Author's Note: Thanks so much for those of you who have reviewed and added my story to alerts and favorites! :D
This unfortunately will be the last chapter I can post for a little while. My family is moving to another apartment and we have until Sept 15th to pack and clean our house, so if it takes me one or two months to update this story, this is the reason. Thank you in advance for your patience! I PROMISE I will NEVER abandon this story! It will be completed!
Chapter 4
Crank-crank-crank….
The clattering sound of a piece of metal dropping to the stone floor rang out a few seconds later, a testament to the fact that a task was now complete.
Jack dropped his wrench after he finished tightening shiny silver bolts on his bicycle. His old ones had finally rusted and had to be replaced. He took a few moments to admire his work and then experimentally turned one of the pedals and was satisfied to hear the soft mechanical clinking sound as the chain connecting the front sprockets to the rear sprockets on each tire, smoothly glided around the crankset. The chain and crankset were always well oiled and greased, eliminating the chance of a freak jam or misalignment.
The teenager wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving behind a small grease smear which went entirely unnoticed. He only had one job left to do now and it was a grand endeavor. He pulled a ventilator filtration mask over his face and put on a pair of safety glasses. He turned on a small machine and pulled the small hose attached to it over to the frame of his bike. He firmly gripped the pump handle and began to carefully spray a fine stream of highly concentrated paint over the frame of his bicycle. Jack was a bit of a perfectionist so he took his time and ensured that none of the paint splattered. It took him four hours to finish his project.
He opened the garage door to air it out and stood back and looked upon his work with pride. His bicycle was now painted red with small blue flames running down the length of the top tube and the main frame bar. It was a work of art…
Jack began to clean up his workstation and exhaled a content sigh. Today was a Saturday which meant he didn't have school or work. He often enjoyed tinkering with things…and truth be told…the teenage boy had been working on a couple of secret projects. One of which his mother would kill him for if she knew.
He secretly developed an alternative fuel source to replace the gas he normally used for the motor on his bike and attached a couple of miniature nitro boosters on it which would boost his speed to nearly fifty-five miles an hour. Unfortunately the boosters were a one-time use. He was the genius mastermind behind it all but he did have Ratchet help him manufacture his new fuel supply. Without the modified, Ratchet approved fuel, the boosters would in all probability blow out the entire motor. While it was true that Jack still retained his phobia of falling off of a fast moving object, the teen came to realize that when it came to riding his bicycle…that phobia was virtually non-existent. He had ridden his bike his entire life. It was practically a part of him he'd used it so much.
The only reason why Jack built the new nitro boosters in the first place was due to his heightened paranoia after running into his abusive father at the store two weeks ago. He hadn't seen or heard any rumor of the man since then. He shuddered as his father's ominous warning continually reverberated within his mind…
And Jack…Jasper is my new home now. So I'm sure we'll both be seeing each other again real soon…
The boy felt another anxiety attack coming on and shook his head trying to clear it. He took a few deep, calming breaths and remembered Optimus's promise. Jack trusted the Autobots with his life and was in no way doubting their guardian capabilities. The teen just liked to be prepared should he ever get into a dangerous situation where he needed a fast exit. Whether it be from a run in with another Decepticon or his father.
Then there was Jack's second secret project…
That one…the Autobots would undoubtedly order him to destroy should they discover its existence.
The reason why he knew the Autobots would force him to destroy his new weapon (designed only for self-defense against Decepticons) was because it was a danger to the younger children should Raf or Miko ever get their hands on it and it posed a potential threat against the bots if an enemy took possession of it. Jack promised himself that he would never allow his invention to fall into the wrong hands. If it ever came down to it, the boy swore he would destroy it if only to keep his friends safe.
There were many days it was difficult for him to acquire the necessary parts and supplies needed to construct it. Not because he couldn't afford it…but just because he constantly had an Autobot watching his every move. It was both a blessing and a curse at times.
So instead of purchasing the materials all at once, he bought one or two items every other day or so. Mixed in with a few necessities like food and TP, the Autobots were none the wiser.
His new invention was a specialized rocket-flare fired from a high velocity, hand-held pistol. It was designed to temporarily disrupt the optical sensors of a Cybertronian, temporarily blinding them. It was brighter than any other man-made flare on Earth. If Jack's calculations were correct the optical disruption would last an approximate two minutes and twelve seconds. Then again there were no certainties since he would never actually have the privilege of field-testing it…
So far, he managed to manufacture three rounds.
Jack went inside the house after closing the garage door. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out some leftover pizza from the fridge and heated it up in the microwave. It was his favorite-black olive with extra cheese and alfredo-sauce. His mom was working and was hopefully going to be back home by seven but with her line of work, there were no guarantees. June promised her son that once she had a free evening, they would have a movie night at home together. The teen glanced at the clock. It was only ten after five.
The boy walked into the living room and sat down on the couch and turned on the TV after his food was ready. He began to eat and took occasional sips of soda. He wished he could be with the Autobots today but they were indisposed at the moment dealing with the aftermath of a Decepticon attack on a military installation. The mission was so important that all of the bots were called away. Optimus assured Jack that they would still monitor him via satellite until Arcee could return. Until then Jack kept every window and door locked and made sure the new security system installed in their house was turned on.
A sudden knock at the door startled him. He set his plate and soda can down next to the lamp on the table beside him and got up. Ever paranoid, the teen grabbed the baseball bat propped against the wall by the coat rack and tip-toed to the door.
He peered through the eye hole and smiled to see who it was. He punched in the code to deactivate the security alarm and welcomed his guest inside.
"Hey Arcee! I take it the mission went well?" Jack opened the door wider so that Arcee's holoform could enter his home.
"Yep. All taken care of. How are you Jack? Did you miss me?" Arcee smiled as she walked past him.
Her holoform appeared the same as it always did, with the tight-fitting, leather jumpsuit but her helmet was missing. Now Jack could see her 'human' face. She appeared to be a young woman in her mid-twenties and had black hair with bright, neon blue highlights streaking through it. Her eyes were a brilliant blue as was customary for all of the Autobot holoforms it seemed. The only one who apparently lacked a holoform, or at least rarely used one, was Bumblebee. He was still young by Cybertronian standards and was still learning how to create one by projecting his spark energy. Ratchet's holoform integration devices were not designed to create holoforms for the bots, but to only make the ones they had- solid.
The rare times Bumblebee managed to project his human looking holoform, the young scout appeared to be around sixteen-years-old give or take-a teenager with blonde hair, a boyish grin, and bright blue eyes. He would wear a black leather jacket with two golden, yellow stripes running from his shoulders down each arm, a yellow T-shirt, black jeans, and yellow tennis shoes.
Jack couldn't wait to see Bulkhead and Ratchet's holoforms. He didn't have the chance yet since school, work, and his latest inventions consumed the majority of his time. Bulkhead was usually gone from base either out on patrol or out spending time with Miko. Ratchet was either busy working in the Autobot base or guarding his mother. The day that the normally grumpy medic had helped Jack finalize the formula, he was only able to verbally instruct the teen on how to develop the new motor fuel, since at the time he'd been too recharge deprived to use his holoform to physically help him.
Jack finished his food and shut the TV off. If Arcee was using her holoform to privately talk with him inside his house, it must be important.
"So, what's up Arcee?"
"We miss you, Jack. It's been over a week since your last visit at the base. Things just aren't the same without you around…Optimus has grown worried about you."
"He doesn't need to worry. I'm fine. I have you guarding me, don't I?"
"That isn't the reason. You've become a recluse Jack…you've been locked up in your garage and within your house for far too long. Ratchet doesn't think it's healthy."
"I know," Jack replied softly while turning away from her. He went back to the couch and sat down, Arcee not far behind him. She sat beside her young charge and turned worried eyes on him.
"Something's been bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really…" Jack rubbed his arm while avoiding her gaze. When it came to his personal problems, he never liked to discuss them.
"Optimus wishes to see you back at the base."
"Why?"
"I don't know Jack. I'm just the messenger."
The teen was silent and seemed to be considering her words. He finally released a pent up sigh and nodded.
"Fine. When do we leave?"
"Right now if you are ready."
Jack smiled and gave her a subtle nod after grabbing his backpack.
Arcee returned outside to her vehicular form and used her hologram to roll herself into Jack's garage. Once they shut the door Arcee called the base.
:Bulkhead, we need a bridge!::
Within seconds, a glowing green portal opened behind them. Arcee's holoform fizzled out of view and the femme revved her engine.
"After you Jack."
Jack walked through the portal with Arcee right beside him. As soon as they entered the Autobot base the portal disappeared and Arcee transformed back into bipedal form. She smiled at Jack and pointed where Optimus was currently located. The leader of the Autobots was sitting on a repair berth. Ratchet was tending to him.
Jack felt his heart begin to race. Optimus was pretty banged up. He had a multitude of dents, gashes, and scrapes all over his frame and was leaking energon in a few places. Jack sprinted straight for Optimus and ran past Miko and Raf whose greetings died on their lips when they saw the worry and fear etched on the elder teen's face.
"Optimus! Optimus, what happened?" Jack slid to a stop a few feet shy of the larger mech's foot. The boy looked ready to cry.
Optimus looked down at the young human with a slight grimace.
"We encountered Megatron and Soundwave while on our mission. A battle ensued but we were victorious. You don't need to fear for me, Jack. My injuries are hardly life threatening."
"You wouldn't have been injured at ALL if you hadn't been so slagging reckless on the battlefield! What were you THINKING Optimus?! You shouldn't have engaged the Decepticons until the rest of us got there!" Ratchet growled with narrowed optics. He waved a wrench threateningly in front of his leader's face while ranting. Jack couldn't be sure but it appeared as if the doc might actually throw it…
"As I said before Ratchet, there was no time. If I had waited…all human personnel at that installation would have perished."
Ratchet continued to grumble quietly to himself as he repaired Optimus. The teen could have sworn he heard Ratchet call Optimus "a stubborn fool" beneath his breath. Jack edged a little bit closer and saw energon leaking out of a small gash in Optimus's ankle. It appeared to have been overlooked. That was kind of strange…Ratchet noticed everything and was known for his exceptional ability to pay attention to even the slightest detail. Jack unzipped his backpack and pulled out his portable repair kit and looked up at the Autobot medic expectantly.
"How do I fix him?"
"What?" Ratchet glanced down at him with mild annoyance, no doubt a bit cranky that his work had been interrupted.
"There are injuries Optimus has that are too small for you to fix. How do I repair them?"
"You can't. Or rather you don't need too. His internal repair systems will heal his minor wounds."
"He is leaking energon! Please Ratchet…please show me how," Jack pleaded.
Ratchet paused mid-task and nodded.
"I will teach you in due time but not right now," the medic promised as he resumed his work.
"Jack Darby…you need not worry for me. I assure you that I am fine... but your concern is most appreciated," Optimus reached a hand down in an invitation for Jack to climb on once his repairs were complete. The boy hesitated but eventually crawled into the Autobot leader's large servo. Optimus held Jack close to his chest to prevent the boy from falling off.
"Get some rest Optimus," Ratchet ordered his leader as he began to clean up the med-bay.
The leader of the Autobots gave the elder mech a small smile and silently nodded. There was no point in trying to argue with him. Optimus knew that he had been a bit reckless during this last mission. He hardly registered the injuries that the Decepticons began to heap upon him during the fight. The Prime had been distracted thinking about Demetri Darby and his hostile intentions towards Jack…especially since Bumblebee reported seeing the man late in the afternoon hanging around Jack's high school the previous day. Thankfully the boy hadn't been there at the time. The Autobots felt it was in Jack's best interest that he didn't know. Optimus swore by the Allspark that he would protect the boy with his life.
He looked down at the human child, nestled securely in his hand. Unbeknownst to Jack, Optimus had watched him from afar and was already aware that the teen's anxiety and paranoia were steadily mounting. The leader of the Autobots couldn't help but morbidly wonder what other horrors and atrocities Jack suffered as a human youngling…
Jack leaned his head against the mech's chassis and pressed his ear against Optimus's chest armor. He was stunned when he heard something amazing.
"Optimus, I can hear your spark beating!" Jack smiled as he closed his eyes. He soaked in the comforting sound as he both heard and felt the bot's internal systems quietly revving. The steady, rhythmic sound of Prime's strong spark-beat was rather soothing and relaxing to listen too.
The leader of the Autobots found his statement rather amusing.
"Yes. I can hear yours as well."
The boy smiled again as Optimus's baritone voice gently rumbled, sending miniature vibrations rippling down his armor.
"Jack?"
The teen snapped his head to look up at Prime.
"Yes Optimus?"
"You carry a heavy burden. Are you sure you don't carry it needlessly?"
"What do you mean?"
"I know you suffer child…but must you suffer alone?"
Jack pulled his legs against his chest and rested his head on his knees.
"Arcee already tried Optimus. I don't want to talk about it…"
"Jack…we respect your wishes. We just need you to know that you are never alone."
"Is that why you had Arcee bring me here?"
"Partly. I was hoping that you would accompany me on a drive."
"You want to go for a drive right now? Won't Ratchet get mad at you? I thought he told you to rest." Jack hissed softly as his paranoid eyes immediately began to search the room for the medic in question. It soon became apparent that the Autobot CMO had long since departed.
Optimus softly chuckled as he lowered Jack back down to the floor. He transformed into vehicle form and opened his passenger door for the teen.
"I did rest."
Jack hauled himself into Optimus's interior cabin and buckled up. He ran a hand through his ebony hair and let out a breath.
"You call ten minutes a rest? You are still injured! If Ratchet catches you, you are as good as dead Optimus…you realize that right?"
"What Ratchet doesn't know won't hurt him…" Prime spoke in a soft, rather conspiratorial voice.
The leader of the Autobots rolled out of the base and began to drive through the burning desert. His solid holoform activated in the driver's seat beside Jack. He hated being confined to the med-bay. Optimus would have remained at Autobot HQ only if his physician ordered him to be confined to base. Luckily for him, Ratchet hadn't. In Prime's optics, he was free to roam wherever his spark desired.
"So, Optimus…where are we going this time?"
"I have no intended destination in mind. Is there anywhere you would like to go to Jack?"
The boy leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment thinking.
"There is one place I've always wanted to go…but never had the chance. I'm afraid you can't drive me there though Optimus."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
Jack suddenly felt self-conscious and shrank down in his seat. He felt that his request was too outrageous and had a feeling that it would be impossible for Optimus to grant it to him.
"Well…I've always wanted to go to the beach…to see the ocean. The only thing I've ever seen is desert. It gets kind of old after a while, you know?"
Optimus remained silent. He sensed that the child wasn't finished speaking.
"…when I was younger, like three years old…we visited my grandparents, my mother's parents, who lived on the east coast. My mom told me the story of my first experience at the beach. She said that at first, I wasn't sure what to think of it…the feeling of wet sand in my hands. I don't remember much about that trip…just the vague, distant sound of water crashing against the shore. Maybe that's why I like water so much…"
Jack noticed that Optimus had turned around to head back to the base. The cab was filled with silence for the span of at least twenty seconds before the Prime spoke again.
"You are right Jack. I cannot drive you there…" Optimus began.
Jack slumped down in his seat in defeat. He should have known it was impossible. The teen jerked his head up with wide eyes at what Optimus said next.
"Which is why we are going to take a ground bridge…"
For the first time in months, Jack felt his heart soaring. At long last, his lifelong dream would finally come true…
"Thanks so much Optimus! You have no idea how much this means to me!" Jack grinned, feeling elated.
"It's my pleasure Jack. All I desire…is to see you happy."
Without thinking or realizing what he was doing, the teen flung himself against Optimus Prime's holoform and hugged him. It took Optimus by complete surprise. Once he recovered himself, the mech returned Jack's embrace.
"We shall depart as soon as we arrive within our headquarters. I will have Arcee bridge us out."
"Sounds like a plan Optimus…so long as Ratchet doesn't catch us…"
"I've taken precautionary measures and have ensured that Ratchet is well occupied. He won't register our absence," Prime responded in a confident voice.
Optimus rolled around the bend in the tunnel and arrived in the main hub of the base only to run into a slight complication…
Ratchet was standing right in front of them with the scariest glare of all time, a wrench firmly grasped in one hand.
"Uhh…Optimus…why is he looking at you like that?" Jack couldn't stop himself from asking the rhetorical question as he took a few cautious steps away from Optimus as the Autobot leader transformed into bipedal mode.
Ratchet's optics narrowed even further as Optimus met his glare with an even stare of his own. For some reason, the Autobot leader was speechless…
"I thought I told you to REST!" the medic immediately snapped.
"Ratchet, I followed your sound medical advice. I have rested. Now I am resuming my post."
"Driving thirty miles out into the scorching desert is anything but! And you aren't resuming your post until I've cleared you for active duty!"
"I'm fully functional Ratchet. I am fit for duty," Optimus remained steadfast and didn't appear to be intimidated by the wrathful medic in the slightest.
"You are fit for duty when I SAY you are fit for duty! I don't want to hear any more excuses out of you Optimus! It's time for you to rest."
Ratchet moved forward to grab his leader by the arm but Optimus evaded his grasping hands. By now, the two elder mechs had gathered a rather amused audience as both bots and humans alike gawked at the unfolding drama.
"Don't force me to take drastic measures, Prime!"
"I'm fully functional!"
"You soon won't be unless you submit to your physician's authority!"
"Ratchet, I—"
CLANG!
The spectating audience winced as Ratchet's wrench collided painfully with Optimus Prime's cranial unit, leaving the Autobot leader dazed. His optics flickered for a moment but by the time he returned to his senses he was once again detained in the medical bay.
Wonderful…
Optimus smiled at Jack apologetically while the overprotective medic continued raving about his carelessness and irresponsibility. The young boy returned his smile with a sympathetic look.
Jack took the opportunity to hang out with Raf and Miko and the three kids played video games until it was time for Jack to return home. His mother sent him a text message telling him that her shift was finally over. Arcee accompanied him back via ground-bridge and his faithful guardian resumed curbside duty. Jack eagerly looked forward to the day when Optimus would fulfill his request and take him to the beach.
The boy closed his eyes and dreamt of a life he never had. A life where he had a father who actually loved him…
…and who wanted nothing more than to see him happy and safe.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Author's Note: Sorry if the ending was kind of cheesy... Yes if you have read into it, Optimus is going to be a fatherly figure in Jack's life. Thanks for sticking with this story! I will do my best to post another chapter soon but no promises. Moving is such a pain… -.-