I want to thank everyone for taking the time to review!
Transformers Terminology: spark = heart, neural network/processor = brain/mind, frame/framework = body, helm = head, faceplates = face, optic = eye, ridge =eyebrow, receptor = ear, denta = teeth, glossa = tongue, strut = shoulder, chassis = chest, tank(s) = stomach, servo = hand, digit = finger, pede = foot, stasis = sleep, recharge = rest, sparkling = infant/toddler, youngling = child, mechling/femling = teenager, mech = adult male, femme = adult female, sire = father, carrier = mother, nano-klick = second, klick = minute, breem = hour, sol = day, cycle = week, megacycle = month, vorn = year
Okay, for those of you who have asked, After The Fall will follow the same storyline as the Prime episodes, but with the twist of what happens to Jack thrown in. I'll add my own adventures and problems throughout this story, like the next few chapters, but at this point, I won't be diverging too much from the overall continuity besides a few select things. I do plan to get a little more creative in the future, but that's still a while off.
Chapter 7: Separate Ways
"What do you mean Jack's leaving?!" Ratchet shouted from where he'd been shamelessly listening in on Optimus' quiet conversation with their liaison. The medic's loud outburst caught the attention of the others in the room, and unfortunately, everyone was present.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed mostly out of irritation. Of course, Fowler thought it was a good idea to tell the Autobots he was leaving the night before he had to go. Why hadn't the agent at least asked to speak to Optimus in private? He reluctantly looked over at the rest of the occupants in the room to gauge their reactions and inwardly cringed when he found that everyone was staring at him with various displays of disbelief. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he walked over to where Fowler was standing, making sure to send a glare at the sheepish looking man.
"You can't have really expected for Jack to stay here?" Fowler directed this question more towards Ratchet.
"And why not? This is the safest place for him." The medic scoffed angrily.
"Ratchet's right. Airachnid and MECH have already come after Jack before, who's to say they won't try again?" Arcee added firmly, crossing her arms and glaring at Fowler for even suggesting that her partner needed to leave.
"So your just gonna keep him here." Fowler started, sounding unimpressed as he raised an eyebrow at the two. "What about when he graduates from high school? Or when he wants to get a job, settle down, raise a family? He may be safer here, but he'll miss out on life if he stays."
"Who says the war will last that long?" Bulkhead cut in sharply, frowning heavily at the agent.
"I'm sorry, how many centuries have you been butting heads with the Cons now?" He snapped back and Jack stepped forward, hoping to stop the conversation from escalating.
"Look guys, Fowler isn't the bad guy here. He's just doing his job." The teenager said as he raised his hands in a gesture for everyone to ease up on the man. "I'm not leaving because I want to, but..."
He tentatively began to describe the regular procedure most minors went through once they lost their parents, with Fowler providing information for the parts he wasn't too sure about. Normally, since he didn't have any close relatives, Jack should have gone to social services, but Fowler had been able to call in a few favors, allowing him to stay with the Autobots temporarily. He was just beginning to explain that a previously unknown relative had agreed to take him in, when Miko finally spoke up. Jack was honestly surprised she'd stayed quiet for so long.
"Wait! So you're just gonna go live with some dude you've never met before?" She interrupted incredulously and the older boy rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding everyone's gaze.
"Yeah, well, better a cousin I've never known about than a foster home." He grumbled sourly. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the situation either. Miko grimaced at that, slumping dejectedly as the reality of his circumstances seemed to sink in.
"Do you even know the human's name?" Arcee hissed as she scowled at Fowler, who straightened at her tone and gripped the railing tightly.
"Clancy Brown, 40 years old, single, no children. He owns a farm over in Harford, which is a little town just like Jasper. It's about a five-hour drive from here." The man answered in a clipped tone. "I personally checked him out. He's legit."
"He's, uh, a second cousin on my dad's side." Jack added, submitting the only bit of info he had on the man.
It was silent for a moment before a soft sniffle echoed through the room, breaking off the glaring contest Fowler was having with Ratchet, Arcee, Bulkhead, and Miko. Jack's wide eyes immediately locked onto Raf, who was sitting on the couch hugging Gremlin tightly, biting his lip and clearly trying not to cry. Bumblebee moved quicker than anyone else, scooping up the twelve-year-old into his hands, whispering so lowly that Jack couldn't make out the words. Gremlin was determinedly pressed up against Raf's side, offering his own form of comfort.
Raf's stifled sobs and stuttering hiccups pulled the others into a somber mood and Jack shared a rueful look with Fowler. They shouldn't have put this off until the last minute. It wasn't fair to the others. Glancing up at Arcee, he couldn't help but wince at the look on her face. It was a mixture of anger and sadness that left his stomach churning with guilt. He suddenly felt like he'd betrayed her trust. Now that he stopped to think about it, his omission was exactly that. He should have at least warned her, but he'd been… too reluctant to even broach the subject.
Peering over at the others only made him feel worse. Miko had all but wilted, her usual exuberance lost as she frowned at the floor. Bulkhead looked as if he wanted to pace angrily, or go a few rounds in the training room, but he wouldn't dare leave Miko alone in her sullenness. So the Wrecker just stood behind her, shifting restlessly, not knowing how to cheer the girl up. Ratchet was still over at the computer, appearing to be completely preoccupied with something or another. But the screens in front of him were stationary, while his fingers seemed to twitch with the urge to look busy.
Optimus was the only one who hadn't reacted poorly, appearing as calm and steadfast as always. The Autobot leader made no move to address the others, but instead continued to stare down at Jack, his face stoic. The teenager had secretly hoped that Optimus would have argued on his behalf, like Arcee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead had, that the Prime would've fought for him to stay. Seeing him do nothing, say nothing, was painful, but something he should have expected, so Jack tried to ignore the odd pang in his chest. Optimus respected Earth's laws and if one of them said that he had to leave, then the Autobot leader wouldn't argue against it.
Unknown to Jack, Optimus was so taken off guard by the news of his immediate departure that he wasn't sure how to respond. Ratchet and Arcee were quick to argue against Special Agent Fowler, something he knew he should stop, but the Prime couldn't fault them for their ire. It was a testament to how much his relationship with Jackson had changed that Optimus suddenly found himself battling his own feelings of dissent.
He looked down at their oldest charge and felt an odd pang in his spark; it wasn't just his processor against this. Jackson's shoulders were slumped with defeat, a tired frown marring his face, eyes downcast, visibly just as distressed at parting as the others. The Prime frowned, recognizing that, in his spark, he wanted the boy to stay with them, that he belonged under their protection. But Special Agent Fowler made a valid point. They had already impeded too much of their troubles onto Jackson's life. It was his right to choose how he would continue to live, whether it meant being with them or not.
"Autobots." Optimus stated out loud, his deep baritone voice immediately garnering everyone's attention. "We will respect the laws of the humans, just as we have always done." Even with his command given, the Bots clearly did not agree with their leader.
Arcee outright glared at Optimus while Ratchet, surprisingly, seemed just as ready to argue with his oldest friend. Bulkhead shifted uneasily, not pleased with the Prime's order, but decided to remain silent. Bumblebee's door wings visibly drooped and he continued to have a quiet conversation with Raf, who had thankfully stopped crying, though the young boy certainly hadn't cheered up at all.
"What?! That's it? After all the things Jack has been through with us, with you, you're just going to say, 'see you later'!?" Miko shouted skeptically, her angry question echoing throughout the old missile silo. Though it didn't seem possible, Optimus' rigid frame went even stiffer and Jack couldn't help but flinch slightly at the harshness of Miko's words.
Honestly, he was pretty hurt by Optimus' response. Despite his attempts to temper his feelings towards the Prime, he had undeniably grown fonder of the Autobot. There'd been a big part of him that believed, hoped, that Optimus had started to care for him. To value him as more than a charge, or as a responsibility, but rather something like family. He really should've known better. Whatever relationship he had with Optimus seemed to have been exaggerated on his side, nothing more than wishful thinking. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, knowing he was just being stupid and overemotional.
The Prime was a friend and that should be good enough.
It wasn't though, if the pain in his chest was anything to go by.
"Miko it's fine, seriously." Jack replied, his voice coming out softer than he'd wanted it to. He took a steadying breath before continuing. "I have to go, my cousin is already expecting me to show up tomorrow. And it's not like I'll never see you guys again, I'll stay in touch." He finished in a stronger tone. He was certain that he would be reunited with the Autobots again, whether he came to visit or just had to wait until he was eighteen, he would be back.
"Hey, you're right! We can use the Groundbridge to come and see you whenever we want." Miko said excitedly and Jack slowly shook his head, making her smile drop.
"The Groundbridge uses a lot of Energon and I don't want you guys wasting it just to come and see me for a couple of hours. I'm sure we can figure something else out. If worse comes to worse, I can still call and stay in contact that way." He explained, faking a composed persona that he wasn't even close to feeling at the moment. Now that he was talking about, the teenager realized, with no small amount of dismay, that he didn't want to leave.
Agent Fowler had brought up some pretty good reasons earlier for why he needed to though. Jack had always wanted to go out of town for college, to leave boring old Jasper behind and go somewhere exciting. And he definitely wanted to have a family one day. Could he honestly not have those things if he stayed with the Bots? He frowned as he really considered it.
He still had a year and a half of high school left and could easily live at the base. Arcee wouldn't mind driving him to and from school. After graduation, taking online college courses wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could work for the government and take over as the Autobots liaison once Fowler retired. As for family, well Jack wasn't planning on settling down any time soon. He definitely wouldn't want them involved in the war though.
If he left now and never contacted the Bots again, would he really be safe? He somehow doubted it. And after what Airachnid had done, he couldn't imagine going on with his life, pretending like she, the other Cons, and MECH, weren't out there somewhere. The more Jack thought about it, the more he became opposed to the idea of leaving.
This was his life now, here with the Autobots. They had become his family during the past two weeks, supporting him as he grieved for his mother…
Could he ask to stay? Jack glanced at Fowler, wondering if he should even bother trying. The man had already gone out of his way to make this easy for him, letting him stay with the Bots, finding a relative to take him in. Wouldn't demanding to stay just cause a bigger mess? Jack sighed, falling back into a familiar feeling of grudging acceptance. He didn't want to go, but he'd never been the type of person who did whatever he wanted. He was raised to be responsible, which meant doing things you had to do, even if you didn't want to.
On the other side of the room Arcee scowled at no one in particular, feeling torn. She would've liked nothing more than to rage at Fowler. To corner Jack and demand to know why he hadn't told her about this. She wanted to argue with Optimus, to yell at the Prime who stood as resolute as ever, looking unmoved by the fact that Jack would be gone come tomorrow. But she also wanted to comfort her partner, who'd somehow integrated himself into her daily life. She couldn't even imagine him suddenly not being there.
She studied Jack, watching as he tried to calm everyone else down, promising them that he would keep in touch and that this parting wasn't permanent. He had a somber look on his face, but when he caught her staring he tried to smile up at her. It didn't quite reach his tired eyes, and she knew without a doubt that he didn't want to leave.
Not too far away from Arcee, Ratchet had given up any pretense of trying to look busy and had begun to look up this Clancy Brown the Agent Fowler had mentioned. He grumbled as he stumbled through internet, a chaotic system that made him long for the data logs and archives back on Cybertron. Searching for the man proved somewhat difficult as many humans apparently shared the same designation. He sighed angrily as a message appeared on the screen, asking him to complete some sort of survey before continuing.
Ratchet did not miss the irony of this situation. He had been the one against the children being at the base from the beginning. A month ago, he would've accepted Jack's departure without complaint. Now he was actively arguing for the boy to stay.
Since Jack had begun to live at the base, the human spent an inordinate amount of time in the silo's main room, which was where he, unfortunately, did all of his work. At first Ratchet had ordered him to be quiet and to not touch anything, but eventually those stipulations were forgotten as Jack started to ask questions. And knowledge for the sake of curiosity was never something the medic could discourage. He'd grudgingly replied to Jack's inquiries, his disinclination slowly changing as he began to offer information on his own, explaining step-by-step procedures and experiments.
Surprisingly, Jack had a decent grasp on medical information, no doubt in thanks to his mother. He was also an unexpectedly good student, eager to learn, recording what was said, and offering human knowledge that coordinated with the subject matter. Ratchet was fairly certain that the boy could recite more Cybertronian medical knowledge than Arcee. That wasn't to say that Jack understood everything they'd discussed. Rafael was the most scientifically inclined out of the children, but Jack took the lessons seriously, unknowingly endearing himself to the medic.
"I have to go home now…" Raf announced abruptly, his tone gloomy and withdrawn.
It suddenly crashed down upon Jack that this may be the last time he saw both Raf and Miko for a while. He let out a shaky sigh and forced himself to be strong, if not for himself then for the others. He walked up to his only two human friends to say goodbye. They were probably the only people in Jasper who were going to miss him.
Friends were something that Jack had never really had, not until he'd met the Autobots. At one point that wasn't true, but that was from before his dad had died. Afterwards, he had to be at home, where his mom could call and check up on him. Once he was old enough to be trusted on his own, Jack hadn't been sure how to act around others. He'd been too aware of his own awkwardness, which discouraged him even further from connecting with his peers.
Jack said goodbye to Bulkhead and Bumblebee too, seeing as they wouldn't return until after they dropped Raf and Miko off at school tomorrow morning. While he was not especially close with either Bot, he was definitely gotten to know them better over the past two weeks. He promised Bee a rematch in video games, as Jack had managed to win their last race, much to the scout's disbelief, and told Bulkhead to think about the next Wrecker story he wanted to share.
Once Miko and Raf left, the former demanding he call immediately after getting settled in, Fowler had quickly followed. The goodbyes between them were brief, but comfortable. Having spent enough time with the old Army Ranger had taught him that Fowler was a man of few words, loud and obnoxious words, but still few just the same. Before he left, he gave Jack an emergency contact number that went straight to him, just in case there were any problems or if he ever needed to talk. Touched by the gesture, he read the number over several times, making sure to memorize it.
Finally, Jack was left with the three Autobots he had grown closest to since his mother's passing. Arcee was in the back, leaning against the wall as she waited for their one-on-one talk, not that he expected anything beyond being scolded for not warning her beforehand and promises to stay in contact. He knew her too well to expect for their discussion to go any deeper than that. It took Arcee a little longer than others to come to terms with her emotions and even longer to share those emotions with someone else. But that was fine, Jack's patience was endless when it came to his partner.
He tried to ignore Optimus' heavy gaze as he turned to Ratchet. Jack knew that if he let himself talk to the Prime, he would reveal his desire to stay. And Optimus had already agreed with Agent Fowler, he had to remember that. What was the point in asking to stay when the Autobot was probably going to say no? So instead he turned to the disgruntled medic, knowing of only one way to placate the old Bot. He just hoped he wouldn't regret it later.
"You know, Ratchet, I never gave you those tests that you wanted after the other day's cave-in incident." Jack admitted slowly, inwardly cringing at the numerous examinations he was about to partake in. He saw Arcee grimace out of the corner of his eye, but most of his attention was focused on Ratchet's surprised and extremely pleased face.
Before Jack could even think about taking back his offer of becoming Ratchet's first human patient, he found himself being placed on the Cybertronian sized gurney by the eager Bot. The medic turned back to the other two and quickly pushed them out of the room for some privacy. Gremlin curled up next to the nervous teenager, making a curious noise as Ratchet turned towards him excitedly with a syringe in hand.
Standing next to the passenger's door of Fowler's government issued car, Jack gingerly ran his hands over the sore needle pricked areas that covered his body. Even though becoming a human pin cushion was uncomfortable, he'd only spent half of his time answering the questions Ratchet had about the human body, who tried to hide his fascination concerning the subject with his usual surly demeanor.
After a little bit though, he started to have a real conversation with Ratchet, one that didn't revolve around either Cybertronian or human anatomy. They had talked about the past, with Ratchet even complimenting his actions during the scraplet incident, bonding over their shared dislike towards Miko's music, debating over the low Energon supply and ways to ration it better. Neither of them said anything about Airachnid or his mom. It had been refreshing to discuss something different. Ratchet had even shared some stories from before the war, and Jack surprisingly found himself laughing at some of them.
After his examination was over, he said a genuine goodbye to Ratchet, knowing that the gruff Bot wouldn't appreciate such a display when the others were around. The Medic had stuttered a response, stumbling over his words and avoiding eye contact before brusquely saying that they would see him again soon. Smiling to himself, Jack had left the Medical Bay and went off to find Arcee. They'd gone driving last night, but the ride itself was quiet and somber, lacking the yelling he'd been expecting. When he'd tried to say goodbye, Arcee had stopped him before he could even finish his sentence.
"Jack, this isn't goodbye, so don't act like it is. We will see each other again partner, even if I have to drive the five hours to see you."
And that was that, Jack was grateful for Arcee's simplicity. Unknowingly, she had settled the worrying thoughts, doubts, and feelings he'd started to have ever since Fowler had told him he was leaving. They were partners, friends, and no amount of distance, would change that anytime soon.
When they'd returned to base hours later, the only person left to speak with was Optimus, the Autobot who perhaps had the biggest impact on Jack during his stay at the base. He'd stood in front of the Prime's door for an hour before going to bed, unable to work up the nerve to actually go inside.
He knew he'd ask Optimus if he could stay. He just didn't know what the Prime's response would be. Would he agree, that rare small smile breaking across his face, assuring Jack that he could stay, that he would talk to Agent Fowler? Or would he frown slightly, his blue eyes turning serious as he gently explained the reasons for why Jack had to leave? The very real possibility of that second scenario was what the teenager had feared the most. After debating with himself until well past midnight, he'd finally come to a decision. When Optimus came to say goodbye, he would ask to stay. He'd actually been a little proud of his resolve.
There was just one thing he hadn't taken into account.
Optimus didn't show up.
Jack had stayed up all night, nervously waiting on the edge of the couch, but he never heard the loud metallic steps echo from the hallway. When morning arrived, he was just grateful that Fowler had promised to show up early. Even now, as the agent finished loading up the rest of his things into the trunk, only Arcee and Ratchet were present. He didn't bother asking where Optimus was, the Prime knew when he was supposed to leave. Fowler had noticed and even tried to buy more time, a painfully obvious endeavor that'd only made Jack feel embarrassed. He sighed and muttered a goodbye to the two Autobots before climbing into the car, head lowered so nobody could see his disappointment.
As Fowler drove out of the base, no one saw the red and blue Autobot hiding just out of view in the hallway, silent and guilt-ridden.
The Prime stood just as stoic as ever, watching Jack leave. However, his processor and spark were anything but indifferent. He was at war with himself and his decision to not converse with Jackson last night. But how could he, when he realized just how tempted he was to have the boy stay? How had he been so ignorant of how much he'd grown to care for Jackson?
He hadn't even contemplated the dangers of forming such attachments. Surely, if Megatron ever learned how much he'd come to value Jackson, he would not hesitate to hurt the human in any way that he could. For Jackson's safety, Optimus knew he needed to separate himself from the boy, an option that would've been impossible without the teenager leaving the base.
But Primus was it hard to ignore Jackson, especially when he caught a glimpse at the teenager's hurt expression when he'd turned away from the others. Optimus could no longer dismiss the ache in his spark as he watched Jackson leave. He cared for the boy greatly, more than he ever thought he would. Even now he was questioning his actions. Was he doing the right thing? Should he go after Special Agent Fowler?
For the first time in a long time, Optimus Prime was confused and unsure about what was right. Was separating himself from Jackson the correct choice, or was he making a grave mistake?
The ride to his cousin's home was both much too long and much too short in Jack's opinion. All he could do while stuck in the car for four hours was think. And unfortunately, the only thing he could think about was his sudden nonexistent relationship with Optimus.
Had he done something to upset Optimus, was that the reason why the Autobot leader hadn't said goodbye to him? Maybe Optimus had felt just as nervous as him and had been unable to work up the nerve to say anything too? Jack scoffed at that thought. He seriously doubted that the Prime was afraid of anything. No, it was more than likely that Optimus hadn't come simply because, even though Optimus did care, it was not in the way that Jack had hoped.
Before the subdued teen knew it, he was pulled from his depressing thoughts to be greeted by a timeworn country house. Oh boy, was it old. The house's white paint had long since faded and was chipped in several areas, the siding missing in some parts. There were residual stains from the window panes that were now absent and the dingy roof shingles were in bad condition. At first glance the house looked abandoned, but that thought was quickly dismissed when Jack spotted a middle-aged man sitting in an old rocking chair on the dirty porch.
Stepping out of the car, he paused to look his cousin over. Clancy looked like your average country bumpkin, wearing overalls, work boots, and a worn plaid shirt. He stood about as tall as Fowler and was rather muscular, fitting since he worked the land for a living. Jack cleared his throat, glancing at Agent Fowler as the man busied himself with Jack's luggage, and gave his cousin a hesitant smile.
"Hi, uh, I'm Jack." He greeted, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously as the man sized him up.
"It's nice ta meet ya Jack, I'm Clancy. Don't mind this old house too much, she looks better on the inside." Clancy said in a thick southern accent. They fell into an awkward silence until Agent Fowler turned to him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"Call me if you need anything, alright Jack?" He simply nodded in reply, not knowing what to say. He might've told the man to look out for the Bots, but didn't dare mention them in front of Clancy. He stepped back, waving as Fowler drove away leaving a dust trail behind him.
Jack uncomfortably shifted his feet for a few minutes, but Clancy made no move to invite him inside. Suddenly, he heard the roar of several engines come to life from the old large barn a few feet behind the house. Three familiar looking green cars raced out of the barn and charged towards them. Without even thinking, Jack moved up to Clancy to push the man inside the safety of his house.
MECH had somehow found him again!
Before he could even shout out a warning to the older man, he found himself caught in Clancy's tight grip. After a confusing moment, he struggled ferociously and tried to get away, suddenly realizing that Clancy, or whoever the man was, was defiantly not his cousin. As the three muscle cars pulled up to the porch, Jack used the dust and dirt as a cover as he literally threw Clancy off of him and made a break for the corn fields surrounding the house. As he ran through the tall crops, Jack heard men shouting at each other before the cars once again came back to life with roaring engines. He didn't need to look behind him to know that MECH was probably already on his trail.
Then it happened.
Pain, the excruciating, but increasingly familiar sensation raced through his body as he collapsed to his knees, stopping his escape. 'Not now!' Jack thought hysterically as a fresh wave of agony once again pulsed through him from his chest. It was as if someone were sending volts of electricity through his muscles and organs. Through his pain, he could hear the cars surrounding him and knew there was nothing he could do now.
As he heard car doors open and footsteps approach him, he squinted, seeing there was a boot beside him and instinctively rammed his fist into the man's shoe. The sensation of something caving in and the audible crack that rang throughout the field meant that he'd probably just broken the soldier's foot. The man's resulting screams was the last thing the teenager heard before he passed out.
Silas smiled down at the unconscious body that his men brought before him.
Jack Darby looked very much the same since Silas had last seen him only fourteen days ago, but there was a noticeable sheen of sweat covering the boy's face and he looked much paler than what was normal. It was nothing his scientists hadn't already warned him about though. They didn't have much time, his men had speculated, before the spark inside his chest would kill him, maybe three days at the most.
"Prep him for surgery, immediately." Silas ordered his scientists, who quickly went to work without a word. He would have liked to have talked to Jack before the boy's operation, but no matter, he would just have to wait once the teenager awoke. Though that wouldn't be for a while…
The transplant and fusion of Jack's spark with the Vehicon's body was estimated to take a few days, five at the most. They had already torn down the Vehicon to its skeletal frame and had made several modifications, but there was still so much work that needed to be done.
One of his men who'd captured Jack turned to Silas and presented him with the teenager's phone. Taking the black cellphone, he scrolled down the names until he came to one simply listed as RC. Smirking, he handed the cell to one of his other scientist, who knew exactly what to do with it.
Silas prided himself as someone who learned from his mistakes, and he knew better than to underestimate the Autobots again. He had little doubt that Jack had been ordered to stay in touch and the Autobots would come looking for the boy should he fail to check in. A simple text message from his cell would not be enough for long, so he'd ordered his men come up with a way to disguise his voice to sound like young Jack's.
This experiment would not be interrupted.
"Sir, the subject seems to be awakening. Should I put him back under?" One of the scientists asked and Silas held up his hand, making the man pause. He walked up to the boy and smirked as the sixteen-year-old slowly tried to fight off the oblivion that had claimed him earlier.
Jack let out a small moan as he slowly came to and tried to remember what happened before he suddenly found himself lying on his back. He heard voices from above him, but none that he recognized. Where was he? Where were the Autobots? Who were these people? He groaned once again making the voices above him stop. There was movement from his left and opened his eyes, quickly realizing that the person standing next to him was neither Fowler, Miko, nor Raf. Jack felt his stomach clench in dread as he recognized who was standing above him.
Silas smiled down at him, with something predatory gleaming in his eyes. The upsurge of fear that Jack felt flushed adrenaline through his body. He instinctively started to pull against at the bindings holding him down, but they didn't give an inch.
"I would advise you not to attempt using your unnatural strength to help you escape at the moment, Jack. You might set off another episode and I'm sure you don't want that. My scientists tell me that it's quite painful." Silas said as he smirked down at the stunned teenager.
"How–" He began, but the man cut him off before he could finish his question.
"You know you're a very lucky young man. You have the honor of being the first test subject of Project CHIMERA." The words test subject were really the only thing Jack understood, making him renew his struggling.
"When the Autobots–" He started angrily, but was once again cut off as Silas laughed.
"The Autobots aren't coming boy. Even if they did somehow arrive in time to save you, your reunion wouldn't last very long, seeing as you're dying." He replied in an amused tone, a smile never leaving his face.
Whatever Jack had expected Silas to say, it certainly hadn't been that. Was that supposed to be a threat? It didn't sound like it. His heart pulsed painfully in his chest, as if agreeing with the man. He feared that the man's ominous statement was in fact quite true.
He knew there was something very wrong with him, the latest pain attack proved it. The attacks had never been as excruciating as the last one, and he'd never passed out from them before. Why was this happening to him? He retraced his memories for the cause, and a flash of acid burning into his hand came forth.
"Airachnid." Jack whispered, horrified that he could have forgotten such a thing. Was he really dying because of what happened? Her acid becoming a poison that had festered to the point where there was no cure? He mentally kicked himself for not allowing Ratchet to run some scans earlier than last night, if he had, then maybe he wouldn't be in such a dire situation.
"Airachnid, interesting." Silas repeated thoughtfully. "Well, a conversation for later. Right now, you have a very important procedure to go through. I'd hate to keep you."
It wasn't until Jack felt a pinprick in his arm that he came back to his senses and tried to fight back, but suddenly he felt too drowsy, his limbs growing numb. His last thought before he passed out was the hope that Ratchet would spot something wrong with his test results. The Autobots would come looking for him then.
Well, there's chapter seven and hoo-boy, you guys have no idea how hard that was to write. Seriously, I think the hardest part was Optimus and his growing paternal feelings towards Jack. Originally, I had him realize that he cherished Jack as the son he'd never had, but I realized how OOC this would be since Jack has only stayed at the base for a week. The Prime would acknowledge that he'd grown to care for Jack, but I don't think they would've reached that father/son level quite yet.
Optimus is at that point that all superheroes reach when they think about their loved ones. Y'know, that whole 'I have to keep my distance so that you aren't targeted' crap that every hero goes through at one point or another? Hopefully none of you are too pissed at me for making Optimus act this way, but for the sake of this story, it needed to happen.
Ratchet gets a bigger role because honestly, out of all the Bots, he's the one that spends the most time in the kids' company.
–Hexalys
