Transformers Prime : The Destiny Ark
Chapter 4
Colonel June Darby sat in the soft chair that was in the far corner of the other June's bedroom, it was by a window what she raised the blinds. It was a full moon out and she could see it out in its full glory. She held a small digital recording device she found in one of the drawers of the room. On she heard her other self's voice, it was a small collection of nursing notes, various mental musings about potential boyfriends, frustrations and all around mental ramblings. She found the audio notes on Jack's involvement with the Autobots particularly interesting and particularly vulgar. She understood this woman's worry, here was her son her world. Thrust into an interstellar war with beings she saw had no bisnuess on this world. They were soon followed by hope and pride that through these experiences she is seeing Jack transform from the boy she raised into the man he is becoming.
June gazed out on the moon and clicked record on the device as she was about to send her counterpart a message:
"I'm not sure if Jack or the Autobots will tell you about this week. I'm not even sure if they should, what would it prove? But here I am sending you a message I'm not sure you will ever find. Your probably wondering when did I record this? , That's the kick in the butt, I'm you but I'm not you. My name is Colonel June Darby and I'm not from this world. I'm from an alternate timeline of Earth. A time where the Decepticon threat has pushed humans to the brink of extinction, I am part of the human resistance there, I was brought to this alternate world when a mission went arwy. In my world I was married but unlike your husband mine died when his transport was shot down over Montana, another difference between us is you have a Jack and I don't. It wasn't because he was taken from me or was lost. Jack never happened because I wasn't as brave as you. I wasn't brave enough to bring a child into a world I felt was cruel and unkind. But in spending the few days here and with your son, I see how wrong I was. Jack isn't just gifted June, He is a gift. He's a gift to this world , and I know that with him in this world. It will never become my world a world of strife and pain. A world that tomorrow I will go back and try to fix, but in doing so I'm going to have to do something terrible. So for what's worth June Darby, I'm sorry."
Autobot Base One
Optimus prime was in seclusion all morning, giving no reason he requested to be alone as what he was going to do required immense concentration. Ratchet however focused his time and energies to repairing the reactor of the Destiny Ark. Time was running out if they were to send the alternate June Darby back to her world in time so she would miss her counterpart when she arrived back from Seattle.
Ratchet wasn't sure what would happen if the Two Junes ever met face to face , but it was a risk he wasn't about to take. He repaired the Reactor using old notes he recovered from the Iacon Science academy archives. He connected the reactor to the ground bridge controls and primed the nodules for a test. Turning on the reactor as it hummed to life he looked at Raf who was standy at the ready with a remote controlled helicopter outfitted with a digital camera.
"Are you ready Raf?" He asked the boy.
"Ready Ratchet! " He signaled with a thumbs up.
Ratchet activated the ground bridge controls as the vortex came to life, Instead of Green it was a dark blue, and it swirled with a furor of a hurricane. Raf turned on the helicopter and saw what it saw on his laptop. Gritting his teeth he maneuvered the copter through the vortex it sailed in as the vortex wanted to tuss it about. With the gentle touch his his controls Raf was able to pilot it though the vortex. It popped out the other side and Raf for the first time saw images from another alternate version of Earth. He could see the ruins of what looked like Las Vegas. He saw what was left of the Luxor hotel, cars and debris were strewn all over the place, he then turned the camera to see facing before the helicopter a massive flying automation, It keyed in on the copter and shot it on sight. Raf blinked in shock as his screen faded to static.
"I…Think it works!" He gulped "as the image of the huge flying machination stuck in his mind.
Satisfied with the results of the test, Ratchet saved his findings and waited for Optimus to come out of his sabbatical.
Jack took June though one last ride through Jasper Nevada, He wanted to give her a lasting reminded of what she had to look forward too when she won her war. He only regretted not being able to go to help her, but he knew his place was here. June held on to Jack a little tighter as they left town and reached the Autobot base. She knew the time was close, When Ratchet radioed in that the bridge was ready she made ready her plans.
They entered the large structure as she saw all the Autobots but Prime were present. Miko and Raf were off to the side playing video games while Bulkhead and Bumblebee were chatting up some reports. Jack and June dismounted as Arcee transformed and joined her colleagues. June was dressed in her military fatigues and her equipment. They were greeted by Ratchet.
"Good Morning! I am happy to report that I have fixed the reactor and wired it into the ground bridge controls. We did a test earlier and if you could confirm this image so I know I got the right coordinates. "He said as he pointed June to the laptop.
June leaned in and saw the image of the Decepticon, machination "That looks like a Sky Hunter!, You got the right coordinates. But will you have the right time?"
"When I keyed in the coordinates it automatically matched the clock from your world to ours, exactly one week had passed in time. So you will return to your world in your year but only one week will have passed. " Ratched said .
"Where is Optimus?" Jack asked looking around
"He sequestered himself all morning, he said he was working on something, but he does want to be here to see Col Darby off."
Raf and Miko joined them as Miko went to June, she had a soft forlorn look on her face.
"um I just wanted to say thank you , for the other day . You know for saving me." She said sincerely.
June smiled a little "Don't worry about it kid, I admire your spunk, but promise me you'll use that head more!"
Miko unhooked her UFO catcher dolls from her waist and gave it to June " Would you do me a favor and give this to my other me?, If she's like me this will help her smile as much as it's made me."
June took the dolls and nodded "You have my word Miko."
She looked at the Autobots and the kids, she realized this was the time to enact her plan, She took four orbs from her cargo pockets and el them behind her back, She hit the switch on all of them . A glowing red dot appeared on each of them. She took a stance and readied herself. She had been planning for this moment for the past three days. Learning how each autobot moves and reacts to how to work the ground bridge controls but what was most important was Jack's code for the relic vault.
"Everyone "she said " I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done, I won't forget any of you or this world. I'll remember this place when I go back and try to win back our world from the Decepticons. "She could see the faces of everyone looking at her, she wished they didn't have to see hers
"And one last thing I just want to say is, I'm sorry" With that she threw the four orbs in the air, they sprang to life as they hit the air. With a high pitched whistle they keyed into the energon signals of the autobots, they were completely taken off as the orbs each found an Autobot to attach itself to. As soon as they found their mark they released a high impact energy pulse that hit the autbots and overloaded their systems. It caused them to transform into their vehicle modes and knocked them out.
June knew these orbs as pulse orbs; they were constructed from the intel of the decepticon ship. They were designed to seek out any enrgron signal and attach itself to them, with the right calibrations they could burn out the systems of any Decepticon or drone.
June raced forward, ignoring the cries of her name from Jack and Miko, she made it to the relic vault, and keyed in the Jack's code. She thought it was an eerie coincidence that Jack's code was the same date as date of her sister April's death. The vault doors opened as she went to the Spark Extractor, She studied the files of the relic when no one was watching, she waved her hand over the large Spark Extractor in the sequence to transform it to a smaller size. She watched as it transformed before her to a size she could easily carry it. She took it and turned to see Jack, Miko and Raf blocking the exit of the vault.
She drew her pistol "I don't want to hurt you so DON'T MAKE ME!" She threatened.
"Mom-I mean June, Just think about what you're doing you cannot take that relic from here!" Jack pleaded.
"No Jack you don't understand!, I need this, my world needs this! It's our only hope to change the course of the war!" She said her eyes brimming with tears.
"Are you willing to turn OUR world into your world just to save yours?" Jack asked "Please just calm down we can talk about this, Optiums will figure something out!, Please just trust us!"
"I'm sorry Jack, this was always how this was going to end!, When I lost the Destiny Ark , this became my backup plan!"
"Just listen please you don't want to do this!" Raf pleaded.
"You're fighting the war against machines!" Jack said "But if you take that relic you will lose your humanity! If that happens, if you become like them, then what is THE POINT of you fighting this war?" Jack yelled.
June's eyes softened for a second, and then she remembered the burnt charred body of her younger sister and how she died in her arms as June sung softly to her. She recalled the pain of that day and the pain of every battle she fought, everyone she lost.
She looked up with hard eyes "Never again." She said as she fired the pistol.
As soon as Jack saw that look in her eyes, he knew what she was going to do, Instinctively he grabbed Miko and Raf to shield them. The blast of the gun shocked them enough to knock them out. She set the gun to a low enough level not to kill them, but to defiantly incapacitate them if she had to. She made her way to the ground bridge area with the Spark Extractor in tow. She could see the controls in reach but before she could get to them, a ground bridged opened in the base. She saw the green swirling vortex come alive as a lone figure came through the portal. June looked and then her eyes went wide in shock as she saw the person emerge in the Autobot base.
It was her sister April Sullivan.
The grown up April of this world, The April who never died cause of a nuclear missile. Who was allowed to live her life to the fullest and become what she always wanted to be. She had shoulder length black hair and wore blue scrubs over a white shirt. She immediately saw June as she exited the ground bridge.
"Hey sis!" She sang out as she ran over to hug her. "I see you made it back from Seattle!, I hope it went well!" She looked at what June was wearing.
"Lemmie guess they had a costume party the last day?" She joked. "Anyway, Perceptor sent me here to pick up a box of reformatted data chips."
She looked to see the box of data chips near the ground bridge computer, April looked to see the Autobots in car modes, when she saw no sign of the kids her mind went to her first assumption " Awwww! The Autobots are playing hide and seek with the kids!"
June realized that April had no idea she wasn't her sister from this world. April carried the large box of data chips and sat them by her sister. "Well tonight's the big night, the third date with Yuri! I'm not sure if I'm ready for sex with him yet, and I don't think he is either. Oh and I wanted to remind you I will be in Russia with him next week, but I'll only be gone for a week.I'll bring you backa snowball!" She smiled.
"A-April." June barely got out.
April looked at her sister "are you ok June? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
June took April in a tight hug " I-I, Just know April that I love you very much.!" June finally got out.
April returned her hug, " I love you too big sis, Tell you what? Let's meet up for coffee before I leave the country next week ok?, Man don't you love ground bridges?" She smiled as she sent a text to preceptor to open the ground bridge back to Miami. The vortex opened as she waved and then disappeared back through the portal.
As the portal disappeared, she heard Optimus approach her; She turned to see him standing in front of her. She looked at the Spark Extractor and realized she could still escape with this if she used it against Optimus. She knew she was at an impasse at life. She looked at herself and realized what she was about to become. Optimus merely looked at her with compassionate eyes.
"The choice is your June Darby ." He said as he waited for her response.
After what seemed like an eternity, she dropped the Spark Extractor, "O-Optimus, "She said through tears "Forgive me….." She covered her face with her hands and sobbed as she sank to her knees.
Optimus knelt to her "June I know I have asked you to trust me these past days, and you not knowing me was difficult for you to do, But know I never intended for you to leave without a way to help you."
He opened his chest to reveal the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, and nestled within it was a tiny cylinder like device. He held it with the tips of his fingers and gave it to her. "This is a beacon that I have spent all morning tuning it with the frequency of the Matrix of leadership, once activated it will send a signal and a message that I have prepared to the Autobot leader of your universe. Once they have heard my message they will mobilize to stop the Decepticons."
June took the beacon in her hands, and with tears running down her face smiled at Optimus. "Thank you." She said. She then turned to see Jack approaching them and holding his head.
"Jack! " She called out " I-Im so sorry!, I lost my head…." She said looking down in shame.
Jack smiled "i-It's ok, " He said " I saw everything, with Aunt April and Optimus."
She hugged Jack warmly "You are the son I wished I had, Tell your mother she is one lucky woman."
June looked at Optimus, "About your troops, I only stunned them, the effects will wear off soon, when they wake up tell them how much I'm sorry I didn't trust you all."
Optimus nodded " I will June, are you ready to go back?"
"I am" she said "Open the Bridge"
Optimus turned on the blue swirling vortex, with her rifle slung on her shoulder she waved farewell to Optimus and Jack.
Alternate Earth
Colonel Darby made the treacherous trek back to the California human command. She was stopped by a huge searchlight as she made the approach to the human's base.
"It's Colonel Darby! She's alive!" she heard a voice shout out.
June was let back into the compound with cheers and hugs. She was eventually greeted by General Bishop. He grabbed her in a massive hug.
"When we saw the ship disappear in a flash of light we thought the worst!" He said "Thank God you're ok!, Where have you been?"
"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you" she said
"What about the Ark?" He asked "Is it lost?"
June nodded "Yes, It's in a place we'll never be able to reach it. "
"So that's it?" A sergeant said "Our only hope to win the war is lost."
"I wouldn't say that soldier" June said as she climbed a pile of rubble to get a higher ground, She pulled out the beacon and aimed it at the sky. She closed her eyes as she put her trust into Optimus Prime and Jack Darby.
"What's that?" General Bishop called out looking at June
"It's hope…." June said as she turned on the beacon, from within the cylinder a bright light shot into the night sky, as the signal keyed into the frequency of the Matrix. It shot through the galaxy as it found its mark and it's message played.
"To the leader of the Autobots, I am Optimus Prime. I speak to you from an Alternate Universe. A Universe where the light of Cybertron has left and we are scattered throughout the galaxy. I am speaking to you from the planet Earth, where here we are fighting the Decepticons. But I urge you to go to the planet Earth in the Sol system in your universe. There the Decepticons have conqured the planet and enslaved its inhabitants. I ask you to deploy whatever Autobots available to aid the humans in reclaiming their world from the Decepticon threat. Till all are one, I am Optimus Prime!"
"That's the end of the message sir, what are your orders?" Jazz said as he ended the message and looked back.
"After all these years we've finally found where the Decepticons are hiding, Contact the fleet!, We leave for Earth immediately!" Rodimus Prime ordered. "How long will it take for us to get there?"
Jazz checked his instruments "One week sir!"
"Then let's not waste any time, Earth has waited long enough!, Send out this Reply :Message recieved, Autobot fleet is en route" He said as dozens of Autobots ships gathered and then made the space jump to Earth. The Decepticons days of rule over the Earth were now numbered.
A/N : well that's it folks! Thanks for reading! Please leave a review or two!.