of technology and raised it in front of him, a small dial telling him where to go.
"This way" he said, pointing towards the medical bay.
He, along with Optimus, Smokescreen, Arcee, and June started towards the location of the tracker while the rest of them stayed back. The five of them didn't take long finding the location since the hallway was a straight corridor, however they were all surprised when they ended up in front of the storage vault's door.
"I've never been to this part of the base" June said, looking around.
"This door leads to our storage area where my equipment, along with other Cybertronian technology resides." Ratchet said, pointing at the large metal door.
"You think Jack's inside?" Smokescreen asked.
"No, the door is clearly locked which would suggest that no one is currently accessing our equipment. A small flaw when I designed it, there is only one way to unlock the door and that is from the outside."
"So maybe he's trapped inside."
"Perhaps..."
Ratchet typed in the pass code to unlock the sealed door and walked in, turning on all the lights. After a few minutes, he reappeared, shaking his head while closing the large piece of metal, automatically locking it.
"As I suspected, Jack is not inside."
"Ratchet, you said that Jack's car is located somewhere in this vicinity?" Optimus pointed out.
"Oh, yes, I forgot." The medic quickly took out the scanner, following the dial as it led him underneath one of the tables. Sure enough, the black Honda Civic was parked right in the corner, sitting there as if it was normal for it to park in such an obscure area.
"Optimus, I've found it." Ratchet said and the Autobots squatted down to look at the hidden vehicle.
"What' is doing here?" Smokescreen questioned.
"I believe a better question is how it got here."
June quickly made her way over to the car, pulling out her car keys and picking out the one to the Honda Civic. Once she unlocked the door, she opened it up, looking around inside. The entire car was empty and it looked as if it were brand new. Not a single penny or item was left behind.
"There's nothing in here" she said, crawling back out.
Desperate to find her boyfriend, Arcee started searching around the room frantically.
"Jack!" she called out multiple times, lifting up different pieces of equipment and searching high and low for the human she fell in love with.
"Don't you think he would have responded by now?" Smokescreen pointed out.
"Well it wouldn't hurt to try!" she yelled at the rookie, although there was more sadness in her voice than anger.
As the two-wheeler searched around the area, Ratchet activated the scanner inside his arm and a beam of light shot out, running over the vehicle and stopping once it reached the end. The medic looked at his arm and his face became even more confused at the result.
"Have you found any new information on the vehicle old friend?" Optimus asked.
"My scans indicate that Jack's car has been parked here for several hours" he answered, looking even closer. "In fact, it has been stationary since last night at 2:13 am."
"Jack would have been asleep then" June said.
"Yeah, and wouldn't the proximity alarms have went off when he got close enough to the base?" Smokescreen added.
"The most logical explanation is that Jack programmed our alarms to act as though his signal is that of an Autobot. Therefore, or proximity alarm would have remained silent during his entrance." Ratchet explained. "It's a matter of simple coding and it would make sense for him to learn after watching Rafael and I run the commands daily."
"But why would Jack do that?" June asked.
Ratchet thought for a moment for any possible explanations but before he could add his opinion, footsteps were heard coming towards them. The four of them turned around and even Arcee stopped searching to see who it was. After a moment, the figure of a small girl ran into the room.
"Guys, Raf found something and we think it's really important." Miko said.
Quickly, they jogged down the hallway, reaching the command center in no time. Once they arrived, they spotted Raf up on the platform where the TV and couches were located. Next to him was Agent Fowler, and the other Autobots crowded around him.
"Rafael, what have you discovered that is so important?" Ratchet asked.
The young genius looked up and his sad look of despair told them it really was urgent. He lifted up an envelope which had already been opened.
"It's a letter..."
"...from Jack."
...