I have always loved the Shattered Glass AU by the concept alone. A while back, I had a mediocre OC-centric story called Picking Up the Pieces of the Past that was Shattered Glass. However, I deleted it because of the aforementioned mediocrity of the story. So, I decided to try my hand at something Shattered Glass again, but in a smaller format. However, this Glimpse is not purely Shattered Glass - it's also an interdimensional adventure story. Yeah, I know that's a little cliché at this point since most Transformers Shattered Glass AUs involved crossing dimensions, but I had an idea I thought was a unique approach to it.

Beyond the Mirror

His breath came in short, quiet gasps as his heart pounded and fear-adrenaline pumped through his veins. Everything around him was oddly big in comparison to him, but he paid it little attention as he came to a halt from his previous running, searching the room. He was trembling as he looked for a place to hide, soon realizing that his best option was the closet right next to him. Tossing a fearful look over his shoulder as a voice called out to him with false sweetness, he quickly got into the closet and closed the door as quietly, but quickly as he could. He curled up, pulling his knees to his chest and tried to keep from crying. The images of what he had just witnessed kept playing in his mind's eye and making him shake harder.

"Jackie~," the voice cooed. "Where are you? Come on out, you know I won't hurt you. You know she was asking for it."

He only shook more, biting his arm as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to stay silent. He didn't want to be found, terrified of the person who laid beyond the closet door. Especially since he had effectively trapped himself by choosing the closet to hide in. He found that it was getting harder to breath, and knew that meant he was either going into a panic attack or starting to hyperventilate. Suddenly, the door to the closet was wrenched open and cruel ice colored eyes glared even as a smirk formed on the face.

"Found you~"

Jack bolted upright on the couch of the humans' designated hang out area, gasping for breath as the nightmare faded. He had a room set up for when having a sleepover at base, but found he hadn't been able to fall asleep in there that night. Now, it seemed he wouldn't be able to sleep on the couch either. He thought that sleeping at base might make a difference to the strange, nightmarish dreams he'd been having lately, but that wasn't really working out. Taking a moment to calm his breath and calm down, Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

He didn't understand these dreams, which were mostly centered around a man he had never known. His mother had never mentioned Davidson Darby being abusive, yet lately he was having dreams about his biological father being just that. The man had left when he was barely a year old, abandoning June and Jack. It's just a dream, Jack, not for the first time, tried to convince himself. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get any sleep, the boy shifted so that he was facing the TV. Grabbing the remote and turning it on, he made sure the volume was turned way down. Leaning back, he began to flip through the channels.

There wasn't really anything on that was holding his interest, so he decided to pop in a game that he'd been hiding from everyone. It was his secret guilty pleasure, Skyrim. He wasn't sure why he liked the game so much, but he supposed that it had something to do with subtle morality system of the game. He played it quietly for a about an hour or two before deciding that he couldn't properly focus on the game. So, he took it out and hid it again.

The dreams kept coming back to him, not all of them had been about the man he'd never known. Sometimes, his dreams were centered around a demented version of Optimus that made his skin crawl. That Optimus' paint job was the thing that bothered him the most, as the way the pain was and the shading of it made the mech look as if he was splattered with blood and energon. He wasn't really sure how he knew it was Optimus since the frame was much bulkier and covered with welding scars. The helm never looked quite right, but something told him it was Optimus and that he should be afraid.

A noise brought the young boy from his thoughts and he looked up, searching for the source of the noise. Standing up, he was very grateful that certain lights were kept on when the kids were sleeping at base so that they could get around if they needed to at night. He wasn't sure if the Autobots turned the lights off at night or not, since it seemed that Ratchet and Optimus rarely rested in any form. Even so, he decided that a little bit of exploring of the base couldn't hurt.

It was creepy, though, Jack decided about an hour later when he had wandered to a part of the base he'd never seen before. He had never realized just how big the base was, and since when did they have underground levels? Did the Autobots even know those were there? Optimus might, he supposed, though that was hard to figure out. He resolved to ask the leader about it later. Jack turned to go back to the main level, blinking when he suddenly came face-to-face with a mirror. When had it gotten there?

It seemed awfully close too, which made him frown thoughtfully. He was about to go around it when he realized something. He didn't see the edges of the mirror, and the reflection looking back at him wasn't quite...him. Instead of storm-blue eyes, blue-fire eyes stared back at him with a hint of something hidden in their depths that sent a shiver down his spine. The other was paler, practically a sickly paleness, than him and seemed to be slightly taller. Jack was frozen in place upon this realization, and upon the realization that none of his expressions were shown in the other's face. Instead, a smile was on that face - a twisted, crooked smile that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Hello, Daariam," the double suddenly purred.

Jack immediately bolted, a sinking feeling in his gut. Not a mirror, a doppelgänger, Jack thought, his heart pounding with fear.

"Aww, don't be like that Strongdefender," the doppelgänger giggled, the voice far too close for Jack's comfort.

Before Jack could react, arms wrapped around his torso and he was swung up and over a shoulder. The other looked much thinner than him, but apparently had muscle. Jack meant to cry out, but something prevented it. The key that hung from his neck felt warm suddenly, and he got the distinct impression of an SOS pulsing out from it. His mind tried to pull him into a memory, but suddenly being tossed through a purple and white portal kind of shut down his brain for a moment. Jack scrambled to his feet once he hit the ground on the other side. For the moment, his other wasn't there and Jack immediately bolted.

The boy didn't bother paying attention to his surrounds as he ran, fleeing the strange looking groundbridge portal. Fear-adrenaline pumped through his veins and he risked a glance back when he suddenly slammed into something. Given a cry of pain and shock, Jack landed on his ass. Head spinning and on the verge of hyperventilating, Jack looked up to see what he'd run into. He feat as if his heart had stopped, breath catching in his throat and fear-adrenaline flooding him even more as his eyes took in the being before him. He barely registered the shock and surprise on the faceplates, only one thought running through his mind. Airachnid.

He didn't stop to realize she looked different, with bubblegum pink and rose red armor. Didn't stop to take in her green optics that were wide with shock. He only knew his fear that had him scrambling to flee, his mind screaming danger at him. He didn't get far as he was snatched off the ground by the pink and red femme, whom he struggled against as best he could. Fear kept him fighting as he finally found his voice, and began calling out for help. His mind was reeling and he didn't know how to handle what was happening. He felt a sudden prick in his neck and his world went dark.

When he finally woke up again, he was severely disoriented. Everything inside of him was screaming danger still, causing him to instinctively reach for a bond that wasn't there. He felt his stomach lurch and he curled up, whimpering as he tried not to think. He was remembering what happened, but didn't want to. He knew he was shaking, and was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. He was scared to get up and look around, scared of what he would find. Voices suddenly reached his ears - most of them familiar and yet sounding not quite right. One voice loudly reached over the others.

"What do you mean I can't meet him?! Sharpbite said that it wasn't Firestarter, and you agreed that it wasn't Doc!"

"That's not what I said, and you know it!" a voice snapped back. "I said that there are differences that separate him from Firestarter, but that doesn't mean that it's not the Auto-pet!"

Raf? Jack thought with a frown, slowly sitting up as he finally calmed down. The second voice wasn't Ratchet and didn't sound familiar, but the first one he was sure belonged to Raf. It didn't sound right thought, the words weren't ones that Raf would say and who was Sharpbite? Raf wasn't loud either. Something was wrong and it made his stomach flip. He was terrified if he was being honest, and jumped when the door slammed open despite protests. Eyes wide, Jack looked and found his breath being caught. Wrong wrong wrong, his mind chanted as he stared at who he knew was Raf, and yet it wasn't.

The hair was wrong, too dark to be Raf. The eyes were far lighter than he remembered and the boy before him wasn't wearing glasses. He looked like he was older than Raf, too, and he wasn't wearing clothes that were a size too big. Behind the boy, looking exasperated, was a much smaller version of a Decepticon he'd only seen through photos when he asked Arcee to show him so that he could recognize the danger on the spot. Knockout, the Decepticon's medic, look completely and utterly annoyed and wasn't the colors he remembered. This Knockout was red and white, the two colors looking to be equally distributed on the mech's frame. Jack estimated that the 'Con was currently only a head taller than himself. Jack also noted that the mech was covered in little imperfections that Arcee had said the medic couldn't stand.

It didn't make sense. What he was looking at didn't make sense and it caused the fear to come back full force. Again, Jack reached for that dormant or blocked bond, the emptiness heightening his fear.

"Woah! You really do look just like Firestarter!" the boy before Jack squealed, causing him to wince. "Just, you know, healthier! That's so cool! What's your name? Where'd you come from? Why do you look like that no-good scoundrel?!"

Jack reeled with the questions-slash-demands that came from the loud boy and Jack found himself instinctively pulling away and curling up. He was sure that the fear was plain on his face from the way the medic frowned.

"Rafael! That's quite enough!" the medic snapped. "You're only making this worse for the poor boy! Go and bother Miko or Vince! Better yet, go find that guardian of yours!"

This got a huff out of the boy, but he complied and scampered off. Jack relaxed only a fraction as he processed what had just happened. They didn't know who he was, just that he looked like his kidnapper. So these weren't the Decepticons he knew at the very least. From what the medic had said, he guessed that the medic didn't fully believe he wasn't his other, but at least he knew he was unlikely to be hurt.

"I'm not sure if you're just a good actor," the medic said suddenly, getting a jump out of Jack. "Or if you're really not Firestarter. The DNA results will be done soon, so that means we'll know for sure. Once we've determined that, then we'll talk. Or you'll talk to our leader."

Jack got the impression that his reactions had caused the medic to doubt that he was his double. Jack decided he had to play it safe and just curled up against the wall the bed he was on was pressed against. He didn't ask about the medic's size and just stayed there as the door was shut. Jack wasn't sure, but he thought he nodded off at some point as his head snapped up when he heard the door opening again. A girl had entered very quietly and closed the door behind her.

Jack stared at the girl who was and was not Miko Nakadai, his eyes automatically finding the differences. She was the same height, but her hair was longer and left down. She was wearing a simple t-shirt with a band name on it he didn't recognize along with knee-length shorts. A pair of headphones hung around her neck and she looked nervous, carrying a laptop under her arm.

"I know we're not supposed to talk to you until the 'Cons are certain you're not a threat or Firestarter, but I..." she hesitated, eyes colored like honey searching him. "I don't think you're either. I knew it when I saw you when Sharpbite brought you back that you're not Firestarter. I knew Fire, and you're not him. You're eyes, for one, are all wrong and I know they're not contacts." The girl nervously pushed some barely-noticeable glasses up as she shuffled forward. "So I figured I'd come keep you company. I'm Miko Nakadai."

"Jackson Darby," he offered her, gaining a look of surprise from her. He realized that she hadn't expected a response. "I guess you figured I wouldn't say anything after basically being kidnapped? You've done nothing to me, so no reason to give you the cold shoulder."

"Jackson," she repeated after a moment. "That's a nice name. I'm sorry if they scared you - Raf and Knockout, I mean. I know Raf can be loud and that Knockout doesn't have the best...manners." She sat down on a chair he hadn't noticed before, which briefly confused him but he shoved the thoughts away. "You really aren't Fire. You're voice is too deep and he's horrible at voice acting."

Jack had questions, but chose not to ask them. He let her ask her questions, which were mostly mundane ones that didn't differ from if one was at high school. Where was he from? Did he like his home? What were his parents like? She apologized about his father and he waved it off. It was odd, talking to this Miko. Jack's mind went back to when he'd ended up in the Shadow Zone with the Miko and Raf he'd known. His best guess was that he was in another dimension.

He didn't know how long he sat there talking to her, calming down from his earlier panic. It was nice, having someone to talk to. He wasn't sure when, but she had begun to tell him about the antics that Raf dragged her and Vince into. He was a bit surprised to learn that his place in this world was filled in by Vince, but he found himself not minding as he learned through Miko. He wondered about the beginning of their talk, when she talked about Firestarter - or "Fire", as she called his doppelgänger. He guessed that they'd known each other once, but didn't ask about it.

"Miko! What are you doing in here?!"

The voice startled the two of them and Jack stiffened when his eyes landed on the man who had spoken. He recognized him, his mind flashing back to when his mother was kidnapped before he forced the memory down. He took deep breaths, trying to stay calm. If either noticed the change, the girl and man didn't mention it.

"Sorry, Agent Bishop," Miko said, looking guilty. "I just wanted to talk to him a bit, keep him company. After all, Jackson didn't have the nicest introduction to the 'Cons."

"Agent Bishop", or as Jack better knew him, Silas sighed and gave the two a searching look. "Jackson, huh?" the man asked. "That's your name, kid?"

Jack nodded, unsure of why he didn't tell them his nickname as well.

"Well, Jackson," the man said. "Since you've been cleared as Firestarter, I guess we best properly introduce you to everyone and then get down to what you were doing out there. That area's been off-limits for years to the public."

Jack was confused by this, but didn't show it. He just nodded and got up, wincing as his legs had falling asleep. He stumbled a bit and the girl caught him, helping him walk until he regained his footing more properly. He nodded to her in thanks, making her smile a bit. She was quite, far too quite. It was unnerving the more Jack thought about it. When they reached the end of the hallway his "cell" had been down, Jack froze. He recognized that he was in the Silo, but he couldn't get past the fact he was seeing the Decepticons. He recognized them thanks to Arcee and his own experiences, but found that he couldn't go forward even with the knowledge that they were not the ones he knew.

"I never forget a face. Not even that of a human's."

Megatron had his full attention, though he already saw the differences. Blue optics, light silver armor with blue accents. Digits that didn't end in claws and not spikes to be seen. His breath had picked up, he knew, and felt his fear spiking. He knew the fear was because of Airachnid's presence mainly, even as he avoided looking at her directly. He could feel the webbing on him, trapping him in place and the distant cries of his mother.

"-ckson! Hey! Kid!"

Jack snapped out of when he was roughly grabbed and lashed out without thinking, fear etched onto his face as he stumbled back into a wall. He slid down it, breathing heavily as he refused to look at anyone. He could feel so many eyes on him, causing him to squeeze his own shut. A bad idea. The memories came, plaguing his mind and causing a fearful whimper to leave him. Distantly, he could hear Raf's loud demand of what was wrong with him, as well as the familiar voice of Vince suggesting that maybe they were overwhelming Jack.

Suddenly, Jack realized that there was silence and he slowly looked up. He found himself calming down significantly now that he didn't see Airachnid. Vince, who didn't look like Vince with dark red hair instead of bright orange hair and bright green eyes rather than dark eyes, Miko, Raf, Silas, and only one of the Decepticons remained. Megatron. Jack convinced himself that he could handle this and shakily stood up, knowing he was still pale from fear.

"Jackson, are you alright?" Miko asked, concern lacing her voice and in her honey colored eyes.

"I...yeah," he finally managed to say, knowing how weak his voice sounded.

He could see how Megatron was looking at him, could see the thoughtful expression. Something told him that Megatron knew that his reaction wasn't just from being overwhelmed. His chest suddenly felt warm and he only just refrained himself from reaching up to touch the Key. He stiffened when it pulsed, seeing Megatron also stiffen with wide optics as he stared down at Jack, who paled considerably. He glanced around and saw that Vince was staring at him with disbelief and found himself growing nervous. There was confusion from Raf and Miko, who sensed something was wrong. Silas' expression was unreadable.

"It would appear that Acer came through on his promise that he would find another way to get ahold of the Key," Megatron finally spoke up, relaxed again and the thoughtful look having returned. "Though, it would appear that it backfired on him slightly."

Jack wasn't sure he liked the look he was getting from the silver mech.

Whelp, I hope you enjoyed this Glimpse! The next one is going to be an actual one-shot instead of part of an idea for a multi-chapter story. I realized that I had never actually done an honest-to-goodness one-shot outside of Spark of the Heart. And that one was horribly written, really.